It seems that I begin every chapter with an apology (*sigh*).

Anyway, in the last chapter Bella and Edward had a heart-to-heart about the nature of kresniks and vampires, and Edward discovered that (1) apparently his whole family already knew Bella, and that (2) Bella had interesting dreams.

This chapter is dedicated to the ever-patient DutchGirl01, whose PM reminded me that I needed to get off my duff (or rather sit on my duff in front of my laptop) and finish this chapter! Thanks, DutchGirl01! It's readers like you that keep me going.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

CHAPTER 9: Developing

Bella awoke to bright sunlight and an extremely painful chest. She'd been warned that getting up in the morning would be the worst time, but yesterday she still had the hospital's painkillers in her system. Today she was on her own. With a heavy groan, she stood up carefully and made her torturous way to the bathroom.

Was she seriously so drunk last night that she didn't even change her clothes? Ugh, she needed a shower.

Washed and dressed ten minutes later, Bella held a silent conversation with her tooth-brushing self in the mirror. In spite of the whole your-brother-is-a-vampire-hunter thing, last night was fun. Edward even flirted with her, which is probably what triggered that one particularly vivid but extremely pleasant dream she recalled. Of course, he's gorgeous and unattached, and probably flirts with all women to some degree. Hadn't she already accused him of dazzling people?

He didn't flirt with Carissa, her inner voice reminded her. In fact, he made a point to stay away from her.

"That's because he knows she'd take it the wrong way," Bella retorted out loud. "He probably considers me safe."

Oops, he undoubtedly heard that. Damn vampire super hearing. At least he couldn't read her mind.

Correction, he could read her mind. Once. She tried to remember what she'd been thinking about at the time. He'd just taken her hands to dance, right after catching her around the waist to prevent her from falling.

The world around her faded as she relived those few minutes. Bella vividly recalled the warm tingle that ran up her arms. What was it he said to her? Something about liking that ridiculous blushing of hers? What was she thinking? Ignorance is bliss, Bella, she reminded herself. You probably don't want to know.

Bella walked slowly into the living room, almost afraid to face Edward in the clear light of day. What did she tell him last night? Did he think less of her?

Wait, where was he? She spotted his book laid perfectly in the centre of the coffee table, but no Edward.

"Edward?" she called quietly. No answer. She wandered around the apartment, seeking clues to Edward's whereabouts.

Don't panic, Bella. He's probably just stepped out for a bit. Or a bite. He'd never leave you unprotected unless…James got him, he decided you weren't worth it after all…he…he

He left a note. There it was, on the bedside table right by her bed, with "Bella" written in bold, flowing script. How did she miss that?

Feeling silly, she unfolded the paper.

Dear Bella. I am upstairs supervising the arrival of "our" bed. Feel free to join me. Edward.

Relieved, she grinned at her friend's teasing tone, and was out the door and up the stairs faster than she thought possible. She should get him a housewarming gift, she decided. Normally it would be a bottle of wine, but what did one give a vampire? A bottle of blood?

Edward opened the door just as she arrived, her favourite crooked smile gracing his handsome face.

"So our bed has arrived, has it?" she joked.

He grinned. "It has. You came to test it out?"

As expected, Bella went bright red, but refused to be outdone. "Yup! I can't let you be the first one to sleep in it." She shot her friend a smirk as he chuckled.

"Coffee?" he offered as she walked in.

Bella sniffed appreciatively. Mmm…dark roasted Arabica. "Seriously? You actually made coffee? Are you expecting company?"

"Only you," he smiled. Before she could come up with a suitable response, a steaming mug appeared on the kitchen counter.

Bella sighed, eagerly wrapping her hands around the warm cup. "Could you be more perfect?" Whoops, she'd said that out loud. Fantastic.

Edward was still smiling, but now it didn't reach his eyes. "Being a vampire automatically excludes me from any claim to perfection."

You're still perfect for me, she thought to herself. Good thing she'd kept her mouth shut that time.

"So does being human," Bella retorted. She had to get him to stop this ridiculous self-deprecation. It was starting to irritate her.

Bella wandered to a spot in Edward's living room and parked herself cross-legged on the floor, propping her back against the cream-coloured wall. She motioned for him to join her.

Taking a calming sip of coffee, she mused, "How do I find a way to make you see yourself clearly?"

"Hmm?" Edward's golden eyes narrowed as he lowered himself gracefully to the floor. "I don't follow you."

Oh, you will, if I have a say in it. "I hate hearing you continually put yourself down. Frankly, it's becoming annoying. You're a vampire, and you can't change that. What you can change is your behavior and how you view yourself. What I see is someone with a beautiful spirit, a brilliant mind and heart, and amazing self-discipline. On top of that, you're fun to be with. You're wonderful, so knock off this 'I'm a monster' crap! I'm beginning to think that you actually enjoy beating yourself up. Get over it already!"

If she hadn't been so wrapped up in her tirade, Bella would have been amused by Edward's shocked expression. They stared at each other, brown eyes to gold. Her chest moved up and down in agitation, probably because she's barely taken a breath for the entire rant.

The beautiful man in front of her hadn't moved. Oh shit, she'd gone too far. All he ever did was go out of his way for her, and here she was criticizing him. Heck, she was even sipping his coffee while she railed at him. What was wrong with her?

"Edward, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"

He held up a long white hand to forestall her. "It's OK Bella."

"But…"

"You're right."

"I have no…wait, what?"

Edward's mouth crooked into a wry smile. "You're right. I do tend to dwell on it too much. I'm surprised that you feel so strongly about it, though, considering our conversation yesterday."

Yesterday? What was yesterday? Oh yeah, she was putting herself down and he was telling her to stop.

"Touché," she ruefully admitted, lifting her mug in acknowledgement.

"I have a proposition for you, Bella. If you make an effort not to do it, then so will I."

Inspiration struck. "I have a better idea. It'll be a competition. The first one to utter a self-pitying, self-deprecating comment loses."

"Oh?" Ah, the competitive vampire nature is intrigued! "And why should I enter into this competition with you?"

"Well, if you don't think you'd be able to do it…"

"What is the prize for the winner?"

She thought quickly. "One wish. You agree to grant me one wish, no strings attached. Oh, except that you can't wish for more wishes."

"Only if you win." He flashed a mischievous grin. "Which you won't. So when you lose, you grant me one wish? Done!"

Bella held out her hand to shake his and seal the deal. After a brief hesitation, he took it squeezed gently. The now-familiar tingle shot up her forearm at the contact. When Edward tried to pull away, she gripped his hand tightly before releasing it.

"It never ceases to amaze me that you don't mind touching my skin," he commented, half to himself.

"Uh-uh Cullen, don't lose this competition already!"

Edward grinned. "Not a chance. So what's on the agenda today?"

A couple of hours later they were in the middle of running errands for Bella. Her handsome chauffeur drew more than his share of speculative looks from her colleagues at the small community center where she taught English. One of them took one look at Edward and gave Bella s thumbs up. It was too much to hope that her sharp-eyed companion missed it.

"So the university next? Then lunch and Seattle Children's?" he inquired, easily keeping pace with Bella as she walked rapidly down the long driveway to the parking lot.

"OK," she responded shortly, carefully avoiding looking at him.

He gently grasped her elbow from behind, bringing her to a halt. "Hold on, Miss Locomotive. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Let's go."

Edward shook his head. "You're a terrible liar. Talk to me, please." He smiled that disarming smile of his. "I can't read your mind, remember?"

She huffed. "Fine. If you really must know, I'm embarrassed that you have to put up with what they're probably thinking."

He quirked a teasing eyebrow. "You can read minds too? What do you think they're thinking?"

Bella concentrated on looking severe. "They're wondering if there's anything going on between us, some are hoping there is, and most of the women are thinking of ways to attract your attention. That had better not be a laugh I see coming, Cullen."

Edward hastily swallowed the chuckle that threatened to escape, but Bella wasn't fooled. "It's not a laughing matter. It's humiliating!"

"No, their thoughts of how I look naked, in bed with them – those are humiliating."

She gaped at him. "Seriously? They're thinking that?"

"A couple of them. As for the others, you're quite accurate. Maybe I'm rubbing off on you." He rubbed her jacket-covered shoulder for good measure. When he saw that she truly looked distressed, he added, "Bella, it happens all the time. I've learned to ignore it, as long as their thoughts aren't screaming at me."

Now Bella felt ridiculously over-sensitive. Compared to what Edward had to put up with, a few speculative looks in her direction were nothing. Of course, now that he mentioned it, her mind also wandered briefly to similar thoughts. Focus, Bella.

They started walking toward Edward's silver Volvo once more. She didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry," sounded too…trite. Fortunately, he switched the topic to the children and adults she taught. It was a passion of hers, and Edward proved to be a very interested listener. Bella barely registered the drive to UW.

In front of Padelford Hall, where the English Department was housed, Edward asked, "Paddle-ford?"

"Pah-dell-ford," corrected Bella automatically. "It's not exactly the easiest building to navigate, but we love its idiosyncrasies. Disconnected towers, dead-end hallways…you can immediately tell who belongs here and who doesn't."

Edward grinned. "I suppose I should learn it quickly, then."

"We'll see," his friend retorted, rolling her eyes. "It was built in the 1960's by someone whose primary architectural focus was on prisons. Ironic, isn't it?"

Edward chuckled, holding the door open for Bella after she unlocked it. The building seemed deserted, and their footsteps echoed eerily in the semi-darkened hallways.

"Are you sure you're supposed to be here today?" he inquired, clearly on the alert. "Ah, Domen and Manoj are nearby."

Bella nodded. "We all need to prepare for our classes that start tomorrow. I still have to make copies of handouts for about thirty of my students."

A few minutes later Bella unlocked the door to the English Department. Domen and Manoj looked up from their task of stapling papers.

"Hey Bella," Manoj greeted her cheerfully. "Edward, good to see you again." His keen, smiling dark eyes flickered between her and the tall, god-like man next to her. The look she gave Manoj clearly said, "Don't even think about saying anything." Manoj merely grinned and winked at her.

Domen, on the other hand, had stiffened as soon as he saw Edward. "Hello, Edward. Bella, do you have the sample essay we're supposed to give them tomorrow? I can't find my copy, and I'm too lazy to download another one."

They all spent the next hour setting up their course material and discussing how to synchronize their lectures. Bella and her friends were all teaching different sections of the interdisciplinary writing class. It wasn't their favourite, mainly because grading the students' papers was so painful.

Manoj was the first to finish, handing his stapler to Bella. She looked at it in surprise before understanding dawned.

"The automatic stapler in the copier doesn't work again, right?"

"Right!" agreed her friends in unison.

As Manoj left, Bella shot a guilty glance at Edward, who was casually leaning against the wall reading a text book that he'd discovered. Sensing her gaze, he raised his beautiful amber eyes and met her worried brown ones.

"What?" he asked softly.

"You must be so bored. I'm sorry that I'm making you wait for me."

He peeled his lanky frame from the wall and strolled over to the long table on which Bella and Domen had laid out stacks of pages.

"Then let me help. Ah yes, good idea, Domen."

Bella's eyes narrowed. He and Domen were agreeing on something. This couldn't be good.

"Stand back, lady," Domen intoned. "We'll show you how it's done."

With matching smirks, the men quickly laid out ten stacks of papers. Domen gave a short nod, and they rapidly starting constructing the essays assembly-line style, Edward finishing with the stapler. Bella watched in amazement as the pair accelerated until their hands became a blur. Eighty ten-page essays were ready in less than three minutes.

"What the hell was that?" demanded Bella

"That was a demonstration of what a kresnik can do when someone like me is around."

Domen, flushed and out of breath, grinned. "That was awesome! Next. time we'll see if you're really as fast as you think you are, Cullen."

"I'm faster," retorted the vampire.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Jeez. Time to break up this male ego-fest before you two start comparing…" She broke off.. Mouth running away with you again, Bella?

"Feet," she finished lamely, ignoring her friends' chortles.

"Come on," teased Edward. "Let's get you some lunch before you start eating that foot you just put in your mouth."

He ignored the mock death glare she fixed on him. To her disgust, Domen was actually siding with the Annoying Macho Vamp. Some brother he was.

"Are you upset with me?" Edward asked quietly when they were out of the building and making their way back to the car.

Bella tried to maintain her indignant facade, but the penitent look in those warm amber eyes made it impossible. Who was she kidding? She couldn't even pretend to be angry with this man…er...vampire. What's more, he and Domen saved her almost an hour of tedious sorting and stapling.

"No," she sighed. "Actually, I liked seeing you so comfortable with my friends." And comfortable enough to tease me, she mentally added.

Edward's answering smile momentarily took her breath away. Then abruptly he stiffened, and the smile fell into a grim line. He put his hand protectively against the small of her back as they walked, his keen eyes scanning the area around them. Knowing better than to distract him, Bella kept quiet. Edward picked up his pace, and it was all Bella could do to keep up with him.

Her companion ushered her into his car and flashed to the driver's seat.

"Buckle in," he instructed curtly, already turning the car around and speeding off down the street. "We need to get away from this empty area and into traffic."

Bella nodded, fumbling a little with the seatbelt, her heart pounding. Edward glanced at her, taking in her anxious eyes and white knuckles.

"James is nearby," he explained quickly. "He plans to separate us and capture you."

Bella nodded again, afraid to speak because she knew her voice would shake. Edward needed to focus on his task, not on her. A couple of minutes later they were on 520 heading west to I-5.

"Are you alright?" she finally asked. His hands were still gripping the wheel too tightly, and he was driving too fast. Surely James wouldn't try anything here? Unless he were in a car.

"No," Edward responded. He took a deep, unnecessary breath. "We lost James, though. Give me a moment, please." He stared straight ahead, refusing to look at her.

"Talk about something normal until I calm down."

Bella hastily cast around in her mind for something to distract him. "Last week we had a new boy starting at the Literacy Center. He has the most adorable red curls and bright green eyes."

"My eyes used to be green as well."

"They were?" She tried to envision the man next to her as a red-haired green-eyed child. "I bet all the little girls were after you." Still are. "He sneaked a grape Popsicle, then tried to hide it in his back pocket when his teacher looked his way."

One side of Edward's mouth twitched. "I bet that made a mess."

"Better?"

"A little." He took one of the exits, parked in front of a small business, and finally looked at the woman next to him. "Thank you."

"What happened?"

"I heard James' mind. He was thinking about what he would do to you." Bella saw Edward's eyes grow black again before he turned away. "He won't lay a finger on you. I'll kill him first."

"Edward, you're going to break your steering wheel."

"What? Oh." He released the wheel and pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes closed.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm sorry that I panicked just now. All I could think about was getting you away from him. I'm also sorry that I got you into this mess in the first place."

"Uh-uh, none of that. Do you want me to win our bet so soon?" There was no way that she'd let him shoulder the blame for this.

He lowered his hand and gave her wry smile. "Do you have any idea how amazing you are?"

"Yup!" Bella responded cheerfully. Her own fear had already worn off. To her astonishment, Edward carefully reached over and stroked her hand with a gentle finger.

"When this James issue is finished, I would like to take you to one of my favourite spots. It is a waterfall that belongs to a branch of the Snoqualmie River, quite far from the usual hiking trails."

Bella's breath hitched, and a warm tingle shot up her arm from where he was touching her hand. He wanted to spend time with her? It sounded almost…romantic. Get a grip, Bella, she scolded herself. He doesn't mean anything by it. Heck, he'll probably forget by this evening.

"I'd like that." Clearly her mouth didn't agree with her brain. Her heart did a flip-flop at her companion's happy smile. Were all her organs declaring mutiny now? As if in response, her stomach uttered an embarrassing growl.

Edward chuckled. "Time to feed the human. Pike Place Market?"

They spent the rest of the day exploring Seattle. Although Bella could tell that he was constantly on the alert for James and Victoria, he seemed intent on making the best of their time together. Not vampire and human, not supernatural predator and prey, just two friends playing tourist. Bella even took him to the Space Needle to view the city at twilight.

It was 10:30 when they returned to their apartment building. Angela wasn't due back until tomorrow evening, and Bella felt nervous about staying alone in her apartment. She didn't admit this to Edward, of course. He'd probably had enough of her company for one day.

He dropped her off at her door, surreptitiously sniffing the air for any trace of vampire. For a moment Bella leaned against her front door, listening to Edward's soft footfalls as he jogged lightly up the stairs. Then, rallying herself, she took a quick shower, donned her long-sleeved high school shirt and plaid lounge pants, popped one of her prescription anti-inflammatories, and curled up carefully on the sofa with a book.

Subtle traces of Edward's scent surrounded her as she leaned back against the sofa pillows. Without thinking, she picked up one of the pillows and inhaled deeply, feeling instantly calmer. You've got it bad, woman. Pathetic.

With a sigh she put down the book and closed her eyes. The new quarter started tomorrow, and she had her own classes plus two to teach for her assistantship. In addition, she worked at the Literacy Center three days per week. Her rent payment was due next week, so she needed to make an online appointment at the Blood Center to sell plasma. As much as she hated needles, the extra $250 per month was necessary to keep herself fed and housed.

How on earth was she going to accomplish that without Edward knowing? Given his attraction to her blood, he would freak at the prospect of her selling it. Perhaps Alice could help her.

OK Bella, you need to do this reading if you don't want to start the quarter already behind. With resignation she picked up the offending book and doggedly began reading. It didn't help that a pair of warm amber eyes kept appearing on the page. Not literally, of course. With concentration, she was able to ignore them.

An hour later she was still too nervous to go to sleep. Great, she thought dryly. At least I'll be way ahead of the reading assignments if I keep this up. The knock on her front door at midnight nearly made her jump out of her skin. When her heart resumed a semi-normal pace, she tiptoed to the door and peered through the peephole.

"Bella, it's Edward," his soft, velvety voice called from the other side. Bella immediately unbolted the door and let him in.

"You scared the living bejeezus out of me, Cullen! Don't you believe in telephones?"

"Well, nice to see you too," he teased. "I'm sorry I startled you. I…uh…couldn't sleep."

Bella rolled her eyes, secretly relieved to see him. Leading him to the sofa, she noticed that he carried the large anatomy book that he'd been reading for the past couple of nights.

"I couldn't sleep either," she admitted. "Are you...um...planning to stay the night?" Damn that stupid blushing.

"If you don't mind." He looked almost shy, rubbing the back of his neck. For a vampire, he was surprisingly fidgety. Bella had the impression that if Edward were capable of blushing, he would be doing it now. "I admit that it makes me…anxious…to be away from you. Without your roommate's thoughts to monitor I don't know if you're safe or not."

"So you're feeling guilty that you're not standing guard?" That bothered her. She didn't want to be a responsibility, even with what happened with James earlier today.

"To be honest," he clarified sheepishly, "Being near you makes me feel more at peace. You have no idea how wonderful it feels to be with someone I lo…like and have quiet inside of my head."

"Soothing?" she guessed. "At least I can offer you something in exchange for the raging sore throat I give you." Whoops, maybe she shouldn't have mentioned that.

"Actually, with so many hours in your presence, I believe I've become somewhat impervious to that."

Edward grinned at her dubious eyebrow raise. "What? It's true."

"Really?"

"Scout's honour."

"Were you ever a scout?"

"Er, no. That didn't start in America until 1910. However, you can still trust my word."

"Actually," confessed Bella, "I was thinking earlier that I feel more at peace when you're around too. And it has nothing to do with sadistic vampires."

She loved how Edward's eyes lit up when she said something that made him happy. He put his book in its now-familiar place on the coffee table and strolled to the kitchen.

"Tea?"

Next chapter is already in progress! Anyone who reviews this chapter will receive a small teaser within a couple of days. :-)