A/N: By the power of Grayskull! You guys are awesome! I think I nearly had a heart attack when my counter reached fifty and then you all surpassed that. wow. Just...wow.So I was having (maybe still am) a little problem with writers block. And my betafish Ashley can tell you that I don't get it often but when I do...it hits me hard. So just bear with me please and you shall be rewarded. Like, for example, in this chapter...

disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a Team Mike shirt!)

Bella POV

The room was hideously bad. Even I had to admit that, but it was funny nonetheless. As was the look on Edwards face as he took in the ridiculousness of it. The heart-shaped bright pink headboard that stood behind the vibrating bed. The mirror on the ceiling, the blood red shag carpeting, not to mention what looked suspiciously like shackles on the wall. I laughed as the absurdity of it all hit me and I pulled Edward into the room, shutting the door behind me.

"This is horrible." He said once we were safely inside. I felt my heart tug at the look of disgust on his face. Was he disgusted that we were in a room that looked like it came straight out of a bad eighties porno? Or because he was in a room that looked like it came straight out of a bad eighties porno with me.

"I'm going to use the bathroom." I choked out quickly and made a mad dash for the room that I hoped was the bathroom and not a secret dominatrix lair. I sighed in relief when I opened the door to find a normal bathroom complete with a Jacuzzi bathtub. I leaned against the door, closing my eyes, as I tried to think clearly.

What the hell is wrong with me? I thought as I turned around to stand in front of the bathroom mirror and absentmindedly tried to do something with the mess of hair on my head. I am crushing on an older man. An older man I don't even know. I sighed heavily as I pulled my hair up on top of my head and secured it with one of the elastics from around my wrist.

This was bad. It was actually worse than the time I had a thing for the student-teacher in my English class and accidentally fell asleep one day when he was there. It was known fact I talk in my sleep, why I had ever been so careless, I would never know. And now, here I was, sharing a room with a man I hardly knew. A man who also had odd effects on me that I couldn't explain away to the hormones of pregnancy. Yes, this was definitely bad.

A soft knock on the door nearly made me pee myself and I clutched my hand over my heart, trying to start the beating again, as I opened the door to see Edward standing there, a somewhat worried expression construing his gorgeous features. Gorgeous? Oh God.

"You okay?" He asked with a small crooked smile and I could only nod for fear that my voice would crack and end up betraying me. It would have been my luck. "I was thinking of ordering some food from the little café down in the lobby..."

"Sounds good." I squeaked as I walked out of the bathroom and made my way to sit down on the edge of the bed.

He nodded his head with a smile and picked up the phone. And then set it down again, before picking it up once again.

"No dial tone." He explained over his shoulder as he put it back on the hook one more time before checking it again. "I'll just go down and get it. Is there anything you want?"

"Anything is fine." I said quietly and watched as he walked toward the door, the room key in his hand. Maybe this would give me some time to compose myself. Maybe then I wouldn't feel the need to act like a love-sick puppy anytime he looked my way. The baby gave one huge kick to my ribs as that thought occurred to me and I said a quiet apology as I absentmindedly rubbed my belly.

As soon as the door had shut behind Edward I lay back on the bed and closed my eyes. I had never felt like this before, of that much I was sure. Of course I, like every other teenager known to mankind, had experienced that first love. The love you yearn to have and hold so much that you give it to the first person willing to take it. Not realizing until later that it was lust and not love after all. But this...this was different. I couldn't remember a time my heart had sped up at the sight of someone. And the way his velvety voice made my already full insides squirm and expand. No, there was something different about this. But love? Surely not. Love was something meant for the pages in the books I read. Love was something I had yet to find and probably never would. Love evaded me, like it had others before me. Love was out of reach for me, especially now.

Sighing, I heaved myself up and made my way to the bathroom. I had no idea how long Edward would be gone but my feet were swollen and achy and a bath in that huge tub sounded like heaven at the moment. I contemplated for a few seconds before shutting the door and pushing the lock in behind me. I filled the bathtub up as far as I could and then lowered myself into it, relishing the way it felt on my sore muscles and back. I stretched out as far as I could in the hot water and laid my head back, closing my eyes and letting the water relax me more than I had been able to in a long time.

"So..." My mom started, passing me a soapy plate with a sly smile. "How is school?"

I rolled my eyes and tried to hide the grin I was trying to suppress. I knew where this conversation was going to go. "It's great mom. How's work?"

"Oh you know. Same old, same old." She laughed as she washed the inside of the skillet and peeked at me from the corner of her eye.

"Any news on the love front?" She finally blurted and I rolled my eyes dramatically.

"No more than last time." I lied. So it wasn't exactly the truth, but it wasn't an outright lie either. She had asked me about the 'love front' not about my life in general.

"Well, the new teacher at school..."

"Mom. No." I cried, laughing to myself. The last time she had tried to 'set me up' I had ended up on three bad dates that ended with megetting felt up in the back of a compact car. There was no way I would do that ever again.

"Okay well...if you change your mind.." She sighed. She knew I wouldn't.

I finished rinsing the dishes and pulled my homework out, laying it across the kitchen table as my mom and Phil went to watch television in the living room. I felt bad about not telling my mom everything. It was sort of an unspoken rule we had, that we never keep secrets from each other. But she was so busy with Phil these days, I doubt she'd even care what I was up to. Especially since he was leaving for training in less than a month.

I glanced at my watch as I waited for eight-thirty to arrive. He would be here to get me then and I had to have all of my work done.

I dragged myself through my calculus homework and then honed in on Biology, trying to get the 'harder' stuff out of the way before starting in on English. I was so engrossed in my work that I didn't even notice when eight thirty came and went. It wasn't until I put away my English essay over the internal conflicts of some characters in classic literature, that I realized just how late it was. I bit my lip as I went to peek out the back window, looking for the tell-tale shadow of my somewhat-boyfriend, but more or less my best friend. It wasn't there.

I wrung my hands as I debated with myself whether or not I should pick up the phone and call him. It wasn't like him to forget me. But maybe he had taken my advice. Maybe he had realized that I just didn't love him like he loved me. And maybe he had decided to find someone who did. Not that I could be mad at him for it, I had after all, suggest he do it. But a little warning would have been nice.

I started to get angrier and angrier with each passing minute. Maybe Ang had been right. Maybe he had been just using me. But no, he wouldn't do that. He followed me around like a lost puppy and he got on my nerves sometimes with his over-eager ness, but he wouldn't use me. He was better than that. At least, I thought he was.

I sighed as I shoved my feet into my shoes and pulled my coat on, not even caring that I was still dressed in my sweat pants and track jacket. It would have to do. I grabbed my car keys off of the counter and was just about to run out through the back door when the phone ringing made me stop in my tracks.

"Bella, will you get that?" My mom yelled from the living room and I didn't answer as I stalked my way toward it. Angry at whoever it was for distracting me from my purpose.

I picked it up in the middle of the third ring. Seething. "Hello?" I snapped.

"Yes, is Isabella available?" The man on other end asked. His voice sounded vaguely familiar. Like I should remember it. But I couldn't.

"It's Bella." I sighed. I hated having to correct people. "And this is her."

"Yes, Bella. Well..." He seemed unsure of what to say. Like he couldn't find the words, and it wasn't until I heard him cough a bit that I realized he was crying. "There's been an accident."

I could feel my brow furrow as I tried to digest his words. An accident? Why would I care that there's been an accident...

And then it hit me. An accident. The only reason someone would be calling me at close to ten o'clock. I did know this voice. It was his dad. I had heard him talk a few times on the phone when I had called to see when he wanted to meet next. It didn't take long until I felt the air gush out of me and my knees started to wobble as the room spun around me.

"He's...he's okay." It wasn't a question, so much as it was me trying to assure myself that he was.

He was my best friend. He was tough. He was strong. He would be fine.

"I thought you should know first Bella." He hesitated and in that second I knew. I didn't need him to tell me. I didn't need to hear that because of me someone had died. Because he was coming to my house. He was coming to get me.

I let the phone fall from my grasp as I hit the cold linoleum floor with my knees. I could hear my mom and step-dad coming from the living room to see what all the ruckus was about. I could hear my mom trying to get my attention, but I just wanted the room to stop moving.

He was gone. I had lost him, my best friend, my confidante, the one person I had trusted with all of me. He was gone.

I could feel my mom stroking my hair as I sobbed into her shoulder. Her voice reassuring me as she said my name gently over and over again.

"Bella...Bella...Bella..."

"Bella!" My eyes flew open at the same time the door did. I screamed as Edward ran inside, his eyes wide and I'm sure my face mirrored his. "I'm sorry." He muttered quickly before flinging himself out of the doorway and shutting the door behind him.

The water in the bath around me had grown cold and I wondered just how long I had been out. I shakily pulled myself out of the bathtub and grabbed a towel to dry off before throwing on my dress that I had hung from the curtain rod.

I bit my lip as I went back into our room and found Edward sitting on the bed, the food he had retrieved around him as he stared at his hands in his lap.

"Bella, I am so..."

"No need to apologize Edward." I assured him and he looked up to meet my gaze. My heart did that little thump-thump thing and the baby placed a well aimed kick to my mid-section. I grimaced at both and then quickly tried to change it into a smile.

Edward's eyes stared through me and I had a hard time not melting under his emerald green gaze. He ran his long fingers through his red hair and sighed heavily before standing up and crossing the room to stand in front of me.

"You scared me." He said quietly.

"I'm... I'm sorry." I mumbled, looking down to my feet.

I felt his finger on my chin as he lifted my face up to look at him and our eyes met, effectively ensnaring me in the orbs.

"Bella..." He whispered and I felt my body leaning closer to him. "Who's Mike?"

A/N: Oooo, how's that for backstory? Let me know what you think please. In a review preferably and then I'll send you a nice sneak peek, Edward style.
Besos