Plotting the Plan

Stephenie Meyer is still the genius behind Twilight!

EPOV

My decision pleased my family and they were anxious to help in any way they could. As Alice and I developed our plans we outlined which members would be necessary to succeed and determined that we would need Jasper and Emmett. Alice wanted to have Rosalie assist but I declined, although Rosalie had softened towards Bella, I didn't think it would help to soften Bella's acceptance of the family in her life again if Rosalie were part of the plan. My family, knowing how much this meant to me, was anxious to help.

It was the first time for me to stroll the Champlain College's campus and I was impressed with what I saw. For a small school it had all the amenities of a larger school, I stood outside one of the halls waiting for Roxanne to finish her class. My goal was to follow her to determine her schedule so our next phase in the plan could be accomplished.

Bella's current condition afforded me a short time period that I could leave her alone, since I was the only one capable of obtaining the information we needed through my ability to read minds. Hearing Roxanne's thoughts were important to the success for two reasons, we needed to know her whereabouts during the day while she was away from Bella, and although my family didn't know this reason, I needed to find out some of what Bella had told her of our family.

In my heart I knew that Bella would never break her promise, but a year had passed and perhaps the promise didn't mean anything to her anymore. She didn't understand the repercussions of having humans know of our existence. If Bella had given any thought to it, her belief would have centered on the fact that humans either wouldn't accept it as true or if they did they would panic. But harboring our secret was more important than she realized.

Roxanne's class was just letting out and I quickly found her. Following from a safe distance, her thoughts were focused on her next class. After thinking of where she would be heading, she began reflecting about a Halloween party. She was conducting a mental checklist on everything she still needed to accomplish. One of the items she wanted to complete soon was to get Bella a costume; she was stressed because with Bella's accident they hadn't chosen a costume yet. Bella's arm being in a cast caused a few complications in the selection of her attire.

We made it to her next class and I was able to get what I needed for the moment, which was great, as I desperately wanted to return to Bella. Her accident had upset me thoroughly, but offered its advantages as she couldn't return to classes today and was left at home while most of her other residents weren't there. Knowing where she was and that Emmett was keeping an eye on her relieved me somewhat.

I met up with Alice who gave me the item I asked her to acquire for me. We briefly discussed what I had discovered by following Roxanne and decided that tomorrow would be the day we took the first step. Of course everything she saw and I heard, was reliant on humans and this was a cause for concern because of their unpredictable actions, but we would proceed.

When I arrived at Bella's house Emmett had told me all was quiet. He was disappointed that Bella hadn't done anything 'funny' to entertain him while he was watching her. She had spent her morning watching TV, making phone calls and doing class work. When he saw my glare, he shrugged and quickly departed.

Listening intently, I determined that Bella was alone in the house. I jumped up on the deck and peered into the window, she wasn't in the main room so I quietly opened the door and crept to the corner. Staying in the shadows, I listened to determine her exact location in the house. She was in the shower, affording me the opportunity to take care of a few matters.

Glancing around the room I decided that the best place for my first clue was to leave it on the table by the chair next to the fireplace. Placing it on top magazines and papers, I walked to the front door and left another item near the entry; quickly making my way back to the sliding door again as I heard her coming downstairs. She went into the kitchen and I heard her making herself something, it sounded like she was getting a drink. Waiting in an evergreen bush next to the deck felt foolish, but it was worth it. I was smiling just thinking about revealing myself to her again.

I was brought back from my musings as I heard the door open. Watching from my hiding spot, I watched as she got settled into one of the lounges and began reading. She was so beautiful; her hair was shining in the afternoon sun and seemed to shimmer around her face. As she read, I studied her face, the way her lashes flickered slightly as her eyes skimmed the pages, her lips moving faintly with each word, and the way the sun reflected off her skin. Soon I saw her eyelids drooping slightly and knew she would fall asleep. My sweet Bella, drifting off once again as the sun warmed her, it always acted as a sedative for her. Relaxing her deeply and making it difficult for her to keep focused on her book, it was just a matter of moments before she was sleeping soundly.

Once I was sure she was asleep, I jumped on the deck lithely. Resisting the urge to go to her I made my way into the house while it was still empty. Running up the steps to her room, I entered and inhaled deeply enjoying the wonderful scent. It was easy to identify which side of the room was hers; Bella was never very neat but clearly Roxanne took the trophy for disarray. Bella's desk had an orderly stack of items, while Roxanne had piles of papers, receipts and pens. Moving quickly to my angel's desk I opened the drawer and not finding what I wanted, went to her bedside table. Ah ha, grabbing it and pocketing it for later I headed back downstairs.

She was still sleeping when I went back out, the sun had shifted and she was in the shade now. I went back into the main room and found a blanket; I placed her book on the table and covered her so she wouldn't catch a cold. I knelt beside the chair breathing in her scent and watching intently as she slept. Lightly touching her cheek I heard her whisper my name and smiled.

Hearing someone coming up the front steps, I cursed under my breath and jumped off the deck to hide once again in the bushes. As I listened to find out who was entering, I discovered it was the two boys, Ian and Drake. Slightly aggravated knowing it was them that interrupted my precious moments with Bella; I listened to hear what they were discussing and thinking. The boy Drake was trying to discuss one of the courses they shared, while Ian's mind was far from class. He was wondering where Bella was and it was concern for her comfort that was occupying his thoughts. They entered the common room and he must have seen her immediately because his thoughts relaxed.

"Drake, Bella's out on the deck I'd like to go see how her day was, I'll catch you later." He said as he crossed the room and opened the door. He attempted to be very quiet so as not to wake her and I could hear his thoughts, they were very similar to mine. It was odd though; his observances didn't disturb me as they had several days ago. He was admiring her beauty and I wasn't getting worked up into a jealous rage, oddly I felt proud. His admiration of her was heartwarming, I was pleased that he saw the splendor of Bella that always tugged at my non-existent heart whenever looking at her.

She stirred slightly as he adjusted a chair so that it was beside hers. He reached out and brushed a strand of hair out of her face, her eyes fluttered open. When she saw him I saw a brief flash of disappointment in her beautiful brown eyes, it was only there for a moment. Maybe it was my imagination, because she smiled at him and said "hi" in a breathy whisper. His response was to take her right hand in his bring it to his lips and kiss it, while smiling in return. Now my anger was beginning to rise, the jealous part of me wasn't so controlled that this scene didn't disturb me.

"How was your day?" he asked rubbing circles on her hand.

"Too quiet actually. This place is too big without anyone around. I watched some TV, made some calls back home, did some class work and then came out here." Looking down at herself she said, "oh thanks for covering me."

"I didn't cover you, you had the blanket when I came out." He said perplexed. His thoughts were concerned scanning her face wondering if she was completely awake.

"That's odd, I didn't bring a blanket out. Oh well, maybe someone else in the house covered me, although I don't know who would be that considerate other than you!" she said smiling.

Shaking his head, "Bella, there's no one here except me and Drake. Drake came home with me and I know for a fact that he didn't put the blanket on you. Are you sure you didn't do it?" he asked her. His thoughts were racing wondering if her painkillers were too much for her system, thinking perhaps that they should cut the dosage.

"No Ian, don't you think I would remember that." She said slightly angry.

"Don't get upset, I'm just saying that it wasn't me or Drake. Maybe someone else came home and put it on you and then left again" he said unconvincingly. He was worried that she was angry with him; he had only questioned it because he knew she was the only one home. I chuckled to myself as I thought of the discomfort my actions had caused him.

Bella sat quietly staring at her lap. I had always wanted to hear her thoughts and this moment was no exception. If only I could have an idea of the thoughts she was having, was she really that angry with him, was she wondering how the blanket came to be covering her…

"Did you get a chance to go see John today?" she asked quietly. I knew this tone, it was the same one she used on me several occasions when she wanted to change the subject to avoid conflict.

"I called him, he said if you're feeling up to it you can come in tomorrow. Are you sure you want to return to work so quickly?" he asked. 'If she's forgetting about the blanket maybe she shouldn't return to work or school. She won't listen to me, maybe Anne can suggest it to her,' his thoughts came to me.

"Ian, I need to talk to you." Bella said as she stared at her lap. "I think it's time that I tell you about my past." At this point I became nervous, I couldn't imagine where she was headed with this statement.

"Bella, you don't have to tell me anything that you don't feel comfortable sharing," he said nervously. His thoughts were just as nervous, 'why now? I don't have a good feeling about this; ever since the accident she's been distracted, almost distant.'

"Hello, hey where is everyone?" I heard from in the house. Both Bella and Ian stared at one another before answering, "Out here." Roxanne came walking out the door, looking harried. "Hey guys, where's Drake?" she asked.

"He's in his room I think," Ian said. "What's up with you? You look like you've run a marathon." He was glad Roxanne had arrived hoping to avoid the conversation that Bella was leading up to.

"Well, I figured out what Bella should be for the party! If you're feeling up to it Bella, I want to take you to the costume shop," she said excitedly. As her thoughts came to me I could only smile, this girl truly was a good friend. I'm not sure I liked her idea for Bella's costume but it was appropriate for her considering that it was Bella.

Bella smiled at Roxanne, "Oh this should be interesting. What have you decided I should be?"

"Nope, you need to come to the shop. I don't want Ian to know until the night of the party and well, um…I'm honestly not sure if you'll like the idea. So I'm going to spend the time it takes us to get to the shop to convince you." Roxanne's thoughts were racing through the various costumes she had considered for Bella, settling again on the one that seemed to please her most. I continued listening until I heard what I needed, the name of the costume shop.

"You have my curiosity aroused," Ian said as he thought of Bella in a number of costumes that made me growl lowly. This boy needed to get these images out of his mind or I would have to remove them from his mind. He stood extending his hand to Bella to assist her in standing. She whispered, "Maybe we can talk later", he just looked into her eyes and nodded. His thoughts were torn from Bella in various costumes to worry.

As she stood, she said to him, "I'm just as curious but if she has to convince me, then I'm probably not going to like her idea." She laughed as she retrieved her cup and the blanket. "I'll go with you on one condition, if we can get something to eat," she said as she crossed the deck to enter the house.

As they prepared to leave I headed to my car, following them on foot would be too difficult at this hour in the day. While I waited for them to exit the house, I called information to get the address of the shop, shortly Roxanne and Bella were at the door and I watched as my love walked away with her back to me. They were heading towards town and I took off to find the store and get settled before they arrived.

When I arrived at the store, I realized it would be much easier then expected to spy on them as the store was crowded with humans all looking for their costumes for the coming holiday. There were racks of various costumes in all sizes and shapes. Waiting within the aisles for them to arrive, I heard Roxanne's thoughts as they entered. Her ability to convince Bella hadn't gone well; apparently she didn't possess Alice's unique abilities of persuasiveness.

"No Roxanne, I'm sure we'll find something but I am not going as Dorothy." Bella declared stubbornly. Dorothy where did that come from, that was not the costume she had been considering.

"All right, all right. Since you've shot down all my other ideas…no, you won't like it either, never mind." Oh I see, perhaps she did have her own skills of persuasion.

"What is it Roxanne, you know you want to tell me." Bella said completely frustrated.

"Well, what if you went as an accident victim. We could wrap you up in bandages and maybe another cast, you know, make you look like you've been in a car accident, bruises and all." She smiled brilliantly. She knew she had her; her thoughts were celebrating her clever skills. I couldn't help but smile, yes…Alice would be proud.

Before Bella could answer, my cell phone began vibrating. I pulled it out, saw it was Alice calling and knew I had to take it. She must have news, flipping open the phone, I heard her screaming excitedly…"Edward, that was great, she's going to take the bait. I'm impressed with her friend's ability!" Walking towards the back of the store I hissed, "Yes Alice. I can't really talk now I'll be home shortly and you can tell me all about this. Do you have any news of importance?" I asked my sister.

"No, all is quiet, but you should hunt soon. You need to prepare for meeting Bella," she said seriously. She was right, this afternoon while with Bella the cravings were tugging at the edges.

"She'll be alright if I leave?"

"She's in very safe hands Edward, she'll be fine. Come home we'll hunt together." She ended the call.

Looking around and listening, I heard Roxanne and Bella at the other side of the store making plans for dinner. Moving through the aisles I headed towards the door and my car. The plan was going to work, my confidence rose as I walked to my car.