Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
A/N: Apologies again, my friends. The real world has sucked me in and demanded so many things from me. I had gotten so used to my lazy lifestyle over the holidays, I completely forgot how much it sucked to have a regular schedule, to have to go to work and class and such. Things are pretty crazy so I can't promise frequent updates. I'm aiming for once a week, most likely over the weekend. I know we're all anxious to see how Seattle goes (and more), and I'm sorry I've prolonged it. That was never my intention. But hopefully, the finished product will make up for it. Enjoy…
Best Definition of Good Intentions
29 – We Do This to Ourselves
Bella was the first to wake in the morning. Knowing time was of the essence for the day, she quickly gathered her belongings from around Alice's room and retreated to the bathroom. Once she'd pulled on the dark jeans and green graphic tee, hoping to meet Alice's fashion expectations as well as her own comfort ones, Bella dried her hair and pulled the dark strands away from her face and into a ponytail. Briefly, she contemplated styling her hair before deciding it would never meet Alice's standards after the long drive. They'd had plenty of time to get ready for their nice dinner once they'd arrived in Seattle that evening. With a swipe of mascara across her eyelashes, Bella left the bathroom to find Alice waking up.
"Morning, sunshine," Bella smiled.
"What are you doing up already? And why are you so happy? You do realize it's morning, right?" Alice asked, shaking the sleep from her frame as she crawled out from under the covers.
Bella only laughed as she tucked her pajamas into the overnight on the floor.
"No, really, where's my real best friend?"
"It's me, Alice. I promise." Bella held up a Scout's Honors.
Alice glared at her before disappearing into the bathroom. While Alice brushed her teeth and washed her face, Bella tidied the room of her belongings. Alice had too many possessions for her to even make a dent in straightening them. Their bags for the weekend were already in the cars and Bella would be leaving the overnight bag at the Cullen's until they returned on Sunday.
"I'm going to jump in the shower," Alice said, poking her head out of the bathroom. "My mom said she left some breakfast downstairs, so help yourself. Everyone is probably still sleeping since we don't have to leave right away."
"Did your mom and Carlisle already leave?" Bella asked.
Alice nodded. "Check-in for the conference started at 10 and they didn't want to get there much later than that since they are bailing on it tonight."
Bella looked up at the Uhrzahl wall clock above Alice's dresser. When Alice had returned from her first trip to Italy after the Cullen's had moved to Forks, it had taken some time for Bella to become accustomed to the unusual timepiece. Eventually she'd learned to just appreciate the decoration and now ignored the extraneous numbers when reading the time.
"What time are we planning on leaving?" Bella asked.
"What time is it now?" Alice questioned, disappearing from sight and turning on the water in the shower.
"Little after 9."
"I don't know. Probably around 11?"
Leaving Alice to get ready, Bella decided to see what Esme had left for breakfast when her stomach had rumbled. In the hallway, bright with the flooding light, she noticed the door to the guest room open. She edged through the door slowly, careful to grant Rosalie the privacy she might need while preparing for the day.
"Rosalie?" Bella called out quietly when she saw only empty space in front of her. The blinds were still drawn shut, but enough light seeped through to cast shadows across the floor. She stepped around the door, searching for her newest friend. As she thought Rosalie must still be sleeping, Bella's eyes fell to the bed, taking in the large hulking figure sitting up. Immediately, she dropped her eyes as the familiar blush made its home on her cheeks. She nearly shouted, "Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry!"
Emmett's frame shook with silent laughter and the blanket gently fell away from his bare chest. He stilled his movements quickly, trying not to wake Rosalie, who was curled against his side.
"I'm so sorry!" Bella gushed again. "I…I just thought….The door was open…I didn't mean…"
"Jasper was snoring," Emmett offered with a shrug. He pushed back under the covers, wrapping his free arm around Rosalie's hidden waist. "We'll be up soon."
Bella nodded, "I'm going to see about breakfast."
On her way out, Bella made sure to close the door. She didn't walk away until she heard the secure "click" of the door fitting in its frame. Once downstairs, Bella saw that she was the only one really awake. There was a note from Esme on the counter, intended for no one in particular, that instructed Bella to check on the breakfast left warming in the oven and to be sure to call her when they were hitting the road. Detailed directions to the hotel in Seattle were included and Bella tucked them into her pocket, reminding herself to pass those along to Alice and Edward, the two drivers. Last night, they'd decided that the girls would travel with Alice, in Jasper's jeep, while the boys rode in Edward's Volvo. Neither Alice's racing sports car nor Emmett's off-roading machine were practical for the journey. No one quite understood why Carlisle and Esme had gone along with those choices, but no one voiced these concerns because the vehicles made perfect sense in comparison to their drivers' personalities.
Inside the top oven of the modern kitchen, Esme had left two trays filled with food for the six teenagers to consume for breakfast. Bella laughed as she turned up the heat; there were enough eggs, bacon and sausage to feed a small army, which in this case fitted Emmett, Edward and Jasper perfectly. In the bottom oven, several stacks of pancakes and waffles were pushed together with candles sticking out of the top – eighteen to be exact. Bella easily found the matches, exactly where Esme had described, and set them on the counter, waiting until she would serve the breakfast to light the candles.
After setting the table, Bella poured herself coffee, adding just the right amount of hazelnut sweetener to take away the bitter taste. She doubted she'd ever appreciate the tart drink, but nonetheless appreciated the caffeine effects. From her bag by the door, she removed two books, The Little Prince and a notebook, and went to sit outside. It was one of those rare, sunny days in Forks – not a cloud in sight.
Bella lost herself rereading the tale of the little prince. Since Edward had presented it to her, only a short week before, she'd read it almost six times. The first, all the way through, to know the story and, each subsequent time, she'd concentrated on a different aspect of the journey. Today, she quickly worked her way through the first six planets before the little prince traveled to Earth and met the fox. She pulled her pen out of the notebook, resting it on the wide arm of the chair, open to a blank page. Bella curled her legs underneath her body and wrote "tamed" on the page.
As she read the fox's pleas to be tamed, Bella found herself staring into the woods behind the house and rereading paragraph after paragraph. After pondering the words, she copied her favorite phrases. "For me, you're only a little boy just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you have no need of me, either. For you I'm only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, we'll need each other. You'll be the only boy in the world for me. I'll be the only fox in the world for you…"
She thought about the words and the meanings behind the words and when it came time for the prince to leave, Bella found herself nearly to tears just like the fox. Hastily, she rushed through the remaining chapters, needing to hear more of the wisdom the fox had passed onto the little prince. She came across another page where the fox was mentioned. She copied the narrator's words into the notebook – "You risk tears if you let yourself be tamed."
At the mention of laughing stars, Bella found herself laughing with the little prince. She took joy in the thought of five-hundred million little bells echoing each time she looked to the stars and imagined the little prince's planet. And as she read the final paragraph, mentioning great mysteries, she heard the door slide open behind her. Without finishing, she turned around and watched Jasper walk to the seat beside her, coffee cup in hand. Hers sat abandoned at her feet, long ago emptied.
"Mornin'," Jasper said. His voice was thick with the remnants of sleep, vulnerable to hints of his Southern accent.
Bella smiled. "Heard you were snoring?"
Jasper laughed heartily. "Don't listen to Emmett. He was just fishin' for an excuse to go to Rosalie. He could barely sleep knowing she was just down the hall."
"Are they up?" Bella noticed now the sounds coming from the house behind her. Laughing, footsteps, music all drifted out to her ears on the porch. She also took notice that Jasper was dressed. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting outside and she hadn't heard anyone else come downstairs, but she hadn't exactly been paying close attention.
"They'll all be down soon. Alice is talking to Edward upstairs, about the game plan for the day. You know we wanted to stop at the Park for lunch?" he asked, referring the Olympic National Park and Forest that was directly between Forks and Seattle. Their route to Seattle was a little out of the way because they couldn't drive directly through the preserved land.
Bella shook her head, confused.
"Since the drive will really only take us three hours, we're not in much of a rush since we don't have plans until dinner. Instead of getting to Seattle early, Alice thought it might be fun to stop for lunch for awhile at the Park. She already had Esme make up a picnic lunch. The cooler's packed in the back of my car. Thought it might be a nice surprise for Edward's birthday," he added with a shrug.
"Sounds good."
"So what's for breakfast? Smells good in the there."
"Oh crap – breakfast!" Bella jumped out of her seat, abandoning her books and coffee mug. The food wasn't in danger of burning, the warming temperatures were only warm enough to keep the food a comfortable temperature, but she'd wanted breakfast to be ready to serve when everyone was ready. From Jasper's words, that was now.
Slowly, Jasper stood to follow her to the kitchen and help. He grabbed her mug, stacking it with his now empty mug and went to grab her books with his free hand. He quickly closed her notebook, not wanting to violate any privacy it might demand but he raised the thin, hardcover book for a closer inspection. He set down the mugs to use both hands. After reading the title, he flipped the pages with this thumb, starting from the back to the front. As the title page fell over the others, he saw an elegant script written on the inside of the cover.
"Your truthfulness and your kindness inspire me. I hope you find your star. Edward." He read the words, whispering to himself. Jasper turned back to the house, as though he'd seen into the secrets its occupants were keeping. Edward had shared his feelings, but there were obviously things he'd kept to himself. And what did it mean that Bella was reading the book and taking notes?
Once inside, Jasper held up the books for Bella to see as he set them beside her bag. He put the coffee mugs in the sink and starting filling the glasses Bella placed on the counter. Together, breakfast was placed in serving dishes on the table just as the others filed down the stairs.
Emmett was arguing something to Rosalie, who was adamantly shaking her head while she tried to ignore him.
"Give it up, Emmett!" Alice shouted as she ran past him down the stairs. She sat down at the table. She yelled out, "Edward!"
With perfect timing, he turned the corner at the landing of the stairs. "I'm right here, Alice," he said, laughing.
"Happy birthday!" Emmett shouted. "The big 1-8! You're legal now!" He stood and offered Edward a quick hug, in typical male fashion, as he stepped off the last
Jasper did the same, and sat beside Alice, who was beaming at her family gathered around. It was Rosalie's turn next. With a peck on the Edward's cheek, she offered her own wish before sitting back down.
"Thanks, guys," Edward said, looking around as he walked toward his seat the table. "Where's Bella?"
The lights shut off and Bella walked, slowly and very carefully, towards the table – pancake-waffle cake in hand. The eighteen candles were ablaze and the entire table immediately began their own rendition of the birthday song. Edward laughed as he took in Esme's creation when Bella set it before him. She couldn't help but smile at her success, she'd been so worried she would trip and end up burning the house down.
At the close of the song, Edward pushed the hair away from his face as he leaned in and blew the candles out in a single breath. Applause resonated throughout the dining area and Edward removed each of the candles, piling them next to his plate.
"Happy birthday, Edward," Bella offered, leaning to hug him in his seat. Always the gentleman, Edward stood, wrapping Bella in his arms in an enthusiastic hug.
"Thank you," he whispered in her ear. It was clear he didn't mean solely for the greeting.
Breakfast was served and, just as Bella had suspected, entirely consumed. Throughout the meal, the teenagers spoke of their plans for the weekend, of what they wanted to do while in Seattle. They gave Edward several, unhelpful hints to what his presents were and not once during the entire exchange would an onlooker have thought so much tragedy has encompassed these friends recently.
Edward's birthday was a reason to celebrate all that was to come in the next year. There would be no dwelling on those who would miss out, no dwelling on things of past; they would only look forward in happiness over the entire weekend.
True to Alice's prediction, it was close to eleven o'clock when they left the house. Alice would be leading in Jasper's car, since Edward was still unfamiliar with the Washington highway system. He still did not know about the plans to stop for a picnic lunch and it worked out perfectly that he would be none-the-wiser until they stopped in the forest.
Rosalie was riding shotgun, in charge of the music, and Bella was spread across the backseat. A pillow was behind her back, cushioning the hard plastic of the door she was leaning against. They drove down the long, winding driveway and, turning onto the main road with the squeal of the tires, were off to Seattle. Looking behind them, Bella saw the Volvo so close behind, she could make of Jasper's pained expression, hoping Alice was taking care of his prized possession.
Once they'd made it to the interstate, easing into the quiet traffic of the 101, Edward, under the Emmett's persuasion, felt comfortable enough to pull beside Alice. While passing on the right, Emmett leaned over and pressed on the horn of the steering wheel. After a few short, though obnoxious, taps, the girls turned their heads just in time to see Emmett's laughing. They could almost imagine the sound of his bellowing filling their car. Edward pushed Emmett out of his space and Jasper was in the backseat, shaking his head in disbelief, but chuckling regardless.
The games had begun.
"Slow down for a sec, Alice," Rosalie instructed.
The driver did as was requested. Gently, she raised her foot from the gas pedal but did not press on the brake. The boys would think that they were driving faster and would be none the wiser that the girls were scheming on their own. When the shiny silver reflected the bright sun from a full car length ahead, Alice pushed the accelerator down only enough to maintain her current speed.
As the Volvo switched lanes, crossing the dashed yellow line on the dark asphalt, Rosalie turned the volume of the stereo down, eyeing the car in front of her.
"Spice Girls or *N Sync?" she asked, angling her body towards the others in the vehicle.
Alice nearly lost control of the car as she shrieked and answered, "*N Sync! *N Sync! *N Sync!"
"'Bye, Bye, Bye' it is then!" Rosalie decided.
"What are we doing?" a confused Bella asked from the backseat.
"Serenading the boys," Rosalie answered as the classic pop filled the car at a soft volume.
"But I don't know the words. All I know is 'bye, bye, bye'!" Bella revealed.
"How can you not know the words?" Alice asked, sounding personally hurt.
"Sorry," Bella offered. "I wasn't the biggest pop music fan a kid. Blame the Chief."
"Here, switch with me," Rosalie said as she unbuckled her seat belt. Gracefully, she slid over the center console and into the seat behind Alice. "They can't notice you not singing if they can't see you."
For a moment, Bella contemplated the move she was about to make. Sure, Rosalie had made it look elegant with her long legs and blonde hair swinging around her face, but Bella wasn't convinced she'd be able to cover the same distance without causing the car to crash.
"Come on! Time's a-wasting!" Rosalie urged.
It's now or never, Bella thought as she undid her own seatbelt. Sliding over the back seat so she was centered in the car, Bella hooked both of her legs over the cloth passenger seat. She eased forward, using her arms to support her weight as she tried to transfer her rear end directly to the center console. As she inched her legs forward, feet now dangling in the empty space in front of the seat, her hips got stuck between the seat front seats. She wiggled forward, pushing harder with her arms on seat she'd left, but it didn't work. Next, Bella grabbed onto the shoulders of the front seats to try to get a different sort of leverage, but she still didn't move.
"Hurry up, Bella! I can't stand driving this slow!" It was Alice's time to urge.
"Uh…guys?"
"What, Bella?"
"I'm stuck!" she shouted.
Alice and Rosalie were both silent as they took in Bella's position: legs stretched out in front of her, hips and butt hanging in the air, body horizontal except for her neck which was straining to hold her head high. When she reached back to support her body weight on the backseat, like she'd been doing before, Rosalie and Alice burst into laughter.
Through spurts of her howling, Rosalie managed to spit out, "You have to…turn…sideways!"
"Help me!" Bella demanded, as she attempted to angle her hips through the narrow space. She repeated, "Help me!"
"Okay, okay, okay." Rosalie calmed herself enough, although her cheeks were flushed and she couldn't smother her smile. She supported Bella's back, holding her up, as Bella pushed one hip at a time over the console. She'd cleared the gap, but had pushed with too much force over the slick surface. She slide too quickly, landing on the seat with a plop, and she didn't have the time to move her legs. Her right foot crashed into the door, causing her knee to buckle, and he left knee slammed against the glove compartment.
"Ow," she murmured as she rubbed her injured legs.
Again, Rosalie and Alice broke into the laughter, unable to contain themselves any longer.
"We really have got to get you some help!" Alice said, as she turned rolled her and Rosalie's windows down. "You ready?
"Bella, the music's cued to the right place so hit play when we're ready," Rosalie instructed.
Using the side and rearview mirrors, Alice checked behind her and saw the coast was clear to switch lanes. Expertly, she edged around the boys and pushed the accelerator to the floor.
"Wait! We need volume! Turn the volume up first!" Rosalie remembered.
Alice pulled up next to the boys and motioned for them to lower their windows as Bella turned the knob as far as it would go for the volume. Thinking she had something important to tell him, Edward pushed the button for Emmett and looked over. Emmett nearly hung his head out the window as he made a kissing face to Rosalie.
"Now, Bella!" Rosalie whispered.
The voices of Justin, Chris, Joey, Lance and JC filled the car, loudly and immediately Alice and Rosalie began to sing. Bella watched the road nervously, while she tried to hold back her laughter, as Alice was focused entirely on the car beside them.
Singing at the top of their lungs, Rosalie and Alice shouted across the road, "Bye, bye, bye. Bye, bye. Don't wanna be a fool for you. Just another player in your game for two. You may hate me but it ain't no lie. Baby, bye, bye, bye. Bye, bye. Don't really wanna…"
When they started the second half of the chorus, the dark tinted window of the Volvo raised, blocking the view of the passengers inside. Immediately, Emmett grabbed his own iPod, switching it out with Edward's that had been playing. He scrolled through the songs quickly, trying to find an appropriate song for retaliation. Thinking quickly, Jasper pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened a new text message.
"Will you read that for me?" Alice asked Bella, motioning towards her phone that has buzzed just moments before.
Bella grabbed the phone and opened the new text message. "It's from Jasper. He says, 'I can't survive another awful pop song. Please save me.'"
"Oh, gosh. Knowing Emmett he's probably getting ready to play 5ive," Rosalie laughed, thinking of her boyfriend's antics.
"Think you can save Jasper?" Alice asked.
"You got it." Rosalie pulled a napkin from the pocket of the seat in front of her. "Got a pen?"
Once Bella handed back a pen, Rosalie scribbled a note and instructed Alice to pull up so her window lined up with Emmett's. She lowered hers and Emmett easily caught on. Rosalie stuck her arm out of the window and Emmett did the same, holding onto is girlfriend's hand a moment before pulling the note inside. As Emmett ducked his head, intent of reading the note, Rosalie threw a wink towards the back window, letting Jasper know he was off the hook.
"Game's over," Emmett announced once the window was back up and the note was tucked inside his pocket for safekeeping.
"Why?" Edward asked. "Wait, do I even want to know what that note said?"
"Probably not," Emmett answered truthfully, a large smile spreading across his face. "But I'm more than happy to share."
"That won't be necessary." Edward replaced his iPod and handed it back to Jasper, who easily selected music that appeased everyone.
After placing the iPod within arm's reach in front of him, he sent another text message to his car.
"'Tell Rose I owe her one,'" Bella read aloud.
"Damn straight he does!" Rosalie agreed.
Edward slowed and Alice pulled back in front of him and stayed there for the remainder of the trip. The time passed pleasantly in both cars; small conversations and easy music taking over.
After another hour of driving, Emmett interrupted the discussion Edward and Jasper were participating in, regarding whether Gibson or Fender guitars were better.
"I'm hungry," he said, playing his part perfectly.
"You're always hungry," Jasper retorted.
"So?"
Jasper sighed. "Edward?"
"I could eat," the driver responded.
"Alright, I'll call the girls."
The digital clock of the Volvo read "1:30" as Jasper pushed Alice's speed dial number.
"Perfect timing," Alice answered, already knowing the reason behind the call. There was no one in her car that she needed to keep a secret from.
"Edward and Emmett are hungry."
"Hey! Don't act like you don't like food!" Emmett yelled.
"Wow, he's taking this seriously," Alice laughed.
"You just want us to follow you then?" Jasper baited.
"Edward is going to be so surprised!"
"Okay, sure. That sounds fine. Lead the way." Jasper hung up the phone before he couldn't hold back his laughter. "Alice says she knows a place on the way where we can stop and grab some food. Just follow her. She said it isn't too much farther ahead."
"Yes! Food!" Emmett cheered.
"You do realize you only ate maybe two hours ago?"
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"Absolutely nothing."
"That's what I thought." Emmett smiled triumphantly, crossing her arms over his chest proudly.
Minutes later, Edward grew nervous when they passed the Washington 104. The exit sign for the road indicated it was the correct direction for Seattle.
"You sure Alice knows where she's going?" he asked.
"Oh, yea. Definitely," Jasper answered quickly.
"She said it was on the way to Seattle?"
"Yea."
"Then why did the sign say to take the 104 to Seattle?" Edward asked.
"There's more than one way to get to Publix, Edward," Emmett shared.
"Right," Jasper said, blocking Emmett out. "Alice knows where she's going. There's probably another way that's faster."
Edward kept driving, following Alice.
Not fifteen minutes passed before Edward saw the next road sign. "Quilcene" it read, and "Quilcene Bay," but there was no mention of a ferry. Edward was catching glimpses of the sparkling water through the forest that surrounded the road and knew they need to cross over soon, but he didn't know the geography well enough to imagine where they were in his head. He was about to ask Jasper to call Alice to make sure they were headed in the right direction when he saw her blinker turn on and she exited the highway.
As Edward pulled onto the smaller, quieter road, he looked around the small town and saw nothing. No restaurants, no people, no stores. In fact, it wasn't much of a town at all.
"Where are we?" he asked quietly, speaking more to himself than looking for an actual answer.
Alice turned down a road that was almost as inconspicuous as her driveway. A mile in, she came to a stop beside a guard gate. She paid the fee, for Edward's car as well, and got directions from the attendant after explaining who she was. With a wave and smile, she drove on again.
Edward stopped beside the gate and pulled his wallet from his back pocket as he put his car in park.
"Already been takin' care of," the attendant said.
"Excuse me?"
"The car ahead of you paid your fee. You can go on in."
"Oh, really?" Edward turned to look at Emmett and Jasper. Both were staring straight ahead, avoiding eye contact and trying to look at innocent as possible. Understanding he wasn't going to get an answer from anyone but Alice, Edward shifted the car into drive and went to pull forward.
"Wait!" Jasper shouted. He lowered the window and asked the attendant, "Is there a bathroom I could use?"
"Got one in here. Come 'round the side, I'll open the door."
"I'll just be a minute," Jasper apologized to Edward as he climbed out of the car.
Once inside the small office, he hid from view and waited until he got the okay from Alice. Apparently, she'd wanted some time to set things up so it was a real surprise when Edward saw the picnic. He'd seen the Washington National Forest sign on the way in, but he wouldn't know what they were doing there until he saw the spread.
"All done, we'll meet you in the parking lot," the text message read.
Jasper slid back into the Volvo and told Edward they were good to go. After rounding a bend, with huge trees looming over them from all sides, Edward spotted Jasper's jeep in the parking lot and the girls leaning against the back end.
"What took you guys so long?" Rosalie demanded as Edward parked beside them and the boys exited the car.
"Jasper had to piss," Emmett answered while pulling Rosalie into his arms and twirling her around.
"What's going on?" Edward asked confused. Did no one else find it weird that they were stopped in the middle of the forest when they were suppose to be on their way to Seattle, he wondered.
"Come on! Let's go!" Alice shouted as she raced ahead of the group. Bella and Rosalie easily fell in step following her and soon Jasper and Emmett were on their tails.
Lazily, Edward found himself half-jogging, half-walking after them. He was too busy taking in every last inch of the green scenery around him to notice when the group stopped at a cabana and gathered around a table.
"Hey, Edward!" Alice called.
He looked up at the sound of his name and turned his head toward the group. They were standing off to the side, a "happy birthday" sign hanging from the pillars of the pavilion and waving in the wind.
"Happy birthday!" they all shouted as he took in the scene.
Spread out on the table was a white and red checkered table cloth covered with containers of food: sandwiches, potato salad, chips and pretzels, cookies and brownies.
"What is this?" Edward asked, stepping towards the table.
"Esme wanted you to have a proper lunch on your birthday. So she put together the picnic," Jasper said.
"The food?" Edward looked at Emmett, then to Jasper. "Then the bathroom? It was all planned?"
Five heads nodded at him from across the table.
"Seriously?"
Again, they all nodded.
"If we'd have asked what you wanted to do, you would have told us it didn't matter, you'd do anything. We've learned to take matters in our hands in that situation," Alice explained, stealing a look at Bella that Edward saw.
"That situation?" he asked.
"Bella's the same way. Always claims she doesn't want anything special, no presents, no party, no cake, no nothing. Hardly wants to celebrate. We do it all anyway."
"Great," Bella said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Nice to know what I have to look forward to soon."
Alice turned to her. "Just because you pretend your birthday doesn't exist doesn't mean the rest of us do."
"How about we make it through Edward's birthday first? Then we can worry about who is or isn't celebrating mine? It's still months away," Bella suggested as she pulled her hair into a pony tail.
"Agreed. Let's eat; I'm hungry!" Emmett announced.
"Let's eat!" Edward declared, grabbing the first plate from the table.
Because the food was spread on the table, there wasn't much room left to sit. After a short deliberation, they decided to sit on the floor of the cabana; there was enough room for everyone to lean against something. However, due to the layout, there wasn't room for everyone to sit together. They sat equally spread out, leaning against the pillars and table, talking softly to those closest to them. Edward and Jasper had picked up their conversation about makes of guitars where they'd left off and on occasion Bella would add her thoughts, when they spoke of specific music she knew of. Alice, leaning against Jasper, was talking to Rosalie about their plans for shopping the next day in Seattle. Emmett was solely focused on his satiating his hunger.
When they'd stuff themselves and there were hardly any leftovers to bring to Esme at the hotel, Jasper and Bella excused themselves, after unsuccessfully trying to sneak away unnoticed. They'd given the excuse of needing to grab something from the car.
"Here you go, Edward," Jasper said when they returned, handing over an envelope.
"What's this?"
"Happy birthday, man. Open it," Jasper advised as he sat down on the empty bench. Everyone else followed his lead and gathered around.
Edward tore at the envelope until a folded piece of paper emerged. The paper opened to reveal an ad for a concert in Marymoor Park; Ben Harper was scheduled to play tomorrow afternoon. Wrapped inside the paper, were six tickets.
"It's park of the Concerts at Marymoor series. Starts at 4, so we're still good to do whatever afterward," Jasper explained.
"Ben Harper? Nice, I've always wanted to see him play live," Edward praised.
"I know and good timing. Guy's gettin' old, he won't be playing big shows too much longer."
"Thanks, Jasper. This'll be great."
"No problem." Jasper leaned back against the table, wrapping an arm around Alice's shoulders, pulling her into him as he did so.
Rosalie jumped up next, handing Edward a card.
"You all really didn't need to get my anything," Edward said, without opening the card.
"Don't be ridiculous! It's your birthday," Alice said, as if that explained it all. She looked downright offended at the idea that they wouldn't be giving Edward presents for his birthday.
"Open the card," Rosalie instructed.
He obliged and quickly read the contents, which consisted of a message from Rosalie explaining her gift.
"You'll have to pick out your present sometime this week. You can come into the shop with me and I'll take care of it over the weekend." On an irregular basis, Rosalie worked at the auto shop in Forks. It didn't really satisfy her appetite for all things mechanical but it was better than nothing and there was only so much work she could do to her own car or Emmett's. She'd arranged to replace the rims on Edward's Volvo, on the condition he did not request spinners, or anything else gaudy. Rosalie preferred the cars she worked on to be a work of art, rather than a collection of the latest fads.
"Mine next," Bella said, standing up and handing a small box to Edward.
The rectangular package was made of cardboard and under the large green bow and ribbon, Edward could make out the shapes of music notes. He took the ribbon off and placed it on the floor beside him. Elegant script was embossed over the top of the box, reading "Relix."
The first thing Edward saw inside the box was a business card labeled "Wear Your Music." There was a guitar graphic and something circular, but he was too intrigued by the present to give it a good look. Underneath were two bracelets, one gold and one silver; each with the opposite color clasp. Edward fingered the twisting circle, feeling the familiar ragged material under his calloused fingers, but couldn't place it.
"Have you heard of it before?" Bella asked. "Of Wear Your Music?"
Edward shook his head, but didn't look at Bella. He was too enthralled with his latest gift.
"Simply, they make bracelets out of guitar strings. I hope you don't mind, Jasper helped me steal two of yours."
"These are my strings?" Edward asked, disbelieving.
"Yes, I'm sorry. Usually, they make the bracelets like that from the strings of famous players, but I didn't know whose you would really want. I thought, maybe, you'd like to actually wear your music. If you don't –"
"Bella, it's perfect," he said, cutting her off. "They're beautiful. Thank you." He finally raised his head, fingers lingering on the cool metallic.
"Really?" she asked, a blush coloring her cheeks.
"Really," Edward answered earnestly. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Happy birthday."
While Edward looked down again, appreciating his gift, Jasper reached over and squeezed Bella's arm. After a few minutes, Alice spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen over everyone, to explain that her and Emmett's gift would be given at dinner with Esme and Carlisle's because they accompanied one another.
Soon after they cleaned up the picnic area, loaded the car and waved goodbye to the gate attendant. Within no time, they were back on the road and it was only another 90 minutes until they were in Seattle. At four o'clock in the afternoon, with the bright sun still high in the sky and not a cloud in sight, the two cars pulled up to the valet of the hotel. They'd phoned Esme when they had gotten close and she was downstairs waiting.
Quickly, the bags were unpacked and sent to the suite with a bellhop as the rest took their time looking over the beautiful hotel and making their way upstairs. Throughout the entire tour, the bracelets burned a hole in Edward's pocket. Dinner reservations at the restaurant atop the Space Needle were for 7:30, and the car service would be picking them up sharply at seven. With two and a half hours to get ready, the girls retreated to their room, claiming they needed every last minute to shower and get dressed. Jasper and Emmett lounged around the living room, finding a game on television while Edward went to lie down, tired from driving, in the boys' room.
It wasn't until then, with privacy of being alone, that he saw the inscription on the clasps of the bracelets. He recognized the song lyric almost immediately, knowing the silver bracelet came first.
"Pick a star on the dark horizon," it read.
"And follow the light," the gold finished with the outline of a star marking the end.
A/N: Chapter titles comes from "We Do This to Ourselves" by Sherwood. Again, I'm so sorry for the delays. I'm doing my best! I know I'd said I was getting Seattle all out at once, but this already 17 pages and dinner hasn't even been served. I also just came up with something I wanted to add into Saturday and it'll take me some time to work that out smoothly. Basically, I was getting antsy and wanted the post. What are you thinking? Love it, hate it? Let me know!