Author Note:

First off, thanks for all your great reviews, I'm glad you liked the smut--I'll keep it coming, but unfortunately, not so much actual smut in this chapter. But yes, you'll like it anyway, I promise, so keep reading.

Secondly, check out the songs on my fan fic profile: "Nobody's Crying" is really how I wrote the Rosalie point of view at the beginning of the chapter. Other songs, by the Donnas, are directly mentioned in the story.

Thirdly, a shoutout to my great friends at the twilighted forums, you guys are awesome. Twinny--I love you desperately and we need to take our kidnapping road trip soonest. To my betas: tameleine, CallistoLexx, Theresa, and Madeleine (who is finally back from Paris), you guys rock HARD.

Please remember that the voting for the AU Human awards at wwwdottwilightawardsdotthis-paradisedotcom/ starts in TWO DAYS. Please go read all the stories--this isn't necessarily a plug for just me. Though, I have to confess, I'd love to get SOME votes :)

RPOV

I laid in bed well past sunrise, though I hadn't slept.

Curling myself around a pillow and struggling to shut out the pain, I clenched my teeth so I wouldn't cry.

For the millionth time during the long sleepless night, I failed, and the tears fell from under my eyelids down my cheeks in hot streams.

I heard Alice and Bells laughing in the other room, and the sound added another layer of misery to the many that already existed. I told myself I was crazy. Lying in bed, feeling sorry for myself, and longing for someone who'd never really wanted me in the first place was pitiful, at best.

I couldn't seem to help myself, and I still couldn't stop the tears. In the last three days, I'd been forced to relive both the happiest and saddest moments of my life. Maybe I'd even done it because I hadn't been able to help myself. I couldn't figure out if it was the former or the latter, but in the end it didn't matter. Either way was bad enough.

I rolled over, and squeezed the pillow extra hard, imagining it was Emmett's head and wishing I could crack it like an egg. Sighing, I reluctantly let go. What was the use? I didn't want to hurt him physically. Seeing him with his hand wrapped up last night had nearly stopped my heart. The idea of him being physically injured curdled my soul, but that had to stay under wraps. I had a reputation to maintain and heartache to hide.

For about five seconds last night, I'd extended him courtesy he didn't deserve, and even compassion, and he'd simply thrown it back in my face. Typically Emmett. I wondered sometimes what I had ever seen in him.

Stop, I told myself. I knew exactly what I had seen in him. I remembered way too often and far too well.

Instead, I focused on the front of anger and possible physical retaliation I'd built up in the last six years. Sure, it was merely a well-constructed lie, but for a long time, I'd believed it until last night had forever ripped that last comfortable sham away.

All I wanted was some kind of explanation for Emmett's behavior. Maybe, if I finally could see where I'd gone wrong in trusting him, I could stop this constant merry-go-round of loathing him and then myself. It was one of the only reasons I told myself I'd ever agreed to this silly charade of a reunion. That and, of course, Alice. She deserved the happiness I'd probably never get.

I'd been so surprised that day, six years ago, when Edward had pulled me aside in the hall. Edward and I had never really spoken; he kept mostly to himself. Alice had mentioned snidely that he was even more studious than Jasper, and so I'd steered clear. I had no interest in nerds, having a reputation to uphold, and besides, the only member of the male sex I cared two cents about anymore was Emmett.

So when he'd grabbed me in the hallway after school one day, I'd nearly sneered at him and told him to go sit in a locker, but his words had stopped me just in time.

"Rosalie, I've got a message from Emmett."

He smiled because he knew he had my attention now.

Of course, I couldn't let him know that all it took was Emmett's name to catapult me into starry-eyed surrender.

"Yes?" I snapped, momentarily erasing that disgustingly self-satisfied smirk from his too-pretty face.

I speculated why Alice had been so sure he was a nerd. Obnoxious or no, Edward Cullen had those delicate chiseled features that casting directors and modeling agencies ate up, and a pair of bright green eyes to boot. He wasn't my type at all, but I still wondered at Alice's continual obsession with Jasper, and her complete neglect of the specimen in front of me. I'd have to try to pry the truth out of her, one of these days.

"He wants you to meet him in Mr. Roberts' classroom in fifteen minutes," Edward said, his face becoming strangely blank. Before I could even reply, he merged into endless stream of students walking through the halls and was gone from sight within seconds.

I pondered this new development. The last class of the day had just let out. In fifteen minutes, the school would be practically deserted, as nobody stayed longer than absolutely necessary. Then, it all made sense. Mr. Roberts' classroom, which was practically where we met.

I was always astonished at how the rest of the student body perceived Emmett. They all thought he was a good-natured, loud jock, who liked the sound of his voice a little too much. Sure, he had a booming laugh, but how had everyone missed the intelligence behind it? Though I wanted people to view him favorably, I almost liked that I knew an Emmett Cullen that was only familiar to his close family. This idea of his was exactly the kind of sweet thing he was apt to do that seemed patently impossible to everybody else.

After sprucing up a little in the bathroom, and waiting impatiently for the clock to tick down, I finally made my way to the classroom at the end of the history hallway. I knew I'd confided to Emmett my intense dislike of Mr. Roberts in the last two months we'd been seeing each other, and he must want me to have a good memory to replay every time I was in this particular room. I knew I had a goofy grin on my face, but I couldn't bear to turn it off. Nobody could see anyway, except for Emmett, and he already knew how happy he made me.

Finally nearing the end of the hallway, I slowed my steps a little, so that my heels wouldn't make such loud clicking sounds on the ugly brown linoleum. I reached the door, and was surprised to see that the room was dark. This must be part of Emmett's plan.

I carefully, almost silently, opened the door, wondering if he could hear my heart beat faster, the room was so quiet. Hoping to surprise him, I reached out one arm toward the bank of lighting switches and prayed that I had the right one. I flipped the lever, and felt my heart plummet to the floor.

My eyes took in the incomprehensible scene in front of me. It was Emmett all right, looking bewildered by the sudden onslaught of bright light, and at the same time, horribly guilty.

Unable to process the shamed look on his face and analyze what it meant, I turned my attention to the girl hanging onto him. Lauren, I think her name was. She had a reputation for being easy. Apparently so did Emmett, but I'd missed that memo in all my eagerness to put my trust in him and my heart in his backstabbing hands.

She was practically in his arms, her lips still shiny with moisture from his. My stomach joined my heart on the floor.

I wobbled a little, my knees suddenly unsure of themselves. Lauren moved slightly away from Emmett's grasp and I wanted to fling her against a wall. Emmett just stood there, shell-shocked and speechless at my intrusion.

Before he could speak, I gathered the ruins of my heart and my pride around me, and turned and walked away, my heels making sharp clicking sounds on the floor. As soon as I was through the door, I nearly broke into a run. I had to get away. I felt sick, like I was about to lose my lunch, and there was no way in hell I'd do it in the Forks High School hallway.

How could I have been so monumentally stupid? So naïve? Emmett must have been laughing all the way to the bank at how easily he'd plucked me.

I heard some movement behind me, and there was Emmett, nearly running too, in his determination to catch me and snow me again, I told myself. I wanted to hear nothing he had to say. We were finished.

"Wait, Rosie. Stop walking so damn fast."

I whirled around, anger warring with utter desolation. Why was he even bothering to try to explain himself? There was no excuse he could possibly come up with that would forgive or explain his actions.

"Emmett. Go away. Leave me alone." My voice was cold and final, kind of the way my heart felt.

"No, you have to listen to me," he begged, his normal cocky attitude completely gone.

I shook my head. "Absolutely not. There's nothing to say that I'd want to hear." Turning, I started to walk again. I had to get out of here before I started crying. I couldn't let him see the damage he'd done to me.

"Rosalie, wait. Please." He was practically groveling on the floor, but I couldn't bear to listen as his voice nearly broke.

I kept walking, and this time, he didn't follow.

BPOV

Alice and I exited her bedroom, laughing, and then both of us stopped abruptly, ears attuned to the noises we heard coming from the room across the hall. Rosalie.

Alice sighed and moved her head toward the door, indicating she would go first. I nodded in agreement and went to stand behind her as she knocked hesitantly on Rose's bedroom door.

"Rose, sweetheart, are you okay?"

There was only an obviously muffled sniff in response, and Alice and I exchanged worried glances. She was crying again. This was not good.

"I know you're in there," Alice said, "you might as well tell us we can come in."

"The door's not locked," Rose grumbled, her voice teary and unbearably sad.

Alice tested the knob, and like Rose had said, it opened without opposition.

We quietly stepped into the dark room, with me following closely behind Alice. As our eyes adjusted, I could see Rose still curled up in her bed, holding a pillow that she was clearly using to muffle her sobs.

Alice quickly crossed to the bed and sat down. Rose quickly wiped her eyes, as if that would prevent us from knowing the truth.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Alice reached out and took Rose's hand in her own. I took the other side of the bed, and as unobtrusively as possible, I tenderly brushed her hair away from her face.

Unfortunately, we weren't making much headway, as Rose simply shook her head and dissolved into more tears.

"Please tell us, Rose," I said, feeling useless and overwhelmed in the face of all this grief.

"You know," she mumbled through her sobs, "it's always him."

I bit back my exasperation. They were so plainly still in love with each other that all this mooning around was completely ludicrous, but then, neither of them were ready to hear it or admit it yet. This was all painful, but necessary. Still, I wanted to maim Emmett a million different ways for hurting Rose this way, and now that I thought about it, Edward too. Because, really, this all originated with him. Rose crying today was his fault.

The thought must have showed on my face because Alice quickly motioned for me to stop frowning. Whoops. I returned my attention to the sobbing Rosalie and tried to assume some kind of sympathetic pose, all the while trying to decide what I was going to say to Edward when I saw him next.

You asshole, you broke my friend's heart?

No, not quite angry enough.

Coherent words were now emerging from Rose's mouth, along with the sobs, and I interrupted my internal debate to pay attention. Maybe I'd find some inspiration in her thoughts.

"I was just. . .screwing myself over . . .remembering . . .remembering," Rose's voice broke again, and Alice gripped her hand tighter, "the day I found him with that skank."

If only I could record this sobbing confession from Rosalie, no amount of cursing could ever match the ability this had to truly put Edward in his place.

Well duh, Bella, I thought, that was easy enough.

I felt in my sweats pocket as surreptitiously as possible. Thankfully, Rosalie, who was curled on her side, was sprawled between Alice and I, and in any case, she was understandably caught up in what Rose was saying. I was too, of course, but I was more prepared to do something about it.

After all, Alice had been hearing this for six years and the situation had stayed completely static. It was time for some action. That didn't make me callous, just perceptive, though I had feeling that wasn't what Alice would call it. What I was about to do would have to stay my secret.

Carefully, I slipped my cell phone out of the pocket and without my eyes once leaving Rosalie's face, my fingers quickly reached the video setting. I had no idea how good the sound was going to be, but I couldn't sit back and do nothing while Rose cried her eyes out. Maybe after Edward finished groveling, he could find some way to accidentally show Emmett.

Alice spoke up again, and her voice was quiet and serious. "I remember you coming home that day. I wanted to punch Emmett Cullen into the next county for breaking your heart. He never deserved you, sweetie."

Alice reached around to hug Rose in affirmation of her words, and I had to quickly tuck the exposed phone under a fold of the comforter. If Alice saw what I was doing, there would be hell to pay.

I wanted to argue with Alice's assumption that Emmett didn't deserve Rosalie. He'd made a mistake, yes, but instead of fixing it like he clearly should have, he'd walked away. I felt another irrational flash of anger at Edward for being stupid enough to ruin the best thing to ever happen to his brother. I'd felt sorry for him once, because of how much he blamed himself, but now I fully agreed with his own assessment.

Alice moved again, and got up off the bed, probably going in search of a box of tissues. That Kleenex box, I grumbled to myself, has seen more action in the last two days than me.

Rose turned towards me, and I quickly clicked the phone off and without her noticing, returned it to my pocket. When I was alone, I'd review the footage of heartbroken Rosalie and send it to dear Edward for his consumption. For right now, one of my best friends was hurting, and I needed to comfort her as best as I could.

"You probably think I'm a big wimp," Rosalie self-consciously laughed, her voice shaky.

"Of course not!" I exclaimed, giving her a quick hug. "Emmett broke your heart. That's definitely worth crying over."

"For six years?" she responded, a bit defiantly—wanting me, I guess, to tell her she was obsessing. Frankly, it was sometimes even harder to be honest with Rosalie than it was to be honest with Alice, because yes, she was obsessing.

Of course, I didn't call it "obsessing," typically, I knew Rose's issue as "love" instead, but naturally, I was sure that she'd see red if I told her what her real problem was.

"So he kissed Lauren," I stated, deciding that a change in subject was in order.

"Yes. I walked in and. . .they were all wrapped up together."

Ah. Kind of like me and Edward last night at Kell's. I nearly let my smile shine through the sympathy written on my face, but I stopped it just in time. Rose wasn't supposed to know that, and she was even better at reading me than Alice. I couldn't even think about Edward in her presence, or she'd find out and we'd all be toast.

Besides, I reminded myself sternly, you're mad at him.

"Are you sure he even liked it?" Knowing the whole story and not being at liberty to say was really beginning to bug me. Maybe I could lead Rosalie around to the truth without her realizing what I knew.

Rose glared at me, and Alice chose that moment to come back into the room. Great, I've just brought out Protective Mother Alice. Fantastic job, Bella.

"Bella, why are you upsetting Rosalie? Can't you see she's already upset?"

I'd have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to not see that Rose was upset, but I didn't think that offering that particular answer would help me out right now. Instead I smiled contritely.

"Of course, I just wanted to make sure. . ."

Alice sent me a death look. "You weren't making sure of anything," she enunciated, "you were just going into the kitchen to make breakfast."

"I was?"

"You were," she nearly hissed at me. Rosalie chuckled at our exchange and I thought I might as well play it up, if it could somehow bring her out of her blue mood.

"Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a twist, oh wait. . ." I paused for effect, and just to see Alice's face darken, "it's Jasper who does that."

As nimbly as I could, I tried to skirt around a furious Alice, all while Rosalie looked on, laughing deeply. Her face was shining again, not with tears, but with mirth. Maybe humor was a way to make her more accessible to Emmett and not quite as angsty and uptight. I'd tell Edward to start cracking a lot of jokes around her, and I'd instruct Alice to be as silly as possible, not that she didn't already succeed at that particular venture.

Alice managed to get a good swat on my butt just as I made it out the bedroom door.

"Ouch!" I yelled as I danced down the hallway. "How does chocolate chip pancakes sound?"

"Like heaven," I heard Rose shout back, and I smiled. I could do this. Somehow I would do this.

I got out the ingredients for the pancakes and set up the iPod dock in the kitchen to play some upbeat music. I was mixing the batter and dancing away when Rosalie and Alice came into the kitchen.

"Where's my pancakes, bitch?" Rosalie asked, good naturedly, with almost a genuine smile on her face. Her face was still a bit splotchy, and her eyes were definitely red, but she looked good. Of course, this was Rose, and she had backup in the tank. Even a crying jag couldn't completely ruin her looks. Those of us who were mere mortals had to be more careful because we couldn't afford to lose anything.

I gestured to the heating griddle and the big bowl of batter on the counter in front of me.

"Almost ready," I assured her, "but if you don't get your ass over to the coffeemaker stat, I'm going to pass out."

When I'd first met Rosalie, her confrontational way of speaking had completely thrown me for a loop. Alice had been a hard enough transition for me, with all the shopping and the flightiness, but when she'd introduced me to her older "sister" Rose, I knew both awe and terror.

Rosalie, I soon figured out, might speak like the most common hooker or dockside worker, but that was all one big red herring. She had a core of the softest marshmallow crème and a heart of gold. The rest was just decoration.

So I'd adapted to her way of speaking, and though I rarely employed it, except for a well-executed snide remark or scathing put-down, I could dish it out as well as I could take it. Edward, I thought with amusement, had seemed very impressed with my witty repartee, and I was again grateful to Rose who had brought me out of my shell and had made such verbal acrobatics possible.

"On my way," Rose snapped back, but I noticed she was already at the coffeemaker, measuring out water and beans. A few seconds later I heard the familiar and welcome hum of the grinder, followed by a smell I never tired of: freshly-ground coffee.

Alice had made her way to the iPod dock, and was in the process of changing the music. I almost told her to leave it be, but she knew Rose better than I did, and if there was something in particular that would lift her spirits, I wasn't going to argue.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her pick something quickly, like she'd known exactly what she wanted to choose. Playlist selected, wide smile on her face, she flitted away towards the fridge.

The speakers began blasting the Donnas and I beamed my approval at Alice, while Rosalie's hips began to twitch to the heavy guitar and rough beat of "Don't Wait Up for Me." Mine joined hers, finally followed by Alice, who completely abandoned her breakfast chores to dance and slide across the hardwood floor in her slippers.

Still grinding along with the heavy beat, I turned back to the stove and began to ladle pancake batter onto the hot griddle. Immediately, the smell of melting chocolate and dough filled the air, mixing with the scent of brewing coffee.

"Coffee's up!" Rose shouted over the music, rubbing up against Alice in an R-rated manner as she passed by to grab the milk from the fridge.

I joined them, and we completely let loose as the iPod segued into "Take it Off," our favorite Donnas song.

EPOV

I laid in bed, watching the sun come up over the West Hills, and wondered giddily why Bella Swan drove me crazy.

She wasn't beautiful like Rosalie, but instead her face was intriguing, with how much and how little it gave away, all at the same time. I'd only seen her three times, but it was already a goal of mine to make her blush as much as possible. The contrast between her white skin and those dark, inquisitive, and impish brown eyes was irresistible, as was the long fall of mahogany hair. Her looks had been more than enough to catch my attention the first time I'd seen her, but since then, the lure that was Bella far exceeded any initial simplistic physical attraction.

From the beginning, her intelligence, and wit and humor had completely defeated me. Every time I thought that I'd managed to finagle my way into a good position, she'd pulled the rug out from under me with one of her little sarcastic comments.

Bella hadn't thrown herself at me like most girls. Instead, she had seemed determined to not let things turn personal, and she'd playfully thrown a bucketful of mockery right at me. I thought I'd liked those girls in college who'd deferred to me and let me be the big powerful man. Nope, I shook my head a little, I was so wrong. I wanted someone who could stand next to me like an equal and look me right in the eye and tell me exactly what she thought.

Even worse, Bella was both kind and mischievous, innocent and dangerous. She looked like a good girl, but the way she'd kissed me last night had blown that assumption right out of the water. I'd been completely floored by how elemental our sexual attraction was, and for about thirty seconds, I'd forgotten Emmett and Rosalie and Jasper and Alice. All I'd thought about was how I could convince her I was even good enough to wipe her boots, because there was no way in hell I could lose her without ever having her. She was going to be mine.

I groaned and rolled over, already suffering from my regular morning affliction, and not wanting to make it worse by picturing peeling that dress slowly and deliberately from her incredibly feminine body.

I wanted her for more than sex. I wanted to do more than just trade quips with her like we'd done on our first date. I just wanted to know her, totally and completely and that thought scared the living shit out of me.

I'd been stupid enough to concoct a plan that made it impossible to date her, and I couldn't stomach anything less.

Obviously if I was going to see her, I'd have to drag Jasper and Emmett along too, and it would have to be their idea. Better to use Jasper again--Rosalie had clearly not warmed up to Emmett yet.

I dragged my sorry, obsessing ass out of bed and pulled on a pair of athletic shorts. Running a quick hand through my hair, I exited the bedroom and wasn't surprised to find the rest of the house quiet. Jasper was watching the news in the living room, the volume almost muted, his laptop in front of him. Out of the three of us, he was definitely the quietest. If Emmett had been awake, there was no way I could have slept as long as I did.

"Hey Jas, I need a favor."

Jasper looked up, and grimaced. "What now?"

I didn't want to go through this all over again. Everyone except for him knew how much he wanted Alice. Yet, he'd thrown a hissy fit when I'd insisted he cuddle up to her. You'd have thought I'd killed his dog. Both Emmett and I had shared a few chuckles over him shrieking like a girl and over a girl.

Mentally crossing my fingers, I tried taking a very laissez-faire tactic, as if I could care less if he helped me. "You made great progress last night . . ." I started out, keeping my tone very calm, but before I could even get the rest of the sentence out, Jasper shot up from the couch, annoyed expression on his face.

"Absolutely not. I am not going over there." Jasper glared at me.

Emmett strolled into the living room, completely, and typically, oblivious to the tense atmosphere between Jasper and I.

"What's up dudes?" he exclaimed in his normal volume. Emmett had two levels: loud and louder.

I rolled my eyes and before Jasper could start pitching another hissy fit about seeing Alice, I spoke up. "We're going to see the girls. For breakfast," I announced spontaneously. Jasper's face grew murderous and I thought I heard Emmett mumble something foul under his breath.

While Jasper was the studious one of the three of us, I was definitely known as the business-minded planner. This, I thought to myself ruefully, was why the plan I'd concocted was so damn complicated—I shouldn't have expected differently out of my own stupid mind. I rarely ever did anything without thinking it through completely, but ever since I'd met Bella, I'd practically been living spontaneously on the edge of danger.

"Do we have to?" whined Emmett, a look of absolute dread on his face. I couldn't blame him; dealing with a bitchy Rosalie right out of bed wasn't my idea of a good time either. On the other hand, a sleep-rumpled, naked, warm-skinned Bella was an entirely different story. I felt myself hardening, almost involuntarily, at the image of her sitting up in my bed, the sheet slithering to her waist, her beckoning me back to her side with no words but only a come hither look. Crap.

I was in such deep shit. Thankfully, both Jasper and Emmett were worked up enough that they didn't notice me marginally adjust my shorts. I wish I'd had the foresight to put boxers on underneath—I'd certainly do that before we went over to visit the girls. If I couldn't even control myself now, I knew there was no way I could possibly do it when I was around the subject of my fantasies.

"Yes," I snapped, "Jasper is desperate to see Alice again." It was a lot better to silence Jasper before he could break the news to Emmett that it was instead me that was dying to see Bella. Of course, I wasn't dumb enough to think that Jasper didn't actually want to see Alice. He just would never admit it to me—especially never with Emmett listening in. I loved my brothers dearly but one was way too private and the other was not nearly private enough.

Emmett's smile was about a mile wide and he threw a big meaty arm around Jasper.

"It's about time you did something about that little pixie," Emmett said jovially, giving Jas a few good whacks on his back.

Jasper's expression, despite Emmett's oblivious nature, was pure irritation. I shook my head slightly, cautioning him not to say anything, and I knew if it had been anyone else but me he was doing this for, they'd have a bruised jaw by now.

However, Jasper was able to take one verbal swing at Emmett that I couldn't silence.

"Yeah? You gonna do something about Rosie too?"

I winced. I'd seen that coming from about a mile away.

I needed to get this show on the road before they decided to destroy each other, and by association, the furniture that Esme had so lovingly picked out for us.

Emmett nearly growled. I heard it, and I was sure that Jas had heard it too, but he casually shucked Emmett's arm off of him and walked away. There was a clearly audible sigh, but his back was to us and I couldn't see his face.

"Where are you going" I risked asking, almost dreading his answer. Throughout this whole exchange, my hopes of seeing Bella had only risen. Even though it had been a spontaneous decision on my part, I now felt committed to seeing her today. I couldn't wait—it was as simple as that. I was dying to kiss her again, but even more importantly, I wanted to see her in her natural environment, eyes hazy with sleep, secret smile playing over those full lips of hers.

Jasper turned his head as he disappeared back down the hallway, and shot back at me, "I'm going to get ready, since apparently we're going to bring these girls breakfast."

I wanted to pump my fist in the air in success, but I figured that Emmett, already grumbling that he hadn't provoked Jas enough to fight, wasn't going to let me get away with anything.

I quickly brushed my teeth and ran a hand through my hair. Good enough, I thought.

"Let's go," I yelled, as I left the bathroom. Emmett popped his head out of his room, dread written all over his face.

"Do I have to go?" he whined.

"Yes," I said inexorably.

"No choice?"

"No choice. Maybe you can take this opportunity to try to be a little less obnoxious."

"Fine," Emmett grumbled, and joined me in the hallway.

"Jas?" I shouted, in the direction of his bedroom.

"I'm out here," he said, from the vicinity of the living room, "let's go."

"So what are we bringing?" Jasper asked me, as we all climbed into my silver Volvo.

I hadn't thought this far ahead. Just getting them out of the house intact was a minor miracle.

"Uh. . . ." I stalled.

"Chocolate croissants," Emmett announced loudly from the backseat.

There were very few times that I was glad Emmett decided to speak. This was one of those times.

Jasper clapped him on the back, hard, clearly getting back at him for earlier. "Way to go, man. Great idea."

We stopped at a little bakery up on 23rd, and picked up the croissants, and I sped over to where I knew the girls lived. It wasn't until we pulled up at the complex that I began to get nervous. Chocolate croissants or not, showing up at their apartment on a Sunday morning unannounced was probably suicide, at least in the case of Jasper and Emmett. I wasn't entirely sure where I stood with Bella, but I did know that she hadn't exactly been pushing me away last night. I took a deep breath and tried to calm the butterflies in my stomach. I couldn't even remember the last time a girl had made me this nervous--or really, nervous at all. There was definitely something about Bella: she shredded my self-control and at the same time, made me want to do everything right.

We walked up, a pretty silent group, to their front door. Loud rock music floated out of one of the open windows and we all exchanged looks. Had we come to the wrong townhouse?

I consulted the address I'd written on a scrap of paper. Nope, it was right. Hesitantly, I knocked on the door. Nothing. I knocked harder, trying to make my entrance known over the blaring music. Still nothing.

With a sound of disgust, Emmett pushed me aside, and proceeded to bang on the door like a caveman demanding his woman get out and make him some grub over the fire. I grimaced, inwardly, thinking that Em demolishing their door wasn't likely to make a good impression.

However, they clearly couldn't hear us over the music, even with Emmett's caveman knock.

Knowing I was risking my balls and other pertinent parts of my male anatomy, I grasped the door handle and turned. Jasper's eyes grew wide when he realized it was going to turn all the way: it wasn't locked.

"They're going to kill us," he hissed at me, motioning for me to stop, but I was way too determined to turn back now.

Emmett added, "Slowly and painfully." I couldn't disagree with either of them but at this point, my compulsion to see Bella far outweighed the possibility of a slow, torturous death.

I turned the handle the rest of the way, leaving both of my brothers aghast.

Silently opening the door, I peered around it and into the hallway entrance. The music was even louder, and was definitely rock. Some kind of power girl punk music. I thought I could hear some additional live vocalists, and motioning to Emmett and Jasper, we creeped in and shut the door behind us.

Leading the way, I followed the sound of the yelling voices, and turning a corner from the entrance, stopped dead in my tracks. Obviously, the two clowns behind me felt the same way. They could thank me later.

The girls were dancing in the kitchen to the music, singing at the top of their lungs and nearly grinding against each other in a display of such sexual freedom that I felt weak.

My hungry eyes immediately latched onto Bella, who was clearly the vocalist of the group, as she was singing at the top of her lungs, and moving her hips back in forth to the beat. A pair of slim pink sweatpants encased her slender legs, and the threadbare, skintight t-shirt hugged her curves, or at least what I could see of them. A sliver of pale, bare skin flashed where her t-shirt met her pants, and instantly, I grew hard. It was only then I remembered I hadn't put boxers on before coming over here, and my cock was noticeably tenting the lightweight athletic material. Shit.

Bella wasn't the greatest dancer, but the way that she moved her ass was nearly criminal. I had a sudden image of me taking her right there, on the hardwood kitchen floor, bruised knees be damned. Stop it, I ordered my unruly mind and body, that's not helping at all.

Trying to get myself under control before any of them turned around, I reluctantly tore my eyes away from Bella, and instead looked at the other two girls dancing in the kitchen.

I'd felt Jasper stiffen behind me the minute we'd come around the corner, but I'd been too busy admiring Bella to even glance at Alice. Now I knew the reason he was still standing, shocked, behind me. Alice was wearing a skimpy silk nightie, barely covering her butt, and if Bella wasn't a fabulous dancer, Alice more than made up for it. The way she was grinding against Rosalie was worthy of Carmen Electra's strip workouts and the nightie, directly contradicting the hypothesis that short girls didn't have curves, rode up and exposed all of us to a pretty generous show of upper thigh.

I swore I heard Jasper mumbling underneath his breath and I hoped he was smart enough to stop resisting. I'd pretty much given in--not that anyone had to know it--but it was clear enough that he was putty in Alice's hands, especially when she looked like that.

Rosalie threw her hands up in the air, and the loose tank top she wore rose considerably, treating us all to a show of golden toned flesh halfway up her back. This time I distinctly heard Emmett swear.

It was then that the lyrics of the song hit me. The song was about taking off clothes, and the sex that happened subsequently. The girls were dancing, in skimpy pajamas, with each other. I was finished. There was no way I'd be able to calm the monster in my shorts before they turned around. Right now I was rock hard, harder than I'd been in a long time and it would take an ice-cold shower to have any effect on me whatsoever.

Bella was going to turn around and see me watching her, uninvited in her apartment, with a serious hard-on. I didn't think there was much I could add to the situation to make it worse.

The planner in me was rapidly combing through ideas in his head, and the only one he'd come up with so far was to leave. Ha, there was no way in hell that was going to happen.

"Edward," Jasper hissed behind me, apparently regaining his voice.

I held up my hand to silence him, and tried to think of a way out of this. Except, I thought, I've got nothing. There was just too much damned blood in my cock right now to put together a real coherent solution.

Then, Bella turned around and shrieked.