Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse or Breaking Dawn. I do not own Edward Cullen or Bella Swan or any other characters you may recognize from the series. I do however own the one-shot this is based on entitled 'White Carpet and Wall Sconces'.I was kissing Tanya. I was kissing Tanya and I was losing myself in it. I closed my eyes and leaned into her, moving my hands to her shoulders and forcing her back, deepening the kiss. I felt her hands drift up my legs further and I gave a little twitch. This girl seriously knew what to do. Her tongue probed my mouth and I let her in, eliciting a tiny, guttural moan from somewhere deep down. And then I realized what was really happening. I was kissing Tanya! Shit! Fuck! I needed to stop. Alice was right. This could screw up everything. Alice. Think of Alice. Think of what Alice said. Think of Bella Swan. Bella Swan's lips. Bella Swan's curls. Bella Swan's body. Bella Swan's fuzzy slippers.

"Hey."

I felt my face get pushed back by two soft hands and I opened my eyes to meet a pair of wide, grey ones laced with sadness, staring back at me. "Oh" I blushed.

"Are you alright? You stopped." Her voice was like sugar, sweet, with the ability to melt me into a puddle. Her hand caressed my face slowly and she leaned forward again. I let her capture my lips momentarily once more before pulling back.

"I'm sorry" I told her.She leaned in again. I shook my head and pushed the chair back. "No. I mean I'm sorry, I can't."

Her face fell. She leaned back and looked at me, hands clasped in her lap. I could see her chewing on the inside of her mouth. "What do you mean you can't?" She whispered. The pain was evident. No one likes the pain of rejection.

"I need to do my homework" I told her, turning back toward my desk, hoping to hide her pained face. I heard her sigh loudly, and then sniff. Oh no, did I make her cry?

"I'm sorry" she fought to keep her voice strong. "I shouldn't have interrupted." I heard her leave, shutting the door quietly behind her. I leaned my head on my desk and sighed loudly.

What the hell is my problem? I just turned down a beautiful woman because I couldn't stop thinking about some gorgeous geek in fuzzy slippers. This was all Alice's fault!

I slammed my fist down on my desk and hurried out of my room and down the hall. "Alice!" I called, pounding on the door. "Alice I need to talk to you!" I turned the knob and pushed. She was going to talk to me. She was going to tell me how to deal with this. And she was going to do it...

Oh my god! "Where are your togas!?" I couldn't help it. It just came out. I didn't mean it to.

"Edward! Get out!" Alice was squealing, a pillow flew at my head and Alice's shock of black hair was protruding from the sheet she'd pulled over her head. I covered my eyes with my arm.
"We need to talk!" I bellowed as I slammed the door. "And that's my sister, Whitlock!"

I took the stairs two at a time and barged into the living room. "Emmett!" I shouted, standing in front of him, hands on my hips, shooting daggers with my eyes. "Emmett, he's in there and...And...He's definitely not wearing a toga!"

Emmett's face turned red and he clutched his massive fists. Rosalie put a soothing hand on his arm but he brushed her off. "Rat Bastard! That's my baby sister!"

Rosalie cleared her throat. "What did you think they were doing all this time?"

Emmett and I both snapped our heads around to face her. "Uh, um...toga dances?"

"Monopoly?" Emmett sounded weak.

Rosalie broke down in silent laughter. She wiped a tear from her cheek. "Oh fuck you two are funny" she managed. And then her face turned stony. "What did you do to Tanya?" Oh that. I'd hardly noticed that the two blondes were no longer there. I looked at my feet.

"Umm?" I rolled my lips in and shifted my eyes uncomfortably.

"She seemed really upset Edward." Rosalie shrugged. "But if you just gave up decent, easy sex I can't really get mad at you, can I? I mean it's hardly like you. I should almost be worried about you."

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other and waited. I knew she was going to say something more.

"So, who is it?" Right on cue. I shook my head. I couldn't believe what I'd just done. Turned down sex with an incredibly hot chick, who was probably willing to narrate all the dirty things she wanted to do to me, because my moral compass of a sister thinks that Bella Swan is my girlfriend.

"No one," I muttered darkly. Rosalie chuckled lightly but didn't say anymore.

"Edward Cullen! I swear to God and all that is holy!" A very irate, very rumpled looking Alice came flying down the stairs. Luckily she'd managed to put some semblance of clothes on, but there was no doubt what had been going on.

"Alice, sweet heart, calm down." Jasper shuffled down the stairs behind her, wearing only his boxer briefs, and a slightly pained expression.

"Put some fucking pants on" Emmett growled at him, causing Rosalie to slap him and Alice to glare menacingly.

"We need to talk" I snapped at her, ignoring Jasper and his…bulge.

"Oh I think you're right!" She was red and shaking. Her eyes were wild and she was clenching and unclenching her fists at a ridiculous speed.

"Dude, I've never…"

"Zip it, toga boy!" I pointed my finger at Jasper and narrowed my eyes, "Pants!" Alice was still screaming at me, her words unintelligible. I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards the stairs. "Like I said, we need to talk!"

I yanked her into my room, still horrified at what I'd seen. My baby sister! "Sit down." I told her, fighting to stay calm. She refused, standing in front of me, hands on her hips, looking up at me with rage filled eyes.

"I hope you're happy. Cock block" she spat.

"You're not much better." My sister was infuriating. Did she not realize what she'd done? Ruined my evening. I could have got some hot, crazy, dirty sex, and instead I'm standing here, talking to my angry sister and imagining her half naked boyfriend in the next room. I shuddered inwardly. Disgusting.

"Really? Do I walk in on you? EVER?" Her voice was so high pitched that soon only dogs would be able to hear it. In fact, I was sure I could hear the neighbour's dog whimper in fear already.

"Alice, you sound like a baby pterodactyl."

"Didn't think so" she huffed. I saw her turn to leave.

"Alice, wait."

"I have a very sexually frustrated boyfriend."

"You have a very sexually frustrated brother."

"EW Edward, no. I'm not into that sort of thing." I wanted to slap her. If it had been Emmett I would have, but she was little, and she was Alice. I settled for sticking my tongue out at her like we were ten.

"You're disgusting Alice. But I still need to talk to you."

She turned back grudgingly. "What?"

"I didn't do it." I sat down on the edge of the bed. "I wanted to, I needed to, but I couldn't." I looked at my hands. "I told her I had to do homework."

Alice's face broke out in a glowing grin. "Seriously?" She was practically hopping now, obviously her horny boyfriend forgotten for the moment. "Edward, that's really not like you." She was quiet, pondering.

"You think?" Stupid sister. Way to state the obvious. I wanted to know what was wrong with me.

"Wait, Edward. How do you really feel about Bella Swan?" I fucking hate her, that's why I offered to spend all day Saturday with her. Alice could be thick sometimes.

"I like her" I admitted, "but I like a lot of girls." Alice's eyebrows shot to her hair line. I felt my body crumple inwardly. Alice could always see when I was lying. "I feel….like I need to see her" I said quietly.

Alice smiled sadly. "Why is that a bad thing?"

It wasn't. It was just scary. I hadn't felt this sort of feeling…well I didn't have these emotions. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I didn't want to get hurt. I just shrugged. "I'm not sure why I feel this way. Like I just...can't leave her alone." Alice nodded. "What if she doesn't want me to be there?" She stepped forward towards me and took my large hand gingerly in her small one.

"What does it feel like?" She sat on the bed beside me, looking intently at my face. I felt a tear at the corner of my eye. No, no, no. Edward Cullen does not cry! I shook my head at her.

"Edward, does it feel like Charlotte?"

Bella's Point of View

School was dragging. The week was dragging, but at least Jessica seemed to be spending some time in the apartment. It was nice to have the company. I'd managed to finish all of the homework I had, the result of a quiet social life, and my room was semi-tidy. At least the laundry was done and the papers were sort of filed. At least by class. The cleaning, in some ways, had been a mistake. It left me too much time to think about everything. And by everything, I mean Edward Cullen.

"Bells, I'm making casserole! You want some?" Jessica came sauntering into my room, taking in the mess an me humming quietly to myself.

"Hmm? Yeah, sure please" I told her. Jessica couldn't clean, or grocery shop, but she could cook. She gave me a strange, questioning look and shook her head, dark curls bouncing jauntily and went back to the kitchen, muttering to herself about my apparent weird behaviour.

"What's the matter with you?" Jessica asked me the next night as I sat pushing the chicken and potatoes around the plate. It was the first time she'd mentioned anything, though I knew she'd been wanting to for days. It was Thursday. "Bella! Earth to Bella." She fluffed her hair out behind her, and then placed her elbows on the table.

"Nothing Jess" I told her, but I couldn't help but hide my smile. I'd seen Edward on campus that day, and although he hadn't said anything, he had given me one, quick crooked smile. It had also disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, replaced by that same look of utter devastation he seemed to wear so often, but I tried not to think about that.

"You don't ever talk to me anymore" she pouted. I rolled my eyes.

"You're never here."

"Did you take my advice? Or are you still Abstinent Bella?" I should have known it was too good to last. I should have known that eventually she'd ask.

"How was Josh? Cured of his little rash?" It was mean. It was rude. It was a bitchy thing to say, but I just couldn't tell her. Not yet.

Her face fell. "Jeez Bell, you can be such a cow sometimes." She stacked the plates and put them on the counter. "He's fine. He's spending the weekend here" she added. I tried to suppress my groan. How awkward. Josh that I'd walked out on, in my apartment, having loud sex, with my roommate? Sounds like a blast and a half.

"Jess, really? Do you have to?"

"Yes, Bella. We do. We've been spending a lot of time together, but we need some quiet time, and frat houses aren't exactly ideal for that sort of situation."

"So you two are…?"

"Yes. Together. And I really like him so please try not to screw this up. He didn't do anything to you."

Except the fact that he was willing to give me some sort of genital rash. "Sorry, Jess. I know. I'm sorry. I'm happy for you, really. I'll be out Saturday anyway, and I thought I might go to Alice Cullen's party Saturday night, so I shouldn't be around too much." Alice Cullen's party, if Edward still wanted me to come.

"Pardon me?" She stopped in her tracks and nearly dropped the mugs she was carrying. "Bella Swan? Party? Not being dragged?"

I smirked. "You were right. I do need to get out more."

She looked at me very closely, peering at my face and tilting her head this way and that. "Oh my god" she whispered. I gave her a questioning look. "You had sex!"'

"What!?" How the hell did she know?

"Oh come on Bella. I'm not stupid. You always turn into a hermit, and then you get some and you start to emerge from your shell for a while, until it's been too long and you give up and go back into hermit mode again. You're pretty predictable."

I made a face.

"Who was it?"

I shook my head at her. I was not telling her. She'd be furious. Edward Cullen was far from Jessica's favourite person.

"Was he good?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh yes. Amazing." I grinned.

"Finally. You were starting to worry me. So who was it?"

"Let it go Jess. I have homework."

"You always have homework."

"I'd like to pass my year" I said with a laugh. She made a face. Jessica could be a pain, but she really wasn't a bad roommate. Sometimes I wished she spent more times hitting the books and less time hitting the headboard, but all in all, she was pretty easy going, and she forgave easily.

"I'm going to watch TV for a bit" she told me as I left the room. "Bella! Where are you going Saturday?"

"On the ferry."

She gave me a strange look, but didn't ask any more questions.

Edward Cullen. He hadn't spoken to me since he left my apartment Sunday morning. He said he wanted to take me on the ferry on Saturday. I was looking forward to that much more than I should have been. I wondered if he was going to call me, to confirm it, or if he was just going to show up. What did it mean? I'd never known Edward Cullen to have anything to do with girls outside of a bedroom, or the bathroom of a club. The fact that he'd even looked at me after Friday night was confusing me. My mind was a race of questions and theories. Was there a reason for all of this? Was there a reason that Edward Cullen was the way he was? Did I trust him too quickly? How many other girls had he had since me? I didn't want to think about that question. For some reason, although I knew I had no claim on him what so ever, the very idea of him being with another girl made me feel sick to my stomach. Although I'd heard all the stories, every time I imagined Edward, I didn't imagine the guy with the sunglasses and the cigarettes, driving too fast down the streets of Seattle. No, I imagined the Edward, leaning against the railing at the harbour, looking tired and worn and confused and sad. I imagined the Edward in my hallway when I'd almost turned him away. I imagined the Edward in my apartment, stammering, trying to tell me how he felt, and doing a terrible job. I wondered if anyone else saw that Edward. The hurt, scared, confused Edward. The Edward behind the mask, because that's definitely what it was. He was hiding something, and for some unknown reason, I really wanted to find out what it was.

And I wanted to know why I was feeling the way I was. Why couldn't I stop thinking about him? It was becoming some sort of sick obsession. I looked for him on campus. I thought about him more than I thought about anything else. I'd never been the kind of girl that tortured myself, but here I was, doing just that. Because Edward Cullen would never change. Guys like that never did. He would grow up and become a lonely old man who watched free porn on his lap top and joined dating sites to try to seduce women half his age. He'd grow up to be the guy that hired beautiful women from escort services so that he never had to actually commit to anyone. A guy like Edward Cullen would certainly not want a girl like me.

I got home from school Friday to a message on the fridge from Jessica. All it said was 'you're still on for Saturday, 9AM, dress warm' and then Jessica had drawn a whole bunch of question marks. I grinned to myself, snatching the note off the fridge and heading for my room. I noticed Jessica's shoes weren't in the entrance way, so that must mean that she wasn't back with Josh yet. I started homework, hoping to get it done before the noise started, and then I could go for a walk if I needed to. I didn't get that far. I fell asleep, nose down in my pillow, text book beside me on the bed.

I woke in the morning to loud moans and the occasional bang (which I'm sure was the headboard, but I didn't want to think about that) in the other room. I groaned and realized that there was no way I was getting back to sleep, so I decided to shower and get ready. It was eight o'clock, so I didn't have much time. Why were they going at it at eight in the morning? Why did I need to hear it? I took back all my thoughts of Jessica being a good roommate and headed for the bathroom. I let the rush of the water drown out the sounds of my friend and her lover and scrubbed myself almost raw with my favourite strawberry body wash. I dried my hair quickly, obviously upset that I could hear the love birds again, and hurried to get dressed. I checked the clock and cursed myself for not waking up earlier. He'd said to dress warm, which probably made sense, since we'd be on the water, but I didn't have much in terms of warm pants, and snow pants weren't exactly sexy. I found a pair of hip hugging corduroys and hoped I wouldn't freeze too much. I pulled out a soft, v-necked, royal blue sweater and decided it hugged my curves enough to make me look somewhat desirable, even if I was frost bitten. Pea coat, leather gloves, warm boots, and a decorative scarf later and I was ready to go, and it was nine-oh-two. I heard a low rap on the door. Punctual I thought, hurrying to let him in, before Jessica did something crazy, like run to answer the door wrapped in a sheet…she'd been known to do it before.

I swung the door open and staggered back. There, in front of me, was a very nervous Edward Cullen, swinging his keys from his finger tip, and looking far more attractive than I remembered.

"Good morning!" I sounded cheerful. I wasn't sure what else I was supposed to say. I figured I'd make the most of this. We were going on the ferry. I loved ferries. How bad could it be? Even if he were playing some sick game with me, I still go to go on the ferry to Bainbridge, a trip I'd been meaning to make since I'd moved to Seattle a year and a half ago. I felt like a little kid.

"Guess you got my message?" He shifted uneasily.

"Jess gave it to me, is everything alright?"

He nodded, and smiled, stretching his hand out to brush it along the ends of my hair very briefly. "Everything's fine now."

A/N: What do we think? I'm not sure about the whole BPOV part, but I guess it's important. There's no reason for her to find out about Tanya yet.

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