A/N: OK, sorry for the wait, I know I know, too long, but here it is. The next part should be out in the next few days provided everything goes according to plan. Again thanks to my fabulous betas.

Disclaimer: All recognizable Twilight characters belong to S. Meyer. I however own "White Carpets and Wall Sconces."

Bella's Point of View
The rest of the week seemed to pass in a bit of a blur. School started taking priority again, but I spent a lot more time at Edward's studying, writing, and reading. And he spent a lot of time pretending to do the same thing, but was really just watching me. I spent most of my nights there since Jess still wasn't speaking to me and I decided to give her some space. I would drop home in the afternoons to make sure there was food and to pick up anything I might need. I felt like the relationship between Edward and I was fast forwarding at an almost scary rate, but I loved it all the same.

I started spending free time with Alice too. She was a lot of fun and really enthusiastic about mine and Edward's relationship. She did use the words 'love' and 'soul mates' a few times too often for my liking, but the more she did it, the more I liked it and I began to wonder, did I love Edward?

I felt like a declaration of love would be too much at this point, it would put strain where there shouldn't be. It would take the easy, carefree feeling out of our time together. It was too soon. If I were to tell him that I felt that way about him, he might run. And if he didn't run this time, maybe when the time came and this relationship had met its demise it would hurt so much more if those words were said. No, I wasn't ready to use the word love just yet. The emotions were too new, too fresh to share. I wanted to just sink into them on my own for a bit. What if Edward didn't feel the same way? He was very attentive, very intense, the way he looked at me made my heart race at an alarming rate, but what if that was just me? What if he didn't mean to do those things? I wasn't ready to face up to that just yet.

And so, Valentine's Day dawned, clear and cold, and I awoke to my back pressed to Edward's chest and his fingers playing softly on the exposed skin of my stomach. The alarm beside me buzzed and I reached my hand out to smack the snooze button. We'd been up late the night before.

"No," he groaned into my hair, pulling me closer. "Why is Thursday the day we have early classes?"

I relaxed in his arms and closed my eyes again. "Ten more minutes, who cares?"

"Let's not go today. We'll get the lectures online." He nuzzled the top of my head with his nose and settled more comfortably into the pillows.

I was tempted, I really was, but if I let myself give into the temptation I'd never leave the bed again. "No we have to," I mumbled into my pillow. I felt his hands drift lower and his lips on my ear. "No, we have to," I said again, a little more forcefully, not at all how I was feeling. I twisted my head away from his lips and turned onto my back, kissing him swiftly once before sitting up and stretching my arms above my head.

"No fair," he muttered, reaching his fingertips towards me. "You should never wear clothes again."

"That might get some strange looks," I replied, leaning back on my hands and looking at him. God he's beautiful. I thought I might never tire of just looking at him.

"No, no "he said, shaking his head. He kissed my elbow. "You'll never leave this room again, either."

His arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me back to him, kissing my neck all over. "Stay," he breathed into my ear. I shook my head half-heartedly. "Please Bella?"

"We have to go to class," I insisted, untangling myself from his arms again. "Tonight we can have all the time in the world."

How I managed to get him out of the house I'll never know, but manage it I did, and forty minutes later we were on our way to school. He was quiet and I wasn't sure what he was thinking, but at least he was out of the house.

"You excited about tonight?" he finally asked as he turned onto campus.

"Definitely," I told him, pulling my gloves on and buttoning the last button on my coat.
"You're driving home with Alice today?" He turned off the ignition and hopped out to open my door for me.

"Yeah, she wants to leave a bit early" I said with a grimace. I wasn't looking forward to being tortured within an inch of my life by the pixie on the end of a curling iron.

"I'm not sure I want to know what she's going to do to you," he joked as I climbed out of the car and took his hand. "What do you have first?"

"American lit."

I watched him nod. "Will I see you at lunch?"

"Probably not today, actually. I'll see you tonight?" I sighed inwardly, hours upon hours without Edward.

"Yes, ma'am." he leaned down and kissed me swiftly on the mouth. People still stared when we showed any sort of affection at all. I could practically hear them keep their tallies; wondering when he was going to find a new girl. He chuckled. "They're still not used to this. You'd think in a school this big it wouldn't be a big deal." I laughed. I had to agree.

I really liked my American literature class, and thank god, because if not there was no way I would have focused at all. Alice kept texting me about remembering to meet her at two o'clock and I was getting fed up. Finally, I turned the phone off and stuffed it in my bag.

"So...." Alice asked as I met her at her car later that afternoon. I raised my eyebrows at her and she grinned impishly at me. "I wish we had more time to go shopping...but for some reason Edward wants this date to start early. I don't know who makes six o'clock Valentine's Day reservations; only my brother would be so stupid. Anyway..."

She pulled out of the parking lot dangerously fast and pressed her foot to the floor. "Luckily, you and Rose are about the same size, she's a little taller, but believe me when I say that will work in your favour."

She flicked on her signal light and spun onto her street. "I think you're actually going to have so much fun. He's done really well keeping it a secret. I mean obviously I know where you're going, but you are going to be so surprised." She continued in that fashion all the way back to the house and up the stairs, chatting and gesturing with her hands and looking back and laughing her high pitched Alice laugh. And I couldn't help but be drawn in.

"Oh, Rose I'm so glad you're here already!" She hurried into the room, pulling me roughly behind her and sat me on the rolling chair. "We have to get Bella ready first, Edward made early reservations." She rolled her eyes and Rose merely nodded mutely and pulled my loose curls through her fingers absent mindedly.

"Go shower Bella," she told me and I obeyed. I didn't think Rosalie was someone you argued with.

Alice's bathroom was heinous. Everything was pink, the carpet was pink shag, the walls were a paler pink, and the shower curtain was pink. Everything was pink and I felt like I was inside a bottle of peppermint antacid. I jumped in the shower and scrubbed my hair and body, as quickly as possible before wrapping myself in the pink bathrobe Alice had left for me and hurrying back to them.

"Done?" Alice jumped up and started fussing, pulling out boxes upon boxes of make-up and hair styling products. She was trembling with excitement. "I'm not sure which colour palate to use, what do you think Rose? I'm thinking neutral, but then I'm thinking plums would be nice too. Maybe gold?"

Rose just watched in silence as Alice started pulling things from her cupboard. She poked Rosalie with a large barreled curling iron. "Plug this in please" she said, dumping one of the boxes on the bed and sorting out eye shadows. "I have a better selection than your typical department store," she told me, and it was true.

Rose tested the iron with her finger and pulled it away swiftly. "I think maybe the gold," she said quietly as she set the hot cylinder down on the desk.

"I think you're right," Alice agreed, sorting out gold shadows and finding the 'perfect' bronzer. "Give me your hand, Bella" she urged, pulling out a brush and four or five different compacts. "I think the matte, don't you?" Rosalie seemed to agree and Alice continued her selection process like the fate of the nation depended on it.

"Sit down and I'll do something with your hair," Rosalie told me, pulling the chair out and waiting for me to sit down. "The dresses are in Emmett's room," she told Alice. "I want to wear the burgundy one, but she can wear any of the others. Maybe the brown?" Her voice was starting to become more animated, and I felt her pull my hair up into a loose pony tail. "Tell me if it hurts, I have a tough scalp, so I might pull too hard." She pulled one strand out of the pony tail and combed through it to smooth it before wrapping it around the hot iron and rolling it up. "I think loose and flowing is the key right now. It's sexy without being too harsh or trying too hard. You have really nice hair." She continued in this fashion for a while, asking me the odd question or commenting to Alice about something or other. A while later Alice came back with an arm full of dresses.

"The burgundy will look so nice on you Rose. And I think you're right, the brown is the best choice for Bella." She laid the pile out on the bed. "The yellow is way too much, and the red is out. She looks terrible in pink, no offence of course," she said with a smile and a nod at the hideous bath robe. "The blue is just not appropriate for where they're going. The brown is lovely though." She picked it up and looked at it from all angles in the light. "I think it's definitely the best choice."

"What are you wearing, Alice?" I asked.

She laughed a tinkly laugh. "Just a little black number; nothing fancy, actually." She hung the brown dress up on the door and came over to inspect my hair. "Edward Cullen, eat your heart out," she said with a smirk. "Are you going to back comb the top?"

"I think so. Gather it a bit in the back. Let it hang a little nicer." Rose sounded confident and I could barely wait to see what she'd done.

"Are you nervous?" Rose asked as she let the last curl bounce off of my back. I felt her cool fingers run through my hair and lift the top away.

"I'm not sure what to expect," I answered honestly.

"Edward has boycotted Valentine's Day for years. Not that he's actually had anyone to share it with in a long time. I suppose you don't have much reason to love Valentine's Day if you don't have someone you love to share it with." I felt her slide some pins into my hair and pat it a bit before spraying it within an inch of its life. "Who was the last person he spent it with Alice?"

"Um…" Alice looked thoughtful and then her face clouded. "I don't remember," she snapped quickly.

"Yes, you do" Rose continued, oblivious to the change in Alice's mood. I wasn't sure what was going on. "Wasn't it someone called Charlotte? I think that's what Emmett told me."

Alice let out a pained whimper and looked around wildly. "We can do your make up soon, Bella" she said, changing the subject.

"Alice, I think she deserves to know," Rose urged, but Alice shook her head violently.

"It's not our place," Alice said, subdued. "She will know in time."

"Um, hello! I'm right here" I reminded them, wondering what on earth they were talking about. "Who is Charlotte?"

I literally watched a cloud roll over Alice's normally elated features and her jaw clamped instinctually. "Just a girl," she mumbled before turning back to the bed to pick up the palates of colour she'd chosen. "Close your eyes," she ordered, her voice hard. I obeyed and felt her smooth what I assumed to be foundation across my cheek bones. "You have great bone structure," she said, forcing the perky tone back into her voice. I heard the low scrape of her twisting the cap back on and heard the soft swish of the brush across the bronzer. It was completely silent in the room.

"What happened to her, Al?" Rose wasn't dropping this subject. Alice sighed dramatically.

"I can't say", she said again. "Open your eyes and look to the sky," she told me, brandishing the mascara wand in front of my face. I obeyed without a second thought.

I heard Rose mutter something else under her breath and Alice made a hoarse, disapproving noise in her throat. "Enough Rosalie. It is not my story to tell. That is Edward's part. Drop it." she hissed, her voice venomous. I couldn't help but feel like they'd completely forgotten about me.

"Did you buy new lingerie?" Rosalie asked me as Alice twisted the lid back on the mascara and pronounced her work done. I blushed crimson, but nodded and knelt by the bed to pull my most recent purchases from my bag. Rose reached her hand out and took the piece from my hand, holding it up to the light and turning it from side to side. "Very nice," she approved. "I didn't take you as the bustier type." She held it up by the straps and turned to face Alice.

"So cute!" Alice squeaked, reaching her fingers out eagerly. "Put it on."

I managed to wrestle on the barely there piece of clothing and peeked at myself in the mirror hopefully. The black lace clung to every curve, the boning giving me more shape than I normally did. I felt Rose's cool fingers clasp every clip in the back quickly. "He'd better be happy with this," she muttered. "It's been a while since Edward's been happy. I've never seen him like he is now." She handed me the garters and stockings that I'd be wearing also. "I wish the dress wasn't brown, it limits the colour choices," she said with a disappointed look.

Alice handed me the dress and I slid it on over my head. The silky fabric slithered down over my skin and the hem settled just above my knees. "It's much shorter on Rose," Alice joked as she buttoned the back expertly. "He's going to love it."

"Why does that matter? Does Bella like it?" Rose looked at me pointedly. "Do you like it Bella? If you don't like it, it doesn't matter what he thinks."

I was glad Rose seemed to be warming up to me. Considerate Rose was much easier to deal with than blank, detached Rose. I looked at it from every angle. "I love it," I confirmed. I snapped a pair of simple gold hoops in my ears and slid my feet into gold pumps. "I'm going to kill myself in these heels though," I told them.

Alice laughed. "Don't worry, Edward will save you. Speaking of which, I just heard his car, I'm sure of it. He said when he got here he'd be ready. I don't know where he was showering." She shrugged and handed me a clutch that matched the shoes.

"I want to see his face," Rose said, almost eagerly, bounding out the door and down the stairs. I could hear her speaking to Edward, there was nothing quiet about this house, I'd come to learn.

"Ready?" Alice asked, pulling my hand toward the door. "It's okay Bell, I promise." She pushed me around the corner and down the stairs and I could practically hear her praying that I wouldn't fall and embarrass myself. I was saying the same silent prayer. Somehow this seemed like a milestone for Edward and I, the last thing I needed to do was fall down the stairs.

Edward's Point of View

I saw her teeter slightly about half way down the stairs, but she righted herself as though it were second nature and continued her descent. She was beautiful, the brown of the dress matching her mahogany locks, and her shining eyes. Rosalie and Alice had transformed her, not that she hadn't been beautiful before, but now, now she was a vision. Her hair cascaded loosely over her shoulders and down her back. Her face glowed, though I wasn't sure if that was thanks to the girls' work or her own excitement. I hoped the latter. The dress hugged every curve, the neck line plunging just low enough to hint that I wasn't seeing everything and the hem line skirted just above her knees, leading to her long shapely calves.

She gave me a soft, uncertain smile and met my eyes with her own. The look, the emotion, nearly knocked me off my feet. She said so much in that one short glance that I was sure I was going to come apart at the seams. The way I truly felt had never been as obvious to me as it was at that precise moment. I was sure it was love. Nothing else hits you quite so much like a brick wall as it did.

"You look perfect," I told her, taking her hands in mine and holding her at arms' length. Her cheeks blushed a lovely shade of pink that I looked forward to seeing and she smiled shyly. This was new. This was not the Bella that had been spending time with me; the take charge, tease and smirk Bella.

"Thanks," she barely got out. I put my arm around her waist and accepted her coat from Alice.

"Thanks guys," I shot over my shoulder as I held her coat out for her to put her arms in. Alice looked concerned, but forced a smile. I didn't want to take the time to worry about what was wrong. Rosalie beamed widely and nodded. I wondered why the role reversal in the two. "Ready?" I asked my beautiful date, and I watched her nod as I guided her out the door and towards the waiting car.