Disclaimer: These here characters? Yeah, I only own Skye and Christian. Stephenie Meyer owns all things high and Twilighty.

I want to thank FRK921 for agreeing to be my beta and reading over this. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

Chapter 12: Explanations

Sunday started virtually the same as Saturday. Edward and I slept in late, ate, then practiced dancing. When I concentrated just enough, I wouldn't trip over my feet. But I had to gauge my movements just right—too much or too little force would lead to my stepping on Edward's toes, but he was always such a good sport about it. Actually, the main reason I tried to get my
movements right was because I was with him. If I were with anyone else, there wouldn't be a broken bone, and I can honestly say I wouldn't care.

"That time was really good, Bella. You only tripped twice!" he informed me, his brilliant green eyes dancing in amusement as a smirk graced his full lips. They were just so...kissable. I wanted to alleviate the distance between us, and press my mouth to his… Concentrate, Bella, I urged myself silently. I played off my intense staring by rolling my eyes. "Lets you and I hope that Anthony and Alison won't inherit your clumsiness." It took me a moment to soak in what he said. I quite liked the way he said you and I. I was replaying his words in my head when we started out of the ballroom, hand in hand.

"Well, excuse me, why don't you sign up for ballet lessons, Mister Graceful," I quipped as soon as I replayed his words for the fourth time, blushing furiously. He was always bringing up my little day dream. He certainly realized how chagrined I got whenever he mentioned the topic. However, he seemed ready to make the dream a reality. I was prepared as well, but there were things that had to be dealt with. First, I had to learn more about him. Second, we had to be wed—I believed whole heartedly in abstinence, even with my soul mate. Another mouth to feed wasn't exactly high on my Christmas list. The whole marriage thing brought up a conflict—Renee. She and my father, Charlie, had been married at a young age, and I was borne just before she scraped twenty. After a few months, she escaped to Phoenix, and I never questioned her intentions. Marrying young was a silly mistake, and exchanging vows anywhere before thirty was simply ridiculous. Edward swept an arm around my waist, jarring me out of my reverie.

"What are you thinking, love?" He inquired, pecking me on the cheek. "It's strange not to know—also strange how accustomed I am to all of these voices murmuring incoherently in my head," he mused, running a hand through his tousled bronze locks.

"I'm thinking about what you said," I started, before changing the topic. These were dangerous waters. "So, are the thoughts getting clearer? You know you have to keep me posted—I won't run away screaming. It would hurt too much," I pointed out, blushing. It would hurt me to be away from him for a long period of time, and since he had been staying with me at all
times, I didn't want to have to readjust to only seeing him in Biology and during lunch. I had mixed feelings about going back to class tomorrow—first; there was the fact that I had missed so much work. Second was how everyone was going to have that pitying look in their eyes, always crooning that they hoped I felt better, when they actually couldn't care less. Third, I would be separated from Edward. That would be the worst. But I definitely wanted to do something useful with myself. I wanted to challenge my brain—exactly where Trigonometry would come in handy. Mathematics was not my forte.

"Yes, the thoughts are getting clearer," he started, glancing quickly in my direction. "I can hear people's thoughts more clearly if I am close to them, and I have heard their actual voice before. If I know a person very well, if I've heard them speak for most of my life, I can hear their thoughts as if they were whispering in my ear. But it's more than just that. I can hear them from distances. I haven't really experimented, but while I was at the hospital, I could faintly hear Alice's mumbled worries about you. Only snippets, but she wasn't concentrating on her studies as she should have." He raised a brow at me, that knowing smirk still on his lips. I nodded slowly, absorbing all this information. "If I could hear your thoughts, I'm certain they would be clearest."

"And do you have any theories on why?" We weren't walking anymore, just standing in the middle of the road.

"I talked to Carlisle about it. He thinks that your brain functions differently than others, but with the same outcome. It's as if on a radio, I only receive FM frequency, and you run on AM. But it may be something completely different. It is, after all, just a theory." He paused, taking a breath. I was watching him curiously, unaware of my fingers clinging onto his for dear life. He looked pointedly at our intertwined hands, before laughing quietly. It was like silver bells on a crisp Sunday morning. It was something I would love to wake up to—almost as much as the person laughing.

"Sorry," I squeaked, loosening my grip slightly. He shook his head before continuing. "Before I even had this little… quirk, let's call it… I always found people easy to read. I could tell when someone liked me, and I used it to my advantage. I admit that I didn't treat women the way they deserve. I went through them the way Alice goes through outfits—one use and then I needed something new. Nothing ever lasted more than a month, and nothing ever went past feeling a girl up. I refuse to have sex with anyone unless I know I'm in love with them." He looked pointedly at me, and I felt my cheeks burn. "Tanya, and many before her, thought that they were the ones to change my immoral ways, but they never could. I didn't want them to. I liked the way I was—I was accepted by everyone. There were lots of beautiful girls, sure, but I never felt anything more for them than just playmates. And with all these girls, and my amazing track skills—" He flashed me a cocky grin while I rolled my eyes—"People wanted to be my friend. And I liked it.

"Then, there was the buzz that a new student was arriving. No one knew anything about her, but she was the talk of the school. They didn't even know her name…

"I think you recall our first encounter. I didn't expect anything more of you than just another girl who wanted me. But your hostility surprised me—everything you did, everything about you takes me by surprise. One of the many reasons I love you." He paused, letting the words sink in, the cocky grin morphing into a sweet smile. "When you rejected me, I knew I had
to have you. I wanted you. You presented me with a challenge, and it was one I couldn't resist. Every other girl fawned over me, and then there was you. You struck me, the moment I saw you. Your hair fell into your face in a tantalizing manner. Your cheeks were flushed with disgust and embarrassment. The way your arms crossed your chest, like you were taunting me. And then there were your eyes…" He brushed a strand of hair away from my eyes. They widened slightly. "Your big, beautiful, brown doe eyes. I wanted to take you right then. But I didn't. First, I had to end things with Tanya. Then I had to work my charm on you. But you didn't really fall for either. And it wasn't until you walked away from me that first day of class that I realized that I didn't just want you to play with. I wanted to be the one who caused your face to flush with pleasure. I wanted to be the one who made you giggle. I wanted to be the one to hold you when you needed someone. I was determined, and I took every chance that fate threw at me. Of course, they intervened through Alistair and Rosalie…" He trailed off, closing his eyes. I was well aware that my jaw was unhinged in surprise, but I didn't bother to close it. I knew that it would pop open again with another confession. "When Mike gave me the bet with Lauren, I figured that fate would be on my side, and help me out. And once I got the money, I would spend it on you—I knew you wouldn't question where it came from. But I should have known. The fates were always against us… when you saw me, I wanted to crawl into the deepest pits of hell, and die. I tried to reason with myself that you were just one girl, and your opinion of me didn't matter. I tried to tell myself that I wasn't yours, no matter how much I wished I was. But I couldn't. I had to win you back. I apologized—a first. When Rosalie called me, I didn't
want to talk to her. I was too busy trying to plan something that would blow your mind." I cut him off before he continued.

"Rose never called," I recalled. He looked at me, bewildered.

"Yeah, I guess you just weren't—"

"That was me. I borrowed her phone. I was going to tell you then that I was sorry for being angry for no real reason. But you hung up before I had the chance to speak." I giggled weakly at the memory. Comprehension dawned on his perfect features.

"Oh…"Edward grinned sheepishly. "So you called me? And I told you what I was up to…" I nodded, inserting a little giggle.

"Hey, Edward?" He quirked a brow, urging me to continue.

"Did I ever tell you I love you?" He chuckled, pulling me tighter to him.

His lips brushed against my ear as he spoke. "I do believe you mentioned that recently," He murmured, before turning my face to meet his lips. The kiss was more passionate than any we had shared before. My fingers knotted in his hair, locking our mouths together. He pulled my body against every curve of him. My tongue traced his bottom lip, and he obliged to my request. After a few heated moments, I was light headed from lack of oxygen. I reluctantly pulled away, and he brought his lips to my neck, placing chaste kisses up to my jaw line.

"I love you," I repeated, smiling down at him. His face was glowing with glee.

"I love you more," he challenged, pressing his lips to my forehead.

"No way." That was absurd. No one could love anyone more than I loved him. For a fleeting moment, I wished that he could read my mind and see that.

"Yes way," He shot back, smirking. I simply rolled my eyes, not wanting to argue my point further.

"Sure, sure," I said in a patronizing manner, before trotting towards the food court. Edward hurried to catch up to me, sliding his hand into mine.

.:.

I chewed thoughtfully on my orange chicken. Edward had already polished off his sandwich, and was watching me closely. Not that this was much of a change, but I was still self conscious with his eyes scanning my chomping mouth.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, stating his usual inquiry.

"Actually, that's what I was thinking about. You said that you find almost everyone easy to read, everyone except for myself. But my mom always told me that I was like her open book—she always knew what I was thinking. And she's no mind reader. I suppose she's just… observant," I mused, swallowing my meal.

"I don't know, to be honest. I've never met your mom outside the hospital… let alone in the hospital where she gave you a sex talk." Oh. Dear. God. NO! He did not just mention that talk my mother had with me about our physical relationship. I dropped my fork, and buried my face in my hands.

"No, no, no, no…" I moaned, shaking my head in anguish. Edward reached across the table, trailing his fingers lightly along his hand.

"Don't be worried, Bella… I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. If I recall correctly, you know full well that you are my life. If you're happy, I'm happy," he responded in a comforting manner. My cheeks burned—I was so lucky to have this wonderful person in my life. He deserved better than me!

"Abstinence," I croaked, before burying my head in my hands.

"Of course, love. Anything for you. You are my life," He replied quickly, brushing his lips against my fingers.

"If you're happy, I'm happy." My words came out muffled from behind my hands.

"But love, please do me a favor." I waited for him to continue. "Don't hide your beautiful face." I smiled weakly before moving my hands. He scooted his chair so that it was next to me. "Now, are you going to eat this, or do I have to force feed you?" I would like to see that.

"Let me see you try," I challenged, my confidence building back up. He scooped some white rice—I held in a grimace. Why did I challenge him? Oh right. Because I was stupid. He held the spoon up to my lips, which were pressed in a tight line. I furrowed my brows as he pouted. So he would play that game?

"Shall we pretend that I already ate so that we can… partake… in other activities?" I lifted my brows suggestively. The spoon dropped from his hand, and he was already dragging me out of my seat. "Glad to know my seduction works on someone," I mumbled, looking back towards the dirty table. I was itching to clean it up, wanting to save the job from another unlucky student. No one liked clearing tables. But Edward's grip was definitely not about to loosen, so I grudgingly followed him. When we reached the outside of our building, my focus zoomed in to a familiar form. Déjà vu slapped me in the face. It was not one figure, but two. They were so closely intertwined, one could hardly tell them apart. I knew the distinguishing factors because I had seen this before. A very familiar (unfortunately) strawberry blonde head and a vaguely familiar blonde head. I froze, as did Edward.

"Tanya?" He called to her hesitantly. She unglued herself for a moment, glaring at whoever had interrupted. I immediately grabbed Edward's hand, feeling uneasy about this whole situation. Tanya's frozen eyes flicked from his sculpted feature, to my plain face, then to our intertwined fingers.

"Edward. Isabella." Whoa, what was that about? Isabella? Come on, now. A pair of nervous hazel eyes met mine. I gasped.

"Christian?" I choked out, staring at him in awe. He turned bright red. "How is Skye? I haven't heard from her in ages…" His face darkened even more, and he looked away from me.

"I don't know." His voice was tight. My grip tightened around Edward's fingers. He shot a look at me, but I pretended not to notice. "Oh, well you probably should know these types of things. Considering she is your girlfriend," I spat, stomping into the building.

.:.

I collapsed on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I looked over towards Edward, who was sitting by my feet. "Why?" I whispered, my eyes closing.

"Christian has been thinking… naughty thoughts… lately. Since before Skye left. I think he was just using her," Edward responded, and I felt his fingers brush against my cheek. "Some people fall out of love. Some people never had it to begin with. But then, there are those who are the luckiest people on Earth, those who will do anything for the one they love. Their
soul mate…" He trailed off. I allowed one of my eyes to open a crack. Edward was staring out the window pensively. His words sounded strangely familiar.

"Mommy, where's daddy?" I asked. I stuck my index finger in between my swollen lips. I had bitten them so much lately. Renee turned to me, her face wary.

"He's not here," She responded shortly. I tilted my head in confusion. My seven year old mind couldn't comprehend why.

"Why?"

Renee sighed deeply. "Bella, sometimes people fall out of love."

Edward was staring at me again. "You alright?" He asked me quietly. I shrugged lightly, turning to look out the window. He crawled up next to me, placing his fore arms on either side of me. He swiftly tucked his arms around me, his legs over mine. It looked as if he was tucking me in a cage. (a/n: This is how I imagined it during Twilight, if you think it looks different… then go on and picture it that way.) I turned my head and raised a brow at him. He shook his head once, before brushing his lips to my ear. "Let's play a game," He purred seductively.

"Mmhmm," I gasped as his nose trailed against my jaw line. He pressed his mouth to my neck, and I felt the vibrations of his chest as he chuckled. He tilted his chin up slightly, his green eyes sparkling. My breathing was rapid and heavy, my heart thrumming irregularly. He touched his lips to mine in a soft kiss. My arms wrapped around his neck, urging him closer.

"How I love the effect I have on you," he murmured against my lips. I shivered involuntarily, his sweet breath intoxicating. His lips were more forceful and eager on mine now.

"Won't you two get a room?" I heard a soprano voice that sounded like a chorus of wind chimes. I reluctantly pressed the palm of my hand to Edward's cheek, and our lips parted. Very, very reluctantly.
"Nice of you to pop by, Alice," I greeted her dryly. She giggled, hopping towards the bed. "And for your information, we are in a room. My room." I grinned mischievously. Alice rolled her eyes, turning to stalk back out the door. "Where do you think you're going, you little pixie? I haven't talked to you in ages. Come sit," I directed, and Alice obliged, bouncing onto my bed. She tightly wrapped her arms around me—a feat, since Edward had only shifted to my side with his arms still protectively encasing me.

"So Alice, how are you?" Edward asked her. She stared at him in silence for a moment before he nodded. "I'm pretty swell, and yourself?" It was strange knowing that Alice was only speaking aloud for my benefit. And if Edward's little gift had gotten more potent by the day, what about Alice's?

"Alice, tell me about your visions," I requested quietly. She raised a perfectly arched brow, but nodded.

"I'm still unsure of how they work. There are two options. One, I see things happening again that have already happened… a very strong sense of Déjà Vu. I can't tell when these things will happen, I just see flashes of it, and I know that it has already happened. Two, I see flashes of the future based on decisions, but I don't know what decisions are made to lead people to his future. It's all very subjective. One minute, I can see something clearly. The next, I'm seeing a scene with the same people, but it gives a completely different vibe… you know?" I gave a noncommittal jerk of the head. Honestly, I had lost her long ago.

"Are your visions clearer when you know the person better? Just like with Edward?" I inquired, staring at her intently.

"Yes. Edward is the clearest for me because I have been living with him for… a while. What is it now, fifteen years?" She glanced at Edward, who nodded before closing his eyes and resting his head on my arm. A small smile crept across my face. Alice was still staring at him for a moment—no doubt relaying her thoughts about this to him.

"Yes, I already told you that she knows." A few moments more of silence. "The same." Alice squealed in delight.

"Excellent! Now, where was I? Oh yes, my visions are clearer with people I know better. Each moment I spend with you, Bella, your future gets clearer. Don't you remember when I told you about a dream I had over breakfast? About you and Edward? And did you not experience that earlier? Or… something. And then the whole bed incident." I shuddered involuntarily, recalling the smell of rust and salt. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to clear my head. "Yeah, I told you not to jump on my bed. And then there's this other vision I--"

"Alice, enough." Edward's tone was rough, if velvet could ever be defined as so. Alice snapped her mouth closed. I was surprised—Alice listening to Edward? "She was actually thinking about that." Alice's eyes widened in surprise. "I'll tell you about it later," He replied to her thoughts lazily. She rolled her eyes before returning her attention to me.

"Well, tomorrow you're going back to school. And since the dance is in..." She glanced at the calendar— "Seventeen days, you should really get working. You need to order your boutonniere and corsage, continue with your dance lessons, and deal with Tanya. Don't worry about the dress. Rose and I have it covered." She gave me a devious smirk. I groaned, shaking my head.

"Alice, I don't want you to do this for me. It's too much—you know I hate being spoiled!" I complained, burying my nose in Edward's hair. His fingers started to lightly trace the veins on the inside of my arm.

"Bella, I want to! You're not allowed to complain while I have my fun. So anyways, Edward, you need to get working with Lauren. She wants the flowers to be blue right? Well, yeah, Bella's dress is blue. Perfection! It's deep sky blue—not to difficult to forget, eh? It's beautiful. By the way, who is Tanya going with?" I shrugged, honestly not caring.

"Rosalie doesn't know?"

"Well, yes, she does. But she won't tell me. She says that if I want her to remain on Tanya's good side for spying purposes, she can't dish everything. Well, I'm sorry I can't keep every single secret! I'm not super human! Well, actually I am, but that's beside the point. So... any guesses?"

"Christian." Edward supplied. I had already forgotten about our encounter with Tanya and Christian with all these details of Alice's and Edward's little gifts.

"Probably," I mused, closing my eyes again.

"No, she's going with Christian. I can faintly hear her voice screaming out his name from her new room. Interesting, huh?" He corrected me with a chuckle.

"Okay, 'cause that's really cool. Isn't he dating Skye? What even happened to her anyways?" Alice looked around the room, as if she was half expecting Skye to pop out from behind the desk and shout 'Surprise!'

"Haven't the foggiest. She did give me her number though… we should call her!" I announced, scrambling out of my bed. I snatched a piece of paper, and dug my cell phone out of my pocket. I quickly pressed the buttons and clutched the phone to my ear. The tone rang once. Twice. Three times. Four times.

'Hey, this is Skye Holmes, leave a message!'

"Hey Skye, it's Bella, and I was just checking in on you. Where are you? Call me, bye." I pressed end. "That was… interesting. I'll wait for her return call."

But it never came.

Edward was distracting me by asking trivial questions.

"What's your favorite music?"

"I like all types."

"Favorite food?"

"I'm not picky."

"Favorite book?"

"You should know that I like anything that has a binding. But I'm a fan of the classics."

"Do you consider Wuthering Heights a classic?" He shot a glance towards the almost ruined book on my bedside table. I scowled at him.

"Favorite sport?"

"Edward, seriously. I like competitive scrapbooking," I replied dryly. Edward burst out laughing, almost as loud as Emmett. Alice was flipping idly thorough Skye's magazines, her eyes unfocused. I wondered what she was doing. Edward's head jerked quickly towards her, and they made eye contact. Then he continued to fling questions at me.

"Favorite author?"

"I quite enjoy Shakespeare."

"Oh? Any particular favorites?" He asked wryly. He knew full well that I loved Romeo and Juliet.

"Let's think. We've recited it before. It is probably one of the most romantic works out there. Take a guess."

"I see." And on it went. I had forgotten all about Skye and her disappearance, and the speed of the interrogation was picking up.

"Favorite color?"

"Depends on my mood. Right now, it's" He stared into my eyes, and my answer changed. "Ye-Green."

"Ye-green?" He asked, an adorably confused expression on his features.

"Green," I confirmed, a slight blush creeping across my face.

"Care to elaborate?" I shook my head violently. "I'll find out, you know that, right?"

"Yes, I do. Now is it my turn to ask the questions?" He shook his head, and shot out another round.

"Favorite gemstone?"

"Emerald," I answered immediately. This wasn't the answer I was expecting though—until very, very recently, my favorite gemstone had been garnet. The blush raged across my cheeks, obvious to anyone who even allowed a quick glance in my direction. He waited for my explanation.

"It's for the same reason my favorite color is green… and has been for about five conscious days," I hedged. I hoped that he wouldn't catch on, but no. Edward wasn't dumb.

"You like my eyes." He assumed. Flecks of gold glinted in them, giving me a pining feeling in the pit of my stomach. I nodded, at a loss for words at his effortless beauty. "Don't be embarrassed. My favorite color is brown, and my favorite candy is chocolate. My favorite type of wood is mahogany, and…" He trailed off, smirking. I waited, rather impatient, for him to continue.

"I prefer brunettes."

Author's Note: BUM BA DUM BUM BUUUUUM. Not the longest chapter, just sort of a filler. With some importance... next chapter is a half chapter, then the drama RECOMMENCES! SO YEAH, KEEP READING PLEASE :) And review.