Disclaimer: I'm still not Stephenie Meyer... but I am Bella! Just... a different Bella than the one described here. I'm Annabella. She's Isabella...

Author's Note: This chapter is... different. It's not the same kind of fluff as before-- it gets deep, and you'll know the reason for the change soon enough.

THANK YOU FRK921 AGAIN AGAIN FOR BETAING THIS STORY! I demand that you bow down to her, not me. She's the reason that this story is actually pretty good -smiles angelically-

Chapter 16: Disorder (M)f

As it turned out, there was a reason for the shopping trip Alice and Rosalie had dragged me on; a reason other than complete and utter humiliation on my part, of course. Edward was the one who enlightened me.

"There's a party on Friday." It was Tuesday, the day before I returned to school. There were sure to be rumors circling the student body, and tomorrow, I planned to stamp them out. When Edward reported the news of the party, I moaned loudly. I was seriously hoping this would not be a repeat of three weeks ago. Had it only been three weeks? Three weeks since my life had been changed, for the better, forever?

If Edward could make me feel this way in weeks, I wanted to know what would happen in years. Months, even. I smiled at the thought—I knew that Edward was the one I would spend the rest of my life with. It was a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach, something I could be completely sure of. Like a strange taste of Alice's gift of premonition, I knew I would be happy, no matter what obstacles were. In the end, everything would be alright.

But that didn't mean I was all for having Lauren hitting on my boyfriend. Or should I call him my soul mate? My feelings for Edward were much stronger than just plain love; it was more than just a simple, breakable word. My mother and father had mistaken lust for love, leading to one year of bliss before falling apart. But I knew I was different, because I didn't want Edward only for his body. I wanted to wake up to his flawless face in the morning, and hear his velvety voice welcome me back to consciousness. I wanted to have his shoulder to cry on, and I wanted to offer the same to him. I wanted him to whisper three sweet words in my ear; a simple I love you from his lips caused me to melt.

"Bella, are you with me?" he teased, brushing his lips against my cheekbone. That, in turn, turned a bright red in embarrassment.

"You got me," I admitted, the blush traveling across the rest of my face.

"What were you thinking about?" he asked quietly, shifting me so I was sitting sideways on his lap. I looked down into my lap, fidgeting with my hands.

"Just… stuff…" I hedged, chagrined. He smirked at me, placing another kiss lightly on my lips. "So, about this party…"

"I won't let you out of my sight," he vowed. I nodded, and rested my head against his chest, sighing in contentment. It was in this position that Alice found us with a worried expression on her face. Edward's fists clenched around me for a moment, as his and Alice's gazes locked. "Excuse me for a moment, love." He pushed me gently off his lap, and followed Alice out the door.


Edward Cullen

I followed Alice out the door, leaving a confused Bella behind. Alice was now repeating famous love quotes from the nineteenth century. The only words that slipped through her thoughts were the ones she had relayed to me before: We need to talk.

"Alice, what is it?" I whispered urgently. She turned her dark, tortured eyes to me. She let a vision slide through the wall she had created. I gasped as I watched a dark figure crouch over two bodies, both with familiar honey colored hair. Their usually pale faces were white; drained of blood and life.

"No," I moaned, my eyes widening in horror. "Not…" I looked to Alice, who was nodding her head slightly, her tortured eyes now full of liquid.

"What will happen to them? Jasper and Rosalie?"

"Carlisle is taking them in," she assured me quietly. "I can't see the attacker's face, but I do know that it's only a matter of time before he strikes again. He seems to feel an antipathy for Carlisle. It must be because of the… experiment. Maybe he's curious, and knows that Carlisle will meet with him if that's what he desires—Carlisle would do anything to save us. Or maybe he just likes killing, and he traced the rarest of disorders to them… You do know what this means, don't you?" I nodded sullenly. I would break someone's heart.

"I can't do it," I mumbled, barely loud enough for Alice to hear. She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"You can. It's the only way to make her safe," she replied softly. I closed my eyes, willing for all of this to go away. "When we return to Forks for the long weekend after Valentine's day… that should be a good time, I think," she mused. I nodded slowly in agreement. I turned, and reentered Bella's room. A look of shock flitted across her face as she took in my somber features; I attempted to smile, but it turned out to be a grimace.

Nothing would ever be the same.


Bella Swan

As Edward and Alice left my room, I sighed slightly. I wondered what was going on, but I wouldn't press them for information. They could tell me when I was ready. When Edward and Alice reentered my room, I was shocked at their defeated faces. Edward must have noticed the slight change in my facial expression, as he attempted a smile. It didn't help. I wished I had his ability to read minds. I opened my arms, and Edward willingly walked into them, followed quickly by Alice. I heard small sniffles, which I assumed came from Alice.

My assumption was correct. When Edward's nose touched the corner of my jaw, it was completely dry. I deeply inhaled, and his delicious scent washed over me. Another sniffle from Alice reminded me not to try and rip his clothes off and comfort him in the most physical way possible. Where did that come from? I thought, completely mystified.

After a few minutes, Edward and Alice managed to compose themselves, and pulled away from me slightly. Alice sighed, and smiled weakly.

"Thanks, Bella. Now I know where to go for comfort. Edward obviously is insufficient," she joked feebly. I nodded, offering her a small chuckle in return. Edward's face remained stoic, and for the first time, I noticed the bruise like bags under his eyes. Alice did too. "You two take a nap. I'm going to talk to Jasper about… the national debt," she invented wildly. I raised a brow questioningly, but let the topic go. I did feel suddenly very tired. I yawned widely, and Alice grinned brightly at me, some of her usual cheery demeanor returning. I snaked my arms and legs around Edward's torso in a vice like grip. He chuckled, leaning back onto my pillows. The corners of my lips pulled into a mischievous smile as I nuzzled my face into his neck.

"Sleep tight, love birds. I'll pick out your outfit for tomorrow, Bella, and then I'll leave you two to complete your naughty needs." This was the last thing I heard before the sudden fatigue I felt crashed over me in a more powerful wave, and my eyelids drooped, allowing me to succumb.


Alice Brandon

I watched Edward and Bella lean back onto the pillows falling asleep quickly. Edward quickly pressed his lips into Bella's hair, and he was asleep before he could pull away completely. I almost clapped excitedly; I almost squealed. Instead, I hurried over to Bella's closet, quickly choosing tomorrow's outfit.

I smirked as I lay her options on the desk—she wouldn't be too happy with her shoes. But now was not the time to worry about Bella's reaction to my expert clothing choice. No, it was time to confront Jasper… and Rosalie. Emmett as well, for that matter; he would be involved with anything that Rosalie was involved in.

I sighed grudgingly, all excitement flooding from my body. I trudged out of the room, searching for my three friends. I found them almost immediately, exiting the elevators and talking loudly. I smiled grimly at them, and Jasper immediately was at my side, feeling my pain. But what he didn't know was that the pain was for him.

"We need to talk. All of us." With that, I led the way into the dorm room Rosalie and I shared. I quickly turned on my laptop, bringing up iTunes so that innocent people that just happened to pass our room during this morose conversation wouldn't be able to eaves drop. I motioned for us to convene on my bed. I took a deep breath before starting.

"I had a vision," I started with a slight tremble in my voice. I took another deep breath as Jasper rubbed my shoulders, and sent me waves of comfort. They didn't work as well as usual. "Jasper, Rose, I saw your parents. There was someone standing over them… they were dead." I looked seriously around at them. Rosalie was staring at me in horror, Emmett was frozen, and Jasper's lips were pressed in a tight line. He knew I was telling the truth.

"No," Rosalie whispered in obvious denial. I bowed my head.

"It's true," Jasper murmured, holding me tightly against his strong chest. I could feel slight convulsions—tears that he wouldn't let escape.

"Rosalie, you know about Jasper, Edward and I. Our genetic disorder…" Rosalie nodded, but Emmett looked completely lost. I figured it would be good for him to know what I was talking about, but he first had to make a promise. "Emmett, you can't tell anyone about this. And no matter what decisions we make as a group, you have to go along with it, no arguments, and no exceptions. Are you willing to do that?" I asked him solemnly. He hesitated for a moment, glancing at Rosalie. "She has to go along with it. It's a genetic disorder—she could be a carrier," I informed him quietly. He nodded in agreement.

"I'm eighteen. I can make my own decisions. And anything Rosie does, I do," he declared, kissing her gently on the cheek. I saw a slight blush creep across her cheeks, and couldn't hold in a smile. The two awed me each day with their perfect balance of tenderness and physicality relationship-wise. I trailed my fingers along Jasper's arm while I thought about how to describe the disorder.

"It's called Cercumsosis. (A/N: Totally doesn't exist) It's extremely rare, with only five true cases in the last millennia. That is including Jasper, Edward and I. It's a genetic disorder of the brain which causes it to develop differently; in a more advanced way, if you will. It's the reason that Jasper can control emotions, why I can see the future, and why Edward can read minds. However, Cercumsosis isn't all fun and games—most people die from it by the age of twenty five.

"Carlisle is… different. He's been working as a doctor, and strangely enough, delivered Edward in Chicago. Carlisle and Esme are acting as Edward's real parents because Elizabeth, his biological mother, died during child birth; she was a carrier for Cercumsosis. She had one dying wish, but I don't think I'm at the liberty to tell you that. He will, in time. Anyways, Edward senior was also a carrier for the disorder, but died halfway through the pregnancy. Edward considers Carlisle and Esme his real parents.

"When I was two years old, my mother died from the disorder. My father didn't know about it—my mother could cause the illusion of pain to anyone when she wanted to—and he didn't stay to help me, worried that I would be a freak as well. I lived in Biloxi, Mississippi.

"He put me up for adoption. Luckily for me, Carlisle and Esme were vacationing in Pascagoula to see the sights of Lake Pontchartrain. They noticed the ad for a toddler up for adoption. They took interest in me, and Carlisle looked into my medical records. He discovered that I had Cercumsosis as well. The adoption papers were signed.

"Carlisle did a little test on Edward and I. I don't know exactly what he did, but I just know something about a first year not being as difficult. You can ask him on Valentine's weekend when we go to visit." I looked around, pausing in my explanation. Emmett was staring at me with a rapt expression on his face. I almost laughed, but Jasper placed a hand on my shoulder, urging me to tell them his story. I nodded, and continued.

"Jasper and Rosalie are biological twins. You probably already know their story, but it's important. When they were born in Rochester, their parents kept them there, completely unaware of Jasper's abilities. Of course, they hadn't manifested themselves yet—our little gifts don't show up until about five years before our death. They moved to Houston, much to Rose's dismay." I shot a small smile in her direction. "Jasper absolutely loved it. He adored all of the history behind everything, especially the Civil war. If he could go back in time, he would go to that time period, and be a general." I beamed proudly at the love of my life. "Their parents discovered Riverside, up here in rainy Washington, and urged both of them to attend for at least one year. If they didn't like it, they could return.

"I met Jasper at orientation—Jasper must remember this story. I was sitting with Carlisle, Esme and Edward, completely stressed out about the first day of school. I was very sure to not let it show on my face, and nobody noticed. Except for Jasper. He came over to me, and told me that I should calm down, because he could practically feel the waves of irritation rolling off of Edward. Little did he know that he actually was feeling Edward's irritation. Carlisle looked at Jasper, his eyes calculating. He asked Jasper his full name."

"Jasper Whitlock Hale, sir," Jasper responded immediately in a slight southern drawl. I giggled, slapping him playfully. He knew that I found his southern accent incredibly alluring.

"And then Carlisle asked where his parents were seated, and Jasper politely pointed them out. He then sat down beside me, and we hit it off immediately. A pretty blond young woman--" I glared pointedly at Rosalie, who smirked, knowing what happened next—"Comes up to Jasper and I and tells us to just kiss already."

"Then I looked at Alice, asking for her permission. And she nodded her head vigorously, the energized pixie she is, and I kissed her," Jasper concluded, as if it was no big deal.

"If that wasn't a narrative drift, I don't know what is. The whole time, Carlisle was talking to Mr. and Mrs. Hale, and I guess he asked permission to look into Jasper's medical records. He did so when he got home, and wasn't completely surprised to discover that Jasper had Cercumsosis as well. It was too late in Jasper's life for Carlisle to do the experiment on Jasper; he knew that it wouldn't cause him harm, because Edward and I were still normal and human as possible. Carlisle also checked their daughter's medical records, only to discover that she did not have the obvious symptoms of Cercumsosis—which was basically knowing everything, and then some. Sorry Rosalie," I nodded towards her apologetically. She shrugged, finding an interest in one of Emmett's short curls. "Well, that's basically it," I finished lamely.

"What does this have to do with Rosie's parent dying?" Emmett asked immediately, enthralled by the tale.

"Personally, I think that he was just curious about us, and knew he wouldn't be able to talk to Carlisle unless Carlisle came to him personally. But no decisions have been made, so I can't know for sure." Emmett nodded slowly, and I grimaced slightly, not having any better way to explain the situation.

"So basically, the only way the guy can talk to Carlisle about you freaks is through killing their loved ones?" He summarized pointedly. I contemplated this, and decided it was generally correct; I nodded. "Well, that sucks." I laughed, and was quickly joined by Jasper, Rosalie, and finally Emmett. I sobered up for a few minutes, and corrected something that I noticed in his phrase. I looked down at my lap, fidgeting with my fingers. Jasper noticed my sudden distress, and rubbed my arm comfortingly.

"I'm not exactly sure you could call the attacker a guy…" I trailed off, looking up at those around me. Their jaws were hanging, but I wasn't going to elaborate.

.:.

After Emmett had digested the whole situation, we decided to check up on Bella and Edward. They were still sleeping soundly in each other's arms, smiles on their peaceful faces. I smiled proudly, and was about to close the door when I heard Bella. Of course, she would be sleep talking again.

"Edward…" she moaned, but not in an erotic way.

"Bella," he responded in the same tone. I stared at them wide eyed—when did Edward start sleep talking? I scanned all my memories, but couldn't find any with Edward sleep talking. It must be an acquired habit—he was spending an awful lot of time with Bella.

"Don't leave me," she prompted, a slightly pained expression on her face. Edward shook his head infinitesimally.

"I'm physically incapable of leaving you," he replied, tightening his grip around her slightly. Such an Edward response. Bella smiled in obvious relief. "I love you."

"I know." Then it was silent. I stepped out of the door, closing it quietly behind me. Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett were waiting in the same silence before Emmett broke it.

"Does she know?" Emmett asked quietly, his tone completely serious. It was a strange change from the fun loving Emmett I had grown used to after so long. I shook my head no.

"He'll tell her… in time. I just hope she won't be too broken by it."

"She's handled tougher stuff than that," Rosalie pointed out. I shrugged slightly, knowing that this was different. But I wasn't in the mood to argue. Instead, I linked my arm through Jasper's, and led the way out of the building. We walked slowly towards the lake, and I plopped down in front of a tree, staring out at the frozen lake. I had the sudden urge to ice skate, but I didn't know if Emmett would be able to handle that; he was certainly too heavy for the ice sheet. I recalled the last time I had skated. It wasn't a pleasant experience, as I almost had my hand chopped off by a skate. I winced slightly at the memory.

"Let's play two truths and a lie!" Emmett exclaimed excitedly, bringing me out of my memory. Everyone had taken a seat around me, as I had planned. Alice Brandon, the center of attention. As it should be. With a smirk, I nodded quickly. "I'll go first! Let's see… I've had sex on a car, I've had sex on Alice's bed, I've had sex underwater." He grinned cheekily at us, while Rosalie rolled her eyes. I glared at Emmett, hoping the lie was the second choice.

"Not everything is about sex, Emmett," Rosalie pointed out, looking away from us.

"Rose, you can't answer," Jasper said immediately after. Rosalie shrugged—apparently, she hadn't planned on answering. A hint of red stained her cheeks, and I had a feeling it wasn't from the cold.

"No," I gasper, clapping my hands over my mouth. I couldn't believe it. They christened my bed? Jasper and I hadn't even done it on there yet! Rosalie looked at me apologetically, biting her lower lip in a manner that was worthy of Bella. Jasper felt the waves of anxiety rolling off of me, and pressed his lips to my temple softly.

"Emmett, can you please refrain from making sweet and passionate love on top of my girlfriend's bed?" Emmett laughed loudly, managing to nod his head while Rosalie stared at him with a look that obviously questioned the reasons they were together. But she seemed to remember when Emmett swept her off her feet, and dipped her to a kiss. I nestled my head into the crook of Jasper's neck, and he lightly trailed his fingers along my spine. I tilted my chin up, and planted my lips on the corner of his jaw. He watched me from the corner of his eye, his lips tugging upwards in a smirk. Jasper turned to face me fully, lifting me onto his lap.

And so we sat, staring into each other's eyes lovingly; I could get lost in Jasper's ocean blue eyes. A smile crept across my petite features, and a matching one grew on his.

Would things be different in two weeks time?


Bella Swan

I groggily opened my eyes to the most perfect sight on the planet. There was my Edward, curled up beside me with his arms draped around my waist, a smile on his full lips. I sighed dreamily—these were the features I had been dreaming about for nearly a month. I remained still, just watching the person I sincerely planned to spend the rest of my life with.

A knowing smile grew on those flawless lips, and I noticed a hint of green beneath his slightly parted eye lids. I pursed my lips—had he been watching me for the few minutes I had been awake. That would be… I struggled to come up with an adjective. Nice, my conscious supplied. Yes, it would be nice to know he was secretly watching me.

"The secret's out," I murmured, mostly to myself, but Edward chuckled musically. It was still one of my favorite sounds, apart from the light trickling of a waterfall, pages turning, and his voice. He leaned upwards slightly, expertly placing his lips on my pursed ones. His tongue lightly traced along my bottom lip, and I allowed him what he wanted. He explored my mouth before giving me a chance to taste his sweet breath on my own tongue.

What I truly loved most about Edward was that he would do anything to my liking. It made me feel rather selfish, but after so many years of having to be the parental figure, it was nice to be taken care of. If I felt uncomfortable with something, he wouldn't move further. If I wanted more, he would happily oblige. Everything he did, he did for me, and I loved it; other than the slightly guilty feeling that I was getting everything, and he might not be quite as pleased.

I parted my lips with Edwards, rendering him confused. If I had it my way, I wouldn't get out of bed in the morning, and spend the day with him just kissing. So naturally, this must be a shock to him. It was a once in a lifetime thing.

"I've always wanted to try something," I informed him softly, tracing my finger down his throat. I heard—and felt—him gulp. Oh no, my insecure side immediately kicked in. He doesn't want you in that way. I felt a sinking sensation in my stomach, but shoved it away. "Tell me; good or bad." I let my fingers fall to his collarbone, running lightly across it.

"Good," he answered immediately. I looked up to see his green eyes almost half obscured with the golden flecks. I didn't let my mind loiter on this insignificant detail; I tucked it away for another time. My fingers continued down to his sternum. "Good," he repeated, staring back at me. I let my fingers trail down to his hard stomach, letting them linger on the last set of his abs. I felt the color rushing to my face as Edward's eyes closed, hiding the beautiful mix of gold and green. "Very good." I looked down in embarrassment, only to see just how good it felt it him. I quickly removed my hand from his stomach, and glared, chagrined, at the wall.

"What's wrong?" His soft, melodious voice hummed, and my eyes immediately snapped back to him. I was met with my favorite mix of gold and green, looking genuinely confused.

"I'm s-sorry," I stammered, folding my hands awkwardly in my lap. I kept my eyes on his, but my mind was in the gutter… again.

"Why are you sorry?" Edward whispered, reaching out and placing one of his hands on my cheek. It felt cooler than usual, and I assumed it was because of the blush ravaging my cheeks at the moment.

"I… you… I didn't mean… you see… ahh!" My eyes had flicked downwards, and I scrunched them closed, trying to avert awkward conversation.

"Bella…" Edward said, all signs of amusement evident in his tone alone. "When a boy really, really likes a girl—or loves, in my case-- he gets excited. To be honest, it's never happened to me this quickly or… er… as forcefully as now," he explained, and I noted the brilliant red creeping across his cheeks. "It's something you should be proud of," he added hastily, in an attempt to redeem himself slightly. I was torn. Part of me was positive that he thought I was sexually inept—which was mostly true, as I'd never been in love, or lust before. For me, they kept the same company. And I was perfectly fine with that, because Edward… well, he was Edward, to put it simply enough. However, the other part of me wanted to laugh. I, Bella Swan, had successfully flustered Edward Cullen. It wasn't something I could get used to.

Instead of laughing, I decided on attacking his lips with my weapon of choice—my own. He gratefully accommodated, and we had a small wrestling match with our tongues. The kiss was passionate and zealous, but also loving and compassionate. It wasn't until the desire overwhelmed the softness that we rolled over on the bed, and fell with a dull thump to the floor. I stared at Edward wide eyed for a moment, before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Well, if this is my wakeup call after a nap… I can't wait for every morning in the future," he informed me with a wink. I slapped him playfully, and he responded by ravaging my lips again.

.:.

"Your lips are like an angel's," dream Edward murmured against my lips. I heard the song Lips of an Angel by Hinder playing in the background. I didn't have time to respond to dream Edward's information—my dream lips were quite busy. There were another few moments of butterfly kisses before dream Edward's sweet breath moved to tickle my ear. "You should wake up now, love."

It took me a few moments to open my eyes, pouting slightly at the interruption of my dream. When I saw Edward lying next to me, snickering, I shot bolt upright, nearly knocking him off the bed.
"I prefer the wake up kiss," he decided, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. I glared at him. "You're so cute when you sleep."

"I thought it was a dream, obviously," I confessed, furrowing my brow in confusion. I sighed, reluctantly dragging myself out of bed. I trudged over to my desk, snatching up my toiletries. I was halfway to my closet when I froze, something clicking in my mind. I slowly turned, and stared agape at the offending objects. Sitting on my desk was a simple dark blue dress. But that wasn't what caused my horror-- it was the shoes. They were black leather platform open toed pumps with a t-strap. I scrutinized the heel, and decided it was about, oh, a million inches high.

"I am not wearing those," I stated blatantly, pointing at the shoes. Edward crawled across my bed to the other side of my desk. He picked one of the shoes up by the heel, and a note tumbled out of it. I snatched it up, and saw four words in Alice's handwriting. I groaned after my eyes flashed across the note, then shoved it in Edward's direction. He curiously took hold of it, and barked out a laugh.
"Wear these-- or else! Alice would write something like that," he asserted, crumpling the note and tossing it towards the garbage. He eyed the dress with a devilish glint in his eye. I edged towards the door, hoping to make an escape before he could put his plan into action. I lunged at the same time as Edward; I reached for the door, while Edward grasped my dress and other shoe. I flung the door open, and dashed towards the bathroom. I managed to shut the bathroom door before Edward could catch up. I braced myself against my knees as I tried to catch my breath.

"You might want your clothes," Edward reprimanded through the door. I was now able to breathe regularly, and loped towards the sink to brush my teeth and hair. When I finished that, I returned to the door, listening intently. There was no sound. I truly hoped that Edward had just left my clothes at the door; I opened it a crack and was assailed by a streak of bronze. I squeaked in surprise when I was swept up into his arms, and he carried me over to a bathroom stall. I was even more unnerved when Edward locked the door behind him. He turned to me, his lips turned upwards in the same devilish look as before. I noticed he still had my dress and shoes in hand.

It was like the missing piece of the puzzle had been found. Edward wants to dress me... I froze, my eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. Though he had seen me in my underwear and bra before, it was dark. This was bright, fluorescent lighting, which was capable of flaunting all the worse parts of my body. I took a shaky breath, my eyes flickering from the clothes in Edward's hand to his golden green eyes. He leaned forward, and pressed his lips to mine gently. His breath smelled as sweet and delicious as it usually did, which was unsurprising to me—Edward never had morning breath, something he was fortunate enough to get away with. I, on the other hand… well, thankfully I brushed my teeth already. When he pulled away, that was all the assurance I needed.

I didn't stop him when his fingers tucked under the hem of my night shirt, and swiftly pulled it over my head. He admired the royal blue bra with black lace for a moment, before pinching the bottom of my pajama shorts and pulling them down slightly. I bit back a moan; Edward smirked up at me, inching my shorts down the rest of my legs. The shorts were midway down my thighs… my knees… my calves… by the time they rested around my ankles, I was frozen. I simply wanted to rip off Edward's clothes, and take him. Edward looked like he wanted the same. His eyes hungrily roved my body, before he crashed his lips onto mine forcefully. I was instantly thankful that Alice had bought this ensemble, that it didn't involve a thong, and that she forced me into them yesterday.

After a moment, Edward pulled away from my lips, which instantaneously made me puff my lips out in a pout. He laughed musically, before tossing the dress over my head. He rested his hands on my waist, looking over me again, before he slowly keeled down, his hands running along my thighs and calves to my feet; I shivered in pleasure. He gently placed my foot into one of the death traps Alice had threatened me to wear, before switching over to the other. I swayed precariously, clutching Edward's shoulders for support. He unlocked the stall door, and hesitated. He turned back to me, and swung me up into his arms; I nearly strangled him with my grip. He picked up my toiletries bag, and carried me out.

After dropping of my bathroom necessities off and gathering my school supplies, Edward toted me to the elevator, and then to his room. He quickly picked out the clothes that he would wear, and tossed them to me. He then proceeded to pose in front of me, his hands on his hips, his weight shifted onto one leg. I giggled at his… femininity.

"Do your worst," he purred seductively. I charged for him, forcibly tearing off his clothes. He was in his boxers in less than ten seconds.

"Why do you wear clothes?" I murmured, and then bit my lip. I verily hoped that he didn't hear that.

"Well, there only one girl in this world who I want to make love to," he replied sincerely, giving me a pointed look. I, being the awkward person that I was born, blushed furiously and turned away. Edward hooked his finger under my chin, pulling it so that I was facing him again. He placed his palms on both of my cheeks, and kissed me sweetly. "I think you know her," he continued, as I pulled his shirt over his head. He took his pants from me, and I pulled them on—I didn't have enough self control to handle that. "She has the most beautiful mahogany hair. I love it when it waves down her back, or is pulled back in a simple ponytail. She has these big, wide set chocolate eyes, where every time I look into them, I find myself falling even more in love with her. She has curves in all the right places. But it's not just her body that I love so much—it's really her personality. A lovely blush paints her cheeks when she's embarrassed, and sometimes, I don't know why. She bites her lip as well, a habit so sensual; I have to use all of my self control to contain the monster within me that is called a boy." He grinned slightly at that, and I did as well. He slipped his hand into mine and led the way out of his room after grabbing his bag. "When she tells me she loves me, I know that she speaks nothing of the truth—I see it in her big, beautiful eyes. But she's different from all other girls in more ways than one. She doesn't care about her looks, and she is adorably shy. Her best friends love to play Barbie with her, and she always agrees, just to make them happy. She is generally careful, but lately, I've seen her take more risks. I love to think that I'm the reason for that. But most importantly, she is the most unpredictable creature I have ever crossed. I always expect one thing from her, but she never reacts that way. I love the mystery that she provides me with. I love everything about her, inside and out. And I will be by her side as long… as long as… it's best for her." He finished his declaration on a slightly irresolute note, and I realized that tears were pooling in my eyes. He used one of his fingertips to gently wipe them away, and then placed an innocent kiss on her lips.

"You're too good to me," I managed to say. He laughed quietly in response, and began to swing our hands between us to lighten the mood.

"So, the ball is in a week. Mind if I save every dance—except for the one where I absolutely must dance with Lauren—for you?" I nodded, grinning like an idiot. Oh well; all of my dignity went out the window ages ago.

Edward was nearly skipping by the time we got to the food court for breakfast. We had about five minutes before the first bell rang—just enough time to snag a muffin. Which I did. Blueberry, to be precise. Edward picked out a chocolate chip one, and was devouring it while simultaneously paying for our food. I had given up the fight about money-- I knew Edward and Alice were very well off; how else was Alice able to pay for all of those shopping jaunts? I picked off pieces of my muffin, shoving them into my mouth while I directed us towards Alice, whose hands were waving wildly over her head. When I looked over at Edward, he had muffin crumbs over his face. And I thought he was a gentleman, I thought in mock irritation. I swallowed my muffin, and smiled angelically at Edward.

"Hey, Edward, you got a little something on your face," I pointed out. The back of his free hand automatically wiped his crumbly lips. He looked at me expectantly, and I lied by shaking my head no. I leaned towards him, and pressed my lips onto his, letting my tongue trail along both of his full lips, pretending to collect the remaining crumbs. When I pulled away, I feigned scrutinizing his crumb less face while he gazed at me hungrily. "Yes, I definitely got it," I assured him, before continuing to Alice's table. Edward sat beside me a few moments later, and leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"It's unfair to tease me like that, you know. I got a little excited for a moment." He sat back in his chair, smirking and oozing confidence. I sat dumbstruck, my hand frozen halfway to my mouth. Emmett, who was on my other side, eyed the piece of muffin in my hand, before his hand darted out, encased mine, and disappeared again, all in less than one second. He was chewing obviously, not even bother trying to hide the fact that he stole about half my muffin. I huffed impatiently, and finished off the pastry.

"See you at lunch." With a small wave, I strode off towards the school building, feeling Edward's eyes burning holes into my back. I smiled in satisfaction.

English started in the usual monotonous manner. Mr. Hall had recited a Robert Frost poem, and was now lecturing us on what it meant. I tentatively raised my hand; he was about to call on someone else, but changed to me, as I didn't volunteer often.

"Most people consider the best things in life to be golden. The beginning of a life is golden, which is referenced in the first line of the poem. Nature's first green is gold," I started, starting to feel like this was a bad idea. "And then the second couplet continues with the first leaf being a flower, but only for a short amount of time. The final two couplets deal with the falling of this flower, the flower being the best things in life. This leads me to believe that nothing perfect ever lasts." Mr. Hall nodded in agreement.

"Miss Swan brings up an excellent point…" And so the monotony continued.

The rest of my morning classes passed in a blur of excitement, mainly generating from a hyperactive Alice. She seemed to have a greater bounce in her step, and when I asked her why, she responded simply.

"It's a nice day." Then she plastered a huge smile on her face, and bounded from the room.

When I sat next to Edward at lunch, I felt completely exhausted. I didn't exactly know why, as I had been sleeping a lot during my suspension. Edward had his arm wrapped firmly around my waist on the way to Biology, supporting a majority of my weight. I collapsed into my chair, promptly folding my arms in front of me on the black table and resting my head on them. I heard Edward sigh from somewhere above me, then he started playing with a strand of my hair.

When Mr. Roche entered the room, I sat up grudgingly. I doodled absently while Edward took explicit notes, which I hoped to copy later. A thought struck me, and I tore out a piece of paper from my notebook.

I am so bored. I wrote quickly, my usually messy scrawl nearly illegible.

I can tell. What are you even drawing? From here, it looks like strangely colored eyes. I looked from the piece of paper, to him, to my notebook.

They are.

Is there someone you're not telling me about? There was a smirk on his face. He knew that they were his eyes.

Yes. Mike and I have been getting together every day after first period. Sorry, Edward. I'm just so sexually frustrated. I held my hand out to Edward, who had already answered in his neat script. I waited for him to press the folded paper into my palm, but it never came.

"Mr. Cullen, Miss Swan, passing notes?" Mr. Roche admonished, holding out a hand for Edward to put the note in.

"No, I was showing Bella my notes on the Krebs cycle," he replied, looking politely confused. Mr. Roche held out his hand, and Edward pressed the folded piece of paper into his hands. Edward looked mildly insulted that Mr. Roche wouldn't trust him. The man apprehensively opened the note, and his face fell.

"I see. You were telling the truth." He was? Well, my Edward was a mind reader. Perhaps he heard Mr. Roche preparing a lecture for us on the topic of notes. "I apologize." I stared at Edward wordlessly. "What?" he whispered.

"Nothing," I mouthed, turning back to the whiteboard. I started to draw Edward's eyes again on my paper, ignoring the long sigh issuing from him. Who was he to talk? It wasn't my fault his eyes were so insanely gorgeous. I turned to Edward, smiled angelically, and then returned to my magnificent doodles.

Author's Note: Confused? Excellent! Review for me please! I'll update faster... this one was out in less time than the last few! And it's the longest by about a thousand words. Yep-- the grand total is 7259 words in this chapter!