A/N: This chapter is coming from me, tellingmelies. Hope you like it!

We do not own Twilight, yet again.

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Chapter 4

BPOV

"Good evening."

The door opened wider and revealed the most beautiful man I had ever seen. His face held an expression of surprise before his gaze met mine. His eyes widened slightly, a mixture of emotions passed through them. Many I didn't recognize but the ones I was able to did nothing to calm my nerves. Surprise, hostility, and the most frightening, hunger. The last sent shivers up my spine.

Jake stepped forward drawing the man's gaze to him. "Hey man, umm, we're kind of in a bind. The guy down at the store told us that you might be able to help us."

His gaze passed over all of us again, lingering on me longer than the rest. Jake noticed this and put his arm around my shoulders pulling me closer to his side.

"Yes, I received a call that told me you might be in need of a place to stay." His voice was like velvet. It wrapped around me causing goose bumps to break out on my arms. I snuggled closer to Jake. "My name is Edward Cullen. Welcome to my home. Please, come in." He stepped to the side pulling the door wider and motioned for us to enter.

"Thank you. I'm Jake. This is Quil and Alice. And this is my girlfriend, Bella." Jake kissed the top of my head and squeezed my shoulder.

Quil stepped up to the door, "Yo man, you got some food up in here? I know it's not breakfast time or anything, but I am in some serious need of pancakes."

Mr. Cullen nodded his head once, "I believe I have some pancake mix in the kitchen. You are free to help yourselves after you all get settled."

"Sweet, man." Quil slapped his hand down on inn keeper's shoulder causing him to jump slightly. His face hardened as he looked at Quil's hand, eyes narrowing. Quil however took no notice. "I knew you were all right. Even if your crib is hella creepy. You know what would be perfect, have you ever seen the Addams Family? You know that dude, Lurch? That's what you need. Some man in a suit opening the door with a creepy 'You rang?". Now that would be cool, you know…" he trailed off as he took finally looked at Mr. Cullen. Whatever he saw stopped him cold. He quickly removed his hand and took a step back bumping into the doorway.

"Quil, leave the man alone." Jake said, oblivious to the tension that arose. He lightly shoved Quil on the arm getting him to step aside so he could walk into the house. Quil quickly followed not wanting to be left behind.

Those green eyes started to turn back towards me. I quickly shifted my gaze to Alice who was staring back at me with a strange expression on her face. I gave her a questioning look but she just shook her head.

She leaned close to my ear, "I don't know what's creepier, the house or the owner." She smirked at my dumbfound look and grabbed my hand, pulling me through the door. "Let's not tell Renee about this mini adventure, agreed?"

Oh shoot, I forgot all about my nightly calls to Renee.

I tugged on Alice's hand getting her to stop as I stood in front of our host. Gathering all my courage I turned towards him and looked up into his eyes. I drew in a breath. His face was inches from mine, his eyes staring into mine, penetrating. Green…all I saw was green.

"Bella?"

Breaking my trance I turned towards my friends. Alice was still holding my hand, but she had a small smile on her face. Quil was behind her impatiently jumping from foot to foot while his eyes roamed around the room. Jake had moved up next to Alice when he called my name. His hands were in fists at his side, his whole body tense. However his anger wasn't directed at me, it was the man standing next to me.

"Bella?" Jake repeated. Still not looking at me he held his hand out towards me. "Come here please." He requested.

I took a step in his direction before I remembered that I was going to ask a question.

"Excuse me, Mr. Cullen—" I started.

"Please, call me Edward." The velvet voice interrupted.

"Ed-Edward" I stammered. "Do you have a phone I could use? I need to call my mother." As soon as the words left my mouth I wanted to take them back. How lame could I possibly sound? I needed to call my mother, geez Bella. I felt a slight blush forming on my cheeks. Way to seem mature Bella, having to call your mommy.

Edward nodded curtly in my direction. "Of course. You can use it once you get settled."

Alice tugged on my hand, "I already called her, Bella." I looked at her confused. "I called her when you were asleep before Jake got us lost." She stared pointedly at Jake.

"Shut up, Alice" Jake snapped.

"Anyways" Alice turned back to me, "It's all taken care of. I told her we were stopping for the night and that you were passed out already. I got your back, girlfriend."

I smiled at her. "Thank you."

Quil walked up then throwing one arm over each of us.

"Not to interrupt this little girly love you two got going on here, but can we get to our rooms? I'm still hungry here and the sooner we get settled, the sooner we eat."

Alice slapped Quil's hand away and stepped towards Edward. "So, all of our luggage is in the car that Mario Andretti over there smacked into one of your trees. Do you have like a bellhop or something that can help us bring them in or something, cause there is no way in hell I can carry all that in myself."

Edward looked at Alice. "I do not employ a bellhop. There is only me. I will help you with your bags."

Quil cocked his head to the side. "Only you? In this massive crib? Dude, you must have mad skills."

"It's not as hard as it looks." Edward replied. "Your bags, shall we?" He walked out into the night.

I started to follow him when Jake grabbed my arm. "You and Alice stay here. Let's go Quil." He dropped my arm suddenly and disappeared out the door.

"Aww man, that ain't even my shit out there. This is why I only pack one bag. This shit ain't fair." Quil grumbled following Jake out.

We were left in silence. I looked over at Alice who just shrugged back at me. I gazed around the room we were in. It was large and circular and to say it was huge would be an understatement. This room was bigger than my whole house. There was a fireplace in the wall to our right. On our left was a giant staircase that that spiraled up to the second floor. A set of closed double doors sat in between. Everything was done in wood. There were no decorations leaving the room to feel bare and impersonal. Weren't Bed & Breakfast places supposed to feel warm and welcoming? I shivered again.

"You okay?" Alice asked standing in front of me.

I nodded. "Yeah, just cold. This place feels so open."

"Mmm…" Alice mused looking around. "It's very…interesting."

A dark blur shot past us. "Holy shit it's cold! And wet! I'm sorry but Quil don't do rain." Quil complained in the corner shaking drops of water off his body.

"Is it raining?" I asked confused. The sky was clear except for a few clouds when we arrived.

Quil looked over at me flabbergasted. "Naw, Bella. It ain't raining. I just decided it was time for an outdoor shower." He gestured to his clothes before stomping his foot. "Yes, my sista, it is raining! More like we're drowning here."

"Damn it, Quil!" Jake shouted walking through the door weighed down by luggage also looking soaked. "Did you really have to drop everything and run? It's just water!"

"Like I said, Quil don't do water!"

Alice's head shot up. "Wait, who's bags did you drop?" Quil looked down sheepishly. Alice stomped over to him and slapped the back of his head. "Those are Louis Vuitton suitcases! Do you have any idea what they're worth?"

"Damn, shorty! They're just suitcases. Ow!" he screamed, cowering behind the staircase as Alice continued to pummel him.

Jake sighed loudly from beside me. "Whose brilliant idea was this trip again?" he asked under his breath as he set down the luggage and walked over to Alice and Quil.

I closed my eyes. This was going to be a long night. A noise came from behind me. Turning around I saw Edward standing in the doorway holding the rest of the bags, including mine. Leaving Jake to deal with our friends I slowly walked over to Edward.

"Here, let me take that." I reached out to grab my suitcase. My hand slid up the handle until it came in contact with his. A sharp jolt of electricity shot through me and I dropped my hold. Unfortunately, so did he and my suitcase fell to the floor with a clang that echoed through the house. We stared at each other, neither one making an effort to retrieve the fallen luggage. His face was slightly flushed from being outside, droplets of water were glistening on his eyelashes. I watched as a single drop made its way down the side of his face before falling off of his jaw. I had to fight the urge to reach out and touch him. I wanted nothing more than to run my hands through his disheveled hair. What was going on with me?

"My apologies, Miss." He finally spoke bringing my gaze back up to his eyes.

"Bella." I choked out. "Please call me Bella."

A crooked smile played on his lips, "Bella" he repeated his voice no louder than a whisper. "Beautiful." I felt my blush creeping back up and was thankful that I was the only one close enough to hear. Not wanting to make a fool of myself anymore I leaned down and picked my suitcase off the floor. Just as I grabbed the handle the lights throughout the house flickered, going out completely.

"AHHHHHHHH!" a piercing shriek ripped through darkness before the lights hummed back to life.

"Damn girl, that was my ear, yo." Quil rubbed his ear looking at Alice.

Alice looked at me with wide eyes, "Sorry. I panicked."

"It's all right." came the voice from behind me. "It's an old house and the storm seems to be coming in pretty strong. I wouldn't be surprised if we lost power tonight." Alice let out a little yelp. Edward smiled softly. "It's nothing to worry about. I have alternate sources of power spread throughout the house, including each of your four rooms."

Jake stepped forward. "Four rooms?"

Edward nodded. "Yes. I was told on the phone that you would need four rooms. I have them prepared for you if you would like to see them."

"Actually, we only need-"

"Four rooms are fine." I interrupted Jake.

"Bella-" Jake started.

I turned to him. "The rooms are already prepared, Jake. It would be rude to make Mr. Cullen prepare different ones." I pleaded him with my eyes.

Jake stared intently at me before throwing his arms up in frustration. "Whatever." He spat before addressing Edward. "You do have a phone I could use though? I don't need to call my mother or anything," he threw a look at me, "but I need to call a repair shop or something so that we can fix my car and get the hell out of here."

My mouth dropped open. I couldn't help it. Jake was being unbelievably rude.

"Of course I have a phone. How else would I have heard about your arrival? I did say that I received a phone call, didn't I?" Edward replied, a slight bite in his words. "Would you like to use it now or after I show you to your separate rooms?"

Jake took a step forward at the same time as Edward. This can't be good. I stepped forward placing my tiny 5'4 frame directly between the two of them. The tension was rolling off both of the guys in waves. I put a hand on Jake's chest, lightly pushing into him.

"Let's get to our rooms and then we can figure out who to call, okay?" I said soothingly, trying to get Jake to relax.

"Yeah, man. And some of us still need to eat." Quil whined from his corner.

Jake looked back at Quil briefly. "Fine." He finally relented. "Let's get the rooms in order." He turned back to Edward. "After you, sir" he sneered.

Edward griped the suitcase he was holding tighter and walked towards the staircase. He stopped on the first step and turned back to us. "Follow me please." and he continued his ascent not staying to see who would follow.

One by one we trekked up the staircase. Quil, Alice, Jake and lastly, me. We walked in silence, complete silence. There were no sounds from anywhere in the house, not even the driving rain outside, just our footsteps echoing off the walls. I couldn't see anything in front of me, only Jake's back. The closer we got to the next landing the darker it got. I looked behind me and watched the light from the parlor fade until it was just a glowing ember. Something about that made me feel uneasy and I hurried to follow Jake, terrified that I would look up and he would be gone. We reached the second floor and turned left. I noticed that the staircase narrowed as it continued up to a third floor.

Edward paused, "The third floor is off limits. I would greatly appreciate if you would kindly refrain from wandering up there."

Quil put his hand on the rail, craning his neck to look up. "Sweet. A forbidden floor. Kinda like Harry Potter." He nudged Jake's shoulder and said in a high pitched British accent, "We're not supposed to be here. This is the third floor, it's forbidden."

We all just stared at him, even Edward.

"What's with the accent?" Alice asked.

Quil looked at us in mock horror, "It's Hermoine." He stated matter-of-factly. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone? Nothing?"

I bit my lower lip trying not to laugh. Alice let out a giggle as she walked past him. Jake shook his head in annoyance and followed Alice. Edward was just looking at Quil like he was a puzzle to solve.

Good luck with that, I thought.

"Bella, I know you know what I'm talking about. You were right there with me at the midnight show." Quil threw his arm around me.

"I got your back, boo." I patted his hand and we followed the group down the hall.

The hallway was narrow and lit only by the flames coming from the sconces that adorned the walls. The flicker of the flames elongated our shadows making them seem inhuman as we walked. There were little end tables that sat underneath a handful of the lights. The walls were the same dark paneling of wood that the downstairs held, but seemed almost black up here. There was a dark red carpeted floor runner that ran the length of the hallway so our footsteps were muted.

We came to a stop about halfway down the hall, there was a door on each side of us. Edward opened both doors and made a sweeping motion with his hands.

"Gentlemen, your rooms."

Quil ran into the one on the right. "Sweet!" we heard him exclaim.

Jake walked to the door on the left, pausing before walking in. "Where are the girls staying?"

Edward gestured further down the hall. "There are four more rooms on this side of the hall. The two on the right are prepared for the ladies."

Jake glanced down the hall then at me and Alice. He dropped two of Alice's suitcases in front of her and walked into his room shutting the door behind him. I put my hand on the doorknob not knowing if I should go after him or not.

"At least you're holding my luggage and not his, huh?" I heard Alice ask Edward behind me. "Come on, Bella. Let's go see our fabulous rooms." I turned around to see her lifting up one of her bags. I grabbed the other one and smiled at her.

"Let's go." I agreed. I looked up at Edward who was staring back at me. He nodded once then turned and led the way down the hall. We stopped at the next door as Edward opened it up.

"Alice."

Alice smiled at me before bounding into her room. Edward and I followed with her bags. The room was painted a soft yellow with brown undertones. There was a lamp on the stand next to the bed that lit up the room. Alice was sitting on the bed that was placed in the middle of the right wall. The bedspread was a yellow that matched the walls and had intricate brown designs swirling through it. The browns in the bedding really picked up the brown hues in the paint. Across from the bed against the far wall was a white vanity with a mirror attached and a matching wardrobe sat next to it. I knew Alice would love it.

"I love it!" Alice exclaimed. I laughed. I noticed that Edward glanced over at me when I laughed, that crooked smile on his lips. Alice ran over to the wardrobe and started to hang her clothes up.

"The door over there leads to a bathroom. You have your own." Alice squealed. "And the lamp is kerosene so if the power goes out you won't lose light in here." Edward explained. He turned to me. "Shall we go to your room?" he asked in a low voice, his green eyes burning with intensity.

My stomach clenched as I felt my body react in a way I never expected, never felt, not even with Jake. My thoughts ran wild with images of what that question could entail. What I wanted it to entail. Me running my hands through that tussled bronze hair. My hands unbuttoning that dark blue shirt that he wore so I could see more of what was underneath than what the two undone buttons at the top allowed. His hands running down, down until-

"Bella, why are blushing?" Alice's voice disrupted my fantasies.

"I-I-I-" I stammered. I avoided looking at Edward and focused on Alice who was standing with her hands on her hips, a knowing look on her face. I stuck my tongue out at her. Her grin widened as I realized Edward was watching me which of course made my blush turn scarlet. I could literally feel my face burning.

"Your room?" he asked again, this time there was an amused lithe to his voice.

I nodded and walked out to the hall trying to slow my breathing before he walked out. I heard him talking to Alice and then suddenly he was beside me.

"This way. It's the last door here on the right." He started walking down the hall. I quickened my pace to catch up to him, but in my haste I didn't pay attention to where I was going and my knee smacked into one of the tables against the wall.

"Ouch!" I exclaimed. I bent down to assess the damage but stopped when Edward was suddenly there on his knees in front of me, his face full of concern.

"Are you ok?" he asked as his hand tentatively reached out and rested on my knee. Between the gentleness of his caress and the care in his voice, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Jake was so used to me falling or getting hurt that he didn't even bat an eye anymore. I didn't trust myself to speak. I felt my head nod up and down like a marionette doll. He lifted the hand that was on my knee and came to stand in front of me. Our faces were once again inches apart and my heart was racing. Very carefully he lifted his right hand and lightly touched my temple. So slow that it was almost painful, his fingertips traced a line from my temple to my jaw. My skin felt on fire and this time it wasn't from my blush.

"Please be careful." He whispered. He took a step back and I immediately felt empty from the loss of contact. I watched as he picked up my fallen suitcase and then waited for me to collect myself before continuing our walk. He walked more slowly this time, matching his steps with mine. Every once in awhile he would glance down at me, very quickly, so that if I hadn't been watching him I would never have noticed. Neither of us spoke as we made our way to that last door.

He stopped with is hand on the doorknob and looked over at me. "I hope you like it." was all he said before opening the door and stepping aside. I walked in and gasped.

The room was at least twice as big as Alice's, if not more. Whereas the rest of the house was dark and felt isolated, this room was light and just plain beautiful. The walls were done in a light pink, not the kind to make you gag but a subtle pink that made you feel pretty. The ceiling was a cream white with a fan centered above the queen sized bed. There were four long windows on the wall behind the bed, each framed in the same dark wood paneling. The shutters were pulled down so that only half of the window was exposed, the bottom half of the shutters were covered with a white lace drape that hung almost to the floor. On each side of the bed was what I assumed were the same tables in the hall though here they were covered with the same lace drapes as the window and a pink antique lamp sat on each one. I could see that those lamps were also kerosene. My favorite part of the room was the wall facing me, opposite the door. There was an arch built into the wall. In each corner of the arch sat a window with a wall down the middle separating the two. A desk was positioned in front of the window on the right and a cushioned chair on the left. But what caught my attention was the white lace wedding dress that was displayed between the two windows. It was so delicate looking; I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

"Um…the lights are also kerosene so you won't be left in the dark. This entire floor is actually." Edward explained, breaking my reverie. "There's a closet in that corner." He pointed to a door back in the right corner. "And you also have your own bathroom." He pointed to a door on the left.

I couldn't say anything. I just gaped.

His eyebrows furrowed as he shifted uncomfortably. "If you don't like it there are other rooms available."

"No. It's…" I searched for the words. "perfect."

His face broke out into a smile, light dancing in his eyes. "Good." He said softly.

"Uh…what's with the dress?" I asked, motioning towards the wedding dress.

Edward walked over to it, setting my suitcase at the foot of the bed. "To be honest, I don't really know. It's been here for as long as I can remember. My mother never had the heart to get rid of it." His fingers traced the material. "I keep it here cause it seems to fit this room, almost like it belongs in here, like it came from here." He looked at me then. "Does that sound strange?"

I shook my head, "No. I was thinking the same thing when I saw it."

He smiled again, but the light in his eyes was gone replaced by sadness. "Well, I'll let you get settled." He made his way back to the door not looking at me.

Say something, Bella.

"Thank you!" I shouted out, grimacing at how loud it was.

He turned back to me. "Your welcome." He said gently. "I'll be downstairs in the kitchen preparing those pancakes for your friend if you need me."

I rolled my eyes, "You don't have to do that. He's a baby, but he'll survive."

Edward chuckled, "It's really not a problem." And with that he walked out.

I sat on the bed gazing around the room as I thought about this night's crazy events. Everything from Jake getting lost to finding that one lone store that ultimately led us here all seemed surreal. I plopped on my back and stared at the ceiling, my fingers playing with the white comforter. I couldn't help my thoughts as they turned to Edward. There was something about him that captivated me. I had never felt so completely drawn to someone before, not like this. God Bella, he's the first guy outside of Jake that you found attractive, get over it. And Jake…what was I going to do with him? Without any clue to an answer, I pushed myself up and made my way to the bathroom.

EPOV

I knew she would like the room. I hadn't initially intended to put her there and was actually rethinking my decision until I saw her standing in there. So innocent and pure, just like the room itself. She just seemed to fit. I knew she was different the moment I saw her standing outside. I was instantly mesmerized by the depth in her chocolate eyes, the full pout of her lips, her pale skin glimmering in the moonlight, and that blush. She was perfect. Damn it!

I leaned against the sink closing my eyes and thought back to Emmett's call. I told him I was done, that this couldn't go on. I couldn't go on. That's when the yelling started. Emmett went on about how he refused to let me go, that I wasn't the only one dealing with this, that we were all affected. But I was the one living here. I was the one who had to face it every day. I slammed my fist into the counter.

"Damn, G. Did you break your wrist on that?"

I turned sharply and saw the one they call Quil standing in the doorway. I quickly straightened up and plastered a smile on my face.

"Nah, man. Didn't hurt at all. The counter top is pretty soft." I ran my hand over the marble top coming to a stop over the slight dent I made. "Is everything okay with your room?"

He nodded leaning against the center island. "Yeah, man perfect. I just came down for those pancakes you promised." He patted his stomach grinning.

I grinned back, this man's character was contagious. "Perfect timing. I was just about to put them on the table."

"Let me help." He pushed himself off and came to stand next to me. I handed him the plate of pancakes and I picked up the two with eggs and bacon. He followed me into the dining room and we placed the plates on the large table.

Quil let out a breath. "Whoa. This table looks like something out of Dracula. You know, Dracula sits on one end and the fair maiden sits all the way down at the opposite end the only thing between them are candles and food that only the girls eats." He nodded appreciatively. "Nice. I have to say, I like the whole 'horror movie' theme of this place. Gotta make your B & B stand out, right?" he took a seat and started shoveling food onto his plate.

"Should I call the others?" I asked him. I wanted to see Bella again.

"Naw, man." He replied, mouth full of eggs. "I passed Alice in the hall on her way to get Bella. They'll be down in a few. Is there cheese in these eggs?"

I nodded.

A grin broke out on his face, "My fave!"

I was about to ask him to save some for the rest when I heard footsteps on the stairs. I glanced towards the door just as the girls walked in.

"Here you are." The one named Alice exclaimed. "I think I may need a map to navigate my way around here."

She was cut short as the lights shut off with a giant bang.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH" I recognized Alice's scream from earlier. "Bella! Bella! Where are you?"

"I'm right next to you. Ow! That's my foot, Alice!" Bella's soft voice responded.

"Just give me a minute. I'll get us some light." I walked to wall closest to me thankful for my excellent vision in the dark and lit the wall sconce that was there. A small glow was cast as I walked around the room and lit the other three, I also decided to light the candles on the table hoping to calm Alice down. I felt all three pairs of eyes watch me as I made my way around the table. I looked up after lighting the last candle and saw Alice gripping Bella's arm with her tiny hands. Both girls were staring at me, their eyes wide.

"Well," Alice began nervously. "That's not creepy at all." She looked around the room which now had a reddish tint to it thanks to the flames. Her eyes suddenly stopped. "Damn it, Quil! Save some for everyone else." She walked over and smacked him in the back of his head before taking a seat next to him. The sudden outage of power seemed to not phase him as he continued shoveling food into his mouth.

"I'm sorry. Like I said, this place is old." I replied to Alice, though my gaze never left Bella. "And I should have mentioned where everything is."

Bella smiled at me, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. I was starting to love that color. "It's ok." She said softly, walking further into the room. "All we had to do was follow the sounds of that one eating." She pointed at Quil.

"Mfuufmo ahune ncuayb" was Quil's reply. Alice and Bella laughed. The sound warmed my heart. I couldn't remember the last time I heard laughter in the house.

Bella walked up to the table and I instinctively pulled out a chair for her. Her eyes widened in surprise but she didn't say anything. I started to leave when her voice stopped me.

"Aren't you going to join us?" she asked timidly.

"Yeah man. Have a seat." Quil added. "You did make it all."

I hesitated for a moment. I really shouldn't be getting close to them but then I glanced towards Bella. Her brown eyes were searching mine. I watched as she took her bottom lip between her teeth carefully judging my response. Her beauty was captivating in the flickering light. I smiled softly at her and felt my hear soar when I received one in return. She motioned to the chair sitting next to her and gave me another smile. I took a step forward.

"What the fuck is going on here?" a voice boomed from the doorway.

Bella's head snapped around as I followed her gaze. Jake stood in the doorway one hand held a lantern that I knew was from his room, the other was balled into a fist at his side,. He was openly glaring at me, probably thinking he could intimidate me with his size. This child was really starting to irritate me.

"Jake." Bella sounded surprised to see him. "We're just, um, getting something to eat." She looked down at her plate. Her hair falling in a shield around her face.

"Have a seat, dude." Quil said while spraying Alice slightly with eggs.

She shrieked, smacking him on the arm and quickly grabbed a napkin. "Seriously! How old are you? Didn't your mother ever tell you to chew, swallow, then speak?"

Quil got a nasty gleam in his eye and he leaned closer to Alice so that his mouth was next to her ear, "Did you say swallow?"

Alice's cheeks turned puffed out and her face turned bright red. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"Haha, made ya speechless there, didn't I?" Quil chuckled sitting back in his chair. He turned back to Jake who hadn't moved. "Seriously dude, have a seat. These are awesome pancakes and the eggs, they have cheese in 'em. Just like mom makes them." He patted his stomach in appreciation.

"Well, it's nice to see you all have made yourselves so comfortable. While you guys have been down here chumming it up with our new found friend, I have been trying to find a way to get us out of here." He threw a look at me. I stood perfectly still showing that he had no effect on me.

"Yeah?" How's that going?" Quil asked. Alice pursed her lips and I noticed that Bella still hadn't looked up from her plate. I couldn't understand why. What was she ashamed of? Or was she scared? Scared of Jake? I felt my breathing pick up at that thought. I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. I needed to calm down.

"How's it going? Just great, Quil. Thanks for asking. You know what would make it go better?" Quil shook his head not realizing Jake wasn't looking for an answer. "If the fucking phones worked!"

Bella looked up then. "The phones don't work?" she looked at me, worry in her eyes.

"Don't worry. It sometimes happens when there's a storm." I said reassuringly. "They'll come back on when it passes. Until then," I looked back at Jake, "why don't you sit down and have some food?" I tried to put on a smile but I'm sure it looked more like a grimace.

Jake took a breath in. "No thank you, I'm not hungry. I'm going to take a shower and then I guess just go to bed." He looked at Bella then and I didn't miss the look he gave her. With one last glance around he turned on his heels and walked out. No one spoke and the only sound was his retreating footsteps.

Bella cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into him."

I shrugged, "It's ok. You guys have had a long night. He probably just needs some rest."

The light reflected off her eyes then and I saw a glisten of moisture pooling. I felt my anger begin to resurface. How dare he make this beautiful creature cry. In my peripheral I saw Quil reach a hand towards Bella.

"Don't worry, babe. I'll talk to his smart ass." She smiled up at him. "Eat girl! Put some weight on that skinny ass of yours." She let out a laugh and started piling food on her plate.

The conversation between them flowed easily and while they were all distracted I quietly snuck out to give them their space. I busied myself in the kitchen until I heard them leave before going and cleaning up. I was walking back to the stairwell heading up to my room to try and get some sleep when I saw a light coming from the library. Pretty sure that I didn't leave one on I opened the door quietly and was momentarily taken back by what I saw.

Bella stood in front of the window using the moonlight as her main source of light while she thumbed through one my books. She had removed her sweatshirt and tossed in on the armchair leaving her in a plain white long sleeved shirt over what looked like black yoga pants. Her brown hair cascaded down her back in light waves. I had never seen someone look so simple but yet so beautiful. I knocked softly on the door not wanting to frighten her. She still jumped slightly before turning towards me.

"Edward." She breathed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."

She closed the book and set it back on the shelf. "No, I mean, it's your place and all." She took a timid step forward. "I didn't know if I was allowed to be in here. I'm sorry if I'm not. I'll just go." She walked across the room and started to move past me when I put my hand out and grabbed her arm. The connection was instantaneous. From the look in her eyes I knew she felt it too. It was like the first time we touched, when her hand brushed mine on her suitcase. However, this time she didn't pull away.

"Don't leave." I all but whispered.

We stood there for what seemed like eternity. Me holding onto her arm, neither of us wanting to break the connection. Finally she blinked, her eyes clearing and she took a step back. I reluctantly let go of her arm, my fingers still tingling from contact.

"Would you like to sit?" I gestured to the antique sofa that sat in front of the fireplace.

She nodded and I followed her over taking the time to notice the way her body moved in front of me. I felt the stirrings low in my body. I pulled my gaze away from her and went over to light a fire. I turned back to her to see her curled up on the corner of the couch with her legs tucked under her. Her hands were in her lap and her hair fell over her shoulders. She looked like an angel. I took a deep breath and sat down next to her. We stared at the fire for awhile, just enjoying the silence. Finally I couldn't take it anymore. I had to know more about her.

"So, what brings you guys out here? I take it you're not from around here."

She pulled at the ends of her sleeves. "No, we're from California, Santa Cruz to be exact." My eyes widened. "We just graduated and Alice got accepted to a summer program in New York, so sort of like a last passage of sorts we decided to drive her out. It was just going to be me, Alice and Jake, but Quil managed to weasel his way in at the last minute."

"He seems like quite the…uh…" I struggled to find words.

She giggled. "I don't think there are words to describe Quil. He's like a walking encyclopedia of randomness."

"Yeah, I noticed with all the pop cultural references he keeps throwing out."

"Yeah, he's a sucker for the pop culture which he tries to hide in his ghetto exterior." She did air quotes around the word ghetto making me laugh.

"So you and Alice have been friends for awhile?"

"Oh yes, since we were like five. She approached me in kindergarten and told me that my overalls were so last season and that my hair was stringy because I wasn't using the proper shampoo for my hair type. We've been best friends ever since." I noticed the love in her voice as she spoke.

"That's nice. To have people in your life who have been there through everything." I noted.

"Yeah, it is." Her gaze turned to the fire. "I don't know what I'm going to do without her though. I'm just hoping our friendship can survive the distance, you know?"

I slowly covered her hand with my own. "I'm sure it will. She seems to love you also."

Bella stared at my hand on hers before speaking. "I know she does. I just can't shake this feeling that somehow I'm going to be left behind. She's going to go off and everyone's going to love her and where does that leave me?"

"I'm sure that won't happen." I gave her hand a small squeeze.

I watched as Bella composed herself and then she asked, "Well, how about you? Any lifelong friends leaving you behind?" she softly joked.

I stiffened. "No, not really. I've never really had friends growing up, just my brother and his best friend who over time became my friend also."

"Do they live around here?"

"Yes, actually you've met them." She looked confused. "At the store, the guy who recommended this place? That's my brother, Emmett."

Recognition dawned in her eyes, "Oh really? He didn't say anything about that. And the guy in the wheelchair?"

"That's Jasper." I removed my hand from hers and clasped it with my other. Jasper. Just the thought of what happened to him. How I should have been able to stop it but didn't. I'll never forget the look on Emmett's face as the light faded from his best friend's eyes. Jasper was lucky, he survived. I know that they've both forgiven me, telling me that it wasn't my fault, that they've never actually blamed me, but how could they not?

"Edward?"

"I'm okay, just thinking."

I shoved the memories back down, locking that door again. Trying to get the conversation back to its lighthearted pace I asked the question I probably didn't want to know the answer to, but found myself curious.

"And Jake? How long have you been with him?"

She bit her lip. "Umm…freshman year."

"Wow, so four years? That's good."

She looked down. "Yeah, I guess." I looked at her, a puzzled expression on my face. "I mean, I don't know. He's not always like this…how he is tonight. Most times he's kind and gentle, but lately…" she trailed off.

"Lately?"

"I don't know. Something in him has changed. I haven't really talked to anyone about this but Alice." She rolled her eyes. "Alice thinks that she can predict the future and according to her, she doesn't see me with Jake. And I know she's pissed because of the whole college thing."

"College thing?"

She ran her hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face. "Yeah, um, Alice and I had this plan since we were kids. We would graduate high school together and go to the same college far away from home and be roommates and all that fun stuff. I would major in English and her in fashion. We both even got into NYU."

"But you're not going?" I hedged.

She shrugged. "I also got accepted to UC Santa Cruz and I decided to go there."

"For Jake?" I asked.

"Pretty much." She admitted. "Jake's going to the local community college in Aptos and… I know that she feels that I picked him over her, which I guess I kind of did. God, I'm a horrible friend!" she buried her face in her hands.

"Bella, don't say that?"

"Why not?" she exclaimed. "It's true. What kind of person throws away a lifelong dream and ditches her best friend for a guy?"

"I'm sure Alice understands." I said, trying to get her to calm down.

"I know she does and I think that makes it worse. In a way I want her to get mad at me, you know?" Boy, did I. "But I know that she never will. She'll support me even if being with Jake ends up being a mistake."

"Do you want to be with Jake?" she didn't answer. "Bella, why are you with him?"

"He was the first boy that I kissed." She said simply.

"That doesn't mean it's meant to be."

She sighed throwing her head back, "I know. God! I just…I don't know." She sat up suddenly. "Enough about Jake. What about you? How did you come to be Bed & Breakfast Master?"

"Master?" I chuckled. "I don't know about that."

"Oh come on, this place is gorgeous." She raved.

I felt my pride soar at that compliment. "Thank you. The house has been in my family for years. I've always had sort of a…uh…connection with it, you know? I couldn't stand for my parents to sell it. So they left it to me and now…voila." I spread my arms wide.

"Well it's really beautiful. I could imagine living in a place like this. In the middle of nowhere, no distractions. It's like out of a medieval novel or something. How old is it?"

"The house was built in 1886."

"Wow." I watched her lips form an 'o'. I licked my lips, the urge to taste her so overwhelming.

She leaned over to me and I saw something slip out of the neck of her shirt. Her mouth moved telling me she was speaking but I couldn't hear. I was transfixed by the charm around her neck.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but notice your necklace. What is is?"

"Oh this?" she picked it up. "My mom gave it to me for graduation. It's some family heirloom or something."

I reached out and delicately lifted it from her chest. That's when I heard it. A ferocious growl from the depths of the house. I froze, waiting for a reaction from Bella, some indication that she too heard the noise, but she didn't move. I could hear it as it struggled to break free of its confines, the scratches as it clawed at the walls. Loud booms filled my ears and I could tell the prison was caving under force. My stomach clenched in pain. I couldn't let it get out. I quickly dropped the necklace and leaned back. I looked up and was instantly drowning in chocolate. The moment I looked into her eyes it let out high pitched mewl as it cowered back into its prison. Then the pounding stopped. I searched the silence for any sign that it had escaped but was met with nothing. Why had it stopped? It was so close to being free. I had to get her out of here. It wasn't safe for her or her friends. They didn't know the evil that was held here.

I reached out for Bella's hand, grabbing it in mine and pulling her to her feet. Her eyes were full of worry and I knew she was scared.

"Edward, what…"

"Bella, I…" I trailed off as I looked at her. Her hand gripped in mine, chest heaving, face slightly flushed.

"Are you okay?" she asked worried.

"Me? I'm fine. Are you?" I searched her face for an answer. She didn't seem afraid anymore. How could that be?

"I'm fine."

"But the noises…"

She gave me a smile. "You said it yourself Edward, this is an old house. It's going to make noise, especially during a storm."

I searched her face again looking for the fear that had been there before, but all I saw was trust. And I knew in that moment that as much as I wanted to save her, I couldn't bring myself to let her go.

She pulled me back down to the sofa, "Now where were we?"

I gave her my best grin as I launched into a million questions. I found myself fascinated at her answers which led to more questions. Suddenly she yawned and I glanced at my watch noticing the time.

"Oh my, its 3am. I've kept you up too long."

She smiled through hazy eyes, "No, it was fun. I don't think that I've ever talked that much to someone I've just met before."

"Me either. Let me walk you to your room."

She nodded and stood up stretching her arms above her head. I noticed the sliver of skin when her shirt rose up. I had to get her to her room. I stood up quickly and led her out of the room and upstairs. We walked in a peaceful silence having just spoken for three hours.

We came to a stop in front of her door. She turned to me, looking up at me through her eyelashes.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning…well, later in the morning."

I smiled. "Get some sleep." Without thinking I reached up and gently pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. I heard her sharp intake of breath. I breathed in and was immediately accosted with her smell. She smelled of freesia and strawberries. I felt like I could breathe her in forever. I've never felt such emotion before. I quickly dropped my hand and took a step back.

"Have a good night, Bella."

"You too, Edward." She walked in and closed the door behind her.

How did this girl have such a strong effect on me? Was Emmett right? Was she the one who could release me from this prison? Sighing I pressed my back up against her door and closed my eyes. I felt myself smile and a surge of hope spread through me.

I've found its weakness.

****

A/N: The first glimpse into Edward there. Please tell us what you think, we really want to know what's going on in those thoughts of yours!

There are pictures of Edwards house on my profile if you wanna see how creepy it looks!

Funny side note: My soundtrack for this chapter was the Grease 2 Soundtrack. Haha!