A/N: Sorry for the delay! Holidays for me were busy, same with my co-author. I'm back to school now *fist pump* So I have no life again. Aww yeah. Five English classes and one Art History...

Mmm, yeah, I'm kind of crazy.

Anyway, much thanks to my co-writer, celesticbliss, for being awesome and giving me the feedback I need. Thanks also to my amazingly lovely beta, Claire Bloom. You ladies rock!

Enjoy :)

But if all of these dreams might find their way
Into my day-to-day scene
I'd be under the impression
I was somewhere in between
With only two
Just me and you

-Jack Johnson: Better Together

e.p.o.v

"Cullen!"

I glanced up from the computer, searching for my boss, James. "Yeah?" I called in response.

"They need you up on the eighteenth floor," he said, not bothering to look up at me from his desk, "something about the damn copier again...get a move on."

I saved the document I was working on, closed the program, and turned off the monitor. It was the third time this particular copier had needed repair in the two days I'd been employed at Newton's. I would have been annoyed James continually sent me to diagnose the problem, but to be honest, I couldn't complain.

Not when it was Bella's floor he kept sending me to.

I pushed my chair in when I stood up, passed Jasper on the way to the set of double-glass doors, and caught his subtle, yet vulgar hand gesture to me. I simply shook my head and smirked, heading out the doors and toward the elevator. I pressed the button, waiting only a few seconds before one stopped on my floor.

The elevator was vacant when I entered, and as I rode up to the eighteenth floor, my thoughts drifted back to this morning.

"Quit touching the damn radio," I said to Jasper, smacking his hand away for the fourth time, "you're driving me mental."

"Your whining is driving me insane," he retorted, "and you listen to chick music."

"I do not," I said, offended, "just...leave it alone." He huffed and sat back in his seat, irritated not only because I wouldn't let him change the station, but also because I wouldn't spill anything about whether or not I'd finally 'gotten some pussy', as he so eloquently liked to put it.

"We're here anyway," I added, pulling into the parking garage of Newton's.

"You know," Jasper said, slyly glancing over at me, "I could always just go up to Bella and ask her." I whipped my head around and stared at him. "You know I will," he continued, "and it'll be awk-ward." His tone took on a distinct, annoying, sing-song-like quality, and I groaned.

He was relentless.

"Fine," I acquiesced, "we fucked, it was great, get over it."

"All I wanted to hear," he said, holding his hands up in surrender, "I don't know why you make shit so difficult for yourself." With that, he got out of the car, and I made a face at the steering wheel, mocking his haughty attitude, the stupid prick.

I cut the engine to the Audi, grabbing my bag from the backseat before I followed Jasper out into the parking garage. Other employees were doing the same, locking their cars and heading for the elevators, and in the mass of people and vehicles, I managed to find Bella.

I watched her for a minute, struggling out of her tiny red car with her arms full of paperwork, again. She was wearing a jacket, a tight skirt that hugged her ass, and – God help me – strapped to her feet were a pair of high heels the exact same shade as her car.

I almost lost my mind.

I took a steady breath, trying to contain the wave of heat flooding to my groin as I dodged my co-workers in my attempt to get to Bella. I could hear an unintelligible murmur the closer I got, and when I approached her, I realized she was mumbling to herself.

I smirked; she was so cute.

"Hey," I said softly when I was close enough; although in hindsight, I probably shouldn't have been so quiet.

Bella shrieked in surprise, losing her balance and stumbling backward as her mountain of paperwork tumbled to the floor. I caught her around the waist with one arm, and used my other hand to snag a few folders before they hit the ground. She moaned in displeasure at the clutter on the floor, glancing up at me.

"I hate my job, Edward," she whimpered.

I sighed at what I'd caused and bowed forward slightly to kiss her pouted lips. "I know, baby," I murmured, "and, uh...you know, sorry, about the mess."

She carefully extracted herself from my arms and ran her fingers through her hair. "It's okay," she shrugged, "I just...I don't even know why he gave me this stuff in the first place, it's not part of my job."

"Tell him to shove it," I replied, bending down to help her pick up the displaced papers. She chuckled while she gathered her folders, lightly tapping me on the arm to chastise me. "What? You know you want to," I hedged.

"Yeah," she agreed, "I do. But, I can't." I gave her a sad smile, and she took the papers I had in my hands, adding them to her growing stack. "So...hi," she said.

"Hi," I said with a laugh, "great Monday morning, huh?"

She gently bit her lip and looked up to me through her eyelashes. "It's better than most," she admitted quietly, "my weekend happened to be amazing."

"Amazing. Is that so?" I asked playfully. She pursed her lips, gazing down at her reorganized pile of papers, unable to hide the subtle blush on her cheeks. I leaned forward, drawing her eyes up to mine again, and brushed my fingers against her bare knee. "Mine was pretty great, too," I confessed.

She shifted even closer to me, gripping onto my arm for support, tilting her head up so her lips were mere inches from mine. Her delicate, familiar scent pulled me in, but before I could turn the thought of a kiss into an action, we were interrupted.

"Hey, good lookin', how you doin'?" Jasper's voice casually asked. I looked up, glaring at him while he rested easily on the hood of Bella's car. "I'm Jasper, by the way," he said, nodding to Bella.

She retracted her hand from my arm, grabbed her stack of papers, and stood up. "Yeah, from IT," she replied, giving him a sweet smile, "I'm Bella...obviously." I smirked at her nervousness and rose from my knees, readjusting my bag on my shoulder. "And," Bella added as she locked her car and retrieved her purse from beside Jasper, "I hear you are quite the joker."

Jasper unhitched himself from the car, pressed his hand over his heart, and gasped, "Such a compliment, and here I thought Edward only had bad things to say about me." He winked at Bella and she giggled, holding the papers tightly to her chest. I rolled my eyes at how colourful his personality was and shook my head; Bella was right, he was a joker.

Jasper walked ahead to the elevator and Bella and I followed. We waited in companionable silence, listening to the quiet murmurs of the other employees at such an early hour. The elevator eventually opened, and as soon as we stepped inside, the events of Friday came rushing back to me like a tidal wave. We were in the exact same position – I against the wall and she directly in front of me – and when Bella accidentally stumbled back with the jerk of the elevator, I ground my teeth together.

Jesus, it was like déjà vu.

I had reflexively put my hand on her waist to steady her, but once I realized where exactly we were, I quickly withdrew it. Bella glanced at me over her shoulder when I had touched her, eyes knowing and her expression impartial. I cleared my throat at the situation, and the corners of her lips twitched up into a small smile before she looked away.

Cool and calm.

I took a step toward to her and discreetly leaned down, brushing my lips over her hair.

"You're awfully composed," I whispered in her ear, slowly and gently placing my hand on her waist this time, "all things considering." I felt her body tense with my proximity, and she turned her head slightly, meeting my gaze. "Nervous?" I asked.

Her mouth opened and closed before she minutely shook her head. "No," she whispered back.

I smiled, glancing up at the display to find we had reached my floor. "Have a good day at work."

I moved around Bella, followed Jasper out of the elevator, and looked back, smirking at her beautifully disgruntled face as the doors closed.

I stepped onto the eighteenth floor and walked through the lobby. Bella's desk was vacant, but her assistant friend, Angela, was seated, cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder. She lifted her hand to wave at me and used her pen to point toward the copy room; I nodded in thanks and continued around the corner.

I could see Bella through the window to the room, standing at the machine, looking completely flustered. I quietly knocked on the open door, startling her with the noise, but not as bad as this morning.

"Ugh, thank God you're here," she sighed, running her hands through her hair in defeat, "it's jammed again." The copier emitted a strange, humming noise, and Bella made a face at me. "I'm sorry...I don't know what I did, but that doesn't sound right."

I laughed, "I've had to fix this thing twice already, I'm sure I can handle it." I walked over to the copier, inspecting the paper tray and lifting the lid to what Bella had been copying. "How many of these do you need?" I asked.

"A hundred and fifty," she said, more like a question than a statement. "It's for the charity ball next month, Mr. Newton put me in charge and I-" Bella cut herself off and took a deep breath, murmuring, "I was trying to copy these invitations...to send out to all the guests, but...the damn thing is broken."

I frowned at the saddened tone in her voice and gently nudged her chin with my hand. "Hey," I said encouragingly, "it's Okay. How about you use the other one for now while I try to fix this?"

"Are you sure?" she asked uncertainly, "I feel so bad because I don't want to use the other one when this one's all messed up-"

"Bella, just do it," I interrupted with a grin, "really. This is what they hired me for. Well...other stuff, too, but yeah. They actually might need to send this one out, or get a new one, it's...ancient."

"Oh," she mumbled, glancing at the copier and then up to me, "okay." She lifted the lid, slipped out the invitation, and turned to me. "Thank you," she said sincerely, "this day has just been – I don't even...I've never had a Monday quite like this before."

"Has it been that bad?" I asked quietly, following her as she moved to the next copier.

She shrugged her shoulders, sliding the invitation onto the screen. "Not bad, just...weird. Mr. Newton has been piling me with more than I can handle, Angela's trying to help me balance everything out, and I'm getting so frustrated. But then I take a second to stop and breathe and...I'm okay. I think I have to get used to the added responsibilities, I'm still trying to find a middle-ground."

Bella pressed the appropriate buttons on the machine, beginning the process of printing her copies.

"Well, don't wear yourself out," I said in response, "do as much as you can without going insane." She let out a deep breath, gave me an appreciative smile, and nodded. "And what's Newton making you do, anyway?"

She gestured irritably with her hands and shook her head, "I don't know, shit he can't do himself? It's not so much the fact that I'm doing it, it's that he hasn't exactly asked me to, he kind of just throws it at me and expects it. It drives me up the freaking wall."

I chuckled at her borderline irate tone and lowered my voice, "I told you...tell him where to shove it." Bella dug her teeth into her bottom lip to keep from laughing and looked up at me. There was a tiny glint in her beautiful, brown eyes, and I smiled. "Cheer up," I added, "it'll get better."

Bella hummed in agreement and turned to the copier, watching the prints as they fell into the tray. While she was busy, I examined the faulty copy machine, trying to deduce whether it was the same problem or if it was another issue. After attempting unsuccessfully to copy and print a recycled piece of paper, I figured I was dealing with the same thing.

"I'm going to fix this now," I said to Bella, feeding the paper through the printer, "but you should let your boss know it's acting up more than it should. It will most likely happen again."

Bella laughed in disbelief and sighed, "Yeah...okay, I'll let him know."

I finished up what I was doing, made sure the copier actually worked for the time being, and waited with Bella for her prints. She gently collected them from the paper tray and closed them in a folder marked 'Invitations'. I smirked at her organization, following her from the copy room.

"Thanks again," she said when we neared her desk, "I could have kicked the stupid thing I was so frustrated." I told her I'd help her any time she needed, and she smiled, lightly grasping my hand for the briefest moment before letting go. "Thank you."

She placed the folder of invitations on her desk and turned to me, asking quietly, "If you're not busy this week, want to have dinner some time?"

I leaned up against the side of her desk and looked at her, admiring how forward she was. "Of course," I answered, "you don't even have to ask." She gave me a cute smile and I added, "How's tonight?"

Bella's brow pulled together, causing her forehead to crease. "Um, not good," she said with a slight chuckle, "Alice and Rose have been pestering me about what happened, yesterday...between us. I'm afraid they're going to threaten me with bodily harm if I don't give them something."

I sighed in amusement, "Girls...so nosy."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. Were Emmett and Jasper as bad?"

I shrugged. "No, not really," I lowered my voice to a near whisper and continued, "I just...told Jas what happened and he left it alone."

"Damn," she replied wistfully, "I wish I got off that easy." I laughed at her conviction and she shook her head. "You don't get it, they're like vultures," she hissed, "and they're so persistent, but they're not even the worst ones, it's Jaco-"

"Miss Swan," someone interjected, "I take it you're making effective use of company time."

Bella immediately straightened up and cleared her throat. "Uh, yes, Mr. Newton, I had a problem trying to print the invitations for the charity ball and Edward fixed the copier for me."

Mr. Newton set his gaze on me, standing a few inches shorter – with dirty blond hair and blue eyes –and offered me an incredibly curt nod. "Edward," he said, testing out my name, "I don't believe we've been formally introduced."

I outstretched my hand to shake his and replied, "Edward Cullen, sir, from IT. I was hired last week."

"Very well," he said, retracting his hand, "I'm Mike Newton, Isabella's boss. Has the problem been dealt with in the copy room?"

I nodded. "I've done all I can, but you really sh-"

"Excellent," he interposed, "I'm sure you have plenty to do, Mr. Cullen, I suggest you find your way back to the tenth floor."

I stood there, entirely astounded, while Mike walked away. I blinked at the space he had been standing, and turned to Bella, widening my eyes at his brusque, unfriendly, nature. "What the fuck?" I mouthed.

"I told you he was a jackass," she muttered, rounding her desk and pulling out her chair. "You'd better go; he'll come back if you stay."

I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed, "Enjoy." She agitatedly chewed on the inside of her cheek and looked up at me, wearing an expression that said she wished she could have been anywhere else. "Text me, yeah?"

"Yeah," she said, "I will...bye."

"Bye."

.

.

The rest of my day was ridiculously uneventful. I only left the office twice; once to have lunch with Jasper and another to diagnose a problem with a computer on the twelfth floor. I didn't see Bella again after I had been called up, but she texted and IM'd me whenever she had the time. From what I gathered, Newton was keeping her busy.

So busy she couldn't take her lunch break.

I turned off my computer at the end of the day and straightened up the papers that were askew on my desk. I was just about to leave to go home with Jasper, when James caught up to me, claiming the same copier up on the eighteenth was broken again.

"Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yep," he said with an irritated huff, "but it can wait until morning. Maybe it'll crash completely overnight and Newton Junior will be forced to pay for a new one." He stuffed his hands deep into his pockets, shaking his head before he murmured quietly, "Cheap prick."

I blurted out a laugh, mindfully masking it with a cough. "Yeah," I agreed. "I'll check it out tomorrow."

James nodded, and clapped me on the back. "Have a good night, eh?"

"You too,"

James made his rounds, and I left out the doors, catching the elevator just as it arrived. I stepped into the crowded space, squeezing between people, spotting not a single, familiar face. I stood in the back corner, holding my bag on my shoulder while the elevator descended to the garage. I filed out after everyone and made my way to my car, finding Bella and Jasper chatting casually next to it.

"Ed, my man, get lost?" Jasper quipped when I approached. I levelled a dead gaze at him and he chuckled, "My bad...Edward." When he spoke, he used the same, annoying (and absolutely horrific) British imitation as Emmett.

I rolled my eyes.

"Always so hilarious," I said dryly in response.

Jasper gave me a lazy smile and tapped his hand against the side of the Audi. "Let's roll," he drawled, "I'm starving. See yah later, Bella."

He rounded the car when I opened it and slipped into the passenger seat. I turned to Bella, offering her a shrug. "Welcome to my life," I said, "I have one more just like him at home."

She laughed. "I think he's quirky," she replied, "he's...unique."

I felt the urge to snort. "Yeah, unique...that's the word." I took a small step closer to her and murmured, "So, survived another day?"

She combed her fingers through her hair, raking it over her shoulder. "Survived...suffered...same difference," she said quietly, "I'm just glad it's over. I get a tiny," she indicated a minute space between her thumb and forefinger, "reprieve before I have to come back tomorrow."

"Go home and rest," I recommended, "relax." She tilted her head to the side and gave me a look that said are you kidding? "Oh...right," I backtracked, "have fun with your vultures." I snapped my fingers when a quick thought came to me. "Or you know what you could do, to make it easier?" I suggested, "Drink heavily."

Bella chuckled, "Always a good way to deal with Alice and Rose...I think I'll take your advice."

Jasper interrupted, knocking impatiently on the driver's window from the inside.

I shook my head. "He's worse than a kid," I remarked, "can't sit still for too long."

Bella took a tentative step away from the Audi. "I guess I'll let you go then."

"Hey," I said quickly, reaching out for her wrist, "um...call me later?"

She nodded silently, and I leaned down, tilting her chin toward me for a kiss. Bella stepped closer when our lips met, snaking one hand into the collar of my jacket, using the other to clutch my arm. I gripped her by the waist and brought her torso flush with mine; swept my fingers gently through her hair and down her cheek; cupped her chin when her lips parted.

She hummed softly, the noise cute and soothing, before she stepped up on her toes. I slipped my hands around her waist, holding her against me, feeling the warmth of her lips and tasting the sweetness of her breath. Mine hitched when she scratched her nails against my jaw, unable to handle the instant intensity, the attraction, the passion.

I stroked my tongue against hers, too involved in her to register the insistent knocking on the window. Bella pulled away eventually, murmuring, "I think Jasper wants to leave, Edward."

I smirked against her lips. "Screw him." She giggled, draping her arms around my neck. "Seriously," I said, "he can wait...he always gets his way."

"Just call me later," she told me, kissing the corner of my mouth, "I should get going anyway." I pursed my lips in defiance, pouting the lower one, and she chuckled, "You were spoiled as a kid, weren't you?"

I smiled shyly. "Horribly so," I admitted.

"I can tell," she said in amusement, tugging at my bottom lip, "such a professional pout." I jokingly snapped at her fingers with my teeth, and she let out the cutest sound, something between a giggle and a squeal, before yanking her hand away. "I bite back, you know," she said, arching one of her brows, "you should remember that."

"Is that right?" I asked, suppressing a smile. Bella nodded resolutely. "All right," I said quietly, "consider me warned." Jasper knocked on the window again, louder this time, and I groaned. "Sorry," I murmured, "gotta go."

She leaned up on her toes to kiss me one last time before she walked away.

I got in the Audi and elbowed Jasper in the arm.

.

.

"Can you not do that?" I asked Emmett.

He chewed what he had stuffed into his mouth and frowned at me. "Do what?"

"Make such a mess," I said, gesturing to the crumbs that littered the island and floor. "Bella's going to be here in like...ten minutes." I glanced up at him after I spoke, knowing he was about to say something snarky, or insulting, or childish, or...

I knew him too well.

"Look, I just don't want it to be a disaster in here, okay?"

"Sure thing, boss," Emmett said sarcastically.

To his credit, despite being a pain in the ass, he cleaned up his mess. I continued to make dinner, occasionally stirring the simmering sauce and boiling the water for the noodles. Emmett ventured away from the kitchen eventually, taking a sandwich with him.

You know, not that we weren't eating dinner in less than twenty minutes or anything.

I rounded the island, intent on starting the salad, when the doorbell rang. I turned to answer it, but Emmett was already there, greeting Bella, draping his arm over her shoulder, stuffing his face with the sandwich. I knew he was harmless, but if her expression was any indication, she was embarrassed, maybe slightly amused.

"Hey," I said when I neared them, "come on in."

"Thanks," she replied with a half smile, "so, this is Emmett?"

"And this is Bella," Emmett said, glancing down at her. "Nice," he mouthed (full of sandwich, no less) without her noticing.

I narrowed my eyes at him, and reached out to take Bella's hand. "Yes, this is Emmett, he's a twenty-seven year-old child," I retorted. Bella chuckled and stepped out from under Emmett's arm, linking her fingers with mine. "Emmett, this is Bella."

"You're short," Emmett observed.

"Maybe you're just really tall," she quipped back.

Emmett smirked. "Touché. Good choice, Ed, I like her."

And then he walked away.

"Edward," I mumbled to myself, "they seem to forget the second part of my name."

"You don't like Ed?" Bella asked as I led her to the kitchen.

"Not at all," I replied, "do I sound like an Ed?"

She looked at me, examining, deciding. "Definitely not," she said conclusively, "maybe if you lived in the twentieth century, or were really old, like...grandpa old."

"Thank you," I said with a bright smile, "my thoughts exactly." She smiled back. "Anyway, take a seat if you want, um...I'm just finishing up dinner."

"Can I help with anything?" she offered.

I shook my head. "Nope," I replied, "I'm making dinner for you. Sit down, relax." She reluctantly hopped up on one of the barstools, watching me while I cooked. We talked about work a bit; I asked her about her day, she bitched about Newton. It was only partway through the week, so she was still dreading the rest of the things Newton had given her to do.

"I want to quit," she said softly, "but I can't."

"Solution," I replied, "win the lottery."

She let out a defeated breath, "Problem...that's the same plan as the rest of the world."

I waved my hand dismissively. "Eh, what are your chances? One in a few billion? Worth a shot," I said in jest. She bit her lip to keep from smiling and looked away, something she did a lot, and I turned off the burner on the stove. "Okay, done, let's eat."

Bella helped me carry the food to the table. We sat down to eat and Emmett joined us, immediately striking up a conversation with Bella. He was respectable, for the most part, which impressed me. I expected him to act like a douche.

"So, Bella," Emmett said casually, "got any hot friends?"

Ah, there it was.

Bella set down her wine glass and gasped. "Actually, I do!" she replied, "Rose...you two would be perfect together."

Emmett's face grew serious. "You're for real?" he said, "You'd set me up?"

Bella nodded, "Of course I will. You'll love her; tall, blonde, gorgeous. She and my other friend, Alice, run a shop together, cute little boutique." She glanced over at me and cocked her brow knowingly. "We should go out together, introduce them."

I smirked. "Sounds like fun."

We talked about the weekend and planned to go out Friday night; a way for all of us to de-stress and have fun. I was genuinely excited about it, not only because it would be our first time out – together – but because I couldn't wait to see Emmett get his ass handed to him.

Rose would tear him apart.

We finished dinner shortly after and Bella helped me clean up. Emmett flounced on the dishes and flopped down on the couch instead, surfing channels. Bella glanced over at him as he flicked, never stopping on a channel.

"Does he always do that?" she asked.

"Pretty much," I replied, "unless it's porn. I've learned to tune it out."

"What a dork," she mused, "I like him, too...he's funny." She set a plate in the dishwasher and added, "Where's Jasper?"

I shrugged. "No idea, I dropped him off at the bar on the way home. He always goes out for a drink after work."

Bella pursed her lips. "I know I said I'd set up Emmett and Rose, and I really do think they'll get along, you know...after she bitches him out, but Jasper...Alice...I don't know, Edward. Idon't think Alice will go for him. She's the complete opposite."

"Don't worry about it," I said assuredly, "Jasper's a big boy, he can handle it. We'll just go out and have fun, okay?" Bella nodded, lips still pouty, and glanced up at me. "Oh, who's the professional pouter now?" I asked jokingly, brushing my thumb against her bottom lip.

"Better watch out," she said, kissing my knuckle, "I might bite."

She kept eye contact with me, grazing her teeth against my finger, before slipping it into her mouth.

Warm, soft, wet.

I cleared my throat.

"I never gave you a tour," I said quietly.

"Oh," she mused, "we should really do that."

"Mhm," I agreed, "where to?"

She grasped my hand in hers and tugged me toward the stairs. "Your room."

So, I spent the night showing Bella my room.

Twice.

A/N: Thanks everyone for being so patient with us :) Next chapter is BPOV from celesticbliss.

Polyvore for this chapter will also be up on my profile. Venture over to take a look if you feel so inclined.