Disclaimer: I take no credit in the characters within this story; those are the sole work of Mrs. Stephenie Meyer. I do, however, take credit for the specific, new traits I gave them and am quite proud of them.

Note: I love the reviews guys! Anyone interested in helping me re-edit please let me know. Hopefully I am not missing too much. Keep reading and please enjoy!

-BPOV

I gave Alice a sharp look as she met my eyes and I saw her smile widen. She knew what I thought she was going to say. She knew and was testing me! "Bella always-"

"Found him kind of disturbing. He was kind of obsessed and that just freaked me out. There was no way I would go out with him," I said, cutting her off with quick thinking. "Can you really blame me? I mean, you saw him beg. Can you imagine how bad it could have gotten if I had agreed?"

"I don't blame you at all Bella," he said, smiling kindly as he shook his head. "No one could."

I smiled at him before looking at Alice, who was laughing to herself quietly. I glared at her hard, ready to jump over the table and strangle her. I was seriously going to have a talk with her, make her understand. She grinned at me before nodding, as if acknowledging my 'invitation' to have a word in a little while.

It was just a short time after this incident that we couldn't take it anymore and had to stop thinking back so we wouldn't pull stomach muscles. We all brought our glasses to the kitchen to get refills before beginning to think about what we should do for the night.

"Well, we don't want to do anything too outrageous. You guys were up really early and I didn't sleep very well. So, how about we relax and watch some movies? Order out for dinner?" I asked, wanting nothing more than to hang out like we used to for a little. Take a step into the past.

"Sounds good to me!" Alice said, "But, since it's only three, how about we go get our rooms situated first?"

"Perfect," I said, smiling as we headed back to the living room, each picking up a couple bags and carrying them to her room. We didn't even wait for Edward's opinion; he had always just gone alone with whatever we decided. He didn't seem to mind, just followed us and began to tote a few bags as well. Once everything was in its proper room I went into my bedroom and pulled a set of forest green sheets and a matching comforter from the closet before going to Edward's room to get his bed ready.

He was bent over one of his open suitcases, pulling things out and stacking them neatly on top of the dresser.

"Hey, mind if I make your bed?" I asked, walking toward it and setting the comforter and top sheet on the floor before unfolding the fitted sheet.

"If you would like to," he looked up at me with a little smile before going back to unpacking his jeans and shirts. I smiled to myself as I pulled the pillows off the bed and tossed the sheet carefully before moving around, tucking the sides in. Then I went back and the second sheet, repeating my actions. After living alone for so many months I found that I had become an expert on making a bed by myself, even an awkward one like the feather mattress that would shift more like an oversized beanbag than anything. I went back and picked up the four pillows, glad that they were still in their clean cases. I laid them across the top of the bed before throwing the comforter across the mattress and then turning it down.

"There we go," I said, turning back to Edward with a smile, which faltered when I saw him staring at me. I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"That was just… very efficient," he said, laughing openly now. But he kept staring at me. "God Bella, you seem so different."

I felt myself blush. I looked at myself in the mirror every day and knew for a fact that I had hardly changed since graduation. "What do you mean? I haven't changed that much."

He shook his head before looking away, back at his clothes. "Where can I put these?"

I sighed, a little disappointed to not find out exactly what he had meant. "Anywhere. The dresser and armoire are completely empty. Make yourself at home—there is so much empty space around here it could really use someone to fill it for a little while." I laughed nervously before I could stop myself, a second connotation to what I had said sinking in, but tried to cover it quickly enough before he caught it, "I hope that you are comfortable in here. It's my favorite room in the house… next to the kitchen."

"It's great, Bella. Thank you for letting me come. I wanted Alice to tell you that it was me but she refused and then threatened to leave me behind if I called and told you myself."

"Edward, why wouldn't I let you come? I've missed you. It's really good to see you." I spoke in complete honesty. Even with the surprise of first seeing him, even with all the memories pouring back in and pulling me under all over again, I was still truly happy to be able to see him again.

"I just don't want to intrude on you, Bells."

A shiver ran down my spine at the nickname. I had forgotten how it sounded when he said it, as if he were referring to something as beautiful the tinkling of chimes on the wind. "You're not, Edward. Just get unpacked, make yourself comfortable, and put the thought out of your head. You always have and always will be welcome here."

"Thank you," he said quietly, his eyes on his clothes as he went to a drawer, placing a stack of clothing inside. I watched him for a minute, my eyes unable to quite running down him. I found myself staring at his arms more than anything else, watching the way that his muscles slid under his skin. He had only gained muscle since I had last seen him, but not an ounce of fat. He was as gorgeous as ever. I sighed, got up and left, walking just up the hall to Alice's room. Her door was open so I went right in and down on her bed while she smiled at me.

"I was wondering when you were going to be in here." She unzipped a suitcase and began to slip the things over hangers before walking back into the closet and organizing them meticulously. "Did you get his bed made?"

"Yeah," I said, watching her. I paused, wondering if it was time to approach the subject or if I should wait. In the end I figured it was now or later, but either way I would have to bring it up. "Alice, were you really going to tell him earlier?"

She turned to look at me, her eyebrows knitting together, as if she were weighing me up rather than considering her answer. Finally she came over and sat by my side, taking my hand into her slender fingers. "Of course not Bella. I just wanted to see your reaction, see if you were still as bad off as you were. I would never do that to you. If you hadn't come up with something I would have said something pretty close to what you did. Mike was an obsessive little creep."

I smiled at her, a little happier and extremely relieved. "Thanks."

She smiled. "There is nothing to thank me for. I can't believe you would think I would do that!" She hit me gently in the arm. "You know me better than that."

I smiled. "You're right, I do."

"You do what?" Edward asked, walking in the room.

I looked at him. "Desperately love Alice. She caught me."

He raised an eyebrow and I had to smile at the confusion all over his face. "Now we just have to figure out who has to sell their place so we can move in together."

His other eyebrow went up too as he looked between his sister and me in shock. We both began to laugh as she stood back up. "She's teasing you Edward. You of all people should know we aren't lesbians. You've had to sit through enough of our 'droolfest movie marathons.'"

He laughed a little, beginning to get it, but I could still see the skepticism on his face as he watched his sister continue to unpack. After a minute he came and sat on the bed with me, a small smile on his lips. "You freaked me out there for a second," he admitted.

"I caught that," I said, not looking at him, instead staring fixedly at a skirt Alice was clamping onto another hanger, "Your eyes gave you away. You should watch that."

I heard him a laugh a little as I continued to watch Alice. She lifted out a shirt and began to hang it as well, but my jaw dropped. It was barely even a shirt, there was next to no fabric to it. "Alice! What is that?"

She looked back over at me, her face kind of guilty. "Just a shirt."

"You are not wearing that 'shirt' anywhere, Alice," Edward sounded positive about that as he caught sight of the black halter top that would hardly cover a girl's chest, much less anything else.

"I know," she said, nodding at Edward who, I saw out of the corner of my eye, looked kind of relieved. "But Bella is."

I felt my jaw drop as she went back into the closet, my eyes bugging a bit. Edward looked at me sharply. "What?"

"I'll get you into it Bella. I promise. Just you wait and see," her whimsical voice promised. I just stared blankly at her. She caught the look and shook her head. "Just wait before you judge."

"You really think I would wear that?" I asked, looking at her. "Ever?"

"In the right circumstances," she said with a nod and grin.

"Alice I truly doubt that." How could she expect me to wear that? It looked too small to be hanky, much less a top. She had squeezed into many a shirt, but there was no way in hell I would ever go out in that particular piece of cloth.

"We'll see," she said knowingly, shrugging as she continued to hang up other halters that seemed to have considerably more fabric to them. "Edward, you're awfully quiet all of a sudden."

I looked at Alice's brother just in time to see him shake himself a little, as if waking up. He looked at her for a minute, shrugging before looking at me. "I know that Bella can take care of herself. I don't need to tell her not to wear it like I do you, because I know that she wouldn't."

I gave him a thankful nod, noting that there was a little color in his cheeks as he looked back at his sister. She glanced back at him, raising her eyebrow with a sour look but not saying anything more about it. Instead she changed the subject. "So, I never did get to ask you how Emmett is. You said that you saw him and then I forgot all about it."

"Oh, he's doing well. He's met someone. I didn't get to meet her but he said that I would approve. I think her name is Rose or something. He seemed to be completely smitten when I saw him, upset that I couldn't stay long enough to meet her. He did tell me to give everyone a big hug though, and to tell you guys that he misses you. When I talked to him on the phone the other night he said that he might be heading through this area in a few weeks. He said that if it was okay with Bella he would love to stop by with his girlfriend for a day or two just so we can all meet up and hang out."

I smiled happily. "That would be great! I'd love to see Emmett again!"

Edward gave me a swift look, his eyes not meeting mine. "Great. I'll be sure to tell him when he calls. I'm sure he'll want to talk to you anyways. I think he misses you more than he misses me."

"That's not very surprising." I pointed out, "I was always his source of entertainment if you remember correctly."

He smiled a little before looking away again, back toward the closet. I didn't understand why he was suddenly not looking at me right, but I wasn't going to broach the subject with Alice right there. We always talked more openly when we were alone because we felt that there would be no one there to confront us about what was spoken. We had a code of confidence that made it so that nothing we ever said would make it out of that particular conversation unless we wanted it to. I would have to get him alone and talk to him if I could. Find out what was wrong.

I leaned back, scooting up and lying down on the bed, my eyes closing slowly as I let my mind carry me back yet again. It didn't seem like such a sin now that Edward was actually here. It felt natural for the memories to come back while I was seeing him.

-(Flashback)-

We had a lab in my biology class on the second day. We were supposed to identify possible birth defects after being given full background and profiles on a set of parents and a list of specific ones to choose from. We didn't speak before class this time because I wandered in just as the bell rang and Mr. Banner automatically jumped into an explanation of the day's project. I was rigid as I glanced out of the corner of my eye at Edward, sitting so comfortably by my side… or beside me, though I must admit that the first thought made me much happier. When the teacher stopped ranting I turned to him.

"You and your brother are different," I said quietly, waiting for our pages to be handed to us. "I really wouldn't think you were brothers just by looking at you… or even by watching the way you act."

"What do you mean?" he asked, a sexy though slightly crooked smile on his face.

"He just seems more… well… I don't really know how to put it. You just seem so serious and he's so…"

"Not?" Edward asked, that same smile still in place as he took the pages that Mr. Banner handed him before walking away.

"Yeah. But it's more than that." I admitted. "I can't really put my finger on it,"

He laughed as he spread the sheets out before us. "Well, once you figure it out let me know. I'd love to hear what is in your mind, going on behind those eyes." I felt my heart rate double again as I stared at him as he looked over the sheets. All I wanted was for him to look at me and tell me exactly what about my eyes he was referring to, but he didn't. "This won't be too hard."

I nodded a little, trying to smile and concentrate as I looked over the pages.

-(End Flashback)-

"Wow, she just completely zoned out. That's the weirdest thing I have ever seen. She's never done that before." Alice's voice said, pulling me out of my stupor enough for me to shake my head and sit up, looking at her.

"I'll sorry, what?"

She smiled, letting the grin replace the worry that had been there moments before. "Nothing important, Bella."

I blinked a few times again before turning my eyes to Edward's, comparing him to how he had been in my memory. His jaw was even stronger which made him look even more masculine, even more sexy. A shiver vibrated across my skin. Oh my god, he was just as gorgeous as always and I had him in my house for a month! I began to think of the possibilities immediately. Granted, nothing had happened before, but was it so wrong to imagine what could happen now. Of course, I didn't stand any more of chance now, but still, it felt good to pretend for a moment.

"Oh, there she goes again," Alice said, leaning forward and waving her hand in front of my face.

I turned to her, peeling my eyes from Edward's profile, and smiled. "Sorry. So, how much more do you have Alice?"

She smiled. "Just two, but I need your help."

I stood up, knowing that I still had a wicked smile on my face as I thought about Edward. I followed her into the closet to find that one of the cases she had to unpack was open and filled with skirts. I stared at the top one, which seemed to be a little wrinkled. "What happened Alice? You're always so careful with skirts."

She laughed. "That one is supposed to be wrinkled, Bella."

"Oh." Was all I could brilliantly come up with as I looked at the pale pink material. "So, what do you need help with?"

"I was just wondering if you could help me go through these, telling me what you think while I hang them so I can get a better idea of your style before we go shopping. That way you might actually get something that you want." She was still the same old carefree Alice, always hyper and happy, holding the energy of a much larger person within her body.

"I could have done that from the bed."

"Not with your eyes glazing over like that. I don't think you blinked once while you were thinking. Really, it was the oddest sight."

I felt myself blush. "Oh."

She laughed as she lifted the first skirt; the pink one. I shook my head, not really liking the ruffles that wrapped around the bottom, though I knew the length (which, as you can imagine, was not particularly long) would only serve to accentuate Alice's legs. She nodded, hanging it before lifting out a black and cream skirt that I had to smile at. Though I would never really wear it, the thing was adorable with a band waste that met with a thin lace ribbon that made it flow out into lace and stripes. She nodded with a huge smile on her face. "Good choice!"

The next one that she pulled out was completely black with two buckles holding the material together at the sides. It was incredibly short and the material would make the walking without flashing my ass to the world difficult. I shook my head a little, not really enjoying the thought. The next was longer, a beautiful sky blue. Its butchered and tattered hem made my lips lift again. Now that I would wear without a problem. There was a line of beading at a diagonal from one hip to the opposite hem. I nodded enthusiastically and she placed it beside the first that I had liked. After quickly going through a few micro-mini skirts, all of which I shook my head to, she got frustrated.

"Come on Bella, you have the legs for mini's! You have to choose at least one!" She lifted out the next mini and, half to humor her, half because I liked it, I nodded. It was just white, but had a nice flow to it that made it seem like it would work beautifully over a bathing suit at the pool or beach. Better than the others, at the very least. She continued to pull out short skirt after short skirt, encouraging me to say yes, but I always denied her. Then she smiled as she pulled the last one out of her bag. "Oh, this one you'll like."

She then proceeded to let the bright white fabric unfold itself and I instantly fell in love with the long, flowy material and ruffled base. I took it from her, studying it closely, noticing the slit that went up to the upper thigh, the gentle waved ruffles lining the entire thing, but even that didn't turn me off of it. "This is gorgeous Alice."

She laughed. "See, I knew you would like it." She hung it up with a smile before kicking her case away. "Now, we have one more thing to unpack: the dresses! Ready to go through those as well?"

I just nodded, knowing that it was easier to just humor her and get it over with, watching her unzip a bag. The very first dress was gorgeous, red with an extraordinary scrunch top that fell in a nice V-neck that didn't plunge too low. She turned it, showing me the strappy back, the lower half opening into a diamond that would expose the greater part of anyone's back. Alice saw my eyes widen and hung it with the others without even asking before pulling out the next dress. This one was black and had a shorter skirt than most of the micro-minis had. I shook my head quickly and she hung it up with the rest of her clothes. The next was a light blue halter with a small body that widened into a beautiful, flowy, V-shaped skirt that I could just see myself dancing in, despite the fact that I can't dance without managing to hurt myself or someone around me, if not both. After a quick nod she put it with the red one. A few more dresses came out, none of them being particularly interesting to my style or taste. Then Alice pulled out another blue one, this one a little lighter than the other. It was short cut with a long strap that would hand down by my heels wrapped around the middle. She was smiling at me.

"Well, what do you think?"

"I think it would be too short." I said matter of factly, though I did kind of like it actually. I just knew I couldn't and wouldn't wear it.

"What? It's not that short!" She said indignantly. "One of your skirts is shorter!"

I just shook my head. "I don't think it would look good on me Alice. I don't have a body for something like that."

She just stared at me for a second, her jaw kind of slack. "What? You have a great body, perfect for this!" I shook my head again and Alice glared at me before hurrying out of the closet. "Edward, look at this dress. Don't you think it would look great on her? She says she doesn't have the body for it."

Edward looked at the dress before glancing at me. I was glaring at him, willing him to answer my way. "Well, I think the color would look great with her skin tone." He said before glancing at me again. My eyes had narrowed even further and I gave him a little shake of my head. Don't you dare. "And I think that she does have the body for it, but…"

"But what Edward?" Alice asked, a smug smile already on her face as if she had already won.

"If she doesn't want to wear it then you can't really make her," he said, glancing at me, hoping I was appeased. I glared a little more.

"Want to bet?" Alice asked him before heading back into the closet and putting it with the other two dresses.

"No," I said, taking it away and putting it with the other dresses that I had denied.

"Yes." She replied, not moving it but nodding none the less. "You would look great in it."

"Alice…" I started, getting angry.

"How is it that the only thing you two can't agree on is clothes?" I heard from behind me and saw that Edward was standing in the doorway, leaning against the jam. I felt my heart begin to rise as I saw his relaxed pose. He looked gorgeous like that, especially when he was smiling at me. "And yet that alone is enough to start a war."

I shrugged, not really knowing how to answer. Alice did though. 'Well, if we got along perfectly we would hate each other, so I suppose it's a good thing."

"Hmm," he raised his eyebrow, meeting my eyes with a smirk. I felt my heart skip a beat and my breath stop. He held my gaze while I tried to wake myself up, tried to remember to breathe, tried to tear my eyes from his. My body wouldn't obey until his smile widened. "Don't be mad at me for agreeing with her Bella. I'm just being the honest third party observer and I have to agree with Alice on this one—it's a very nice dress."

I shook my head, finally able to pull my gaze away from him and look back at Alice, who was putting the dress—the blue one again—with the others I had liked. I let out a frustrated sigh, but didn't feel like arguing anymore. The one that she pulled out next was red and positively adorable with its double skirt and thick halter strap. I smiled and I heard Edward speak again from behind me. "Alice, dare I ask where you are planning to have her wear all of these dresses?"

"When we go into the city, of course," she said. "Or to a nice restaurant. There is always something that I can come up with that gives us excuses to wear dresses, Edward. I would think you would know that about me by now."

I smiled at her and took the red dress from her, putting it with the others that I liked and the blue one that I didn't. Alice showed me two more that I wasn't particularly fond of, after which I found another that I did. It was a dinner dress for sure, nothing to dance in, with a long front and jeweled straps. I smiled and took that one as well before denying the rest in her case. She smiled as she looked over my selections.

"At least you have good taste Bella, otherwise I don't know what we would do with you," she said as she shook her head. "But, enough of this for now, let's go order some food and watch some movies."

I smiled and nodded, walking toward the door to go back into the room, only to find it still blocked by Edward. "Can we get out?"

"Absolutely not. You're trapped in here until you agree to wear the dress if we find a place to go to," he said, grinning down at me like the cat that ate the canary. I felt my heart hitch and my breath stop. That smile… I glanced back at Alice who was smiling thankfully at her brother and had a sparkle in her eye. Stupid siblings.