Note: Okay guys, this is completely unedited. I wanted to post it immediately. As soon as my dearest Betas get it back to me I will post the corrected version. I HAVE MISSED YOU! Enjoy guys, and please review. I know it's been a while, but time is hard to come by.

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.

The drive to Alice's house took much less time than it should have. And it wasn't just a feeling. What should have been over a two hour drive without traffic from my house to Alice's took about an hour and a half with it. Now for the shock; I was the one driving. I had insisted on it and neither Jasper nor Alice felt that it was right to say no to me today. I had stayed in her room all night, Alice not leaving my side but to shut off the light and whisper a goodnight to Jasper. I felt fine this morning, having lost all of my tears over the night. I can't say that I slept particularly well, my dreams riddled with greens that I swam in, laughter on the wind, allowing me to take flight, and amazing beauty. I never wanted to wake again, but at seven my eyes popped open, still stinging from my tears, but no longer watering. I went to Jasper's room, wanting to apologize for stealing Alice. He had opened the door and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Are you okay Bella? I've been so worried."

I smiled as I returned his hug quickly, "I'm fine Jasper. You have no reason to worry. It's gone now. I'm just sorry for taking Alice all night."

He laughed as he stepped back, "Don't be. I'm just glad you are okay."

And, after an hour of Alice packing my things while I took a bath, and then another hour and a half of me driving while Jasper and Alice made light conversation (trying to include me, but failing when I didn't comply) we arrived at Alice's apartment, parked in her designated spot. I smiled at the others.

"Look, we're early."

Alice laughed, "And I thought we were the ones who liked speed, Bella. And you the one who complained?"

"Sometimes speed is needed," I turned to Jasper, "Now, do you want me to drive you home?"

His eyes went wide and he turned a pleading look to Alice, who was staring at me intently. She was the one to answer, "I think he may not want to fear for his life again Bella. I'll drive him home."

I laughed again and got out of the car, "If you so wish."

My foot seemed to ache for the gas peddle as I went to the trunk, grabbing my bags and loading them onto my shoulders. "Can I have the key though?"

"How about we all go upstairs for few? Stretch our legs?" Jasper offered. I glanced at him sideways, noting that he had a little more color in his cheeks than normal and was not meeting Alice's eyes. I wonder if this was what Alice had seen in Edward and I.

"Sure. I'll give you a tour of my apartment."

The day passed slowly. I set up the guest room, putting my stuff into the drawers and closet. I had made sure Alice hadn't packed too much, knowing that, as long as I was staying with her, my wardrobe would continue to grow whether I liked it or not. We didn't do too much, thanks to my general lack of interest in whatever was suggested. Around four Alice decided the best approach was to just leave me to myself for a few hours. She reappeared around six, dressed to the nines, asking if I would like her to call in for my dinner. I shook my head, telling her I would find something in her kitchen. She left for her date with Jasper with nothing more than a sad goodbye, offering for the hundredth time to not go.

Finally completely alone I wandered the beautiful apartment for a few minutes before beginning my search for something to eat. She had warned me that there wasn't much, but I had never guessed that she would have next to nothing. Apparently Alice was Charlie Jr. after all. I managed to hunt down some spaghetti and meat sauce and began to cook, wandering off into the past, where I had spent most of my day.

-(Flashback)

I was stretched across Alice's bed, my eyes glued to the ceiling as my mind wandered in and out of coherent thoughts. I could've been asleep and had more sensible conversations with myself. As my brain jumped from one thought to the next Alice painted her fingernails quietly, smiling to herself happily. I had pressed her more than once to tell me what was making her so giddy, but she just gave me a bigger, cryptic smile and a shrug. I had given up and instead laid back and fell into my brain. I may have drifted into a state of only semi consciousness when a quick succession of raps on the door pulled me back. Alice stood quickly, all but skipping to the other side of the room. She opened the door to reveal Edward who seemed to be standing oddly, not even looking at his sister, but right at me. I squinted a little, trying to figure out why he looked so strange in his stance, and realized it had something to do with the way he seemed to be squirming. Alice laughed openly at him while I raised my eyebrows and continued to try to figure out what was happening. His face was strained, but not like he was in pain, more of…

Alice told me everything in one sentence. "Bella, it appears that our dear Edward is too excited about your little class to stand still."

He tore his eyes from me, still lounging on his sister's bed, to the little pixie herself. I smiled to myself as he glared and, determined to prove her wrong, flattened his feet to the ground and stood straight, towering over her. She stepped back so she could look at him without straining her neck and my eyes ran down him. His body seemed so solid and straight, absolutely perfect. Before I knew what I was doing my feet carried me to the doorway. I reached a hand out to touch him before I could stop the impulse, but managed to play it off by patting his arm, a little blush creeping into my cheeks. He tilted his head and loosened his straight structure as he looked at me, a smile taking every sign of the frown from his face. The softness in his face made my heart race and I had to look to his sister. "Think I should just get started before he gets any worse?"

She laughed and nodded, "I'm afraid to know what will happen if you make him wait anymore Bella. His head may explode, for all we know."

I spoke without thinking as I began to step past him, "Well, we can't let that pretty little face disappear, now can we?" I stumbled in my stepping as the words sank into my own brain. Did I REALLY just say that? Catching myself on the wall, I quickly said, "Think of all the girls at school that would be absolutely devastated if it weren't there on Monday. And if I were the cause you know my murder would be completed in less than an hour."

Alice laughed from behind me, but I heard no sound from Edward and had to glance back. His face was shocked, eyebrows nearing his hairline, and scanning my face quickly. I blushed and looked away, searching for something to add that would lighten the mood that had taken over. Thankfully Alice took over as she linked her arm with mine, "Less than half that I'm afraid. Especially because it was you, dearest Bella. They all want to kill you now anyway, they are just waiting for an excuse."

Edward gasped as he caught up, "Kill Bella? Why would anyone want such a thing?"

I glanced at Alice before turning a swift eye to Edward. His face was strained again, eyes worried as he stared at his sister. Alice smirked before answering. "Because they think she has won the famous Edward Cullen. They believe that the lovely Bella has won the heart of the guy they all lust over."

Edward said nothing and I glanced back at him, "Don't listen to Alice, Edward. She is just trying to goad you. No getting irritated. You have to have a good attitude if I am going to do this, okay?"

"You're assuming he was getting irritated," Alice pointed out, "And that I said something that wasn't true."

"You did," I said simply.

She raised a single, perfect eyebrow, "I don't believe so. But please, tell what you claim a lie."

"No one would ever mistake our relationship Alice. Edward has shown no interest in me, giving them no reason to ever suspect that I had won his heart." I was red, of course.

She stopped in the middle of the staircase, staring at me. "You have won his heart though, isn't the right Edward? Bella, you are dearer to him than anyone else."

I choked on my own tongue as I tried to look at something other than Edward or Alice, wishing I could just fall through the stairs or walk through the wall. Anything to get away from him right now. "I doubt that greatly Alice," I choked.

"You shouldn't," she declared. "Isn't that right Edward?"

I heard him clear his throat behind me and closed my eyes tight. No no no no. This wasn't happening. Alice would never do this to me, would never put me in such an awkward position. Not only did I never want to be the center of attention, but she knew, whether she said anything about it or not, that I felt something for her brother that I shouldn't. And yet as heat radiated off my face, as my mind melted and I wished for a whole to swallow me, I knew that it was and that she had. I searched my mind, or what was left of it, for a way to get out of this but nothing came. I drew a big blank.

"Stop staring at me like that you two! Am I not right? I will at least admit that I love Bella more than you, brother," she said, switching from exasperated to teasing in an instant. "I am just asking if you can."

He sighed and I felt the tenseness of the air melt as he answered, "Of course I can Alice. But can't you see that this is making Bella excessively uncomfortable? I don't think she has fully grasped how important she is to us yet." I felt his hand curl around my elbow as he stepped passed me. "Come on Bells, let's get on with this. I've been waiting for too long as it is. You aren't allowed time to change your mind."

I turned my eyes to him, a small smile on his face as he pushed past his sister, but continued to watch me. I returned his smile, feeling the heat lessen a bit. My eyes turned to Alice and she smiled to herself as she held my gaze. She had wanted this to happen, and probably just like this. "Fine, you guys win. You have your little cooking session, I'm going to go out for a bit, get some shopping done. Have fun."

With that she skipped back up the stairs. Without a second thought I followed Edward down the stairs and into the kitchen. "So, do you have anything in particular you wish to make?"

"Not really…"

I smiled and glanced at the clock, it was noon. "What time do your parents usually get home?"

"Renee by 6:00, Carlisle by 7:00 unless there is something he has to stay at the hospital for. He will call first though."

I nodded. "How about we make dinner and desert then? Something not too difficult, but good none the less."

"What did you have in mind?"

I thought for a minute. "Well, we could make a chicken potpie and a chocolate cake. Make them look all fancy so you can receive all the praise you could want."

He laughed, "Whatever you would like Bells."

"Okay, but we'll have to go to the store to get everything we need. Let me go get my stuff."

"I'm driving," he stated simply, leaving no room to argue.

I nodded as I walked out of the kitchen, knowing better than to even attempt to say otherwise. We had seven hours to make two dishes, one that would take an hour and a half, the other that would take about two hours if we did it right, maybe a little more, and to go shopping. I was in no rush, but our arguments, especially on driving, could last for hours. I was, surprisingly, not worried about what we would do in the gaps of time between cooking one thing and then another. Everything was going to work out, no matter what it was.

I opened Alice's door to see her beaming at me from the end of the bed. She was fully ready to go for her own shopping, but appeared to be waiting for me. I closed the door lightly and said, "What if I never needed to come upstairs? Would you have just sat here and waited anyway?"

She laughed, "No, I would have come down to get you."

I shook my head and blinked at her. "Okay, what is it?"

"Well we have to get you ready, of course!" she said.

"No Alice, I'm just running to the store with your brother for a short trip. We only need a few things. There is NO way you are dressing me up for that." I tried to stare her down, but she didn't even blink. After a minute I couldn't take it any more and had to look away. She thought this meant she had defeated me.

"Okay, so I already picked out your shirt. I'm thinking we should put a scarf in hair. I think it would look great. And your makeup can be… what are you doing?"

I was opening the door. "Alice, I am not doing this."

She glared at me. "Bella, yes you are, even if I have to force you. Understand?"

"No Alice, not this time. I have a time limit and I'm not going to sit here for an hour while you dress me." I was about to step out the door.

She lunged, grabbing my arm with an amazingly strong grip for such a little pixie. I held tight to the door while she tugged me back toward the closet. "Come on Bella! I am only trying to help!"

I groaned as my shoulder popped. "Alice Cullen! Stop it at once!"

She shook her head, "I'm not giving up Bella. If you love me you will let me do this."

I closed my eyes tightly before yelling, "Edward! Help me!"

It was only a second before his frame was taking up the doorway. His eyes went wide when he saw his sister pulling me while I clung to the door. She looked at her brother, but didn't let go. "No Edward, this has nothing to do with you."

His eyes turned to mine and I gave him a pleading look. "Please! She is trying to dress me up for the grocery store. Edward, I beg of you, help me."

His face softened a little as he held my eyes for a second. My grip on the door loosened as I relaxed. Edward tended to have that effect on me. Alice pulled me free and closer to the closet. I reached for Edward, lunging toward him in a last attempt. He caught my hand but shook his head helplessly, not sure what to do. My look became more pleading while I clung to his fingers. "Alice…"

"No Edward. She is going to do this. You should know that there is purpose for everything I do. This is no exception. Now, while she is in the closet getting dressed she can give you the list of food that you need, while I do her makeup you can go check to see what we already have. Okay? Kills two birds with one stone."

I grasped tighter, but knew it was a losing battle, even as Edward returned the pressure. He lifted a corner of his mouth in a grimace, then lifted my hand to his lips. "I'm sorry Bella, but I owe Alice… please forgive me."

I felt my cheeks heat as he kissed my knuckles gently before releasing my hand. I turned away quickly from his eyes and allowed Alice to shove me into the closet. The shirt and jeans she had picked out hung right up front. I groaned and turned to glare at her. She blew me a kiss. "Okay Bella, get dressed while listing everything you need. Edward will write it down and scratch anything you don't need."

I sighed as I began to follow instructions, stripping off my shirt to replace it with the silk one on the hanger. "Chicken, bullion, broth, poultry seasoning… ummm… Alice, this is really small…"

She opened the door a little further so she could peer in without allowing Edward a look. She began laughing automatically, "Bella, that is the where your arm goes. Not your head."

I rolled my eyes, trying to again focus on the recipes I wanted to use. "Salt, pepper, cornstarch, carrots, onions, celery, pie crust, flour, sugar, shortening, cocoa-"

"What are you guys making that involves both chicken and cocoa powder?" Alice asked, disgusted as she stuck her head back in just as I took off my pants.

I laughed, "They aren't in the same recipe Alice."

She shook her head, "Bella, what have you done to that shirt?" With a sigh she walked in and began to alter the shirt so that the tiny straps hung off my shoulders while the bodice-like wrap began to fold onto itself. She pulled the shirt in every direction until it finally fit as she had intended it to; the straps off the shoulder, the tight fabric clinging to every curve in a straight fashion, a little slit running down until half of my bra was exposed. "Okay, no bra Bella."

I choked, remembering the fact that Edward was just on the other side of the door. "Wh-what?"

She growled. "Not kidding. Either you take it off or I will. I have no patience for this right now and you are the one that is in a time crunch. Now, off with it."

I was beet red as I slid it off without a word. In a whisper and with a glare I said, "Watch what you say with your brother on the other side of that door Alice. I would have no problem murdering you in his presence."

"Oh calm down," she whispered back, "it just gives him something to think about."

I blushed again and looked away, listing again so I could not think about every way Alice had embarrassed me today, "Umm… Cocoa, backing soda, eggs, baking powder, vanilla, chocolate chips, chocolate syr- OWW! Alice, what the hell are you doing?"

"Bella? Are you okay? Alice, what are you doing to her?" Edward's panicked voice asked from the other side of the door.

"Nothing! This zipper just got stuck and pinched her," she said, from behind me.

I growled, "Why this shirt needs a zipper is beyond me Alice. It is plenty tight enough as it is."

"What do you want Bella? It to just fall off while you are at the store? Because if this doesn't cinch that is what will happen. Care to show everyone your ch-"

"Chocolate syrup and cool whip!" I said loudly before Alice could finish her sentence. She smirked as she stepped back in front of me, holding out the jeans. I pulled them from her arm with a glare before whispering. "Listen to me Alice, you have embarrassed me quite enough today. If you are planning to keep me as a friend you better be careful what you do and say tonight. I have put up with enough of your comments today to suffice for the year."

She smiled and kissed my cheek. "Okay Bella."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help but smile a little at her show. Quickly I slid into the jeans, the surprisingly smooth fabric all but attached to my skin. "Happy?"

She smiled and nodded. "You look beautiful Bella."

"I'm sure I do," I said sarcastically.

Alice opened the door and I stepped out to find Edward sitting on the bed with a pen and notebook on his lap. His lips parted a little as he stared at me. Alice smirked, "Not as sure as I am."

Edward recovered, "Alice, how is she supposed to cook in that?"

"I have an apron for her. And it's actually surprisingly easy to move in. She'll be fine. Now, is that all you need Bella?"

I nodded, walking toward Alice's mirror. "Yeah, that's all."

"Good. Edward, out. She'll be down in about twenty minutes. Scratch off what you don't need and pull out whatever you can."

He saluted his sister, making me laugh, just before I stepped in front of her mirror. My face fell instantly. "Alice what the hell are you thinking? I am going to the store and then staying here for the rest of the night! Why in the name of all that is holy would you want me to wear this?"

The door closed behind Edward.

"Because you look amazing. I don't need to defend myself. You just be a good girl and sit down so I can do something with your hair. The better you are, the quicker this will go."

I closed my eyes, sat down in the chair that had all but become molded to my ass and back, and bit my cheek to keep from getting too angry. Fine, I would play her game, let her win this time, but I swear that I will get her back for this.

Twenty minutes later I was stumbling down the stairs in a pair of pale green wedges with a matching purse over my shoulder, scarf in my hair, and shirt glued to my body. I felt absolutely ridiculous. The jeans were too tight, the shirt practically stuck to my body, never to come off again, the makeup too done up for a trip to the store, and I could hardly keep my balance in the shoes. Edward was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for me. His eyes stayed glued and no surprise entered my face as he watched my unstable decent. The door was open by the time I reached him and I all but ran out of the house and to the Volvo that, conveniently, had its door open and waiting for me. I slid into the seat, closing the door just as Edward hopped into the diver's seat. I think we were pealing out of the driveway before he had his door closed. I glanced back just as Alice stepped out of the door, closing it behind her with a snap as she shook her head at our car before walking toward her own car. I was laughing the entire time.

"Sorry, just wanted to make sure we got out before she decided she wanted to steal you for longer," Edward said, slowing down a bit as he hit the main road, "Didn't want to give her the chance."

I laughed heartily. "Remember that it was you that let her take me in the first place."

He gave me a sideways look. "You are going to hold that against me, aren't you?"

"We'll see what a pain in the butt it is to work in this shirt. I wouldn't be wearing it if it weren't for you, after all." I was only teasing, of course. I wouldn't hold it against him.

"Do you really think I could have stopped her Bells? You know as well as any of us how persistent that girl can be. Don't you think she would have won in the end anyway?"

I sighed and nodded, "Yes she would have, but you could have at least tried to help me."

"Then she would have gotten angry at me and have made our night absolute hell. Besides, she made a good point. She does tend to do everything for a reason."

I looked away. "I know her reason for this and she is wrong to do it. I promise you."

"What is it?" he asked, curious.

I bit my cheek. "I can't tell you. It is her business, not yours. It would be a betrayal to tell you. But I can promise you that you would disapprove."

He nodded. "I see. All well, if you can't tell me I can't really hold it against her. But, if it's any reconciliation I grabbed that for you. I know it doesn't fully make up, but I hope it will help my chances of forgiveness at least."

My eyes followed the nod of his head toward the backseat where a black mass of leather laid. I reached for it, pulling it into my lap. The coat was lovely (AN: featured on my profile), the black leather soft to the touch. "I've never seen Alice wear this before! Are you telling me she actually has some clothes that I like?"

"That isn't Alice's," he stated, "And I doubt it."

I glanced at him. "This isn't yours though… Esme's then? I have never seen it on her either. I'm sure it lovely on her."

He shook his head. "You've never seen anyone wear it, because no one ever has. It belongs to you."

I raised my eyebrows and turned to stare at him. "Excuse me?"

He laughed, "Please just accept it Bella. You need a coat that you can wear with anything that Alice puts you in that you don't like. I bought it for that specific purpose. I was just waiting for the minute I could give it to you."

I stared at him, wide eyed. "Edward… no."

He shook his head. "Yes Bella. Don't worry, I got a really good deal. Saved over a hundred dollars. And it will look fabulous on you. Please accept it. For me?"

I bit my cheek as I stroked the arm. "How much did you spend?"

"Not too much. I promise. Alice has spent more on your clothing."

I thought about how he had worded that. "On a single article of my clothing?"

He flinched. "Maybe."

I shook my head. "Edward, she has bought me a pair of hundred dollar jeans when I wasn't looking."

He said nothing for a minute. "I didn't spend too much Bella, I promise."

I groaned, "Edward… just tell me."

He sighed, "Three pairs of jeans."

I reached over, despite the fact that he was driving, and punched him as hard as I could. He flinched, but didn't seem hurt in the least. "Why would you do that? I hate gifts as it is and you go and buy me a three hundred dollar jacket? WHAT WERE YOU THININKING?"

"That it would be useful and look beautiful on you."

"Edward…" I was lost for words as blood flooded my cheeks. He glanced over and smiled. "Please don't buy me any more gifts."

He nodded. "Accept that one and I won't buy you anything over a hundred dollars for at least four months."

I sighed and unbuttoned the coat before sliding it over my shoulders. The inside was just as soft, rubbing my bare shoulders and arms gently. It was beautiful and fully amazing. "Thank you Edward, it is absolutely beautiful. I love it."

He looked over at me and smiled as I played with a button. "It looks lovely on you, as I knew it would. Now, why don't you put on some music?"

For the rest of the drive we stayed quite while the music whispered between us, happily filling the car. It was extremely relaxing and for about fifteen minutes I forgot how uncomfortable I was in the shirt Alice had bound me in and the coat that cost more than any other article of clothing I would ever own. The shirt had my back rod straight, my stomach shaped in an extremely unnatural way, my skin still stinging from where the zipper had all but ripped my skin off, yet I wasn't feeling any of it, just the soft interior of the coat. While my eyes focused out of the window my mind wandered only over the boy in the seat next to mine, on how I felt about him, on how he didn't feel about me, and yet, I was still fine. My mind was flashing back to what he had said on the stairs: he loved me. Only in that sisterly way, of course, but to hold any place in his heart was enough. One in five girls would give anything to be in his life, one in every five of those completely willing to kill me to get it.

When we arrived at the store I hardly noticed; climbing from the car was more a simple reaction to it shutting off than an acknowledgment of our arrival. But nearly falling because of the heels my feet had stupidly been shoved in to woke me from my stupor fairly quickly. No, not the fall, but being caught. My foot slipped sideways, my knee buckled, I went sprawling as a result, and a steady arm wrapped around my stomach, pulling me back up. "Just as unsteady as ever Bella," Edward whispered in my ear, chuckling lightly. "How about you stay close by me so we don't have to add a trip to the emergency room to our list of things to do? Though I am sure Carlisle would love a personal invitation to dinner, I think it would be better appreciated if it were not done while he stitched you up again."

My breathing was ragged. My purse hung from my limp hand, hardly holding it all really, the slight curl to my fingers being the only thing that kept if from hitting the ground. I could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest pushed against my back, his breathing on my ear, racing down my neck and over my cheek. My skin was hyper aware of his arms crossed over my stomach as he held me back to him. My breathing rate increased as his hand moved, running across the fabric of the 'shirt' (*cough*corset*cough*) from my hip to my bottom rib and back before he pulled them away and stepped up to my side, taking my hand and pulling it into his elbow, a very old-fashioned move. My chest strained against the tight fabric of the shirt as I tried to calm myself. Edward didn't seem to notice, just walked us into the store in as slow a manner as his long legs would allow. When we stepped through the door we were offered a carriage from a couple leaving the store, which Edward happily let me push as he pulled back his arm. A few people stared at us as we headed toward the first isle.

"They all think you look lovely in your coat," Edward whispered, touching the sleeve gently.

"You aren't going to get me to accept it more through flattery Mr. Cullen," I laughed.

"I wasn't making any attempt to flatter you Bells, just telling you what they are all thinking."

"What you want them to be thinking," I corrected, taking my purse from my shoulder and placing it in the carriage.

"You still don't think I can read people well enough to know what they are thinking."

I smiled, "Fine, tell me what I am thinking right now." I focused all my thoughts on running my fingers through his hair, of pushing back the strands that fell in front of his beautiful green eyes. He didn't answer. "Well?"

He laughed, "You are the one exception to this Bella. I have never been able to read you like I can others. Even when I think I know what you are thinking or going to say you surprise me. Others are easier."

I smiled. "Okay then," I looked around and saw a larger, balding man, in his late thirties or so, staring blankly at the bottles of salad dressing. "What is he thinking?"

Edward scanned him, "He is questioning why his wife sent him with such a nonspecific list of things to get. He is wondering what brand of ranch she wants, if he should go for the deal or the good stuff."

My eyebrows shot up. "Can you prove it?"

He smiled before grabbing the front of the carriage and pulling us over the man, much to my embarrassment. Edward put on a polite smile. "Excuse me sir?"

The man turned his dismayed eyes to Edward. "Yes?"

"Is it for a party, the family, or just the two of you?"

The man's eyes went wide. "Just the wife and I…"

"Then go for the expensive stuff. It will make her feel like you care enough to spend money on her, trying to make it as expensive as possible, trying to make the night special."

The man smiled and thanked Edward before grabbing his dressing and walking away happily. I stared after him. "Okay, I'll admit that you are good."

He laughed, "Why thank you Bella. That is very sweet of you."

"Don't let it go to your head," I teased, walking forward again.

His laughter made me smile. "Too late to take it back now I'm afraid, Bells."

The shopping was pretty easy. Read off to Edward what we needed from any particular isle, he would fetch it while I stood and held onto the cart, hoping to god I wouldn't fall anyway. We took our time, wandering up every isle, even if we didn't need anything. I appreciated my jacket very much too, hiding most of the shirt from the world, but it did become a bit of a burden when we were halfway through the store and I began to get extremely hot in it. Edward took notice.

"Bells, you look flushed, are you okay?"

I nodded, "Just a little hot."

He laughed, "Then take off your coat. Leather can get extremely hot."

I sighed and slid it off just as we went up another isle. It was a bit of mistake to not just skip this isle, but when Edward said nothing to stop me I allowed myself the pleasure. The book section was tiny, of course, but I had to stop and look anyway. Most were cheesy romances with buff, mostly naked men grasping at women in revealing clothing, but there were a few scattered good ones among them. Edward lifted one, a Clive Barker, and began to read the back while I lifted one by Richard Laymon. It was entitled The Traveling Vampire Show, and sounded like a book to give a fair chance, not to mention that the author was advised by both King and Koontz.

"Whoa Bella. I thought that was you," said a male, standing not too far away. I turned to see Mike, scanning my body. I felt Edward take a step closer to me, taking the book from me and placing them both in the carriage, which put him directly between Newton and I. "And Edward, of course. How are you guys?"

"Doing quite well actually. Planning for a good night. What are you doing here?" I smiled a little at the tone of his voice.

"Just picking a few things up for my house," he replied shortly. He stepped sideways so he could see me. "How are you Bella?"

I stepped closer to Edward, so I was standing beside him. My ankle buckled and I fell back a bit, caught quickly by Edward who, after steadying me, pulled me back so that I was standing between him and the carts handle. "I'm okay. A little unbalanced today but fine otherwise."

"Alice dressed you again," he pointed out, as if I hadn't been well aware.

"Yeah…" I stared at him blankly.

"Well, we should probably get the rest of the stuff Bella, we want to have plenty of time tonight. No need to have to rush later, right?" he asked, leaning forward and putting one hand on either side of me so he could grasp the cart.

"You are probably right. Well, it was great talking to you Mike, but we have stuff we have to do. See you on Monday."

He nodded, eyeing us as I leaned forward and grabbed the cart too and started walking. Edward didn't move his arms, just walked extremely close to me as I leaned against the cart. The rest of the trip was quick, all bustle. Edward never left my side. He stayed practically glued to my back, grabbing anything we needed off of the shelf as we passed. I was in a state past content. If I could have lived there forever I would have. I felt safe, comfortable after I got past the initial shock, and, beyond anything else, happy. I knew it was only temporary though. Didn't try to trick myself into thinking that this would last. There was a reason for him doing this, and it wasn't anything beyond brotherly affection for me. Even after we had collected all of our supplies and were checking out he didn't let go until the last minute. The women manning the checkout watched us closely, making me blush, as she rang up the last item. I reached for my wallet but Edward had swiped his credit card before I even had it open.

"Edward…" I warned, eyeing him as he placed all the bags in the cart.

"Yes Bella?"

"Why did you pay for that?"

He smiled, "You are the teacher, and I'm just playing my class dues."

I shook my head as we began to walk out of the store. After three steps Edward again joined me at the cart, walking closer this time, making it very difficult not to worry about tripping on his feet. After a few more steps he set his chin on my head. I was surprised, but didn't move. Once we reached the car he dropped his hands to my hips and pushed me toward the front. "Just get in the car."

I obeyed only because of how he said it. Pleading almost, no real demand. As I sat in the passengers seat obediently and Edward packed our bags into the back of the car I saw Newton walk by behind him in the rearview. He said something and Edward turned, a smirk on his face as he whispered something back, making Mike pale as he glanced toward me in the car. I was insanely curious about what Edward said as Mike stomped away, looking much like a young child. Edward was chuckling as he got into the car. I stared at him, a single eyebrow raised, waiting to be let in on the joke. He just started the car, holding the smile. I sighed, "What was that about?"

"What was what about?" he asked innocently.

"Mike."

He laughed, "He is just losing complete hope. Maybe some day you won't have to fear him stalking you. Won't that be nice?"

I laughed too, blushing a bit, "But what did you say to him?"

"Nothing."

"Something."

He sighed, "Really Bells, it was nothing."

I rolled my eyes and turned to stare out the window. "I'm sure."

The car went silent, the music no longer there to keep any form of awkwardness away. The air was heavy enough to make me lean forward, about to turn the volume back up to break some of the tension.

"Bella?" Edward asked, so quietly I was kind of surprised I had even heard.

I turned my eyes to him, "Yes?"

"I just… I wanted to… umm..." the stumbling was so unlike Edward, so much more like me. Since when had my lovely, perfect, linguistically savvy Edward said 'umm' and trip over his sentences. Since when had he spoken before knowing what he would say? I turned to him fully, knowing I needed to give him my full attention. He was staring at the road, hard. "I didn't want you to think… wanted to make sure that you understood… I wasn't trying to… make you feel… awkward or… uncomfortable…at the store. I was just trying to help… to make Mike leave you alone."

I laughed, despite Edward's obvious unease, and patted his arm. "I know Edward. You had no reason to worry about that. I understood then. And I wasn't uncomfortable or awkward. I was quite comfortable. Don't worry about a thing. You know me better than that, you can read me better."

He looked so relieved that I couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad."

I shook my head as I smiled, then stopped. "Oh no! Edward, do you have a rotating plate?"

"A… rotating… plate?" he repeated slowly.

I shook my head. "Anything that spins with no sides. So we can frost the cake. Like a pedestal."

He shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Let's make a quick side trip to my house then, okay?"

He just nodded, making a quick u-turn. I waited quietly, trying not to comment as I glanced at the speedometer. I chewed on my cheek; we were going way too fast for Forks. What if there was a cop? What if it was my dad? Or some idiot tried to pull in front of us. Or a deer jumped into the road? After a few minutes I couldn't bite my tongue hard enough. "Edward, could you slow down a little?"

He sighed, easing up on the gas peddle until we were only a little over the speedlimit. "Do you not trust my driving Bella?"

I shook my head, "It isn't that Edward. I'm not worried about you crashing. But what if someone tried to pull out in front of you? Or there was a cop?"

He laughed, "Bella, how about from now on you don't look at anything on the diver's side but me. It may make things a little quicker. You know I have never been in a wreck of any sort before."

"You and Alice always remind me," I mumbled as I turned to stare out the window. Maybe he was right; maybe I shouldn't look over anymore. If I didn't know maybe it wouldn't be quite so bad. I could, of course, feel as we sped up again, the way that I was pushed just a little more into my seat, the way that trees flicked past quicker than they should. This time I had to physically bite my lips to keep them shut. We made it my house in five fear filled minutes. When he shut off the car I hopped out quickly, just wanting to be safely on the unmoving ground. "We should take my truck more often. We could hit a tree with that and only scratch the paint."

Edward chuckled and he pushed on my lower back, trying to move me toward the door. "Come on Bells," he whispered in my ear, "I want to start cooking."

I shivered as I pulled the keys from my purse and opened the door quickly, rushing in to the kitchen. The silence of the house was nice. I loved Charlie and all, but the constant drone of the TV irritated me on occasion. Hurrying to the kitchen I bent down, opening a cabinet and searching for the pedestal Charlie had bought me for Christmas last year. It was a lovely ivory coloring with intricate roses wrapping themselves around the base. I found it and closed the cabinet, pushing up to a standing position a little too quickly and getting dizzy. I grabbed onto the counter with my free hand, gasping a little as I tried to find my balance without dropping the dish in my right hand. I knew that my grip was loosening as the spinning continued and was afraid I would drop it after all until another hand wrapped around mine, keeping my grip strong. The dizziness passed, but the hand stayed. "You okay Bells?"

"Yeah," I said quietly, "Just got a little light headed. Stood up too fast."

I turned to look at Edward and he nodded as he released my hand. "Okay. Is this all we need?"

"I think so," I nodded. Halfway to the door I stopped. "Wait. I want to get something from my room." I turned and started up the stairs. Edward was so quiet that I didn't even realize that he was following until I almost fell backward and his hand pushed me upright again. I blushed without looking back, wishing he hadn't witnessed yet another clumsy moment. He was so used to catching me that it was second nature to him now. "Thanks."

He laughed quietly as we walked into my room. I went to my desk, searching for my little book that I knew had the cake's recipe in it. I wanted to be sure that I got everything right. It wasn't in the top drawer and the second was so packed with papers that I didn't want to think that it was in there either, so I jumped down to the bottom. It was right on top of a stack of notebooks. I put it in the pocket of my jacket and turned to look at Edward who was sitting on my bed with a closed blue book in his hand. It took me a minute, a minute too long actually, to realize that it was the diary I had left on my bed. In that minute he began to flip through the pages.

"Edward, shut that."

He looked up at me, his fingers stopping their movement. I watched his eyes flick down to the page. I didn't know what page it was, what I had written, all I knew was that there was no page in the entire book that was safe for him to read.

"Edward!" I brought his attention back to me. "Close it please?"

He smirked this time as he stood and looked back down into the page, his eyes tracing the words. I dove at him, for the book, but ended up running square into his chest as he lifted it up above his head. The hit knocked him to the bed and I went with him, sliding across his chest as I reached for the diary. I couldn't quite touch it and clawed my way up his body, stretching for it. He bent his arm back so I had to bend over the other side of the bed toward the floor to wrestle it from his hand. When my fingers finally curled around it my legs were still on his chest, his face was pressed into my side as he stretched his arm as far as he could, and I could feel the restriction of my breathing because of the shirt increase. With a single hard pull of the book I loosened his grip enough to pull my poor journal free and wiggled my way off the bed. Edward grinned at me from his position as I straightened my shirt and coat. He had to tease, "Well, I saw my name and the date. What happened on May fourth?"

I shrugged as I turned red, opening to the date he asked about. I was curious now too. What could he have read? I flipped back slowly, watching the months in reverse until I was on the date in question.

Sometimes I find myself wondering in and out of my own reality. I lose track of where I am and suddenly become lost in a swirl of emotion and movement that is not actually happening. Today was one of those days. It started with the simple invitation to Alice's for the night; Emmett is back in town, as I mentioned yesterday, and wanted to see me before he had to leave again. As we all know, when Emmett comes home trouble is sure to ensue. This was no exception though the type of trouble was quite different…

"Emmett came home for a few days." I remember that night well now that I started to read. "I twisted my ankle."

Edward smiled to himself as he stared up at my ceiling, "When we were playing truth or dare."

I blushed, "Yes. It wasn't my fault though, was it?"

"No, you told them something like that would happen."

"Yes. Okay, time to go. Up up up!" I said, keeping a tight grip on both books as I marched toward the door.

Edward simply lounged on my bed, his eyes on me. "What else do you have written in there?"

I shook my head. "No. My diary Edward, not yours. I'm not reading it to you."

He rolled his eyes. "Someday I'll convince you to. But today I want to cook. Lets go." And with that he stood and led me out of the house. I clung to my diary for the entire trip, clinging not to the secrets hidden within the pages, but the memories that I couldn't stand to lose, the lies that I had convinced myself were true. He had been staring at me. He had been holding me closer than necessary. I couldn't bear to imagine having anyone, him especially, reading it and telling me otherwise; I had to cling to the idea of perfection.

When we arrived home I grabbed my diary, my lovely pedestal, and a few of the bags from the trunk while Edward collected the rest. He beat me to the door and held it open while I wobbled in my shoes. I was sure to walk carefully to the kitchen, not wanting to deal with another trip up. When I got to the kitchen Edward took my bags and the pedestal from me and told me to take off my heels before I killed myself. I obeyed, fiddling with the straps that held the sandals to my feet. By the time they had released my feet Edward had everything out, lining the counter. He was watching me patiently, what appeared to be an apron hung over his arm. I stood and slipped out of my jacket, glancing at the clock. "Okay, it's 1:30 now. If we want dinner out by 7:30 we can either wait a while to start or get everything we can done now and take a break in the middle for a few hours."

He considered it. "Let's just get what we can done."

I nodded, "I had a feeling. Okay, let me think…. We can make the cake layers now, then frost them before we eat. We can cook off the chicken breasts and get the gravy made now, slap it all together later. It'll take us… an hour and a half or so. Sound good?"

He smiled and nodded as he unfolded the apron and lifted it over my head gently. "Sound great Bells. What do I do first?"

I sucked in a sharp breath before answering. "Umm… okay… preheat the oven?"

He chuckled and nodded, "To what?"

I shook my head, blinking as I reached behind my back and tied the strings to bind the apron on better. "350. For the cakes," I said, walking across the kitchen to the sink and scrubbing my hands. He followed my instruction before stepping up by my side and beginning to wash his hands as well. When I was done I grabbed a towel and dried my hands as I walked around the kitchen that had become so familiar, pulling forward the mixer from the wall and ducking under a cabinet that held the pans. After finding the proper size I stood. "Okay, this is known as a one bowl cake, Edward. It's extremely easy because rather than mixing and sifting all the dry ingredients together and all the wet ingredients together separately, everything is mixed at once."

"Okay."

I smiled. "Alright. I'll grease these pans while you measure out all of the ingredients. I want you to measure it ALL before you add anything to the mixing bowl. That, of course, wont be so imperative after you've made a few things, but for now lets just do."

"That's fine," he said, looking anxious. "What do we need?"

"Lets start with…" I pulled out the book from my pocket and flipped quickly to the recipe. "2 ¼ cups of flour."

I watched as he bustled about, getting the flour into its own bowl. I continued to list the ingredients and their measurements as I slowly spread an even coat of Crisco in the pans. He was swift and accurate, listening well and never making me repeat anything, even after I gave him two measurements at once. Once he had the flour, sugar, shortening, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, eggs, salt, vanilla, and water laid out and the sources put away I walked over to watch him closer.

"Okay, now you are going to put all of this in the bowl and beat it for thirty-seconds on low, and then three minutes on high. I want you to be sure not to over-beat it though, and scrape the sides well so that everything gets mixed together and nothing is left out."

He did, putting all the ingredients in the bowl, impressing me by doing it all in the order that I had listed them. I refrained from complimenting him then, knowing I would have to give more than enough later. I leaned in, watching as he snapped the bowl into place in the mixer before putting into the lowest setting, scraping the sides carefully. He stopped the mixer at what seemed exactly thirty seconds, though I had no watch to confirm my suspicions, and then scraped the bowl fully before turning back on high and watching the batter work. He scraped the bowl about twice every minute, making me nod my approval without even meaning to. He had paid attention to my baking, that was for sure. After the three minutes was up he shut off the mixer and pulled out the bowl. "What next?"

I laughed and pointed at the chocolate chips in the bowl nearby. "You are going to fold those into the batter."

His eyebrows drew in. "When you say fold…"

"I'll show you." I took the bowl and dropped a quarter of the contents into the bowl, taking the plastic spatula he had been using to scrape the bowl and using it to fold the batter over the chips and push them into the mixture without disturbing it too much. "See? The main goal is to mix in the chips without overmixing the batter."

"Ahh. Okay. I get it," he said, taking the spatula from my hand and putting in the rest of the chips. He mimicked my technique perfectly. He was a good student, that was for sure. I had to only show or say and he followed through. "How dispersed should they be?"

"As evenly as possible in as few of strokes as you can manage," I said, opening a nearby drawer to grab a spoon. I watched the careful movements for a second, before touching his arm, making him stop. I used the spoon to take a little dough from the bowl, tasting it.

"You know Bells, I must say, with your track record it kind of surprises me that you are so good in the kitchen," Edward said, watching as I rolled the flavor around in my mouth.

I smiled, "I guess I have just had enough practice to hold my own here. Try not to jinx me though; there's potential for some pretty nasty accidents in here."

He laughed as I turned and dropped my spoon into the sink, comparing the flavor to what I remembered—it seemed perfect.

He nodded slowly, glancing down at the batter. "How is it? Did I over mix it?"

"Thoroughly."

He looked up at me with wide eyes, panic written across his features. I laughed, shaking my head, "No Edward, it is perfect. It'll be a good cake."

The relief was ridiculously apparent as a smile washed away every sign of his horror at the failure. "Only because you were here to watch me do every step. I know that this isn't how you learned."

I laughed, "No Edward, I learned because I wanted to be able to eat something that didn't make me lose my appetite for days afterward. I learned because I had to. And the experience is a bit more… difficult."

He smiled, "Well, as much as I feel bad for you having to learn, I am glad that you did."

I blushed and looked away. In truth, I was too. If I hadn't I never would be able to teach Edward and what had happened so far today would never have been. The memory of Edward's arms raced across my brain. The feeling in my heart at his boyish excitement this morning. The way he had given me such a beautiful gift for no reason other than because he wanted me to have it. I cleared my throat, wishing I could do the same to my head. "Ok, now put this batter into the pans I floured earlier and put them in the oven for half an hour. We have to move onto the pie filling."

He took the bowl and obeyed quickly, scraping thoroughly and making sure that the cakes would be perfectly even. In the meantime I grabbed the carrots and celery, chicken broth, and seasonings before placing the pressure cooker on the stove. With the cakes in the oven I smiled and pointed to the celery and carrots, "Okay, now I want you to chop those to bite-size pieces. You don't want anything fine, you want them to be chunks. Make them as close to the same size as you can so they cook at the same rate. Got that?"

"How about you do one and I do the other, Mighty Chef? So I can see the master at work?"

I smiled and nodded, "Ok, I'll do the carrots. Grab me out another cutting board and two chef's knives while I wash the vegetables?"

"As you wish." He walked across the kitchen while I took the two bags, pulling about half of the contents out and beginning to scrub the skins. I glanced up and away from the sink for a moment, to where Edward stood bent over, pulling out two flat cutting boards from the cabinet. He was so… beautiful. Everything about him. How was I supposed to have not fallen for him? How could I ever have avoided it as long as he could smile at me and it was enough to send my heart stuttering just as bad as my tongue? As long as he could talk to me for hours and hours about anything, for any reason? How could I have avoided being in love with him? Nothing short of never having met him, I'm sure. I looked back down at my hands, a little sad. I could never have avoided it, but I would never be with him either.

"Will you get me a peeler as well?"

There was absolute silence for a second and I could feel Edward's eyes on me. "Are you okay Bella?"

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?" My voice was a little too hollow to be convincing.

I could feel him move behind me, getting closer. "I don't know. You tell me."

I shook my head gently, my hands continuing to scrub the carrots. "I don't know what you mean Edward."

"Bella… I know you better than for you to lie to me. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I was flat. "What makes you think something is?"

"Your voice," he said so quietly it barely brushed my hearing. "Please tell me. Did I do something?"

I spun to face him, shaking my head hard. "No Edward! Of course not. You are wonderful. I am just being dumb, thinking about things that I shouldn't be."

He nodded, his eyes intent as they searched my face for signs of a lie. There wouldn't be any. "Okay. If you want to talk about it, you know I would love to listen."

"Yeah, I know." I turned back to the vegetables, scrubbing faster and trying to forget about everything. I had to be happy, for him if not myself. It was only a moment before I felt two strong arms pull me back into an equally well-shaped chest. He gave me a tight hug, laying his head on top of my head. My arms couldn't work anymore, just dropping the scrub and carrot into the sink. I leaned back without thinking about what I was doing.

"You know, whenever you need a hug I'll give you one Bells."

"Yes, well, sometimes you know when I need a hug better than I do," I replied quietly, closing my eyes as I savored the feel of him. He had proven that statement right more times than I could count. It was something I loved him for. Even when he swore he couldn't read me like he could others, he certainly still had the ability to know where my needs began and ended. To know what I was thinking whenever my thoughts didn't revolve around him. To be able to connect the dots whenever I said something that most people wouldn't understand.

"I won't complain about that. Better than neither of us knowing when you can use a hug, right?"

I smiled and nodded, "Yes Edward, it certainly is."

We stood there for a moment, not at all awkward in our embrace. After too short a period he released me, stepping back. "Don't get too comfy Bella, I want to finish cooking, then you can have all the hugs you want, ok?"

I laughed, going back to scrubbing. I had to bite my tongue to keep from telling him that it would be impossible for him to give me all the hugs I wanted as long as he let me go at some point. I wouldn't be happy unless I spent eternity in his arms, nothing less. I finished the cleaning quickly, my mood rising exponentially. Once finished I turned to grab the peeler from the counter beside me, just wanting to move past the prep. "You don't have to peel the carrots for a potpie, but they become more tender if you do."

"And you want your veggies tender."

I nodded, "Yes, I do, but not everyone does."

"What else do you want, Bella?" Edward asked quietly.

My head spun to look at him so quickly, I didn't even consider the peeler still working in my hand. My eyes met his at the same moment pain rushed up my arm, engulfing my thoughts. A sharp hiss escaping my throat as I dropped the peeler and carrot. I didn't really want to see the damage, but had to look down at my middle finger for own morbid curiosity. Blood was pouring down my hand, a piece of skin clearly still stuck in the blade I had dropped. Before I could react a hand shot out to turn on the cold water, another wrapping around my wrist and pushing the hand toward the stream.

"I am so sorry Bella! I didn't mean to… I was only... Oh god, I'm so sorry."

I laughed despite myself. "Calm down Edward. It wasn't your fault."

He turned wide eyes to me. "Yes, it was. I distracted you and it made you cut yourself. How can you tell me to calm down?"

"Edward, it's just a little skin. I am fine. Things could have been much worse. Breathe. You look like your about to have a panic attack. You know that I have been worse… much worse."

He sighed, "I'm still sorry Bella. This shouldn't have happened in the first place."

"Stop Edward. Just stop it. Let it be. A little slice on a peeler has never killed anyone, I promise. Just get me a bandaid and we can keep working."

He left me reluctantly for a minute, going into the bathroom on the first floor to get the first aid kit that had been added only after my first major accident at the house. It was a little embarrassing still to be known as such a klutz to them, but with a complete inability to prove it wrong there was really nothing I could do to change it. I stared down at the bleeding finger, flinching a little. It looked worse than it hurt at the moment, but the spot was inconvenient enough to know that there would be some issues with the healing. Especially with my unfortunate tendency to continuously smack the spots that already hurt. I had to scorn myself for a moment. I knew better than to be that obvious anyway, so I should have been even more focused on control with the peeler working in my hand. I should never have let my head shoot up like that. What could Edward have read from it?

"Bella, remind me that we need a new bottle of Triple Antibiotic in this bathroom. The bottle is almost empty."

I looked over my shoulder at him, my eyes wide. I was mortified. "I've used the entire bottle?"

He started laughing, some of the tension in his face relaxing out, "It's okay Bella. It's not that big a deal. Really."

I shook my head quickly, pulling my hand out from under the water, "Yes, it is."

My face made him slow in his approach. I could feel it crumbling more with every passing second. This was just getting ridiculous. It was embarrassing and I was beyond bored with doing dumb things in front of Edward. As if it wasn't bad enough being in love with someone that you could never ever have, I couldn't even be impressive to try to up my odds. Everything was stacked against me. My eyes squinted as I stared into the jade eyes of my Adonis. "Bella, it isn't. There is nothing for you to be upset about."

I shook my head, turning away from him. I shut off the water slowly to bide myself some time before I had to reply. "I am so tired of doing stupid shit like this. So tired of hurting myself."

"Bella…" Edwards response was slow, as if he wasn't sure how to say whatever it was the he wanted. "It isn't your fault. You don't do anything stupid. You just have bad luck. We all know it's not something you can control. It is nothing that should embarrass you…"

I turned away, staring out the window positioned above the sink. He was wrong, there was nothing for this to do but embarrass me. I was tired of being embarrassed. No, being 'tired' didn't even begin to touch how I felt. That, however, would be the wrong thing to say. My fingers clutched the side of the sink as I tried to speak without any sarcasm. "You're right Edward. I have already done stuff like this so many times around you I truly have nothing left to be embarrassed about."

I heard him move behind me, but didn't know how close he was until one arm came around either side of my body, hugging me to his chest. My eyes closed without beckoning, sinking down much as I did into his arms. "Bella, I promise you, there is nothing for you to ever be embarrassed about around me. Especially in the case of something like this. What's embarrassing to you? The blood? I bleed too. The fact that you didn't mean to? It wasn't your fault in the first place, so if there is anyone to be embarrassed it's me."

After he stopped whispering to me he pulled the bleeding hand off of the sinks edge and examined the cut from over my shoulder. I watched his hands use a cleaning pad on the cut before putting a small amount of triple-antibiotic and wrapping it in a pale-blue bandage. He was so gentle I hardly felt his touch at all… well, the touch of his hands at least. The body that stood pressed to my back? That I felt fully. How could I not? My eyes traced his body in my mind, remembering the hard planes of his chest and stomach, the beautiful way his muscles shifted in his arms. When he pulled back, the loss rang through me, as much emotional as physical. I wished him to come back, but he didn't. I heard him retreat from the kitchen without a word.

A few deep breaths later I started to clean the vegetables, slower this time. My finger stung a bit with every little movement I made, but I ignored it as best I could. When Edward came back I offered him a real smile, pretending that nothing had just happened, acting as if my entire body wasn't screaming out for him to hold me to him again. He didn't seem to notice anything strange about my behavior, a good sign that my acting had become at least a little better when compared to my abilities when I first met him. Maybe one day I would even be able to control my blushes…. No, best not to get my hopes up that high.

Once I finally finished grinding the peels in the garbage disposal I turned back to look at Edward for the first time. He was leaning back against the counter, watching me intently, a small smile hidden in the corners of his mouth. Two beats pounded in my ears before I swallowed my heart back down into my chest. A piece of copper-colored hair had fallen across his forward, mere millimeters from his eye and begging me to sweep it away. I smothered it all down into a small, butterfly filled cage in my gut before stepping over to the cutting boards, placing the vegetables down on either slab. I lifted my knife and demonstrated as smoothly as I could, not using words, only actions. Keep the fingertips tucked. Point down. Move the food to the blade.

He mimicked me without a peep, the smile deepening and shining. He had used a knife before plenty of times, obviously. His motions were smooth, practiced, and precise. His celery was even and cleanly cut. I set my knife down and punched his arm gently. "Why did you even want me to show you?"

He chuckled and poked me in the side. "Because I like to watch you."

I huffed and walked away, my turned back effectively hiding my smile and blush. If only he meant it the way that I wanted him to. "None of that Mr. Cullen. Hitting on the teacher is unprofessional. Now, you put that into the pot, and add the can of chicken broth."

I heard his low chuckle sound from within his chest behind me as he did as I instructed. I glanced back as I picked up the package of chicken and took it over to the sink to open it. He had his eyes down, but I could feel the warmth of his mood pouring off of him. He was happy, comfortable, enjoying himself. I had gotten pretty good at telling how he was feeling, though his thoughts still eluded me completely. I opened the plastic and pulled out the chicken breasts, carrying them over and adding them to the pressure cooker. Edward poured the can in over the meat and watched as I added some salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Finally I fastened on the heavy lid and we stepped away from the pot just as the timer on the oven beeped its minute warning.

"Grab the potholders and pull those out for me. We have to let them cool. And reset the timer for 45 minutes for the chicken."

"Yes ma'am."

I shot him a glare, bringing out a little more laughter. "Make sure to check the cakes first. Thirty minutes is usually perfect, but I don't usually make them in your oven."

As he inserted a toothpick in to the middle of one of the cakes I gathered what I needed to make the gravy. After lining everything up on the counter and hunting down the proper pan, I began the simple process. Boiling the broth was the most tedious part, seeming to take forever. Edward placed the two pans on the cooling racks, shut off the ovens, and reset the timer as I had told him.

Once the broth was finally at a full boil I added the bullion, stirring it gently before allowing the boil to resume. After some water and cornstarch joined the mix it took longer to boil again and had to be watched so it didn't thicken too far. Soon enough it reached the perfect consistency and I removed it from the burner, stirring it with a smile. I couldn't wait for dinner, it was already smelling good enough to make my stomach growl. The contents of the pan flowed into a storage bowl, filling it halfway before it was covered and placed into the fridge to cool. Edward absorbed everything quietly, seeming amused about something, but not sharing the joke. I laughed at enough of my own private jokes to know not to ask.

The timer on the stove read 20 minutes remaining on the chicken. "Okay. In five minutes you can remove the cakes from the pan and let them cool for 20. When the timer goes off take everything out of the pressure cooker and put it into a big container. That goes in the fridge. By the time your done with that the cakes should be cool enough to wrap in plastic. They also go in the fridge. You got that?"

He gave me a confused look. "Why are you telling me all this at once? Aren't you going to be here?"

"Nope. Test number one: following basic instructions," I teased, taking off my apron. "I'll be back in just a little while. Gotta run out for something."

He gave me the most masculine pout I had ever seen. In general, pouting men look pathetic, but Edward, somehow, managed to keep a certain sex appeal. "We were just out Bella. Why couldn't you just have gotten it then? What if I screw up?"

I laughed. "Edward, there is nothing to screw up really. Do you remember everything that I told you?"

"Yes, but-"

"Good, then I'll be back in a few."

"But—"

"No buts, Edward. I promise, what I am going to get you will enjoy."

"But, Bella—"

"I'll have my phone!" I said as I walked out of the kitchen, trying to keep from laughing. I had left my shoes, but I didn't really need them anyway. I wasn't going to get out of the car, so why try to drive with them?

I hurried out of the house, hoping he wouldn't follow me and try to stop me. I hopped into my car and had it started before the door opened, and saw it close again in my review before I turned out of sight of the house. Part of me wanted to laugh, part of me felt bad for leaving so quickly, but mostly I was just glad to be able to breath normally again for a few minutes. Though I hated to separate myself from him, after as much tension had been built up in me over the past few hours, I had to get away for some time before I made fool of myself. Besides, I was sure he was just as hungry as me. I'm sure he would appreciate Taco Bell just as much as the next guy.

"See, I told you everything would turn out fine," I chided him as we plated the meal.

"Yeah, well, what if it hadn't?" He had asked me that at least fifty times in the past few hours. Upon my return he had been wrapping the cakes, everything else already cleaned and put away. I had awarded him with a vast array of food from the best, fake Mexican restaurant around. He had been appreciative, but still grumpy with me for leaving him. It had amused me more than anything.

"Enough of that Edward. It's over and done with. Just serve the food so we can eat. I am going to start eating the table if I don't have a plate in front of me in five minutes!" Alice growled from the door.

I laughed and grabbed two of the plates, carrying them with me to the dinning room. I placed them in front of Esme and Carlisle.

"Edward cooked this?" Esme asked, looking down at the perfectly golden piece of pie before her.

"With Bella's help," he replied, as he carried out the other three plates. "Or, rather, Bella did it with a bit of help from me that she didn't really need anyway. But, either way, enjoy."

"It looks good," Carlisle said as he sank his fork in, flaking the crust. "And smells good."

I watched as he ate the bite, saw the smile spread across his lips as he gave an approving nod. I looked over at Edward and smiled. His foot bumped mine under the table and I felt his hand brush mine as he reached for his fork. I thought I saw him blush a little, but knew I had to be mistaken.

-(End flashback)

I fell asleep, full after my dinner, with nothing but good memories surrounding me. I wouldn't let what had happened bring me down…. I couldn't.