Once you've read this update, make sure you go check out Risbee's Twi25 efforts. I've been pre-reading and they are some really great, funny and emotional little drabbles she has been writing.

Location: On the road from South Bend to... Omaha, NE (9 hours 18 min total)

Prompt: Department Store

Edward kept his hands on the steering wheel as they drove past the exits for Joliet, Illinois. Chicago had been completely bypassed, but Edward really didn't mind. What he did mind was the fact that he couldn't get his mind off the small brunette curled into the passenger seat beside him. She was currently randomly scrolling through popular songs on her iPod and ended up settling with some Plain White T's, which Edward was more than okay with.

"Did you know they're from Chicago?" Edward asked, trying to break the silence that had settled in the car ever since they had left the hotel after breakfast. Bella simply nodded and looked at the map in her lap, trying to determine where she thought they would stop for lunch. Her first guess would be Davenport, but since they had gotten on the road rather early, she also thought Edward might continue driving straight through to Iowa City before they stopped.

"Are you going to talk at all? This is getting to be rather boring as I just listen to myself talk, ya know."

"I thought I only signed up for a ride, not the Spanish inquisition," Bella replied snarkily as she watched Edward's face fall. "Oh fuck… fine. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, we've already discussed Harry Potter, and I've managed to determine your musical tastes thanks to your handy iPod so... what's your favorite movie?"

"That's what you find interesting conversation… movies? Most people would have delved into religion or politics, dreams and goals, but you ask about movies."

"I've found most people tend to argue when it comes to politics and religion because everyone has such different views. If it matters, I'm a undecided on both fronts." Bella was somewhat relieved to know that Edward had similar views as her. She hadn't been old enough to vote in the last election, though she would be this time. However, she had no idea who she would vote for. She also had no clue about religion since her family didn't practice. Her father was Anglican and her mother was Catholic, but you'd never know it. Renee hadn't discovered her religion until recently.

"Career Opportunities," Bella replied quickly as Edward glanced at her with his eyes raised in confusion. "You know the one... it had Jennifer Connelly and came out in the early 90's. That's my favorite movie."

"Were you even alive in the 90's?" Edward asked with a laugh as Bella rolled her eyes, but gave him a small smile.

"Just born... but yes, smartass," Bella answered lightheartedly as she pushed at his shoulder. "The main character gets locked in a department store overnight after falling asleep in a changing room. She's running from her life of privilege and runs into the town idiot who works overnight in the store and they concoct a plan to move to L.A., but there's two dudes trying to break in and they are trying to stop them. Its mindless fun, but I like it."

"I think my dad made me watch that one. It had the girl from Labyrinth in it, right?"

"Yeah... what about you. What's your favorite movie?" Bella asked as she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, holding tight to herself. "Don't tell me it's like... Amadeus or something, right?"

"No, nothing that old."

"The Commitments, Crazy Heart, High Fidelity and Sweet and Lowdown are just a few of my favorites."

"All music films," Bella noted as Edward nodded softly.

"It's all I've ever really known. My maternal grandfather was a jazz pianist and he's really been the biggest influence to me. He had me listening to the masters and practicing on the piano before I could walk," Edward explained with ease as he realized just how simple it was to talk to Bella and tell her things he usually took a long time to tell anyone.

"It must have been awesome to have someone support you like that."

"Didn't you have that with your dancing?"

"Sorta. I mean... my mother was supportive to an extent, but she was also a bit fanatical about it all. Picture one of those screaming stage mothers' people always joke about, and that was Renee Swan. She failed at her own attempts at being a professional dancer, so she refused to let me fail too. Unfortunately, her determination killed her dreams for me."

"Were they ever your dreams?" Edward asked curiously, sensing that Bella wasn't as into dancing as her mother had been.

"They were when I was younger, but over time I lost the urge I had to dance. It became tedious and boring for me, but enough... we were talking about you. How did your parents feel about your love of music?"

"My mother encouraged it, but my dad wanted me to be a doctor. I'm not the famous pianist selling out Carnegie Hall that I expected to be, but I'm happy with the direction of my life. Being a teacher and showing other kids how great music can be, is awesome."

"Yeah, it can be." Bella looked out the window again and Edward sensed she was about to shut down on him again, and he didn't want that, so I pushed the map at her again and asked her to make a decision about where to stop next. "Do you want to sit down for lunch or eat on the road?"

"On the road. It was a great book, and a good choice here too. I'd like to get as far as we can today." Bella laughed easily and looked at the map. She was surprised Edward's car wasn't fancy enough to have a GPS system, but then again, Bella didn't have a cell phone. Bella had noticed Edward's phone wasn't one of those fancy smartphone things, so she wasn't even going to question his old school methods. "You okay?"

"Just fine," she replied as she glanced at the map and dragged her finger along their route. They had left South Bend around 8:30 in the morning, so if her assumptions were right, they would land near Davenport, Iowa around 1. "We're gonna stop in Davenport. They must have something decent for lunch."

"Where do you think we should stop to sleep?"

"Omaha?" Bells shrugged her shoulders, unsure of how much Edward wanted to keep driving. "It's 5 hours past Davenport I think."

"That sounds doable."

"Well, if we go to Omaha it's a bit south of where we need to go, we could bypass it to the north and probably find a hotel in a smaller city."

Edward looked over at Bella with a big smile as Mr. E's Beautiful Blues by the Eels began pouring out the speakers in their small car. "You're not a bad navigator, you know that?"

"You're not so bad yourself."