|- 261 -|

Brilliant. Why didn't I think of it? Well, aside from the fact that the result coming off my charcoal is less than perfectly rendered and it kills my thumb, drawing was a stroke of genius. And the first thing to make me truly happy since I botched things at Grind.

I arrange myself at the drawing table, the warm sun filtering through the windows at my back and a fresh pad of sketch paper in front of me. Before I know it, I've filled pages and pages with Bella.

Bella naked, Bella clothed, vignettes of taut muscles and navel rings.

-o-

"Perfecting the headboard design?"

Emmett's voice startles me and the tip of the pencil goes flying through Bella's left nipple.

"Oh," he says, peering curiously over the edge of the table. "That's not furniture."

"What was your first clue?" I gripe.

"The nip—"

"That was rhetorical," I quickly add, not pleased that Emmett has basically just seen my girl without her clothes on.

"You can draw," he grins.

"Yeah. It hurts, but I can do it."

"Guess you just needed the proper motivation."

"What do you need, Em?"

"Nothing. Jasper said I should come up here and aggravate you."

-o-

"That didn't take very long."

"So, what's your deal?" Emmett asks, sinking into my loveseat, stretching his long legs, and clasping his hands behind his neck.

"My deal is I'm trying to get a handle on my emotions. The doc gives me homework assignments, and then I report back on my progress."

"Did the doc tell you to draw dirty pictures of your girl?"

"No," I answer, gathering them up. "That was Jas's idea …sort of."

"Well, tell him thank you for me. She's fuck hot."

"What the FUCK, Emmett?"

His eyebrows lift.

Jesus, I'm an easy mark these days.

-o-

I feel a spark of anger, but no sooner do I identify the emotion, then it's passed through my system.

"Hunh, that's interesting," I observe.

"What is?"

"I don't feel like bashing your face in."

"Wish I could say the same, big brother," Emmett comments.

"Hey, how's Carlisle's table coming along?"

"Pretty good. We've gone back and forth a few rounds on the pedestal, but we're getting close. He's already almost finished his next thing."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"He's working on a love seat for the Infinity Collection."

"A love seat?" I grin. "Poor smitten bastard."

"I know, right?"

A/N: Oh that was FUN to write! FYI- it's Thursday, five days before his appointment, in BOH time...who knows?

Between travel and summer, I haven't done a great job keeping up with review replies on every chapter. PLEASE if you have a question or really want a response, send me a PM instead of a review (or in addition, if you really love seeing your words out there) and I will answer it. Please know that I do read and cherish each one. XXX ~BOH