A/N: Oh, my lovelies. I love you muchly. This is part one of the "honeymoon". Let's see how it goes.

Edward's silence was unnerving.

By then, she should have been used to uneasy silences between them, but this was different somehow. It lacked the weight of the looming tempest. He wasn't angry - not today. He wasn't gritting his teeth or scowling, but he was distracted.

One way or another, this was going to be a long few days.

Something had definitely changed, though. In his distraction, Edward was acting more like the boy she remembered. He took her bag from her when they left his family's side, switching it onto his own shoulder. In the security line, he automatically lent a steadying hand when she wobbled while taking her shoes off.

Bella excused herself to wander around one of the many little shops scattered around SeaTac. She bought a variety book of puzzles to keep herself entertained and made her way back slowly. When she finally got back to the waiting area, they were just calling initial boarding.

By the time he'd loaded their carry-on luggage into the overhead compartments, Edward still hadn't said a single word. Bella wanted to be annoyed, but she had to admit he was keeping to the contract that was folded into her Kindle case. He hadn't written anything about casual conversation.

She wondered what he was thinking about with his lower lip jutted out just slightly. The expression on his face was blank.

"Excuse me, sir? We're getting ready to take off, so if you'll please power down your phone. I'm sorry." The flight attendant's voice made Edward jump. He looked dumbly from her to the phone in his hand.

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry."

Bella watched him out of the corner of her eye, curious. He was really spaced out.

Shaking that off, Bella turned her attention to her puzzle book.

She was deep in thought, trying to figure out the answer to a clue that had been plaguing her when a soft voice rumbled the answer in her ear. She turned, surprised to find his body angled toward her, but his eyes were intent on the page.

Swallowing down the lump that had risen suddenly to her throat, Bella looked down at the page. Sure enough, his answer matched. Her lips twitched, and she did her best not to feel intimidated. Edward was smart. She wasn't an idiot, but she didn't want to look dumb.

She wrote his answer down in careful script, wondering if he would turn away quickly. He didn't, instead pointing to another space further down. "Titillate," he murmured.

For a moment, with his voice so low and close, Bella almost forgot what they were doing. She blinked but pulled herself together, writing down his second answer.

He shifted again, his body leaning closer to hers now. "What on earth is a marsh duck?" he mused out loud, trailing his finger over the question on the page.

"A teal," Bella supplied, writing the answer in.

"A teal?" he repeated, sounding perplexed. "You're telling me there's a duck called a teal."

Instead of arguing, she flipped to the answer key and pointed at the correct word. She tried not to smirk, but it didn't work.

He tapped the tip of her nose gently. "Don't get cocky."

It was such a surprisingly lighthearted moment, she blinked in surprise. His lips began to turn downward, as if he suddenly remembered they were not supposed to be friends, and he started to shift away.

"I, er... What about this one? I've been having trouble with this one." She flipped back to the puzzle they'd been working on and pointed to a number a little further down the page.

His eyes flicked to hers, holding for a pregnant moment before he looked down. "Shirk," he answered.

"Right."

"And this one is cajole."

It was, Bella thought, a hopeful start. Despite Edward's promise to be calmer, she was still nervous about being alone with him for days. She was beginning to wonder if there was some hope they could actually figure out how to coexist peacefully.

~0~

Edward woke slowly, confused for a moment as to where he was. The room was too bright, first of all. It never got this bright in Forks.

Right. He was in Carmel, about two hours outside of San Francisco. Alone. With Bella.

They were in one of those romantic seaside retreats that featured cabins along the beach. It was a beautiful, cozy place. There was a kitchen, a living room, and a lavish bedroom. Since they'd arrived late, Edward had stretched out on the couch and gone to sleep not five minutes after they walked in the door.

Getting upright, Edward stretched, rolling out the kinks in shoulders and neck. He hesitated outside the bedroom door a moment before he knocked softly. No answer. Part of him hoped Bella was still sleeping. He thought maybe he could use a few quiet minutes to himself before he figured out how he wanted to approach the day.

Not that Bella had been so demanding of his attention. She'd given him as much space as she could in the airplane and then the car. She definitely wasn't pushing him.

Carefully, Edward eased open the door and peered into the room. Seeing the bed was empty, he opened the door all the way.

He found Bella easily enough. When he saw her, his breath caught. She was standing outside on the verandah, leaning against a pillar. Her hair was loose, blowing in the light wind as she stared out at the ocean. She was dressed in a robe, cinched tight around her.

It was one of those ethereal moments. She was beautiful.

Something inside him whispered she was his. He took a step forward, wanting nothing more than to go to her, but then he stopped. He remembered where he was in place and time and that she had never been his. Not really.

Still, he continued forward, his stride not as purposeful now, out onto the deck. The coolness of the early morning air surprised him. It wasn't the same as Forks or the East coast. He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly.

When he exhaled, he felt calmer somehow. So many months of being surrounded by the dreary skies over Forks and the heavy pall of sickness had taken its toll. This seemed like a whole different world. The sand seemed warm and welcoming. The sky was clear - a brilliant blue Edward had frankly forgotten existed. The waves crashed on the semi-private beach with a steadying rhythm.

For the first time in a long time, Edward couldn't feel his anger, his hurt, or his fear.

He let his eyes sweep over Bella's form again. She hadn't noticed him come out on the porch yet.

Every once in awhile, they used to go with groups of their peers to the beach down in La Push. First Beach, or if they were all up for a hike, they would continue on to Second Beach. He remembered how much Bella loved the tide pools, but she would always get a disgruntled look on her face when she stared out at the ocean.

She slipped her hand into his, letting his fingers warm her. "You know what sucks about the beaches here?"

He tugged her closer, wrapping his arm around her waist and buried the tip of his nose against her hair, nuzzling lightly. "What's that?"

"You can't just sit on the beach here and watch the waves. It's too cold here. And the rocks aren't comfortable like the sand would be." She closed her eyes, breathing in the cool sea air. "I want to do that one day. I want to sit on a warm beach and watch the waves." Looking at him, she wrinkled her nose, grinning. "And you know... maybe actually get in the water without worrying about freezing to death."

He smiled back and kissed her. "We'll do that. We'll do everything."

Mirroring her stance, Edward crossed his arms.

Once upon a time, he and Bella had talked endlessly of the things they would do, the places they would visit together. Edward had made a point of having the life they'd dreamed of without her. Whenever he travelled, he thought of her, wondering who she was having these experiences with.

Now, he knew better. He was willing to bet she had never made it very far out of Washington at all.

Stepping forward, he reached out and touched her arm. She looked over her shoulder, her expression guarded. "Hey." Her voice was soft, almost drowned out by the crashing waves.

"Hey," he said back. "Have you been up long?"

She turned back to the water. "An hour or two."

His lips quirked. "Just watching the waves?"

Again, she looked over her shoulder at him. She remembered. He could see it in her eyes. There was a bittersweetness to her expression. "Yeah."

"That's good."

They lapsed into silence for a handful of seconds before Edward cleared his throat. It took him a few moments to identify the tense, roiling, not quite comfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach as nervousness. "Have you ever been to San Francisco?"

"Besides landing at the airport last night?" She shook her head.

Another moment of silence as he warred with himself.

Out here in the sunshine, he felt like he could approach things with some rationality, but at the same time, he was wary of being completely without his anger. Regardless of whether or not it was true, anger felt stronger than everything else.

He remembered what it was like just after Bella left him. He remembered feeling so frail.

He didn't want to be angry at her anymore, but he wasn't ready to talk yet.

What he could acknowledge was that he was wrong about the image he'd built for all those years. Even if she wasn't his love, they were stuck here together. She was doing an amazing thing for his mother. Overall, she was a good person.

Overall, he wanted her to have those experiences she dreamed of.

"I'm going to get dressed," he said finally, his tone even. "We can have breakfast, and we'll still make it to the city with plenty of time to be a little touristy."

For the third time, she looked over her shoulder at him. Surprise painted her pretty features. She studied him, looking uncertain, before she smiled. It was just a ghost of a smile, but it was there. "That would be really nice."

~0~

It was a good day.

Bella was nervous on the drive over, but her worries proved unfounded. Edward had spoken only softly, asking her if there was something in particular she wanted to do. Since he'd been there several times, he talked at length of the different options they had.

"Really, Bella. Where would you go if you could go anywhere?"

She pressed her lips together. "I want to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge."

"That's it?" He seemed amused.

"That's what I want to do most," she clarified.

So that was what they did.

They found a place to park and took that long walk. Edward started off quiet. He didn't protest when she would stop to look at the view of the city or out at the bay. There was a peace to the atmosphere that Bella didn't realize how desperately she needed until she was in the middle of it.

"It's a beautiful city," she remarked.

"Yes," he agreed. "It's definitely in my top five favorite cities."

"What are the others?"

"In the US?"

Bella felt a pang, wondering not for the first time how much of the world she would have seen by now if she had made different choices. "Sure."

He seemed thoughtful as they continued on. "In no particular order? Austin, Boston, Washington D.C., and..." His lips tugged down briefly. "And Seattle, still, I think."

She knew damn well he hadn't been back to Seattle except to go to the airport in eight years.

Not wanting to the lighter mood to darken, Bella shifted the subject swiftly. "And yet you live in New York."

He shrugged. "It was a business decision. I enjoy New York a lot. It's in my top ten, certainly. Besides, just because I love the cities doesn't mean I'd want to live there. Visiting is nice."

Bella hummed. She had so many questions, but she didn't know that she wanted to get into it. The peace between them couldn't last, she knew that. She knew they would have to talk sooner than later, but she was happy for the moment.

For once, he seemed to be on the same page, and he changed the subject. As usual, Edward could be trusted to know absolutely everything. He babbled a bit about the history of the city, pointing out landmarks.

She remembered this. She remembered the way he was when he would read a book or watch some show. Bella had always loved the way he was fascinated by everything for days or hours at a time. In effect, he knew something about most things. It was both annoying - Edward was not above showing off - and intriguing.

They passed the time easily, crossing the bridge one way and crossing back the other.

When they were done with that, since they'd only eaten a light breakfast, they headed to Chinatown for lunch. It was a good atmosphere but teeming with people. Edward reached back through the crowd, taking her hand so they wouldn't get separated as they walked shoulder to shoulder with residents and other tourists. He navigated the streets expertly, guiding them to a restaurant called Jai Yun.

Bella was more than a little surprised to find they had a reservation. When he'd called ahead, she didn't know. It was a pricey place, but interesting.

"The chef shops fresh at the market every day, and the day's menu is based on what he buys," he explained.

San Francisco was nothing if not filled with unique restaurants as she was coming to find out.

Bella was more than a little wary of her mystery meal, but as Edward promised, everything was delicious. She told him so and was rewarded by his genuine smile. Whatever was in the air, it seemed to please him that she was having a good time.

From there, they were on to Pier 39 where they took a bay cruise. Everyone was offered a picture before boarding.

"For Mom?"

Bella was frankly surprised he'd asked. She nodded, feeling the stirrings of discomfort when the photographer waved them closer together.

"Don't be shy, kids. We don't mind PDA's here."

Edward moved closer, curling his arm around her waist. It wasn't a loose grip. She looked up at him, surprised to find he was looking at her. His eyes were stormy, conflicted, but not at all cold. She put her hands at his waist, her touch light and unassuming. She smiled up at him tentatively.

"Great. We got it," the photographer said. "No obligation. It'll be here when your boat comes back."

Feeling a little muddled, Bella stepped away from Edward, heading down the gangplank.

The bay cruise was long, but when Edward asked, Bella told him she wanted to be outside. They could sit, but she chose to stand.

She wanted to see Alcatraz at length someday, she reflected, but today wasn't the day. Instead, she watched the island go by from the water as the narrator gave a handful of facts over the loudspeaker.

Her eyes wandered, taking in Edward's profile. He was standing close by. Not close enough that they might be misconstrued as lovers or even very good friends, but he wasn't far.

For a moment, she let her gaze linger. His hair was tousled by the bay breeze. His arms, braced as they were on the rail, were more exposed than usual, and so she could see the definition of his muscles.

He was a beautiful man. She would be blind not to see it, but it struck her particularly hard then.

That was when it hit her - why today felt so surreal. With his defenses down and his anger tucked away, he reminded her so much of the boy he'd been before she broke his heart. He was still there - beautiful in person and personality. He'd been so considerate today. Even fun.

Not hers, she reminded herself.

Fantasy was the picture they picked up when they got off the boat. The man in that photo didn't hate her. He looked, if anything, like a more innocent version of himself, like maybe he adored the woman he was looking at, but he wasn't sure if he was allowed.

That couldn't be reality. Maybe in reality, he was moving toward a place where he didn't hate her, but they weren't friends, let alone... whatever that picture represented.

She was disconcerted, quiet as they started to walk toward Ghirardelli Square. She had no idea what she was supposed to be feeling right then. Her life made absolutely no sense. In Forks, her mother figure was dying, and she hated being away from her. She was here with a man who'd been so cruel to her these last months, and yet she still felt so guilty for the mistakes she made, the depth of the wounds she'd caused. But she was happy today. She couldn't deny she felt lighter than she had in years. She was surrounded by new experiences in a new place with a man who wasn't her friend and wasn't her lover.

His contract only said he had to be civil. He was being more than civil.

Bella let herself be distracted when they found themselves surrounded by street vendors. She bought a black and white picture of the Golden Gate Bridge looking like it was being eaten by fog. Edward took the bag from her, carrying it, and she let him.

"Ice cream?" he asked.

"Is there ever a time when the answer to that question isn't yes?"

He smiled, and they headed up the hill to Ghirardelli's. They ordered simple cones. Edward bought a tin full of chocolates for his parents. They wandered out into the early evening to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the square.

There were dancers out that night moving to the rhythm of a band with a South American influence. They could have been in Rio. They stopped to watch, and Bella laughed as the dancers riled up the crowd.

She gave a yelp of surprise when one of them came up to her, taking her hand and pulling her into the center of the square. His hands on her hips, he moved her in time to the music and, giving in to the mood, Bella let herself feel the music. She danced where he led, feeling, for once, not at all self-conscious. The crowd was with her, cheering her on.

And Edward was watching her with a light in his eyes she would have sworn she'd never seen before.

Out of her peripheral vision, she thought she saw one of the female dancers beckoning to him with a crooked finger. She took the bags from his hands, resting them on a safe ledge by the band before she drew him into the circle with her, moving him as the other dancer had moved Bella. She set him dancing...

And then the two dancers gave Edward and Bella both a gentle shove, sending them into each others arms.

For a second, they were both still.

Then he put his hands on her hips, and she put her arms around his neck.

For minutes, amidst the the encouraging hoots and whistles of the crowd, they danced together, and they smiled.

A/N: Little bit of a breather? Maybe?

Thanks to songster and barburella for all their help.

How are we feeling lovelies? Thoughts? Expectations? Fears?