Well, first of all, I made a mistake a few chapters back that confused a few of you. I've since gone back and added one word to the beginning of Chapter 35 that ought to fix that for future readers. But for the rest of you... my apologies. I guess I probably should be having this beta'd, but for now, I kind of like living on the edge this way. ;-)

Also, thank you so, so, so much for your reviews! They mean a lot to me right now, and I'm very grateful. Now, on with the drabble!

Pillow Talk...

~(~)~

"So what time did you get into town yesterday?" he asks softly.

"I texted you, you goof. It was around three, I think."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot with everything going on."

She laughs under her breath. "I kind of figured that."

"I'm sorry. It's been a madhouse around here, and, as I recall now, Alice was with me when your text came in."

"Were you afraid she'd wrench the phone out of your hands if you checked it?"

"Something like that," he chuckles.

Bella smiles, but feels a rush of anxiety. "I'm not causing any problems am I?"

"Don't be silly. Alice may not be able to hide her interest in what's going on between us, but she does know how to hold her tongue. She hasn't said anything and she won't."

"I emailed her finally. Did she tell you that?"

"She mentioned it on the ride back from the airport."

"That's it? It hasn't come up otherwise?"

Edward chuckles lowly. "No. Are you worried?"

"Of course I am."

"Why?"

She shifts under the covers, looking over her shoulder to make sure her bedroom door is closed.

"For the same reasons you were freaked out the first time you saw Charlie after I told him we were... talking."

He laughs again. "So you're afraid one of my family members will threaten to arrest you or pull a firearm on you if you step out of line?"

She rolls her eyes, but smiles as she settles back against her pillow. "You're incorrigible."

"What? That honestly ran through my mind."

She giggles. "Well, I guess if I bumped into your mom it might run through my mind, too."

He answers with laughter of his own. "See?"

"I've missed this," she says quietly. "I've missed you. I feel like we've hardly spoken since I was here a couple of weeks ago."

"I know. Me too, sweetheart. "

She sighs, her heart racing and mind swimming at the endearment. It's still strange to be this way with him again. It's all so new, and yet strangely familiar. It unsettles her, much in the way any new relationship she's attempted has. None of them lasted very long, which only adds to her unease. She has no confidence in herself when it comes to men. She's never really learned to trust her instincts or her ability to set healthy boundaries. To this day she feels that skill remains largely untested, and there's a part of her that is deeply afraid of falling back into old habits.

"Hey... Did you fall asleep on me over there?"

"No," she says not offering anything else.

"Something wrong?"

"No. Just... heavy thoughts."

"Hmm... Well, it's Christmas. There's none of that today. Okay?"

She smiles. "Okay. Are we still on for tomorrow?"

"Absolutely. As long as you're still up for it."

"I can't wait."

"You wanna know something?" he asks somewhat conspiratorially.

"What?" she replies, amused.

"I can't wait either."

~(~)~

Nope, sorry, no hints as to what they're up to. I'd love to hear your guesses though! ;-)

More tomorrow.