A/N: Hey, everyone! Just wanted to thank you all for your patience with Edward as he struggles with himself ;) Only something extreme will finally push him to see past Bella. We're getting there though! We're coming up on New Moon canon after the next couple of chapters. Really looking forward to writing it, but be prepared to get hit with some seriously strong Edward angst. This is all setting the framework for a significant choice he's going to make later on.

Earthshine

Chapter XV

"Morning Chats and Sunset Lanes"

…

"Very few things in life can be so exhilarating as a cabin in the middle of the forest and loving life effortlessly while enjoying the smell of freshly ground heaven in your hot cup, in front of a fireplace…Sweet Solitude, you have taught me to live with very little. So very little it turned out to be a luxury. - Efrat Cybulkiewicz"

…

[Edward]

The next couple of weeks were somewhat uneventful. The Santi family were able to move into a vacation rental for Diego's recovery in town — a little cabin in a thick of forestry — and my mother was thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to bake the family an enormous variety of high quality dishes. She was spending almost every waking moment in the kitchen and then urging me to run the meals over.

Eden was grateful, but told me they were quickly running out of room in the fridge. I brought a few of the meals over to Bella and Charlie to try and help with the space issue. I could tell the free meals upset Bella as she took each one begrudgingly, but I reminded her that the food would only go to waste if she didn't take it. Charlie helped me out by declaring how good the food smelled.

Vitalia found herself in the completely unfamiliar position of being a caretaker for her father. The man, as I suspected, was constantly trying to push the rules of his bed rest. Eden waited until the end of the second week to help the little boutique out, and she was only ever away for a few hours at a time.

I was still able to spend Bella's working days with Vitalia and that included some afternoons when she was on duty looking after her father. I helped the girl out when Diego was being especially difficult.

"I didn't save your life so you could ruin your chances of recovery," I told the man with a smirk.

He would roll his eyes and return my smirk. "Didn't realize what a bossy kid you were."

Vitalia and I spent a lot of time around her house. We took long walks in the woods that surrounded it and occasionally strayed into town. Our conversations allowed me to learn a lot more about her. Her specific interests, her fondest memories, and her opinions on different things. She asked me questions too and I answered them as honestly as I could, but my holding back left little of interest for her to explore. She seemed to enjoy my talking about my family most though. I knew now that family was something extremely important to her. She urged me to cherish them and to go out of my way to spend more time with them — I had guiltily admitted to the fact that I hadn't been doing much of that lately.

She always had spice cake on her birthdays and it was always a big, extended family event. Her political views tended towards libertarian — no surprises there — and she had a gray horse named Dorian, a literary reference I appreciated. Aside from country, her musical taste was very wide, ranging from old 80's classics to obscure indie to modern pop. Her room was decorated with band and movie posters as well as magazine pages and newspaper articles she found interesting. She loved delving into conspiracy theories, even if she didn't believe most of them, and she was semi-religious, believing there was a God because all the world's radiant beauty had to come from somewhere good.

The final week before the start of school rolled around and I was heading out my front door with a breakfast casserole. I told my mother the family had more than enough dinner options in the freezer, so she switched meals. I had taken a peek at the kitchen and saw a mess of spices, fruit and flour. My mother was wearing an apron and humming to herself contentedly as she cleaned up.

"I'm coming with you today," Rose told me sharply, leaving no room for argument as she followed me outside.

"…okay." I told her as I unlocked my car. "Any particular reason?"

As I set the baking pan in the back seat, I glanced over to the edge of the property and saw Alice strolling along with Jasper. Things between us had settled but there was a notable distance now that stung. I'd known she would have a hard time accepting my decision to leave Bella, but the entire Vitalia situation had seemed to enhance her disapproval.

Rosalie sat in the passenger seat and I slid behind the wheel.

"I need to talk to Vitalia about an idea I have."

"What idea?"

I saw in her head a grand themed event at our house — the decorations were first rate, there was a band, and all the other teens from the High School were milling around the open rooms. They were all admiring her.

"You want to throw a party at our house? Are you insane?"

I expected this sort of thing from Alice, but Rosalie was usually more self-concerned than that.

"We have Alice." Rosalie pursed her lips. "Not much risk if she sees nothing going wrong."

"She isn't fool proof, as we saw with Diego."

"We also have you," she told me with a raised brow. "You're our look out. You can be on the search for any suspicions."

I clenched my teeth. "And what does Vitalia have to do with any of this?"

"I thought she could help plan it."

"I told all of you I wasn't going to bring her by the house. She-" I sighed. "A part of her knows already, she just hasn't connected everything. She's missing some pieces."

I almost thought she didn't want to. That all of her rapid fire assumptions were made to protect her from the truth.

"I think it's different if it's a party," Rosalie argued. "It isn't an intimate gathering where all the focus is on us. There will be a lot of other people there, like there is at school." She rolled her eyes. "Stop being difficult. The hunt didn't give anything away, despite your concerns."

"It could have." If I had not maintained the level of control I had or if Emmett had been too close when Diego had been injured. There were a lot of ways it might have gone differently.

But Rosalie seemed determined and I supposed the risk was minimalized in a crowd. We spent everyday at school with those kids and Vitalia wasn't actively searching for anything off about us. She didn't have any suspicions.

"…alright," I relented. "But good luck getting Alice to work with Vitalia."

"If she doesn't want to help, Vitalia and I will plan it on our own. But, really, when has Alice ever been able to turn down the opportunity to plan a party?"

I had to chuckle at that. It was true enough. Perhaps, if Alice agreed, this could even be a chance for her to warm up to Vitalia. Alice's enthusiasm for these things was unmatched, but she desperately sought to share that excitement with the rest of us. Vitalia was someone who might actually reciprocate her enthusiasm.

I pulled up to the cabin and grabbed the breakfast dish. Rosalie walked ahead of me and rang the doorbell, taking full charge of the situation.

Eden answered with a bright grin. "Oh! Good morning, you two. It's good to see you again, Rosalie." She stepped forward to wrap my sister in a hug.

Rosalie was thrown off by the gesture and I hid a smile. Eden came for me next but, at this point, I was used to it. She'd grown very comfortable with me after the incident with her husband.

"I have the wood burning stove going. Come inside and get yourselves warm."

If Eden found anything off about our coldness, she never showed it, but I knew she noticed. Comments like this were often made towards me.

We walked inside and she offered to make us some hot tea. My sister politely refused and I begrudgingly nodded. Having spent more time around them and wanting to take extra care to appear normal, I had forced myself to eat a few meals in front of them and accepted the woman's beverages.

Don't envy you, Rosalie offered a teasing smirk.

I rolled my eyes then handed Eden the casserole.

Vitalia came out of her bedroom then, obviously having just woken up. Her hair was mussed and her clothes were wrinkled. She yawned then smiled with eyes half-shut. "Hey, I thought I heard you guys." Her smile widened a little at Rosalie. "Glad you came along, Rosie."

"Yes, well there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Vitalia made her way to the coffee pot with a sleepy nod. "Okay, cool."

As the girl poured herself a cup from the strong brew, I heard Rosalie's phone chime. As she flipped open the cover, I looked through her eyes to see a text from Alice.

Alice: I know you want to throw a party. You can count me in on one condition: Bella helps plan too. The four of us can do it together.

Rosalie grimaced and my eyes widened. Bella was going to hate that. I imagined I'd have to do a little convincing along with Alice. Perhaps more than a little. But maybe it would be an opportunity for her to warm to Vitalia too?

Vitalia sat on the leather couch in front of the wood burning stove, sipping her coffee and resting her teddy bears socks on the coffee table.

Crazy how, even in the summer, Forks mornings are so chilly. She thought. It'd be triple digits in Texas right about now.

Rain was tapping the glass and joined the cackling of the fire. I heard a lot of creatures from within the forest stir and begin their tasks for the day.

Eden handed me my tea, some sort of herbal mix she'd made herself, and I nodded my thanks before staring down into the amber liquid with dread.

"At least Edward likes my tea," Eden said to her daughter.

Sweet boy. Can't actually get Vi or Diego to drink it.

"Whatever, mom!" Vitalia chuckled. "Tastes like medicine. Love your coffee though!" She lifted her steaming mug.

Eden chuckled then turned to serve the breakfast casserole. I could hear Diego beginning to stir from the master bedroom.

Rosalie moved past me, purposefully bumping my elbow as she did. She sent a smirk at me over shoulder. "Let me know how that tastes, hm?"

I gave her a hidden glare then dutifully took a sip of the tea. If only it tasted half as good as medicine. I hid my grimace as it uncomfortably slid down my throat.

I set the mug down on the little wooden table near the kitchen and sat.

"So! Vitalia." Rosalie eased herself down onto the couch beside the girl and crossed one leg over the other. "I'm thinking of throwing an end of summer party at my place. Would you like to help me plan it?"

"Ooh! Fun." Vitalia perked up at once, sleepiness taken over by her excitement. "What are you thinking for a theme?"

"Well I thought we could discuss that. Alice might join in too and…Bella." her voice held a trace of bitterness as she spoke her name.

"Oh, that'd be great!" Vitalia exclaimed, unaware of my sister's obvious dislike for Bella. "Where we meeting up? When?"

I suppose a meeting at the house would be imprudent, Rosalie thought and I appreciated that she was considering this cautiously. You've already ruled that out for me, Edward.

"Why don't we meet at that diner all the kids hang out at?" Rosalie suggested before looking at me and snapping her fingers. "What's it called, Edward?"

"Sully's," I answered. Could she sound any more like an old woman right now? Where all the kids hung out? Really? "Near La Push," I added pointedly.

Oh, no. Didn't realize that. She thought up a quick excuse for herself. "Well, then again, it might be crowded." She made a face. "Somewhere quieter might be better. Everyone knows everyone around here and I don't feel like being interrupted."

It was a thoroughly effective save on Rosalie's part, I had to admit.

Vitalia started thinking along with my sister. I saw her sift through a few ideas before her face brightened as she remembered a family outing she'd taken with her parents during their time here.

"Sunset Lanes!" She exclaimed. "The bowling alley. We could meet there. Play a little game while we talk."

Rosalie groaned. "Bowling alleys are so…unbecoming." And childish.

"Ah, come on, Rosie. Live a little."

Bella in a bowling alley. That was sure to be a disaster. She'd definitely slip on the lane. Or drop the ball on her foot. At least Alice would be right there to foresee any tragedies. Perhaps I should also sneak along and keep tabs on the group from the parking lot.

Rosalie took a long look at Vitalia and her excited expression before sighing. Live a little, huh? I certainly need that, don't I?

"Well, alright. I guess that will work. Sunset Lanes it is. I'll let Alice know." She looked my way. "Edward. When does Bella get off?"

"You want to spring this on her tonight?" I asked.

Rosalie shrugged. "Gives her less time to think up an excuse, right? I mean, if she can't come that won't bother me, but I would really like Alice's help, and apparently they're a package deal."

I sighed. Bella's schedule was definitely free this evening. "She gets off at 4:00."

"Great! Does that work for you?" She raised a brow at Vitalia.

Vitalia, who was in the middle of taking a large swig of coffee, just gave my sister a thumbs up.

It'll be good for Vi to get out of the house and do something fun. Eden thought as she listened to the pair.

"Will you be hanging around until Bella gets off, Edward?" The woman moved to join me at the table with her own tea.

"If that's alright?"

Eden smiled. "Of course it is. We love having you around. When you go though, remind me to send that vase of flowers with you."

My eyes shifted to where she was pointing and I saw a stunning display of local flowers — Chocolate Lilies, Pacific Dogwoods, and Scarlet Paintbrushes.

"They're for your mother," Eden continued. "As a 'thank you' for all the meals she's been making for us."

I nodded and gave her a warm smile. I did admire the woman's grateful spirit. It meant a lot to Esme to have someone to shower her kindness upon and Eden took it all very graciously.

"Are you hanging around awhile, Edward?" Rosalie asked from the couch. I knew she'd already heard my conversation with Eden but I glanced over and nodded.

"Great, I will too then."

Vitalia grinned and finished off her coffee. "Ooh, yay! You want to help me pick out an outfit today? You have such amazing fashion taste."

Rosalie laughed. "Alice is the designer, I'm just a willing model."

I had to fight down a snort in response to what she just said. She was definitely willing. Rose craved the attention. She was just eating up Vitalia's eagerness to spend time with her.

"I didn't know that," Vitalia answered. "I'd love to get to know Alice better, but I don't think she likes me."

"It isn't you she doesn't like," Rose assured her. "It's the threat you pose to her…ideas of what Edward's life should look like."

Huh. Seems Rosie has some different ideas. "Well, Eddie needs to figure that out for himself, right?"

"Hm…I suppose. If he can. Anyway, maybe we can start to change her mind about you tonight." Rose echoed my thoughts and tapped Vitalia's shoulder. "Come on, let's have a look inside your closet."

Vitalia laughed as she stood, running a hand through her tangled hair. "I know I must look like the bride of Frankenstein right now."

"Mhm." Rosalie stood to follow Vitalia to her bedroom. She glanced at me as they passed, sending me a hidden smirk. "Or a bride of Dracula. Something nightmarish."

I gave Rosalie a deadpan look at her little comment. Her suggestion was not lost on me.

She'd make a pretty bride someday, huh, Edward?

She vividly imagined it — Vitalia all dressed in white, a wedding at some elegant, European venue. It seemed more suited to Rosalie's taste than Vitalia's.

"Nightmarish wedding. Something Tim Burton style would be cool," Vitalia was saying offhandedly as she walked into her room. "A Gothic cathedral somewhere. You know that new movie, Corpse Bride, is coming out soon. Can't wait to see it!"

Vitalia was off on a tangent, but Rosalie was determined to continue her petty agenda.

She changed the visual, imagining a Gothic cathedral and Vitalia in something more traditional. Something Victorian. Then she imagined me there, standing in front of her, our hands joined together.

"Stop," I hissed under my breath, too low for the humans to hear.

I heard a soft chuckle in response before she let the image disappear.

He looks annoyed. Wonder what's wrong?

"Are you alright?"

I looked at Eden and smoothed my expression before nodding. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about something my sister said earlier. It's not important."

Eden laughed. "Nothing like sibling squabbles."

"Yeah, she loves to push my buttons."

"They know best how to do that, don't they?"

I nodded before we both heard Diego wake up. Eden smiled at me then moved to grab the man's plate of food and a cup of coffee before disappearing down the hall.

I sat at the table alone, glancing down into the distorted reflection in my cup of tea. I felt a moment of calm as I tried to mute the collection of thoughts around me. I looked to the rain pattering against the window and embraced the pleasant fragrances of wood and fire in the stove. Even the herbs in Eden's tea were pleasant.

I lingered another moment before rising and pouring the tea down the sink. I washed the cup then headed into the restroom to throw up the small amount I'd already drank.

….

Rosalie said she'd be back to pick Vitalia up before we said our goodbyes and headed home. I had a few minutes to spare before heading to Newton's, so I walked inside to hand the vase of flowers to Esme.

"Aww, that was sweet. These are beautiful."

She beamed and set the vase on the window above the sink, admiring the display with a smile.

I grinned at her, again feeling a surge of appreciation for Eden.

When I turned, I saw Emmett bound down the stairs. He clapped his hands together. "So Rose just told me about her ladies night thing. What'd you say to a night out in Seattle with me and Jasper?"

"A night out doing what?"

I had other plans.

Emmett shrugged. "We'll be spontaneous. Walk around the city, take in the scenery. I'm sure we'll find something to do."

I shook my head. "Sorry, I can't."

Emmett frowned. "Ah, come on. You're free of Bella, for once. We'll be back in plenty of time for you to spend time with her when she goes home."

I sighed. "I was just planning to…keep an eye on things. You know how anxious I get when I'm away from her. I've been imagining the many things that can go wrong in a bowling alley."

"Alice will be there." He shrugged. "She's the one person who can do a better job at keeping an eye on her than you."

I bit down on my teeth. I had no argument against that. Bella was as protected as she possibly could be. I debated with myself as I stared at Emmett's hopeful grin.

Jasper came down the hall then and paused at the top of the stairs, one hand reaching out to rest on the banister.

I held his stare before breaking the silence. "Are you up for it? A night of mingling with humans?"

Jasper shrugged. "Probably. Alice will be keeping tabs remotely. I've been feeling more in control lately anyway though."

Vitalia had helped him feel more confident, but I knew better than anyone how that control could abandon you.

But…it seemed safe enough. With Emmett and I both there, Jasper could be held back if need be.

But what were we going to even do? We couldn't sit down and have a nice dinner together. We couldn't try out the local brews or sample the many coffee joints they had there.

As if catching my misgivings, Emmett smirked. "We could always play some pool. It's not like your mind reading cheats matter."

"We could also try out some dancin' somewhere," Jasper added.

"Ooh, a club! Great idea." Emmett pointed up at him.

"Well, maybe not a club, I was kind of thinkin' something more toned down." Jasper remarked.

I glanced between them once before sighing. How many more opportunities did I have to spend quality time with them before I left Bella and went off to be miserable by myself?

Vitalia's suggestion came to me then. Her insistence that I cherish my family. That I make the choice to actually spend time with them.

"Fine," I relented.

"Yes!" Emmett rushed forward to high five me as Jasper gave me a satisfied smirk.

Good on you, Edward. He thought. Means a lot to Emmett, you know? You aren't the one who has to constantly listen to his complaints when you aren't around.

"I'm so happy you boys are going to go do something together." Esme came around the corner, proudly eyeing each of one us in turn. "Enjoy yourselves."

"We're planning to try!" Emmett hollered as he ran up the stairs to find something to wear.

I left to pick up Bella and, as expected, she wasn't keen on the idea of planning a party. Or bowling either.

"I have to make my dad's dinner," she stated.

"He can warm up one of the many dishes Esme made."

Bella frowned and my phone rang. I glanced down and saw it was Alice before chuckling and handing it to Bella.

"She probably wants to talk to you."

"Right, thanks." She huffed then answered it.

I listened to the back and forth argument for a solid ten minutes while making the turn to my house. I knew Alice would win. She almost always got her way.

"Not sure how much help I'll be." Bella hung up and handed the phone to me. "What are you going to be doing while I'm off planning this event I don't even want to go to?"

"Emmett wants to go to Seattle."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "Wants to get out and do something together. Jasper says he misses having me around."

"He's had you for how many years?" Bella asked with a little smirk.

I returned her smirk. "Greedy of him, isn't it? It's more than fair that you should have me to yourself."

"How about we just ditch everyone and spend the evening together then?" She raised a brow hopefully.

I shook my head. "Commitments have already been made." There was no way I was going to irritate Alice any further. Besides, I thought this would ultimately be a good thing for everyone involved.

Bella followed me into the house and forced a smile when Alice rushed down to greet her.

"Try to have a good time tonight," I leaned down to whisper in her ear.

She put on a martyr's face and jutted out her chin, clearly displeased. "You too."

Alice asked if she wanted to borrow a change of clothes, but Bella stubbornly shook her head, saying her work uniform would suit just fine for the bowling alley. My sister tried to argue and I interjected, reminding her that she'd already won one battle today.

I offered to drive them both, knowing Rose had room enough in her car to drive everyone back. We pulled outside the establishment as the sun was just beginning to set, painting everything in its twilight glow. I parked then kissed Bella goodbye. She gave me a final pleading look then followed Alice inside.

I set my gear to reverse then paused as Rosalie and Vitalia pulled up a couple spaces down. Vitalia stepped out and I chuckled as I saw she was completely overdressed for this outing. Rosalie had really pulled a number on her. The pair stuck out like a sore thumb.

She looked nice though. More mature. She was wearing stilettos and a pale blue, flowing tunic blouse that rippled like water as she walked. The color combined with the line work my sister had done, gave Vitalia's eyes a stunning vibrancy. They were so vibrant, in fact, that my breath caught at the astonishing sight of them.

Those eyes found mine and sparked as she smiled and sent me an enthusiastic wave.

I returned it as an automatic, answering smile crossed my face.

She, in turn, was observing the way the golden, evening light brightened all the colors in my hair and seemed to glisten off my pale skin. And how the honey color of my eyes glowed, which seemed as equally stunning to her as her eyes were to me.

You know…he's really sort of beautiful, isn't he? Radiant. Especially when he smiles. He's completely shining.

I wasn't immediately alarmed by her thoughts, as they only seemed like an impartial observation. I had wondered if Vitalia even recognized how inhumanly beautiful most mortals found us to be. She didn't spend a lot of time dwelling on appearances. This, I supposed, was confirmation that she was aware of it.

Unbidden, Rosalie's image from this morning invaded my thoughts again. I had dismissed it so quickly before, but now it persisted and demanded I pay closer attention to how Vitalia had looked.

She did make a beautiful bride. Objectively speaking. I purposefully ignored the image of me standing there beside her — the sight of us together — and admired the Gothic scenery. I wouldn't have figured the style suited her, but now that I had the image, it was hard to deny that it did. It didn't seem so very nightmarish, especially after removing myself from the scene.

Hope he has fun with his brothers, Vitalia thought as she walked inside. Oh! There's Bella and Alice. I hope it all goes okay tonight.

I blinked and pushed the image of Vitalia from my mind then left Sunset Lanes. I breathed evenly and forced myself to relax. I had to learn to let go of my anxiety. I wasn't always going to be around to keep Bella safe. I had to learn to cope without her.