I'm sorry it's mostly fluffy again. There is a grand design, I promise.

"Edward," I whined, trying to coax him out of bed. He just rolled over onto his side to face the wall, pulling his pillow over his head. "Edward, come on! Emmett's waiting and he's not someone you want to keep waiting."

But he stubbornly slept on, pillow still over his head so I knew my words were muffled. I groaned and poked at his back through the duvet, trying to tickle him awake. He mumbled grumpily, choking out a cough that still lingered from his cold before sighing back into a very light slumber.

"That's it, you asked for it!" I warned, trying to get his attention. He again didn't stir. I gripped the edges of the duvet and pulled, trying to get it off of him in the hopes that the coolness of the morning air would wake him up. Instead, he held the corner of the comforter to his body and wrapped it around his leg so my pulling cocooned him in the warmth. I tried to yank it harder- I could easily have torn it from his hands with my pinkies. But I could hear the stretching of the threads, and if I did try to force it from him it would rip.

"Seriously!" I huffed, letting go of the fabric. Edward was shaking silently with laughter though I still couldn't see his face. In the very least, he was awake. "Alright, you're either going to have to deal with me, or Emmett's going to get impatient and barge in here."

My threats were falling on deaf ears. He was too stubborn to listen to reason, and too tired from staying up late the night before reading, of all things, a biography of Edna St. Vincent Millay. I didn't complain, but I should have been more cognizant of what the late night would do to a human who seemed to require a lot of sleep. His voice was just too soothing as he narrated for me and I laid prostrate before him, eyes clothes and enjoying the feel of his warm fingertips in my hair and tracing the planes of my face.

I sighed and climbed out of bed, grateful that Charlie and Alice had left an hour before. Alice was spending the day with Charlie at the police station, helping out with paperwork and whatnot, and later Charlie would be giving her a driving lesson. She had been spending a lot of time with Charlie, which was both sweet and gave me more free time with Edward.

Edward was a lump on the bed, completely covered by blanket and pillow and huddled on the far end of the small mattress. I moved slowly and loudly, the bedframe creaking under my weight as I kneeled on the mattress, so he would be entirely aware of what I was doing. The last thing I wanted to do was move quickly or catch him off guard and trigger some latent memory.

I hooked one hand under his knees and the other under his back, easily dragging him across the bed and to me despite his wriggling. He was feather-light in my arms, and I cradled him to me before walking across the room. The childlike analogy was even more apt because he was so wrapped up in his duvet that it was like he was swaddled.

"I f-feel l-like a baby!" he laughed as he squirmed.

"Well that's what you were acting like," I retorted, gliding up the stairs. I tilted him down so he could stand on his feet, then twisted the duvet off of him so he basically spun into the bathroom.

"You're p-pushy this morning," he chuckled, running his hand through his hair so his cowlick flipped up adorably.

Edward reached over to turn the faucet on in the shower, cold water spurting out before strengthening into a steady stream. I ran across the hall and retrieved a fresh towel from the linen closet, leaving it on the bathroom counter. "You've never seen Emmett when he gets overexcited. And he's very excited for this camping trip."

"Why exactly is h-he s-s-so excited?"

I swallowed back the rush of venom that automatically flooded my mouth when Edward pulled his shirt of, gripping the collar and sliding it up so it was still right-side in when he tossed it in the laundry basket. His sweatpants sat low on his hips, and the V of his hipbones were deliciously pronounced and screaming to be licked.

"Well, to start, he likes you and thinks of you as his brother. And this is how we bond in our family." I paused to watch the blush flush across his cheekbones, enjoying the sharpening of his scent, especially since the water had heated and began to condense in the small bathroom. "And it can be kind of isolating, living as we do. We can't integrate too deeply with humans, and we aren't comfortable around others of our own kind.

"You," I started, sidling up to him and pressing my lips to his softly, "are a refreshing, brilliant ray of sunshine in all of our existences." He bent down to kiss me again, smiling against me. Though all I wanted was to melt into him and let the humidity encase us, I was peppered with the visual of Emmett in the parking lot of Newton's, anxiously tapping his foot so hard on the floor that he would crater his leg through the metal.

"You have to get in the shower," I sighed, pushing him gently off of him. He pouted adorably, his full bottom lip jutting our temptingly. "I'll go get breakfast ready."

The bathroom door clicked behind me, and I darted down the stairs and to the kitchen. It was easy, now, to whip up what appeared to be a satisfying breakfast after studying Esme's technique and learning exactly what Edward liked.

He was quick in the shower, and was in the kitchen and dressed by the time I wrapped up the breakfast sandwich. His hair looked almost brown while wet, but he had combed it back so his whole face was open and clear, skin still pink from the heat of the shower.

Edward scarfed down the sandwich in the car quickly, washing it down with the bottle of water that I had stashed in my bag. The streets were basically empty, since it was in the middle of the day on a Thursday and it was, as usual, steadily raining. I pulled into the parking lot of Newton's Outfitters and Emmett was already there, hood up on his raincoat and leaning against the Jeep with his arms crossed.

"You're late," he said accusatorially, swinging open the passenger's side door and staring down at Edward.

"You can blame him," I pointed at Edward before getting out of the car and joining them on the other side. "He didn't want to get out bed this morning."

Edward pushed his still-damp hair behind his ears and rolled his eyes. "Pesky h-humans and their n-need for sleep. It's s-s-so inconvenient."

He drew a booming laugh from Emmett, and the couple walking into the store turned around to look at us. "Up late last night, huh?"

Edward blushed at the innuendo so I elbowed Emmett in the ribs, throwing my arm against his torso with enough force that there was a small clap with the impact. He rubbed at the spot as I led Edward out of the rain and into the warm little outdoors store.

Emmett followed close behind us, and the minute we were through the door he managed to shoulder his way between us so Edward dropped my hand and fell in step next to Emmett. I huffed at his childishness, but stood quietly behind them as they headed straight for the camping supplies.

There were only two people working- Mike Newton and his mother, who was in the back of the store shuffling through papers. Mike was occupied by the middle-aged couple who had walked in before us, but he was stammering and rushed in his explanation of the pros and cons of different fishing lures as he glanced sideways at me.

I flicked through the laminate maps next to the counter while Emmett pulled tents from the shelves to show Edward the pictures.

"Hey, Bella," Mike said, shuffling past me to get to the register on the counter. The couple visibly jumped, startled when Emmett laughed loudly as Edward quietly joked about how they were getting to the campsite Emmett had in mind- running, driving, or turning into a bat and flying. The woman gripped her bag and stared at Emmett, and I knew we could both smell the release of adrenaline and cortisol. I couldn't say I particularly blamed them. Humans naturally shied away from our kind- some inherent evolutionary instinct to stay away from a predator- but Emmett was also a most intimidating figure. Tall and solid, he could easily dwarf bodybuilders and strongmen.

"Hi, Mike. How are you?" I greeted, pitching my voice softly with a soothing tone. If Emmett was the most intimidating of us, I was a close second to Carlisle as the least. I found I had to make a conscious effort to scare a human away, even with onyx eyes when thirsty. It was the least I could do to try to make these people feel a touch more at ease, and it worked to a degree. The man kept his eye on Emmett while paying for the fishing gear, but both of them seemed to lose some of their tenseness.

"Ah, you know. Gotta work all summer, which sucks."

"Do you work every day?" I asked, feigning interest.

"Pretty much. They need me, you know? I can lift the heavy inventory and stuff." I noticed as he conspicuously flexed his small biceps and refrained from rolling my eyes.

"Yo, Mark!" Emmett called out, interrupting Mike's advances. "You guys got any air mattresses?"

He looked flustered and stumbled out from behind the counter to go 'help' Emmett pull boxes down from a tall shelf. Emmett stood aside and crossed his arms, letting Mike stand up on the balls of his feet and try to grasp at the air mattress boxes on one of the taller shelves. Edward and Emmett shared a look that I didn't understand- something conspiratorial and decidedly worrisome but before I could cross the store and stop them from whatever they seemed wont to do, Edward stepped in.

Standing at about six feet, Edward was a few inches taller than Mike and was able to easily reach above Mike and grab the boxes from the top shelf. His shirt rode up a bit as he stretched, and I got a very welcome view of the sliver of his abdomen just above the waist of his jeans. I leaned forward and to the side to look around Mike, hoping for a better view, but instead caught Emmett snickering into his hand.

I rolled my eyes and childishly stuck my tongue out at him. This was some kind of show of masculine superiority on my behalf to combat Mike's harmless but persistent flirting. It didn't bother me, and it never had. Even before Edward, it wasn't as if some thin human teenager would tempt me after centuries of near-perfect abstention. And with Edward, the center of my universe? There was no question.

Emmett had piled box on top of box in Mike's arms until the poor boy couldn't see over them and retreated to store them on the counter next to me.

"This is a lot of stuff," he inhaled, dropping the pile with a thud, "You guys going on a trip or something?"

"It's a boy's trip this weekend. I'm just along for the shopping."

"Ah, okay. Got it. Never mind, then."

"Never mind what?" I asked, trying to be polite and maintain eye contact, though my gaze kept sliding back to Edward, who was testing a knife against Emmett's skin. My lips twitched as he tried to shove the knife down, his arm trembling with exertion, and Mike started to turn to look at what I was smiling at. "Do you need camping advice?"

"What?" Mike looked back in my eyes and immediately began blinking rapidly. I sighed internally and shifted my direct focus to his forehead so he wouldn't experience the full impact of my eyes- an intense effect of our nature that was intended to draw our natural prey in. "Oh, no, not that. I wanted to go on like a trip or something with Jess, but I don't think her parents will go for it. If you were all going without your parents, I was gonna ask how you managed to talk your parents into it."

Edward had walked over to the counter, carrying some supplies for fire kindling and leaving it on the counter with the other items. "Oh, are you still with Jess?" I asked, slipping my hand into Edward's. The contact of his warm hand on my skin was almost shocking, and I felt immediately relieved by the physical connection.

"Yeah, we've been going steady since prom."

Edward cocked his head, his hair falling into a side part as it dried messily, and he furrowed his brows. With his free hand, he ran his hand through his hair, then rubbed the bridge of his nose the way he usually did when he was thinking deeply.

"Oh, I didn't realize. We haven't been going out very much this summer so I'm a bit behind on the news."

"Yeah, that's right, we haven't seen you at all! You should come by the diner Friday night or something."

Before I could answer, Emmett was at the counter, tapping his credit card impatiently on the laminate surface so the black plastic noticeably clicked. "Mark, can you ring us up?"

"Emmett, it's Mike," I corrected, though of course Emmett knew this. It wasn't like we could forget a name, even if we wanted to. I knew he was being purposefully difficult because Mike had always annoyed him, and was one of the many students in school who weren't particularly kind to Edward or Alice. I still harbored a black seed of anger about it but, besides my momentary slip-up in a triggering situation, I could mask that under the veneer of politeness that I knew Carlisle would encourage far better than Emmett. He didn't take anyone messing with his family in any way and as far as he was concerned, they were all now enemies. It was a dramatic position, but I understood the sentiment.

We cleared out with Emmett carrying the massive load of supplies he had purchased- much of it unnecessary. I didn't understand why he thought they would need hiking sticks or grappling hooks, and certainly not firestarter, but I wasn't going to dictate to him what he could and could not do on his special trip.

"I'm going to drop everything off at home. Where are you guys headed?" Emmett asked just as Edward's stomach rumbled in hunger. Edward blushed a bright pink across his soft skin as Emmett laughed, though he was probably not cognizant of the fact that we could hear and smell most physiological changes in the human body. Carlisle was especially adept at detecting them, which was one of the reasons he made such an excellent physician.

"I guess food is our first stop," I giggled, stretching up to plant a delicate kiss on the heated skin of Edward's neck. "Esme's not home. Do you want to stop somewhere, or I can manage something?"

"You know I f-fed m-myself perfectly f-fine for sixteen years, r-right?" he said sarcastically, though it was debatable. Even after months of continuously feeding him, he was still underweight. As much as he was filling in, I could still see the prominence of his ribs when he went shirtless, and the curves of his spinal cord protruded more than it was supposed to. It wasn't something I was going to argue, though. He had done the best he could in an abusive system, and even still while living on the street, and I wasn't going to diminish that.

"So let's go home and you can feed yourself," I laughed, tugging him to the car. Emmett, tired of our quick bickering, got in the Jeep and was already squealing through the parking lot by the time Edward was buckled in and I had turned the key.

Edward twisted his hand nervously in mine, pinching at the cuticles when I moved to downshift, rolling behind Emmett at one of two traffic lights in town. "D-Do y-you think we c-could stop f-for pizza instead?"

"Sure. Pacific Pizza okay?" I said casually. He had been anxious about asking me for something, even so small as a slice of pizza for lunch, and I felt a spasm in the pit of my stomach. He was still uncomfortable with me, even after all this time and with my constant reassurance and presence.

When Edward confirmed his agreement with our new destination, I pulled into the turn lane next to Emmett, who was humorously playing up his dancing to make Edward smile. It was successful, and Edward was all-out laughing still when I parked in front of the pizza shop.

"If you think that's funny, remind me to show you when he dressed in drag."

"What?" Edward sputtered, holding the door to the shop open for me. I was immediately assaulted by the cloying and thick smell of caustic, slimy human food that not even the fragrant aroma that Edward exuded could balance out. "He d-dressed in d-drag?"

"Sure," I giggled, slipping my arm around his waist to draw him closer to me in line. The smell was slightly more tolerable with his body positioned more openly and pressed flush to my side. "It was the consequence of a bet, but Emmett didn't even mind. He had a lot of fun with it, and honestly he looked great."

"What was the b-bet?" Edward asked, but my answer was interrupted when we reached the front of the line and placed our orders. With the greasy and heavy foods Edward ordered, I selected the few vitamin-rich items on the menu to supplement his meal.

"So th-the bet?" Edward doubled-down as we settled in a booth with two large soft drinks. I would have preferred to sit outside where the fresh air could mellow the smell, but the rain was continuous and showed no signs of letting up.

"He actually bet on something he had nothing to do with. We had a little Jeopardy-esque competition set up for Carlisle and me to compete on answering questions from various niche topics. When the television show began its current run, we used to watch it almost religiously. Emmett and Rosalie got a big kick out of it whenever we didn't know the answer to a question, so they decided to create their own game with far more difficult and obscure questions. Esme and Rosalie both hedged that I would win, but Emmett bet on Carlisle, so when I won I got to choose what he had to do."

I shrugged, though the mental image of Emmett with scarlet lipstick in a straining red dress and white leather go-go boots was enough to make me want to bust out laughing. Besides his bulky size, he really did make a beautiful woman.

The server brought a tray with our food over. Edward immediately tucked into the round pile of dough and cheese I recognized to be a calzone, though I thought it also fairly resembled the milk vomit that Emmett had recently expelled. I took a fork and made a show of twirling it through lettuce, but no one was paying attention to us.

Edward was half-way through his food and laser-focused on it when I heard two familiar sounds approaching.

"It sounds like Emmett and Rosalie are joining us," I told Edward, pushing the Styrofoam container of greens towards him.

"Th-they are?"

I could hear the Jeep purr into the parking lot as Emmett and Rose murmured about managing the smell of food just as the familiar heartbeats thumped closer. "They're driving up right now. As are Jessica Stanley, Lauren Mallory, and Angela Weber."

Edward coughed on the soda he had been in the middle of drinking, covering his mouth before swallowing another gulp. "T-together?" He asked in complete surprise.

"No," I laughed, capturing his free hand in mine. I hadn't sat on the same side of the booth as him because I wanted to give him space to eat without my clinging, and of course the view sitting across from him was my no means objectionable. But though he hadn't encountered anything from either Jess or Lauren but veiled passive aggressiveness, the instinct to protect him from everything was strong enough to almost overwhelm. "But they're all coming in right now. Do you want to leave?"

Edward tilted his head in question. "D-d-do you want t-to leave?"

"Not unless you want to." In actuality, I wanted to be next to him in the booth, keeping him safe between me and the wall, but it was suppressible. I knew it wasn't rational, that there was no actual impending danger, and that we had been around both girls multiple times since I had warned them to back off with no issue.

"I'm fine," he shrugged nonchalantly, spearing a cherry tomato with his fork and popping it into his mouth. The bells on the door jingled when our classmates came in, but I was slightly distracted by the tiny drop of red juice that had pooled on the corner of his mouth. It was refracting light prettily, casting miniscule pink lights in the particles of dust that hung in the air. In a fraction of a second, his tongue darted out from his gorgeous, full lips to collect the bit of moisture.

"What?" Edward asked, one brow arching smoothly.

"You dazzle me," I told him honestly, resting my head in my hand while stroking the soft skin of his wrist under his shirt with the other. The skin there was almost completely healed and only slightly puckered with scars, but it was still silky and provided interesting patterns and textures. He flushed deliciously at my compliment, the pink spreading across his cheekbones and up to his ears. His gaze flickered over to Jess, Lauren, and Angela, who were standing in line to order, before he looked down at the salad again.

Emmett and Rose were still in the car, debating over whether or not to even come inside. It wasn't clear why they had come in the first place- not that I minded, I just didn't see why anyone would subject themselves to the noxious smells of an insulated restaurant on purpose. But Emmett seemed resolute in his decision to join us when he saw Jess and Lauren, while Rose was arguing that it wasn't as if Edward and I needed a defender, and they only had a day left before Emmett was gone for days.

"Lauren and Jessica are coming over," I told Edward softly, giving him warning as Lauren insisted they at least greet us.

"Hey, Bella!" Jess chippered.

"Hey, guys," I smiled politely.

"Hi, Bella. Edward. How's your summer been?" Angela asked quietly, sliding her thick-framed glasses onto her forehead so her dark hair was pushed back and her face was open and clear. She really was a pretty girl, maybe even beautiful if she learned to not slouch to try and hide her height, but her kindness shone through so brightly it wouldn't have mattered what she looked like.

"Yeah, we haven't seen you, like, at all," Lauren said, the nasal in her voice accentuated with her poor attempt at the southern Californian accent.

"We've just been hanging out, going hiking and such. What have you all been up to?"

Jess brightened at the opportunity to chatter, and went on about the family vacation she took to Vancouver, which led to an opening for Lauren to interrupt about a weekend she had spent in Los Angeles the summer before. I nodded politely and skimmed a spoon through a cup of soup when Emmett and Rose came in. Neither attempted a greeting, nor did any of the three girls. It was just accepted fact that Emmett and Rose wouldn't be sociable, and I didn't think there were many humans who felt comfortable enough to be friendly with them in the first place.

"Doesn't your family usually go away during the summer?" Angela asked, trying to steer the conversation away from Lauren and Jess's bickering over the better vacation.

"Yeah, that's right. You guys were gone all last summer to… where did you say you went?" Lauren asked.

"England, visiting Carlisle's family," Emmett offered, and Lauren paled under her spray tan. He seemed unbothered, and plucked an uneaten hunk of calzone dough from Edward's plate. Edward watched in abject fascination as Emmett chewed on the crust.

"But we're staying home this year," I added.

"Except for our camping trip this weekend!" Emmett cheered, punching Edward in the shoulder very softly, then shooting me a look with his eyebrows raised as if I was meant to be impressed by his tactile control.

"We w-were just at Newton's. B-buying s-supplies. Mike helped u-us out," Edward said quietly, staring at Jess with an intensity that was normally contained. I could see his verdant eyes smoldering even when not looking at me, the dark band of forest green around his pupil expanding intriguingly.

Jess seemed to understand whatever unspoken thought had passed between them, though I didn't understand it. Edward was typically quiet in social settings, so there must be some meaning behind his words that I wasn't finding but Jess certainly knew. She paled to her roots, then a blotchy flush colored her skin.

"Where are you guys going camping?"

"It's just the boys, and they're going to Glacier National Park out in Montana."

"Oh, Bella, you should come to a party this weekend if you're not doing anything!" Lauren squealed, grasping Jess's arm with her sharp nails in excitement.

"I don't know…" I sighed, running one finger along the median vein on the inside of his wrist and enjoying the sensitivity as the blood rushed under his gossamer skin.

"It's fine if you can't, Bella," Angela reassured, "I think our food is ready. Let's go get a table."

"You should come, though. Tyler's brother is old enough to buy beer!" Lauren screeched again with her exceptionally grating voice.

"As exciting as that sounds…" I trailed off. I knew exactly what kind of mood I was going to be in over the weekend, and it certainly wasn't going to be a partying one.

"Rosalie, you can come too. If you want," Angela almost whispered, playing with the collar of her shirt nervously while looking at the vinyl booth behind my sister. I understood the behavior. Not only was she intimidating as a vampire, but it could almost hurt to look at her she was so beautiful. "It's at Tyler's place, Saturday night."

The girls shuffled away to get their food after very brief goodbyes. I was surprised they lasted as long as they did, what with Emmett and Rose showing up and the added discomfort they brought with them.

"They're a weird bunch," Emmett quipped, pinching the leftover crust to pieces and discarding it onto a pile on the sticky tabletop.

"That's what normal human teenagers are like," Rose rolled her eyes, looping her ankle around his under the table.

"A little rude, though, don't you think? They didn't even say hi to us when we sat down."

"You didn't say hi to them, either," I pointed out, switching my soda with Edward's when he drained the cup.

"At least Angela was polite enough to invite me out," Rose added, "I never get invited anywhere with Bella."

"You never want to be invited anywhere," I laughed.

"That's true," Emmett said, prompting a playful glare from his wife.

"I never understood why you hung out with them in the first place," Rose huffed, crossing her arms and leaning back in the vinyl booth, though her legs were still twined around Emmett's underneath the table. I was tempted to do the same to Edward- there was something profoundly intimate about the idea of pressing my ankle to his.

"I like humans," I shrugged. "And they weren't so bad, before. Angela is remarkably kind, and Jessica can be quite funny when she's not around Lauren."

"They're all funny, aren't they? With their fidgeting and food?" Emmett said, looking over at the three girls at a table on the other side of the shop.

"Hey," Edward interjected, voice muffled by the food in his mouth.

"I'm just spitting straight facts, man," Emmett joked, softly punching him on the shoulder again. "But wait, what was that about? The Stanley girl looked like she saw a ghost for a second." Emmett paused, then lit up and grinned widely, flashing his sharp teeth. "Or a vampire." He was the only one who laughed at his own, slow joke, and almost everyone in the restaurant looked over at us before quickly averting their gazes.

"It's n-nothing. She's j-just n-n-not as nice as she m-makes herself out t-to b-be, and I think I r-reminded her of th-that."

And then it made sense. At Newton's, Mike had made it clear that he and Jess had been dating since prom, but at our end-of-the-year party, we had found Jess in a compromising state with someone who was not Mike. I smiled softly at Edward and began again with tracing patterns along the inside of his wrist.

Edward had finished with his lunch, leaving behind no leftovers. It was a remarkable thing- the male metabolism. He was still technically underweight despite months of four-thousand calorie days, and I wondered what it would take to get him to gain some weight.

Emmett insisted we follow them home so they could review their purchases and pack up the Jeep, but I excused us away. Charlie and Alice would be getting home soon, and I thought it best for Edward to make an appearance at the Swan house before spending the night 'with Emmett' so they could get an early start in the morning.

It hurt to think about his impending departure. It was silly, too. Emmett would never let anything happen to his brother, and Carlisle would make sure Emmett didn't cross any lines. If anything, I could treat this as a test run for my trip to Italy, like a chance to acclimate to the distance, however physically and emotionally painful.

But the anxiety was still there.

Charlie and Alice hadn't yet arrived when I pulled up to the grassy curb outside the house, which I was grateful for. Between spending time with Alice, therapy, the blossoming bond between Edward and Emmett, and his human obligations and constraints, I felt starved of actual alone time.

Edward seemed to feel the same sense of urgency to squeeze in every second together, and had no objection to letting me pack for him.

"You p-probably know what I-I'll n-need better than I d-do," he laughed, collapsing on the bed but propping himself up on his elbows to watch as I rifled through the tiny closet. I was glad that Alice had been supplementing his wardrobe since we had started shopping together twice a week while Edward was in therapy, otherwise he would only have a selection of five mostly threadbare shirts and two hoodies, both with holes. I poked my finger through one of the holes, melancholia washing over me at the thought of him, huddled on a park bench in the wet snow with only this sweater to protect him.

"Are you okay?" he asked, noticing that I had stopped. I was grateful that I was physically incapable of crying, because I was sure I would have been otherwise.

"Just thinking."

"Tell me?"

I bit down on the corner of my bottom lip and slid the sweater off its hanger. "I was thinking about you, actually."

"I c-c-can't imagine why," he snorted, and I rolled my eyes. There was hardly a fleeting moment in which Edward didn't occupy at least a few of my streams of consciousness, and he was typically at the forefront. The only time I found myself not preoccupied with him was hunting, and it didn't take long to track, hunt, and drain even the largest of our prey.

"Silly," I admonished, folding the hoodie quickly and placing it into one of the suitcases Alice had purchased for him. "I was thinking about you, before. On the street. In one of those horrific group homes."

"There w-wasn't m-much of a me, before. Thinking back, i-i-it's like reflecting on a shadow." He sat up in bed, one hand cupping his neck and holding up his head, the other pinching the bridge of his nose. "I've been t-talking about it in th-th-therapy lately. More and more, I f-find that when I th-think about my l-l-life before Forks, it's like it's n-not even me anymore. It's l-like it's someone else's m-m-memories."

I quickly folded several pairs of socks together and stashed them in the bag before sitting beside Edward, the mattress creaking under my added weight. "Is that a good thing?"

"I think so." He moved his hand from his face to wrap around my leg, his fingertips pressing into my denim-covered inner thigh. "I just… I-I n-n-need time."

"I've got plenty of that," I promised, covering his hand with my own.

"Are you d-done packing?" He whispered, his voice like crushed velvet and impossibly and contradictorily both rough and so smooth.

"You're all ready to go." I leaned into him, my eyes darting back and forth between his verdant eyes with heavy lids and curling lashes, and his full lips and arching Cupid's bow that was calling to me, begging to be worshipped.

"That's good." His head tilted slightly, and the hand that wasn't on my leg found its way to my face, cupping my cheek and drawing me into him.

It was so easy, so natural to just melt into him. If hunting was the only activity I found where my mind went mostly blank as I focused on the pursuit of my primal goal, then this was the only activity where every thought I had was entirely consumed with only Edward. His lips, his tongue, the taste of his mouth, the heat of his hand on my thigh. I was sure I was going to spontaneously combust one day, but if that happened, this would be the best way to go.

I could hear the screeching rumble of the truck engine from over a mile away. I wouldn't have been surprised if even Edward could hear it, as it thundered and echoed across the wet pavement, but he was still more than preoccupied with looping his hot tongue with mine.

"Charlie and Alice are almost home," I frowned, pulling away from him thought my body screamed at me to hold him closer.

"How m-much l-longer do we have?"

"Three minutes?" I guessed, quickly calculating their speed based how close they sounded, and trying to triangulate their exact location to map out the route they would be taking home. Thankfully, the truck was an incredibly slow-moving vehicle.

"Let's m-make it c-c-count." His lips captured mine again, and I quickly found myself losing focus again. I threw myself into it, making it count. I fisted my fingers in his hair, the sensory addition of his silky locks consuming another line of thought. I was thankfully still aware in some capacity, though it seemed impossible when I traced along the ridges at the roof of his mouth, my own flooded with the mixture of sweet venom and a nectar of honey and lilac.

The rusted door of the truck shutting forced me from my revelry and snapped me back into the present reality where Alice and Charlie were walking up the front steps. I quickly scooped Edward up and flashed over to the couch in the living room. Edward blinked, trying to acclimate to the movement, but I was still moving. I flicked on the television and searched for a harmless movie playing on one of the premium channels- at least Charlie spared no expense when it came to his cable package and entertainment system. I turned back to Edward, wo was looking deliciously if inappropriately disheveled on the couch.

"Charlie's getting ready to open the door," I told him slowly enough for him to understand as I raked my fingers through his hair so it sat in its usually messy wave pattern, and laid my hands on his flushed cheeks for a moment for him to cool down.

"Woah." Edward blinked, and I quickly arranged myself on the couch in a very platonic manner, with my head on his shoulder and my feet tucked under me just as the front door creaked open and Alice danced through the foyer.

"Hey, kids," Charlie greeted, shrugging off his jacket and depositing it on the rack next to Alice's.

"Hi, Charlie. How did the driving lesson go?" I asked, turning away from Edward so I could look at Charlie as he followed behind Alice to the kitchen.

"Fine. Actually a pretty good driver, that girl."

"I'm an excellent driver," Alice corrected, eliciting a laugh from Charlie.

"You wouldn't l-l-like the way sh-she learned," Edward told Charlie.

He cocked his head and crossed his arms, looking from Alice to Edward questioningly, but Alice stayed silent. "What does that mean?" He asked finally.

"It doesn't mean anything, he's just jealous because he can't drive," Alice defended, sticking her tongue out at Edward when Charlie turned his back to her.

"What it m-means is she l-learned f-from a girl who w-was in a g-g-group home with her who l-lifted c-cars," Edward chuckled.

"Grand theft auto, Alice?" I asked, joining in on the ribbing as Charlie's face colored a bright scarlet.

"I didn't steal anything!" she squealed, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as if she was about to make a run for it. "I'm a product of the system! I can't help it!"

"So you haven't… I mean, you're not doing that anymore, right?" Charlie asked, clearing his throat.

"No!" Alice shouted, her voice climbing two octaves. Edward hid his snort behind his hand, and I couldn't help but join in as his whole body shook in silent laughter. If Edward was typically gorgeous, seeing him laugh freely was what I could only term as the closest thing to a religious encounter I would ever experience.

We spent most of the evening with Alice and Charlie, who had gotten comfortable enough with his delinquent foster daughter that he didn't mind jokingly lobbing cop questioning at her. I cooked an early dinner for everyone, complete with a few more servings perfect for leftovers. After promising to hang out with her over the weekend, Alice bounded upstairs to draw in her new sketchbook, and Charlie confirmed our plans once again.

"You guys aren't worried about the weather?" he asked, looking behind me at the drizzling rain as Edward stashed his suitcase in the trunk of my car.

"I'm pretty sure Carlisle's been checking the forecast pretty often. And if it rains, it's not a big deal. Emmett's bringing tarps and coverings."

"Yeah, I guess your whole family does a lot of camping."

"We love the outdoors."

"Ever do any fishing?" He asked, nose twitching almost imperceptibly as Edward rejoined us. His hand slipped into mine, and I leaned into the contact and the gentle heat.

"Not really, but we do hunt," I smiled at my own silly joke, and Edward choked on his own breath which left him coughing.

Charlie looked at Edward appraisingly, arching an eyebrow before inquiring about what kind of game we hunted.

"Deer and elk, mostly, though we do get the occasional bear."

Charlie leaned back on the door frame, eyes wide in surprise. I figured I knew exactly what he was thinking. Esme, me, and especially Rose, dressed in camouflage with guns and firing at a giant bear. Even I had to admit the imagery was preposterous, but that was mostly because human hunting was rather funny. They're such slow creatures, it's any wonder they ever catch anything.

"Edward doesn't have a hunting license," he said finally.

"Not to worry, there's no hunting in the plans for the weekend. I think Emmett was bringing some fishing poles just in case, but if they do, I'm sure my father will make sure he gets a temporary license at a park ranger's office in Montana," I said, sure to include Carlisle's name. It worked like a charm, and Charlie visibly relaxed and wished us a quick farewell. I knew he and Carlisle had spoken on the phone more than once, and Charlie was particularly impressed with how quickly Carlisle had managed to obtain permission from Child Protective Services for Edward to travel out-of-state, especially since it would be without his licensed guardian. In actuality, anything was possibly with the money we had at our disposal.

Emmett was in the outer garage with Rose, packing the Jeep and utilizing every inch of space in the massive vehicle for all the equipment he was taking, not all of it necessary. Rose was half-heartedly helping him, though I knew it was more because she didn't want to be too far from him when they would be parted in a few short hours. I understood the sentiment entirely.

Esme was in the kitchen, cooking up a storm for prepared meals for the trip. At her feet was a giant white cooler already stocked with drinks, and I knew she would make sure that no one would have to do much cooking beyond reheating food over a fire.

Edward followed me up the stairs, his hand still in mine as we had only separated getting in and out of the car. Just a few more minutes of human obligations and I could curl up next to him in my bed and bask in his presence, but first I led him up to Carlisle's office.

"I figured you might want to take a book with you?" I asked opening the door.

Carlisle stood up from his desk when we walked in, tossing his head so his long blond hair brushed out of his face and tucked behind his ears. He hadn't been home long, and was still dressed in his white coat and slacks, but no one could look as completely at ease and in place in any situation as Carlisle.

"Please, you're welcome to anything," Carlisle offered, holding out his hand. "The contemporary literature is on this shelf, but Bella's mentioned you're also a fan of the classics."

"I d-don't know. What do you c-c-consider modern and wh-what d-do you consider the antiquity?" Edward quipped, his full lips pulling up in a playful crooked grin.

"Oh, an age joke. Haven't heard that before."

"Have you?" I chuckled, releasing Edward's hand so he could browse the shelves. It was fascinating, watching him mouth the names of books he was considering, his fingers brushing the spines in almost reverence as if each of them was some holy book.

"Are you reading a physics paper?" I asked, plucking an annotated manuscript from Carlisle's desk.

"It's also philosophical. You may even learn something from it."

"What's philosophical about physics?" I said sardonically, flipping through the abstract of the paper.

"Well, it's the rules of the universe. The better question to ask would be about what's not philosophical about physics."

I connected the topics outlined in the paper together and snorted, tossing the paper back on his desk among the stacks of other paperwork and research articles. "I can't believe you're giving any credence to the simulation hypothesis."

Carlisle pursed his lips and tilted his chin out, looking down at me. He didn't like when I disparaged philosophical theories of any kind, though it was hypocritical since we both routinely discussed our shared dislike of nihilism. As pessimistic as I could be, we could both agree that nihilism was just too dark to explain anything when we had found eternal life.

"Since quantum mechanics tells us particles don't have definite properties until we measure them, isn't it highly likely that we're living in a simulation that's saving computational resources by rendering physical phenomena when necessary?"

"What makes it highly likely?" I asked sarcastically, my gaze flickering over to Edward, who had turned his attention from the book he was perusing the first chapter of, to our conversation.

"Well, paired with the wave particle duality of light," Carlisle also noticed that Edward was listening to us intently, and turned to him to explain, "which is similar to how video games render graphics based on your attention to them, it makes the non-simulation theory more suspect."

"Contrarily," I argued, "It might be computationally easier to store the exact location of particles instead of probability distributions for each particle, so if this is theoretically a simulation, the mechanism that controls it isn't exactly efficient. Which is kind of a disproval in and of itself."

"I think I h-have a headache," Edward complained, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

I darted to his side and wrapped an arm around his waist, drawing myself into him. "I'm sorry," I apologized. I ran through the possible cures I could offer- ibuprofen or acetaminophen, an herbal tea, an ice pack.

"I think he met metaphorically," Carlisle said dryly, looking at Edward knowingly.

"You're just upset I debunked your precious paper in five seconds," I said snidely, shooting a glare at him before looking up at Edward. "Did you find a book you'd like to take?"

He held up the novel to show me- some modern work of fiction that wasn't all that bad for twenty-first century writing. "Excellent. We'll see you in the morning, Carlisle."

We were already in the hall by the time Carlisle said good night, though I could still hear him laughing to himself as we wound up the stairs to the top floor.

"Emmett's almost done packing the truck up, and when he is, he and Rose will go and make sure Alice is safe for the night," I promised, moving around the room quickly to get Edward situated. There were towels and toiletries in the en suite bathroom, I had the bed turned down, and a glass of water prepared on the nightstand before Edward could take two steps.

"I d-don't know if I'll ever g-g-get used to that," he repeated, smiling crookedly.

"I'm sorry," I said meekly, stepping into his awaiting arms and pressing the side of my face to his warm chest. The steady beat of his heart was the most comfortable, melodic sound I had ever heard in the universe. Not even the sensual trilling in Bizet's Carmen could measure up to the thumping rhythm that kept my love alive.

"Stop apologizing," he said, pulling back but quickly silencing my protest by pressing his lips against mine.

Not even the anxiety of about inevitable separation could taint such a moment as when Edward's mouth moved against mine. Camping, the Volturi, the fragility of humanity- nothing could taint something as pure and obviously true. Though I had always doubted and questioned the existence of a higher power- and obviously thought the proposal of a computer simulation was preposterous- it was difficult to not believe that there was some greater meaning or design to all of this.

Next up is camping and what Bella gets up to in the meantime, then another chapter or two with development, and then we should be getting to the action. I hope you'll stick with me!