Hey everyone! Finally, the long-awaited chapter! I know you all love me now :D

Haha, well, I wont keep you from this EXTREMELY long chapter that I took FOREVER to write :D. only for my disclaimer so I don't get those scary lawyer people to come after me :D

Disclaimer: I don't own it, okay! I don't. I own a dilapidated and mutilated copy of Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse, but I don't OWN it. If you know what I mean.

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"Bella! Bella, where are you," I heard a distinctive voice call as I scrubbed the strawberry-scented shampoo into my scalp.

"Alice, you already know where I am," I stated in a normal tone. Wherever she was, she wouldn't have trouble hearing me.

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Bella. It's all about the experience." She was right outside the bathroom now, knocking softly before she stepped in.

I rolled my eyes. "Welcome back, Alice."

"Thanks." She said before beginning to answer the question I hadn't even gotten a chance to ask, "Oh my gosh, it was so much fun. We went shopping in at least five different malls. It was amazing. You would have loved it. Oh, and I found the perfect dress for you to wear on your—" she was cut off by a faint (to my ears) growl. "Whoops." She said, grinning and opening the door that led to her room.

"Wait, Alice!" I called, but she was already gone. I knew what she had been about to say, it wasn't that hard to figure out, especially with Edward growling before she could finish. Edward was planning to take me out. Not that I minded or anything. I just loathed it when he spent money on me. And it sounded as if Alice had already bought me an entirely new wardrobe while she was in Alaska. Fantastic.

I stepped out of the shower and dried myself off, turning to put on the clothes I had brought with me. I suppose it shouldn't have surprised me, but Alice had exchanged my comfortable jeans and t-shirt for something a bit more…revealing.

"Alice!" I yelled, "I am not wearing this!" I heard her laughing from her room, and I grabbed the handle of the door, planning to berate her for trying to dress me like a prostitute. As I opened the door, though, I got a surprise. Alice was not alone in her room.

I felt my eyes go as wide and my cheeks turn a bright magenta as I quickly closed the door and mentally damned Alice to the deepest realms of Hades. She could have warned me that Edward was in the room! I was sure she knew that I would walk in and, at that exact moment, Edward would just happen to be looking at the bathroom door. I was only wearing a towel, for God's sake!

"Oh no." I whispered to myself. "Oh, crap! This is just great! Ugh." I shook my head, sitting down on the edge of the bathtub. I couldn't even go out again to talk to them because I didn't have any decent clothes to wear. I was just going to have to wait this one out.

I didn't have to wait long. After a few minutes of brooding and much more blushing, I heard a knock at the door.

"Bella?" I heard Alice's tentative voice ask.

"Yes?" I asked, hoping she was going to give my clothes back.

"Can I come in?" she asked. I felt bad for making her feel bad. Miss Swan and the Vicious Circle.

"Sure, Alice." I told her. The door cracked open for a second, and then she slipped in, closing it behind her.

"I brought your clothes." She said, holding them out towards me. When I took them, her hand fell limply to her side, and her face remained devastatedly sad. "I'm sorry." She whispered, her eyes examining the tile.

"Alice?" I asked, trying to get her to look at me. She looked up, her eyes guarded as if she were expecting me to yell at her. "It's okay."

"Really?" she asked, her brilliant topaz eyes lighting up. "I thought you were going to scream at me or something." She sighed, smiling.

"Really? You thought I, probably the most nonviolent person on the planet, was going to yell at you?" I asked incredulously.

"Well, no, not really. You just handle things better when I don't go around laughing at your expense." She said, with a smug smile. Why did people always make me feel inferior? "So do you want to see what I got you?" she asked, her expression a mixture of craziness and excitement.

I was terrified.

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"Oh, Alice. I can't wear this! It must have cost a fortune!" Alice had almost literally shoved me into the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It was navy blue—spaghetti strapped, and beautiful. Too beautiful.

"Bella, when are you going to get over this? I like spending money on you. And its not like I can't either. We have more money than we know what to do with."

"And if you must know, that dress only cost twenty dollars." She grimaced, apparently at the price of the garment. I, however, was ecstatic.

"Really?" I paused, admiring the dress again. "I can't imagine you going to a store where something might actually be this cheap."

She winced again. "There was a sale." She stated simply. That made a bit more sense. Then she sighed, "Well, I saw you wearing it and you looked great, and Edward loved it, and I decided to sacrifice my love of shopping for your happiness." She smiled her perky Alice smile, and I felt tears stinging my eyes.

"Oh, Alice, " I cried, hugging her with all of my pathetic human strength. She wrapped her stony arms around me and squeezed gently—trying not to injure me, I assumed. "Thank you," I whispered after a few minutes, "You're the best sister ever!" I heard her tinkling laugh from my right shoulder and released her.

"You know what this means, right?" she asked. I shook my head, though I could guess from the look on her face and I was not happy.

"Makeup time!" she screamed, tugging me back into her bathroom.

"Alice…" I complained as she sat me down, "You really don't have to do this. The dress was enough." I was trying to come at her from a new angle. Complaining about not wanting makeup or clothes (at least not the ones she dressed me in) hadn't seemed to work, so maybe this might.

"Silly Bella. This is fun for me. And Edward will love it, I promise." Okay, I admit it; I am officially the biggest pushover the world had ever seen. As soon as she uttered his name, there was no way I could have refused.

As Alice brushed, curled, blended, and swept, I imagined what tonight's occasion was. Knowing Edward, as I did, it was sure to be something extravagant and beautiful. Perfect, of course, but I felt I was undeserving of the perfection. That was what had always made me uncomfortable with people spending money on me. I didn't deserve it. I had Edward. That was enough for a lifetime.

"All done!" Alice chirped, spinning me around to face the mirror. I gasped as I saw myself. Somehow, Alice always made me look like…not me. Whenever I exited her torture chamber of a bathroom, I was different. Better.

"Thank you." I whispered again, knowing as I said it, that as thankful as I was, I would still protest when she decided to subject me to this again.

Alice grinned, showing all of her lethally beautiful teeth, smug as an amateur beautician could be.

"Alice! Are you finished with her yet?" Called the all too familiar honey-smooth voice of my angel.

"Impatient, isn't he?" I heard Alice mutter under her breath before she answered, "Not yet, Edward. Just hold your silly horses!" She continued to mummer, too quickly for my human ears, as she recovered a pair of shoes, earrings, and a necklace for me to wear along with the dress. Everything matched perfectly... of course

"Alright, Cinderella!" Alice said as she pushed me out of her room, "Go mystify your prince!" I laughed at her comparison as I walked carefully down the stairs to meet Edward.

Of course, being me, I couldn't help but trip on my way down, even being as careful as I was. About halfway down, my foot caught on the stair and I began to tumble downward—in a dress, might I add. Thankfully, Edward caught me before I really embarrassed myself. I heard his low chuckle by my left ear, leaving me breathless and sprawled out on the stairs with his arms around me. A strangely comfortable position, though that was probably due to his arms being wrapped around my waist. I felt the inevitable blush begin to creep up my cheeks and struggled against his arms to get up.

Apparently, he wasn't having any of that. I felt the ground disappear from underneath me as he carried me bridal style down the stairs. I felt my blush renew itself, reddening my cheeks even further.

To distract myself from my current embarrassment, I interrogated him. "So where are we going tonight?" I didn't expect an answer—with him, everything was always a surprise. An irritating, however rewarding, quirk. I saw the telltale smirk that confirmed my thoughts.

"It's a secret." He whispered in my ear, his cold breath tickling me and making my whole body shiver in pleasure.

Somehow, he managed to open the door without dropping me, continuing on until finally placing me in his Volvo. Before he shut the door, he brushed his lips across mine, slowly, tantalizingly. I was slightly hyperventilating by the time he was seated.

"Cheater." I muttered when I caught my breath. I heard him chuckle, the low sound just adding to my awe.

"No, Bella. I believe you are cheating tonight. You look absolutely irresistible." He turned away from the road for a moment to stroke my freshly reddened face with his cool fingertips. Before I could protest, however, his eyes returned to the road, probably predicting my reaction.

"I think you're wrong." I whispered, examining his clothing for the first time tonight. His dark ensemble was stunning—I'd always loved dark colors on him. My eyes flickered back up to his equally stunning face, and I was captivated. His eyes were darker tonight, a color almost similar to mine because he hadn't hunted in some time. I was caught in his gaze like a deer in headlights. A great analogy for the situation—I was the innocent deer caught in the eyes of the fearless predator. I had never seen him that way, however. To me, he was always just Edward. A more sophisticated—and dangerous—version of a human. Nothing more.

"That's not possible." He whispered as he stopped the car and leaned over to cup my face in his hands. He leaned down slowly—irritatingly slowly—and softly pressed his lips to mine. I gasped, struggling to control my reflexes. I wanted to push myself against him, to feel his body against mine, but I couldn't. It would be too hard for him, and I didn't want to make this any harder than it already was. Cautiously, though every nerve in my body objected, I pulled myself away from the kiss—the first time I had been able to do so by myself.

Slowly, I felt my mouth curve up into a triumphant smile—I was proud of my small, but significant, feat. It made me feel like I had a semblance of control for once. I looked up into Edwards's eyes, not expecting what I found there. There was pain there. An incomprehensible amount of it. I instantly regretted pulling away. I was sure that was what had caused his agony. I felt the smile slide off of my face like water on a slide. I felt my eyes go wide, and my mind scrambled to come up with a solution to the problem I had created.

"I-I'm sorry." Was all I managed to come up with. It was pathetic, but his arms wrapped around me and pulled me close, well, as close as could be while we were both still restrained by seatbelts. The only disadvantage of this situation was that I couldn't see his face. I wanted to know if that awful pain was still there, or if I had somehow managed to make it clear that I had not meant to hurt him. "Do you forgive me?" I asked, still worrying.

"Oh Bella," he whispered into my ear, "You did nothing wrong. It just scared me a little. I thought you didn't want me." His perfect voice was slightly strangled at the end—as if he were trying not to cry. It was awful. The pain in his voice and the memory of the pain in his eyes tore at my heart like a knife. I was a terrible person.

I felt his cold hand move to my hair, and his nose traced a fiery line down to inhale the scent at my throat. My breathing hitched, and I felt all comprehensible thought fall away from my mind as I was consumed in his presence. It was all I could do to keep myself from passing out.

"Ed-Edward?" I managed to gasp out as one of his hands glided down to the small of my back.

"Yes?" I faintly heard him murmur from my neck, his mouth tracing a line along my pulse. I struggled to say something more, but surrendered as he unbuckled me from the car, and lifted me out—still with his lips on my throat. My eyes were too unfocused to realize where we were, and nothing else was registering either. I was completely inebriated by his presence. "I love you." He said it so softly, so tenderly, I almost melted.

I felt my feet collide with solid ground, and his arm wrapped around my waist before he turned me to face an entirely candlelit section of land. Somewhere in a forest, I guessed, because trees surrounded us.

"Wow." I breathed, awestruck. It was absolutely breathtaking—but that may have been because I was still out of breath from his stunts of a few minutes ago.

"You like it?" he asked, pulling me toward a table with even more candles covering it, though they were in candlesticks.

"Of course, I love it." I told him, staring up into his face. The candlelight made his eyes flicker in a striking way—it looked like they were on fire. He led me to the table, his arm still around my waist, and sat me down in the closest chair. His arm left me as he strode over to the other side— keeping his hand in mine.

"I'm glad." He half-whispered, smiling his heartbreakingly beautiful smile. I blushed, looking down.

"Don't do that," he said softly, "your blush is lovely. You shouldn't try to hide it." I felt his icy finger tip my chin up and I blushed again, trying—and failing, due to his finger—to look down. "Are you hungry?" he asked, still speaking in an undertone. I assessed my condition and answered.

"Yeah." I muttered, a little sheepish. He smiled and uncovered a dish I hadn't noticed before. Now that I looked, there were many of the same dishes, all covered with aluminum foil. The aroma wafting up from the uncovered dish was amazing. It smelled like banana bread, but I couldn't be sure.

"Do you want some?" he asked, his amazing smile only enhancing his blazing eyes. I was rendered speechless once again, this time by Edward himself. My heart began to race, thumping in my chest. Something in his eyes shifted slightly, and his smile faltered. I shook my head and attempted to muster my scattered thoughts.

"Oh, sorry." I said, blushing, "Of course I want some. It smells great." I smiled, the blush refusing to fade from my cheeks.

"What's this for?" he asked, brushing my cheek softly. I blushed harder, probably making my face resemble a plum. I looked away from his face, trying not to allow him to dazzle it out of me. The stupid blush was growing every second, and I was afraid my face was going to explode. Not something I wanted to happen.

"Please, Bella?" he breathed, leaning in—his breath hit me full on. I looked up and in that instant I knew I was defeated. I tried to draw it out. The nervous stuttering was on my side for once.

"W-well…I w-was l-looking at you." I said, deciding to look out at the field of candles rather than see his reaction. I felt silly. He turned my face back to his, and I saw his grin. He probably thought I was insane. Maybe I was insane.

"Silly Bella." He chuckled. He leaned forward to brush his flawless lips against mine, and I leaned in. My eyes closed and my heart began to race. It was over too soon. I missed the feel of his lips on mine, and I pouted. He laughed at my expression and reached for my hand again.

I sighed, leaning back in my chair, and glanced towards the food. I really was hungry. Edward saw the glance and began to pile everything onto my plate—pasta salad, chicken with some sort of sauce on it, green beans, a roll, and the mouthwatering banana bread. I slowly began to eat. The food was delicious, of course, and I wondered where it came from. Surely a person who found human food appalling could not cook a meal this extraordinary.

"This is great!" I exclaimed, the surprise probably making itself known on my face, because he laughed lightly.

"Thank you. I ordered it from a restaurant in Port Angeles. I thought you might like to have something good tonight. Granola bars." He scoffed. I glared at him for a second, but the responsive grin melted it right off my face. How was he able to do that? A smile that wondrous should be illegal. He could give someone a heart attack with it—namely, me.

The rest of my dinner passed with little interruption—Edward seemed to be fascinated with watching me eat—and I enjoyed it tremendously. The only thought that plagued me was the amount of money he must have spent on food that would go uneaten. Why he always seemed to fell the need to spend incredible amounts of money on things I don't need was beyond me.

When I was finished, I looked up into his golden eyes, only to find them troubled. "What is it?" I asked, reaching my hand across the candles to stroke his cheek, wishing the look would just evaporate. "Please tell me," I asked, the pain leaking through in my voice. I watched as his eyes instantly became softer but hesitant—he didn't want to tell me what was wrong. "Edward…." I grumbled. The corners of his mouth curved up into a smile at my annoyance. I glared at him. "Tell me." I demanded. He instantly sobered up. I watched him for a few more minutes and just as I was opening my mouth to tell him he didn't have to tell me if he didn't want to, his mouth opened also. We both smiled, and I let him go.

"Well…" he hesitated, the serious look back on his face, "I was…wondering what you were thinking…earlier. When you…stopped kissing me." As I listened to him struggle for words, I felt an enormous load of guilt wash over me. I had caused him an immense amount of pain and I hadn't even known it.

"Oh, Edward," I rushed, "I'm so so sorry. You're going to think I'm childish and immature and so many other horrible things that I know I am…" I looked down, feeling like a total ninny for doing what I had done. That small selfish victory had wounded him. And it was my entire fault.

My traitorous heart had once again pumped what was conceivably all of the blood in my body to my face. I could feel it burning and wished it would just go away. Nothing I was doing was helping the situation.

I felt his cool finger brush against the burning heat in my cheeks, and I looked up. "I'm sorry." He articulated, making me confused as well as guilty and embarrassed. Too many emotions for one moment. I got up and walked over to place myself in his lap. His icy arms wrapped around me, and his lips were at my ear. "You don't have to tell me. I see now that you did not do it on purpose. That's all I needed to know." I looked down at my lap, steeling myself to explain to him. He deserved it, no matter what he said.

"No, Edward. I want to tell you," I began, "I just wanted…to see if I could…if it was possible for me to…stop myself." I blushed furiously at the last part, and I heard his chuckle.

"Silly Bella," He whispered, pulling me closer, "it's nice to know that I'm not the only one who can control myself. I just wish you had told me. I thought…I thought you didn't love me, for a moment." He laughed softly again, and the guilt came back to me.

"I feel awful." I whispered to him.

"Don't." he told me, pressing his lips to my jaw, slowly brushing them back and forth in a way that made my heart beat frantically. His lips moved up to mine, and I fervently pushed myself against his body, control, along with any other coherent thought, whisked away by his lips. As he reluctantly pulled himself away, I gasped for air. "Although it's nice to know I can still provoke that reaction in you." I could practically hear the grin in his voice.

We spent a few more hours in the candlelit clearing before Edward deemed it necessary to return. We rode back to the Cullen mansion in silence, holding hands and absorbing the perfect bliss of tonight's expedition.

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So did you all love it? I know you love me for spending all of my precious spare time writing it for you :D. so there. I updated. Its your turn now. REVIEW! (or I will be forced to explain to you the horrors of the rocket that I invented to send after r0b0tic vampir to make her update faster.)

Cappy