Happy birthday, Lisa.

I don't own Twilight.

Counterpoint outtake, Chapter 11

The interrogation began before I was even fully awake. I stumbled into the kitchen Tuesday morning and had barely wrapped my fingers around the handle of the coffee pot when my mother's greeting broke through my grogginess.

"Good morning," she called from the island. "I'm getting things ready for this weekend. Will Bella be joining us?"

"Yes. She's riding down with me and staying all weekend."

"Good." My mother continued to type on her Blackberry as she spoke. "I'm looking forward to getting to know her a bit better."

I poured myself a cup of coffee and joined my mom at the island. "Just so you know, this is my first cup. I'm not awake enough to accurately discern sarcasm."

"I wasn't being sarcastic." My mother put down her Blackberry and looked at me. "This may seem hard for you to believe, but I'm not against Bella. I'm just not sure I understand her. For what it's worth, I'd like to. So, back to this weekend. Is she allergic to any foods?"

"I'm heading to her house in a bit. I'll find out and text you."

"Great. Which room do you think she'd prefer?"

Mine.

Well, that would be my preference. I wondered if Bella would be weirded out by sleeping with me in my parents' house.

"I was kind of hoping she'd be with me."

"That's completely inappropriate, and you know it."

"Mom, we've slept in the same bed before. It's not a big deal. My virtue is still intact."

"This isn't about sex, Edward. Don't insult my intelligence. If two people really want to be intimate, they'll find a way."

"Then what is it about?"

She took a sip of her coffee. "Respect, for one. You know, traditionally unmarried couples are always placed in separate sleeping quarters. Meanwhile, their hosts pretend to ignore late night hallway traffic."

"That's a waste of energy."

"So is writing a personal response to an invitation when a reply card was provided, but we still do it because it's polite." She sighed. "What is this really about?"

"I just want to spend time with her."

"And that's all it is?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Fine, then. She can stay with you."

Art After 5 Outtake Chapter 48

I stepped out of his way and handed him the knife and meat fork. "You're good with him."

Edward laughed began carving the turkey. "I should be. I'm their back up to their back up babysitter."

I leaned against the refrigerator laughing.

"What?" he said.

"That's like being Speaker of the House. Sure, it's a nice ego boost to say you're third in line for the Presidency, but you'll never actually have the stress of sitting in the Oval Office."

Edward held up the meat fork mocking a menacing gesture. "I'll have you know I have watched David on multiple occasions, when Rose was stuck in the office unexpectedly and Emmett had previous school commitments."

"How very domestic of you," I teased. "This morning you wore my ruffled apron. Now you're telling me you've worked as a nanny. If I didn't know any better, I would seriously question your masculinity."

He put the knife and fork down and pulled me against him, crashing his lips against mine. He kiss was passionate and thorough, and ended just as suddenly as it had started. I leaned against the kitchen table, catching my breath, as Edward went back to carving the turkey completely unfazed.

"Was that manly enough for you?" he joked.

"I don't think I'm convinced yet of your prowess. Could you do that again, please?"

"I'd love to, but then we'd never get food on the table."

And, a preview of a [WAY] ahead chapter of Counterpoint.

This takes place in March of Edward's freshmen year of college.

(this space is for people who don't like teasers to skip here)

"You don't seem too enthusiastic about being here."

"Is it that obvious?"

She looked disappointed.

"I'm sorry. I'm being kind of an ass. It has nothing to do with you. It's not that I don't want to be with you right now. I don't want to be with anyone. Mike is forcing the issue because I've been so antisocial lately, and it's starting to annoy him. Well, that or he just wants the room to himself so he can get laid."

She raised an eyebrow. "The path of least resistance leads to my dorm room?"

"Only in the sense that Mike wanted me out of ours for a while, and Irina said you wouldn't mind."

"I don't mind, though if you truly want to be alone you could just as easily write your paper at Firestone. Mike and Irina would still get to be alone. You'd get your work done without being forced into socializing. Everyone wins." She shrugged and pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

I nodded my head toward the window. "Would you want to go out in that?"

A rumble of thunder punctuated my question.

"Not if I could avoid it," she admitted.

"There you go."

She sighed and picked up her laptop.

"See you later, Edward. Lock the door on your way out."

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Out. Hang out as long as you'd like. Look, I understand you're here largely under duress, but you need to realize I don't make a habit of spending time with people who clearly have no interest in spending time me. It's fine, and I'm not offended. I'm not, however, a glutton for punishment. Help yourself to soda and beer if you want, and I'll see you around."

I felt like a complete asshole.

"Kate, please stay."

She turned around.

"I'm sorry. I just..." I sighed. "I'm not usually this much of a jerk. I'm not sure what's wrong with me. Actually, I know exactly what's wrong with me, but I don't want to bore you with my sob story about how the first woman I ever loved callously dumped me on a holiday. I just want you to know that my bad attitude has nothing whatsoever to do with you. You seem very nice and genuine, and I can't blame you for wanting to get the fuck away from me just now." I hung my head low, and covered my face with my hands. "God, how many times have I wished I could get the fuck away from me lately."

She put her laptop down on her desk and sat down on the couch next to me. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head. "I don't want to even think about it."

"When I was eight, I had a crush on one of the boys in the neighborhood. I wanted to get his attention and prove that I could keep up with him. There was a enormous spruce tree that he liked to climb, and one day I decided to follow him to the top. I didn't let fact I was wearing a dress stop me. Needless to say, the shoes little girls wear on Sundays are not meant for climbing. I got halfway up the tree when I lost my footing and fell, breaking both my leg and my wrist."

"That had to suck."

"It did. I guess my point is, everyone has fallen out of the tree at some point. You brush yourself off and get your friends to write silly messages on your bulky plaster casts. You give yourself some time. Eventually, you climb the tree again. You're slightly wary of course, but you've learned a few things."

"And if you decide you're done climbing?"

"Was it that awful?"

I said nothing, and sunk further into my seat.

"I'm sorry, Edward."

She stood up and walked over to her closet.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Taking your mind off it."

"I don't want to smoke."

"Good," she said, pulling something off the shelf. "I never touch the stuff, personally."

I felt like an idiot for suggesting she did when I saw what she was holding.

"Scrabble?" I asked in disbelief.

"Drinking Scrabble," she clarified. "If either of us get a bingo, the other does a shot. You game?"

It was completely asinine, and incredibly appealing.

I couldn't refuse.