He's So Shy

A/N: Here's the ladies' conversation while the guys were out hunting;)

Don't forget to get your submissions for the Twilight Anniversary Contest in! Entries are accepted until 11:59 PM MST November 30, 2009.

www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2115072/Twilight_Anniversary_Challenge

I also cannot forget to thank Gleena for reviewing this for me, and giving her awesome input!

Stephenie owns it, not me:)

Renesmee and I stood in the living room of our small cottage for a few minutes after Edward had left with Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper. Ness pressed her hand to my cheek, wordlessly asking when Edward would walk back through the door.

"Well sweetheart, Daddy will be hunting with Grandpa and your uncles for three days. Today is Friday, so Daddy will be home on Sunday night." Renesmee seemed to consider that, and not for the first time, I wished that I could know what she was thinking as easily as my husband could. I suddenly had new respect for Edward's frustration with my shield.

Nessie put her hand to my cheek again, asking what we would be doing until Daddy came home. Biting back the reply, "Nothing fun," I explained that Aunt Alice had the whole weekend planned for us.

"What would you like to eat?" I asked. Nessie's eyes instantly lit up and she reached towards my face excitedly. I decided to head her off at the pass. "Not blood this time, sweetie. You need to eat some human food this morning." Ness' face scrunched up in disappointment before she smiled at me. Instantly, I was given a vision of pancakes, drenched in what looked like an entire bottle of syrup.

"You want pancakes for breakfast?" I asked Ness as I pulled her in close and rubbed noses with her. Again, I was given the view of an extra-large bottle of real maple syrup.

"Of course, we'll put syrup on them,' I laughed. "Maybe not that much, though." What was it with my daughter and concentrated sugar? If only she would eat her vegetables with the same enthusiasm.

I chuckled to myself and swept Nessie onto my back, thrilling at the giggle that escaped her lips as we took off at a run towards the big house. The rush from running at vampire speed was incredible. I hoped that I never took it for granted. I found that the speed and agility that I was now graced with to be the next best thing to being a vampire, other than Edward and our family.

Mmm…Edward. I had to be careful not to dwell on thoughts of my husband too much, otherwise, I was sure to be miserable this weekend. The house came into sight just through the trees and beyond the river.

"Mommy, it's just like the song! Over the river and through the woods! And we're going to Grandma's house!" I chuckled at Renesmee's epiphany as we entered the back door. I was surprised though, to find Alice sitting in the middle of the floor, laughing hysterically. For a moment, I was confused. I mean, Ness was cute, but her comment wasn't that funny. That's when I noticed Alice's eyes. They had the characteristically unfocused look of her visions; Rosalie and Esme stood on either side of her, waiting with amused expressions fixed upon their faces.

"Oh, Jasper. Sooky! That was a choice word. And so true too! Emmett! What are you about to think?! That sets him off," Alice said between her laughter. "Oh, Emmett…not Hammer. Edward hates that song. Even if I didn't know you would lose, I'd tell you that mentioning that song was a sure way to rile Edward up. Carlisle…well played."

"Alice?" I questioned, impatient. Suddenly Alice let out a huff of indignation and pulled out her cell phone, muttering "Don't…you…dare!" as she blurred her thumbs over the key pad.

I decided I didn't even want to know.

Then Alice was there in front of us. "What are you two wearing? Jammies? Bella! You have that whole wardrobe at your disposal, and you are wearing what…flannel pants? And that's Edward's shirt! The drape is all wrong; you look like a designer hobo! Renesmee, let's go make you presentable!" Alice began giggling. "Then, have I got a story to tell you ladies!"

Renesmee laughed in delight as Alice carried her upstairs, followed by Rose. I just shook my head and grinned at the three of them.

"Well, Bella, what do you say to making some breakfast for that beautiful little girl of yours?" Esme said warmly, leading the way into the kitchen. "What's on the menu?" she asked while pulling open the refrigerator door and disappearing behind it.

"Pancakes," I sighed. Esme closed the fridge as soon as I said it with a knowing smile, and a bottle of genuine maple syrup in her hands. I smiled and shook my head. I didn't know why we even bothered asking anymore. Pancakes had been the biggest hit in Renesmee's human diet thus far.

Twenty minutes later, I was flipping pancakes onto a plate. Alice and Rosalie called that they would be down as soon as they dressed my daughter properly. Whatever that meant. Esme merely laughed at my eye roll as she finished slicing some fruit.

"Mommy! I'm ready!" Nessie must have enjoyed her makeover, if she was using her words more. I turned around and smiled at my sisters and daughter as they moved into the kitchen. Nessie's hair was coaxed into sleek waves, making her hair much longer than when it was in its tight ringlets.

"Alice? Rose? How is she supposed to eat pancakes with sticky syrup if she's got her hair down?"

"Oh. Hmm." Within seconds, Renesmee's hair was in an elegant twist, entirely too mature for her childish face. For the moment, I was actually grateful that Edward wasn't there to see our little girl looking ready to take the runway. That definitely wouldn't go over well. I scrunched my nose and looked at my sisters.

"What ever happened to pigtails? I asked.

"Please, Bella, we can't waste hair like hers on pigtails!" Alice said in obvious exasperation. "We're making up for decades of Edward's hair styling denials!"

"Hair styling denials?" I asked dryly. Sometimes Alice really could take things a bit out of proportion. Perhaps 'a bit' was the wrong sentiment…

"You have no idea how hard we tried to convince him to let us loose on his hair. The fifties were torture! I kept getting visions of Edward with a nice pompadour! He insisted that I was only seeing it because I was deciding it. And the eighties!"

"Robert Smith," Rosalie chuckled at my confused look. "Alice tried to get Edward to go as Robert Smith for Halloween one year. He refused, of course. Alice only relented when Edward pointed out that it would be impossible to tease his hair the way Smith did."

"Enough gel and it would have worked," Alice muttered.

"Anyways! Ness, here's your pancakes!" I put the plate of cakes right in front of Nessie's seat at the breakfast bar at the same time that Esme brought over a gravy boat full of hot syrup. I smiled, waiting for the enthusiasm that usually accompanied Renesmee's parentally-approved sugar consumption. I was certainly not expecting the crestfallen expression and the pout that suddenly overtook Renesmee's face as she looked at the plate given to her.

"Ness? What's wrong? You said you wanted pancakes…" Instantly, Ness' lip began to tremble. My still heart lurched as I watched her face crumple as she suddenly wailed, "I want Daddy!"

That made two of us.

I moved around the kitchen island quickly scooping up my daughter and hugging her to me. "You still need to eat, Love. Daddy will be back," I promised her.

"It's not the same!" Nessie pouted.

"What?"

Renesmee pressed her hand to my cheek; I was treated to the memory of Edward as he worked in this very same kitchen a few days previous. He was clearly making pancakes at the stove.

"I made some for you, with Daddy's recipe. They're just the same!" I coaxed her.

"No they aren't!" Nessie insisted, and then I was shown a close-up of the plate as Edward smiled (what a smile) and put Ness' breakfast in front of her. Then I understood. The pancakes that I had put in front of her this morning were uniformly-sized silver-dollar pancakes. On the plate that Edward had placed in front of Ness there was a heart shape, a howling wolf, a mountain lion, and a shape that looked suspiciously like the Volvo. But right in the center was the pancake to end all pancakes. Apparently he had used a funnel to create a pancake that spelled 'Renesmee,' in Edward's beautiful script.

I couldn't blame Ness. I really couldn't. I wished I could have eaten them; they were such incredible looking pancakes. "I'll do my best, Renesmee," I promised. I certainly hoped that my newfound grace and agility translated into pancakes well. Alice blinked slowly; I watched as her eyes cleared.

"How cute!" she trilled.

I supposed that they would turn out ok.

Another batch of batter and twenty minutes later, Nessie sat merrily eating her pancakes. They were swimming in syrup, and she loved every minute. I moved into the living room with Esme, Rosalie, and Alice, out of immediate hearing range of Nessie, but where I could still see her. I had a feeling that this was a conversation that I didn't want her to hear just yet.

"So, what had you laughing so hard this morning?" Esme asked my pixie-like sister. Alice's grin turned mischievous. Then she looked at me.

"It started when Edward had a hard time getting out of bed this morning…" she teased.

I let out a little strangled noise of indignation. I was grateful that I could no longer blush, though I had a feeling that everyone knew that I would be, if I were still human. Esme laughed softly while trying to hide her amusement behind her hand. I looked towards her imploringly. She was supposed to be on my side here. She shrugged.

"I'm sorry Bella. It's just that I was so afraid for so long that Edward was changed too early to take a mate, like so many of the less-than-adult vampires, it's so lovely to see him acting like a teenager in love."

"That's what the guys were teasing Edward about! The terms 'touchy-feely' and 'needy' may have been used; the last adjectives the boys applied to Edward at his bachelor's party were 'uptight' and 'stiff.' You've really changed him, Bella. Jasper said that Edward was being 'sooky!'" Alice burst out laughing at that. "Carlisle even gave his expert opinion. He said that Edward's youth was affecting his need for touch and his drive." Alice trailed off with a teasing lilt to her voice. I wanted to melt into the floor.

"Emmett even said, and I quote, 'I can just imagine how much more active Rosie and I would be if I was turned at seventeen and I had Eddie's drive here…'"

"What?" I asked incredulously. Wasn't Emmett under an embargo on the sex talk? I'd have to make our next bet conditions more specific…

"Don't worry, Bella, Edward made sure that Emmett would have to keep out of your sex lives. At least, until Emmett comes up with another bet."

"What were they betting on now?" Rose asked. I could hear the frustration in her tone. The last time Emmett had lost a bet to Edward, he'd had to detail the Vanquish. He'd gotten the wrong wash, the wrong wax, the wrong applicator and Alice foresaw him putting a hole through the windshield when he pried the lid off the wax with too much force. Meaning, Rosalie ended up detailing the Vanquish.

"Relax Rose; they were wagering on their wrestling match, which has spawned a new meadow a few miles north of here. They didn't exactly adhere to 'minimal environmental impact,' but you know how the guys can be."

Esme nodded her head, looking around the room. No doubt recalling the 'minimal impact' the guys had on her house.

"What has Emmett gotten into now?" Rose reiterated.

"Emmett tried to lift the ban on the sex jokes. Edward bet to keep a lid on them. Edward won." Alice smiled.

"YES!" I threw my arms up over my head and cheered, glad that I wouldn't have to suffer any indignities any time soon. And, it didn't hurt that my husband was the winner. I might have to show Edward how pleased I was about that when he got home. Edward...mmm. I shook my head to clear it and realized that I hadn't been following the conversation very closely.

"Edward has been affectionate towards us all lately," Esme mused. Her eyes looked far away. Alice and Rosalie were both nodding in agreement.

"Hasn't he always?" I questioned. Esme smiled as she shared a look with my sisters.

"Definitely not!" Esme laughed. "Outrageous styles aren't the only reason Edward never let any of us style his hair. He didn't like to be touched. He went out of his way to avoid physical contact."

"Edward?" I asked incredulously. Were they speaking of the same man that I married? The one who couldn't stop touching me? Of course, I couldn't exactly keep my hands off him. Mmm…Edward. Stop that Bella. I focused back on Esme instead.

"Yes. I wanted to hug him so badly after I was changed. He was so brooding and closed off, and I just wanted to wrap my arms around him. It was so obvious that he missed his mother, and the more he forgot about his human life, the more withdrawn he became. Carlisle said that Edward would even resist his touch when he tried to restrain Edward during his newborn period. He would let me hug him occasionally, but as soon as I let go, he was always across the room as quickly as he could politely manage. But you have changed him, Bella. He actually hugged me last week, just because he felt like it."

I stared at Esme, my heart aching for the lonely years that Edward had endured, separating himself from those in his family even as they tried to draw him in. Yet at the same time, my heart warmed, knowing that Edward had come so far as to give affection to Esme because he felt comfortable doing so, not because he felt he was being forced to.

"Edward and Esme took me hunting for the first time," Rose admitted. "I was angry with Edward. I had heard what he had said to Carlisle during my change, and I was furious that he didn't want me. I didn't know about his gift at the time, and I kept trying to attack him. He kept evading me, and I only got angrier with each dodge. Finally I screamed at him to 'Hold still so I can hit you already!' That just made him angry, but he has always been a gentleman. He just stood there waiting for me. I couldn't do it. I tried to get him to hold me instead, but he was very hands-off." Rosalie laughed. "He just sort of stood there with his arms raised away from me while I sobbed into his chest and he sort of patted me with his fingertips. I never tried to touch him again, if I could help it. Though he hugged me too, when he picked up Nessie the other day," Rosalie chuckled at the memory.

I laughed at the mental image that Rose's story conjured. I could see it just as clearly as if Rose had shown me a picture.

"I never waited for Edward to come to me. I just did what I needed to. I remember the first time I went shopping for him. He was so stubborn, he refused to take off the shirt that he had on and try on the one I bought for him. In his day, women did not dress men. So, we started running around the house, and I was trying to block my thoughts from him by reciting The Iliad in Russian. Finally, Jasper sent him a wave of lethargy and I pounced on him. Just took the shirt right off of him and had the new one on before he recovered from Jasper's influence." Alice laughed at the memory. "He didn't speak to us for a week! When he did speak to us again, he admitted that he did like the shirt after all, and I've been shopping for him ever since! Regardless, he's never been sooky in all the time I've known him."

I couldn't help but laugh with them. I needed a distraction though. I was trying to keep my mind off of my husband for the time being, yet we had done nothing but discuss him. Mmmm. Edward.

Stop it, Bella. Where was that distraction? Renesmee answered that call, sticky hands and all.

"Mommy! I ate all my pancakes. I loved my syrup, thank you so much for making me fun pancakes. Daddy makes them best, but you made them good too. Why is Daddy sooky?"

Why did I ask for a distraction again?

Edward. Mmm.

Oh, yeah.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I also want to remind (beg) everyone to read The Pit, my entry in the Googleward Contest. Voting ends on November 28, 2009 (today!) So please remember to cast your vote for your two most favorite stories in the contest!

Drop me a note:) I don't bite:)

ebhg:)