A/N Alright here's outtake #1, this one is dedicated to those of you who love furniture carnage.

Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. No, I'm not Stephenie Meyer.

Music: Barenaked Ladies, "Call and Answer"

Wednesday morning from The Freshman and The TA

~#Edward#~

Bella turned on the water for a shower and I smiled to myself. Things weren't perfect and she still wasn't ready for a commitment but she let me stay over at her place for a second night in a row. I was positively giddy.

My first order of business for the morning was breakfast for Bella. I found eggs, toast, and some fruit in the fridge and set to work making her a plate. Everything smelled repulsive but that was to be expected. I watched a little bit of Food Network the day before to try and get an idea of what to do with all of this food that Esme picked up to stock Bella's kitchen. Alton Brown was particularly helpful. Breaking food down and looking at it as chemistry helped me get an idea of what I should do with it.

I placed her plate on the new table. This one was solid oak. Emmett and I picked it up from the little furniture store downtown after I dropped Bella off on campus and the sun set. Bella browsed for tables with me and she seemed to like one similar to this. I did some research while watching TV and found this one available. It was mid sized but dwarfed her dining area, and it had intricately carved chairs to match. We made a show of the table being heavy for both the shop owner and Bella's neighbor when when brought it into the apartment. It barely squeezed through the door.

Bella was shocked to come home and find the new table. She genuinely smiled.

"I thought that it was going to have to be shipped," she said as she ran her fingers around the edge and inspected it from every side.

"This one was in town, it's slightly different." I pointed out some of the detail on the chairs. "I didn't think that you'd mind that it's not quite what you picked out." I neglected to mention that this one was hand carved and cost much more than the moderately priced table that she picked out.

"I love it." She cocked her head to the side and smiled again. My stone heart melted.

"I'm glad," I whispered.

"So... do you want to try it out?" She smirked.

"Can we spare the new table for at least a week?" I asked. "I'd like for you to at least eat a meal on it before it gets torn down to kindling." She snickered and I decided not to ask why.

"So, dinner?" I suggested.

"I'm really not hungry," she protested.

"Bella..."

"No, really Edward it's past ten and if I eat this late then I'll have indigestion all night and I won't sleep well."

It was a battle but I finally got her to eat some tomato soup with grilled cheese. It hardly qualified as a meal. The soup was runny and looked more like tomato juice than anything else. She refused to even let me cook it, siting that I was a vampire and what could I possibly know about human food. So, she drank the watery soup and daintily dipped the sandwich into it.

When she finished all of it we curled up on the couch. I pulled a Jane Austen novel off of her shelf and started reading to her but before too long it became apparent that Bella wasn't interested in the fate of the Dashwood sisters. She turned slightly and laid her cheek on my chest with her hand resting on my side. I continued to read until her hand started to move up and down my side.

"Bella," I warned her.

"Come on, it's been a long day," she pleaded.

"We need to stick to the rules."

"I know," she groaned and pulled herself into my lap.

"They're for your protection..." I dropped the book as her warm lips found my mouth. She kissed a path to my ear and did this thing where she exhales softly and it's incredibly warm. I moaned and she placed her smiling lips next to my ear.

"I'm not saying that we should break the rules," she purred. Her tongue traced the outline of my ear and my fingers sunk into the couch. "That's it Edward, just relax."

I couldn't relax. This was not relaxation! She was driving me absolutely crazy. I turned my head slightly and placed a wet kiss in the hair behind her ear. I couldn't trust my hands not to squeeze too hard so I kept them on the couch. My fingers sunk further into the fabric. I ran my nose down her smooth neck and pulled in her scent. She shifted in my lap and I felt a surge of lust that scared me. I pulled back.

"Okay, okay.. too far..." She backed up before placing a much gentler kiss on my lips. "But now... you owe me a new couch." She smiled and removed my hands from the ruined back and armrest of the threadbare sofa.

"I was right when I first met you." I cupped her cheek in one hand and watched her expression shift from triumphant to puzzled. "You are some sort of demon sent to test me," I clarified and carried her over my shoulder back to her bedroom.

"It's time for sleep." I dropped her on the bed and smiled before stepping back out so that she could change clothes.

She went to sleep quickly and slept peacefully. The nightmares didn't return and she said my name again. It was in a sweet, wistful tone. We were working on things and eventually everything would be back to normal. I was just going to have to be patient.

~*Bella*~

Breakfast was an ordeal. I came in from my shower to discover a heaping plate of food, too much food. Edward obviously had no clue about how much a human should eat because he appeared to have scrambled about six eggs and cooked half a pack of turkey bacon. Then, I noticed the fruit plate. An actual plate of sliced fruit, complete with dainty little shapes. It was cute; so, I didn't have to fake a smile to hide my irritation.

I appreciated Edward taking care of me but this was a bit too far. I mentally made plans to have my meals with my werewolf friends for the rest of the week. There would be less food wasted that way. Half of Ethiopia could be fed with the amount of food that was going to waste. I sat at the table and picked at my food a bit. I ate a few forkfuls of egg and two pieces of bacon before moving on to the fruit. I managed to get down half of the plate before pushing it away and moving to clear the table.

"Bella..."

I knew what was coming.

"I'm full," I protested.

"You didn't eat dinner last night," he tisked. Edward actually tisked like he was my father or something.

"There are like six eggs here Edward and a half a pack of bacon! There's no way that I can eat all of that!" I threw my hands up in the air.

"You need to eat." He pushed the plate of cold eggs closer to me.

"I don't need an authority figure," I snapped and took the plate the three steps to the kitchen. I couldn't waste that much food so I scraped it into a Tupperware container. He quietly stood behind me and put his hands on my hips.

"I'm sorry. I just worry about you." He kissed my shoulder and my heart fluttered a bit. He chuckled.

"I could use a new coffee table," I hummed.

"Time for class!" I didn't know that a vampire's voice could break.