Disclaimer: Not mine…just playing with SM's characters

A/N: Thank you all for reading & reviewing! I'm glad you guys have faith in Bella, just read all the way through this one before you start judging her. Without further ado…

Chapter 9

"Edward…why didn't you tell me?"

I was still frozen in the spot. I didn't know what to say, what to do…my subconscious was silent and I had a feeling it was a punishment for not listening. My mouth opened and closed several times but no sound came out. What was only mere seconds felt like excruciating hours…

"I made him promise not to tell anyone, Bella. Please don't be mad at Edward," Leah said quietly, "Jacob would've…he…"

Leah didn't get to finish her words as Chief Swan and my father both came bursting through the door. Bella stumbled forward after being jostled by our fathers and that was when my body decided to react, and I caught her in my arms. Chaos began to erupt around us and several people were talking at once.

"Leah!" Chief Swan cried, "Oh God!"

Chief Swan rushed forward and slowly brushed Leah's hair out of her eyes while he looked over the rest of her body. His eyes were glassy and I knew the Chief thought of Leah like she was one of his own, like she was Bella's sister.

"Leah, who did this to you? What happened?" Chief Swan asked, hovering somewhere between angry father and police chief.

"Charlie, let's get her out of the cold so I can take a look at her injuries," My father said, going straight into doctor mode.

"Dr. Cullen, I-" Leah tried to protest, but my father cut her off.

"Please, Leah," My father said gesturing for her to come inside.

"Leah!" Seth shouted, his eyes glassy. My mother wrapped her arm around his body and I saw her whispering in his ears and guiding him back inside the house. Seth nodded as a tear slipped down his cheek and followed my mother inside.

"Edward, Bella, come inside when you're ready," My father said quietly.

I nodded silently and as the chaos headed back into the house, I could hear Bella's quiet sobs. I tightened my hold on her, praying this wouldn't be the last time that I got to hold her this close.

"I'm sorry, Bella…I'm sorry," I whispered. I was apologizing for not telling her, for not asking her to help me, for this happening to the girl who was like her sister, for her having to see this, and for all the…the violence that it seemed like I was bringing into her life.

I felt Bella's grip on my shirt tighten before she pulled back, shaking her head.

"I don't know what to say, Edward," Bella said quietly, tears falling down her cheeks, "I…I'm just so confused. There's so much going on. I…I just don't know what to think right now."

I nodded silently. This had to be incredibly overwhelming for her.

"I…I need to go check on Leah…see if there's anything I can do."

"All right," I replied quietly.

Bella gave me one more look before she turned and scurried back inside. It didn't escape my attention that she didn't say another word or that she didn't smile. She said she wasn't mad at me, and I prayed to God she was right. Her mind had to be buzzing even more than mine was at the moment. My subconscious however, was still ignoring me. I climbed each step slowly and as I came in the front door, I noticed I had some blood on my shirtsleeves. Not knowing whether or not it might be needed for evidence or something, I decided to head upstairs and change. My mother met me at the bottom of the stairs.

"How is she?" I asked quietly, "How's Seth?"

My mother smiled sadly, "Your father took Leah, Chief Swan, and Bella into his office. Seth is in the kitchen. I just came out here to let you know where everyone was. Maybe you can come keep him company after you change?"

I swallowed heavily, but nodded. Hopefully Seth wouldn't be super pissed at me for keeping this all a secret. The kid might be only fourteen years old, but I was pretty sure he could pummel my ass if he wanted to.

"Should I, uh…hold on to this shirt for Chief Swan? For like, evidence or something?"

"That might be good," My mother said calmly, "Go change and Seth and I will be in the kitchen."

I headed upstairs and my body literally felt exhausted. My brain was affecting everything, and each step I took felt so heavy. I thought I would feel lighter having Leah's secret out and not burdening me anymore, but it just made me feel worse. All of the "what if" scenarios began to creep into my head. What if Leah hadn't gotten that pen? What if Leah hadn't gotten away? What if Jacob had…had raped her again? What if Jacob had beaten her so badly she died? That last thought had me frozen in front of my bedroom door. I knew it was guilt that was weighing me down now. I should've told someone right away. Chief Swan would've protected her, he would've caught Jacob and put him in jail. He would've made sure that nothing happened to Leah, Bella, Seth, or any other person. Instead, my silence could've cost Leah everything.

I swapped out my stained shirt for a white t-shirt and my black hoodie. My head was pounding so I also decided to put on my glasses and pop out my contacts. I knew tonight was going to be a long night. When I went back downstairs, my mother was going around the kitchen packing food up in containers and Seth was sitting at the counter, he hands wrapped around a glass of Coke, and his eyes focused in front of him.

"Edward, do you want something to eat before we go? Chief Swan and your father have already called the authorities and an ambulance should be here shortly."

I shook my head. Honestly, if I put anything in my stomach, I had a pretty good feeling that I was just going to throw it back up.

"I'm going to go change into something more comfortable," my mother said, "Edward, get Seth whatever he wants okay?"

I nodded and ran a hand through my hair. I was nervous to be left alone with Seth. I still didn't know whether or not he was mad at me, and he hadn't said a word since I had been in here.

"You uh…want anything to eat?" I asked, my voice cracking awkwardly.

Seth just shook his head, his gaze still focused on his drink. I swallowed heavily and looked around. The house was eerily silent and the only noise that could be heard was the ticking of the clock in the kitchen. The silence only lasted a few seconds before it was shattered by a gut-wrenching sob. My eyes went wide as I saw Seth's shoulder begin to shake and I heard him sob more and more.

"Hey…hey…" I said, not knowing what else I could say to comfort him. I didn't want to say that everything was all right because really, I didn't think it was just yet. I didn't know if things would ever be all right again…especially for Leah. I awkwardly pat Seth on the shoulder, completely at a loss over what to do.

"I…I didn't know…" Seth sobbed out, "I should've…should've done some…something…"

"Hey, Seth, come on now…"

"It's my fault…I could've…could've stopped him…I should've said something…I knew…I knew it was more…It's all my fault…"

"No, Seth!" I quickly got out of my chair and instinctively place an arm around his heaving, and quite massive, shoulders, "It's not your fault, Seth."

"But I-"

"No," I quickly interrupted him, "This is no one's fault but that damn Jacob Black! He is the vile asshole that did this and he thinks that he won't be punished, but Chief Swan will catch him and he'll rot in jail for what he did. It's not your fault, it's not Leah's fault…it's all Jacob Black's fault."

It's not your fault either…don't let the guilt eat you. You can't do anything about the "what ifs", Cullen. Just focus on the now, and knowing that Jacob Black is the villain here.

I was a bit stunned from both the conviction in my voice as I spoke to Seth and also the wordy reappearance of my subconscious. My personal Jiminy Cricket decided to make himself known again, and I finally felt like I was in agreement with him.

"But what if-"

I cut Seth off before he went there.

"There's not point in wondering about the 'what ifs', Seth. They do no good, and won't change what's happened. It does no good to dwell on them. All we should focus on now is getting Leah the help she needs and making sure Jacob Black ends up behind bars."

"But-"

"No more 'buts', kid. Worrying about what could've happened won't do Leah any good."

"O-okay," Seth stuttered out.

I gave his shoulder a squeeze and stepped away to get him a napkin. Seth took it and swiped at his eyes before blowing his nose loudly.

"Thanks, Edward," He said quietly.

"You're uh…" I paused, "You're not mad? That I knew?"

Seth shook his head, " I had a feeling too…that's why I went after him the night he beat me up. I don't think Leah knew I noticed the…the blood on her legs. I might be young, but I'm not stupid or naïve. I should've said something, but then I was scared. Scared Jacob would beat me up again and scared he would hurt Leah again."

I felt that rage building up in me again. I was going to need to find some sort of outlet for all of this anger and stress that was accumulating in my life lately. I wanted to beat Jacob Black's ass into the ground repeatedly until he couldn't move. Part of me felt some small relief in knowing that Leah had stabbed him in the balls. The dog would hopefully be neutered forever.

"It's not your fault, Seth," I said, "You were twelve, and I know Leah stayed silent because she was scared too. Being scared happens to all of us, Seth, and it's nothing to feel guilty of."

"You weren't scared of Jacob," Seth said quietly.

I paused, unsure of what to say. I didn't want to say that it was a different situation and brush Seth's words off. I knew I had to somehow word this carefully. I didn't want to give Seth the impression that fighting was okay either. I knew the kid already looked up to me because I had punched Jacob's lights out once.

"I'm scared of a lot of things, Seth," I finally decided upon saying.

We both didn't get to say anymore as the house phone rang and my mother came rushing back into the kitchen to answer. I knew the phone call was for my father and I heard the door of his office opening as well, combined with the sound of his pager going off.

"Carlisle, it's the hospital!" My mother called down the hall.

I went back to stand next to Seth and placed a reassuring arm around his shoulders again. I also saw the lights from the ambulance coming up the drive. Things were about to get chaotic again and I hoped to at least help Seth keep calm. The poor kid was probably still freaking out despite our talk. My father was talking quietly on the phone, nodding a lot and I saw Chief Swan come into the kitchen, also on his cell phone. I guessed Bella was still in my father's office with Leah, and I heard my mother answering the door for the paramedics. The fathers seemed to hang up the phones at the same time as my mother passed by the doorway showing the paramedics to my father's office.

I saw my dad look at Chief Swan. "I'm guessing you got the same news I did?"

Chief Swan nodded.

"What's going on?" I asked.

I expected a look of death from Chief Swan for keeping Leah's secret, but instead his eyes were pained and weary. My father put a hand on his shoulder.

"We just got word that Jacob Black showed up in the ER here in Forks."

"So let's go get him! Arrest him, Charlie!" Seth cried, jumping out of his seat.

"We'll take care of it, son," Chief Swan said in his gruff way.

"Come on, Charlie! He has to pay!"

"He will, boy. I need you to stay calm though."

"But-"

"Come on, Seth," I said quietly, "Let's get ready to go."

My father smiled at me, most likely in thanks as I passed by him, taking Seth to grab his jacket from the coat closet. I grabbed my own and as we made it back to the front door area, the paramedics were carrying Leah out towards the ambulance.

"Leah!" Seth cried.

Leah gave a weak smile, "Stay with Edward okay, kid?"

My gaze was focused on Bella who was walking near Leah's head. She wouldn't meet anyone's eyes and looked down at the ground. Her cheeks were still damp and it was obvious that she had been crying. I longed to hold her and make her tears go away…but I knew I more than likely had a hand in causing them.

There was a flurry of activity as the paramedics loaded Leah up into the ambulance. Chief Swan and my father needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible, so they rode together in the Chief's cruiser. Leah asked that Bella go with her in the ambulance and the paramedics agreed. I heard Leah ask Seth to stay with me again, and wait for their mother at the hospital. My mother agreed to drive Seth and I, and soon we were all in the cars, with Chief Swan giving a police escort to the ambulance who had its own lights going.

When we arrived, Leah was taken to a private room far from where Jacob Black was being held. Quite a few of the Chief's deputies were there and my mother, Seth, and I went to go wait in the waiting area. Poor Seth was antsy, and my mother was looking around as police officers, nurses, and doctors went rushing about. The chaos just seemed to multiply the longer I sat there. When Sue Clearwater finally came bursting through the doors, Seth launched himself out of his chair and into his mother's arms, acting every bit of the scared fourteen-year-old boy that he was. I knew this whole time he had been trying to stay strong for Leah's sake, but the dam finally broke. I saw my father briefly as he took Sue and Seth with him before disappearing again. The walls were feeling too small as I sat here in the ER waiting room and I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"I'm going to get some fresh air or something," I said, "Will you be all right here for a few minutes?"

My mother gave me a sympathetic smile, "Do you want me to come with you, Edward?"

I sighed heavily, "Mom…how…how are you so calm with…with all of this going on?"

My mother reached over and placed her hand on top of mine, "Son…I'm freaking out on the inside. I just don't let it show. Go take a break. I'll call you if there's any news or change."

"I won't go far," I said, "Maybe the cafeteria or atrium or something."

"All right, Edward. Take your time."

I stood and walked quickly out of there. True, I wanted to be a doctor, but when you were on the other side of things, waiting for news about a friend or loved one, it was different and I didn't like the feeling one bit. My mind was a mess right now and I needed a quiet place to think and try and get everything back into order. I hadn't been intentionally heading in that direction, but soon I found myself at the entrance to the atrium.

The atrium was really quite beautiful. There was a glass ceiling that covered the enclosed garden like area. I opened the door and slipped inside. Unlike some other hospitals, there was no chapel or church connected to the hospital, and the atrium was a place people could come for peace, quiet, or prayer…whatever it was they were looking for. I found a bench that was near a mini-waterfall and took a seat, burying my head in my hands.

My feelings and thoughts were all over the place. I didn't want to feel thankful…but I was. I was thankful that it wasn't Bella…and the thought made me feel sick. I was concerned for Leah's injuries, both physical and psychological, but I was thankful that everything was out in the open now, and Jacob Black would go to jail for a long time. I was thankful for Chief Swan because I knew he would make sure that scumbag rotted in jail for a long time. I was thankful my mother and father had been there to keep Seth calm, and also help Leah immediately. I let go of my head and clasped my hands together in front of me. Maybe it was because it was Thanksgiving, or maybe I just got a really healthy dose of perspective…either way, I did something I never really did before; I prayed…or talked to God. Whichever way you wanted to look at it.

"God…" I swallowed heavily, "I…I don't know where to begin. I feel so…conflicted. Why does something so horrible happen to a girl who didn't deserve any of it? Why did her brother get beaten when he tried to stand up for her? Why did that…that dog run free for so long?"

I sighed heavily, "Why did Bella choose this year to approach me? Why change what I hand going on in my life? All these things have been plaguing my mind, and I know there's no definite answer for them…it's not like a math question."

I swallowed, my throat feeling thick. The emotions of the day were finally starting to really weigh on me as I sat here.

"I guess I just want to say thank you. Everything that's happened, the good and the bad, it's all opened my eyes up to a world outside of the online ones I used to hide in. I don't regret anything that's happened to me, and while I don't understand why this happened to Leah and to Seth, I can see how these things have changed me. I feel…more confident. I feel stronger, and I don't feel like the dorky Edward Cullen anymore. I guess that was your…plan for me?"

I chuckled quietly, "I don't know what I'm talking about in regards to myself…but I'm thankful that everyone I care about is now safe, and I…I ask that you take care of Leah and Seth. And Sue and Charlie. They're going to need you or…you know, whoever or whatever they believe in. Please just…look after them. They're good people, and I know you'll help them."

I felt awkward. Never had I been a religious person, but I felt like I needed someone to hear me…to hear my confusion, my thanks, and my hopes. I had to believe that there was something out there that was greater than all of us and helped us when we needed it.

"And I have to thank you for sending Bella my way. I have to believe there was something greater at work there. I never thought my V would turn out to be Bella Swan, but thank you. She's shown me so much of what I've been missing in life, and I love her. I love her more than I ever thought I could feel for someone."

My chest ached a little as I thought of Bella. I hadn't spoken to her in what seemed like hours, and I still didn't know if she was mad at me or not. She might've said that then, but she didn't know the whole story then. I rested my forehead on my clasped hands.

"I've never been so thankful for having someone in my life," I whispered, "Please…just please don't take her away from me yet. Please…let her stay with me."

"Please…" I nearly whimpered. While I felt lighter, I oddly still felt heavy. The weight of Leah's secret was gone, but the guilt of lying to Bella was still weighing me down.

"Edward."

I felt my entire body jump and my head shot up. Standing there, looking like the heaven-sent angel she was, was Bella. Her white coat was wrapped around her body and she slowly began to walk towards me.

"How's…how's Leah?" I asked, clearing my throat in the middle of my words.

Bella gave a faint smile, "They patched up all her cuts. Her face and arms are pretty bruised though."

"I'm glad she's all right," I said quietly, "And what happened to…to…"

I swallowed thickly, still disgusted by just his name.

"Jacob lost a lot of blood. Um…and your father said he um…well…" Bella bit her lip.

"What?" I asked, an anxious feeling now creeping into my chest.

"Well…Leah got him pretty good with her pen. Your dad had to um…remove some stuff down there and well, Jacob can't ever have children and going to the bathroom will forever be a problem."

I couldn't help but cringe just imagining it all. It was like, hardwired into all males to cringe when something unfortunate happened to another man's privates…even if you hated his guts and wanted to kick him in the aforementioned privates.

"Wow…" I breathed out. Bella stopped about a foot in front of me but made no move to come closer. I cleared my throat.

"So…your Dad is going to arrest him?"

Bella nodded, "Leah still has her clothes from…from the first time. Daddy says Jacob is going to go away for a long time."

"That's…that's good, Bella," I sighed, feeling a tad bit more relieved, "That's really good."

Bella just gave me a small smile in return. I smiled back, hating this awkward tension between the two of us. As I looked at Bella, I saw that she was nervously plucking at her nails.

"I…I heard what you said," Bella finally said quietly.

My eyes went wide.

Surely, she doesn't mean…

Oh, I'm sure she does, Cullen.

Not helping.

"I heard what you said about the Clearwaters," Bella paused, "And my father."

Bella stepped closer, "And I heard what you said about me."

She reached out and brushed s strand of hair off my forehead. Her fingertips felt like fire as they trembled and moved down the side of my face before she was cupping my cheek. I couldn't help but press my face into her small palm.

"I'm so sorry, Edward," Bella whispered, "I was never mad at you…just so confused. Leah explained everything to me…how she made you promise not to tell anyone. I wish I could've carried that weight with you…but I understand why you didn't tell me."

"You do?" I asked, bringing my hand up to keep Bella's pressed against my cheek.

Bella smiled, "I do. You are a very loyal friend, Edward, and I know you were also trying to protect me and everyone else you care about.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," I said quietly.

"I know," Bella said softly, leaning forward and kissing my forehead, "And I'm sorry you went through all of that alone."

Bella stepped forward and wrapped her arms around my neck. My face ended up being pressed against her chest, and my arms wrapped around her small waist…but there was nothing sexual here. This was purely comforting and loving, and as Bella ran her hands through my hair and kissed my forehead, I felt that last bit of guilt that was weighing me down fall away.

"Everything will be okay," Bella whispered, "You'll see."

"You really think so?"

"I do," I could hear the smile in Bella's voice, "I think you punching Jacob on Halloween just jump started what Leah should have done when it first happened. I think the truth was just boiling up inside of her, and when you showed everyone that Jacob's just a regular human being, it bubbled over. I don't know why Leah chose to tell you, she's not even really sure why she did…but I'm glad she told someone, and I'm glad it was you because you cared enough to try and make her come forward. She told me how you had been calling her all week, and she knew it was because you wanted her to tell Charlie. Very sneaky of you, I might add, swiping her number from my cell."

My cheeks heated a little and I nuzzled my face against Bella's chest. "Everything will be okay."

"It will," Bella murmured.

I pulled her forward by her hips and Bella didn't hesitate to walk forward and sit down on my lap. We were looking at each other face-to-face and Bella's fingers traced over the planes of my face.

"I meant what I said you know," I murmured.

Bella smiled, " I know. And I love you so much, Edward Cullen. I thank God every day that you were EMC2…I don't know if I could've accepted it if your weren't."

I squeezed her hips, "I love you, B."

Bella leaned forward and closed the distance between us, pressing her lips softly to mine. It was like her kiss breathed life back into me, and my entire body felt like it was alive again and like it could breathe. I know some secrets are meant to be kept, but others were like a poison that just ate away at you, leaving holes in its wake. As Bella's lips gently moved with my own, I felt all those little holes filling back up. After a few minutes of simply holding each other, Bella and I walked hand in hand back towards the waiting area.

The three weeks that followed were anything but peaceful. Leah had to be in court because, of course, Jacob Black tried to make it look like he was innocent. Bella missed school the day Leah took the stand, wanting to be there for the Clearwater family as Leah recounted what had happened to her. Bella, Seth, and I weren't made to testify on the stand, but we did give our statements to Leah's lawyer, one Mr. Alec Waters. It was all over once Chief Swan was able to get the clothes Leah had saved to the lab and Jacob's DNA was found all over the fabric.

And I'm not trying to start any rumors, but I think Chief Swan might've pulled some strings to get Judge Jane Smith to preside over the trial. Judge Smith was well known all over the Pacific Northwest as one of the toughest judges in general, but she did not stand for any man who was on trial for rape or sexual assault. In Judge Smith's mind, there was no defense for committing such acts, and Jacob was sentenced to the maximum amount of jail time swiftly. We were all grateful for such quick action. Everyone was ready to move past this.

Today was the last day of school before our Christmas break. We had finals for the past two days, and after everything that had happened in the past few weeks, I was very much looking forward to some sleep and spending time with Bella. I had gotten out of my History final early and was sitting in the hallway waiting for either Jasper or the bell to ring…which ever came first.

After Thanksgiving, Jasper, Alice, Angela, and Ben had all been really supportive and understanding. Alice's mother knew several good counselors Leah could see, and after visiting with them all, Leah decided to meet with Charlotte Peters down in Port Angeles. She was starting her sessions today. We all knew it would be a difficult road for her, but she was going to be hanging out with us during the break as well, so hopefully we all could provide Leah with some fun and time to just be a regular teenager. Angela's father, Pastor Webber, also offer counseling services for us all if we wanted. Even my parents surprised me by helping Sue and Charlie look after Seth as they supported Leah during her trial. My mother cooked dinner every night, and my father made it home for most of them. It wasn't quite a picture perfect family setting, but it felt like things had really changed between my parents and I. On the nights Seth was over, I made sure to help him with his homework before just relaxing and playing video games. He was a good kid, and already he seemed happier and more relaxed than he had ever been when I first met him.

After school today, Bella was going with Alice and Angela to go do some Christmas shopping. Jasper, Ben, and I all opted out, and instead, they were going to come over to my house and hang out until the girls all returned from their shopping spree. Jasper and Ben were last minute shoppers, but I chose instead to buy online. All my packages would get here with plenty of time before Christmas. Apparently Alice was whisking all the girls away as soon as the bell rang, so I wasn't even going to get to see Bella before she left. I heard the door from my classroom open and I couldn't help but grin as Jasper pretended to wipe sweat from his brow.

"Dude, I don't know how you finished that so quickly."

I just shrugged, "I offered to help you."

"Yeah, yeah…I just may take you up on that during our last semester."

"Do you know what class Ben is coming out of?"

Jasper nodded as we began to walk down the hall. "Yeah…he's coming out of Calculus."

Jasper and I walked down the hallway, passing a few other students as we went. Many were whispering excitedly about winter break plans and some were exchanging presents with each other. It amazingly wasn't raining today, but it was cloudy and the temperature had dropped to near freezing. If I had to guess, snow wasn't far off. Jasper and I sat on some benches outside of the math building.

"So how are you doing, Edward? I mean, really."

I sighed, "It's been a busy couple of weeks."

"I'll say," Jasper chuckled, "Our little group was never this exciting until you showed up."

"Yeah, well…" I shrugged.

"Hey, man," Jasper said seriously, "I mean that in the best way possible. I also meant that our little group wasn't complete until you came along."

"But Ben-"

"I know Ben came along the same time you did, but if Bella had never worked up the courage to talk to you and ask you to tutor her, Angela would've never been brave enough to talk to Ben either."

"In a sense," Jasper smiled, "You made our little group complete."

I just smiled back and nodded. Ever since I was little, there hadn't really been a group that I had been part of. And being a part of the Horde when I briefly dabbled in World of Warcraft most certainly did NOT count. I had always been an independent kid, preferring to be alone…until I met V, and until Bella Swan had come into my life.

"I'm glad Bella asked you to tutor her," Jasper said after a few minutes, a smile on his lips.

"Me too, Jasper. Me too."

I had forgotten that my parents were going to Seattle for the weekend. My father was invited to some sort of medical doctors party thing, and they decided they would stay until Sunday morning. At least my mother seemed to feel a little bad about leaving, and she even froze a bunch of food for me so I wouldn't have to order pizza or resort to Easy Mac or something.

Ben and Jasper slightly geeked out when they saw my room. Both of them couldn't believe how big my TV was or that I had all of the major video game systems. Ben also loved my collection of comics and movies, and Jasper admired my collection of books and music. Our afternoon was spent just being guys, playing Call of Duty: Black Ops and Halo Reach. And apparently, a guy thing to do was to talk about hot chicks since our hot chicks weren't around.

"I'm totally watching TRON: Legacy for Olivia Wilde," Jasper said, as our map for our next game of Halo loaded.

"Dude, with that wig? No way," Ben shook his head, "She's way hotter when she's on House."

"Edward, back me up here."

"Um…" I swallowed, "She's pretty hot with or without the wig."

I never sat around talking about hot girls with any one before. This was completely new…and sort of interesting.

Welcome to the world of male bonding, Cullen. Be prepared to burp, scratch, and spit within the next hour.

"Really?" Ben exclaimed, "I'm just not digging the hair."

"Well come on then, name someone else," Jasper challenged.

Ben smiled, "Grace Park in Battlestar Galactica AND Hawaii Five-O."

"There's not a wig problem there," I commented.

"True," Jasper nodded, "And I can't believe she's thirty-six years old. She looks like she's like, twenty-two!"

"Definitely!" Ben agreed, "I'd want to get lei'd by her!"

"Dude, that was so lame!" I laughed.

"Okay, Edward, your turn," Jasper said as our game started.

"Um…" I tried to think and focus on finding the shotgun on this level, "Kristin Kreuk in Smallville and Street Fighter."

"Ohhhhh! Good one!" Ben and Jasper said at the same time.

"Wait for it, wait for it," Ben said as he was maneuvering a banshee, "I got the winner…Natalie Portman in Star Wars."

This went on for the next two hours as we played. It didn't escape my attention that every "hot chick" that we named was associated with a movie or a show that was considered by others to be "dorky". I had a feeling that Alice, Angela, and Bella would not have appreciated our conversation one bit. After we named pretty much every woman from LOST and debated whether or not Zoe Saldana in Avatar should count or not (since you technically never saw her), we headed downstairs to eat.

As I heated up a pan of lasagna that my mother had frozen, Jasper got a text from Alice saying that the girls were on their way back. Deciding that we had more than enough food, Jasper told the girls to just come and eat here. We sat in the living room watching some TV, and I almost burst out laughing as I noticed that all three of us were bouncing our legs nervously.

Apparently you all can't wait to see your girls.

I know I can't.

As soon as Jasper heard the tell tale growl of Alice's Porsche, he was up and out of his seat and the room in a flash. Ben and I soon followed. As soon as the front door opened, it was like we all forgot each other existed. All I could see was Bella…and her bags. Her armful of shopping bags.

"Did you buy the entire mall, baby?" I grinned, taking the bags from her.

Bella laughed, "Me? You should see Alice's car! We barely fit in there!"

"Well, I'm glad you made it in one piece."

"Me too."

Bella leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips softly to mine. When she pulled away only mere centimeters she whispered.

"I missed you today."

"I missed you too," I murmured, placing another quick kiss on her lips.

"All right, lovebirds, I'm starving!" Alice announced.

"It smells good, Edward," Angela smiled.

I set the table with paper plates and utensils I found in the cupboard so that cleanup would be easier. We spent dinner mostly talking about our finals and how we all thought we did this semester. With everything that happened with Leah, Bella and I were unable to help Angela with her final photography project.

"Maybe we can do it next semester?" Bella asked.

"I would love that!" Angela said, "I have some different ideas to try out!"

I just nodded along. I still wasn't completely sold on the whole being photographed thing, but I would do it to help out Angela. Over break I also had to start thinking about what exactly I was going to do with the Peer Leadership thing down in La Push. Everything that happened with Leah and Jacob wasn't going to stop me from continuing with my plan of working down in La Push next semester.

Soon we began to clean up and part ways. Angela had to be home early since she needed to be up early tomorrow, but we all made plans to get together next week and go to the movies. TRON: Legacy got the popular vote, and I saw Jasper smirk. As Alice and Jasper left, I was feeling sad that I would soon have to say good night to Bella. To my surprise, Bella picked up all of her bags and was heading up the stairs.

"Bella, where are you going?" I asked, confused, but not unhappy.

Bella turned and smirked over her shoulder, "My Dad thinks I'm sleeping over at Alice's house tonight."

I couldn't stop the wide grin from spreading across my face. I quickly ran up the stairs to where Bella stood and took her bags from her.

"Allow me, ma'am."

"Ma'am?" Bella asked, her eyebrow quirked, "Trying some Southern charm on me?"

I laughed, "Is it working?"

"Maybe," Bella giggled, before taking off up the rest of the stairs, leaving me with all of her shopping bags.

When I finally made it up to my room, Bella was sitting on the edge of my bed, her legs crossed.

"Over there, servant boy!" She said with a smile, pointing towards the end of my bed.

"Servant boy?" I asked, placing all of her things down, " Does that mean I'm your slave?"

Bella just grinned and nodded.

"Should I crawl on my knees?" I asked, as I kneeled down, "Beg you to be a kind master?"

As I kneeled at Bella's feet, she uncrossed her legs and beckoned me closer so that I knelt between her legs. She cupped my cheeks gently and kissed me softly.

"I could never be cruel to you," She whispered.

I wrapped my arms around Bella's waist as she wrapped her arms around my neck. Something else had changed between us yet again where our physical relationship was concerned. We no longer had any problem touching each other or kissing each other. We could hold each other in intimate ways such as we were currently…it was a nice change.

I sighed and kissed Bella's jaw. "I missed you."

Bella pulled me into a tight hug, kissing the side of my neck. "I missed you too."

I allowed myself to hold on to her for another minute before I pulled back. It didn't seem like Bella had planned on letting go anytime soon, but if I was being honest, my knees were starting to hurt.

"What do you want to do tonight?"

Bella bit her lip, her brow furrowed in thought.

"Can we just relax? Listen to some music and talk or something?"

"Sure," I nodded, "Um…do you mind if I take a shower though?"

"Do you mind if I take one too? Power shopping with Alice is like a workout!"

"Um, no…you can shower up here and I'll go shower in the guest bathroom."

"Edward!" Bella protested, "You just shower up here. All you stuff is in there. I'm fine going to the guest bathroom."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yeeeeees," Bella chuckled, "I'll see you in a few?"

I nodded and waited for Bella to exit the room before I stood up. My dick certainly had taken notice that Bella was around, and I groaned as I stood up, my jeans rubbing against me uncomfortably. It had actually been a while since I indulged myself in some much-needed alone time, so I quickly grabbed my pajamas and headed into the shower.

My alone time didn't last long at all. Apparently, Little Edward was feeling quite neglected the past few weeks as I worried about school, Leah, Bella, my friends, and my family. I indulged in a Bella-on-top fantasy and all it took was five quick strokes to do me in. As I showered off, I was a little worried that when it came time for the actual main event of having sex, I might wind up being one of those two pump chumps. I sincerely hoped that wouldn't be the case.

When I walked out into my bedroom, Bella wasn't back yet. I had decided to leave my shirt off (since she seemed to like that last time), but I was seriously reconsidering it. The temperature had severely dropped and I scurried over to the central air system control outside of my room and set the temperature to a more comfortable 72 degrees. As I was finishing up the controls, Bella came up the stairs. I couldn't help but gape at her a little bit.

I wasn't sure that Bella's grey shorts could even be called such a thing…underwear might've been more appropriate. And she might've been in a long sleeve navy blue shirt, but it did nothing to disguise the fact that it was cold, and that Bella was most certainly not wearing a bra.

"All done?" I asked, my voice cracking a little.

Bella blinked a few times and nodded, her cheeks blooming red.

Aha…so it appears while Ms. Swan entranced you, she too was hypnotized by you…

What's your point?

Easy tiger…your pajama pants are thin…

I tried not to grimace as I took notice of the semi I was now sporting thanks to Bella's sleepwear.

"Thanks for turning the heat up," Bella smiled as she walked past me. I couldn't help but stare at her ass she walked past me. Seriously…I can't decide if those pants should be banned from our sleepovers or not.

Banned! As in she can't wear them while she's sharing your bed! She'll be just in her-

NO! I meant banned as in not bringing them over to wear in the first place!

But you have to admit, I presented an intriguing idea...

Touché

Bella slipped beneath the covers of my bed, and I turned on the lamp at the bedside before turning off the rest of the lights in my room. As I slipped under the sheets, Bella let me get situated before snuggling into my side. I was barely able to suppress a groan as her body pressed against mine.

Don't think about her nipples, don't think about her nipples…

Too late…

Bella's hand slowly traced over my stomach and her lips pressed against my chest.

"Did you know we've been dating for almost three months?" Bella sighed, sounding content.

"Mmmm…best three months of my life."

"Mine too."

Bella's lips began to trail all over my chest and her fingertips were dragging along the lines of my abs. I groaned softly.

"Is this okay?" she asked quietly.

"More than okay," I replied, my voice rough.

Slowly Bella began to inch her way up my body and soon, she covered mine with hers as her lips met mine. I couldn't help but moan and my arms wrapped around Bella's back as her hands buried themselves in my hair. Bella's legs fell on either sides of my hips and she pressed down on my once again raging erection. I broke our kiss and moaned loudly, unable to stop the sound from leaving my lips. Bella gasped in return, and I tried my best not to rub myself against her. The apex of her thighs was warmer than any other part of her body and was driving me completely insane. Bella's eyes were wide and her mouth formed a little O, as her palms pressed against my chest. My hands flew to her hips and I groaned as she began to press against me.

"Bella…"

"Is that…that's your…it's so hard," Bella stammered out.

Bella pressed down against me again and my hands slipped up her shirt on accident.

"Ohhhh…your hands feel so good."

My hands continued their journey upwards, pushing Bella's shirt up as I went. Her hands gripped my forearms, and I stilled my movements as my fingertips reached the curve of her breasts. Both of us were breathing heavily and I watched as everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Bella lifted both her arms in the air and peeled off her shirt, tossing it to the side of the bed. My breath caught in my throat as I took in her bare torso. The lines of her muscles in her arms and stomach were faint in the lamplight, but it was her breasts that I couldn't take my eyes away from. The sight of her naked breasts had ruined any others for me. Her breasts were perfectly round with her pebbled pink nipples. I moaned softly as my dick twitched in appreciation.

"You're so beautiful…so perfect…" I said, in awe of the vision before me.

"You make me feel that way," Bella murmured. She smiled and tugged on my forearms. "Sit up."

Slowly I sat up and Bella wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing her naked chest against my own. I felt like my body might set the entire house on the fire. My lips found Bella's and she moaned softly as I tentatively moved my hand up and cupped her breast in my palm. Bella gasped as I gave her a gentle squeeze and her hips began to move against my own again. I moaned loudly, the tightening in my abdomen all too familiar.

"Bella…Bella….I'm going to come…." I panted, "I need to…to stop…"

"Don't…" Bella pleaded, "Please…I want you to…"

Bella began to move her hips with more pressure against me and I moaned, too close to the edge to try and stop her. She cried out as I rubbed and squeezed her breast, my other arm wrapped around her back, anchoring her to me.

"You make me feel so beautiful," Bella panted into my ear, "I love you, Edward Cullen…so, so much…"

Her words were what did me in.

"Uhhhhhhh…oh God…Bella…Bella…"

My body shivered as I came, holding Bella's body tightly to my own. I buried my face in Bella's neck, my breaths coming in heavy pants as I tried to recover from the most intense orgasm I had ever experienced in my young life. I could barely feel Bella's fingers as they slowly ran through my hair and she placed soft kisses on the side of my face.

"I love you, Bella," I murmured against her skin.

I don't know how long we sat there like that, but the situation in my pajama pants wasn't going to clean itself up, and honestly, it was getting sticky and uncomfortable. Bella, sensing my discomfort, slowly climbed off my lap and buried herself back under my sheets. She smiled up at me, and I couldn't help but smile back, seeing nothing but love there in her eyes. As cheesy as all that sounded, I had more pressing issues to take care of.

"I'll be right back," I said as I awkwardly climbed out of bed.

"All right," Bella said, giving me a soft smile. I leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Thank you."

Grabbing a new pair of pajama pants and boxers, I hurried into my bathroom. Figuring the quickest and cleanest way was a quick shower, I jumped in the shower and cleaned my spunk off before jumping out and toweling off. Throwing on my clean clothes, I headed back to my room. To my surprise, Bella was lying on her back, the sheets pooled around her waist, one arm resting behind her head and the other lying across her still bare breasts. She was looking out the window, but hearing my footsteps she turned her head to look at me.

"Look…it's snowing."

Sure enough, I glanced out my window and saw the white dots of snow falling slowly past my window. For some reason, it made me happy to see the frozen droplets of water that I so usually detested.

"Come on, Edward," Bella smiled, patting the bed beside her. She turned on her side to face the window, and sighed. "I love watching the first snowfall."

"Why is that?" I asked, scooting in behind her. I hesitantly pressed up behind her, unsure of how to actually hold her.

Luckily, Bella moved back and sat up a little. She smiled and pecked my chin quickly.

"Put your left arm under my neck and wrap it around the top of my chest, and put your right arm around my waist."

I did as I was told and rewarded me with another kiss before snuggling into my chest and arms. I sighed and pressed a kiss to her temple before resting my chin on her shoulder. This was nice…this was perfect. I pulled the blankets up a bit and Bella sighed happily.

"You never told me why you like watching the snow," I murmured into Bella's ear.

"Because when the snow falls, it really feels like it's Christmas time. Just like the way it looks in all the pictures you see in books when you're a kid. It means building snowmen, snowball fights, hot chocolate, sitting by the fire…snuggling with the one you love…"

"I like that one," I responded, as Bella trailed off.

"I thought you might."

Bella let out a loud yawn and wiggled her way as close as possible to my body. I smiled against the skin of her shoulder, loving the feeling of her skin against mine. Pressing a kiss to her skin, I leaned over and turned off the lamp, bathing the room in darkness, the only light coming from outside.

"Good night, my love."

"Mmmm…" Bella hummed, "Good night, Edward."

I stayed awake a few more moments after I heard Bella's breathing even out. I couldn't wait to spend time with Bella this break, possibly doing all the things she talked about when describing her interest in watching the first snowfall. I wanted to spend time with our friends, and I also couldn't wait to give Bella her Christmas presents. Another thought popped into my head, and I decided there was something else that I wanted to give her. Her Christmas presents were perfect, but what I wanted to give her…well, I supposed it was more of a goal for myself. The more I thought about it, the more I committed myself to my plan and my goal. This was something I could give her to start off our New Year's together.

Starting tomorrow, I was going to figure out how to give Bella an orgasm.

Well? LOL, yes? No? Like I would leave you all with doom and gloom before Christmas! Okay, the Jacob thing has been dealt with. Consider him Bubba's new playmate in a Washington State Penitentiary somewhere. The legal stuff is probably not correct, but everyone here wants to see him rot in jail right? Right. This is an ExB story, but Leah won't be forgotten about. She'll be around and we'll see how she's doing. I promise HEA all around.

#1. I hope we all enjoyed the fluff at the end! It's time for me to get this story back on track to funny and lighthearted and fluffy. LOL, and geektastic…can't forget about that.

#2. Ladies (and maybe gents), I sincerely hope you all have the best, and happiest of holidays. Keep warm those of you in the snow, keep cool for those of you in the tropics like me, and keep swimming (?) for those of you getting buckets of rain. Hope you all curl up with someone you love :-D

Let me know what you guys thought, good or bad, pretty please? LOL, we'll see how Edward's researching goes in the next chapter. Happy Holidays.