A/N- Thank you to Tanya my wonderful beta and Chartwilightmom for prereading.

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Chapter 10

Bella woke to the warm licks of Edward's tongue on the corner of her mouth. The act should have grossed her out but what they had shared the previous night had made this unusual gesture of affection sweet in her eyes. She giggled lightly and went to sit up, noticing that Edward was on his feet with his elbows on the bed and his ass in the air. He waved it a little and Bella laughed harder at the playful mood he seemed to be in.

Edward bounded back and forth across Bella's legs on the bed and Bella couldn't help but want to play, too. She scooted her legs underneath her and sprang up on all fours, causing Edward's face to light up. They took turns smacking their hands down on the bed, teasing each other and psyching them out. Bella's face was strained in a big smile as she let herself be free for the first time in her life. She loved not feeling embarrassed or self-conscious as she just let her instincts take over.

Spurred on by Bella returning his playfulness, Edward pounced suddenly and Bella found herself pinned to the bed. Unlike the last time Edward had done this, Bella did not faint, but her heart raced just the same. Bella looked down as Edward straddled her body, and blushed. The mood changed instantly and Edward became playful in a different way. He leaned in and pressed his face against hers, bringing it down until he was at her neck. He nuzzled her pulse point with his nose and Bella put her hands up to stop him. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but the week needed to be about teaching Edward how to live in the world, not how to stay in bed and make out.

After a trip to the bathroom, another lesson in showering, and a breakfast consisting of toast and fresh fruit, Bella found herself at a loss for what to do, and what was worse, Edward was pacing the place as well.

Watching him walk on his hands and feet, Bella wondered if he would ever truly be comfortable walking like a man. He had done it easily enough, though, that Bella thought he probably wasn't as foreign to it as she might think. Edward stood just as the thought crossed her mind and went to her, grabbing her hand and leading her to the window. He pawed at it with his hand and Bella knew what he wanted.

"Outside?" she asked.

Edward kept his eyes forward as he mimicked her word, "Out-side."

"Okay," she replied, and went to her room, grabbing an old t-shirt of Ben's and a pair of sweats that were too short for Edward but would do.

Edward put up a little fuss while Bella tried to get the clothes on, but when he understood he wasn't getting outside until he got dressed he became a lot more cooperative. He had no shoes but Bella knew he'd be okay without them. His feet were calloused and he'd not likely feel any stones or rocks if he stepped on them.

Before Bella let Edward leave the apartment, she grabbed a pen and took his arm in her hand.

"This is in case you get lost," she stated and looked up at him. "But you better not get lost. Stay with me today. Stay- Bella." She put the black ink to his skin and wrote her phone number on his arm along with a simple message to call the number if found.

Edward looked confused at the etchings on his arm but was too eager to leave the apartment to spend the time to learn. Bella took his hand and opened the door finally, leading them down the hall and out the building.

A noticeable change was seen in Edward the moment the fresh air hit him. While he had been playful with Bella that very morning, Edward looked now like he was able to breathe for the first time in a while. Bella felt the same way; she didn't make it a habit of staying in her apartment for any great length of time, instead preferring the nearby park, and that was where she took Edward.

There were people around but the area was not crowded. The park was small and most people didn't bother using it, preferring to drive to bigger parks or just stay in their homes altogether. The size had never mattered to Bella, what she cared about was having a patch of grass to sit on as often as she could.

Edward was both excited and nervous from the other people around. Bella made certain to keep a wide berth passing people. She had no idea if Edward would become territorial but she wasn't taking any chances. In the few blocks they walked to the park, Edward became more and more twitchy.

Bella nearly turned around but Edward's anxiety seemed to drop a little once they reached the open grassy area. They'd kept their hands locked together the entire walk, but once the open space was in front of him, he let go of it and took off running. A couple people took notice of him, not because it was that odd to see a man running through the opening, but because he had dropped down onto his hands to do it, galloping like a wild horse. Or in this case, a wolf.

Bella took off after him, not shouting out as to not draw any more attention to the odd situation. She found it surprising that she couldn't catch up to Edward on her feet, just assuming there was no way he could run faster than her that way. He turned abruptly and Bella skidded to a stop as he approached her.

"You're very fast," she said, huffing.

Edward made a noise Bella could only classify as laughing, and she scowled at him. "Oh you think it's funny to make me chase after you?"

She sat down in the grass unceremoniously, letting her legs stretch out in front of her while her hands went in a 'V' behind her to brace. Edward sat next to her but was soon lying on the grass, his head on her lap. Bella ran an absent hand through Edward's locks; she loved the way they shimmered in the sun, bringing out a shade of red she'd never really seen before, naturally anyway.

It didn't take long before Bella could feel the sun start to prick at her pale skin, the warmth a little too intense without sunscreen. She tried to angle her body so she could find some relief in the small amount of shade Edward's body was giving off, but her movements alerted him and he sat up, the quiet moment evaporating quickly. She shot him an apologetic look but he seemed unfazed by the abrupt adjustment from relax to ready.

"We should probably head back," she said, not really wanting to return to the apartment but needing to get out of the sun before she became a lobster.

Bella stood up and brushed the grass off her pants, swatting her bum a few times before deeming herself suitable. Edward, much less concerned with personal hygiene and dirt in general, just stood and watched her curiously as she prepped herself for walking.

Two steps, and Bella felt herself yanked back as Edward grabbed her wrist. When she turned back to him, his face was panicked. Bella mirrored his expression, and asked, "What? What is it?"

She looked around desperately, trying to figure out what set him off but was unable to see any changes in their surroundings. It wasn't until Edward shoved his wrist in her face she understood. The only thing Edward had worn when she met him was gone, the bracelet had fallen off.

Bella's panic faded and morphed into worry and sadness. She hadn't realized he understood what the bracelet meant to him. He wore it around his wrist, but she assumed it was because it was there and he didn't know how to take it off. It occurred to her she had no idea how he felt about it, or what he even knew about it. She wondered if she would ever know its history.

"It has to be here somewhere," Bella offered, lowering her eyes to the ground and looking.

Edward let go of her immediately and began to scour the ground as well. A flash of color caught her eye but it turned out to be nothing but a candy wrapper. When Bella noticed Edward drop down to the ground in her peripheral vision, she felt her heartbeat race in her chest. Rushing to him, she let out a happy laugh as he held up the missing bracelet in his hand.

Bella sat down next to Edward as he wrapped the woven fabric around his wrist. The string on it was a lot longer than Bella had originally thought, and now that she looked at it, she thought it might have originally been a necklace. He fastened the band to his wrist with a series of tucks and weaves, not tying it in a typical fashion but using the interlacing threads, which held his name, to poke the ends through and create a lock.

Being so fascinated by his unique method of reattaching his heirloom, Bella was caught unaware when she looked up and found Edward staring at her. His face was unreadable to her, but his look was soft, and she found herself flushing from it.

"Let's go home," she said, standing up. Edward looked once toward the trees at the other end of the park, and then followed Bella.

Later that night, Bella found herself standing in her kitchen, cooking a basic dinner she hoped Edward would be able to stomach, and thinking about his history. Did he have family out there somewhere looking for him? His bracelet had looked like a child's necklace, but how old would he have been when he'd gotten it? Bella didn't think you'd put a string necklace around a baby's neck, but she had no clue when, five? Six?

And what events would leave to a small child being left in the woods. Had he wandered off or had he been dumped? Bella felt sick. The idea that someone could dump Edward in the woods was not something she could even begin to consider. No, something must have happened.

Bella thought about Edward as a little boy, his messy copper hair getting in his eyes while he chased frogs and threw stones in the water.

How had no one found him until now?

"Shit," Bella screeched as the water boiled over and splashed her hand. She hadn't been paying very close attention to her actions and she had burned herself.

Edward swooped into the kitchen and ran to her, watching worriedly as she stuck the flaming patch of skin under the tap and turned on the cold water.

"It's okay," she said, trying to soothe him. "I just burned myself."

Edward looked at her with recognition and grabbed her hand, pulling it out of the water. He held it up to his mouth and blew a cool breath across the skin. Bella shivered and looked at him, her body both cold and feverish. The afternoon sun now seemed to pour out of her skin as she studied the man in front of her. He was taking care of her, and it might have only been a little burn, and all he really did was blow on it, but to her, it was the most selfless thing any man had ever done for her, save her father.

Bella needed to kiss him, and she did. Her hands slid up his arms and looped around his neck as she rose up on her toes and kissed his warm, soft lips. Bella whimpered and Edward growled, turning her and pressing her into the countertop behind her.

Edward seemed to learn quickly when it came to kissing, and Bella found herself wound up quickly as Edward moved his hands to her waist. He gripped her hard as he kissed her breathless, literally. Bella's mind was cloudy with desire, her body humming as they made out against the kitchen counter.

A hissing sound caused Bella to pull back. The water from the pot boiled over and hit the stove, alerting her back to the supper she was preparing. Edward followed her gaze and took a step back, unsure about what was happening.

Grabbing the handle, Bella dumped the contents into the strainer in the sink, before turning her attention back to Edward. Had he been anyone else, she would have been used to his nudity by now, but he was too perfect, too stunning, and she didn't think she would ever get used to the sight of him. There was no reason to deny her attraction, it was obvious, and although he seemed quite attached to her, Bella was still unsure what the future could hold for them.

Edward made it through dinner that night with no adverse side effects, and Bella added pasta to the list of acceptable foods for him. They crawled into her bed together and Edward slung his arm over her as he settled in.

"I wish you could tell me more about you," she said, her fingers moving through his hair. "But since you can't, maybe I could tell you some stuff about me."

Edward looked up and her, watching but not understanding. As Bella began to tell him about her life growing up, Edward became peaceful, and even though she knew he didn't know what she was saying, she could see the sound of her voice was soothing. Bella told Edward about her life and her friends and found she didn't really have much she was excited to talk about, until she began to talk about her camping trips with Charlie when she was little.

"There was one trip where my dad thought he saw a bear. He hoisted me up the tree so fast I was clinging onto a branch for dear life. I watched him shimmy up the tree across from me just as a large bunny came hopping out of the bush," Bella said, giggling at the remembrance. "He never lived that one down, I teased him every time we saw a bunny after that, and Easter was unbearable for him." Her smile became sad as the reminiscing had made her miss her dad.

She looked down and Edward had fallen asleep, his head on her stomach and his face turned up to her. "I guess I should be grateful for the time I did have," she whispered sadly. She wondered just how much of a life Edward had had with his family; she didn't think it could be much.

Her mind was still racing when she fell asleep, deciding just what to do with Edward the next day.

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