A/N: I don't own Twilight.

Thank you mac, sncmom, and askthemagic8ball. They make things so pretty, and aren't afraid to tell me when I'm a little off.

The Golden Lemon Awards came callin' and gave the orange-squeezin-schmexin-lovin in chapter 6 an award for Best Use of OJ. Kassiah & Bsmog created the awards (thank goodness, because some of the best lemons are highlighted!!) and apparently Kassiah has a love for OJward. Lucky me, because she deemed that little ditty award worthy.

And away we go…


"Ouch!"

Edward sat on the vanity wearing only charcoal-gray boxer briefs while I stood between his legs in a simple white tank and panties, his ankles locked behind my knees.

"Stop moving then," I said.

"It hurts," he justified, gripping the edge of the vanity tightly, his knuckles becoming paler than the rest of his hand.

I stopped what I was doing and reached up to kiss him. "Sorry, baby. Just try to sit still when I pull."

"Shit!" Edward grimaced as I tried to remove another piece of wax from his chest hair.

"It can't hurt that badly – I get waxed all the time," I said, smirking. Of course, I wasn't getting one hair at a time pulled out.

"I think you must be part masochist, because this shit hurts."

The candle wax from our sexual play had hardened to the hairs on his chest and belly and wasn't coming off very easily. Admittedly, I hadn't thought that part through, and it might have been a good idea to try to get the wax off sooner rather than later… we got distracted.

We had lain with each other quietly for several minutes after we had sex, and after he asked that I not leave him. Lying with him, I was content and warm and safe - it was easy… he fit me. I thought about how quickly the weekend was going to be over and not knowing exactly when I'd be able to see him again. The not knowing was harder now.

Edward fluidly moved on top of me, and within the next few moments, he was inside me again. Our eyes locked together, and the tips of my fingers traveled lightly over his face: his jaw, the corners of his eyes, his ears, his lips. Edward's forearm was underneath me, his hand cupping my shoulder. His other arm pressed against the mattress as his fingers wove in my hair. Edward's eyes were clear, bright - they smiled - as he rolled his hips against mine with strong, smooth motions, my heels pressing into the backs of his calves. My heart pounded rhythmically inside my chest feeling, and I pulled his head to mine, sucking in his upper lip. The only sounds either of us made were those of small moans against each other's mouths. He pulled back slightly and looked at me – he was so beautiful it became hard to breathe. His breath grew faster, and his eyes seemed to travel down toward my mouth and back up again. I felt a lump rise in my throat as we came, both of us trembling. The intensity was reminiscent of the weekend we went camping.

Edward leaned in, taking my upper lip into his mouth then switching to my lower one as our hips slowed. Our tongues touched gently, almost teasing. I loved his mouth; the shape of his lips and how soft they were. I loved how sweet he tasted; like butterscotch and mint. I loved the way his tongue fit with mine, and how he moved it over my body.

But I hated how he thought of himself - my heart ached for him.

"You're not Phaethon," I whispered, remembering the myth he told me several weeks prior. Edward's eyes fell, as though they frowned just a little. He began to speak, but I interrupted him. "I won't say anything else because you asked me not to, but I don't believe that."

Edward clenched his eyes shut then dipped his head slightly. He sighed as he looked back at me. "Do you know the entire myth?" he asked softly, his voice shaky. I shook my head. "You're my Cygnus."

"I don't-"

"Cygnus dove into the Eridanus river to save Phaethon."

Pausing, I inhaled deeply because now I understood. "You need me to save you."

Reluctantly, he nodded his head.

"Because you're drowning."

"Not when I'm with you."

I could feel his heart race against my breast as he lay on top of me; my breath hitched. "Will you open up to me?"

"Okay," his voice was barely audible.

We had fallen asleep afterwards, only to awaken a couple of hours later. I wasn't sure why or what caused us to rouse, but whatever the reason, we were soon in his bathroom.

I chuckled as I continued to remove the wax trying to cause him as little discomfort as possible.

"Not a masochist, and I'm sure you don't mind the results from when I get waxed," I answered and lightly rubbed my hand over his stomach.

I sighed as I stepped back. "This isn't working." The wax was now crumbly, in tiny pieces, and even worse than it was when we started. I couldn't help but giggle… a lot. Edward looked as though he had dandruff all over his torso, and by now little bits were scattered over his boxers and the vanity.

"I can't believe you're laughing at me. You did this," Edward said, grinning.

"I know - I'm sorry," I chortled, wiping the tears from the corners of my eyes. "What kind of candles were they anyway? They're horrible!"

Edward smirked in agreement and looked down at his chest for a moment. He lifted his head, shaking it at me and laughing.

"I don't know. I got them at Home Depot." He shrugged.

"Home Depot? I had no idea they sold candles. Do they sell peacock feathers too?" I teased.

"You turned them into sex candles, and no, they do not sell peacock feathers."

"You weren't complaining," I said, leaning into him. "Where did you get the feather? I really liked that."

Edward scooted to the edge of the vanity and slid his hands under my tank top.

"I know you liked the feather," he said, tilting his head to kiss me.

"You do, huh? How do you know that?"

He brushed my nose with his. "Let's just say the plume had to be thrown away."

"The plume?" I asked between kisses.

"Mm hmm," he breathed.

"Why did it have to-" He pulled back slightly, quirking an eyebrow at me, and I realized why. "Oh," I blushed. "Do you have more?"

"No, that was the only one."

"Then I guess we'll have to go and get another."

Edward straightened his back, chewing at the inside of his cheek. "I don't know if that'll be possible."

"Why not?"

He smiled warily, and I cocked my head waiting for him to respond.

"It wasn't exactly purchased… remember when we first met and spent the night in the house you rented?"

"Yes," I answered skeptically.

"Well, do you remember how the master bedroom was decorated?"

I remembered the gorgeous hard wood floors, and the floor to ceiling windows, and the…

Holy shit.

There were white vases full of peacock feathers scattered around the bedroom.

"You stole it?" I screeched. "Oh my god, you're a felon," I joked. "When?"

"It's not like I broke into the house, Bella." He bit his bottom lip and smiled. "I took it the morning you left. You were still sleeping, and there were a lot of them… I took it as a reminder - a memento." Edward lowered his head and then looked back toward me, smiling.

I stared at him, my mouth hanging open, when laughter erupted from my chest. "Oh my god. You're a felon and a stalker."

"No," he said, grabbing my waist. "It's a rental property. It's like taking a towel from a hotel."

I placed my hands on his arms as he pulled me into him. "Is that so?"

Edward nipped at my ear. "Yes, that's so."

"Stalker."

"Masochist," he said, and I stepped back to look at his chest.

I shrugged, tsking. "We're just going to have to shave it off."

His jaw slacked suddenly. "Are you serious? Fuck."

"I'm kidding! Baby oil might work. Do you have any? If not, we can just break into one of the neighbor's houses and steal some."

"Ha. Funny. No, but I have olive. That should work, right?" he asked.

"Hopefully - be right back."

After I found a bottle of extra-virgin olive oil in the kitchen, I returned to the bathroom. Edward was still sitting on the vanity, inspecting his chest.

Repositioning myself between his legs, I poured some olive oil into my palm and then rubbed it over his chest and stomach.

He grinned widely.

"What?" I asked, pulling the wax off his chest hairs more easily.

"Nothing."

I rolled my eyes, knowing he was more than likely smiling at the fact I was oiling up his body. Edward worked on one side of his chest as I worked on the other. We worked in silence for a few moments, and I glanced at him every few seconds, smiling.

I was happy. He made me happy. No other worries, no I love you giant gorillas in the room, no talk about accidents or other things that weren't his fault. Nothing. So many things had happened in less than twenty-four hours, and here I stood in front of him, removing wax from his chest, feeling more at ease with him than I ever had.

I peeked back at Edward and he was grinning again.

"What?" I laughed. He had such a silly look on his face… it was nice.

"Nothing."

I let go of his chest, letting my hands fall to his thighs. "Something. Why are you smiling like that?"

"I've been thinking." He paused for a moment and then took my hands, lacing them with his. "What if I got a place near you?"

What?

"What? What do you mean?"

"Well… I could buy or rent a condo or something near you, since you're busy with work and… your mom. I thought - I don't know… I want to be able to see you. This thing with living three hours away from each other kind of sucks."

Sure, it sucked that we were so far away, but Edward wanting to get a place closer to me? I liked the idea of being able to see him a lot more. In fact, I really liked the idea, but this was a big step - huge. It was just this morning that he had a hard enough time telling me about the crash and Seth and that he couldn't give all of himself to me. But then he agreed to opening up to me. Did he mean sell the lake house and move his entire life near me? My brain was having a hard time processing this at two in the morning.

"You mean move permanently?" I asked.

"Not exactly. I'd still have this place but would spend a lot of time near you." He watched me cautiously while I thought about his idea.

Edward's chest and stomach were wax-free, for the most part, and I washed my hands of the olive oil in his sink, then picked up a hand towel from the vanity.

"Is this just so you'll feel better?" I asked.

His brow creased. "Just so I'll feel better?" he repeated.

I took a deep breath, wringing the towel between my hands. "Would you only be doing this just because you need me?" I asked and handed the towel to him.

He shook his head as he wiped his hands and chest before scooting off the vanity and placing his hands on my hips. "No, that's not it at all – please don't think that. You're going back home later today, and you have no idea what it's like not knowing when I'll be able to see you again… especially now."

"I do understand what it's like, but things are going to get a little crazy for me." My hands were balled up against his arms. "And what do you mean 'especially now'?"

Edward slid his hands to the small of my back, pulling me closer as he leaned against the vanity. "What I mean, Swan, is that random weekends don't work for me anymore. I want more of you."

"Do you always get what you want?"

"Not always." One corner of his mouth lifted a little higher than the other, and I found myself becoming familiar with his different smiles. This one in particular would be thrown into the 'you can't resist me' category – because I couldn't.

"So, you'd have a place near me, but you'd still live here too."

"Yeah. What do you think?"

The idea of having Edward live close by suddenly made me feel a little giddy.

"I think I like it."

"Yeah?" His eyes lit up, and I could feel mine do the same.

"Yes."

Edward leaned in to kiss me, my thumbs brushing along the corners of his mouth. I had no reservations about him moving closer, well, on a semi-permanent level. I was glad he didn't suggest semi-permanently staying with me though. That would have been as if we were jumping way ahead; even though we'd probably spend most nights together, it still wouldn't seem right. Besides, I liked my own space – it hadn't been that long since Jake and I separated and divorced, and I liked living by myself. This was good. This worked for me.

Edward started the shower while I pulled a clean tank top out of my armoire. I smiled at the thought and wondered if I'd have one at his new place. The tank top I was wearing had gotten a little dirty from leaning against his olive oiled chest.

His cell phone buzzed as I was walking toward the bathroom to get in the shower with him, and I hurriedly picked it up from the night stand. It was after two a.m. – who would call at this time?

I yelled for him, but he didn't answer, and as I looked at the caller ID the name Alice showed on the screen.

Alice. I remembered this Alice person calling him incessantly when we were at the hotel. I'd actually forgotten all about her.

The phone continued to buzz in my hand, and I walked into the bathroom. Edward was in the shower lathering his body with his head tilted back as the stream of water hit his face.

Opening the glass door, I held the phone up for him to see. "Phone call."

I trusted him but couldn't help but feel a little pang of discomfort at the idea of a woman calling him so late at night. Admittedly, a woman could call him at any time of the day, and I'd still not be very happy about it.

Edward looked at me incredulously and I held the screen so he could read the caller ID. I kept my expression blank, waiting to see his reaction.

"Shit," he said and reached around for a towel as he took the phone from my hand.

I leaned back against the vanity as he answered. He didn't seem as though he was concerned that I didn't give him any privacy, so I stayed as he maneuvered the towel around his waist.

"Alice, what's wrong?... Is he okay?... How?… You're sure… What did they say?... Tell Jane I'd like to call him tomorrow… I know, but please tell her anyway… Okay, thanks for letting me know. Alright, bye."

Edward hit the off button on his phone and looked at me.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"It is now. Seth had to go to the hospital. He's allergic to nuts and apparently ate something he shouldn't have."

"But he's fine?" Edward nodded, but there was obvious concern all over his face. "You really care about him, don't you?"

"I do, but it's a complicated situation."

"I know… so, Alice?"

"Alice was the social worker who took care of things when Claire died. Technically, she doesn't really need to be involved with him any more, but Seth's grandmother, Jane, is older, and Alice has a big heart, so she helps out. She's acted as a buffer between Jane and me too."

"Has it been that bad? I mean between you and Jane?"

"Yes and no. I have no rights to Seth, and I'm not saying I should, but he practically lived at the hangar, and I kind of think of him as a nephew. When I fly out there to see him, he's happy to see me, and we do guy stuff together - he doesn't have any male influences in his life. I think Jane realizes this, which is probably the only reason she allows me to spend any time with him at all. She's not being vindictive toward me, well, maybe she is - she certainly has the right." Edward set his phone down on the vanity, gripping his towel with his other hand and walked out of the bathroom.

I followed. "Look, I know you blame yourself for this, but you have to stop punishing yourself for something you had no control over."

Edward had slipped on a pair of pajama pants and turned, his face slightly rigid. "I disagree."

That's debatable. This wasn't the time to get into it with him though it would probably take quite a while to convince him otherwise – if ever.

"But Alice has been helpful?" I assumed since she called Edward to tell him Seth had been sick, she was probably in the same mindset I was - that it wasn't his fault.

"Yeah, she's been great." The tension in his face diminished somewhat. "Maybe you could meet her one day."

"As in go to Hawaii with you?" Edward nodded, and the realization of him truly opening up hit me unexpectedly. "You're not going to hold back, are you? You're really going to let me in."

He grinned as he walked over to me and took one of my hands in his. "I guess I am."

___________

A/N: So there you have it - they are moving forward, and now you know who Alice is. I wonder if her reveal was anticlimatic for you? Hope not, but it's Alice so you know she'll come into play more!

Before anyone pm's me or leaves something in their review (because everyone's going to review, right???) about the myth, Cygnus is actually a boy in the legend – it's not a love story, but one of friendship. Clearly, Bella is more than just a friend to Edward. He does see her as saving him. A little nugget - after Cygnus repetitively dove into the river to try and save Phaethon, Zeus took pity on him and turned him into a Swan. If you decide to Google the myth, don't fret, Edward won't plummet like Phaethon did.

Just a reminder the Indie Twific Awards open February 20 – don't forget to vote! There are so many great stories nominated, and you can find them at www(dot)theindietwificawards(dot)com.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week and please hit review if you have the time!!!