A/N: Wow, okay, first off, sorry for being a complete tool and leaving this chapter until now. I had a bunch of stuff going on and this just made my list of things to do only now.

First off, I finished LFK! Finally, and now that it's done, this story will get my primary attention. Once I get into the rhythm of writing again, I will definitely be posting this on a weekly basis; I will let you all know whenever I figure that out.

Second, I entered the Summer of Smut contest for which I had to write a smutty one-shot. If you like my writing or just want to read something lemony, head over to my profile, it's called Captive of a Bartender. Also check out the other entries on the SOS page, or check out the thread on Twilighted.

My rec for this week is Claire Bloom's entry entitled Free From Desire – she entered with me as well and it's very good. Go read it if you have a chance : )

I think that's it for now, so get-a-reading!

Enjoy!


"I cannot explain to you, in anything I say or do,

I hope the actions speak the words they can.

For my pride and my promise,

For my lies and how the truth gets in the way.

The things I want to say to you get lost before they come.

The only thing that's worse than one is none."

b.p.o.v

I relaxed into the water, feeling the warmth spreading throughout my entire body as I moaned, closing my eyes and letting my head hit the soft, cushy headrest. I could hear everyone else getting in the hot tub, but my mind wouldn't let their comments register as I was in my own little world, feeling the tension and unease of the week rolling off of me.

It was the best I'd felt since last Friday.

While we'd overcome one obstacle, his lack of communication with me had created another dozen. Where he'd been talking to Alice and Jasper more at lunch, he had barely been talking to me at all. Where his bodily contact with me at school would be virtually non-existent, at home he couldn't keep his hands off of me.

It was driving me out of my mind.

If I happened to mention something remotely close to talking about his past or his parents, he would tense. He would get angry and his jaw would set like it always did. His eyes would narrow and he'd give me that look, the one that said 'just fucking leave it alone'. But I would persist, and he would get even angrier.

He'd yell and I'd yell back. I'd swear and he'd retort with something just as harsh.

But of course it always ended in the same way. We'd get so worked up that we found it hard to keep our hands to ourselves and just gave in to each other. I swear we'd had enough make-up sex this week to set a new record, even for us. My body ached from how active I'd been and the soothing jets as well as the scorching temperature helped to relax them.

I moaned again it felt so good.

Edward settled in next to me and under the water his fingers skimmed along my left thigh. He leant in, and when his lips brushed against my ear I involuntarily shivered despite the heat.

"The jets feel good?" He asked, his tone a low and seductive growl. I cracked my eyes open a bit and glanced sideways to him; his smirk added to the heat and I already felt myself sweating.

Prick.

"Mmm, they feel great," I answered him, shifting a little and closing my eyes again. I breathed in heavily, puffing out my chest so it protruded from the water while Edward's fingers halted on my leg. I angled my head to where he was sitting, opening my eyes to look at him.

Through the steam the hot tub was emitting and my own foggy vision, I could see his eyes and his burning stare. His lips were parted and his breathing was laboured from the extra air he had to take in to get past the steam; his expression told me everything.

"Hi," I said amusedly, trying to break him from the pathetic trance I had him in. We'd fucked not even an hour ago for Christ's sake and he was already horny again.

"Tease," he muttered. I rolled my eyes and laughed, sliding along the seat to sit a bit closer to him. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, surprising the shit out of me. I was thankful that he wasn't being the unaffectionate jerk he'd been all week at school.

"So what should we watch first?" Rosalie asked, sitting across from me, Emmett on one side and Alice on the other. I shrugged and looked to the others; we had an entire weekend of scary movies awaiting us, and I had never been so pumped to sit around, getting scared shitless in my entire life. I mostly wanted to watch Rose's reaction to them, but it was also my favourite genre; I loved getting freaked out.

"When we're done in here we can go in and start making a list of the all the ones we should watch," Emmett answered her, ripping his gaze from her chest to bring it to her face. I kept back my laughter.

Emmett was struggling. He was my best friend, and I loved him, but at times he could be a tool. It was like he needed sex as much as he needed air. We'd talked a few days ago and Emmett had gone off on a rant, telling me all the things he loved about Rose and why he thought she was different than other girls he'd gone after.

Now, he went a little overboard in telling me he'd jacked off more times since he'd met her than ever, but I shrugged it off and tried not to laugh at him because he was being completely serious. Surprisingly I'd heard Emmett talk of things much more disgusting than him masturbating. It didn't make me blush anymore.

But I told him that he needed to give Rose time. She wasn't some conquest. She wasn't this one-time thing, and he knew that. We all knew it. We could see it in his eyes when he looked at her and I could hear it in his voice when he spoke about her.

Emmett loved her, but he was too much of a dumb shit to realize it himself, and if he had, he wasn't saying anything about it. He needed to get over himself and admit that he'd finally found someone that he could be with, because in all honesty, it was about time he did. He'd spent too many years of his life pretending to get satisfaction out of meaningless lay after meaningless lay.

"Can I vote for the first one we watch?" Edward asked, interrupting my skewed train of thought. Everyone else looked over to us and I tilted away from him, watching as his eyes were trained on me. "The Saw sequels first."

I smiled at the choice, knowing tonight I'd have some random and fucked up dreams.

"Sounds perfect," I replied, easing into him again.

"Oh no," Rosalie said, her bottom lip pouting. "Alice said the other ones are just as bad." She slid closer to Emmett and he hugged her, laughing and shaking his head into her hair.

"It'll be okay, I'll be there." He pulled away and winked down at her, leaning in to whisper something so only she could hear. After Rosalie looked at ease we all quietly talked amongst ourselves, enjoying the heat and comfort of the tub.

"How's the water?" Carlisle's voice asked from behind me. We all turned and saw Carlisle standing on the deck with Esme. He was putting dinner on the barbecue and Esme stood next to him with an empty plate.

"It's great," Alice answered. "This will be so awesome in the dead of winter," she added with a laugh.

"Yeah except you'd have to trudge through snow to get to it," Jasper retorted. I looked away from the deck and to the people in the tub; Alice and Jasper were bickering back and forth, the biggest smiles plastered on their faces.

When we had another one of our girls' nights during the week Alice told me everything, and by everything...

I mean everything.

I could probably re-enact the entire evening myself if need be because she hadn't shut up about it, going on for an hour or so about how their parents had known they were 'dating'. Karen had known, so had Graeme, and no, they weren't mad.

There were no words to describe how happy Alice was that she could finally be with Jasper, unhindered by the fact that they had to hide it like it was a sickening disease. Along with the fact that they could go public, she was also happy that they had sex.

Well, happy would be putting it lightly.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Edward asked from beside me. I looked up from the bubbling surface of the water and into his eyes, watching the sweat of his brow dripping down the side of his face.

"Uh, just thinking about this week," I told him, eyeing the bead of sweat like it was liquid gold or something ridiculous. He smirked and leant down again, his cold breath making my skin ripple with goose bumps. I closed my eyes at the sensation as the pleasure of it collided with the sheer heat I was surrounded by.

"That's all I can think about too," he whispered, nipping at my ear afterwards. I felt my face flushing slightly because Rose was watching us; she was staring at Edward in a completely intimate moment and he didn't give a shit.

What the hell was with him this week?

"I think it's for a different reason though," I replied, pulling away slightly to take in his confused expression.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He retorted in an offended voice. I shrugged and shook my head, not wanting to get into this now in front of everyone.

"Never mind," I replied quietly. I thought maybe he'd push me, prod at me with questions until I answered him, but he sat silently like he always did. So I did the same.

We spent the rest of our supposed-to-be-enjoyable hot tub time in an uncomfortable silence with each other. His arm was stiffly around me, trying to be affectionate, but I wasn't buying it. I knew he was pissed about what I said because he knew he'd been using his dick to avoid me and my attempts to make him say anything to me.

But I couldn't just blame him for it. While I'd been pushing for answers, hell, for a few mere words, I'd always given into him. He'd kiss me to shut me up and I'd try to protest, but after subjecting myself to his smell and taste I was rendered incapable of even thinking straight. It was no longer imperative that he talked to me; the concern became how fast we could strip without mangling each other.

"Kids, dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes," Esme said to us all, harshly bringing me back to the Cullens' back deck. I abruptly stood up, shaking Edward's arm off my shoulder as I turned to climb out of the hot tub, thankful my coordination was participating today. When I got out I snatched a towel up off the bench Esme had set them on and dried myself, not waiting for anyone as I went inside.

I made my way up to Edward's room and rifled through my overnight bag, settling on Edward's Strokes T-shirt and a pair of shorts. I picked them out of the bag and grabbed a pair of underwear, deciding to forgo the bra as I never slept with one on anyways. I went into the bathroom and locked the door before dropping the towel and gripping onto the sides of the counter, staring into the mirror.

How could I keep going on like this? How had I done this for so many years already and not given up on him? Why did he have to make our lives so difficult when the reality of our situation could be solved like an elementary math equation?

He just needed to let me in. He needed to see that I would be here for him and give him my support, all the way. For some reason he had this overwhelming fear that I'd somehow find it in myself to leave him, when he already knew that I could never bring myself to do it. I would never be able to rip myself from him, because despite the shit he caused, I couldn't be without him.

I heard a soft knock on the bathroom door, followed by the jiggling of the door handle. I gave myself one last glance in the mirror before I looked to the door.

"Bella..." Edward knocked again quietly, almost like he was patting the door rather than striking it with his knuckles. I took a deep breath, padding over to him in my soaking wet bathing suit. I unlocked the door and opened it a crack, watching as Edward stood outside in a low slung pair of board shorts; dark red and deliciously revealing of his muscles.

Get a fucking grip.

"Hi," I said quietly, swallowing the lump in my throat. I felt the weight of everything I'd been thinking about in the bathroom heavily resting on my chest, threatening to pour out through my mouth if I didn't watch it. I was more emotional than I liked to admit.

"What's going on?" He asked and crossed his arms over his chest, his flashing, emerald eyes resting on my own. I swallowed again and stepped back into the bathroom, picking up my towel as I could hear and feel water dripping onto the marble floor.

"Nothing," I replied, towelling myself off and glancing behind me to see Edward watching my actions.

"This is fucking bullshit," he growled, coming into the bathroom and closing the door. "You're the worst god damn liar. What the hell is wrong with you?" Every muscle in my body clenched at his tone and words, and before I snapped and lost it, I closed my eyes, doing my best to keep myself at least one degree of calm.

"You're right," I told him, looking at him through the mirror, "this is fucking bullshit." He stared back at me and didn't say anything, so I turned around to face him. He tightened his jaw, the bones of his face rigid and hard as his chest rose and fell, each passing moment more intense then the next.

"What did you mean, when you said that outside?" He asked, barely moving his lips. I ran both my hands through my hair and sighed, tugging on the ends before I looked at him again.

"You know you've been avoiding me," I simply stated, catching his eyes as they shifted from mine so briefly I almost didn't notice.

"I've spent the entire week with you," he retorted, his voice wavering noticeably as he knew that wasn't what I mean by my comment. He couldn't avoid me anymore because I was sick and tired of being conversationally shafted. I was sick of not talking and then fighting because of it. More than that though, I was sick of being in the dark.

I just wanted to be a part of his life, his whole life. Good and bad.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," I hissed, my anger bubbling in my stomach from his childish games. "Quit trying to avoid talking to me like it will fucking infect you."

He shut his eyes and pressed his palms to them, his body tensing as he let out a throaty groan of annoyance.

"You really want to get into this now?" He asked, pulling his hands from his face and squinting at me so his eyes could adjust to the light again. I rolled my own and scoffed. He really had to be out of his god damn mind.

"Well Edward, whenever's perfect for you I suppose. How about you just let me know when the fuck that is, and that would be fantastic," I grumbled, picking my clothes up off the floor. When I stood up and made to walk past him he stopped me, putting his hand on my shoulder. "So what, now's good for you? Because if you aren't going to say shit to me, let me go. I can't deal with you right now."

He lowered his eyes to the ground before they met mine again; they had softened ever so slightly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. I closed my eyes and breathed in deep, trying with all my strength not to cry.

After everything all he has to say is 'I'm sorry'?

"That's it?" I croaked, pursing my lips. He looked around the bathroom a little bit, and scratching the side of his neck he gave me a tight nod. I nodded back in the same manner, stepping around him and going into his room. I took my clothes and towel to his dresser and stripped of my bathing suit, letting it fall limp to the ground by my feet.

I could feel Edward's eyes on me from the doorway as I stood naked and changing, trying to keep my traitorous tears at bay while I did so. I hated being so vulnerable and weak in front of him when he'd never shown me that part of him. Sure I'd seen a glimpse on Friday, but in all the time I'd known him, that's as far as the armour had gotten to coming off. I wasn't sure at this point that I'd ever see him fully exposed, vulnerable, just like me, and thinking of this made my throat constrict.

"I'll meet you downstairs," I said absent-mindedly, heading for the door once I was changed. Edward beat me to it and stood his ground, back against the door and arms at his sides. I huffed and looked up to him, feeling thoroughly agitated at his persistence. He either wanted to talk or he didn't. He needed to make up his mind before I went psycho.

"Look, I'm sorry I made you feel like I'm avoiding you," he told me, his voice reasonable, not a trace of anger or annoyance to it. "But...I just – I don't know. I'm so lost." I looked at him quizzically, mashing my brows together.

"What do you mean?"

"Bella last Friday –" he began, cutting himself off to swallow, "was hard. I never think about my parents anymore, ever." He furrowed his own brows as he looked to the floor rather than at me. "I don't really know what to do now. I don't know what to say or how to talk to you. I know exactly what I want to say...I could shout the words they want to come out so bad. But I can't ever force myself to do it."

"I'm not some stranger Edward," I replied, taking a step closer, "this is me. You can trust me with anything."

"I know," he whispered. "But whenever I think I'm ready I chicken out like a fucking pansy. What I want to say gets – lost." He gazed down at me, bringing his eyes from the floor to rest on my own. I suddenly felt more than horrible for saying all of that to him. His expression was pained and regretful, and immediately I felt regret as well.

I knew all this was hard on him, bringing up the past and all the hurt that came with it. But for me now this wasn't just something I wanted to know, it was something I needed to know. Being with Edward for so long and not knowing the truth was hard, sure, but after the party everything changed for me. I realized that if being with him was this hard, then there was really no point in doing it at all, and that's when I came up with my ultimatum.

He wanted to tell me, or he didn't.

"You don't have to be afraid, Edward," I told him quietly, tentatively leaning forward to take his warm hand in mine. He looked back to me again and his expression was so intense and hard to read it felt like I had been slapped in the face. "You can trust me."

"I know," he whispered, shaking his head a tiny bit. "It's not that I don't trust you Bella. I'm trying..." I gave his hand a tight squeeze and he ran his tongue along his bottom lip, sighing quietly. "I really am."

I sighed too, feeling a little defeated. "I believe you," I replied. He brought our hands up to his lips, placing a warm, open-mouthed kiss on my palm, letting it linger for a few seconds before we parted. He gave me back my hand, and stretching up on my toes I sought his lips with mine. His body was still damp and warm, the water clinging to my shirt as I pressed myself against him, our mouths connecting.

I didn't let it last for long, pulling away after a few seconds, but Edward's lips didn't leave my skin, trailing along my jaw and neck while my eyelids fluttered with the heat and pleasure he ignited. I felt both his hands gripping me firmly by the ass, and with one swift movement he had me off the floor, taking measured steps away from the door and towards his bed.

No, no, no!

"Edward, stop," I pleaded, not even convincing myself.

"After, seeing – you in, that bikini?" Edward said between kisses. I rolled my eyes as he set me down on the bed. "No way." He gave me that crooked smile and I smirked up at him, shaking my head because of his ridiculousness.

"Dinner's probably ready and everyone's waiting for us. Sorry Sparky, you're going to have to keep it in your pants until after," I told him with a wink.

"Fuck you," he retorted, turning and going to his dresser. I would have retorted with 'you know you want to' or something to that effect, but I knew he'd pounce on me and we'd most likely get interrupted by Emmett or maybe someone worse.

I watched Edward as he pulled at the ties of his shorts and ripped the Velcro apart, sliding them down over his tight, bare ass. I couldn't help it, like I said; sometimes I just stared at him like a fucking fool. He was gorgeous.

"Quit staring at my ass," Edward chided, quirking an eyebrow at me over his shoulder. I bit my lip and tried not to smile, failing miserably. He always caught me ogling him, and thankfully he couldn't hear my thoughts because things I thought of when I looked at him were highly inappropriate.

When he put on a dry pair of shorts and a plain, black T-shirt I got up from the bed and went to the door. Edward's hand gripped onto mine and he turned me to him, hugging me against his chest.

"I really am sorry," he said into my hair, his hot breath warming my insides. I looked up to him and kissed the corner of his chin.

"I know, but if you try one more time to shut me up by screwing me, I might just slap you," I jibed. He smirked and kissed me on the nose, his thumb reaching up to smooth my hair away from my shoulder. He kissed the skin there as well, planting a few soft pecks before taking my hand and pulling me from the room.

We went downstairs to a loud group of people, clanging dishes, and a yelling Emmett. But the last was no surprise; Emmett's dial for volume was broken, making him louder than all of us combined. In the kitchen on the table was a large tray of hot dogs and hamburgers, several bowls of chips, and a container of Esme's home made potato salad. Everyone was already seated, filling their plates with food and watching in horror as Emmett grabbed three hamburgers, two hot dogs, and a gigantic scoop of potato salad.

I swear he could eat a calf if he had the opportunity.

"Hey Em, want to save some for the rest of us?" Edward asked bemusedly, taking a spot next to Jasper while I took the only empty seat left that was next to him. Emmett simply smiled at Edward and dropped a scoop of potato salad on Edward's empty plate, resuming with filling his after.

Dinner was more than eventful as we all witnessed the impossible. Emmett had to have eaten at least half his body weight in meat, not to mention the large helping of potato salad he'd also eaten. It was ridiculous to watch, but as I did so I realized why Emmett was my best friend. It was because he was just himself. He didn't try to act like a different person around people and he didn't shy away from who he really was.

He was Emmett, and everyone knew exactly who that was.

He let people see the real him, and when he was angry or upset, he let people know. He didn't sit in the dark and hide from everyone, afraid from the response of his friends and family. He was outgoing and rambunctious, loving life and trying to live it to the fullest. But best of all, despite the half-retarded persona he sometimes displayed, he was kind and caring.

After dinner I helped Esme clean the dishes while Rosalie and Alice put everything away from the table. The boys went into the living room to 'set up' for our movie marathon and Carlisle went outside to put the cover back on the hot tub. Emmett came in halfway through our clean up and asked me with that pleading face if I could make some popcorn when I was done.

I looked at him, bewildered that he still had room to fit popcorn, but not thoroughly surprised as it was typical of Emmett to still be hungry after a meal. We finished cleaning up and I made a few bowls of popcorn, assuming that Jasper and Edward would most likely want some as well. The three of us each took a bowl and headed to the living room and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't eaten a few pieces before I got there.

"Thanks Coop!" Emmett bellowed, taking the bowl from Rose and pulling her with him onto the couch. They fell beside each other comfortably and Rose laughed as Emmett stuck a fistful of popcorn in his mouth.

"No problem Atwood," I replied, rolling my eyes at him. He winked at me and I turned around to see Alice and Jasper set up on the floor, pillows and blankets creating a snug bed for them to sit on. That meant Edward and I were on the love seat again. I went over and sat down, wrapping the thick blanket around me as I rested my back against the cushions, watching Edward as he put a movie in the DVD player. I noticed beside him that a stack of movies sat waiting, and with a grin I realized those were the ones we'd be watching this weekend.

He turned off the lights and I made space for him, resting between his legs and feeling his arms as they wrapped around me and the blanket. As he suggested we were watching the Saw sequels first, beginning with number two tonight.

We watched the second, then the third, and Rose's gasps of horror throughout the movies were too funny to not laugh at. But Emmett kept his word and held her close to him when she was scared, making sure she could handle watching the rest of them before we put on another movie.

As it neared two in the morning we decided to call it a night, leaving Saw 5 for the morning. Rose was thankful and so was Alice; although she'd seen them before the movies still freaked her out, and in all honesty, they did that to me too.

I dragged my feet up the stairs and said goodnight to Alice and Rose before they went into the guest room they were sharing. Jasper was sleeping in Emmett's room, and as usual, I was sleeping in Edward's. It always made me curious as to why Esme and Carlisle never minded that I slept in the same bed as Edward, but I assumed it would have made them uneasy to let Jasper and Alice sleep in the same room when neither of them were their children.

I slumped down on Edward's bed, immediately curling into the cold comforter and closing my eyes. Sleep was threatening to consume me and swallow me whole, and I wasn't at all reluctant to let it take me. After this week I was more than exhausted, and when Edward cradled me to him, letting my head fall against his chest, unconsciousness swept over me, subjecting me to the dreams I knew I'd have.

e.p.o.v

I awoke early to the rain of Forks unevenly pattering against the windows of my bedroom. Bella was still soundly sleeping; a quiet trickle of mumbles escaping her mouth as she dreamt of only god knows what. I loved watching her sleep because she looked so peaceful and adorable, talking about the most random things known to man.

I rolled over a little and looked to the clock, cursing the time 5:43 with everything I had in me this early in the morning. I had only gone to bed at two, and not even getting four hours sleep wasn't going to help my mood today – I knew it. The week that just passed had been, well, interesting.

I knew what Bella had been trying to do, and in all honesty, I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to give her what she asked of me and I wanted to make her happy. More than anything I wanted to give her that, finally. But when I eventually worked myself up to it I panicked and chickened out. I tried to yell at her and tell her that she was asking me too soon, but truth be told, it wasn't.

I was ready to tell Bella what she wanted to know; only my fucking mouth wouldn't let me. All the words I worked up in my head got jumbled and messed, and before I could think up anything to say I would get angry and peeved just thinking about my father and my past. So instead I would take it out on her, and get mad at her, when nothing was even her fault.

It was selfish and sick and disgusting to distract her with sex, but I'd be damned if it hadn't worked every single time we tried to talk. Only what made me feel like the biggest jackass in the world was that she knew I'd been doing that. She knew it was meant as a way to keep her off the subject, and as a result I made her feel like an outcast.

I felt like a fucking asshole.

"Edward..." Bella mumbled and I smiled despite myself. She should want to kick my ass into next year by the way I was treating her, but so far she hadn't. Half the time I wondered why she even put up with me at all.

Next thing I knew Bella's elbow connected with my stomach and I rolled off the bed, shocked and winded from her blow. I clutched at my shirt and smacked my head against the floor, moaning in pain.

Fucking hell she had an arm on her.

"Edward!" Bella whispered loudly at me. "Shit, fuck – sorry. Did I knock you off the bed?" I couldn't help but laugh and nod as I lay there, feeling as if someone stuck a knife right where she struck me. She carefully climbed off the bed and came to my side, kneeling on the floor while her tired eyes took me in. Her small hand reached up and her fingers brushed the hair from my face, giving me a view of my Sleeping Beauty.

She looked so tired it was sexy.

"I'm really sorry. I suppose watching freaky torture movies before bed isn't the best idea, huh?" She asked, laughing as her fingers repeated the same pattern through my hair over and over.

"Well it didn't go in my favour, so no," I replied, closing my eyes at the feel of her fingers.

"Are you okay?" She asked sweetly, continuing her motions. I opened my eyes and gazed into hers, releasing my shirt from my grasp as I took her free hand.

"I'm fine Bella. You just – kind of knocked the wind out of me," I chuckled, running my thumb over her knuckles. Her lids looked heavy and she lazily smiled at me, threading her fingers through my hair one last time to bring them to the base of my neck. She leant forward and her soft lips grazed my temple, making the pain in my stomach dissipate until it was almost unnoticeable.

"I'm sorry I hit you," she whispered. I sat up a little and leant on my elbows, looking at the ceiling before resting my eyes on hers.

"I deserved it," I replied. I didn't need to explain, to tell her what I meant, because she understood. All she did was nod, resting with her back against my bed while we sat on the floor, silent and unmoving. After a while my elbows became sore from sitting in that position so I got up, thanking whoever was out there that my stomach wasn't throbbing in pain from where I'd been hit.

"It's so early," Bella noted with a yawn. I lifted her foot and placed it in my lap, dragging my fingers along her smooth, hairless leg as we sat there comfortably.

"Then go back to sleep," I told her, nodding my head in the direction of the bed. She yawned again and sat up, no doubt contemplating what I said. She got up and rolled onto the bed, holding her hand out to me.

"Come back to bed with me," she offered. I leant forward and kissed the tip of her finger, knowing that I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep again.

"I won't be able to sleep," I said. She stuck her bottom lip out, pouting something fierce before she turned her pout into a wicked grin.

"Hmm, what if I said I wasn't so tired anymore?" She cocked her brow and slipped under the blankets, wiggling her body before she stopped and pulled her shorts from beneath the comforter. She held them out to me and dropped them to the floor, likely watching me as I stared at the heap of material she had taken off.

I looked back up to her astounded; she was giving me one of those 'whatcha gonna do now?' type of expressions.

"Seriously?"

"Well," she replied, dragging it out, "what else is morning wood good for?"

I gaped at her.

"Uh...nothing – I suppose," I told her with a couple of stutters and pauses. "But you, I mean – this entire week. You still want more?" She rolled her eyes and flipped on her back.

"Please, you wanted more last night in the hot tub," she said with a snort. "It's your fault I'm practically a nympho." I grinned smugly and got up off the floor, sliding under the comforter and slipping from my pyjama pants in the same fashion she'd removed her shorts. I was already hard from it being the morning and all this talk of sex, so when my hips came into contact with hers she moaned quietly.

I held my weight up with one arm beside her head and gripped the skin of her hip with the other. She leant up to kiss me and when my cock slid against her wetness her tongue collided with my top lip before she took the bottom one in her mouth. I pulled her against me, further grinding myself on her arousal before dipping the head of my cock inside her.

"Edward," she breathed, "I'm sorry." I slid in further until my length was sheathed completely in her tight warmth, finding her deep, brown eyes staring back at me.

"It's okay," I told her, "you were asleep." She shook her head and lifted her hips a tiny bit, shuddering and biting her lip.

"Not for that. I'm – sorry for pushing you this week," she corrected, sliding a hand beneath the blanket and under my shirt, stroking her fingers along my back with tenderness. I groaned when her fingernails worked against my skin, easing into her touch as I slid slowly in and out of her.

"It's – my fault," I told her, my breathing choppy and voice uneven.

"But it's, mine...too," she replied, arching her back from the bed when I pulled almost all the way out of her. She whimpered, her voice and mumbles sexy and incoherent as I kept my pace slow and even.

"Then we're both, to – blame," I panted, lifting her hips to mine when I thrusted. She threw her head back and her hair fanned out across my pillow, increasing my arousal as I loved to see her splayed out across my bed, on my pillows, underneath my blanket.

I revelled in that shit and milked it for all it was worth.

Conveniently, watching Bella as she writhed beneath me and listening to her quiet moans only pushed me further into my own ecstasy, and witnessing her cumming hard around my cock made me finish as well.

"Bella, fuck –" I grunted, stilling my hips against hers as each ribbon of cum spilled into her. She sank her fingers into my hair and pulled my lips to hers, tilting her head and deepening the kiss as a passionate moan swallowed me whole. Our tongues pressed intimately against each other, the rhythm gentle and languid as we sweat beneath the down comforter.

"I – love you," she panted between kisses, gliding her fingers along the back of my neck. I dropped my head to her shoulder and showered the skin with soft licks and nips, coaxing whimpers from her as her hands ventured down to my chest.

"I love you too," I replied, quickly pecking her cheek before pulling out of her. I fell to my side, tugging her body along with me until she rested securely in my arms. "You know I really am sorry, for making you feel so shitty."

She twisted her body and looked up to me, nodding as a tight smile graced her lips.

"I'm sorry too," she whispered, "for trying to push you when I knew there was no use. I just want to, I don't know, not think about our problems right now though. It's six-thirty in the morning for god's sake, and we've already had sex."

"We didn't just have sex," I told her, taking her chin between my thumb and forefinger so she would look at me. "I made love to you."

And fuck me if I didn't want to do it over and over again because Bella blushed at me. Her cheeks flushed that absolutely perfect shade of rose and she looked away, a fucking cute as hell smile dancing around the edges of her mouth. Her hair was spread out across my chest, and her strawberry scent coupled with her shy alter ego drove me to near insanity.

"I love that you're so gentle with me," she said, ghosting her fingers along the skin of my arm. "It's so different Edward; I know Friday did that to you." She looked up to me and I gazed back with a sudden, dull ache in my chest. Neither of us had mentioned it, but we both knew that it had altered something inside of me. I wasn't sure how something so small and insignificant could have affected me so deeply, but it did.

I didn't trust my voice not to crack so I nodded back, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. She responded by kissing my chest through my shirt, yawning against me and emitting the most adorable squeak with it.

"Go back to bed," I told her quietly, carding my fingers into her hair and scratching lightly with the short nails I had. She pushed her head further into my hand and closed her eyes, sighing and obviously giving in to my suggestion. Surprisingly I was feeling sleepy as well, so I closed my eyes and joined Bella.

For the first time since I can remember I fell back asleep; listening to Bella mumbling my name as I succumbed to unconsciousness.

______

Bella and I woke up at nine, smiling at each other like fools because of our early morning love-making.

Yes, I'm calling it love-making because it makes my girl blush and that shit is just too cute.

When we'd brushed our teeth and showered – washing each other thoroughly, might I add – we headed downstairs to the smell of Esme's delicious pancakes wafting through the first floor of the house. We followed the smell to the kitchen, finding Jasper and Emmett absent because they were most likely still asleep. Alice and Rosalie were setting the table and when they were done Esme instructed them to go jump on the boys to get them up.

"Good morning," Esme said to us, smiling brightly when we walked into the kitchen. Bella went over to her and gave her a hug, getting a kiss on the cheek when they parted.

"How'd you sleep?" She asked as she hugged me now.

"Great, you?"

"I slept wonderfully, thank you," she replied with that warm smile of hers that made me feel like I was home. Although I knew this was my home, the only real home I'd ever had, Esme somehow made it all complete; she was the mother I never had.

"I hope you two are hungry," she told Bella and me, going over to the stove to flip a few pancakes before setting them on a plate.

"I'm starving actually," Bella said to Esme, winking at me before going over to her. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Bella you really don't have to, you're –" I watched as Bella laughed and rolled her eyes at Esme.

"I swear Esme, if you say I'm a guest I may just have to throttle you with that spatula," she said, putting her hand on her hip and tilting her head to look at Esme. After a few seconds of them just staring at each other with amused expressions, Esme kindly asked Bella to wash and cut some fruit. I felt sort of useless so I opted to help Bella with her task, taking up the job of washing while she cut.

Alice and Rose came back with Emmett and Jasper fifteen minutes later when breakfast was finally ready. We all ate and talked about the movies we'd be watching today, and I grinned mischievously when I mentioned the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That was one of the one's I wanted to see Rose's reaction to – gory as hell and even more fucked up because it's a true story.

"Coop, popcorn?" Emmett said to Bella, cocking an eyebrow. Bella shook her head at him and laughed in astonishment.

"I can't believe after shovelling thirty pancakes in your mouth you still want to even look at food," she retorted, clearing her plate and getting the popcorn from the pantry. She put in a few bags anyways and when all the dishes were done we made to leave for the living room.

"Esme, do you want to watch a movie with us?" I asked because Carlisle had been called into the hospital due to some emergency and felt bad for just leaving her alone.

"No sweetie, it's alright. I actually have some work to do, you kids have fun," she said to me, waving me off. I nodded quickly before following everyone else into the living room and putting Saw 5 in the DVD player.

We watched the final instalment so far, and the end caused Rose to gasp and shy away from the screen, along with Bella. She hated the end when Strahm gets fucked to shit by the walls closing in on him. She also gets freaked about the stupid box that lowers into the ground because, where the hell does that fucker think he's going?

I swear, if I ever found a tape recorder just lying around I would chuck the motherfucker out a window.

"Oh my," Rosalie remarked with a shudder. "I hope they aren't making any more." I smirked and turned to her; she most likely wanted to hit me.

"I believe the next one's coming out in October," I told her with a wink, earning myself a narrowed but frightened expression from her.

"Really?" Bella asked excitedly. "Can we go see it?" I turned my attention back to her and shrugged.

"Sure."

She smiled at me and I got up from the love seat, going over to the stack of movies we had set up yesterday. Among the pile were many of my favourites, but the one I really wanted to watch was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It was better to get the freaky ones out of the way now and save the less intense ones for midnight. I wanted to wake up tomorrow morning with my lungs and stomach still intact.

"What'd you pick?" Jasper asked. I looked over to him and grinned as he gave me a funny look.

Jasper and I weren't really friends. We never got along that great because he hated the way I treated Bella in the past, and I always thought he had a thing for her. I'd been told on numerous occasions that I was wrong but I couldn't help but feel protective and possessive of her. She was mine and I wouldn't let anyone take her from me, but as it turns out, I was wrong.

Jasper was actually a good guy, not to mention the fact that he was madly in love with the tiny, sometimes obnoxious, pixie at his side. So in my books, Jasper was cool.

"Texas Chainsaw Massacre," I replied, watching as Jasper grinned at me too, realizing why I was doing it in the first place.

"Oh Rose," Jasper called, looking behind him to see her munching on Emmett's third bowl of popcorn.

"Yes Jasper," she answered.

"Just so you know; this one's based on a true story."

I almost choked I was laughing so hard at Jasper. That fucker was funny too because I was just thinking about doing the same thing to her. Bella giggled a tiny bit against me as Rose looked pleadingly to Emmett.

"Dude, you're so not helping," he grumbled, kissing Rose on the cheek. He whispered something to her and she nodded as the movie started.

I tended to shiver throughout certain parts of the movie, mainly the beginning when the wandering whore offs herself in the back of their bitchin van. I can't help it, I just found it so disgusting that she pulls the gun, all bloody and shit, from herself, and sticks it in her mouth. I got goose bumps every time I watched it.

But the movie balanced itself out because the casting director had worked wonders in giving the main role to Jessica Biel. The first time we'd watched this together I'd let it slip that she was hot in the movie, and rather than getting slapped – which I fully expected – Bella agreed.

"Oh hell yeah," she'd replied, biting her lower lip. "I'd tap that."

That was about the point I gaped at her, fully aroused that my girlfriend said she'd fuck another chick.

Because, I mean, how awesome is that?

"I still think Jessica Biel is hot," I told Bella afterwards. She rolled her eyes and sat up, leaning with her chest against mine while her mouth rested on my ear.

"Yeah? Well I'd still do her," she replied with a laugh.

"Can I watch?" I asked hopefully. She paused like she was deep in thought before answering.

"I'll think about it."

I shook my head and got up, taking the movie out and searching the pile for the next.

"Ooh! Do you have Final Destination?" Alice asked suddenly, like she'd had some sort of epiphany. I looked through the pile and noted that it wasn't there, but when I looked to the shelf I saw Final Destinations one through three staring back at me.

"Yeah," I told her, "you want to watch them next?" Alice stuck her finger on her lip and tucked it in her mouth, chewing distractedly.

"Yes," she replied. I shrugged and stuck the first one in the DVD player.

"What is this one about?" Rosalie asked. I settled in next to Bella and listened while Emmett explained the main gist of the story.

Dude sees a plane crash in a dream. Said dude gets a bunch of people off the plane because he flips shit and scares the crap out of everyone. Then surprise! Turns out the dude was right because the plane detonates in mid-flight, killing all those poor bastards on board. Then after that Death starts chasing down the dude and the people he saved.

Pretty basic, but then again, the gore was sometimes intense. It even gave me shivers – especially when the scrap metal from the train absolutely owns that guy standing next to the track.

After Final Destination was over we took a long break to have a late lunch and stretch our legs. Esme was a sweetheart and made us all sandwiches and a salad, assuring us she had nothing better to do because Carlisle was at work and she only had housework to do now. We took our time eating, all of us standing around the table because we had a whole day of sitting ahead of us.

Once we were done we watched the other two Final Destination instalments, opting for dinner rather than starting another movie.

"I swear, I will never use a tanning bed again in my life," Rosalie announced with a grave shake of her head. "That's so gross."

"I know, it makes me nervous to go into them, but so far I've been okay," Alice said with a laugh. "All the stuff that kills them in those movies could never possibly happen. It's so...random, they way they die. There's no way all that shit would occur in that order."

It was true; while in Saw you believed that it could very well be possible to get kidnapped and strapped to a torture device, in Final Destination some of the deaths were laughable.

"So how's your marathon going?" Carlisle asked as we entered the kitchen, still in his scrubs. Rosalie answered with a disapproving groan and we all laughed because she wasn't necessarily going for the blood and gore.

"Rose didn't really enjoy Final Destination three," Bella said with a smirk as we all sat down at the table. Since there was so many of us again, and since Carlisle hadn't gotten home until five seconds ago, Esme ordered Chinese take-out instead, much to Emmett's delight.

We sat down at the table and filled our plates, getting encouragement from the parentals to take them into the living room and eat while starting our next movie. We did as we were told and took our dinners to our make-shift theatre, putting on the newest remake of Friday the 13th.

I hadn't seen this one yet, and neither had Bella, but within the first five seconds she recognized the main character, or one of the main characters, as Hailey from The O.C. I just shook my head and listened as Emmett bellowed 'Coop!' and Bella responded with 'Atwood!' just as loud.

By the time it was finished we were all tired from watching movies and decided to watch only one more, calling it an early night. We finished off by choosing The Amityville Horror remake with Ryan Reynolds, and boy did we get a fucking earful of how 'doable' he looked with his shirt off.

This was the only movie so far that Rose hadn't cringed away from because most of it was mental. The things George goes through aren't gory or disgusting, well except the whole basement scene where he gets bathed in blood. So Rose deemed the movie acceptable to her and she and Em went upstairs with Alice and Jasper.

Bella and I followed like the night before, traipsing up to our room and collapsing like we'd run an actual marathon rather than participating in becoming the world's laziest group of teenagers. She changed into my Strokes T-shirt again and the same pair of shorts, climbing into my bed and putting her head on my pillows.

Although she stayed here more than often I still loved to see her in my bed.

When we were comfortable I turned off the beside lamp, and just like last night we fell asleep, only this time I went to bed praying I wouldn't take an elbow to the gut when I awoke again.

______

Sunday went by in the same way, watching scary movie after scary movie in an attempt to complete our marathon. We began the day with The Hills Have Eyes, watching Hostel one and two afterwards. We'd watched a few others as well, ending our weekend marathon with Dawn of the Dead – a treasured zombie flick.

Bella and I smiled at each other, knowing that this particular type of horror movie belonged to us because of the night we'd first watched one. It was horrible and cheesy, sure, but what happened after was the best thing I'd ever done in my life. Pursuing something with Bella was the only smart thing I ever did after coming to this dreary town, and now I had to make up for all the shit I stirred in our relationship.

I just hoped she could hold on a little while longer as I tried to find the words I wanted to speak to her, the ones that would finally allow my protective armour to be shed and my secret to be shared.


A/N: I hate to be a pain, but I love to hear your thoughts : ) leave me something, anything. It's all good!

The song quoted at the beginning is In Between by Linkin Park. I listened to it a lot while writing this chapter, so if you've never heard it, go listen ; )

Anyways, drop me a line – chat, anything. Let me know what your favourite scary movie is!