A/N: I should be studying for this test I'm about to take, but apparently this is more important to me. Lol!

"Will you miss this? Bella asked.

They were in some exotic location, somewhere balmy, where the warmth of the air seeped to the marrow of her bones. He'd taken her to a secret pool. The water was so clear, she could see the bottom even though the pool was deep. Now they were lounging in a bungalow, the doors open on a tropical scene.

"What, in particular, are you referring to?" Edward asked. He sighed, stifling a moan.

Bella smirked. He was on his stomach, his head cradled in his arms. She sat straddling his back, working her fingers through his feathers. "Wings. Flying. Being able to find secluded bungalows in countries I can't pronounce." She let her fingers find the base of his wings and stroked a finger along the bone. "This," she said when he let out a soft cry.

He sat up, and they both shifted so they were facing each other. They were still tangled-legs overlapping so they could only be closer if they were having sex. It would always be incredible to her that a being such as he-capable of such unreal power-could be so very gentle when he touched her.

"I won't lie to you and say it's a negligible loss." His brows furrowed. "It's most certainly not. I have been an angel for all of time. I don't expect the transition will be easy." He traced his fingers along her jaw. "I sometimes wish I could make you an angel. To live forever with you by my side. But even if I could, I think that would not work. Angels aren't meant to be paired off. Coupling is a trait that comes with mortality."

"In other words, we'd be the outcasts of the angelic world."

He chuckled. "The concept of an outcast is also a thing linked to mortality, but then, there's no point to coupling in the heavens."

"I don't know." Bella reached back and combed her fingers through his wings again, enjoying the way his body bucked against hers. "If there's no point to coupling, then why are your wings such an erogenous zone?"

Edward shuddered and fixed his gaze on her, his eyes lust-dark. "You have a dirty mind, Isabella. That wasn't the kind of coupling I was referring to. Or, I suppose, that's not the only thing I meant."

He moved his hand to the small of her back, and reached the other hand between them. Still looking into her eyes, he began to stroke her clit-two fingers rubbing in a slow circle. "My wings are an erogenous zone on this human body. Now that I've had time to consider the matter, I doubt very much it would be the same in that other realm."

Bella gasped, her fingernails digging into his shoulders as he guided himself inside her. "That's a definite point for humanity." She moaned at his first thrust. "Even without wings."

Some time later, they lay tangled together-sated and lazy. Bella was draped over Edward. Their bodies were too hot, but she didn't want to move.

He put a finger to her forehead, and Bella gasped. Coolness fell like water over her skin from that spot all throughout her body. She opened her eyes, laughing at the satisfied look on Edward's face as her body cooled to the perfect temperature. "This is why angels don't have sex. How would you ever stop? There's no such thing as an angel running out of stamina. You could just magic away all the mess."

"Ah, see? There's a reason for everything." Keeping his arms firm around her, Edward rolled to the side so they rested with their head on the same pillow. "You ask me all the time if I'll miss being an angel; if it's too much to give up. What of you? Have you considered how different I'll be as a human?"

"Human was how I fell for you in the first place."

His eyes were troubled. "You fell for a carefully sculpted lie." He touched her cheek. "And then, though I didn't deserve your forgiveness, you fell in love with me. All of me. Magic laundry skills and all."

Bella kissed the tip of his nose. "So why would you doubt I'd love the human you?"

He took her hand and pressed it to his mouth, kissing her palm. "Do you realize, love, how much you'll have to help me? I have no idea how to be human. I expect it's harder than it looks."

"Sometimes," Bella said, her tone rueful. "And I have thought about that. A lot. I keep worrying you're going to forget you're mortal and try to do something without thinking, like trying to stop a car with your bare hands."

He tilted her chin up. "Only if it's going to hit you."

Bella shuddered and flung her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. It wasn't as though she had a right to argue. She would throw herself in front of a moving car if it meant she could save him, but the idea that anyone could feel that way about her was still absurd if she let herself think about it.

"Tell me again why you have to vacate this body to keep this body," she said to distract herself.

"Hmm. Angels can't come to earth without a body. Some angels have had a body made for them for one reason or another, but human bodies must be grown, and so they were born to human mothers."

"I can see why that was out of the question," Bella said with a laugh.

"Yes. Another option is to find a body that has been vacated of its human soul and yet still has life left in it." He grimaced. "This body was the obvious option. I was being punished for killing him before he could live out what years he was born to. I came down."

"But, apparently, the original Edward Cullen only had less than a year left to live when you killed him," Bella said. She'd understood the story the first time, but it was almost too incredible to wrap her head around.

Edward nodded. "Yes. However, the body is just a vessel for the human soul. If I fall into this body-turn my angel essence into a human soul-the counter is reset. And, as I have no fixed point of fate, there's no telling how much time I'll have." He ran a hand down his own chest, pressing his palm over his human heart. "It is a twenty-nine year old body. That much is fact. But I've made considerable improvements. This body is in perfect health. Good vision. Excellent teeth. Decent muscle mass. All the scars wiped away. I could regrow an appendix, but that would be showing off."

Bella snorted. "You're ridiculous."

"I'm trying to assure you there is every chance I will be with you…" He looked uncertain for a moment, brushing his thumb over her lip. "For as long as we both shall live."

Bella's heart sped at the words.

It was ridiculous to be so weirded out by those words. He was falling from heaven for her, for Chrissakes. And she would never let him do it, never want him to do it, if she didn't love him. The forever type of love. The marriage and babies kind of love. She did want him until they were old and wrinkled.

She kissed him because she couldn't say the words yet. She couldn't believe she could have something permanent.

"It's good to know," she said, pleased when her voice came out normal. She rolled onto her back, propping her arms behind her head. "I can take care of you, you know. While you figure things out."

He rolled as well, splaying a hand over her belly as he looked down on her. "I believe you would." He drew his hand up between her breasts and stroked the underside of her chin. "You would break your back to provide for your useless ex-angel boyfriend, and what do you expect me to do?"

"The sex will be worth it," Bella said, trying to keep her face straight.

He laughed and kissed her. "It's not a bad plan, but I have a better one."

"Are we still talking about money?"

"The sex is a given, I think," he teased. "So yes, we're talking about money. Haven't you ever asked yourself how Rosalie has a home? She has a job, of course, but the job doesn't come before home, car, clothes."

Bella scoffed. "Edward, I have about a billion questions every minute when it comes to you and Rosalie." She frowned, trying to put the pieces together on her own. She came up blank. "Okay, so she fell by herself. Before Emmett. Before everything, right?"

"Yes."

"Wow, I can't believe I never thought about it. How did she get a house? She just cruises on down here and gets a house?"

"Rosalie had time to plan, and she is exceedingly clever. She located all of the lost money in the world."

Bella blinked. "What?"

"Exactly as I said. All the lost money. From ancient lost treasure to the random one dollar bills on gas station floors. It's quite brilliant, because it's not money that would be missed."

Bella's eyes all but bulged out of her head. "She has all the lost money?"

"No. She got enough to get what she needed-fake ID's, a college degree, a good credit score."

"And the down payment for a house," Bella said, incredulous.

He chuckled. "Exactly."

"So there's money left."

"Yes. There's always lost money."

Bella ruffled his hair. "You angels are damn useful."

"See? You really will resent me in human form." He pretended to pout.

Bella put her hand over his face and gave him a small push. "Come on, you dramatic asshole. We have a lot to do. I have to pack. Apparently, you have to go gather the small fortune on the floors of the world."

~0~

Everything was set for a move to happen at the end of the semester. Jasper and Alice were both in school. Selling a house and finding a new one took time.

"I think we should move the same weekend as Comic Con," Bella said when they sat down to discuss it. "It would make the timing poetic."

It became the date they were all shooting for. Plenty of time to do what needed to be done.

The one snag in the plan was Edward. He would run out of time well before the move.

He wasn't thrilled at the idea of giving up his powers when they were still in the same city as the people who'd wanted to hurt Bella. When pressed, though, he admitted he'd been keeping an eye on them. For the most part, they'd done their best to forget she existed-James, Victoria, and Laurent included.

"And Felix?" Bella asked.

Edward frowned. "You don't have to worry about him," he said, and refused to elaborate.

Jacob, the dog, actually growled at him. Edward scowled. Lately, the two hadn't gotten along, which Bella thought was hilarious given that she knew damn well Edward could talk to the beast.

She climbed into his lap so she had his undivided attention. "You know, you're going to have to work on the lying thing,"

His eyes turned guilty. He didn't deny it.

"I get it. There are things you can see that I don't need to worry about, because I never would have known about them if I didn't have Mr. No Privacy with me." She gave his nose a playful bop. "I know you know so much more than I do, understand things I'll never be able to comprehend." She smoothed his hair back, looking him in the eyes. "But we're going to be equal soon. Technically. You're going to have to learn to let me look out for you. We humans-we look out for ourselves and each other. Okay?"

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "I'll try."

~0~

"He's going to ask you not to be there when he does it," Rosalie said two days before the fall. "I wouldn't listen to him."

Bella wrung her hands. "You fell alone," she said, putting two and two together.

Rosalie nodded. "It will be the most horrible thing you'll witness in your life," she said matter-of-factly.

Bella had to sit down. Jake jumped up and put his head on her lap. She patted him shakily.

"As it happened, it was difficult for me to remember where I was, even who I was," Rosalie said in a faraway voice. "Even after it stopped, I thought my mind had broken. In fact, I find it miraculous that my mind didn't crack." She focused on Bella and smiled. "Or maybe it did. Perhaps that's what keeps me so drawn to Emmett."

Bella managed a weak smile. Rosalie sat beside her and took her hands, looking her in the eyes. "You'll have to be the strong one, Bella. He will have no strength left for himself."

"It's painful," Bella said. She thought she was going to throw up.

"A pain you cannot possibly comprehend."

Bella shuddered. She closed her eyes, took several deep breaths, and then opened them again, calm. "Okay. Tell me."

~0~
They rented a secluded cabin, a few miles away from the closest town. They didn't stay there. Edward zapped them to a thousand places, gave her views all but impossible for mortals to see. He took her into Antarctica, into the depths of a glacier, keeping her warm as she pressed her hand to the perfect ice. They perched on the tip top of the highest pyramid. He showed her hidden waterfalls and trees so thick, she could walk across the top of their canopies.

Back in the cabin, they made love. At first, they were quick. Bella couldn't wrap herself tight enough around him. She moved against him with a kind of desperation, because she knew she was losing part of him tonight. She fucked him hard, because she didn't want to think about what he was giving up, and how scared she was that she might not be worth it.

Then, they made love slow and easy. She kissed him, entering him as he entered her. She stroked his wings-Christ, she would miss their glorious softness and the way he whimpered when she touched him. She wished like hell he could stay. He could find another body. She would love him in another body.

But then, it wasn't as though bodies with time left in them were just lying around in wait. He would have to be in his own realm to find one, possibly for years at a time. And then he could get stuck. There was no telling. No way to be sure.

Finally, they lay together quietly as the night wore on, simply clinging to each other. Edward took a deep breath, stifling a groan.

"It must be now," he whispered in her ear. He looked at her. "Bella, I really don't want you to see."

"Too bad," she said, staring back at him with ferocity. She stroked his face. "I know it's not going to be pretty. If you're going to do this, the least I can do is be with you. We're in this together."

He caught her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Okay," he said simply. He took a deep breath. "I am glad you're here."

"Are you scared?"

"Yes," he said with surprising honesty. "About a great many things. But I'm also sure."

Edward pulled on a pair of soft pants, and they moved to the center of the cabin. Edward had already moved all the furniture to the furthest corners, so he had a blank open space. He knelt, and Bella knelt in front of him.

The process was oddly simple. Edward bowed his head, as though in prayer. Bella knew he was mentally stepping into his own realm-making the choice to reject it. For ten long seconds, there was nothing but the silence of the forest and their soft breaths coming and going. Bella's body was coiled tight, waiting. She hoped against hope the change would be peaceful for him. Maybe Rosalie had simply done it wrong.

There was no warning. One moment Edward was kneeling, his eyes closed, his posture serene. The next, he'd sucked in a breath, as though strangling a cry. He threw his shoulders back, his arms out, his hands clenched into fists. Bella could see the veins of his arms bulge-he was holding himself that tightly.

Before she could react, he pitched forward. She only barely had time to skitter backward. His hard head missed hers by an inch. His face was screwed up in agony, but he hadn't made much more than a squeak of sound.

"Edward?" she said, her voice cracking. She wanted to get near him, but his body jerked again, sending him sprawling onto his side.

His features arched back. He curled in on himself. He rolled half on his back with a long, low groan.

"Edward?" Bella was sobbing by then. She couldn't get near him, couldn't get her arms around him, couldn't even touch him. His movements were simply too violent. "Edward, I'm here, okay?"

Rosalie had told her what was happening, though nothing could have prepared her for what it would actually look like. The human mind couldn't hold all the knowledge Edward held in his head. It was being ripped out of him. He would remember with a human vagueness, but he would not be able to understand some of the things he'd seen-distant universes, planets, beings. The physics of traveling between dimensions. All that knowledge was being torn from his head.

Along with it, all his power was being drained. Angels worked on a much different energy than humans. While Edward's human heart had pumped blood through his body, that wasn't where he drew his power from. Likewise, his thought process didn't come from his brain. As he was being torn apart, his essence was also being shoved into his human shell.

Edward actually jerked onto his knees as though someone had run a hook through his stomach and pulled him up from the floor. He arched so far backward that the back of his head touched the ground. His mouth opened grotesquely wide in a silent scream.

"Edward, I'm sorry. I'm here. I'm so, so sorry. Edward, please."

His eyes came open so wide, she could have sworn they were about to pop right out of his head. He pitched forward again, curling in on himself, huddled. Just as quickly he jerked up straight, his arms out wide, face screwed up except for his open mouth.

And then he started to scream out loud.

The agony in that noise wasn't human. It wasn't even animal. It was entirely supernatural and terrible. Bella crawled toward him, desperate to soothe him. She pulled up short, letting out a scream of her own as his wings sprang into being with a violence so strong, the wind of it actually pushed her back. They spread out, filling the room from one tip to the other, each feather standing out as though mimicking his anguish.

Bella let out another horrified shriek as the tips of both wings burst into flames. It wasn't a normal fire. It was black tinged with gold-awing and beautiful and one of the most horrendous things Bella had ever seen in her life. It consumed the feathers, leaving behind a shell of bone as it went. Edward's howl changed pitch to a long, low keen-a mournful sound that made Bella feel as though every sadness of the world had seized her heart. It burned-too slow and horribly hot. A weird heat-more energy than singeing.

The fire reached the base of his wings, and as it went out, the macabre, skeletal outline of whatever was left disappeared with it. They banished from existence, and so did whatever force had wracked Edward's body. He fell forward, crumpled onto the ground, heaving in breaths and sobbing quietly. On his back, where his wings had protruded, were two ghastly wounds. The skin wasn't bleeding, and yet it looked raw and mangled-as though someone had ripped his wings from his back and cauterized the wound.

Sobbing, Bella crawled to him then. "Edward?" she whispered hoarsely. He didn't respond. He remained collapsed on the floor, motionless but the rapid rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathed and cried.

Bella was almost afraid to touch him. She put her hand to his shoulder, careful not to touch his abused skin. When he didn't pull away from her, she got her arms around him as best she could. She heaved, able to maneuver him onto his side just enough that she could cradle his head in her lap. She leaned over him then, putting her head against his, crying with him. She was shaking. His body gave a small spasm every now and again, but aside from that, he was unearthly still.

"I'm here. I love you. I love you so much," she whispered to him over and over again, stroking him with trembling fingers.

It seemed to take eons, but eventually, his breathing slowed. His cries quieted.

She was terrified it had broken his mind. Rosalie had said she would have to be the strong one. She'd wanted to hold him through the change, but how could she have? She hadn't been strong enough. "Oh god, Edward. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He sniffled. "I'm not," he said. His voice was screamed-sore and soft.

Bella gasped, sitting up. "Are you here. Are you here with me?" she asked, cupping his face in her hands.

Slowly, so slowly, he opened his eyes. He blinked up at her. He sniffled again and licked his lips. He raised his trembling hand to her face. "You look like an angel looking down on me," he said.

Bella laughed, incredulous and relieved. She leaned down and kissed him. He was disgusting, but she didn't care. She kissed him anyway. "I love you," she murmured.

"I love you," he whispered back. "More than anything."

A/N: Yikes. How are we, kids?