Welcome Back to Blind Intentions! I could give you all of the excuses for why this is late, but know it was a matter of real life, getting and staying sick, both of my kids being sick, and oh, did I mention real life. Sorry!

Thank you to kas90, morethanmyself, and jadmama for helping with this chapter!

I don't own Twilight, and I will never claim to own Twilight.

"Good morning, sleepy head." Bella laughed, as I stumbled into the kitchen. I noticed she was already eating breakfast and going through mail that had piled up

When I reached her, I leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. My body involuntarily yawned seconds after I straighted myself.

Nathan's party, for a lack of a better description, was utterly exhausting. Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper didn't leave until closer to midnight, and Bella and I foolishly stayed up and talked until two a.m.. My plan to sleep in was shot when it hit eight o'clock, and I couldn't force my body to go back to sleep any longer, but I also couldn't fully wake up, either. I felt hung over but without the alcohol. My body was achy from all the running around, and my chest stung this morning in the shower from the grass burn. Nathan's party was definitely worth it, but we would not be hosting another one that big for a long while!

"This is for you," Bella called out. She held an envelope in the air with her hand while staying focused on whatever else she was reading. I took it from her hand and ripped open the folded flap without checking the return address.

As I opened up the page I realized the letter heading was from a hospital in Denver. I was momentarily confused until I read the words typed out...it was a job offer. I tilted my head and started to rattle off why they would be sending me this when I hadn't contacted anyone looking for a new job.

"Edward?" Bella waved her hand in front of me. "Edward, are you okay? What is it?" She looked heavily concerned, as I was sure she could read the confusion on my face.

"It's a, um...it's a job offer, but I didn't put my resume out," I answered as my body fully began to wake up.

"Do you think someone referred you?" she asked innocently, but I shook my head...that wasn't how that would have worked. At the very least, I would have gotten a phone call, not just a letter that read more like an acceptance letter than it did an offer. The position was exactly what I did in Forks, just for more money, and at a more well known hospital. The same hospital I was looking at when I decided to move to Forks. However, I made the decision then to move with Bella and not pursue their offer. I wasn't sure who would have had a hand in this, but I knew I didn't want it.

"Are you going to take it?" Bella asked curiously, and I answered with another shake of my head. Honestly, I was more stumped than intrigued. I wasn't sure why it had showed up now, but I wasn't interested in the hospital environment anymore. I wanted my own practice, with my own hours, and the ability to be with my family when I wanted to be, not all-nighters and two a.m. wake up calls.

"Well, you know I'd support you if this was something you wanted, right?" Bella's words spoke one meaning, but her eyes gave her away. She didn't want me to take this, and after a decade of letting her down, I wasn't going back on my word now.

"No way," I spoke confidently this time and wrapped my arms around her waist. I threw the letter on the table behind her and had no plans to think about it again. "That isn't what I want anymore. You and Nathan are what I want." I leaned down and gave her a kiss on her lips.

"So, I'm a 'what' now?" Bella pulled back and cocked her eyebrow at me.

"Yup. You're the most beautiful 'what' of them all, but seriously, I don't want to go back to a hospital, and I doubt you'd like Denver, anyway." I leaned back down to kiss her, and this time Bella melded against my body as she surrendered her mouth to me.

Of course, as always, as soon as it began it ended when the sound of a door opening echoed into the kitchen.

"We need to tell him," I stated, and Bella nodded back at me.

"Today," she stated. It wasn't a question...it was a declaration.

I smiled at her as our sleepy eyed Nathan stumbled into the room just like I had a short while prior.

"Mornin'," he mumbled as he grabbed a bowl and poured himself some cereal. Bella offered to help him but was quickly turned down as Nathan told her he was fine.

I went behind him to fix myself something to eat, and we all sat at the table together. Bella would eye me when Nathan wasn't looking, and I knew we were both nervous to tell him, but at the same time excited, too. I couldn't wait to hold her hand and kiss her without having to look over my shoulder all the time.

"Nathan," Bella called out as we walked to where Nathan was seated on the couch.

He had been as exhausted as I was, and for the most part, vegged out in front of the TV. Bella and I wouldn't normally allow that type of behavior, but we figured, with it being summer break, he could have a free pass for the day. It also gave us a little alone time to talk about our plan for telling him.

"Yeah?" he answered, turning his head to acknowledge us.

Bella and I talked about several scenarios for explaining our new status to him, but we opted to keep it quiet and personal. I offered to drive us out to Port Angeles for dinner, but Bella was concerned that it would be too stressful. She suggested we just tell him at home, which was exactly what we were about to do.

"We'd like to talk to you," I started. Bella and I came to sit down next to him, and I grabbed the remote and turned off the TV.

"Is this good or bad news?" he asked cautiously, and I was surprised, yet elated, he hadn't jumped to the 'you're moving out' statement he tended to say.

"Bella, if we just walk in, he's going to think I'm moving out again," I rebutted when she told me we should just walk in and tell him.

"Well, we'll tell him like we did before, you're not moving out. And I think it would be best to tell him about the moving now, too. I know we haven't had a chance to sit down and talk about where, but he needs to know it's coming, and he'll need to prepare." Bella quickly threw more facts back at me.

"Do you think it's best to tell him we're moving and not be able to tell him where?" I questioned, and she looked thoughtful for a second.

"What if we let him help us? Like, we can choose our top places and let him look at them. If there is one area that works better than the other, we can always push towards that, yes?" she proposed.

"Well, we could go over the schools, activities to do, and all the fun stuff with him. He'll definitely feel more helpful, and probably appreciate having a voice. Yeah, we'll go with that plan." I nodded thoughtfully before leaning over and kissing her forehead. "That's why I like you...you're the smart one."

Bella swatted my arm and playfully called me a jerk. I quickly wrapped my arms around her and swung her into my arms, kissing her until she was breathless.

"So, am I still a jerk?" I asked with my eyebrow cocked.

"Nope, but we should go talk to Nathan now so we can come back and talk." The way she articulated the word 'talk' immediately made the hairs on my neck stand up as she playfully winked at me and grabbed my hand.

"Let's go do that," I answered slowly as we turned in the direction of the living room, where we walked in hand-in-hand.

"Well, we think it's good news, and we hope you do, too," Bella said reassuringly with a bright smile on her face.

"Okay," Nathan drew out the word and looked back and forth between the two of us.

"Nathan, I know you've noticed things have been different between your mom and me. And, well, I don't know how much you've assumed so far, but we want you to know that we're together now...officially," I pushed out uncomfortably. Trying to explain to your eight-year-old son you were now dating his mother was slightly harder than I had expected it to be.

"So, you're, like, dating?" he questioned, and I could see the emotions swirling in his eyes were a mix of confusion and excitement.

"Yes, Nathan, we're dating," Bella answered for us.

"Cool, so do you like, love each other now?" Nathan asked without missing a beat, and I froze.

Crap...what to say to that?

"Nathan, we've always loved each other. Now, it's just a different kind of love," Bella answered without a second thought, and my head snapped to her. She looked up at me, and I could see she meant every word she had just said. I smiled in her direction but tried to keep it discreet. The first time I pronounced my love to Bella would not be in front of Nathan-I wanted that moment to be perfect.

Nathan glanced down for a second and then back up at us with a smile on his face.

"So, we're like a real family?" I started to laugh at him and he joined in. I could tell he was still tired, but he didn't look upset or even angry that I was now dating his mom, instead he looked almost relieved, but happy...definitely happy.

"Of course, we're a real family," I assured him. His face was lit up like a Christmas tree, and it made my heart melt. I knew this was what he wanted, and I was elated that he was happy it finally happened.

"Mom," Nathan spoke and turned to Bella. "Are you happy now?"

Bella froze for a second, and even I sat straighter at such a direct question from our eight-year-old.

"Yes, baby, I'm very happy," she answered with a glowing smile.

"Dad?" He shifted his attention to me.

"I am beyond happy. There aren't words to describe how over the moon I am," I exaggerated my words so he knew how I felt.

"Good, so are you going to get married?" he fired off at us, and my eyes widened for a second.

Damn, this boy got to the point...and fast!

"It's not out of the question, but we'll discuss it with you if we do. However, there is something else we'd like to talk to you about," Bella edged, and I knew this was the make or break part.

I had assumed Nathan would take the idea of us dating pretty easily, since I knew he already assumed we were, but now we were throwing moving at him...and that, well, I wasn't so sure about.

"Nathan, your father and I have been talking, and we want to know what you think about moving." Bella asked calmly.

Nathan's face went blank, and he didn't answer immediately. Instead, he tilted his head to the side and looked at her. He crinkled his lips to the side and we knew he was considering her words.

"Why would we move?" he eventually asked.

"Well, I'd like to start my own practice so that I can go back to being a doctor, but with more normal hours so I can still be home at night. Your mom and I have agreed it would be better to do that somewhere else besides Forks," I explained in eight-year-old terms.

"What about Papa?" Nathan pushed.

"Baby, he's not going anywhere. We can always come back and visit as much as you like, and we'll also visit your Aunt Alice and Uncle Emmett, too," Bella reassured him that we would never deprive him from his family. It also reminded me that we needed to tell Nathan that his uncle and aunt were also moving, which was announced after he went to sleep.

"Won't I have to make new friends?" he asked genuinely concerned, and I started to worry that we'd put too much on him too soon.

"Yeah, unfortunately, that's the sad part of moving, but you'll still come back to visit. And, you'll make new friends and see new places," Bella put enthusiasm behind her voice to make the idea of moving sound more appealing. "We can also redecorate your new room, and we'll find fun new activities for you to do. We'll also make sure you can still play baseball."

"Well, that doesn't sound so bad," Nathan replied, but he definitely wasn't excited yet. "Where are we going?"

"That we haven't decided on yet, and we were hoping you could help. Your mom and I are going to make a list, and with your help, we thought we could decide as a family," I butted in and explained our plan.

"I get to choose?" he asked shocked.

"Of course you have a say. You're part of this family, too, Nathan," I replied, and he nodded his head.

He yawned, and I knew we'd taken up his span of attention for now.

"You just think about it, and if you have any questions just ask, okay?" Bella told him before we both got up to give him some space. He needed to think, and I was confident he would find us if he needed to.

When Bella and I went back to check on Nathan five minute's after our talk, we found him passed out on the couch. After we covered him up with a blanket and shut the TV back off, we headed into the office to begin talking about possible places to relocate.

Now that school was out, it would be the best plan to start looking, and hopefully move, before the next school year. If Nathan started another year in Forks, I wasn't sure if we'd pull him out, and truthfully, I wanted out of this town as soon as possible.

The letter from Denver continued to plague my thoughts, even though I knew there wasn't a chance in hell I'd take it. Though it was a generous offer, it just didn't fall in line with the direction my future was heading, and after some thought I had a good idea who was behind it.

Before I could continue wasting time worrying about Denver, Bella caught my attention when she picked up some of the papers I put together.

"So, do you have a top five? I mean, I can work from anywhere, but I'd like to be near a major city for agency reasons," Bella started to explain, but I had already thought of that.

In fact, I really did have a top five, but I wanted to give her a chance to consider all of her options first, so instead of listing them off, I had her tell me places where she'd always wanted to go instead.

"Well, Oregon would be close to home, but wouldn't it be too close?" Bella asked while biting the pen cap currently sitting between her lips.

"It's up to you. Portland is a nicer city with a lot of nicer suburbs. The school system is solid, no sales tax is a plus, but property tax is considerably higher, and we'd be within driving distance of your dad," I pointed out.

"And yours. Plus, isn't Esme still in Port Angeles?" Bella's face paled as she spoke the name Esme.

"True, she is, so Oregon is out, California?" I looked over her, and she gave me a small smile. She was right, closer to her dad was not such a bad thing, but my parents, no thank you!

"Um, I don't really see us living in California, what's next?" Bella quickly dismissed.

And that is how the majority of our time went. Bella quickly said no to anywhere considered the Pacific Northwest, and anything even remotely close to the Pacific Northwest, stating it was simply too close to my family. She also vetoed anything that was considered the deeper south because she said it wouldn't be fair to be close to Alice but not to Emmett, which then took out the New England states. I was starting to get frustrated, but I did my best not to show it because I want Bella to feel confident wherever we moved next. However, I was starting to think we'd wind up in Europe with the way she was checking states off.

"Well, I was looking at Missouri," I started to move further down the list, but she quickly cut me off.

"Missouri, Edward? What the heck is even in Missouri?" Bella looked at me bewildered.

"The major cities are Saint Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield. There is a lot of history, outdoor activities, and a lot to do with Nathan. Route 66 travels through there...and...you're not buying it, huh?" I paused.

"Edward, please tell me the next one is better?" she pleaded. Her face held so much concern it was down right adorable.

"North Carolina?" I asked cautiously.

"North Carolina," she repeated with a perplexed look on her face. "That doesn't sound so bad."

After sitting in the cramped chair for the better part of an hour, I decided to stand and stretch my muscles before talking about yet another state. Bella had already moved from her chair to the edge of the desk, so I opted to stand behind her, and I wrapped my arms around her stomach.

"Well," I spoke into her ear. "North Carolina has Raleigh and Charlotte. Some areas have decent school systems, there is a lot of outdoor activities, but it's close enough to travel north or south to get to major vacation spots. They are in no short supply of suburban houses or secluded cabins in the woods..." I kissed the back of her neck. "And there are about four places total that would be decent for me to start an office. Private practices are starting to become more used in the bigger cities and would give me enough people to bring in, or we could move to a more remote area where the doctors aren't as plentiful."

"A cabin in the woods, huh?" Bella asked, and I realized she stopped listening to me after I said that.

"Perhaps, or we could get a house. We'd need to talk to Nathan before we bought a cabin," I stated, and she nodded thoughtfully.

"North Carolina doesn't sound so bad, and it's not too far from your brother and sister, but we have to get Nathan on our side," she reminded.

"I think we can do that," I said as she turned in my arms so she was now facing me.

"He's been asleep for a while," Bella noted, and I nodded.

"Well, he was tired, and more than likely, he'll be asleep for a while longer. Do you want to talk about more places?" I winked playfully before connecting my lips to hers and putting my hands on her waist. As they slowly moving them up her shirt I looked her in the eyes to silently ask for permission.

"You can touch," she whispered into my mouth. I moved my hands up to take her top off and unclasped her bra. My mouth greedily sought out her breasts, and I used my tongue and mouth to tease her nipples.

Even though Bella and I weren't ready for sex, it was becoming incredibly frustrating to be around her. Just watching her swing her hips a little more than normal was erotic, but seeing her practically laid out on my desk was enough to cause a frenzy. Our intimate times were becoming more frequent, and though it was hard to keep my head straight, I knew Bella would tell me when she was ready for...more, because Lord knew I was ready whenever she was.

As my mouth stayed connected with her breasts, I used my free hands to work down her pants, In a quick fluid motion they were off, followed by her panties. Her legs spread open, and I quickly moved to begin working her clit with my tongue. Her hips bucked in sync with my mouth, and within minutes I heard her moans and felt her shake as her orgasm overtook her.

I pulled away and started to help find her clothes when her eyes turned lustful. Before I could blink, Bella was on her knees and working the belt to my pants.

"Bella, you don't..." I tried to articulate, but she quickly told me to shut up.

We never went back to talking about moving for the rest of the night.

"Nathan, are you ready?" Bella yelled up the stairs, and I could see she was stressed out.

"Bella." I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her. "Calm down, baby, it's just your dad."

"I know, I know, but I'm still worried. We're telling him we're moving, and I just...I'm scared," she whispered the last word. I looked deep into her eyes, and I could see her trepidation. She was worried that he would think we were abandoning him, which was not at all what we were doing. Bella and I knew that if we wanted a chance to move on, truly move on and grow stronger as a couple and as a family, it was time to leave Forks.

Getting Nathan on board for North Carolina was the easy part. As soon as I told him about all of the hiking, fishing, sports teams, and how close a theme park was, he was ready to start packing. I told him we'd see Dr. Banner one more time to tell him goodbye, but that we were sure he wouldn't need to see anyone else once we had moved. Jimmy was probably not gone forever, and it would be something we would always have to look for, but at this point, as each day passed, we grew closer to the one-year mark of his personality shifting. We were also getting closer to the one-year anniversary of his kidnapping, and Bella and I decided not to focus on that for now. Life had changed so much that it made me dizzy just thinking about it.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Nathan sang as he ran down the stairs. He had dressed himself in a yellow plaid shirt with a pair of jeans, and his hair slicked back. I cocked an eyebrow at him, but he shrugged me off-soon he'd be asking me how to shave.

God, where had the time gone?

Another topic that Bella and I hadn't elaborated much on since our first date was more children. We both knew we wanted them, but I wasn't sure what timeline Bella had. And it was something I wanted to consider after we moved and got settled in. Neither of us were getting any younger, and even though Bella wasn't old enough to be considered "high risk" it wasn't that far away.

Of course, it would probably help if I could tell her I loved her. In the last week, I had tried, but every time I came close it just wasn't the right moment. I hoped, after talking to Charlie, that whatever nerves I was holding onto would fade away.

Thirty minutes later we were pulling into Charlie's driveway. Even though Bella had told him we were coming over for dinner, it actually meant Bella had made a casserole and was going to use Charlie's oven to heat it up. I wasn't sure why he didn't just come to our house, but apparently, they had always 'done dinner' that way.

"Come on in," Charlie ushered.

"Dad, I'm just going to start in the kitchen," Bella announced before she quickly took off. Charlie nodded as we moved into the living room. Of course, the sports channel was blaring.

"How have you been?" I asked casually.

"Good, good," he answered.

"What this?" Nathan asked as he motioned towards a box.

That was when I realized a lot of Charlie's shelves were bare. He didn't strike me as a man who would redecorate, and the paper sitting on the box looked like wrapping paper you'd use when you were...moving?

"Oh, well, I was..." Charlie stumbled through his words.

"He's redecorating, Nathan, the box is so he can move stuff around without breaking anything," I lied easily, or so I thought.

"Dad?" Nathan looked me dead in the eye. "You suck at lying."

"What your dad meant was, well, your Papa is having someone move in, so I was making room," Charlie muttered.

My eyes widened as they snapped towards him.

Moving in...with Charlie?

"Oh," Nathan replied. "Who's moving in?"

"Her name is Karen, and she's a really nice lady. I'm hoping you can meet her soon," Charlie answered.

Who the fuck is Karen? Bella is going to freak!

"Oh cool, does she like to fish?" Nathan asked curiously.

"No, she hates fishing, but she likes to cook the fish," Charlie laughed.

"She sounds cool to me." Nathan shrugged his shoulders and focused his attention on the TV.

"Karen?" I asked quietly.

"After we eat," Charlie answered, and I nodded.

I wasn't sure how Bella was going to feel about this, but the more I thought about it, the more I considered that this could be good news. Bella wouldn't feel like she was leaving Charlie alone, and that worked in my favor. Well, worked in our favor.

Dinner went on as normal, and we all enjoyed Bella's lasagna and garlic bread. Nathan curled up in the living room to watch a repeat of an old baseball game, as Charlie, Bella, and I stayed around the dining room table.

"So, I have some, uh, news," Charlie started uncomfortable, and I moved my hand to Bella's.

Charlie's eyes focused on our hands but quickly jerked his head up.

"Sorry, it's weird seeing you two so...so together," he amended.

"You have news?" Bella pushed, anxiously.

"Uh, yeah, so I have been dating someone. Her name is Karen, she works at the diner, and she's moving in," Charlie rushed out so quickly I almost didn't catch it all.

Bella's hand gripped mine for a second before marginally relaxing.

"Karen," Bella repeated, and it sounded like she was practicing saying the name.

"Yes, Bella, I wanted to tell you sooner, but," Charlie tried to explain, but she put her hand in the air.

"I'm not mad, just surprised," she said evenly, but I knew that tone. I started to rub my thumb over her knuckle to ease her stress.

"I'd like you to meet her," Charlie offered, and I nodded my head.

"How long?" Bella asked next.

"A few months," Charlie answered and her face clouded.

"You think that's wise after a few months?" Bella asked in disbelief.

"I do," he answered solemnly, and I knew Charlie saw he was loosing.

"Okay, then," Bella stated before changing to our own news. "I guess we should tell you of our news...we're moving."

Bella talked so quickly she didn't even give Charlie a chance to prepare.

Yup, she was definitely mad.

"What do you mean you're moving?" Charlie snapped. His face went rigid and his shoulders tensed. The dynamic of our conversation immediately changed.

"Dad, I know this may be upsetting, but we need to do this," Bella pleaded with him to understand. If either one of us could see rebuilding our lives here in Forks, we'd do it in a heartbeat, but the truth was we needed a clean start.

"Did I do this?" Charlie muttered under his breath. His eyes looked lost as he stared at Bella, and for the first time ever, I felt bad for him.

"What? No, this isn't about you, this is about us," Bella explained. "I, personally, don't want to be near Esme, or even Carlisle, and I'm sick of avoiding areas of town because it reminds me of what happened to Nathan. Edward can't start a practice here, but he can't go back to the hospital, either. Dad, we need this, and you have someone now, so you won't be alone."

"But, Bella, just because I'm with someone doesn't mean I've replaced you," he answered.

"I'd certainly hope not," Bella shot back. "However, that doesn't change the fact that we're moving. We'll still visit, and visit often, and you're welcome at our house whenever you want, but I can't live here anymore."

"Charlie, I know this may be shocking, but you know as well as I do there isn't anywhere local for me to work, aside from the hospital, and as long as my dad is in charge there, well...it wouldn't be the best for us," I butted in.

Bella fiercely defended our decision to move but also left me little room to speak up. I knew she wanted to move just as much as I did, but this was the first time I'd heard her speak about it so acidly...like Forks was a disease she wanted cured of.

"I understand," Charlie finally sighed. "It's hard seeing that you're grown up now."

"Um, Dad, I've been a grown up for a while now," Bella's voice actually sounded sincere.

I actually snorted, and Charlie shot me a glare.

"Just wait until Nathan makes you a grandpa," he rebutted.

"I've got at least twenty more years before I have to worry about that," I blew off.

"Yeah, I said that, too." He narrowed his eyes, and I shut up real fast.

Charlie laughed at me before he turned his attention back to Bella.

"You'll always be my little girl." He nodded his head like he was agreeing with himself.

"So, where are you moving? Does Nathan know?"

"Yeah." I coughed to clear my throat. "Nathan helped us decide, and we're moving to North Carolina."

"The other side of the country, Bella?" Charlie stared at Bella, but all she did in return was nod her head.

"Edward, if you don't mind I'd really like a chance to talk to my daughter...alone," Charlie asked in a tone that told me there was no room for debate.

Instead, I turned to Bella and asked if that was what she wanted.

"I'll be okay," she assured me out loud, and I stood up. I didn't leave the room before I leaned down and kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear my vow to stand next to her if I was needed. She nodded at me with a small smile before turning back towards her dad.

"Who's winning?" I asked Nathan as I walked into the living room.

"We are," he answered without loosing focus of the game. "Mom didn't take it well, did she?"

"Not exactly," I replied warily.

Was he really eight? More like twenty-eight.

"Bet you're glad I wanted you two to be together, huh?" I looked over at him to see him smirking.

"Uh..."

"Don't worry, Dad. I liked you." He turned his head back to the game, and the only thing I could do was laugh.

"I love you too, kid."

So, Nathan knows and is supportive-but what about Bella and Charlie's heart to heart? Hmmmm. We'll get to that more next chapter, along with the lemon. Yeah, I'm nervous about writing that too! Next update in about a week-I'll try not to be late again, but RL has been kicking my ass and my girls come first. Oh, and before anyone yells-I live in Missouri ;)

Review replies this week will be a teaser for Chapter 26 AND a teaser for the one-shot I wrote for the Fandom Gives Back Compilation. I played around with what I wanted to write, and it basically came down to what was the easiest for me to write at the time-a one-shot of Edward & Bella shortly after the court drama, but before Alice called to reunited Edward with Esme. :) More outtakes will be written as I have time, but will post directly to my profile :)

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If you haven't checked out KitsuShel's newest story Rabbit Heart go do that now! I'm fortunate enough to pre-read for it, and it's simply amazing! http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6754319/1/Rabbit_Heart