Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie M. No harm intended in any way. I am just lucky to dabble with them.

WARNING: This story contains drama, blush-worthy cursing, and lots of mature situations.

Chapter Title: Need You

Chapter Song: "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum

Bella's POV:

"Bella, a load of tall, pale, and handsome just strolled in with your name written all over him," Kate trilled, leaning out of the door and into the alley.

I chuckled at her silliness. "Would you mind showing him the way out here? I'm not going back inside until my break is completely over."

"Yeah, it has been kind of shitty tonight, hasn't it?"

I nodded in agreement. "Mid-terms are next week. That always makes business pick up."

"Don't remind me. I have a stack of books giving me the stink eye every time I walk through the apartment door," she said.

"You could just pick them up and study," I suggested.

"Thank you, Garrett Number Two," she replied, her words laced with sarcasm.

"Just show Edward the way out here, please."

"One Yummy coming up," she called out before the door closed behind her.

I closed my eyes again, listening to the sounds of the city the way I had been before Kate's interruption. It wasn't long before I heard the door squeak open and his shoes touch down on the asphalt. I stayed where and how I was, knowing he would come to me soon enough.

"You okay?" Edward asked while wrapping his arms around me.

I smiled as he pressed his lips to the back of my head. "Yeah. It's just been crazy tonight so I came out here to unwind a little."

"I called earlier but you didn't answer."

"Shit," I groaned, leaning back and letting my head fall against his shoulder. "I knew I was forgetting something. I had this feeling all afternoon that something wasn't right."

"Did you lose it?"

"No. I had to turn it off while I was meeting with my marketing teacher and I forgot to turn it back on."

"Why didn't you just put it on vibrate?"

"Because she swears she can hear phones vibrating and she finds any kind of disruption like that rude and a waste of her precious time."

Edward snorted and then kissed the side of my neck. "Sorry you still have two more years of putting up with that kind of thing."

Graduation. That was the one thing we really hadn't talked about yet. Then again, it was pointless to discuss it before knowing if there would still be an us by then. And it wasn't like Emmett and Rosalie had anything decided other than they were going to give living together a try wherever he accepted his internship.

I figured I had about eight minutes left to my break and the last thing I wanted to do with my time was think about depressing shit. I turned around and gave Edward a real hug and then a "hello" kiss.

"What about you? What's your day been like?" I asked, linking my fingers together behind his neck.

"I think we better leave that for talking about later tonight when you're off of work."

"Why? What happened?"

"It's nothing really bad, it's just something I know you'll want to talk about a lot and you can't right now."

"Then you should have just said 'fine' and left it at that. Now that I know you have something to tell me, I'm not going to be able to stop wondering what it might be."

He let out a sigh as he tucked some of my hair behind my ear. "I have good news and I have bad news. Which do you want first?"

"The bad. Knowing my life, I'm going to need to the slight pick me up of the good just so I don't go all fucking mental on the people around me."

"You won't get mental. It'll probably be hard and what you consider a real pain in the ass, but we'll get through it. If for no other reason than we want it to work."

"Alright," I said with a sigh. "Let's have it."

"I met with my counselor today. The only way I can really get a feel for where my business would fit in and have a chance at succeeding and growing is to visit each of the cities I'm considering, spending a few weeks in each and checking out possible competition. Basically, it means I'm going to spend the summer traveling. Hopefully not all of it, but at least eight to nine weeks of it."

"Holy shit, Edward!" my mouth shouted before I could stop it. Eight or nine weeks without him? We were having enough trouble having a relationship where we saw each other almost every day. How the hell were we going to keep one going long distance?

"Look, I know that sounds scary, Bella, especially right now when we're still fixing what we broke last month. But it's not going to be that bad. We'll have the phone and I'll get you a webcam. It's not as though we'll be completely out of contact."

"Not that bad! Edward, please don't take this the wrong way because you know I'm supportive of you and your dream. You know I believe in you. But it's like you said, we're right in the middle of fixing things." I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, struggling to find the right thing to say. And then an idea dawned on me. I looked up at him and shared it with him. "What if I asked Mr. Morris if I could take the summer off? I could explain what's going on and—"

Edward cut me off with a shake of his copper locks. "And you might not have a job to come back to, Bella. It's a tough economy and you have such a great job here. You're able to work around your studies and the money is good. I can't let you risk losing that just to sit around in strange cities while I do research. Think of how disappointed you'll be if you lose the job and I end up choosing Portland as the city."

I was trying really hard to understand, but understanding or not, I couldn't help crossing my arms in front of me. "So you're just leaving then? Graduation comes and you go?"

"No," he said, stressing the word. He cupped my face and made sure I was looking right at him. "Bella, I am not leaving you. I'm just going to do a little traveling for my future. For our future, because when I think of what I want out of life, I always see you there with me."

I slipped my arms around his neck again and hugged him as tightly as I could. "This sucks."

"Yeah, it does. Just remember it's for a good cause. I'll be able to pick the best city with the most opportunity and get my business off the ground. I'll be able to get us our first place to live together, just you and me. No roommates or shared showering facilities. And we'll have a kitchen, Bella. A huge kitchen with every pot, pan, and appliance you can think of for cooking great meals together."

I couldn't help but smile at how excited he seemed while talking. "So you would really do that? Live with me all the time?"

He tightened his arms around me and pressed his lips to the top of my head. "I can't wait."

"You're assuming an awful lot, you know. First that we'll have everything worked out between us by then. And second that I would want to move wherever you are and live with you."

"I'm not assuming anything. I know we're going to work things out because we both want it too much to give up on it. As for moving, you were the one ready to leave your job to travel with me while I'm looking around. It seemed a safe enough bet you would want to be with me when I do find a place for us to start life after college."

"You really want that? You want me?" I asked.

"For as long as you'll have me."

We stared at each other for a long moment and then I was laughing. "You are such a damn cheese-ball, E."

He must have known I wasn't completely sold on this thing because he started making promises. "It won't be that bad, Bella. I'll call you every day and we can video chat too. And just think of how glad you'll be to have me around after getting a break from me."

I shook my head and pressed my face into his shirt. "I don't want a break."

"No, not right now. But graduation's a few months away."

"Two months, two days," I replied automatically.

"I promise it'll be okay," he said softly, resting his head against mine. "You'll see. Now would you like the good news?"

"Yeah, sure."

He lifted his head and then my chin, getting me to look at him. "I know where we're going for our camping trip after graduation."

I waited but when he didn't say anything else, I shook his shoulder to get him to spill. I wasn't in the right mind frame for anticipation. "Well?"

"Well what?" He would have sold me on his little confused look if his lips hadn't pulled up toward the left.

I used one of the things he'd taught me about pressure points and gripped him between his neck and shoulder with my thumb and forefinger. "Where, E?" I asked while he squirmed and yelled out.

"Alright," he said with a laugh, pulling my fingers away. "We're going to the Grand Canyon."

I just stood there staring at him, not knowing how to deal with feeling so low one second and having that turned around to a major friggen high the next. He knew the Canyon was on my list of places to see. But was that his only reason for picking it? Was it some kind of apology for leaving for the summer?

There was only one way to find out. "Edward, why the canyon?"

"I went through all of our camping books and the best trip Emmett and I ever took with our dad was our trip to the canyon. There's just so much to do and see there. And the nights … Bella, when you see how clear the sky is and how bright the stars seem." He paused and shook his head for a moment. "I don't have the words to explain it properly, but I know you're going to love it."

"And that's really why you picked it?"

"Of course," he said, honestly looking confused this time. "What other reason would I have?"

"It is on my list."

"Ah," he said with a nod. "I get it. You want to know if I only picked it as a way to make up for this summer trip."

"Yeah. Kind of."

"I get why you would think that. And I can't say I wouldn't if I were in your place. What I can do is promise you that I'm being honest. I picked our destination just the way I told you I would—by looking through family photos and choosing the place we had the most fun. We rode mules through the area. We camped out some nights and stayed in an amazing hotel on others. We even took a helicopter tour. With all of that and more, there's no doubt in my mind you'll have a great time."

I smiled up at him. "You really are amazing. We're dealing with all this mess and here you are planning our future out with this trip and your summer thing, like you don't have the least bit of fear that we might fail."

Edward returned my smile before hugging me tightly and pressing his face into my hair. "I'm just as scared as you are, Bella. I'm just refusing to let it get in the way."

"I wanna be like that. Teach me how to be like that."

"It's not anything you learn. You just do."

"That's so unfair," I groaned.

Edward chuckled and then kissed my cheek. "Come on, Angel. You need to get back to work and I would love a tea."

"Can we talk more about this stuff tonight?" I asked as we moved toward the door.

"We can talk about it as much as you want."

"Remember you said that," I warned.

He grabbed my arm and turned me toward him. "Hey."

"Hey, what?"

"I need to know you believe me, that you understand I'm not going anywhere."

"I believe you, but I'm not happy about it."

"It'll be okay, Bella. We'll make sure of it."

I wanted to believe him. And I did in a way. It was just that in another way, I was worried he might change his mind the way he had about waiting for me to say those words. Hopefully, talking would help this the way it had been helping with our trust thing. But for right now, I had to focus on my job and schlep some coffee.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh, yes, it's ladies night," Bree sang while shuffling his feet.

"Spare me. Please," I begged. We were waiting near the Volvo for Edward to show up. He was taking me to some secret location for an early dinner before my night out with just the girls—and Bree, of course.

"Hey, at least you get to look at me singing it and not that John Lego-whatever from Wedding Singer with all of that chest hair showing." Bree shivered and stuck his tongue out as if he were going to retch all over the ground.

"I thought you liked them hairy. You do have that massive man-crush on the Sasquatch."

"My darling Emmett is no sasquatch. And a light dusting of hair is sexy and masculine. Having it take on a life of its own and remind people of Medusa's snake hair cries out for immediate waxing removal."

"Hang on," I said, grabbing Bree's shoulder with one hand and shielding my eyes with the other. "I'm having a 40 Year Old Virgin flashback of a screaming, cursing man with his bloody smiley face half-waxed chest."

"Don't even pretend," he cried, pushing me away. "You were not traumatized by that movie. You're just annoyed you don't get to wax a man that way."

"Actually, I'm happy to report I'm not. A waxing like that would be pure torture and revenge so the fact that I'm not looking to do it means no man is currently pissing me off. Even Jacob's finally settled his ass down."

"What about Emmett?"

"I ignore most of what he says on general principle. Plus, the dysfunctional twin duo has been working their own shit out lately."

"It's about damn time."

I laughed at Bree's comment, but then it turned into a yelp.

"Hello, Angel," Edward whispered into my ear while holding me from behind.

"Jeebus, E," I yelled, smacking at his hands. "You're going to get yourself neutered pulling shit like that."

"Oh, Sexward. Please don't bring about the demise of one of the wonders of the world," Bree chirped.

I could actually feel Edward's face reddening against my neck and it took everything in me not to laugh as I patted the back of his head. "Bree, behave yourself," I warned my smiling friend.

"He knows I'm only joking," Bree defended. "Besides, he was the one to insert himself in our conversation. Though, I'm sure there's a certain place he'd much rather insert himself."

"Bella, please shut him up," Edward whispered, ruining my attempts to not laugh.

"Alright, Bree," I said, using my motherly tone with him. "Your time is up for now. Say 'goodbye' nicely to Edward and we'll see you tonight."

"Au revoir, Edouard," Bree sang. He lifted his fingers to his mouth and blew my man a kiss before blowing one to me. "Peaches, do everything I would do so you can tell me about it later tonight."

"Goodbye, Embry," I said, shooing him away with my hand.

He gave me a wicked smile before sauntering away to torture someone else.

"The coast is clear, E. You can come out from behind my skirt."

"You're not wearing a skirt," Edward said as he stood up straight.

"It's a figure of speech, Cullen. I found it appropriate since you were hiding behind me like some little kid clutching his mother's leg in fear of the crazy looking aunt with too much makeup saying she just wants to love him to bits."

"I like Bree. You know I like Bree. But sometimes … Sometimes he sounds a lot more serious than he does joking."

"Just remember this … Bree knows I will break every finger he has if he ever touches you, and the man will not risk losing his hands. He needs them too much for his job and other activities."

"So are you ready for our dinner?" Edward asked, clearly attempting to change the subject.

But I was in the mood to tease, so I ignored it. "What? You aren't going to ask what those other activities are? You might be surprised and even learn a few things."

"Bella, if I don't have a sex life of my own, I don't want to hear about anyone else's."

I chuckled and grabbed the sides of his shirt, using it to pull him to me. "So once we have a sex life again, you'll want all the lurid details?"

He seriously looked scared, like that time when his hand was banged up and I'd told him I was going to make him ask Alice to button and zip his pants.

"No. Never. I like being in the dark. You girls go on and share all you want, but leave me out of it," he said in a rush.

I lifted up onto my toes and gave him a small kiss. "Relax, E. I'm just teasing."

"Can we please go to dinner now?"

I chuckled and kissed him again. "Yes. Let's go to dinner."

Dinner ended up being grilled chicken wraps with onion rings eaten on a blanket in the park. It was this great mix of cheesy, odd, and perfect. So much so in fact that I refused to let myself think about the upcoming summer or to bring up any topics that might possibly dampen the mood. Edward was trying to do something special for the two of us so I figured the least I could do was help keep things upbeat.

We spent most of our time talking about music and concerts we might one day want to see. Some we wanted to see together and some we teased each other for until we were laughing too hard to keep it up. It was nice to have some normalcy between us and I hoped it was a sign that we'd start to have more and more days like this very soon.

When we got to the apartment, Emmett was spread out on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn resting on his stomach.

"What up, Em-zilla?" I asked him.

"Waiting for everyone to get home. Rose called about ten minutes ago and said she was on her way. Haven't heard from the little sis or Jazz-meister yet," he answered. He tilted his head and looked up at me. "Where have you two been? You're usually home way before now when you have the night off."

"Edward took me on a picnic for an early dinner."

Emmett snorted and sat up, putting his bowl on the table. "A picnic, huh? Where, oh where, did you come up with an idea like that, Ed?"

"Emmett, shut up," Edward warned.

Emmett had a big shit-eating grin on his face and when I looked over at Edward, he looked somewhere between pissed and afraid.

"What's going on, you two?" I asked them.

"Nothing," Edward replied immediately and firmly.

"I just want to know one thing, Bells. When he was whining and dining you in the park, did the following happen?" Emmett stood up, held one hand out toward me, yelled out the word "Gisselle", and then put his knuckle between his teeth.

"I do not like you," Edward told his brother.

Emmett just smiled wide looking oh so pleased with himself.

"One of you had better start explaining right the fuck now," I demanded, waving my finger between the two of them.

Emmett lumbered forward and stood face to face with his twin. "Ed here needed some inspiration and went to the land of movies for it. His pansy ass even found one where the hero guy was named Edward. Some frilly, fru-fru thing full of singing. What was it called, Ed? Indecent?"

"It was Enchanted, you jackass," Edward answered, pushing his brother away.

"Is that …" I paused, trying hard to swallow down the laughter trying to get out.

"Damn straight," Emmett said, grinning like the fool he was. "It's a Disney movie."

"So the hell what? She liked the picnic and that's all that matters," Edward defended.

"You know, Em," I said, tapping his shoulder. I waited for him to look down at me before finishing my thought. "If you know enough about the movie to know there was a picnic, and a name getting yelled, and to do that thing with your finger, then that clearly implies you watched the Disney movie right along with your twin here. And if memory serves me right on our teasing code, participation in an event renders you unable to tease in regards to said event."

"Oh, come on, Bells! You aren't really going to hold me to that, are you?"

I smiled and patted his cheek. "You bet your big hairy ass I will."

Edward snorted and grabbed me by the waist, pulling me away from his brother and toward my room with Emmett's cries as a soundtrack.

"Come on, Bells! You know I only watched that shit so I could make fun of him."

I chuckled under my breath and Edward snorted.

"It's not fair to hold it against me and cock-block my teasing," Emmett continued.

I put a finger to my lips to keep Edward from saying anything and then purposefully closed my door loudly.

"Bells! Don't leave me hanging!"

Edward and I fell against each other laughing at Emmett's reaction. "You better hope he's over this when we leave for BOG," I warned Edward. "Otherwise, your twin is going to come after you and you won't have anyone to help buffer."

"What about Jazz?"

I snorted. "Jazz will sit back and watch the fireworks as long as he's sure no physical harm will come to anyone."

"So basically he'll be like you?" Edward asked with that lopsided grin of his.

"You bet your cute ass, Cullen," I replied, giving said ass a pinch.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We really need to stop," I mumbled against Edward's lips.

He hummed his agreement, but then flicked his tongue against my upper lip. He was not going to be of any help in stopping tonight. Then again, how much help was I going to be with how quickly I'd parted my lips and let him in? Fisting my hands in his hair and pulling him closer wasn't exactly a sign of wanting to stop either. Why do we need to stop again? Where was I going?

"It's like watching two hummingbirds going after sweet, sweet nectar." Bree followed his comment up with a laugh.

Edward groaned and I rolled my eyes, but other than that, there wasn't a whole lot of moving going on. I think we were both hoping Bree would disappear as quickly as he'd come along and interrupted.

"Oh, please don't stop on my account," my friend with the horrid timing pleaded. "If I can't learn that little tongue maneuver by experience, then at least let me learn by example."

"That shit is pretty hot," Rose agreed, leaning her arm on Bree's shoulder.

I pulled one hand out of Edward's hair and used it to flip them both off.

They ignored me and Rose continued on with her dirty train of thought. "I really think he would have taken her right here in the hall if we hadn't said anything."

Bree snorted. "Hell, I'm not convinced he won't still do it."

"Shut up," I told them, glaring at them over Edward's shoulder.

"Yes, we mustn't ruin the mood," Bree replied in a fake falsetto voice.

"What the hell are you four doing?" Emmett called down the hall.

Rosalie winked at me and then turned her head toward Emmett. "We're watching the mating rituals of a Swan."

"Oh, for fuck's sake. We were just saying goodbye," I told her.

"Yeah, Bells is over here giving 'talking in tongues' a whole new meaning," Bree chirped.

That got me to move out of my spot between Edward and the wall. I balled my hand into a fist and socked Bree in the shoulder as hard as I could. "Shut it."

"Ouch! Bitch!" he cried, pushing me away and into Edward. "Sexward, would you please hurry up and take this woman on your wild ride? Relieve us all from her grumpy attitude!"

Edward quickly kissed my cheek, mumbled a "goodbye" and disappeared into my room. I was pretty damn sure I also heard the click of the lock. He was delusional if he really thought locking himself in my room would save him from teasing. The girls were going out tonight and the boys were staying in. No way in hell would Emmett and Jasper let him just hide out in my room, especially after the way Emmett's planned teasing had failed earlier.

"So are we ready to heat up BOG? Or shall we stand here decorating the hall like the priceless works of art we surely are?" Bree asked.

"Shut the hell up and move," I said, pushing on his shoulder and forcing him toward the living room.

"Who's being the SS tonight?" Rose asked.

"Tonight's Sober Sucker is none other than Miss Alice Cullen," I answered, slipping an arm around my best friend's little body. "She lost the coin toss."

"And since my car is too small for dealing with long, drunken limbs, I get to drive Bella's car tonight," Alice chirped happily.

"Just be safe," Jasper said as he pressed his lips to her temple. "Call me if you need any help."

"Don't worry, Jazz-meister. I'll make sure your pixie sized future bride stays safe," I told him.

"Yeah? And who's going to protect my little sister from you?" Emmett asked, making his eyebrows waggle at me.

"Ali needs no protection from me. I love her little pint sized ass," I replied.

"But what about the rest of her?" Rose slapped her thigh and cackled as if it was the funniest thing she'd heard all damn day.

"How many fucking pre-shots did your ass have?" I asked.

She giggled and wiggled three fingers at me.

"Ali, we're going through the drive-thru on the way there," I said as I took hold of Rosalie's arm. "Hale here is acting like a drinking novice."

"I'm just so damn excited! Mid-terms are next week and the week after is Spring Break," Rose replied.

"You're excited about testing? You must have gotten into the damn absinthe," I told her.

"No. I'm excited about the break." She looked toward Emmett and raised her voice. "If only the men in our lives would get off their asses and give us some travel options."

"Let's go," Alice said, tugging on Rose's wrist.

"Before you two complete your mating ritual of arguing and then sexing," Bree added as he pushed Rose from behind.

"Bye ladies," Jasper and Emmett called out together.

Just before I pulled the door shut behind us, I heard the big knucklehead utter something that sent a chill down my spine. "We are now free to roam about the cabin and torture the shit of my spazz-tastic twin."

For Edward's sake, I hoped Emmett meant his little three word game and nothing more sinister.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Bree, I need another," I said, shaking my empty glass in front of his face.

Bree looked at me as if I'd told him he was dressed like a straight man. "I am not your servant, Peaches."

"Here," Rose said, plunking the rest of her drink down in front of me.

"Thank you, Rosie, my Rosie," I told her.

"That's the last one," she warned, pointing her perfectly painted nails at me. I looked down at my own chipped ones and felt polish envy.

"Rosie, I want blue nails like yours," I said, wiggling my fingers at her.

"Why is it you only want a mani when you're drunk?" Alice asked.

"I'm not drunk," I argued. "I'm just relaxed and enjoying my night out with my girls."

"So how are things with Edward going?" Rose questioned.

At first, I just shrugged. I hadn't told anyone yet about Edward's summer plans. I'd only known myself for twenty-four hours and I wanted tonight to be fun without worries. Starting a conversation about Edward not being around was not fun or worry-free.

But I had to tell them something. "Well, they aren't shit-tastic and they aren't fucking great. So I guess somewhere near really good," I said. "Actually, I feel like we're starting to get into our groove again. All the talking shit is hard, though. I'm so glad we made this a girls' only night. I understand the need for the talking and I know it's working, but fuck, dude!"

Rose rubbed my shoulder while Alice squeezed the opposite hand, both of them giving me little smiles. Bree just stared at me with his arms crossed and a smirk on his lips.

"What?" I asked him.

"It's not the talking that's got your thong up your ass. It's the lack of sex," he answered.

"Bullshit," I cried. And then I started laughing at how unbelievable it had sounded to my own ears. "Okay, it is. Normally, I'd take care of the shit myself, but by the time we finish talking at night, it's late and he stays over."

"It so is not the hour that has him staying in your room," Alice argued.

"Yeah, you two are sickening," Rose added. "You're like a pair of those little Hallmark bears with the magnets in them, sticking together anytime you get close. You sit all shoulder to shoulder and give each other the little moony eyes."

"What the fuck are moony eyes?" I asked.

Rose rolled her eyes at me before explaining. "It's when you both try to sneak a look at the other and you both get caught and look away while trying to hide your smiles. It's fucking puke-worthy."

"Total barf-a-roma," Alice agreed.

"What the fuck, Ali?" I laughed more than said. "Have you been watching my eighties movies again?"

"Can we stay on topic?" Rose asked, snapping her fingers to get my attention. "You're frustrated. I'm sure he's frustrated. So why aren't you two relieving it together?"

"Because we're supposed to wait until things are all the way back on track," I told her.

SECTION REMOVED - SEE FULL CHAPTER AT THE WRITER'S COFFEE SHOP LIBRARY

"Yep," Bree said, looking at Rose and giving her a nod.

"Fucking A," she agreed.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" I asked, looking from one to the other.

Rose snorted while Bree laughed somewhat quietly. "You've got it bad, Peaches," he told me.

"So damn bad," Rose said, rubbing my shoulder. "You really do love him, Bella. I wish I could tell you that you'll get to a point where it makes total sense to you, but that's never going to happen. It doesn't work that way. One minute, you want to be alone with him and the next, you're cursing him for something stupid he's done. It's a never ending cycle."

"It's insane, is what it is!" I cried.

"Yes. But like all things, this too shall pass. You'll get back on track, things will be so amazing you'll find it hard to believe, and then one of you will do something else stupid. Most times, it'll be him because let's face it, men tend to think with the lower head more than the upper and that's the quickest way to disaster. It's how you both react to those bumps in the road that determines whether or not you can make the love last."

"You've got everything you need for an epic love story, Peaches," Bree announced. "You've got the attraction, the similar interests, the strong personalities, and the love. The two of you just have to use those powers for good."

The music changed at that moment and Usher's "Love In This Club" came on to Bree's great and loud pleasure. He considered the song to be his own personal anthem and not a night had ever gone by where he did not dance to the song.

The sudden absence of my two friends made me realize Alice had never come back to the table. I knelt on my chair to see over the many heads in here and spot the spiky-haired one. I finally spotted her waving from the bar and watched with a smile on my face as she rushed across the floor and over to Bree and Rose. The three of them were a sight to behold with Bree sandwiched in the middle of my girls and making every man in the area jealous.

But there was only one man I was concerned with and as I pulled my phone out of my pocket, I knew I was in for another first—calling a guy in the middle of the night.

His voice was thick with sleep. "Hello?"

"Hey, E."

"Bella." I heard him shifting around and then he groaned. "It's a quarter after one. Does your call mean you're on your way back?"

"Will you come get me?"

"Sure, but … Where are the girls? Why is it so quiet? Did you leave the club?"

"I walked outside so I could … so I could hear your voice."

He'd obviously heard the waiver I was trying to control. "Are you alright, Bella?"

"Yeah. I just need you. Will you please come get me?"

"Of course, Angel. I'll be there soon. Go back inside and wait with the girls, okay?"

"Okay." And then I pretty much yelled into the phone. "And E?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Welcome." Even though I couldn't see him, I knew he was smiling and that he'd heard exactly how much I'd meant my words.

Turning to walk back into the club, I realized exactly what I'd done. I'd selfishly woken him up and asked him to drive down here. And even worse, I realized that I didn't feel bad for it. I just needed him. It was that simple. The part that wasn't so simple was knowing it was the first time I'd ever just went with a need like that instead of ignoring it and getting through on my own. Did the good of that strike out the bad of waking him?

I got back to the table just as my friends did and even before I opened my mouth, I was sure they knew what I had done, that Alice had told them in that freaky way she had. "So when will he get here?" she asked, confirming my suspicion.

I shrugged and tried hard not to smile like a damn lunatic. "He just said soon."

Soon ended up being a little over twenty minutes later and as I sat there enjoying Edward's arms around me and his lips on the side of my neck, I knew I wouldn't be able to feel bad or regret waking him no matter how wrong it might have been.

"Ladies," he greeted. "Bree."

"Oh, you can lump me in with the other beauties," Bree replied with a wave of his hand.

"I'll keep that in mind," Edward said with a little laugh. "For now, though, I'm going to steal my girl away from you."

Rose reached out and grabbed my wrist, looking right into my eyes. "Quid-pro-quo."

I smiled and shook my head at her while Bree and Alice both gave me two thumbs up. It was times like this when I was able to see they were just as fucked in the head as me. They thought I'd made a booty call so I would let them believe that for now. No way in hell would I waste time with Edward to stick around and explain it had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with wanting to be near him.

"Night, girls," I called, giving them a little wave.

And then I was walking off with Edward, each of us with an arm around the other's waist. It was exactly what I wanted and needed right then.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What's on your mind, Angel?" Edward asked, giving my fingers a small squeeze.

I shrugged before answering him. "A little of this and that."

I hadn't wanted to go straight home so we'd decided to take a walk around our campus since we were so close to it. At first, the silence between us had felt full of questions, but the more we'd walked, the less I'd felt the need to interrupt the quiet with words.

Edward pulled me closer so he could kiss my cheek. "I'll tell you what's on my mind. There's this really gorgeous brunette that I'm in love with and can't get enough of, even though I see her nearly every day."

It was my turn to laugh. I looked up at him through my lashes, knowing how much he'd always liked that. "There is a guy."

"Isn't there always?"

"I suppose so. Though, he's not like the others."

"Tell me about him."

A small laugh escaped me over our silliness. "He's a real hot piece of ass."

Edward snorted and rolled his eyes at me. "Nice, Bella."

"In addition," I continued, acting as if I hadn't heard him. "He's got this really great way of making you feel like you have his full attention. He tries hard to understand without judging. He's even willing to get up at one in the morning to walk around in the dark with me." I stopped walking and turned to face Edward, looking right into his green eyes. "And when I'm with him, there's this feeling of right that I can't explain no matter how hard I try. It's so crazy because even during the times when we're struggling and not exactly happy with each other, that feeling lingers."

His hand settled against my cheek and he lowered his head until our lips were almost touching. "For me too."

He let go of my cheek and brought his hand down to join the other on my lower back. He pulled me forward and into a kiss that was slow and soft.

It didn't stay that way for long, though. The second my hands found their way into his hair and pressed our lips tighter together, our kiss took on a new life of heat and hurry. I could feel my lips getting numb and swollen from the intensity but I didn't want to stop; I didn't want to break our connection.

But my lungs forced me to do it. I pulled Edward's hand up and held it against my chest. "Feel that?"

He nodded his head, never taking his eyes from mine.

"When you were walking away, it didn't feel like it was working at all. It felt like it had stopped and would never beat again. And now it's racing. I still don't understand how anyone can feel both extremes without going completely friggen insane. I just know that for you, for what we have when we're together, I'll learn how to deal with it. And also, I don't think I could accept not dealing with it. If that makes any sense to you at all."

"I couldn't do without either, Bella. We may not always make sense together, but I'd rather hurt with you than feel nothing at all without you."

I was positive my shiver was from his words, but Edward was certain it was from the late hour and the chill in the air. He took his jacket off and put it on me despite my protesting and then we hurried back to the Volvo.

The ride to the apartment was silent like most of our walk had been and for the first time since that awful day, there wasn't any trace of awkwardness between us. We pulled into the parking lot at the same time Alice and Rose did, and the four of us made our way up the stairs together. The girls were trying to wheedle information out of Edward about where we'd been and what we'd been doing; I stayed silent and just enjoyed the show.

You'd think three sets of heels on the stairs mixed with the laughter pouring out of all four of us would have been an early warning system—apparently not if you were one Emmett Cullen.

"Is he?" Alice whispered, fitting herself between Edward and me.

"He sure the fuck is," Rose answered. She had this gleam in her blue eyes that spelled big trouble for our tall friend with the seemingly small brain.

We probably would have gone on watching him for a while longer if Rose hadn't made our presence known. "You need to throw your hips into it a little more, Baby."

I fucking kid you not! The big man gave a squeak that was the spitting fucking image of the way Alice had sounded that time we'd found a mouse in the place right after moving in. He also jumped about a foot in the air and fell on his ass when he landed.

"What are you watching, Em?" Rose asked, sauntering further into the room and standing over him.

"Nothing." His eyes were wide and his cheeks were red. It was one of the truly rare times in my life when I was seeing an embarrassed Emmett.

Rose clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she put the toe of her shoe against his chest. "Learning the hula dance from Lilo and Stitch. I'm not sure which makes you more childish, the dance or the cartoon you're learning it from."

"I was doing research," Emmett defended. He was still in his spot on the floor and looking up at her, but now he seemed defiant instead of embarrassed.

"Research? What the fuck is next, Em? You planning to read the Sunday funnies and pick where you should intern by reading Fox Trot or Dagwood?"

"I hear Family Circus has good pointers," Edward piped up. I quickly elbowed him in the side and gave him a warning glare. We had a good show going and didn't need it turned into a full-fledged fight.

Luckily, Emmett either hadn't heard or had chosen to ignore his twin. "Make fun of me all you want, Baby," Em said as he got to his feet. "But you'll be thanking my ass in two weeks."

"Yeah? Why's that? You planning to show up in a grass skirt and give me a visual to laugh at for the rest of my life?" Rose asked.

"No, smart ass. I'm taking you to Hawaii."

Rose said nothing, Alice gasped, Edward blew out a breath, and I just kind of went with Rose and did nothing. It wasn't like Emmett to make something up like that, but then again, it wasn't like him to plan shit either.

"In fact," Emmett continued, raising his voice while he was it. "I'm taking all of you to Hawaii for Spring Break."

Alice just about popped my fucking ear drum with the scream she let out. It was so damn bad, Jasper came running out of her room with his fists at the ready. Poor guy had probably thought someone was murdering his fiancée.

Rose was busy kissing every inch of Emmett's face she could reach—and with the way she had her body wrapped around his, she could reach a lot. Emmett was laughing and had his arms under her ass to keep her from falling.

Edward and I were just kind of standing back and watching the show.

After everyone had calmed down and Alice had apologized for waking Jasper from a dead sleep with thoughts of her being murdered, Emmett told us all about the plans he'd made and the resort house he'd rented for us to stay in on the island of Oahu. We were even flying there and back first friggen class! How fucking cool!

"So that's it," Emmett said proudly. He looked like Charlie had when I'd handed my dad my high school diploma. His chest was puffed out and his smile was what people called "ear-to-ear".

"We have to start planning to pack," Alice announced.

I rolled my eyes at her silliness but Rosalie vocally agreed with her and within seconds the two of them were racing toward Rose's room and the closet within. Jasper gave a wave while yawning and disappeared down the hall. I hoped to hell the man had himself some earplugs because otherwise he probably wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon. After those two were done with Rose's closet, they would be heading for Alice's. The late hour and the fact that we all had classes tomorrow would not register in their vacation-focused minds.

"I'd call this night a success," Emmett said, putting his arms behind his head and smiling smugly.

"You look pretty proud of yourself there, Pooh Bear," I teased, giving him a wink.

He pulled a hand out from behind his head and huffed on his fingernails. "I'm providing us all with a Spring Break to remember forever. I think that's pride worthy."

"Although," I said, drawing the word out. "It does make me wonder how you could give Edward shit for getting his picnic idea from a Disney flick when you've been busy studying up on a real island via cartoon. At least Edward's movie was a live-action flick."

"You're just pissy because you didn't think of it yourself," he replied, looking like he really believed that.

"It's really nice of you, Emmett," Edward said.

"I'd do anything for my friends," Emmett replied. "We'll be sure to tell you all about the trip when we get back."

"Emmett—"

"I've got it, Bella," Edward interrupted. "Emmett, if you—"

It was Emmett's turn to interrupt. "Oh, fucking spare my ass. I was only joking. I know Bells wouldn't come if your ass wasn't allowed. But I did think about making you take a separate flight."

"What exactly is your problem with me now?" Edward asked. "It's obviously not the movies I watch."

Emmett's face turned red and his mouth twitched a couple of times before he said anything. "You really have to fucking ask?"

"Look, I get that you're friends with Bella and that you care about her. Hell, I'm glad she's got you in her corner. But when something goes wrong between us, it's between us, not us and you."

Emmett leaned forward and pretty much snarled at Edward. "You fuck with her, you fuck with me."

I almost said something, but didn't. It was past time for the two of them to work this shit out between themselves once and for all. And also, I was pretty sure anything I said would just add fuel to the fire burning between them.

Edward leaned toward his brother, not looking the least bit intimidated. "Back off, Em."

"Don't fucking order me around, you little piss-ant. I'll take up for anyone I damn well please."

Edward let out a growl and ran his hand through his hair twice before looking up at his brother again. "Emmett, just try and listen to what I'm saying. Think about all the times you've screwed up with Rosalie just since this year started. Not once have the girls hounded you, giving you constant shit for it. They leave you alone to make up to Rose however she wants and then they playfully tease you for being a knucklehead. And I don't see Jasper going after you either, so don't say it's a guy thing. Just stop riding my damn ass. That's all I'm asking."

"Maybe if I trusted you—"

"Trusted!" Edward cried. "Who the hell do you think you are? It's not any of your damn business to trust me. That's for Bella to do."

"She did that and you fucking broke her heart," Emmett accused.

"Hey, wait a minute," I called out. No way in hell was I going to stay quiet for this shit. "Em, I've told you at least a dozen times that I had a hand in what went down last month. Yeah, most of my mistakes were novice ones from not knowing any better, but that doesn't make them okay. Especially not when I could have and should have asked my family for guidance."

"Maybe so. But his ass knew you didn't know any better."

"How Em? How did he know? Did you tell him? Did you sit your brother down and explain my dating history to him? Because I didn't. I just said it sucked and was full of brief encounters."

"That should have been enough."

I smiled at him, knowing he was going to try to lie just like I knew what the real answer was. "Would that have been enough for you with Rosalie?"

He grunted and mumbled under his breath but didn't really respond.

"Look, I know you're trying to watch out for me and I love you so much for it, but look out for your brother too. Understand that neither of us is perfect and we're going to screw things up from time to time, the same way you do with Rose. And then remember that no matter how mad you've been with him, you've never once said I shouldn't be with him."

Emmett's brown eyes flickered from me to Edward and back again. "That's because when he pulls his head out of his ass, he makes you really happy."

"So maybe you can back off and give him room to pull said head out of said ass?" I asked.

Emmett snorted and then grinned in that big goofy way of his, getting up onto his feet. "Just be sure to stand back, Bells. He needs lots of fucking room for that shit." He reached out to ruffle my hair and then he was heading toward the hallway.

Edward looked at me and we both laughed quietly as we leaned into each other, letting our foreheads touch. "My brother is insane."

"Just like all the rest of us," I replied.

"I love you. And I love what you said to him."

"I liked what you said too. I'm glad you're standing up to him and not just letting him get away with stuff."

"I admit I was a little surprised you told him anything since you've been staying out of our arguments. Not that that's a bad thing, because it's not. I should be standing up to him on my own."

"Yes, you should. And I meant what I said. We both made mistakes and I want us both to fix them. And I know we're getting there because … because I can say this and not feel stupid for it. Edward, I need you."

He smiled and tilted his head so that our lips touched. And then he was leaning his body forward while mine was heading backward. It was probably the most uncomfortable way to lie on the sofa, but I didn't give a damn. I only cared about the kiss we were sharing and making sure it didn't end anytime soon.

Apparently, Edward had no such goal. He not only broke our kiss, he also moved away and sat up. I tried really hard to remember what the reason was for his stopping us being a good thing, but I was failing miserably.

"Please don't look rejected, Angel," he said, running his hand over my arm. "It's because I want you so badly that I pulled away from you."

"What if I said I didn't want to wait anymore? Would you still want to wait?"

"I would ask you to make sure you truly felt ready for that kind of intimacy and weren't just worrying about the summer."

"I'm only thinking about you. I want to feel you. I want to feel that mix of desired and revered that only you give to me. And I want to give those same feelings back to you."

He leaned forward and his lips caressed my neck so softly I wasn't sure I'd really felt it. "I want you just as much, but I won't risk hurting you."

"You won't. Please, Edward. I need you."

"Bella—"

I quickly cut him off by uttering another "please", this time dropping my voice to that timber I knew he liked.

He groaned so deeply it sent a vibration through me. "Do you have any idea how painful it is, trying to refuse you when you plead with me this way?"

I licked my lips and said the words, praying like hell I wasn't making a mistake. "Then don't refuse." It certainly didn't feel like a mistake to say those words to him. And the way he now had his arms wrapped around me damn sure didn't feel wrong.

I curled my fingers into his hair and slowly drew his lips toward mine, never taking my eyes from his. "I'm sure about this, E. I want you. I need you."

I gave him the kind of kiss he often gave me, a questioning one that gave him the choice to continue or to pull away.

He did pull away, but it was only to tell me he needed me too, and to pull me up from the sofa. We made sure the front door was locked and turned off all the lights before heading down the hall and into my room.

For the first time since the first time, I felt unsure around him and I found myself biting at my lip and trying not to blush.

"It's okay if you've changed your mind," Edward whispered into my ear while rubbing his hands along my back. "I won't be upset or think any less of you."

"I haven't changed my mind. I just … Why does it feel like a big thing suddenly?"

"Because it is. It's a big step to trust each other and ourselves in this way. We're opening up to each other and to hurt in a bigger way."

"We promised not to hurt each other like that again. Does that mean we don't really believe that?"

"Not at all, Angel," he said, smiling at me as he brushed my hair behind my ears. "It just means we're still working to rebuild the trust in each other and within ourselves."

My fingers nervously clenched his shirt collar. "It's so weird to always be feeling two things at once. To be positive and unsure at the same time like this. Do you … What I mean is … I just—"

Edward's thumb pressed against my lips, ending my useless attempt at talking. "I need you too, Bella. More than I could ever say with words. So if you truly believe you can trust me with it, let me show you."

I gave him my answer by pulling his thumb away and lifting up to kiss him.

SECTION REMOVED - FULL CHAPTER AT THE WRITER'S COFFEE SHOP LIBRARY

We eventually shifted into more comfortable positions and for so long, I lay there in the dark fully awake and holding tightly to his arm while Edward slept peacefully pressed against my back with his other arm curled around my waist. At first, I was afraid to close my eyes. I was worried I would wake up in the morning and find out that I'd dreamt it all. That we were still in that first week after the fight when even holding hands seemed like a big scary deal.

But I got over that irrational fear—mostly by pinching the shit out of my thigh. I was sure there was going to be one hell of a bruise there in the morning but it was worth it to be certain. Without the fear, there was only silence. A peaceful, tranquil quiet with no tension, no expectation, and no drama. So then it became that I didn't want that feeling to go away and I stayed awake to prolong it.

It wasn't until Edward shifted around and I felt his lips at the nape of my neck, brushing against my wings that I felt ready to sleep. Yes, closing my eyes might very well end this and I might wake up in a few hours to go to class without that tranquility wrapped around me. But that was alright if it did happen because I knew when I came home tomorrow after class and work and whatever else my day had in store for me, Edward would be here. He wasn't going anywhere. And neither was I.

Well, except Hawaii, of course.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: Accolades to Hellopants for the hummingbird analogy Bree uses at the start of the chapter. We were discussing a very fine fictional man in a kilt and what she would enjoy doing if said man was within arms reach. LOL

Kudos to Eternally Addicted for a damn fine song choice. It really helped to shape out the chapter and get these two back on track the way they need to be.

So buckle up, faithful readers! We're going to Hawaii! And with Emmett's extensive, cartoon-based knowledge of the island, we are sure to have one heck of an adventure!

And also, sorry for the late posting but Writer's Coffee Shop was down and I wanted to make sure I could post the full chapter over there before posting here.