Hello :) It's good to be back! I've been so busy and unwell lately that I've struggled to find time and motivation to write. By now, I'm sure you all know I'm a total slacker, despite my attempts at appearing productive.

A huge sorry to Gabby (BeautifullEyess) because I told her this chapter would be up over two weeks ago! Also, thank you to her for giving me a kick up the ass and reminding me I needed to keep writing! If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't be reading this right now... in fact, it's still a miracle that you are!

Hugs and love to Nicci for keeping me amused and writing with me. I absolutely adore her.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight saga but I'm borrowing SM's characters anyway.


Last Chapter...

"He makes me happy too." I murmured, just loud enough for her to hear. Edward and Carlisle had immersed themselves in their own conversation and therefore they were unlikely to be listening to ours, or noticing the serious tone it had taken.

"Thank you so much, Bella, for taking care of him." Her eyes told me she meant more than just the past few days since he had been released, and I broke her gaze, directing it at the twisting hands in my lap. I hadn't taken care of him, not really. He was the one taking care of me, more than he should have had to, and I would always feel guilty for that.

"Thank you for letting me. I appreciate the chance you have given us and I don't want to let you down again. Things haven't worked out for us the way I had hoped they would in the past, but I'm determined to change that. I want to show him the love he's shown me. He's a wonderful man, Esme." It felt strange to be having a heart to heart with my boyfriend's mother, especially considering I had never had one with my own mother, yet it somehow felt right.

Maybe I could be part of this family after all.


Charlie had returned home from Seattle on Monday afternoon and, despite my displeasure, Bella had returned to her abandoned home that morning before school. I'd grown used to having her around, forgetting that my apartment wasn't her permanent home. She had rolled her eyes when I gave her a final, reluctant kiss goodbye as she left with a groggy smile on her face.

Sunday night, she had promised to come round as soon as she could, but we both knew that with Charlie around it wouldn't be as easy as it had been. The moment she walked out my front door, I was at a loss for what to do. Bella had been keeping me company and stopping me from going insane in my confined apartment.

I had tucked myself back into bed, wrapping the covers around me like a cocoon in the hope that I wouldn't miss her warmth and soft flesh. I was to worn out it sort of worked.

A week later and I am stringing a tie around my neck after lifting the collar of my shirt. My hands moved deftly, tying the knot and straightening it out before smoothing down the collar. The formal attire was my feeble attempt at distracting people from the reason for my absence as of late. I despised the questions that hadn't even been asked yet. Trying to find a sense of normality from the abnormal wouldn't seem logical, but it did to me.

For the time being, I will only be working part time, teaching certain lessons. While it had only been a week and a half since the incident, it seemed I had been away so much longer. My weekend with Bella had passed in minutes but the rest of the week had trudged on, taking its sweet time. I craved a distraction from my boredom, one distraction in particular, but she never made it back to my apartment. We texted back and forth and sometimes, if there was nobody around, she would call. I took every opportunity to learn more about her and her past, but we dodged the subject of her future once more.

Eventually, I had emerged from my place, making a trip to the store for supplies. After the initial taste of freedom I couldn't get enough. I started to take regular walks through Forks, enjoying the quiet streets while everyone was either at work or school. Carlisle had told me that the exercise would do me good as long as I didn't try to work too hard. "Don't run before you can walk." He told me. He hadn't meant it in the literal sense, but that worked too.

Esme demanded I went round for dinner a few times last week, telling me that I needed a proper meal to keep up my strength. Although there was no room to decline, I welcomed the chance to be in others' company, having become a recluse of sorts, hidden away in my room. I worried that I would soon start talking to myself and after that it would be hard to claim I had all my marbles.

Glancing at my watch, I realised I needed to make a move if I was going to arrive on time.

My first stop, once I had pulled up in the school lot, was the teacher's lounge. I was in desperate need of a coffee before I faced the day ahead. I had no doubt I would be the focus of many whispers today. That's the way high school works. Apparently, the students were not informed of the specifics of what had happened in their school that afternoon; they had only been told that there were no fatalities but there had been an arrest and all was now safe.

Naturally, students had their theories and speculations. It had been assumed Bella was involved due to her brief absence and, of course, my own absence linked me to the event.

I was greeted with smiles and nods, colleagues welcoming me back and inquiring about my health. I felt like an animal being scrutinised in the zoo, all eyes on me. I knew I was exaggerating and the concern was touching but would soon become suffocating. I knew that I was fine but apparently everybody else wanted to hear those words from my lips. Hopefully the interest would be soon lost and people would forget.

My mug of coffee was wrapped in my hands as I absorbed the warmth, feeling a light burn in my fingertips. I blew on the liquid, trying to cool it to a temperature I could drink, but the process was slow. I leant against the wall by the window, my eyes roaming over the concrete expanse outside and the trees beyond. Leaves whipped around in the breeze, the overcast sky creating an ominous scene outside. The rain was coming, that much was clear. Nobody would be surprised by this, of course. In Forks it always rains.

I sipped carefully at my coffee, my tired eyes drooping as my mind wandered.

Carlisle warned me that it would be a matter of months, not weeks, until I was back to full health and the idea was frustrating. I was used to living a relatively active lifestyle and I would have to get used to doing less now that I was out and about again. I was told that I can start off slowly, do a bit at a time and build up my strength. If I push myself too hard, too soon, then I could be back to step one. To save Bella, I would to it all again.

My morning lessons passed quickly, yet I wasn't in school for the afternoon. I had taken on a more serious attitude to stop the students from distracting themselves with questions and mutterings about what had happened. I kept them on track for the lesson, dismissing their prying and keeping my mind on track.

The rain was pattering against the windows of the school and as I emerged from the building, I ran to my car with my head bowed against the weather. I drove the short distance home and after some lunch I pulled on a pair of jeans, a tee, a hoody and a rain coat. I had decided to take a walk while I had the afternoon off, despite the terrible weather.

I wound my way through the side streets of Forks, which bore great resemblance to the main streets, and pulled up on a dirt track by the trees. I knew this area well and I knew there was a path through the forest which would lead me safely in the gloomy light. Breathing in the damp, earthy smell, I slammed and locked the car door, dropping the keys into my pocket.

With me, I had a rucksack filled with a bottle of water and some high energy bars, as well as my pain medication- just in case. It was better to be prepared. I didn't intend to be out for long but I wanted to get some fresh air and stretch my legs and I always loved weaving my way through the trees, knowing I was most likely the only person for miles.

Under the cover of the trees, the rain did not seem as bad. It trickled through the leaves and dripped sporadically onto me. My boots squelched in the mud with every step I took but I plugged in my headphones and tuned out the dripping of the rain and the other sounds around me.

The rain was picking up, I knew that much. I could imagine the sheets of water slicing at the open ground or battering the tree tops. The thought put me off returning from the forest, the bad weather seemed further away in here.

My thoughts weren't of anything in particular as I walked, I let them drift as my mind switched off. The path was familiar and I didn't need to look to know exactly where I was going.

I was growing tired and checked my watch, discovering that I had been walking for over an hour. I settled on a nearby fallen tree trunk, pulling a bottle of water from my bag and gulping the contents. I swallowed my medication and ate an energy bar, welcoming the chance to rest.

Within ten minutes I was up again, setting a steady pace along the path had only just trodden. There was a smile on my face as I realised I would be seeing Bella tomorrow, albeit in class. I had missed her recently, her absence feeling strange. Soon I would need to inform the high school that I was leaving, even if I have no idea where it is I will be going. Bella seemed to doubt my promise to follow her wherever she went to college and I needed her to understand that I meant every word. It would be nice to move away from Forks and I think it would be the best for both of us now. Soon I would have to press her for information, pry details from her on where she wanted to go to college.

I was hoping that, in her own time, Bella would let me know her decision. I didn't want to pressure her. She may not even be certain of her choice yet. It was driving me insane, not knowing. I had waited months to find out and I had spent several nights worrying that she would not want me to taint her college experience. If she told me that she did not want me there, then I would not go. She had to mean it though, of course. I know that she would mostly likely tell me to stay here and keep my job because she is considerate and unselfish, wanting the best for everyone else. At the risk of sounding like a big girl's blouse- she is the best for me. My family can see that and so can I, it seems Bella is the only one that can't. I can completely understand the reasoning behind her thoughts because if I was in her shoes, I would be feeling the same way. This doesn't mean I accept her thoughts. Not at all.

My limbs, in particular my legs, were becoming heavy, feeling as though they were weighing me down. It took more and more effort to move them and I tried to concentrate on something else entirely to distract myself from the struggle as I continued to trudge stubbornly back to my car. Maybe I had tried to do too much in one day, although I hadn't realised how far I had gone, I had merely been distracted. The distance I had covered was definitely not intentional and I regretted it now as I felt as though for every step I took, something was pushing me back again.

I sighed and tried to shake the feeling from my aching muscles, limb by limb. I leaned into a tree and massaged my legs before gulping at my water and demolishing another energy bar, even though I doubted it would work. I knew I didn't have to far to go but exhaustion was sweeping quickly through me. I didn't know whether to rest or keep going. Usually resting makes it harder to start up again, but I didn't know if I was physically able to continue.

I growled, pummelling my fist against the tree trunk, the bark grating the skin on my knuckles as my frustration burst forth. It felt as though everything had hit me hard today, taunting my new found weakness and reminding me of the circumstances that had caused this. If it wasn't for James, I wouldn't be here right now, I wouldn't be reminding my body how to function properly as it thwarted my attempts of normalcy once more.

I took a deep, calming breath and pressed my forehead into the damp, mossy tree. My eyes were scrunched shut and my teeth were gritted. Slowly, I uncurled my fingers, holding them flat against the wood before pushing myself away, swaying ever so slightly.

I trudged forward, swiping away sweat as it rolled down my forehead. Or maybe it was rain. My thoughts were concentrated on where I was going, trying to stop myself from tripping or walking into something. My efforts were successful and I sighed with relief when my car came into the view; I didn't even care that rain was pelting it from all angles since I had left it out in the open.

Unlocking the door, I swung it open and fell into the front seat. After a few seconds, I reached out for the handle and tugged the door shut with a bang that was barely audible amongst the thunder that rumbled angrily around me. I shrugged out of my coat and leant into the back of the car to retrieve a warm, dry fleece.

With the radio playing, I shut my eyes and finally allowed my body to relax, feeling it fall into the comfort of sleep before my mind zoned out from reality.

...

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The sound was relentless and disrupted my rest. My bleary and sleep fogged mind struggled to accept the noisy return to reality. It was several seconds before I prised my eyes open and squinted through the darkness, trying to work out where exactly I was.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

I was in a car. My car. I peered out of the window but my view was blocked by a body. Tilting my head up, I found the figure's face and my lips lifted into a smile when I saw Bella's familiar chocolate eyes. My joy quickly fell to concern when I noticed the anxiety in her expression. I pushed the door open, the door unlocking as I pressed the handle.

Bella moved into the gap which exposed me to the torrential rain; She crouched at my side, a soft, cold hand reaching out to cup my cheek.

"Thank God, Edward. Are you alright?" I placed my hand over hers, offering my warmth.

"I'm fine. Why?" I stretched out a hand to pull her up, trying to get her into the car. She took a strong stance, resisting my efforts to get her out of the bad weather.

"I'll get you all wet." She protested, but with a sharp tug she tumbled onto my lap with a surprised squeak. The door was shut once more and I held her close to me, curled up. Bella wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face into my neck.

"I thought... I thought you were..." A sob escaped her and I felt the warm tears against my exposed skin.

"Shh I'm fine, I'm fine." I soothed, kissing her temple.

"You scared me." She whispered, clinging to me.

"I just got a little tired, nothing to fret about B." I assured her, trying to peel off her wet coat with her arms still locked around me. "Lets get this off." She reluctantly released me to slide her arms out and I tossed the coat into the back.

"Please be careful, Edward. You have to take things easy. You know this. Recovery takes time, you have to listen to Doctor Cullen. I can't lose you, I don't know what I'd do." She sounded so sad and it tore at my heart. I felt guilty for doing this to her. I never intended for her to see me like this, so exhausted and weak. I had to be strong for her.

"You shouldn't have been driving in the storm." I told her and I'm pretty sure she growled.

"I was on my way back from school. A tree had come down on one of the other roads so I took a detour. I saw your car parked up when I drove passed the end there. I thought the worst. I can't believe your okay. When I saw you lying here... so still. It wasn't pleasant." She explained quietly, lifting her head to look at me. "You're so pale."

Bella's fingers lightly dusted over my skin, tracing what I assumed would be dark circles under my eyes. She brushed my hair away from my face with the back of her hand, testing my temperature against her skin.

"You're running a little warm, I should get you home."

"It's nothing, just too many layers."

"As much as I'd like to believe you, I think it best we get you some rest." She began getting out of the car and my fingers jumped to her wrist, holding her in place.

"Where are you going?" I demanded, a frown forming on my face.

"We're going to my truck." She jerked a thumb to the left and I saw her red Chevy parked a few metres behind me. I opened my mouth to protest but she covered it with her hand. "You're in no state to drive, Edward." I let out a gust of air, surrendering in a lost battle.

I clambered out of the car behind her, stretching my aching muscles, hearing my joints pop. There was a river of rain water running by the side of the road, evidence of the storm.

"I'll grab your coat." I leant over the back seats to snatch up her damp coat. When I straightened up she was staring at me.

"Well, that was a fine sight."

"What was?" I asked, puzzled by her teasing tone.

"You have a very nice ass." She grinned, winking and turning to walk to her truck, leaving me speechless at the side of the road, gawking after her swaying hips.

When I came back to my senses, I stalked after her, gripping her hip with a hand once I caught up.

"Were you checking me out, Miss Swan?" I questioned, Bella's back to me. I took a step closer to her, my chest flush with her back. I dipped my head, my mouth next to her ear.

"It would have been rude not to." She answered, her voice low.

"And you liked what you saw?" I prompted, my hips pressed into her curved ass. I splayed my fingers across her stomach, holding her body to mine. My teeth nipped gently at her ear as I awaited her answer.

"Yes." She sighed quietly.

"What was that?"

"Fuck yes, I liked what I saw. I love your ass... your chest... your lips. Oh, that tongue of yours... your long, talented fingers and definitely your..." She slid a hand behind her, confidant fingers palming my erection and eliciting a growl from me. "Cock." She breathed.

I span her body around, pressing her against the door of her truck. Our faces were millimetres apart, our eyes locked as need swamped us both.

"Not here." Bella's soft voice whispered, her breath fanning across my face. I pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, unable to resist, wanting more.

"Not here." I agreed, reluctantly stepping away. Bella dipped under my arms and walked around to the other side of the vehicle, climbing in carefully. A few seconds later and I was beside her, staring into the dreary scene before us and tensing my fists, holding in the animal that was threatening to expose itself. My need for Bella was maddening and uncontrollable. I don't think I would ever get used to it or her enticing ways.

"Edward?" I felt a hand on my thigh as I heard the voice. I blinked repeatedly before my eyes found hers. "You fell asleep again." There was a sadness in her smile that I didn't like. It wasn't pity, and I appreciated that. "I worry about you." She admitted, averting her gaze and inching further from me, as though afraid of my reaction or scared to be so open with her feelings. I clasped her hand in mine, running my thumb across the smooth skin.

"I'm sorry. Please don't worry about me, Bella. It's nothing serious." I wanted to see her carefree smile, not the worry lines which were far more common these days.

"I hope not. Although I don't mind looking after you." She teased and I knew our thoughts were in the same place, picturing the nurses uniform.

"I very much enjoy being entirely under your care Miss Swan. It was quite... beneficial."

"I saw results almost immediately." She agreed, licking her lips. In the momentary silence that followed, a small sigh left her lips. "I'm sorry. I want you. Fuck, I want you so damn bad right now. It's just..."

"You think too much." I smiled gently at her.

"You've had enough exercise for one day." She frowned.

"Well, if I'd known that your kind of exercise was an option, I would never have gone for my hike in the woods." I joked with a wink, eliciting the desired smile from her.

"I'll make sure to let you know in advance next time."

"Will there be a next time?" I inquired hopefully and I received an eye roll.

"There's always a next time. I wouldn't be passing up the opportunity to increase my fitness with you."

"I'm very glad to hear it. I will have to get you on a strict exercise regime as soon as possible." I answered seriously. This was no joke.

"What if I can't stick to it?"

"Then you will be punished appropriately, of course." I told her with a smirk, enjoying the way she bit her lip.

"I look forward to it." She replied, hopping out of the truck and walking to my door. My exit was slower as I landed on unsteady legs. Bella was unwilling to leave my side and I knew she was afraid I would collapse. I wasn't sure that I wouldn't. I groaned when I thought of the flights of stairs I was about to encounter. If only my flat had been on the ground floor.

"Are you okay?" Bella demanded, her concern clear in those brown eyes of hers.

"I fucking hate stairs." I grumbled, pouting. She giggled at my complaint, or perhaps at my expression; I didn't know.

"You're as bad as an old lady." She informed me and I huffed, feigning offence.

"That's cruel." Bella hummed in response.

"Maybe you'll have to punish me for that." She teased, grinning.

"Don't tempt me, Swan. I don't have the will power, or desire, to resist."

We climbed the stairs one at a time, taking a ridiculously long amount of time. Bella talked to me the entire time, distracting me from the struggle. I knew I would have been able to sprint up them if the prize had been a naked Bella sprawled across my bed. Or even my sofa. I'm not that fussy.

Bella offered to push me up the stairs but I think she secretly just wanted another look at my ass. I was onto her now. Instead, I told her to lead the way. It wasn't my fault her ass was at eye level. Really, there was no way for me to avoid admiring it. I tried... okay, so I didn't try. It was mesmerising to watch and my dick thought so too. It was straining to get closer and it was uncomfortable. Bella had no idea what she was doing to me, surprisingly enough.

We were finally outside my door and it had taken at least double the time it usually did to get there. I was out of breath and leaning against the wall as Bella fumbled with the key, her tongue poked out in concentration as she tried to fit the key into the lock. Apparently it was harder than it looked. When she finally succeeded, she swung the door open and held it wide for me to pass.

Once we were in the privacy of my apartment, she shrugged off her coat, hanging it over the back of a chair. She took my hand and led me to the bedroom, her fingers holding tightly onto mine. She pushed me down to sit on the bed and tugged off my fleece. Slowly my layers were removed and she got to my jeans, unbuckling the belt and pulling the denim over my hips and down my legs. She stopped when I was left only in my boxer shorts and she indicated for me to stand up. When I did, she pulled back the duvet and nodded her head silently back towards the bed. I climbed in, wrapping the covers around myself as I looked up at her.

She struggled to remove her damp clothing, kicking at her jeans as the denim clung stubbornly to her skin. When she was down to her underwear, I wriggled backwards to make room for her before holding up the duvet and allowing her to slide into bed. I pulled her back to me, my arms wrapped around her.

We stayed there, in our warm bubble, and I drifted off to sleep in a matter of minutes, revelling in the feel of her soft body curled against mine. I had missed this.


Author's Note:

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed that chapter.

If you are looking for something to read:

Best Night of my Life by Jordan929 – This was the winner of the Edward Gets Ficd contest and you definitely have to read this! It's amazing. We popped his smut cherry :') Don't forget to drop him a review and love!

Forever, Edward by EdwardsLove82 – Hot smut and romance in Edward's point of view. This story was an excellent idea, written in an original way. Leave a review for her!

Myself and EdwardsLove82 have written a submission for the Awkward Turtle Contest together and I will post a link on my profile if you want to check it out.

Also, there's still time to write a contribution for Fandoms Fight the Tsunami or you can make a donation to receive the finished compilation next month! There are many excellent authors writing for this cause and there's me, too :)

Thank you to everyone who has been leaving me lovely and encouraging reviews, I read every one of them! In relation to this... I tried to send a message to a certain somebody who left a review (and has a lot of amusing chat up lines on their profile) but your PMs are disabled... bummer!

Hopefully I will be getting the next update posted soon. As in... less than a month! I will do my very best but don't hate me if I don't, I try my best!

Callie x