I don't own these characters. They are the sole property of Stephenie Meyer. I only borrow them. No humans are permanently harmed through my actions, though I do confess to harassing, annoying, torturing, and exasperating them – just because it's fun. I make no money from my little stories, sad day. I only play in the sandbox, I didn't build it.

Author's Note: While I have chapters written two years into the future, I want to reassure everyone that it isn't going to take nearly that long to resolve anything. These are two mature people who know want they want and who know how to communicate. I don't have any huge, dramatic turns planned. I love well written angst, but this just isn't that kind of story. This is a simple love story between two people who never really thought they'd find love at this point in their lives. It's the story of a family and how they find a way to go on after losing someone they loved. Really, it all comes down to love – finding it, dealing with losing it, and finding it again, against all odd and expectations..

Chapter 36: Always

"Hello dear," Mom said. "It's so nice to see you too."

"You just surprised me, that's all," I muttered as I opened the door wide. Alex and Kyle must have heard the trumpets heralding their grandparents' arrival because they came racing to the door and threw their arms around my parents' knees, each boy taking one of them. In fact, Kyle almost took down my mom. He was a little exuberant and my mom was kind of small.

"Easy there," I admonished and he shot Mom a sheepish look.

"Grandma!" Kyle said. "What did you bring me?"

I laughed and my mom did too. Alyssa walked up at that moment and hung her head. "I'm so sorry, but I really have to blame your son," Lys said as she embraced my mother.

"Oh darling, I know it's all his fault," Mom commiserated. "Believe me, I'm just grateful that my grandsons don't throw excrement like little monkeys. And I know I have you to thank for that."

Alyssa snorted. "You've been watching the Discovery Channel again, haven't you, Es?"

Mom shrugged. "I can neither confirm nor deny," she said breezily. "And where is that miscreant son of mine?" she asked, looking around Alyssa.

"He's right there," Masen called out, pointing at me. "He answered the door. Remember?" He kissed Mom's cheek, and hugged her, and then turned to Dad. "How long has she been senile?" he asked.

"Since the day you were born," Dad shot back.

"Uh oh, Dad's got game today," I teased Masen.

"Shut it," Mase growled.

"Now Masen, you know you are glad Mom and Dad are here," I said. "You always get so…talkative when they're here." I said pointedly and nd I gave him a wicked smile. That's right, Masen, I still have the upper hand. He swallowed hard and then distracted my parents by asking Alex and Kyle to fill them in on what they'd been doing. Kids were great at redirection.

Of course, Kyle did nothing but talk about Jake. Jake said this, Jake did that. Jake, Jake, Jake. Mom winked at me when Kyle launched into a story of the fun they had had while Bella and I had been on our date.

"A date, huh?" Mom asked.

Kyle nodded. "And I told Uncle Edward he should marry Bella because she's really pretty and nice and then Jake could be my cousin. Forever," he added in a solemn voice.

"Is that so?" Mom asked and I knew the interrogation wasn't going to be long in coming. "I think you're right, though, Kyle. It would be just wonderful for you to have Jake as a cousin." She kissed his cheeks. "And just think, you'd have four instant cousins if your uncle would just do what everyone knows he should and marries Bella."

Kyle nodded happily and went running after Alex.

"Mom," I warned. "Seriously, don't encourage him. He's been spouting the "M" word left and right."

"He's a kid," Mom tried to soothe me. "That's what kids do. They take things at face value and speak their minds."

"Mom, really? Bella and I just said 'I love you' and everyone's got us walking down the aisle already," I muttered. "We aren't there yet. We aren't close to there yet. Everyone needs to chill."

"You've said 'I love you' to her?" Mom asked, her nostrils practically flaring like a dog hot on a scent trail. Fuck me, of course she would be all over that little slip of the tongue like Jake on a Butterfinger.

"Yes, but Mom…" I almost growled in frustration. I had to make her see reason. I leaned in close and whispered. "And if all this talk about marriage gets thrown right and left with Bella's boys around…" I let my voice trail off but Mom got the picture.

"Sorry," she said with a grimace. "Oh, you're right, Edward." Mom sighed. "I just got excited. She's just so perfect for you. And I want to see you happy, son. That's all."

I hugged her close. "You'll see me happy, in fact you'll see me freaking delirious, but you've gotta have patience and I don't want to scare her off by making her boys upset. So…" I settled a stern look on my mother. I had learned from the best. Her. "Keep the "M" word talk down. Deal?"

"Deal," Mom agreed. Then she drew Kyle off and I was sure she'd be talking to him about not talking about the "M" word. Mom was good at that shit, and she'd have Kyle mum about the topic in no time.

I hoped.

I helped my dad unload their bags. My house was starting to strain at the seams and I wondered if I could palm Masen off on Bella…or Jasper. Just Masen. I wanted to keep the boys and Alyssa around. I amused myself by imagining Masen's face if I told him that he had to go to a hotel. We decided that the boys would crash on the couch, my parents would take the good guest room and Masen and Alyssa would be stuck in the room with just a double bed. I snickered at the thought of Masen trying to get comfortable on that thing, though I felt a bit of remorse that Lys would have to suffer with him. Oh well, nothing to be done about it now.

I was shocked by the sound of someone knocking on my door about an hour later and when I opened it to find a grinning Bella I wasn't sure what to think. Then Jake was pushing his way past her and Sam was asking me if my father was here like his mom had said. I could do nothing more than nod and point and Sam was gone.

"Hey, baby" I said, kissing her cheek. Then I frowned at her. "Did you drive here?"

She shook her head. "Nope, we let Jake drive. Figured it would be good practice and hey, the kid's gotta learn sometime." Then Bella rolled her eyes at me. "Of course I drove here, silly." Pointing to her cast, she grinned. "It's a driving-slash-walking cast." Before I could express my concerns to her, Alyssa was there, hugging Bella like they had known each other forever.

"Wow," Lys said. "You made good time." The two women turned to look at me like I was the intruder.

"You called her?" I asked Alyssa.

Lys shrugged. "Why wouldn't I?"

Then they were gone, discussing whatever it was they discussed when there were no men around. I probably didn't want to know. I nodded at Emmett and Seth as they walked in behind their mom. Alex immediately approached Emmett and began talking. As he usually was with the kids, Emmett was polite and kind. For all his bulk, Emmett was just as good with kids as was Rose. It was interesting that the two of them had formed a connection.

Seth saw my guitar standing in a corner and gave me a quick grin. When he did so, I got an idea. If Seth wanted to play the guitar, he needed his own. He'd want to practice and he might feel odd using mine. Besides, I was probably a bit rusty and I would need to practice myself. Yeah, that was probably a good idea.

I wandered into the kitchen and saw Bella chatting away effortlessly with my mother and Alyssa. As I watched the three of them, I was struck by the realization of how easily Bella had fit in with everyone. It was almost as if her place had been there, just waiting for her to claim it. I smiled at the thought. My mom caught my eye and winked almost as if she knew what I was thinking. She probably did; Mom was scary that way.

I went to find Masen and Dad. Masen was playing video games with Emmett and Alex. I nodded to Seth when he made a move for the guitar and he sat down, just sort of playing around with it. I found Sam sitting down with my father, talking about, of all things, pandemics. Most ten year olds wouldn't know the word, much less be able to talk about it, but Sam was holding his own. Apparently, he had seen a documentary on the Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918 and wanted to discuss it with my father. Dad was thrilled of course, as only he could be about discussing a disease. Frankly, I didn't see the allure of the topic so I moved on.

Jake and Kyle were playing with some Star Wars figures that I guessed Jake had had stuck in his pockets. He looked up and gave me a smile. Kyle followed suit. "We're playing Star Wars, Uncle Edward," Kyle explained. "Wanna play?"

And because it had been forever since I sat on a floor and played with action figures, I smiled and nodded. So it was that I was holding a tiny Darth Vader when I looked up to see Bella staring at me, her face alight with something that was a mixture of tenderness and amusement.

"Well, Lord Vader," she said. "I realize that you're busy conquering the galaxy and all that, but your mom wants to know if you want to go out to dinner."

Embarrassed, but not really too much because I had been amusing the kids after all, I stood up, still clutching Darth Vader. It was too late now to pretend she hadn't caught me red-handed. "All of us?' I asked.

Bella nodded. "All of us."

"Yeah, I'm hungry," I said. "How about you boys?"

Like I needed to ask. Jake and Kyle were already jumping to their feet and heading for the door. All they needed to hear was the word 'food' and they were game. I turned to Bella. "I think that's a yes."

"I'm guessing so," she agreed. Then she took my hand and we joined my family. It was the most natural thing in the world to feel her hand in mine. And one of the best.

~TBTA~

I pouted until Bella agreed to let me drive her and the boys. My parents took their car, and Masen and Alyssa took theirs. Kyle and Alex opted to go with my parents. They weren't stupid, grandparents were prime targets for goodies and they knew it. Being alone with them would give them good time to get in their wish lists.

We chose a family place, which was a pretty good thing since we practically invaded. I saw the hostess' eyes get big when we walked in with twelve of us – including six kids. My Dad insisted on paying for all of us; I guess retirement paid better than I expected. I leaned over and told Emmett to order whatever he wanted and he gave me a wicked grin. I had noticed, from taking Bella's boys out over the months that they were careful to never order the most expensive thing on a menu, and they always looked to their mother for approval before ordering. She had raised them to be considerate and thoughtful and I was pretty damned proud of all of them.

Once our orders had been placed, Masen tapped on his glass and all eyes turned to him. "Mom," he said. Then he turned to my father. "Dad…Alyssa and I have some news to share-"

"Are you pregnant?" Mom asked eagerly and Masen rolled his eyes.

"Uh no…" He looked at Alyssa as if it to ask if there was anything he didn't know. She laughed and shook her head. "No, Mom, definitely not pregnant."

I looked at Kyle, hoping he wouldn't say the "M" word. Not here, not with all of Bella's boys looking on. That was a shit storm I did not need. Kyle seemed content to wait for his parents to announce the news he already knew.

"Well, you know how awesome I am at my job." It my turn to roll my eyes. He was going to give the same speech he had given at Jake's party, minus the curse words. "In fact, my boss has given me a promotion."

"That's wonderful, dear," Mom said. "Isn't that wonderful, Carlisle?"

My dad shot me a look that told me he was suspicious of me, but I was trying very hard to maintain an innocent and clueless expression. My father, however, can sniff out a falsehood at twenty paces. "Yes, Esme, I'm very proud of him," Dad said politely.

"And my promotion calls for us to move," Masen continued. He looked at Alyssa once more and she took his hand. "So…" He paused for the dramatic effect, because he was, after all Masen Cullen and drama was his game. "We're moving here to Fayetteville."

Mom started getting teary and Alyssa did too. Bella decided to join in just for shits and giggles so Masen, Dad, and I were all left wondering what the hell to do. Then Dad put his arm around Mom and gave her a kiss, I guess subtly trying to show his sons how to handle the situation. Masen and I followed suit with Lys and Bella, though all six boys made gagging noises or muttered, "Gross."

Mom and Alyssa started chatting away about the move. Bella jumped right in without any hesitation and my brother and father, not to mention the boys, just sort of sat there and watched. There was no getting a word in edgewise, and we were pretty much rendered redundant at that point. When the server brought our food, we all dug in while the ladies continued to mostly talk and sometimes eat.

It was interesting watching the dynamics at the table. I had sort of expected that Bella's boys would segregate themselves when they sat down, but no, they were sort of sandwiched in-between Masen's boys. Emmett sat next to Alex, who sat next to Seth. Then there was Sam and Jake. Jake was sitting by Kyle, of course.

I noticed Kyle and Jake whispering together, glancing at Emmett and Alex. It would be interesting to see what those two got into once Masen and his family moved here. I had a feeling that Jake and Kyle would stay pretty close. I sat back and watched all of them interact, Bella's boys and Masen's, my parents, Alyssa and Bella. An outsider would have never guessed that we hadn't all been a family for years. They never would have known that it had just been a matter of months since I had entered Bella's life, that I hadn't even known her or these boys at the start of the year.

It was a good feeling, just watching them, listening to them, and knowing that this time next year, things would be even better.

~TBTA~

After dinner, we went back to my house and we all just relaxed for a little while. I was tired of trying to find some privacy with Bella and Jake was drooping, so I told her that I'd follow her home. I sort of let her know that I wouldn't mind a little alone time with her. She seemed agreeable and gave me a kiss to seal the deal. Good times.

I made my excuses to my parents and Masen and followed the Vader-Mobile home. As much as I loved my parents, and even Masen, that pain in the ass, I just wanted to be with Bella. It felt like we had come so far in the past few days and I just wanted to savor that feeling, to walk around in this new dimension we had to our relationship. While I knew I had left my "family" at my house, in reality, it felt like my true family was at Bella's house and that's where I wanted to be.

I breathed a sigh of relief when we pulled up into her driveway. It wasn't the house that made this place seem like home, it was the people who lived there. The boys tumbled and ran from her vehicle and in just a few moments there was only the two of us. I held out my hand as she stepped out. She slid against me in the most tantalizing way.

I leaned down and kissed her. "I missed you," I said.

"We haven't been apart for very long," she whispered. Then she smiled. "But I know what you mean."

When we get inside, the boys have scattered and we are still alone. I wondered if the earth has come to a stand still because that shit just doesn't happen for us. I looked around and whispered, "Do you think they're still alive?" I had to ask. It was the responsible thing to do.

Bella giggled. My dick, which had actually been quiet and complacent, was roused from his slumber and was looking around for…well, for Bella obviously. Just wonderful.

"Come here, you," she said as she tugged on my hand. Like the sex kitten she could be, she rubbed up against me.

"You keep doing that then we're going to be making an unscheduled trip to your closet," I warned.

Her mouth was on my nipple. How the fuck had she gotten the buttons undone? I didn't even feel her hands. Maybe because most of my blood supply was in my pants. She pulled away with a sucking sound that was way sexier than it should have been. "You say that like's a bad thing."

Sex kitten, goddess, temptress Bella had come out to play. Good thing I had always played well with others and didn't run with scissors. "Bella…" I felt compelled to warn her one last time

She leaned up and whispered, "I have something I need moved in my closet and it's really too big for me to handle." She moved back and actually batted her fucking lashes at me and ran her hand up my arm. "Do you think you could…give me a hand?"

The innuendos were flying fast and thick and I was struggling to keep up. Did she realize what her words were doing to me? When she laughed softly and pushed her hips toward mine, I knew she had a pretty good idea. I grabbed her hand and was stalking up the stairs, making sure my pace wasn't too fast for her cast. She kept up with no problem. We were both laughing on the way up like naughty kids who were skipping school.

Another miracle happened and we didn't see any of the boys before we slipped into Bella's room and locked the door behind us. Smiling seductively, she took my hand and led me toward the closet.

I had kind of been kidding about the closet thing. Okay, not really. I bit my lip as she opened the door and walked in, flicking on the dim light. Once I was inside, she closed the door behind me and pushed my back against the door. She took a step back and tapped her lips with her index finger.

She looked me up and down. "Well now that I've got you here, whatever will I do with you?" Pursing her lips, Bella continued to study me. "It's a dilemma, for sure."

I swallowed hard and shifted on my feet, just waiting. I felt a shiver of anticipation run through me. God, the suspense was killing me. I licked my lips. And waited. She moved forward and placed her mouth over the place in my chest where my heart was beating wildly. "I love the way you smell," she murmured. "It's clean and masculine…" Bella breathed in deep, closing her eyes. "Just the scent of you makes me feel warm and safe and…wanted." Her eyes flickered up to mine. "You want me." The words were so simple.

"Yeah," I agreed in a husky voice. "All the time. I ache for you, Bella." I took her hand in mine and laced our fingers. "I want you. I need you like I need to breathe."

Her eyes were big and ageless, taking in everything I was saying – and everything I wasn't. Some things didn't need to be articulated. "I want you too, Edward."

I smiled and lifted our clasped hands, putting them between us so that we could both feel our hearts beating. I leaned down to kiss her. It was a chaste kiss, despite the need I felt thrumming through both of us. It was as if that night in my bed had destroyed a dam and all of the love and need was now surging in between us, barely under control. Like a river overflowing, the hunger was crashing against the edges of our restraint. We were holding on by a margin. How long could we last?

"When I finally get inside of you Bella, I have a feeling I won't ever want to leave," I told her.

Her lips quirked. "Might make it difficult to go to work," she quipped. And I laughed because there was no one like Bella.

"I'm willing to risk it," I assured her. "Maybe I'll just lock you in a bedroom with me somewhere and never let you go."

She tilted her head as she considered my proposition. "Maybe I'll be the one doing the locking."

"I'd let you," I said. "Forever."

Her expression grew shy and she dipped her head so that I couldn't look into her eyes. Modest Bella was back, the one who didn't recognize her own beauty, the appeal she had, the woman who was just a bit shy. I tilted up her head. I wanted to see her eyes; they were so expressive and honest, giving away the secrets of her heart. I wanted her to see the same vulnerability in mine. "Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"In case you haven't figured it out, babe, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me," I said quietly. "You and the boys? You're my life now. You need to know that."

She trembled against me, relaxing her body so that we were pressed to each other from toes to where her cheek was resting against my chest. I caressed her hair, smoothing it, touching it. "Edward?" she finally whispered.

"Yeah, baby?" I smiled because I was happy. Bella was soft and warm in my arms, what more could I ask?

"You mean everything to me too, you and the boys," she confessed in a very soft voice. "I didn't think I'd ever feel this way again, and then…" Bella laughed and she looked up at me. "You happened. And I didn't mean to let you into my heart because I was done with all that." She was echoing my own words back at me, letting me know she felt this connection between us as deeply as I did. "Because I'm Bella James and I had enough baggage." I smiled. "But when I saw you standing in my driveway, something inside of me…hungered." I swallowed hard again. "Something that I thought was dead forever came to life and I've…I've fought it. Or tried to, but it just doesn't seem to make a difference. So I decided to open my heart to you and you sort of slipped inside and I know it's because…" She took a deep breath. "It's where you're supposed to be…and where I'm supposed to be."

"Exactly," I agreed. Once more, my lips met hers. "So relax, my Bella. We've got this. We're not going to screw it up."

"Okay," she murmured.

Our kisses were slow and easy and tender, nothing like what I had anticipated when we were laughing our way up the stairs. But they were perfect for the moment, for us. I breathed in deep and whispered in her ear, "I love you Bella. Always."

Her face was buried in my neck then and I felt her breath fan against my flesh, warming it, igniting it in fire. "I love you too, Edward. Always…"

FIc rec: Evermore Experience by deJean Smith

Bella Swan receives an invitation to the exclusive Evermore Experience, an in-depth immersion summer program where she plans to fully explore 19th century England, but fate has other plans for her once she arrives.

You won't find another story like this, and that's a very, very good thing. Read it. Please. It deserves WAY more attention.