A/N: Twilight is Meyer's. No copyright infringement intended.

Thanks for reading, and for reviewing.

BPOV

I groaned and burrowed a little deeper into my pillow. Then I froze when I realized that my pillow was warm and had a heartbeat.

And was nuzzling my hair.

I smiled and pressed my face into Edward's chest. His arms tightened around me. Slowly, I opened my eyes to find that I was still in his lap in the rocking chair.

Which explained my stiff muscles.

With a sigh, I kissed his chest and eased back. He reluctantly let me go and took my hand to help me slide to my feet. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

I made a face as I stretched. "Yeah. Just a little stiff." I glanced at the clock to see that it was almost one in the morning. I'd been in Edward's lap for quite a while. When I looked back at him, he was arching his back and stretching his arms over his head. Holding me hadn't been comfortable for him.

But he hadn't let me go.

As he lowered his arms, I grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle tug. He smiled and let me pull him to his feet in front of me. His smile widened when I reached up to slide my fingers through his hair and draw his mouth down to mine. "Thank you," I murmured against his lips.

"My pleasure," he replied, kissing me again. His mouth trailed along my jaw and to my ear. "Truly," he added as his lips found the sensitive spot just below my earlobe.

Chaos exploded in my head as a tremor ran through my body. Edward chuckled lowly and caught me at the waist to steady me. I didn't even mind the cockiness in his grin when he took my weight in his arms. But I still called him on it. "You're a little arrogant," I informed him.

"And you're a little tired," he responded casually.

"Hm." I was. And I didn't want to examine the reasons why. But I did want to go to bed and curl up next to Edward.

I glanced toward the bed and noticed my sketchbook lying where he had placed it on the quilt. My mind shot to the drawing I'd been working on. It wasn't finished. But I wanted to show it to him. To thank him for what he'd done for me. The sketch was for him, anyway, and it was so close to being completed that showing him now wouldn't make much difference in the reaction.

"I want to show you something," I began, pulling away from him. His fingers trailed along my hip until I was out of his reach; he didn't want to let go. I smiled to myself as I moved to the bed.

When I turned back to him with my sketchbook in hand, I saw his face light with curiosity and interest. He loved seeing what I was sketching. Mostly because he understood that my work was the best way to judge my mood. But I'd been working on this sketch for two days, and I'd tried hard to keep my melancholy out of it tonight. I hoped I'd succeeded. I really wanted him to like it.

I crossed back to him, flipping to the page I wanted, and stopped, cradling it against my chest and looking up at him. "It's for you. It's not… done…. It's pretty close, but…" My heart hammered as I stumbled over my words. I almost changed my mind as he gazed down at me, his emerald eyes intense on mine. "I just… I wanted you to see it now, and I… Well, here." I shoved the open book at him before I could convince myself not to.

Edward took the book from me without looking away from my face. For a long moment, he continued to stare down into my eyes. I shifted my weight, wondering if he wasn't going to look, if he'd hate it if he did look, if I could get the book back from him—

He looked down.

I watched his face change – his entire body change. He tensed, his hand tightening over the spine of the book. His breathing picked up. And his face… A dozen emotions raced across his face before it went blank. But his eyes, locked on the picture, betrayed him.

I'd hurt him.

I swallowed hard and pressed my lips together to hold back tears. I'd been afraid of this reaction. Quickly, I reached out for the book with a shaking hand. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—"

Edward pulled back, keeping the book close to his chest. Slowly, his free hand lifted, and he traced the lines on the page with his fingertips. First his piano. Then his face, smiling and happy as he played.

Then his mother's face, bright and proud, her eyes on him as she watched him play for her.

His fingers lingered over her. I watched his jaw quiver. And suddenly the book was on my desk and I was in his arms.

He held me so tightly that he lifted me off the floor. His face burrowed into my hair, and his arms squeezed me until I almost couldn't breathe. I felt his lips press against the top of my head and his chest expand with a long, shuddering breath. Then he carefully adjusted his hold on me so he was cradling me, and he carried me to the bed.

Without a word, he set me down on my side of the bed, kicked off his shoes, and scrambled up to lie alongside me. For the first time, he didn't make sure there were covers between us. He just slid close enough that he could feel my electricity while still being able to see my face clearly.

For a long moment, he simply gazed at me, studying my face in silence. Finally he reached out and brushed my hair back from my temple, his eyes carefully following the motions of his hand. When he pulled his hand back, his gaze remained locked on my hair.

There was a pause. At last, still staring blindly at my hair, he whispered, "I was sitting with my mother. I fell asleep, and she got it in her head to go to the bathroom. To brush her hair, her teeth, I don't know. I don't think she knew. But she only got halfway before she fell."

I felt my heart lurch. His voice was thick with pain, nearly choking his words. I wanted to soothe him, but I didn't know how. My fingers itched to touch him, but I stayed still. Letting him remember. Letting him let go.

He swallowed convulsively and forged on, his voice low and raw, "The sound woke me up and I ran over to her. She stopped breathing. I was the only one with her, so I tried CPR, but it didn't work. I couldn't help her." His voice strained as his story strayed from the carefully maintained facts to the memories of the lost little boy inside him. "She died in my arms because I couldn't help her. Because I fell asleep when all I had to do was watch over her. Because I just... I couldn't..."

His words caught in his throat. Tears were running silently down his cheeks. It wasn't until one landed on my hand that I realized they were running down mine, too. I had no idea what to say. So I just grabbed him and pulled him to me. And let him sob as I cried quietly with him.

It took him a few minutes to recover. When he grew still and quiet in my arms, I ran my hand soothingly up and down his back and kissed his hair. I felt his arm slide around my waist and pull me more tightly against him. After a moment, he murmured in a voice roughened by tears, "My mom really would have liked you."

My eyes welled with tears again. I blinked them away and gave him a light squeeze in response. His lips pressed against my throat as I steadied myself enough to speak.

"I told my mom about you," I told him when I trusted my voice.

I sounded just as ragged as he did, but he didn't comment. Instead, he eased us into our normal sleeping positions, with my head on his chest and his arm holding me snugly against him. "You did?" he encouraged.

I nestled into his side, grateful that he had taken my comment the way I'd hoped. It had been a pale attempt at a distraction, but it was the only thing my exhausted mind had been able to come up with. "Yeah," I admitted. "The day I told her I was accepted to Alaska. I wasn't planning on telling her, but she kind of… sensed there was someone in my life. She asked who it was. So I told her a little about you." I paused, then smiled a little. "She really liked it that Carlisle was a doctor," I teased.

Edward snickered quietly. "Typical."

"She's a mom." I shrugged. "But I know she'll like you."

We fell silent then. I started to draw absent patterns on Edward's shirt with my fingertip. I felt him tremble once, and I smiled and continued my motions. A minute later his hand found my hair, and he began twirling a lock between his fingers, making me shiver in response.

I was starting to drift off when Edward suddenly commented, "There's a game on Tuesday night. It's a home game. First of the playoffs."

He wanted me there. I frowned and curled my fingers into his shirt. "I'll try to be there. But I can't promise."

"I know." His hand found mine on his chest, and he twined our fingers together. "It means a lot to me that you want to be there. I know you're not a sports fan."

I smiled. "That obvious?"

"A little."

"Hm." I pulled his hand up to my lips to kiss his knuckles. "I do like seeing you in your uniform, though."

He chuckled. "You do, huh?"

"Hey, you like my pajamas, I like your uniform," I defended myself.

"Touché." His thumb rubbed the back of my hand in gentle circles. "If you can't make it to the game, I'll have to wear the uniform when I come over that night."

"I like that idea." I paused. "I'm probably going to stay late tomorrow afternoon to work on my final art project. If you have time, you could stop by the school. No one else is around the art room when I'm there late except the teacher, and she's in and out most of the time."

Edward toyed with one of my fingers. "I'll try. I have practice after school to get ready for the game, but I can be late."

"You don't have to—"

"Bella." Edward cut me off firmly. "I know I don't have to. And I may be in a little bit of a hurry. But it will be worth it to see you, even for a few minutes."

I pressed my smile into his chest. "I'll look for you, then."

His free hand found my hair again. "And I'll find you."

We fell into another comfortable silence. This time, when I started to drift, I felt Edward's fingertips begin to trace lightly up and down the length of my bare arm. I shivered slightly. He reacted immediately, reaching out to either side of him to grab a fistful of the comforter and flip the ends up over us. I wanted to tell him I wasn't cold, but I was too tired to worry about it. Besides, being tucked against him with the covers around us instead of between us was a nice change. So I snuggled closer to him and closed my eyes, smiling when his hand found my arm again under the comforter.

I was still smiling when I finally fell asleep.

EPOV

I woke up smiling.

I hadn't expected to be in such a good mood after my confession session the night before. But the memory of it seemed distant and vague. The only reason I even was sure it had happened was that my face still felt a little gritty from my tears. It felt strange. I hadn't cried since the moment Carlisle had dragged me out of my mother's hospital room that night over two years ago.

But Bella had drawn me a picture. And it had torn down all my barriers so fast I never saw it coming. Then she'd held me, cried with me, and I felt… better.

Because of her.

I shifted so I could see her face. She was still sleeping, her head on my chest and her hand fisted in my shirt. Her lips were parted slightly, but she wasn't speaking now. She looked extremely peaceful. Except for her hair, which was in a wild disarray.

That was my fault, I thought with a grin. She woke up with messy hair on her own, but when I couldn't keep my hands out of it, it became even more disheveled.

She would like that description, I mused. It would make her roll her eyes. I'd have to remember to tell her.

I reached down to smooth the dishevelment so I could see her face more clearly. She didn't react at all to my touch. I wasn't surprised. She'd been exhausted before she'd cried with me. That had to have worn her out even more.

My hand drifted to her cheek as I remembered her tears slipping silently down it. I traced an invisible trail down her warm skin, following it to where the drop would have fallen from her jaw. I had a hard time believing that it had been real. That she hadn't just waited out my tears, but she'd also cried because of them. It seemed surreal that she hurt when I did, because I did.

But it was just like that with her. We were connected somehow. Like the electricity between us, this current no one else would understand…. I let my hand drift along her cheek to the slope of her nose, then to her still parted lips. The gentle buzz was a steady thrum under my fingertips as I explored her features.

When my hand slid back along her cheekbone, she finally stirred. The crease appeared between her brows as her face melted into a frown. She burrowed into me without opening her eyes and muttered a muffled complaint into my chest. It was the first time I'd seen her cranky about being woken up. I felt my heart swell with my smile.

It was so easy to be in love with Bella.

I brushed back the hair that had fallen over her face again. "Bella?" I whispered. "I know you're tired, love, but your family will be up soon."

She grumbled something before tilting her head to look back at me. Even half asleep and irritated by the mention of her family, she still couldn't seem to stop the smile that curved her lips. Something I'd said pleased her. It took me a second to realize what it was.

I'd called her "love" without realizing it. And she liked it.

I kind of did, too.

I smiled back at her as I tucked her unruly hair behind her ear. "Sorry," I apologized. "I'd let you sleep all day if you wanted to."

Bella's voice was thick with sleep when she replied, "I know." She frowned a little and cleared her throat. Her eyes ticked to the window, and she sighed. "I have to go make breakfast before they get up. And you… have to go."

Her reluctance was in more than just her words. I felt her body move instinctively closer to mine when she thought about my leaving. "Yeah," I agreed just as reluctantly. And I tightened my arm around her.

Bella hesitated. Her face changed as she considered whatever she planned to say. Then, strangely anxious and stumbling over her words, she begged, "Don't… leave. Please, don't… don't go."

I felt myself frowning. I couldn't understand her sudden urgency. And from her expression, she seemed a little surprised by it herself. But she truly, almost desperately, wanted me to stay.

I touched her cheek lightly with my fingertips. "I'll be right here," I promised her quietly.

She nodded against my chest. "Okay," she said softly. Slowly, she sat up and eased away from me. She paused when she was standing. "I'll be right back."

I gave her a reassuring smile. Her mouth quirked in response, then she headed out of the room and closed the door behind her.

When she was gone, I felt a hollow pull inside. I wondered if this was what she had been feeling when she'd asked me not to leave. It was a new sensation, and I wasn't really sure what to make of it. But I did know that I wanted her to hurry back. And I was going to have a hard time climbing out that window this morning.

For now, I stayed where I was. Her scent surrounded me and her warmth lingered on the comforter beside me. I could hear her moving around in the kitchen. When I closed my eyes, I could visualize her in her flannel pants and T-shirt, hair in chaos, darting from the oven to the refrigerator with a confident stride. She was graceful when she cooked in a way I'd never seen her any other time. I wished I could be with her now to watch her.

It didn't take her long downstairs. I quickly slid to my feet when I heard her returning. But she detoured into the bathroom, so I moved to her desk chair to slip on my shoes.

A minute later the bedroom door cracked open and she slipped inside. I stood to meet her as she locked the door behind her. I noticed the difference before she even faced me.

Her hair was tamed. It fell in a dark wave down her back. When she turned, I saw that she had washed her face; her skin was still a little pink. And when she suddenly dragged my mouth down to hers, I realized that she'd brushed her teeth, too.

"I didn't get to clean up," I commented when I finally broke away.

"Don't care," Bella replied. Her hand ran along my unshaven jaw. A smile touched the corner of her lips. Then she knotted her fingers in my hair and pulled me into another kiss.

Forget the crankiness. If this was what it was like to get to hang out with Bella in the morning, I was going to start waking her up earlier.

I grinned under her kiss and slid my arms around her waist. She gasped in surprise when I yanked her body tight against mine. With a light laugh, she leaned into me and gave my hair a playful tug. And her mouth sealed over mine again.

I wasn't sure what had brought all this on, but I was determined to enjoy it. I blanked out everything but the feel of her in my arms and her lips moving with mine. Which wasn't hard to do with her kissing me like that. She definitely was demanding my full attention. I even managed to forget that I needed to beat Carlisle home if I had any intention of stopping by before school. Not that I would have cared if I had remembered.

Bella didn't seem to remember anything else, either. It wasn't until a car door slammed outside that she finally broke away from me. "Damn Jacob and his punctuality," she complained.

I smiled as she shot a glare toward the window. Gently, I tilted her chin up to kiss her again, lightly this time. "We could skip school," I suggested, only half teasing. And kind of pathetically hoping she would say yes.

She didn't. "Don't tempt me," she warned, her eyes lit with amusement. "I have a test in English today. I do still plan to graduate, no matter how hard you try to distract me."

"Oh, I'm the one distracting you now, hm," I returned. I grabbed the flannel at her hips and yanked her to me again. "I should have been gone by now, but someone locked me in her room to have her way with me."

"You didn't try very hard to escape," she remarked.

"I'm not an idiot," I replied. As she grinned up at me, I slid a hand into her hair to brush it back from her face. "Besides, I knew I didn't have a chance. I already was going to have a hard time climbing out that window. So when you asked me to stay… and you came back like this?" I gave her hair a soft tug to indicate her tidied appearance. "I was done for."

Bella slipped her fingers around the back of my neck and pulled me down to her. "You are so..." She trailed off as her mouth hovered over mine. "Easy," she finished with a laugh, shoving me away from her before our lips could touch. "Go home."

I caught her before she could pull away completely. And I claimed the kiss she'd just denied me. Then, right as she was melting back into me, I broke away. "Gotta go," I said brightly.

She shook her head at me. "Jerk," she muttered. But her smile gave her away.

I framed her face in my hands and dropped one last kiss to her lips. "Okay," I began as I eased back. "I'm really leaving now."

Her head suddenly shot toward the door. "Good, because the spawn are awake."

The sound of movement down the hall reached me then. I hurried to the window and slid it open. "I'll see you in a few hours," I promised as I climbed out.

"In the art room," she agreed. "I'll be waiting."

Grinning to myself, I scrambled down the tree and dropped to my feet in the grass. Jacob arched a brow at me from where he was waiting on the front porch. "Cutting it close again, aren't you?" he commented.

"It's what I live for," I replied. Then my grin widened as I realized that that was true. This was what I lived for. Bella was my life now.

And I liked it that way.

Jacob rolled his eyes at my goofy expression. "You are so whipped," he taunted.

"Yes. Yes, I am."

My casual acceptance made him snicker. "Good." He looked toward the house. "But you better get lost. Unless you want to meet the spawn up close and personal."

I took his hint and jogged down the street to my car. When I reached it, I opened the door and glanced back.

Bella was standing at her open window, watching me. She gave a shy wave as her lips curved into that breathtaking smile of hers. I felt my heart skip a beat when I waved back.

It really was easy to love her.

Something caught her attention inside the house, and she disappeared from the window. I quickly slid into the car and turned the key. Then I swore quietly when I noticed the time on the dashboard. Jacob was right: I was cutting it close. Not just here, but at home, too. I'd have to speed to beat Carlisle home.

I hoped Chief Swan wasn't patrolling. Being pulled over while I sped away from his house – and his daughter – was not the way I intended to meet him. But even if he caught me…

Bella was worth it.