Hey, all! Just a quick little note up at top, and then another (IMPORTANT - to me, anyway) A/N at the bottom.

So thanks for the reviews and adds... if I didn't respond to your review, my fingers were likely bleeding from replying to the response to the fact that there's only another few chapters left. You all are amazing :)

Thanks to Stratan for his lightening quickness... I say one little thing, and he gets this back to me in no time. So awesome.

Chapter 36

Bella

"Which one is it?" I asked, dragging my suitcase down the crowded London sidewalk and looking around at the surrounding buildings.

It was cloudy outside, the threat of rain looming over our heads, but I didn't care. The city itself was incredibly different from anything else I'd seen, including Paris. Maybe it was because this was the place that had helped shape Edward into who he was, but after only an hour's time here, I'd already grown to love it. I could already imagine acquainting myself with the neighborhoods, landmarks and people. It was probably hasty of me, but I could already envision a life here with Edward, and that led me to an abrupt realization.

This was where I wanted to be. That excitement I'd felt on the plane when I spotted the Thames River made a little more sense to me now, as did all the little shots of adrenalin when I'd thought about attending school in England. I knew that we could have an amazing life here, even though I hadn't stepped foot on Oxford's campus yet, just like I knew it when I filled out the application back in January. And from the moment I walked out of the airport with Edward, everything had seemed to click into place for me.

I just needed to convince my extremely rational husband that this decision of mine would never be regretted, no matter how rash he would think it was.

"This one," Edward replied, pointing to our left at the large, creamy stone building.

"It's really nice." Unsurprisingly.

He shrugged, appearing—for once—to be a little uncomfortable. "It's home."

I wanted to ask more, but with the feverish clicks of cameras and droning buzz of the paparazzo's voices, it was useless. Not only was it difficult to carry on a conversation in the midst of all the commotion, but there was no way I could find out about his family's whereabouts without alerting the press to their existence. It made me wonder how the hell Edward had managed to keep them a secret for so long. It seemed nearly impossible.

"Is this how it always is when you come back?"

He gave a terse nod. "For a few days it is."

The doorman stuttered a greeting, his face wearing the shocked expression that most people did when they spotted Edward, and let us inside the marble lobby where, thankfully, the only sounds made were that of our suitcases' wheels rolling across the floor. My ears rang with the sudden silence, and I grabbed at one of them with my free hand and wiggled, trying to make the annoying sound stop.

"You all right?" Edward chuckled.

"I'm fine," I pouted.

He laughed harder. "Sure you are."

"I am," I protested. "I'm just trying to get my ears to stop ringing."

"The zeal of the British paparazzi does take a bit of getting used to."

"I noticed." I also noticed that I didn't like it—at all.

Edward bypassed the elevators and led me to a hallway with large white doors lining the left side. He stopped at the third and pulled the key out of his pocket, opening the door and holding it for me as I walked inside.

I glanced around quickly, wanting to drink in the sight of the apartment where Edward grew up as much as I could without looking like a gaping idiot while I took off the cream colored coat we'd bought in Paris. It was huge; the size of the kitchen and living room were the size of my old apartment back in LA, and it was painted a cheery yellow and trimmed in white. The oak floors had plush, Persian rugs scattered over them, and a fire had been set in the fireplace in the living room by someone on the housekeeping staff. White bookshelves, brimming with books, lined the far right wall in the living room, and a black lacquered table sat in a nook in the kitchen. The kitchen was stark white with stainless steel appliances and looked like it'd never been used.

I took a deep breath so that I could speak. From what I could see, the apartment held a homey, old charm to it, yet it was obvious that Edward had updated it in the years that had passed since his parents' deaths.

"It's beautiful. How much of it is the same from when you lived here?"

"Most." He swept his gaze over the room, and a resigned expression crossed his face. "The trim was repainted recently, and I had the master bedroom remodeled right after I moved to LA. The thought of coming back and sleeping in Mum and Dad's room was…"

"I completely understand," I told him, not wanting him to delve into anything he didn't want to.

He nodded and continued. "Nor could I sleep in my old bedroom. It took me a few years to feel comfortable staying here. I slept on the couch a lot at first."

I wasn't sure what to say other than "I'm sorry" and even that felt stupid so I just kept silent.

He cleared his throat. "The kitchen was also remodeled last summer, but everything else is exactly as my parents left it. With the exception of the flat screen. There used to be a mirror there instead."

I glanced to where he was pointing and giggled at how out of place it looked hanging over the formal fireplace. "Gotta have TV."

He grinned. "Of course. I need to know what trivial things are going on in the world out there just as much as the next bloke."

"So what's the plan? How do we meet up with your family?"

"They'll come here."

I blinked. "Really?"

"It's one of the perks of keeping the flat. The doorman has instructions to let them in, but the press can't possibly know which flat they're here to visit. Had Mum and Dad had a house, it wouldn't have worked out as easily for me all these years."

"Do you ever get to go to Carlisle and Esme's house?"

"Occasionally, but usually, they come to me. It's easier than trying to sneak me in their house. We were nearly caught a few years back, and I decided that it wasn't worth the risk. I've not been back since."

How sad.

"Care for a tour?"

"Um, yes."

He showed me around, pointing out all four bedrooms and the garden in the back, and then he showed me where the bathrooms were. I stared up at him as he opened the door to the bathroom in the hallway and said the words "the loo" and felt an odd sense of nostalgia pass through me. The scene, albeit in London instead of Malibu, was identical to the day of my interview, only there were no awkward pauses or incessant thoughts of wanting to fuck him senseless.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. I always had incessant thoughts of having sex with him, and I didn't think that would change any time soon—if ever, but there wasn't any of the guilt associated with it now.

He caught my shift and furrowed his brow. "Bella?"

"Sorry. I was just thinking about the day of my interview."

"Ah. The day that changed my life."

I rolled my eyes. "Edward."

"You can't deny it, so don't bother. I fell in love and got married. Those are two events that most people would consider life changing."

"Yeah, yeah."

He cupped the back of my neck and brought my lips to his, kissing me with a passion that had my head spinning in no time. My hands wound in his hair, and I moaned unabashedly into his mouth, making him grin and pull back.

"You've no idea how much I wanted you that day, baby. I thought I might go mad with it, with not being able to touch you."

"I think I have a pretty good idea. I distinctly remember wanting to shove you down to the ground and have my way with you," I said wickedly.

"How I wish you would've. You'd have saved me from weeks of trying to resist you. Obviously, my resistance was futile as here I am, utterly consumed by you."

I was at a loss for words again, but it didn't matter since Edward's mouth was back on mine. His hand moved into my shirt, holding me to him, while his other hand left a trail of fire across my skin. His leg slid in between mine, rubbing me just right. I moaned and pushed against him, only to abruptly stop as a strange buzzing sound went through the apartment.

"That would be Alice."

"Already?" I panted.

"Already." He gave me an amused smile. "Would you expect anything else?"

I walked with him toward the door, smoothing my black shirt over my jeans so that I didn't look like I'd just been nearly fucked against the wall. "No, I guess not."

He took my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing my palm as he opened the door.

"Hello, darlin'," he greeted Alice, letting his lips curve into a beautiful smile.

"Hello, brother," she replied pleasantly. She seemed so… calm.

Until she spotted me next to Edward.

"Bella!" she shrieked, practically leaping forward and throwing her arms around me. "You look so good! I've missed you!"

"We talk on the phone all the time," I managed, grasping at her arms and attempting to pry her off of me.

It didn't work.

"I know, but it's not the same!"

"Alice?" Edward asked warily. "Are you all right?"

She finally released me so that she could look at him. "No. I've been so wrapped up in this wedding nonsense with Jasper that I didn't see anything regarding James until just last night. I am so sorry, Bella."

"Oh," I answered lamely, not really wanting to talk about it. "That's okay."

Edward chuckled. "But you know I don't want you interfering in our lives. Come to think of it, you've not meddled in months. It's been oddly quiet."

"I know, but if I can keep you from worrying over nothing-"

"You can't baby me, Alice," he interrupted with a lopsided smile. "That's my job as the elder sibling."

"Edward," she replied, whining slightly. "I'm being serious."

"And so am I. Unless it's life threatening, I would prefer not to know. What Bella decides is a completely different matter. You two will have to discuss it amongst yourselves," he said, glancing out into the hall. His brow furrowed as he looked back at Alice. "Where's Jasper?"

"Helping Mum. She fell last night and broke her arm."

"She what?" Edward shouted. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"For that reason right there," she laughed. "Mum's fine. She was outside trying to change the light bulb in the fixture next to the front door and missed a rung on the ladder. She tried to catch herself and the force of the fall on the concrete broke her…?"

"Ulna? Radius?" Edward supplied anxiously.

"Ulna!" Alice exclaimed. "Dad said she fractured her ulna."

"Jesus." Edward slipped past me and out into the hall, striding determinately toward the building's entrance.

"Edward!" I called after him. "Press!"

He stopped mid-step and spun around with a furious expression on his face. "Fuck!"

Alice jumped a little in shock.

He stomped right back into the apartment and out the door that led to the garden, slamming the door behind him with enough force to almost break the glass.

Alice peeked around me, letting her dark blue eyes widen as she took in the sight of Edward pacing angrily on the stone patio.

"What on earth?" she gasped.

"He's been like that a lot lately," I explained. "It seems he's ready for retirement."

"I'd say so." She inhaled deeply. "I'll go talk to him."

"Have fun." I smiled playfully.

"Oh, quiet. He'll see reason, won't he?"

"He always does."

"Yes, well, thank goodness for that."

She flitted off toward the back door, dropping her red coat on the couch as she passed it by, and left me to wait for Esme and Jasper at the door.

I stood there awkwardly holding the door while I waited for Esme and Jasper to appear. Esme rounded the corner with a huge, wicker basket of food in her good hand and held her pink plastered arm against her chest.

As soon as she was close enough, I practically leapt out into the hallway to take it from her. "Pink. How cute. You okay?"

"Bella," she said through her warm smile. "You don't have to do that. I'm fine. Really."

"Yes, yes, I do. Give me the basket. Now. Before Edward sees you with it."

She sighed. "Very well."

I took the basket from her just as Jasper leaned in to kiss my cheek. "You get prettier every day."

A blush spread across my cheeks, even though I slapped his arm for that bit of stupidity. "Stop it, damn it."

He grinned. "Aw, don't be that way, Bella."

"Then you don't be that way. Save your southern charm for someone who gives a shit. Like Alice."

He chuckled and started to say something that would no doubt have me doubled over in laughter, but I cut him off.

"Get inside before someone sees you with me."

He threw me a lazy salute and walked inside. "Yes, ma'am."

"Where are you taking me?" I giggled as I struggled to keep up with Edward's swift pace.

"You'll see…"

"Edward, baby, slow down. My legs aren't as long as yours."

He laughed. "I'd carry you, but we're being followed. I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate a photo of you thrown over my shoulder in the tabloids."

"Not really. I need to maintain some dignity. Since I am with you and all."

He pretended to be offended. "I can't believe you just said that."

I shrugged. "Eh, you'll get over it."

He suddenly ducked through a door, yanking me inside with him. I froze as soon as I was inside and let my eyes adjust to the dimly lit pub. It wasn't bright outside at all; in fact, it had drizzled all morning long and judging by the cloud cover, it would start again at any second. But I still couldn't see a thing.

"A pub?" I asked, finally able to examine all the dark woodwork around us. "It's nice, but I thought you were going to take me to some other famous London monument."

He chuckled. "I am, love. I thought we could break for lunch first, though. I have a surprise for you."

My eyebrows shot up. "Oh?"

"Now why are you so surprised?" he asked with a grin.

"I really don't know," I replied with a giggle.

He scanned the room and stopped when his eyes landed on a specific table, letting his grin widen substantially.

"This way."

"Okay," I muttered slowly, staring over at the two men seated at the table we were heading toward.

The blonde man jumped up as soon as he saw Edward and laughed excitedly, slapping the other man on the shoulder and pointing in our direction.

Edward let go of my hand long enough to exchange a long, stiff hug—these were men, you know—before bringing me back to his side again.

"Bella, I'd like you to meet two of my oldest mates-"

The blonde snorted. "We're your only mates, Masen."

Edward laughed, happier than I'd seen him since our honeymoon. His eyes shone and his expression was undoubtedly relaxed.

I loved seeing him like this. It seemed like there was always some issue looming over our heads, personally and professionally, and I could see how ready he was to be rid of it all. Hell, so was I. The issues with James resolved themselves those few weeks ago with the DNA results, but now, there wasn't a day that went by that we weren't handling some ridiculous rumor with Zafrina or discussing the numerous press obligations coming up for Rogue.

I immediately halted that train of thought, not wanting to consider how empty the house would feel or how lonely I would be without him there with me. I only had another couple of weeks with him before he left for the first leg of his publicity tour. I didn't want to ruin it by stupidly moping around.

"You try having millions of fans and see how hard it is for you to be normal," he retorted.

"I could do it. Right, Peter?"

Peter just shrugged, unwilling to get involved in the conversation.

"The bloody hell you could," Edward laughed.

"So this is the wife," the blonde said, smiling over at me. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Alistair."

I shook his hand, staring up at Edward with huge eyes. "You… uh, you too. I'm Bella."

"It's all right," Edward said soothingly. "They won't say a word."

"But you never mentioned any of this," I whispered. "Or the fact that you'd told someone other than our family that you got married."

Peter shoved his brown hair off his forehead uncomfortably. "I think we should let them discuss it alone," he muttered to Alistair.

"No, I'd like to see Edward talk his way out of it. You can go wait over there if you'd like."

Peter huffed in frustration.

"If we'd have had a normal wedding, these two would have stood up at the altar with me," Edward explained, blatantly ignoring Alistair. "And when I called Alistair and told him that I was visiting with you, it slipped out in my haste. I suppose I should have warned you, but I simply didn't think about it. We've been… busy."

His fingers gently curled around my arm, bringing me closer to him.

"Don't be angry, baby. I hadn't had a chance to speak with anyone from back home in a while. Besides, if I have the opportunity to tell someone that I'm happy with you, you know I'm going to."

The way he said "back home" tugged at my heart and reminded me all over again how alone he was in LA.

There was no way I could burst his little happy bubble, no matter how momentarily freaked out I'd been.

"I'm not angry. Just surprised. I thought for sure we'd have some major damage control in our future or something."

He bent down and kissed me lightly, letting his nose brush across mine before he pulled back. "Good to know you always have my best interest at heart, boss."

"Please," I said dryly. "Just keep in mind that your wife is also your agent and has a very strong interest in your career and the insane amount of press you get just by saying 'boo'."

Alistair threw himself in his chair. "Tell me how you did that. I need to know how to have a girl in my pocket like that. Bending to my every whim."

Edward pulled out a chair for me and rolled his eyes. "Believe me, she does nothing of the sort."

"But-"

"You happened to be here for one of her more merciful moments. She's quite ruthless when she wants to be," he continued.

"Yep. Ruthless bitch, right here," I said, pointing at myself.

Alistair laughed. "Funny and pretty. Well done, Edward."

I felt like I should be the one accepting that compliment, so I interjected before Edward could say anything. "Thanks. I just love being made over like I'm not here," I said sweetly.

Alistair laughed again while Edward shook his head and draped his arm over the back of my chair.

"You'll do," Alistair said with a wink.

I nodded. "Good to know."

Edward ordered for me, insisting that I eat fish and chips during my first day exploring London, and helped me pick out a beer on tap that I'd actually like, which I only drank half a pint of. God knew I didn't need to be hammered around people I didn't know. That could be disastrous.

The waitress set the plate of food in front of me, and my lip curled with the funny-looking green goo on the side. I picked up the small, white cup and eyed it warily.

"What the fuck is this?"

For some reason, they all started laughing at my question. Like someone who'd only been to Forks—outside her home in LA—until recently should know what the English served with battered fish and fries. I arched my brow over at Edward and waited for him to sober up and give me an answer.

"Mushy peas. Here," he reached over and plucked the cup out of my hand, "I'll eat them."

"Please do."

After lunch, Alistair and Peter went sightseeing with us. I wanted to walk so that I could explore the city with Edward; he spent the afternoon talking to Alistair and Peter, virtually catching up on everything that he'd missed in the two years since he'd seen them last and let me poke around as I pleased. This was completely fine with me; I was too busy gawking over Buckingham Palace and giggling at the guards to care that he wasn't talking to me too.

Before I knew it, it was after four and would be getting dark soon. Alistair and Peter caught a taxi back to their cars at the pub, leaving Edward and me alone again.

"I had fun with them. They're great, Edward. How come you never talk about them?"

"It's hard to stay in contact with them. I don't know what's going on in their lives half the time," he explained. "So I really don't know what to talk about."

"I'm sorry."

"Why?" He flashed a crooked grin. "We're working to fix it."

"We are."

"Want to take the tube across the river to The Eye before it gets dark?" he asked, tucking me into his side as we walked down the sidewalk.

I glanced around, noting the photographers a few feet away. "Should we do that?"

He shrugged. "What's the worst that they can do, love? Ride the train with us?"

"Well…"

"It's faster than walking, and we are still obligated to have dinner with my family later. Or had you forgotten?"

In all my excitement, I had completely forgotten. "Oops?" I said sheepishly.

He chuckled. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

Rain abruptly pounded at the pavement, causing me to squeal and hide underneath the awning of a nearby store. Edward hurried over to me, laughing loudly, and enveloped me in his arms. His hair was dark, dripping water down his forehead, and his eyes crinkled with his smile.

"Will it ever stop fucking raining?" I demanded.

"This is England. What did you expect? The weather is unpredictable, at best." His fingers found my wrist; his thumb rubbed over my wedding ring. "I tried to get you to bring an umbrella, but you refused."

"I thought this raincoat would be enough!" I cried.

"Obviously, it wasn't."

I laughed.

"It's nice, though," he said as he looked around, no doubt gazing at all the familiar sights.

"How is getting the flu on your trip to London nice?" I asked incredulously.

"I hope you don't become ill simply because you wanted to see where I'm from," he replied with a beaming smile. "I meant it's good to be home. With you."

"It feels right, doesn't it?" I asked shyly.

"It does," he agreed.

"So have we agreed that we belong in England?"

"Nice try. You need to visit Oxford first."

"And we're doing that while we're here, aren't we?" I asked hopefully.

His brows furrowed. "Yes…"

"Then it shouldn't be a problem."

He sighed. "You're absurdly stubborn."

"And you love me for it."

He chuckled and kissed the tip of my wet nose. "It's quite possibly one of my favorite things about you."

Edward

"Oh, God, my feet hurt," Bella complained as we walked through the door of my flat.

Actually, it was our flat now, a thought that brought a huge smile to my face. It was amazing how at ease I felt with Bella here. I'd always assumed that it would be difficult to bring someone into my parent's home, but I found—as with everything involving Bella—that I was pleasantly surprised. She belonged here with me; from the way her brown hair gleamed in the sporadic sunlight filtering through the windows, to the way she looked sitting down at the table with my entire family at dinner yesterday.

And God, I couldn't wait to get her back into bed. Seeing her lying beside me, in the house of my childhood, curled up under the white duvet with her lips parted slightly and her face void of any stress was… better than any words could describe. Like always, it caused a happiness I'd never known possible to well up inside me and take me off guard. Every day there was something to reinforce my decision to be with her, something to exponentially increase the love I had for her and cause that incredible feeling of rightness to virtually overwhelm me again. I began to think that I'd never become used to it.

"How about a soak in the tub?" I asked, kissing her lightly and locking the door behind us. "Three days of exploring London non-stop deserves a moment of relaxation, wouldn't you say?"

She hummed. "Okay." She started toward the hall and abruptly spun around, grinning mischievously.

I laughed at her sudden change of demeanor. "What?"

"We should buy one of those WC signs and stick it up on our bathroom at home," she snickered.

I raised my brows. "We should, eh?"

"Water closet." She giggled. "I don't know why, but it's just fucking hilarious to me."

"I think you're a bit slap happy with sleep." I paused, thinking that perhaps she was a little pissed from all that wine she had with Alice at dinner as well. "That's what you call it, yes?"

She giggled again. "Yep. And I think you might be right. Or maybe I'm just drunk. I don't. Fucking. Knoooow."

She stumbled over her feet and caught herself on the couch, and I immediately reached out for her, even though I was too far across the room to actually do any good.

I groaned and raked a hand through my hair. "Definitely pissed."

"You shut up," she snapped. "It's all your sister's fault. That wine was so yummy."

I quickly closed the distance between us. "So it would seem."

She waved me off with a sound of indignation.

I grinned down at her as I wrapped my arm around her waist. "But I think I'll hang on to you… just in case you decide to try and fall face first onto our floor again."

"Our," she sighed. "I like that."

"As do I. Very much so, in fact."

A wicked smirk flickered across her lips. "You're yummy too."

She slipped her hand inside my trousers and moved it downward until she found me. My body instantly reacted, hardening to her touch, and a shaky groan worked its way out of my throat.

"You like that?"

"Mmm," I answered daftly. There was no reasonable explanation for it, but when Bella wrapped her hand around me, I lost all cognizance.

The power she sometimes had over me was astounding.

"Edward?" she whispered shyly. "Touch me."

"Oh, fuck," I breathed, unable to think of anything else.

"Oh, fuck?" she repeated, leading my hand down to the juncture of her thighs. Heat radiated through her jeans, causing my control to snap.

"Yes," I snarled, yanking the emerald silk top over her head so that I could devour her.

I threw us down to the couch, landing in between her thighs and ground my hips into her, feeling her body jerk beneath me as I hit her most sensitive spot.

My mouth consumed hers, desperate to taste her sweetness on my tongue, and my hands roamed her smooth skin freely. She curled herself around me and wound her hands in my hair, urging me to continue. I broke away from the kiss just as both of us were beginning to gasp for air and moved my mouth down to her chest, shoving the black lace of her bra out of my way with one hand while I snaked the other around her body and opened its clasp.

I threw the bra on the floor and palmed her roughly, feeling the way her nipples pebbling with my touch affected me. I emitted a single, low moan as even more blood found its way into my trousers before bringing my lips to the perfection that was her chest again.

Her back arched up off the couch, pushing her body further into my ministrations. I ached for her, needing to bury myself inside her, so I hurriedly flicked the button to her jeans open and threw her zipper down so that I could have her completely naked under me.

With a raspy laugh, she kicked her jeans to the floor and fumbled with the buttons on my shirt. "Take off your pants," she commanded. "Please fucking hurry."

I complied, shamelessly shoving them down my hips just enough so that I was free and then let my fingers trail over the slick skin between her legs.

She threw her head back and groaned as I slipped a finger inside her, rolling her hips into my hand as she bit down on her lip. I stared down at her and watched as she fell apart at my hand, waiting for her orgasm to ebb before I hitched her leg over my hip and drove into her.

I grunted as I filled her, and her eyes flew open and found mine, unraveling me. I thrust harder into her, concentrating on anything but the urge to come. She felt so good around me, looked so beautiful underneath me, it was all I could do to keep some semblance of control and not suddenly react like a teenage virgin.

Her body tightened around me, and she grabbed my hips and directed my movements, bringing me even deeper into her. I dropped my head to hers and moaned disturbingly loudly as I came, pushing into her just enough so that she climaxed directly after me. My lips brushed over hers, and our breathing matched, sounding heavy in my ears.

"Oh, my fucking God. That was so good," she moaned breathlessly, causing me to burst out laughing.

"It was fast," I replied through a chuckle.

"It was intense," she protested.

I couldn't argue with that.

We laid there together for a few minutes longer before I finally disentangled myself from her and hobbled out of her way as I pulled my trousers back up, opting to leave them open since I'd simply take them off again to clean up anyway. She stood up and stretched, glancing at me over her shoulder and throwing me a lazy smile.

Seeing her rumpled and naked before me was entirely too arousing. I shifted on my feet as I traced her body with my eyes, feeling that all too familiar—and ridiculously soon—tightening in my stomach again.

She was absolutely gorgeous.

"Take that bath with me?"

"Oh, erm… hmm?" I asked, blinking my way back into the present.

"Take a bath with me?" she repeated.

I immediately perked up, causing her eyes to drift down to my pecker and widen at the sight. "I've no idea, so don't ask."

"Well, I'm going to! What the hell's gotten into you tonight?" she laughed.

"Is that a complaint?" I asked in disbelief.

"Um, no. Absolutely no complaining at all. Feel free to be as horny as you like, baby." She titled her head back and stared at the ceiling. "Shit, sometimes, I can't help but feel smug at how lucky I am."

I chuckled and walked to her, pushing her hair off her neck and bending down to kiss just below her ear. "The feeling's entirely mutual," I whispered.

She shivered once and pulled away. "Bath. Before I get so stiff that I can't move for weeks."

She ran her bath while I answered the e-mails that I'd ignored all day. By the time I was finished, she was lying back against the white porcelain tub with her eyes closed with a ridiculous amount of bubbles surrounding her. A washcloth was rolled up under her neck, and she hummed quietly to the song playing in her ears.

I cocked my head to the side and listened closely, noticing just how lovely her voice was.

She opened one eye, and a blush bloomed across her face as soon as she realized that I was watching her. "What are you doing?"

"Enjoying the view."

She smiled and shook her head. "Get in here."

She pulled her ear buds out of her ears as I undressed and moved so that I could slide in behind her. She leaned back against my chest and sighed contentedly, snuggling up against me.

"So Oxford tomorrow?" she asked as I took the washcloth she'd had rolled up behind her neck and dipped it in the water.

"Considering tomorrow's one of their 'open days', I'd say so," I answered, watching the rivulets of water fall over her shoulders and disappearing in the soapy water. Although, it really didn't matter. She had a private tour scheduled tomorrow. It just happened to fall on one of the days they had reserved for prospective students.

All those universities she'd applied to back in January had finally started sending her response letters. There hadn't been a single rejection letter yet, not that I thought there would be. Bella was without a doubt one of the most intelligent people I knew, but I think it surprised her that she had the wits and means to go wherever she pleased. It was actually quite amusing to watch her anxiously open a letter and then start bouncing up and down when she read the welcoming paragraph.

"I'm nervous."

"What? Why?"

She shrugged and pushed herself further into me; her arse brushed against me, causing me to groan.

She giggled and repeated the movement.

"Watch it," I warned thickly, grabbing her hips and stilling her body. "Payback's a bloody bitch."

She snorted. "Yeah, right."

I dipped my hand in between her legs, teasing her, before pulling my hand back and resting it on her stomach.

"You were saying?"

She whimpered and spun around to face me, rolling her eyes as she straddled me. "I was saying that I'm nervous."

"And why is that?"

"What if I don't mesh with Oxford? I love it here with you. I love this apartment, the neighborhood. I just don't want to be disappointed."

"There are still a few details to be worked out, love, even if you choose to go to Oxford. To live here and drive over an hour each way seems absurd. We'd likely have to purchase a house near the campus anyway."

"No. I don't want to do that. I want to live here with you," she replied obstinately.

"I love to hear you say that… but let's be realistic. The commute would be horrible, and you'd tire of it by the end of the first semester."

"Maybe," she admitted. "But it wouldn't last forever. Just… If I choose to go there, I want to do it my way. Please?"

I huffed, a little annoyed that I had to pointedly tell her this. "I'd do anything for you. You know that."

She bit her lip and glanced down. "Yeah?"

"Yes, you silly girl. If tomorrow you decide that Oxford is what you want, I'll gladly do whatever it takes to make it happen for you. How you want it."

"Thank you," she breathed. "I love you."

I smiled with the sentiment. "And I love you."

Bella and I woke and quickly showered—separately to avoid any temptation—and braved the expected crowd of photographers waiting for us outside the building. Judging by the yawns Bella tried to hide and the slight shadows under her eyes, I guessed that she was suffering from jet-lag and led her to the nearest café for some much needed caffeine and breakfast before we started our trip.

Bella sat down at a table in the center of the room and laid her head down, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath while she waited for me to bring her order to her.

I dealt with the star-struck barista as graciously as I could, but even I had to admit that I was a little grumpy with exhaustion. My normal smile was replaced with a grunt when she mentioned that she couldn't wait to see Rogue. Her enthusiasm was a little difficult to handle at the moment. This, of course, made me feel guilty, so I left her a large tip and the autograph she'd requested to compensate for my rudeness.

I placed the latte in front of Bella and was welcomed with a sleepy grin. "Thanks."

I pushed her scone toward her and nodded to it. "Eat. I've no idea when we'll get a break for lunch. It may not be until afternoon tea."

"No more tea," she groaned. "I can't handle any more tea. Your mom's ruined it for me."

I chuckled. "But I see you aren't tired of the pastries served with it."

She broke off a piece of her scone and grinned as she examined it. "Nope. You got me chocolate chip. Even more caffeine."

"I thought it would be helpful."

"Definitely."

We rushed through breakfast and headed back to where I'd parked the car a few days ago. It was a rental; I usually hired a driver for my stay in London, and I was giving serious consideration to purchasing something with Bella for our time here. It was expected that one of us would need a car at some point.

And this car was awful.

"Can I drive?" Bella asked excitedly.

"Absolutely not."

She pouted. "Edward! I'm a good driver."

"On the right side of the road. On the left… I'm honestly not so sure about that," I teased.

She rolled her eyes. "Come on. Don't make me beg."

"I wouldn't dream of it." I opened the passenger's side door for her and grinned. "Get in."

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me.

"You can drive on the motorway where there's not the risk of you hitting anything stationary."

"I don't like you."

"Really, Bella, with the risks factored in, you have to admit that waiting until we're out of the city is a good idea."

She furrowed her brow thoughtfully. "Risks?"

"Paparazzi, driving on the opposite side of the road, being in a strange and busy city," I listed off.

"Fine. As soon as we get out of Oxford, you'd better stop and let me drive back to London."

"Of course."

She grumbled something incoherent as I shut the door, causing me to laugh.

Bella stayed awake until we drove out of London, making sure that she missed nothing, and then curled up in the seat and rested her head on the console. I turned down the radio so that it didn't disturb her and just watched the scenery go by.

My life had been so busy for over a decade. It wasn't until now—when I was doing something dreadfully normal with my wife—that I realized how much I'd missed England. I knew I'd be content in whatever city Bella decided to study in, but now that it looked almost certain that this was where we'd end up in a few months, I was finding that I was… excited about moving.

And I was suddenly hoping that Bella loved Oxford as much as she loved London.

I parked at the one of the various curbs around campus and gently shook Bella's shoulder to wake her.

She groggily looked out the window. "We're here?"

"We're here," I confirmed.

"Oh, we're here!" she exclaimed, practically launching herself out of the car and racing around to the other side of the car where she immediately started looking everything over.

I sat there for a moment, a bit stunned with her sudden burst of energy, before I caught her waving at me out of the corner of my eye. I got out of the car and hurried over.

"You spaced. What happened?"

"I was a bit surprised that you woke up so quickly," I replied honestly.

"Oh." She giggled. "Sorry. I'm just… I don't know. Nervous like I said last night… but excited too."

Excited seemed to be the word du jour.

"So where are we going?"

I shrugged. "You tell me. It's your meeting, love."

"Well, I don't know. I mean, you're the native here."

I laughed. "Yes, but I went to Cambridge. Cambridge and Oxford are rivals. I never got into all of that, but I still had a little self-preservation. So the only time I ever came here was for a rugby match or a crew race."

"Oh. Okay, we're supposed to go to the university offices." She stared up at the massive gothic building next to us and frowned. "Where the hell are the university offices?"

"I think we should ask someone if you didn't get directions."

"I forgot," she said with a blush. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not a problem."

Bella searched someone out while I stayed back, fairly certain that if an English university student caught sight of me that we wouldn't make it in time for our appointment.

She got directions to Wellington Square, and we both rushed in the direction she'd been pointed it, making it to the building and inside with just seconds to spare.

"I'm so glad I'm not late," she murmured. "That would have been a horrible first impression."

"You've already been accepted. I'm sure this woman would understand if you got lost."

"Probably."

Bella gave the woman at the front desk her name and was instructed to wait while she announced our arrival, and within just a few minutes, we were greeted by a tall, older woman who—as expected—fawned over me for a while before handing Bella all the information she could possibly need about the university and finally getting on with the tour.

It was inescapable.

We wandered around campus, vaguely listening to the woman's ramblings. Bella was paying more attention to the buildings, almost memorizing every detail about each stone structure. I, on the other hand, was too busy reading through the enormous stack of paperwork to care about the history. I could look that up online later if I wanted to.

"Holy shit," Bella breathed, glancing around at the students streaming through Radcliffe Square in black gowns. "I forgot about the dress code."

"It's not every day, is it?"

"No. Thank God."

"So it's not a deal breaker," I asked for verification.

"No. Edward, I want it," she breathed.

"You're sure? You wouldn't want to tour any other universities that sent you acceptance letters?"

She shook her head. "No need. This is it, baby."

"All right. So who's going to inform Charlie that you're actually moving to England?"

She pulled in a sharp breath. "You?"

I groaned. "Oh, yes. I can't wait for this conversation."

"He already knows it's a possibility. And he was okay about it-"

"He was 'okay' about it because I made sure he knew that the decision hadn't been made, and you were still weighing your options."

She chewed on her lip as she debated something. "Um… well… then I guess I'll do it. But I really don't want to."

"I think it would be easier if it came from you," I said genuinely. "But if you want me to do it…"

"No. I'll do it." She did a little hop as she turned to face me fully. "You know what I can't wait for?"

"What's that?" I asked with a crooked grin.

"Your family's reaction."

I laughed and took her hand. "Now that's something to look forward to."

2 Announcements:

1: TMWCBM and I were nominated for three Twilight All Human Awards (insert massive 'squee' here).

Categories:

Fanfiction You Couldn't Stop Reading (TMWCBM), Best Fanfiction of the Year So Far (TMWCBM), Best Author of the Year So Far (Me)

If you think I'm worthy of any of these titles, GO VOTE! You can vote up to 5x in each category.

http:/ twilightallhumanawards(dot) webs(dot) com/ voting. htm

2: An interview with Stratan and me is now featured on Fanfiction Heaven. You should go read it, especially if you like pervy Word Association ;)

http:/ fanficheaven(dot) blogspot(dot) com/2010 /09 /stratan- whats- up- jen- hiya- babe(dot) html

Thanks so much to Fashionista27 for interviewing!

As usual, come find me on Twitter and hang. (at)JennyB0719