DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction for which we will receive no compensation, especially since all characters belong to a different Stephenie. But this story helped save the babies, which we are all for.

DISCLAIMER 2: We have been getting PMs and Reviews lately stating that there is another story that is remarkably close to this one posted in the Grey's Anatomy fandom. It's true, there is. BitterHarpy has plagiarized herself. LOL! Y'all I wrote this story back in 2007 when I wrote for the GA fandom. I had no intentions at the time to revamp it or even knew about the Twifandom where I now make my home. I gave permission a long time ago to GreyAddict97 to post it on FFNET on my behalf because I was done with it. They have given me all the credit and take none for themselves. I appreciate all of you looking out but this is the new, improved story and it has always belonged to me and now it belongs to Denise. Hope that clears a few things up.

Maplestyle, we adore you :)

How we doing out here, fandom? With COVID-19, protests for criminal justice and equality, and the fact that school will be out for the kiddies (even though it wasn't really "in" for the last three months), there's a lot of upheaval going on. We hope this story provides something for you to smile about - even when you want to wring Edward's neck - and we're thankful you're spending part of your very busy days with us.

Let's find out what happens in the hallway...

Chapter 19

"Edward!" Bella whirled around on a gasp. "You scared me on purpose!"

"I did no such thing." His eyes widened as the barely-there nightie treated him to an unobstructed view of her ass. "But I'm reaping the rewards just the same."

Bella tried to pull down her nightie... and failed... and forced herself to look at him. "I thought you were asleep."

"That fold-out couch is better left folded in, so sleeping on the regular couch takes some getting used to."

"I can do it."

"No way. You're already doing me a huge favor just by being here. The least you deserve is a decent place to sleep."

"I really don't mind. When my mother wanted to punish me, she would make me sleep on the laundry room floor until I learned my lesson." Edward frowned, and she lowered her eyes. "I'm used to sleeping on hard surfaces, that's all."

He thought of the obvious dirty response, but the moment didn't seem right. "I appreciate the offer," he said instead. "But take the bed. I insist."

She looked up with a smile in her eyes. "Thank you."

"But don't be surprised if I'm curled up at your feet in the morning. On top of the covers, of course."

"Good luck with that. I'm wild in bed." Her cheeks flushed, and she sputtered, "Sleeper! I am a wild sleeper in bed. Not that I'm tame the other way... or even that you should be thinking about that. But you can if you want to! It's a free country and all..."

She trailed off, but it was too late. Images flooded Edward's mind faster than he could stop them, each one more explicit than the last. With considerable effort, he shut his eyes and pointed toward the bedroom. "Go. Now. Please."

"Right. Okay." Bella backed away until her butt hit the bedroom door. She fumbled for the doorknob and made her way inside, mumbling a rushed "Good night" before shutting the door behind her.

Believing she was safely on the other side of the door, Edward opened his eyes, relieved and disappointed by her absence. He knew Bella hadn't been trying to seduce him with her sexy nightclothes. She'd actually tried to avoid him, which he thought was adorable. But adorable behavior didn't make her body any less alluring or his thoughts any less filthy.

But that anecdote about her mother? That deflated any desired he'd been feeling. Sure, his family life was a mess, and he could admit at least part of that was his fault.

But his childhood had been nearly perfect by any standard: comfortable home, safe neighborhood, and loving parents. No matter how severe their punishments, which were rare, or how many times he'd wished they'd get off his back, Edward knew they had his back, that he was not alone. From the sound of it, Swan didn't know what a good home was, and he couldn't imagine how her rough childhood would affect her relationships. She seemed honest and kind despite her mother's damage, but that was just the surface. Who knew what lay beneath?

Edward shook off the question and let himself return to logic. Swan was a lot of good things, but she was also damaged goods, and he didn't need that kind of complication in his life.

Even if his body begged to differ.

***STYB***

Edward was in a deep sleep when the sound of screaming startled him awake. He peered at the clock – 3:37 A.M. – and rubbed his eyes. He was alone in the living room, so he thought he'd either imagined it or carried it over from the dream he'd been having about a certain intern lying open and willing beneath him, writhing in ecstasy.

He looked ruefully at his erection, praying he wouldn't need another cold shower.

"NO!" came the scream. "STOP!"

Edward jumped up, his arousal forgotten. "Bella?"

"STOP!" she cried out from the bedroom. "PLEASE, STOP!"

"Bella!" Edward ran toward the bedroom and turned the knob, cursing when he found the door locked. He banged on the door. "Bella?! Open up!"

"GOD, PLEASE... STOP!"

"Bella!"

Edward couldn't get the door to budge, so he took a few steps back, steadied himself, and drove the heel of his bare foot into the door near the knob. Sharp pain shot up the back of his leg, but the door gave away slightly, so he did it again... and again... and again... and on the fifth time, the door splintered open.

He burst into the bedroom to find Bella curled on her side, tears streaming as she cried out again. He sat on the edge of the bed, shaking her arm. "Bella! Honey, wake up!"

"Wha..." Bella sat up, her bleary eyes darting all over the room as she quivered beside him. Eventually her tearful gaze landed on Edward, and she scrambled onto his lap. On instinct, he scooped her up, settling them more comfortably on the bed. Her racing heart pounded in her chest, and he held her fast as her sorrowful sobbing tore at his soul.

"Shhh," he murmured against her hair. "It was just a dream." She burrowed deeper into his arms, and he rested his head against hers. "I'm here, and you're safe, okay? You are safe with me, Bella."

He kept up the litany of whispered words as he gently rocked her, rubbing her back in soothing circles. Eventually her breathing slowed, and her body stilled. She sniffled and slowly raised her head to look up at him, gratitude and embarrassment warring in her eyes. The latter emotion won out, and she scooted away from him, leaving him feeling cold.

"I'm fine," she said before he could speak.

"I doubt that," he thought, turning on the bedside lamp. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No! I mean, there's nothing to talk about." She shrugged. "It was just a nightmare."

"Okay."

Bella wouldn't look at him, afraid that if she met his eyes, the truth about her nightmare would come tumbling out. And that was the last thing she needed right now. So she focused on the bedspread, her gaze tracing the vines in the floral pattern.

Edward realized she had no intention of saying anything else, so he took that as his cue. "Well, I'll be in there if you need me, and uh, I'll have the door fixed tomorrow."

"The door?" Bella looked behind him in surprise. "Oh my god... what happened?"

"I heard you screaming, and it was locked, so I had to..."

"I'm so sorry," she said, attempting to grab her wallet from the drawer in the nightstand. "Let me write you a check for it."

"First, who writes checks anymore? Second, I'm the one who broke it, so I'll pay to have it fixed."

"But it's my fault you had to break it down. All because of some stupid nightmare."

"Hey." He laid a hand on her bare knee, grateful when she didn't flinch. "It wasn't stupid if it had you screaming like that."

Bella saw concern not judgment in his eyes, and she relaxed a little. "Okay."

"And I'd do it again if I had to."

"Okay."

"So I will be paying for the door. Case closed."

"Okay, geez." She rolled her eyes. "Damn, you're bossy."

"I wouldn't have to be so bossy if you weren't so stubborn."

"And I wouldn't have to be so stubborn if you weren't so bossy."

"So you admit you're stubborn?"

"I admit nothing." Bella smiled. "You're not the boss of me."

"Technically I am the boss of you."

"You're the boss, huh?" She heard the huskiness creep into her voice. "What does that mean exactly?"

He leaned in, hardly conscious of his actions. "What do you want it to mean, Bella?"

"I..." She brushed an idle hand across her neck, drawing his attention to the thin straps of her negligee. "Um..."

He was trying to behave – he really was. He was doing everything in his power to keep his gaze from dipping any lower than her collarbone. Though her breasts were hidden beneath black lace, he knew he could see them clearly if he stared hard enough. Just the thought of those rosy peaks made him hard again, and he knew he should leave her room immediately.

That would be the right thing to do.

But when he looked up again, she was staring at him with those big brown eyes, her chest heaving as if she'd guessed his train of thought. She pulled that lush lower lip into her mouth, and that sent him over the edge. With a muted curse, he planted one hand on the other side of her legs and leaned in, slanting his mouth over hers.

The salt from her tears and the taste of something uniquely Bella exploded in his mouth, and he moaned against her lips. She yielded immediately, lying flat on her back, and Edward laid beside her, running his hands through her hair as his tongue slid into her mouth.

"Good god, he can kiss," Bella thought as she melted under his tender attention. As her hands ran over his bare back, everything flew out of her mind: the nightmare, what she was wearing (and not wearing), his bitch of a sister, the fact that he was her asshole of a boss...

Every bit of it. Gone.

As he rolled directly on top of her, she shuddered, her legs spreading on instinct as his lips and tongue made love to her mouth. His hands ran up and down her sides, skimming her breasts, and she ached for him to take them in his hands. With each passing moment, their sighs and moans increased, the sounds made more erotic in the silence of the rest of the house. All she felt was cherished and safe, aroused and desired. All she felt was his strong body covering hers, his warm breath against her face, his thick erection pressing against her aching...

Wait... his what was where now?!

Bella stiffened in his arms, and Edward pulled back, both of them inhaling some much-needed oxygen. They gasped and panted as they stared at each other, Edward eventually breaking the silence. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"I didn't come in here for that."

"I know." She tried to smile. "But you... you made me forget my nightmare even happened, so thank you."

"You're welcome."

"And thank you for caring enough to break down the door."

"I was just pissed that you woke me up. I was having one hell of a wet dream."

Bella snorted. "I'm going to pretend you're joking."

"You're the boss."

"Having a change of heart, are you?"

"Well..." Edward glanced at the large tent in his pajama pants. "One of us certainly is."

"Oh!" Bella's eyes widened as she stared it... but only because it had been staring at her first! "I see. I mean, I don't mean to see it, but... well..."

"Anyway..." Edward laughed, coming rather awkwardly to his feet. "We'll be out there, so scream if you need us."

"Both of you?"

"Well, depending on the type of screaming, he might not do you any good."

"I'll bet he could," she thought, her mind whirring with visions of how many different ways they could both make her scream. And how damn good they would all be.

Edward saw her eyes darken with lust, and his resolve faltered. It would be so easy to turn around, cover her body with his, and bury himself so deep inside her that he couldn't find his way back out.

But not tonight. Not this way.

"I'm leaving now," he said firmly.

"Yeah," she said. "That's probably for the best."

"But Bella?"

"Yes?"

He leaned on the bed again. "Someday... some night, I won't leave."

"You... you won't?"

"No." He held her gaze. "I won't."

Bella swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry. "Okay."

Edward stood up and walked toward the door, and Bella called out, "Edward?"

"Yeah?"

She looked away, nibbling her bottom lip. "It's not because I didn't trust you."

"What?"

"The locked door." She gestured behind him. "I've been locking my bedroom door for years now. It had nothing to do with you or thinking you might..."

"It's okay. I wouldn't have blamed you if it had been for me. We're still getting to know each other, so a few boundaries make sense."

"Right. But when the door gets fixed, I won't lock it again."

"Good." He held her gaze, his self-control waning, then he shut his eyes. "Okay, I'm really going now."

"Okay."

"Try to get some rest. You'll need it for tomorrow."

"Uh-huh." She tried to clear the fog from her mind. "Wait, what's tomorrow?"

"The family picnic, which includes all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins."

"Wait." Bella blanched. "There's more of you?"

"Afraid so."

Bella burrowed her head into her pillow and screamed into it.

"My sentiments exactly," he said, walking out of her bedroom. As he pulled the broken door shut, he smiled as he headed back to the couch. Even with the nightmares, near-misses, and everything else, their first day together went better than he'd thought it would.

And that was the first day! On a scale of one to ten - with "one" being a complete disaster - how would you rate their time in CT so far?

Story rec: So Far From Home by TheFicChick, need I say more?

Thanks again for reading, peeps! See you next week XO