Sorry for the FFN issue yesterday- obviously a little rusty at this. Yes, it has been a long time, and I apologize, but after adopting a kiddo, raising a kiddo, starting my own business, losing my mom, and moving twice- I'm barely able to take trips to Target by myself let alone find time to write. I appreciate those of you who stuck with me. Those of you who decided to leave snarky comments- well… Sorry to disappoint. Life is life and sometimes it takes you in directions you don't expect.

EPOV

"The most infuriating fucking woman!" My voice came between gritted teeth. The car door slammed once I was inside and I roughly started the engine. Giving a brief look behind me, I threw it into reverse which led to the tires squealing against the wet pavement.

"Is that all she knows how to do?" I yelled at myself, watching the taillights of Bella's car in front of me. "Just run away? Life gets too fucking complicated and you run! You have to make a hard decision? Just run away! That's the answer for everything!"

The profanity laced questions continued until I pulled into the driveway at Renee's house. My seatbelt hit the window as I threw it off of my shoulder, possibly chipping the glass, but I didn't fucking care. I slammed the door shut behind me and the sound echoed against the quiet night.

"What are you doing?" Bella was halfway out of the car when I snatched the keys from her hand to reduce the risk of her running again. "Edwar-"

The fury inside my chest was slowly reaching a boiling point and I really didn't know how much longer I could keep it at bay. "Not out here. Go inside."

I expected petulance, possibly even a flat out refusal at my demand, but Bella did what I asked. She walked up the side walk and silently watched as I forcefully unlocked the front door. Pushing it open, I motioned for her to go first. Again expecting some sort of defiance but she did what I asked. Once the door was shut behind me, and locked, I threw the keys onto the antique side table beside the door.

We'd know each other our entire lives and I'd been in love with Isabella Swan for more than half of that time. I'd been protective, understanding, and forgiving. I'd tried to understood the feelings of being scared and insecure. It had taken years for me to finally convince her that she was worthy and that I wouldn't hurt her, and patiently waited until she was ready to believe me. I'd tried to take the emotional baggage that Bella's mother had left her with and shoulder it so she wouldn't have to carry it alone. I'd done all of that because… because she was Bella. Because more than the hurt, and the uncertainty, more than the fucking abandonment, I just wanted her to be happy. I'd put her needs, wants, before my own for as long as I could remember. I'd put up with her irrational fears and doubt- even trying to understand why she had up and fucking left six years ago. But I was done. I was done being the fucking moron that kept coming back time and time again.

"I don't want to fight with-"

In one step I closed the distance between us. She gasped at my sudden movement, eyes wide and alarmed, when I covered her mouth with my hand.

"I need you to listed to me because I'm only going to say it once. Do you understand?" When she nodded, I continued. "This is the last time I'm chasing after you."

I dropped my hand from her face but took another step closer, looming over her as she looked up at me.

"You keep running and I keep chasing after you but I'm done, Bella." I was just as angry with myself as I was with her. We'd both been playing this ridiculous fucking game for too long. It was time to put everything on the table and decide what this was. What we were. The idea of her walking away, of another rejection, made my heart ache. But the idea of always chasing, always following behind her, of always hoping she'd come back… That hurt worse.

I wanted a family. I wanted what my parents had. I wanted what Alice and Jasper had.

"I want you," I admitted. "I want this. So you decide, right here, what you want."

My name came out of her mouth in a shallow breath and I watched as her eyes welled with tears that were threatening to spill over.

"Tell me, Bella. Now."

She took another shaking breath before angrily wiping away the tears that escaped.

"How can you possibly want to do this?" She shook her head while motioning between us. "Look at what we have done to each other, Edward. How much more can either one-"

I interrupted her again. This wasn't an answer- it was an excuse.

She was shivering, standing there in the foyer of the house, as her eyes searched my face.

Normally I would have reached for her. I would have wanted to console her and protect her. I would have told her that she didn't have to make this decision right now. I would have said, let's talk about it later- get some sleep. Normally I would have gathered her to my chest to try and stop the shivering. But I was tired of being the one that constantly reached out first. I needed an answer from her. I was tired of playing the mind games and pretending like all of this was normal. I was tired of wasting my time worrying that-

Bella's hands, gently reaching for my face, took me by surprise. They were cold against my flushed skin, and I could feel her trembling. My heart, which had been full of anger and resentment a few short seconds ago, pounded in my chest. She pulled me towards her, and I went, letting her guide my lips towards her mouth.

Her fingers reached around my neck, finding the back of my wet hair, and wound themselves between the strands as she held me to her. I lifted her to me keeping our lips connected.

"You. I want you."

The truth. Finally. No more running. No more fear. No more insecurities.

I'd managed to carry her through the living room and halfway up the winding staircase before losing my balance. She'd landed in a sitting position a few steps above where I'd landed on my knees. I could have picked her back up, or we could have just walked the rest of the way to her room, but the time that would take seemed wasteful.

Our movements became frantic as she rushed to remove her shoes and pull her skirt above her hips. My jacket fell behind me, in a wet heap, as I moved between her legs. She lunged forward, reaching for my belt, but I stopped her by holding her hands still.

The house, which had been incredibly quiet beforehand, was now filled with the whimpering moans that spilled out of Bella's mouth. I smiled against her, letting my own moan escape when her fingers pulled at my hair. My arms, which were looped around her thighs, pulled her closer. I looked up, watching as Bella's bottom lip was trapped between her teeth. I hitched her up higher, spreading her legs wider, increasing the tempo.

"Edward." She gasped loudly and let go of my hair only to grab the banister spindle next to us.

It had been so long, too fucking long honestly, since I'd seen her this way. There was nothing, at all, that compared to watching a woman you love completely unravel underneath your body. It was incredibly sexy to watch her lose every inhibition she had- to just gasp and beg, moaning your name, and knowing that you could give her exactly what she wanted.

I kept going, watching and listening, as Bella's body absolutely hummed. She tried to close her thighs, crying out as I brought her over the edge, but I held her where she was and kept going. The movements of my tongue slowed, easing her body back down to a sated calm, but her body would tremble ever so slightly when I hit that one certain spot.

Bella's body, completely at ease, laid back against the stairs beneath us. She smiled, and watched, as I crawled my way back over her body. I left a trail of kisses as I went- first on her thighs, and then her hip. I pushed the thin material of her shirt out of my way, kissing around her navel, and then squarely at the center of her chest.

This time, when Bella's hands went for the belt around my waist, I didn't stop her. I focused on the soft skin just below her ear, moaning when her fingers gently guided me towards her, and then releasing a deep breath once we were completely connected.

I'd tried to imagined what this moment would be like for years and had always pictured it being rushed and frantic- anger fueled makeup sex- where we both tried to outdo the other. But now, here in the actual moment, it was so far from anything I'd conjured up.

Our rhythm was slow and our fingertips left gentle trails over sweaty skin. It wasn't a punishment. It was a reunion. Our bodies, hearts, finally recognizing what had been missing. This was how it was supposed to be- where we were meant to be. It wasn't clumsy fondling on my couch, or voyeuristic escapades in a parking lot. Oddly enough, it was on the grand staircase in her mother's house and it was absolutely perfect.

Afterwards, covered in sweat and lost in a lusty fog, Bella curled her body against mine. It wasn't exactly comfortable, with the stairs underneath us, but I held her against me just sat there… being. Being happy, whole, with each other. I buried my nose in her damp hair, letting her scent fill my throat and lungs.

Slow moments ticked by on the grandfather clock that sat in the foyer. Our breathing lined up to each other's- inhaling and exhaling in unison. I thought she might have fallen asleep until she whispered something so soft that it was hardly audible over the rain outside.

"Hmm?" I asked, pulling my head back to look at her.

"Stay," she said again- her face blushing the faintest pink.

I nodded- knowing what she meant without asking. It was just like before, years earlier, when she would show up outside my bedroom window in the middle of the night. She held my hand, carefully standing up, and I followed.

Bella walked me up the rest of the stairs and down the hall that lead to her bedroom. She pushed the extra pillows to the floor before taking off what little clothing still remained on her body. I mimicked her, sliding out of my clothes, and pulling the blankets down. She crawled into bed before reaching for my hand and pulling me in behind her.

"I haven't slept…"

I pulled the blankets over us before kissing the back of her shoulder and leaving my lips against her skin. "Me either."

We didn't talk after that, even though there were probably a million things that we needed to say to each other. Instead I once again matched my breathing to hers and just held her against me. I knew she was fully asleep when even the thunder outside didn't wake her up. She just stayed, peacefully still, curled against me.

I watched her, soaking in all of the small details that I'd so desperately missed, until my eyelids involuntarily started closing. Eventually I gave in, pressing my face deep into the back of Bella's hair, and let sleep take me.