A/N:

For all of you who aren't in my Facebook group:

Hi! This will be the new day for updates on this story.

Why?

Well, I've started school now, but because of the fact that we're still in a global pandemic, I remain in Sweden for now and take all my classes online.

This means I am on a New York schedule, but in a time zone 6 hours ahead of EST :)

On Fridays, my last class ends at my midnight (my time) and I can promise you, the last thing on my mind then is to update my story. So I'm changing it to Saturdays.

Still, I need you to know that, going forward, if I miss an update here and there, it will be because I am now loads busier than I've ever been before. Keep that in mind and please, be kind, okay?

I really don't like rude people.

Title: Love is Strange

Author: MarieCarro

Beta: Alice's White Rabbit

Pre-reader: LunaEclipse

Genre: Friendship/Romance/Drama

Rating: NC-17

Summary: Bella Swan and Edward Cullen live in the small town of Ligonier in Pennsylvania. They've been best friends since they were six years old, and not much can keep them apart. Bella wants to leave small-town life behind, while Edward is fine with whatever, but that's not the only complication in their relationship. What happens when they fall in love … with each other?

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

CHAPTER 30

IF HAPPILY EVER AFTER DID EXIST

A stream of sunlight cutting through the snow-heavy clouds hit Edward's face through the window, and he blearily blinked as he slowly woke up from his deep sleep. He reached up with his hand to rub his eyes, and when he moved, Bella began stirring next to him.

He looked at her and smiled. Being intimate with her had felt so right even though he hadn't planned it, and while dating for a mere three weeks could seem like a short time, it didn't feel as if they'd rushed anything either.

Her head was resting on his shoulder and he coaxed her further out of unconsciousness by placing a gentle kiss on top of her hair. Slowly, she opened her eyes and met his gaze.

"Good morning," he said, his smile still there and impossible to wipe off.

She smiled back and splayed her fingers over his now-bare chest before beginning a random pattern of swirls with her fingers, giving him goosebumps. "Good morning," she returned.

They stayed like that, completely content with the silence and serenity of the dawning day, when Edward suddenly realized they'd never shared a morning like this before.

While they were in high school, they'd always sneaked around to have sex to keep their parents out of the loop even though they both knew they hadn't fooled anyone. After that, during their strictly physical non-relationship agreement, the few times Bella spent the night, they never cuddled in the morning.

His slow strokes of her spine ceased and Bella gazed at him, seeing the deep-in-thought expression on his face. "What are you thinking?" she asked softly.

"Just that this is the first morning like this that we've shared, and I can't wait to have more of the same with you."

Bella pressed her face tighter against his shoulder, amazed that she loved the scent coming from his skin even though he had definitely been sweating during the night. It was almost as if he couldn't smell bad to her. "It's so strange," she mumbled almost inaudibly but knowing he was still listening. "I know we said we were going to take this slow, but it feels like it's been more than three weeks."

"I know what you mean," he agreed. "It's probably because we have so much history."

"Yeah, but not all of it good." He didn't argue with her because it was the truth, and she continued. "That's why we still have to be cautious. We can't fall back into what we already know just because it's comfortable. It could mean the end of us."

He nodded, and while he took her words seriously, he didn't want somberness to ruin the atmosphere they'd created, so he invited some humor into it to keep the tone light. "Don't worry. I'll wait another week or so before I propose." His joke worked and they laughed together. "But seriously, I don't want us to rush into anything either. And we don't have to. When we go back to New York, we don't have to talk to each other every day or have a date every weekend. Hell, once I've taken my bar exam after the new year, I know my bosses will keep my ass busier than I've ever been, and you're still working two jobs."

"You're right. We both have crazy schedules," she said and snorted at the absurdity. "How are we ever gonna have time for a relationship?"

Edward scooted up until he was leaning back against the headboard, and Bella followed suit. He reached out and lightly held on to her chin. "I'm still going to text you, just to let you know I'm thinking of you, when I'm waist deep in a new client's case files. I'll ask you out to dinner when both of us happen to have a night off. Maybe I'll even drop by your work for a lunchtime quickie now and then."

The last one earned him a light slap on the arm, but it didn't hurt, and they were both smiling because they'd finally found that balance between being best friends and lovers. Their friendship had suffered when their teenage love crashed and burned, but they never forgot the ease with which they spent their time together as kids. For the first time in what felt like forever, they'd found it again.

"My heart belongs to you, Bella," he continued on a more serious note. "I can barely remember a time it wasn't so, and I will do whatever it takes for this to be our happily ever after."

Bella took a hold of the hand under her chin and cradled it. In her younger years, she had never believed in happily ever afters because she thought they meant perfect lives until the end of time. It wasn't until recently that she understood what an ending like that actually entailed. It meant building a life surrounded by loved ones, dealing with the highs and lows together, and that when the time came to look back at one's life, there were no regrets, only experiences.

She looked down at his hand in hers, the warmth and weight of it felt comforting and natural. "I promise I won't fight you so hard on it this time," she said quietly, and then looked back up at him through her lashes. Without a word, they leaned forward as one until their lips touched.

"I love you," she whispered when they parted. She looked deeply into his eyes, wanting him to feel the words in the core of his soul. "And I will tell you every day if you want to hear it. I will be the girlfriend who deserves your incredible forgiveness, kindness, and affections. From now on."

He smiled, pleased she wanted to make a true effort for their relationship. However, he couldn't keep quiet about the last part of her statement. "You already are that girlfriend, Bella," he said. "I love you for who you are, and I love you even more now, knowing you want this as much as I do."

"You'll never have to doubt it again."

Their lips melded together again, and their hands explored instinctively over soft skin and long, lean limbs. Everything felt different in the daylight since they had both their sense of sight and touch compared to the night before. They weren't as sensitive to the touches, but they were no less significant. More the opposite. They had no darkness to hide in. In the daylight, everything was on display.

Their desire to be one again controlled their movements, but Edward's mind remained clear this time.

"Maybe we shouldn't … again … without … the risk ..." he said incoherently and trailed off at the end, but Bella understood what he was saying. Still, she didn't want to stop what they'd started.

"Then we won't," she agreed. "But please, don't stop touching me."

He vehemently shook his head. "Never."

Bella's entire body tingled afterward, and her limbs were heavy enough to convince her she'd sink deep into the mattress to never again emerge. "I'll look into going on the pill," she said, directing her words to the ceiling, and Edward turned his head sideways to look at her.

"I was wondering about that," he said. "You said the pill was the only way to alleviate your symptoms, so why don't you have a prescription yet?"

She sighed in soft frustration. "Do you remember that time I stopped taking the pill when we were teenagers? Because I got migraines?" He nodded. "I have yet to find a brand that doesn't give me side effects. If they weren't so debilitating, maybe I could have lived with it, but not only didn't they relieve my pain, they gave me something extra to deal with. After a while, I gave up."

"So you always relied on condoms with—" Edward stopped himself because he didn't want to imagine Bella with George, much less say his name now that he could very well be the person posing a dangerous and delusional threat to the love of his life.

"No," Bella replied, not needing Edward to say the name to know. "He was born with a defect making him sterile," she explained.

Realization dawned on Edward as he remembered a past conversation, which had, at that time, confused him a bit. "Was that what you meant when you said you might never have a family of your own?"

Bella furrowed her forehead in contemplation for a moment, trying to remember the time Edward referred to. "Oh," she said when the memory came to her. "Actually, no. We hadn't dated long enough for me to consider having a family with him, and maybe I was also a bit relieved he couldn't have any of his own."

"Relieved?"

"If we had reached a point where children were something we'd both wanted, knowing I couldn't get pregnant with him was a comfort. There was no risk that way. In hindsight, I'm certain he would have been too jealous to allow for a sperm donor child to grow inside me anyway. It most likely would have ended in adoption."

Edward nodded, but he needed to know how strong this fear of hers still was. "But if you're so scared of getting pregnant again, why were you willing to risk it last night? The possibility is there now, you know."

"Yes," she agreed, and then moved closer to him, snuggling into his chest. "And while it would break my heart if I lost another, knowing I have you by my side every step of the way now makes me feel calm in a way I didn't before."

"I'm glad I make you feel that way," he said and smiled affectionately.

~~LiS~~

"Dad, let me help with something," Bella insisted, but Charlie just waved her away again.

"Will you indulge me just this once?" he asked with an amused smile. "I used to cook for you all the time when you were a kid and you loved it."

"But cooking together is our thing," she said. Bella hated feeling idle, knowing she could make better use of her time than to just sit around on her hands.

"Just go sit down with the others. I'm handling it here."

Bella sighed discontentedly and grabbed the pitcher of water for the table. When she sat down in her chair next to Edward, he chuckled under his breath. He knew the cause of her grimace, but his laugh earned him a glare.

To distract her from her annoyance, Edward turned to his mother, who was observing them with a gentle smile on her face. "How's everything going with your expansion, Mom?"

Esme lit up in excitement. "It's going great. We still have a lot of marketing to do, but I have a lot of faith in this new shop."

"I remember you said you wanted to open a shop in New York," Bella said. "Where did you end up going?"

"I decided to settle with Pittsburgh, for now," she said. "I need to conquer Pennsylvania before I lift my eyes to the horizon." She laughed softly and winked.

"How about you, Bella?" Carlisle asked. "Charlie's told us you're quite successful now. Are you planning on getting your own studio soon?"

"That's certainly still the dream," she said. "I just need to take the plunge and quit The Chronicle, but apparently, that's easier said than done." She let out a nervous laugh, but Esme understood what actually held the younger woman back.

"It's always scary to take the chance when you break off on your own. If you need any advice at all on running your own establishment, I'm just a phone call away."

"Thank you," Bella said, genuinely grateful Esme offered to help her.

"And you know," Alice started from the corner of the table, her voice barely above a whisper, which in itself was unusual. "I know a thing or two about building your own brand, and I'll be just around the corner."

Bella gave Alice a small smile, and she could see that Alice was now trying to make amends. Most likely for her brother's sake, but Bella didn't mind. She knew the two of them wouldn't go out for a ladies' night out any time soon, but if they could remain civil and not go out of their way to disagree, even if it was only for Edward's sake, Bella was content with that.

Charlie entered the room with a deliciously aromatic, steaming dish and placed his famous chicken casserole in the middle of the table. Everyone breathed in appreciatively, and Charlie looked on with a grin as his best friends and family dug in.

As was usual, cross-talking conversation wasn't far away when the two families gathered, and the atmosphere was as warm and inviting as ever. It was almost as if they'd traveled back in time to before all the drama ensued, and as they all sat and sipped on a cup of coffee after the food had been eaten, Bella leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

"Can I ask what's got that smile on your face?" Edward whispered in her ear, and it only made her smile wider.

"This moment," she replied. "Right now, it feels as if everything's coming together to what it should be." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "It's been a long time since I've felt this happy."

The Cullens stayed for hours, and even after Carlisle was needed at the hospital, Esme and Alice stayed. Bella and Edward weren't in any rush to leave either, and the four of them helped Charlie clean up in the kitchen.

As Bella walked with a few glasses to put them back in the cabinet reserved for the china and glassware used for more special occasions, her eyes suddenly caught onto something on the wall next to the stairs.

Or rather, something that wasn't there anymore.

For as long as Bella could remember, there had been holes in the wall, constantly reminding them of the lift that had been installed for such a short time and so rarely used by her mom. After a while, the holes became such a common feature they faded into the background and no one really noticed them.

At least, that's what Bella thought.

Looking at the repaired wall now, not even a single sign of a hole anywhere under the cream paint, Bella realized that her dad had probably looked at those holes every day and been reminded of the painful time after her mom's accident. But now, he was finally taking the necessary steps to heal. To not remember Renée as the woman she'd been during her last months in life but the woman he'd fallen so deeply in love with.

While it made Bella feel slightly weird, not empty but uncertain of how to react, she was happy to know that her dad's decision to give up dating didn't come from a dark place of holding on to the past. He'd simply accepted he wouldn't and didn't want to find what he'd had with her mom.

With that knowledge in her heart, Bella decided to never bring up dating with her dad again. By doing so, she would only undermine him and his wish, and she didn't want that. Still, she was going to keep her promise of visiting more often.

Bella's phone, which had been unusually silent during their entire visit in Ligonier, started playing in her purse, and she quickly put the glasses down to answer.

The others had all convened in the living room, and Edward and Charlie were debating over the use of lifetime sentencing for criminals.

Edward was against it because he said the statistics showed most convicted criminals receiving a life sentence would be released later in life, and their long time behind bars would result in an inability to integrate back into society as a functioning human being. In his eyes, such a punishment was inhumane.

Charlie was of a simpler opinion. He wanted criminals off the streets.

Bella entered then, her eyes wide and staring at the phone in her hand.

Edward immediately noticed something was wrong and walked over to her. "What's happened?" he asked.

Bella turned to everyone in the room when she answered. "The NYPD just called me. Someone broke into my apartment."

A/N:

*Gasp!* Who could that be?

Take a guess, will you, and while you're down there, why not tell me your thoughts? Give an exhausted actor-in-training a reason to smile ;-)

Until next time,

Stay Awesome!