AN: Thank you to my girls Packy, Kristen, and Meg for pre-reading. And to Mel who is the best beta anyone could have asked for! As usual, there was tinkering, so any remaining mistakes are my own.

Musical inspiration: Perfect by Ed Sheeran.

'Cause we were just kids when we fell in love
Not knowing what it was
I will not give you up this time

Chapter 26. Pancakes For Dessert

~o~

NOW

~o~

The Capitol Hill Apartment. Seattle, Washington. Thursday, November 28, 2013

The knock on the door sends Bella flying off the couch, rushing to answer with her heels clicking along the way.

He's finally here.

Two months have passed since coming back to Seattle, and Edward and Bella have been busy. In between work, they have used their downtime to record Edward's new songs at the studio. Ben Cheney had been kind enough to let Edward use the studio when it wasn't booked, so they were pretty much in every chance they got.

Other than work and music, their days and nights were spent making up for the time they had been apart.

This week, however, Edward had been swamped at work and was using whatever extra time at the studio to make the final touches on their demo, so she had barely seen him.

Excitement bubbles in her stomach as she makes her way to the door, running a hand over her hair, arranging it over her shoulder, before opening the door.

He's a sight for sore eyes, standing there, at her door. His hands in the pockets of his black slacks, his hair lightly gelled and somewhat tamed, and his black leather jacket on.

Esme stands in front of him, over a foot shorter, holding a pumpkin pie in her hands and a bright smile on her face. "Bella, it's so good to see you," Esme says as Bella grabs the pie from her and then they embrace in a hug.

As Esme steps in, Bella smiles at the man still at her door, who in one step, closes the distance between them and pulls her up into a kiss.

"Bella…" he whispers against her lips. "I haven't seen you in four days, and this is what you're wearing?" His hand fists the fabric of her dress around her waist with a soft groan.

"I probably shouldn't tell you that this is all I'm wearing then…" She pulls him inside, closing the door behind them.

He wraps an arm around her waist, pressing his body to her back. "You fucking tease…" His growl in her ear gives her goosebumps, but with a deep breath, she grabs onto his hand and leads them to the kitchen.

"Mrs. C! C'mere, you life-changing angel!" Jazz wraps his arms around Esme, guiding her into the living room with a hand on her back. "This is Alice, our new roommate." Jazz waves a hand at Alice who is on the couch.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Cullen." Alice gets up from the couch to shake Esme's hand with a smile on her face. In her RBG tee shirt and her cropped black pants, she exudes confidence and strength that contrast her tiny features.

Jasper had met Alice at an art show and they had clicked immediately. When Bella came back from Forks, and the plans of Edward staying at his apartment above the studio became more solidified, Jasper mentioned Alice was in need of a place, and they offered her Edward's old room. Bella remembers meeting Alice and admittedly having an intellectual crush on her. Alice was witty and fierce; she was a freaking badass.

"Please, call me Esme." Esme and Alice shake hands as Edward and Bella come closer. "Edward says you're an artist like Jazz?"

"Well, not quite like Jazz." Alice shakes her head with a small laugh.

"That's a tall order," Jazz quips.

"I make jewelry," Alice explains, with a hand under the earrings hanging from her ears.

"Oh…" Esme comes closer to take a better look. "Are they… um…" Esme brings a hand to her chest, taking a step back.

"Female genitalia?" Jazz adds, scrunching his nose.

"I was going to say clams," Esme says with a nervous laugh.

Alice slaps a friendly hand on Jazz's arm, rolling her eyes. "It's open to interpretation."

"Oh… I see… well, they're very interesting," Esme adds, as Edward comes to her rescue to take her coat.

"Alice, Jazz, you guys need any help in the kitchen?" Edward folds Esme's coat over his arm but waves a hand in the kitchen's direction, effectively moving the conversation away from body parts.

"Hi, handsome." Jazz comes closer to Edward. "I've got it covered, don't worry. Wait until you try my Brussel sprouts." He touches the tip of his finger on Edward's chest, biting his lip, before retreating to the kitchen.

"Esme, would you like something to drink?" Alice asks, heading in the direction of the kitchen as well.

"I'll help you, dear." Esme follows behind them, effectively leaving Edward and Bella alone in the living room.

Bella walks closer to Edward, who still holds Esme's coat over his arm. He exhales through puffed cheeks as he sees her coming closer.

"I can take that." Bella grabs the coat from him with a smile. "It's really nice you brought her here, Edward. Even if you had to drive to Forks to pick her up and back. It would have been too sad to go there, and I would have hated it if she had stayed by herself." She reaches for his face with her hand. "Are you okay? You look tired."

"I'm fine." Edward runs a hand down Bella's arm, inching closer to her. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay." Bella looks down at her hands, rubbing her thumb over the last two words on Charlie's letter to her—Love, Charlie—now tattooed in his handwriting on her left wrist.

With an arm around her, Edward pulls Bella to his chest, resting his chin over her head. "I missed you."

"Me too." Bella's arms close around him as she hugs herself to him.

~o~

"I mean, renting a space at the tiny art studio works for me, you know?" While Jazz and Esme finish up dinner, Edward, Bella, and Alice sit in the living room. Bella had asked Alice for advice on starting up their own studio, given Alice's entrepreneur tendencies and how she had started her own jewelry business at the young age of 21.

"It's a minor investment and I make the most of my hours there," Alice continues. "But for the amount of time you guys spend in the studio, wouldn't it make more sense to own your own place? Save up for a while, then invest in a property, and make it the studio you want it to be."

Bella nodded emphatically, clasping her hands together.

It absolutely made sense to own a place. She knew Edward was busting his ass, taking any shift he could at the studio, working on every single project they threw at him, to save up enough to rent a space for a studio. But between whatever he could save and her sporadic classes and gigs, they would not have enough for a while.

The wheels turn in her head while Edward fidgets next to her, probably lost in thought as well.

"We could sell Charlie's house." Bella turns to Edward, her eyes wide in determination.

"What?" His eyes widen as well but in shock.

"The paperwork is done; it's ours now. We'd need to talk to Esme first, but she's been pretty reluctant to even accept her share of the house. We could put it up for sale. Between the house and the death benefits and insurance... that's probably enough for a hefty down payment."

"Do you want to sell Charlie's house?" Edward's voice comes out squeaky—it's clear the thought had not crossed his mind yet.

"I mean, I don't want to, but I also don't want to move back to Forks. Do you? What are we going to do with it then? What do you want to do with it?"

"It's not up to me, Bella." He looks down, his hands clasped over his knees.

"Yes, it is! I told you already, I don't care what a paper says. He would have wanted you to have half of it, and that's exactly what I'm going to do." Her thumb rubs on her left wrist. There's absolutely no doubt in her mind it's what Charlie would have wanted.

He puffs his cheeks, still looking down, running a hand in his hair. "I can't let you do that."

"What if having my own studio is my dream too?"

"You belong on the stage, Bella. Front and center. Under the spotlight. The demo is done. I have a few people already that I will send it to. I just need a bit more time. We will find a record deal, I—"

"What if that's not what I want anymore? What if that's not my dream anymore. I want to make music…with you."

He drops his head back on the couch, exhaling roughly through his nose.

"If you're okay with selling the house, you can have your half if you want, and do whatever you want with it." She grabs his hand, scooting closer to him. "I'm being serious. It's yours."

"Bella…" He intertwines his fingers with hers and brings their hands to his chest.

"But if you want to invest it with me, I am in 100%"

"Jesus Christ…" He stares at the ceiling, shaking his head.

"Just think about it. Swan Productions. For Charlie, you know? Or maybe… Charlie Made? Chief Sound?"

"Stop." He turns to look at her, his eyes lighting up, his lips stretching into a smile. He grabs her face then and kisses her with everything he has.

"Dear God, are they always like this?" Lost in their conversation, they had completely forgotten Alice was still there sitting on the chair next to the couch.

Breaking the kiss, Bella turns to look at her apologetically, and Alice gives her a smile back with a shake of her head.

"You haven't seen half of it, sister." Jazz comes behind Alice. "C'mon, kids, dinner is ready."

~o~

After dinner, Esme and Jazz do the dishes, while Alice talks on the phone out on the balcony. With a hand in his, Bella pulls Edward to the couch.

He drops next to her on the couch with a huff. She brings her legs up on the couch so that she's kneeling next to him, her knees pressed against his thigh, and drops her head on his shoulder.

"Are you staying here tonight?" Her fingers tap over his chest in a playful dance.

"I-I don't think so."

In the past two months, they've been back and forth, between his apartment and hers. While Bella had been adamant at first not to spend the night at the apartment over the studio, they had made a compromise. Edward had purchased an actual bed and had gotten rid of the mattress he previously had on the floor.

It was convenient—his apartment was right above the studio where they were spending most evenings anyway, and it just seemed pointless to go back and forth from the studio to her place.

"Esme can have my bed. We can share the inflatable mattress." She moves her head up so she can watch him, and waggles her eyebrows at him.

He laughs through his nose. "Esme doesn't want to be a bother. I had to really use all my charm to convince her to even stay at my place."

Bella purposely pouts, bringing a hand to his cheek.

"Trust me, it's going to be harder on me." He runs a hand over her knees, exposed under her dress.

"Yeah, I seriously doubt that." The layer of stubble on his jaw is prickly under her fingertips.

With a hand around her neck, Edward brings her face to his, his lips soft but purposeful against hers.

"I can't wait to have our own place." Edward's hand makes its way under her dress, and with a growl, he squeezes her thigh, making Bella whimper.

"Then let's do it," she says with a gasp. "We can have our own place and our own studio."

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Bella! Your bedroom is right there!" Jasper flops on the chair next to them. "I do miss you, honey"—he points a finger at Edward—"but I don't miss the PDA." He waves a hand at them and then takes a sip from his drink. "You're lucky it was me and not Mama C."

Bella inches into Edward's neck. "Meet me in the bathroom in five," she whispers into his ear then gets up from the couch.

"And now we get to watch her sashay away," Jazz says to Edward, raising a finger in Bella's direction.

Edward's eyes peek at Bella's retreating form, then with a groan, he runs a hand down his face and sinks on the couch.

~o~

A faint knock on the bathroom door causes Bella to jump and open it. It's no surprise who is outside, his eyes almost dark as he's braced on the door frame, the sleeves of his button up rolled up to his elbows. His hands fly to her face, and he brings her lips to his, while she pulls the door closed from behind him and locks it.

She presses herself to him, and his hands travel from her face down her arms until they curve behind her legs and lift her up.

"Think they're on to us?" She gasps, breaking the kiss.

"They all fucking know, but I don't fucking care." He seals her mouth again and sets her on the sink counter, his hands traveling under her dress. "Shit… you didn't lie." He pants against her neck as he finds nothing but naked skin under her dress.

She drops her head back, and he kisses her neck, trailing down into her cleavage, while her hands work desperately to rid him of his pants. Her heels finish the job, pushing everything down, as he crumples her dress up and slides her off the counter and into him.

She closes her legs around him, and he swings her around so her back is against the door.

"This won't last long." He breathes out harshly into her ear, holding her to him with one hand while the other steadies them against the door.

"Still better than the alternative…"

She cries in pleasure as he pushes into her, and the hand that was braced against the door now covers her mouth.

Her hands fist his hair, and her legs tremble as he pounds into her, while he hides his own moans in her neck.

She focuses on him and how he feels inside of her and lets everything else slip out of her mind. The world outside of the bathroom disappears. There are no voices. No clinking of glass. No music playing. There is nothing but the labored breathing of the two of them, their hearts thrashing in their chests, their moans threatening to escape and expose them even more.

When he bites her shoulder, it sends them both over the edge, and with their bodies still entangled, Edward moves Bella back to the sink counter. His hands clasps at the edge of the counter, on each side of her legs, as he tries to catch his breath.

Her hands reach for his face, pulling his lips to hers. "I love you." She runs her hands on his hair, trying futilely to tame it, and a chuckle escapes her lips. "They're going to know."

He straightens up and his hands cup her face, running his thumbs over her cheeks. "These cheeks will be the dead giveaway." He brings his lips to her again and rests his forehead on hers. "I love you too."

After hastily cleaning up, they both exit the bathroom and, hand in hand, walk back into the living room, not bothering to keep up with appearances anymore.

"Oh, just in time!" Jazz says as he sees them coming closer, rolling his eyes at them. "Pancakes for dessert, anyone?"

Edward and Bella laugh embarrassedly as Esme and Alice puzzledly look at each other.

"It's a 'you had to be there' kind of thing," Jazz explains, waving a hand at the table spread of desserts and the obvious lack of pancakes. "Let's dig in, kids. Then it's countdown to Mariah season!"

"He means Christmas," Edward says to Esme, as he pulls out a chair for Bella next to him.

As Bella's eyes scan the people sitting around the table—her friends, the woman who was more a mother to her than her own mother, and Edward, her everything—a pang sets on her chest. It's funny how grief hits, all of the sudden, and all at once. Memories of previous Thanksgiving dinners flash before her eyes, and she looks down at her hands, overwhelmed. Her thumb rubs over her left wrist, as she reads the words inked on her skin again and again, until tears spill from her eyes.

Edward inches closer to her, one hand on her shoulder, and the other reaching under the table, wrapping his finger over her wrist, as if he knows exactly how she's feeling, as if he knows exactly how to comfort her.

"I just miss him so much…" Her voice is barely a whisper as her head drops on Edward's shoulder.

"I know, Bella." His arm loops around her, bringing her to him, while he kisses the side of her head. "I know."

All eyes on her now, Bella wipes her tears, smiling embarrassedly. "I'm okay," she says to Jazz, who looks worriedly at her. "Please, it's fine." She pats a hand on Edward's over her shoulder and he releases her. "Your pumpkin pie was his favorite." She looks at Esme, while reaching for the pumpkin pie and the knife. "Let's have some for him."

Edward wraps an arm around Esme, whose eyes tear up as she smiles at Bella, and rubs his hand over her arm, while he nods in encouragement at Bella.

"To Daddy Swan." Jazz raises his glass, and everyone laughs.

Edward shakes his head, but raises his glass too. "To Charlie."

"To Charlie."

~o~

A/N: To Charlie, who is the real MVP of this story. Thank you all for reading and reviewing! You make my heart full and I love you more than pumpkin pie!