DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. All are human.

Reconnecting – Part 2 (Contains a Little E&B Loving)

Edward's POV

Once dinner was over, we headed back out into the downtown streets, leisurely walking around. It was still quite early and there was no reason to be in a hurry to return to the hotel. As we strolled along under the night sky, catching the occasional glimpse of a star here or there, I felt like the weekend was off to a great start. We were talking, joking, and laughing together; Bella seemed very relaxed; and we were really enjoying each other's company. So if everything was going so well, why was my stomach dropping with every step that took us closer to the hotel?

I did want her. I'd barely kept myself from attacking her when she'd opened the bathroom door and revealed herself in that dress. It hugged every curve she had, showing off her amazing figure, and all I'd wanted to do was feel her skin against mine.

But I couldn't risk hurting her any further. I was just now getting her back and I'd missed her so much—I couldn't risk losing her again so soon. Not that I could ever tell her that. It wasn't her fault that this had happened to us and telling her would just end up with her feeling guilty for my feelings. My mother completely disagreed with me, of course. She said that Bella would understand. More than that, that she would welcome knowing that was how I felt. But how could that be right?

Bella's voice put an end to my internal debating. "Are we going to go inside, or is this particular piece of sidewalk fascinating to you in some way that I'm missing?" she asked, glancing between me and the sidewalk in question.

"Sorry. Errant thought."

"Any chance you'll let it come this way so I can know what it was?"

"Probably not," I said honestly.

Bella smiled, but I recognized it instantly as a dangerous one and not a humorous one. "Honey, I promise you that if you continue trying to be the secretive Edward that you were when we first met, I'm going to kick your ass."

Any other man might have laughed, but I just nodded my head because I knew she was completely serious. That didn't mean I would give her the exact answer she wanted, but I would give one that would at least suffice for now.

She stopped smiling and just looked at me; it felt like her brown eyes were trying to decode me. "Edward, do you want to go home?" she asked. Her voice was soft, but firm and I knew she wanted a real answer.

If I said "yes", she would accept it and we would go home. She would be disappointed, but she would accept it, convincing herself that she was doing what any good wife would by putting my needs before her own.

If I said "no"…well, I didn't really know what would happen then, but I knew I wanted to find out because it was what Bella needed most. And since she was what I needed most, things would work out in the end for us. After all we'd been through, it would just be too cruel for it not to work out.

"I want to take my wife upstairs and enjoy my first night alone with her in a very long while," I said, smiling in the way I knew she liked best.

She nodded her head and put her hand in mine, but I got the feeling that her mood was dampened and she was unsure of my feelings for her again. Why couldn't I just get my mouth to open and explain to her that I did want her, but was so nervous at the same time? I was afraid of accidentally hurting her and pushing her away.

Because I knew she would never believe it. She would pretend she understood, but she really wouldn't. She still wondered sometimes if she'd made the right choice in marrying me—not that she didn't love me, but that she thought it might have been best for me to let me go on to medical school. My father had put that idea into her head on accident and I still hadn't managed to get it out. She never said anything to me about it, but she sometimes talked about it in her sleep.

As soon as we were in the room, I pulled Bella to me and kissed her, trying to show her that I'd meant my words and I really did love her. When I pulled my lips away from hers, we were both breathing heavier.

"Bella, why don't you go change into something more comfortable? I have something planned and as lovely as this dress is, it's going to be in the way."

"How comfortable should I be?" she asked, her lips pulled up in a teasing smile.

I decided to play along, not promising anything with my words, but also leaving her with the reassurance that she was wanted. "Something that's easy to remove if I need the access."

"Sure, sure," Bella replied, looking a little dazed.

"Are you dazzled again?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

"When am I not?" she chuckled, pulling away from me. "I'll be back soon. And it would be nice to see you in something easily accessed as well," she added before closing the bathroom door.

Bella's POV

Well, the dress had definitely worked at least a little on Edward. He was at least thinking of seeing me without it on. I wasn't sure if that meant there would be any touching or love-making going on, but progress was progress at this point. And if I was really lucky, the little number Rose had helped me pick out would give Edward the nudge he needed to finally understand that I was healed and more than ready to reprise my role as his lover.

After hanging my dress up on the back of the door, I quickly washed away all of the make-up and let down my hair. I didn't want to take too long and risk Edward finding something tame for us to do, like watching a movie—unless that movie was going to lead to making out in the dark and then I'd be all for that.

I pulled the chemise from my bag and held it up. It was as red as my dress, with black lace along the sweetheart neckline and hem. There was also some at the side where it split to show a little more leg. Definitely something I wouldn't normally go around in, but special times called for special measures. And since I was "being risqué to bring out the frisk-ay" as Rose put it, I might as well do it thoroughly. Edward was really going to be shocked when he discovered this was the only thing blocking his "access", and I really hoped he would like it.

I turned to the mirror, taking a long look at myself in the chemise. All of my confidence and bravery faded away as I noted each and every change in my body. Between the pregnancy weight, breastfeeding, and the scar, I hardly looked like my old self at all. There was so little about me that hadn't changed, and the scariest thing of all was knowing that the inside had changed nearly as much as the outside. What if it didn't feel the same? What if I didn't react the same? And what if Edward didn't like my new body?

There was really only one way to find out and it was by stepping through that door. I'd been so nervous about the dress, and it had ended up being for nothing, so maybe I would get lucky and all of this worrying would be useless too. I took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and then pretended to have a hell of a lot more confidence than I was actually feeling as I opened the door and walked into the room.

Edward was in the middle of pulling his dress pants off; he looked up at me and got so distracted with staring that he forgot to put his foot down and he fell over.

"Does that mean you like it?" I asked, trying hard not to laugh.

He just nodded his head, his emerald eyes never leaving me. If I didn't know better, I'd have sworn he was dazzled by me.

"Do you plan to sit there with one pants leg on and one off for the rest of the night?" I asked.

He blinked and finally seemed to realize he was still on the floor. "Just give me a minute," he said, trying to get his pants off too quickly and making it worse for himself.

"If you stand up, they should fall right down," I suggested.

"Bella, I don't think I can do that just yet," he replied, sounding serious.

I'd wanted to seduce him, not give him a heart attack. "Are you okay?" I asked, moving toward him.

"Fine," he said, holding his hand out toward me. "Just give me a minute."

I sat down in one of the comfy chairs, pressing my lips together and doing all I could not to laugh. He'd actually fallen down on his butt just from looking at me. Maybe this whole seducing my husband thing would be a lot easier than I'd thought.

Edward finally seemed to recover himself and he put his clothes away before coming over to me and pulling me up from the chair. He twirled me around once, getting a long look at me in this outfit, and he definitely seemed like he was enjoying the view.

He finally found his voice, but it wasn't the smooth velvet I was used to—there was a nervous tremor in it that made it sound rougher. "While I really do love that particular outfit on you, I think this will work better if you take it off."

"What will work better?"

"Well, I thought you might like a back massage, like I used to give you the night before you had big tests in college."

"Edward, that's sweet, but I—"

"Please, Bella?" There was no denying him with his soft tone or pleading emerald eyes. He smiled, realizing he'd won, and pointed toward the bed. "Take it off and lie down on your stomach."

Or maybe seducing my husband was going to be exactly as hard as I'd thought. He wasn't leaving room for me to use any of the ideas Alice and Rose had given me…But I could at least make a little show of getting out of this chemise thing. I grabbed the hem of it and very, very slowly lifted it up and over my head, enjoying the way Edward's eyes never once strayed away from my body.

I did my best to pretend I wasn't completely naked in front of him as I walked over to the bed. I kept expecting him to ask me where my clothes were or to ask that I cover myself up, but he never said a word.

Once I was settled on my stomach, with my head on a pillow, Edward knelt over me and moved my hair out of his way. I heard a snap and tried to turn to see what it was, but he just pushed on my shoulder and made me stay still.

"Fine," I sighed. "But can you at least tell me what that sound was?"

"You'll see," he said softly. And then his hands touched my back and the contact gave my skin a warm feeling that seeped right through and into my muscles.

"What the heck is that?" I asked, liking his massage idea a lot more now. Between the warmth of the liquid and the feel of his hands finally on my skin, I was quickly melting beneath him.

"Something Jasper and Emmett suggested," Edward replied. "Actually, I think it was Rose and Alice working through their husbands, but it doesn't matter as long as you like it."

"I love it. It feels wonderful. It's like having a heating pad that covers my whole back and massages. You should really let me do this for you after."

"We'll see. For now, just relax."

He must have passed those amazing hands of his over my back and shoulders a good ten times before finally stopping. Only, he didn't really stop—he just moved onto my arms and legs, leaving me a giant melted pile of goo in the middle of the huge hotel bed.

When he finally stopped, he laid down next to me and I moved closer, so that I was snuggled right against him. "That was the best massage I've ever had in my whole life," I said, kissing his cheek.

"Good," he chuckled, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me even closer. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I whispered, tracing the side of his face with my finger. "I've missed you so much, Edward. I know you've been right there with me, but it hasn't been the same. It's not the same kind of closeness. I hope I'm explaining this right because I don't want you to think I'm just talking about us having sex. That's not what I miss. I miss the before and the after." I lifted my hand and trailed my fingers across his chest. "I miss the feel of your hands sliding over me, your breath on my skin, and the way you whisper my name in the dark. I miss how tightly you hold me after and how crazy your heart sounds underneath my ear."

He grabbed my hand and held it tightly against his chest. I lifted my head, worried by the way his hand was shaking, but his face only made me more anxious. His eyes were shut tightly and his face was a little red.

I wasn't sure what I had said to upset him, but I desperately wanted to take it back. He'd been hurt too much already. I pulled my hand from him and wrapped both of my arms around him, hugging him as tightly as I could. He didn't move at first, but then his arms covered my waist and back, welding me to him. "I'm sorry," I whispered into his ear. "I didn't mean to upset you. I was just trying to share my feelings with you."

His grip on me tightened and although he didn't say a word, he spoke volumes to me…his tear hitting my cheek was all the answer I needed. He wasn't upset with me and I hadn't said the wrong thing. I'd said the right thing—I'd said what he couldn't figure out how to say himself and he really had missed me as much as I'd missed him.

"I love you, Edward. I wish I could have healed so much faster and come back to you sooner. I'm so sorry this has been so hard on you. I hate that you've gotten so worried about me that it's made you put back up those walls of yours. Tell me what I can do to help you take them down again. I'll do anything, I swear."

A small sigh was his only response.

"Please talk to me, Edward."

"I really don't think you want to hear anything I have to say."

"Not true. I always want to hear. I just wish sometimes that you weren't so upset and worried."

He rolled away from me and got up from the bed, stalking across the room and plopping himself down into one of the chairs. He'd left his shirt on the end of the bed so I grabbed it and it slipped it on myself before walking over to him.

"Why is it that I'm supposed to open up and share with you, but you can put up those stupid walls of yours and keep to yourself?"

"You had a reason for how you felt."

I sighed as I knelt down between his legs, taking his hands into mine. He looked so upset and I just wanted to lighten his heart and mind. "Edward, you have every right to your feelings. I know that in a lot of ways, this was just as scary for you, if not worse. But how can I help you to work through it, like you did for me, if you won't share? Please be honest. Did you want this weekend?"

He closed his eyes, hiding the green beneath along with his feelings. His face was a perfect mask of ease as he answered. "Of course I want this weekend."

"Liar," I accused.

He didn't reply or even open his eyes.

"Why didn't you want to spend a few days alone with me? Is it already too late to fix things between us?"

That question seemed to grab his attention because he not only opened his eyes, he let out a loud snort. "Why do you keep thinking there's something to fix?"

"Because this isn't how our marriage was before the baby. You weren't keeping your feelings a secret from me, we barely ever went a day without being intimate with each other in some way, and even though I didn't understand it, you always made me feel like when you looked at me, you saw the most beautiful thing in the world. How can all of that have changed without something breaking?"

"I'm not keeping secrets. I just don't see the point in bringing up things that are better left alone. And of course our life isn't like it was before the baby; we knew that it would never be the same again."

"Yes, not the same, Edward. But I never dreamed it would be like we were just two friends living together with a baby instead of it being us. It's like you're afraid of me; afraid to touch me, to really look at me—to show me any sign of real affection and want."

His voice was so low and soft that I nearly missed his reply. "Because I am, Bella."

"But why?"

"What do you mean why?" he asked, his voice almost at a yell. "Nearly being left alone without you isn't enough of a reason for you?"

"It could be if you explained it to me. It's been four months and I've done all I can to prove to you that I'm better, but nothing works."

"You don't understand," he sighed, leaning forward and burying his face in his hands.

"Help me then," I pleaded, running my fingers through his hair in what I hoped was a soothing gesture. "Edward, help me to understand. Please."

"They made me leave you. They just sent me away and left me to sit for so long, not knowing what was happening to you. And then...He came out and he said he was sorry and it seemed like his next words would be that you were gone. There was this moment where my mind pictured a life without you and it was nothing. It was just black, cold…It was nothing. When he explained that you were okay now, but would never be the same again, I thought I could handle that. I figured having you alive was all that mattered. I wasn't prepared for how different you would be, and I hate myself for being so selfish and wanting all of you back."

"Don't," I said softly as I moved to hold him. "Don't hate yourself. There was no way either of us could have been prepared for this, Edward."

"I don't know what to do, Bella. I don't know what's right and what's best for you, and it scares the hell out of me. You're just starting to seem like the happy person I'm used to and I'm so afraid of losing that again. I know that's selfish and makes me a jerk, but I can't help it."

"It does not make you selfish or a jerk," I said sternly, trying to pull him out of his despair. "We both lost part of me—I lost the physical pieces, and we both lost some emotional ones. I know I haven't been myself. Hell, I threw things at Emmett! I've never gotten that mad at my brother in my whole life. It's scary for me to realize how different I am, so I can only try and imagine what it must be like for you."

He didn't say anything and I wondered if I was getting through at all.

I decided to try and lighten the mood a little. "On the plus side, you have to be enjoying the decline in my stubborn streak."

Still nothing. I sighed as I hugged him tighter.

"Please tell me what I can do to help," I pleaded. "I really will do anything and I can prove it. Listen closely because this is your big opportunity to be a fell-fledged Cullen without me saying a word. I'm so determined to get my Edward back that if you tell me the only way is to buy you a new, faster car, I'll go out right now and get it. If it's a huge house that's way too big for us, I'll agree to that, too, without a word. I'll even allow—"

I didn't get another word out because Edward was busy kissing me and I was busy enjoying it. It was soft and loving, with a little desperation and desire mixed in.

He pulled away just as quickly as he'd started the kiss, resting his forehead on my shoulder.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you, too." His lips were tentative on mine, but still managed to command my full attention and cooperation. He wanted this, but needed it to be on his own terms and I would respect that—no matter how impatient I might feel, I would never let it show. I would keep my promise and do anything to help him.

His arms finally relaxed around me and his fingers started to explore the skin of my back, his fingertips lightly trailing from my waist, to my shoulders, and back down again. Edward deepened our kiss and our breaths mingled together for the first time in months, making my entire body flush with excitement and longing. As often as it had gotten me in trouble over the years, my stubbornness was the only thing keeping my hands from slipping into his silky, coppery hair and hanging on for life. I was certain that if I did that right now, he would pull away and stop, and I never wanted him to stop.

But he did stop and his green eyes were practically on fire with all of the things he was feeling. I wanted to badly to be able to crawl into that head of his and know everyone of them.

"I'm nervous, too," I admitted, hoping it might help him. "I don't know what to expect with my body being so changed. And honestly, I'm not so sure you'll like this new body," I said, looking down at myself.

His long finger touched my chin and lifted my face up to his. "If you would like, we could find out."

I think I nodded my head, but I wasn't sure. And I completely missed the part where he lifted me up and carried me to the bed. My attention was focused solely on those beautiful emerald eyes swirling with emotions and staring right at me.

Edward barely let any of us weight touch me, keeping as much of it as he could on his arms, locking me beneath his body as he kissed me. If this man thought for a second I had plans to move from this spot, he was highly absurd. I was thinking of doing a lot of things, but they all required me to stay right in this exact spot.

His kisses finally moved from my lips and down toward my neck, one of his favorite places to kiss on my body. I smiled, knowing that meant he was relaxing and starting to let himself go a little. I wasn't sure what he was so afraid of, but I thought it might have to do with hurting me in some way, something I knew he would never do. He just needed to realize that for himself.

My name left his velvet voice in a whisper as his warm breath blew against the area he'd been kissing. I shivered with delight and desire, enjoying two of the things I'd missed so much in the past six months. I didn't want to interrupt his focus, or make him think I was trying to be in control, but I did need to feel more of him, so I wrapped my hands around his upper arms and pulled until he relaxed and rested his weight on me.

"Tell me if this hurts," he whispered against my ear. "I never want to hurt you, Bella. I love you so much."

"You won't hurt me."

"Promise you'll tell me if I do."

"You won't hurt me," I repeated firmly. "But I promise all the same."

He seemed satisfied with that promise and started kissing me again. He moved us onto our sides and his free hand roamed across my skin, discovering every piece of my body within its reach. It was amazing how his movements could be so frantic and controlled at the same time, always more soft than forceful. No matter the speed or the length, it was always love-making for Edward and I loved that about him.

While he freely rediscovered my body, I kept my hands on his chest, worried that doing anything more would break his focus and cause him to stop. If he wanted more, he would let me know—I just had to make myself wait for him to do that. It had been six long months since we had last been able to show our love this way and I didn't want anything to stop us now that we were finally reconnecting.

I was so focused on behaving myself that I never even noticed us moving again and only became aware of it because Edward had stopped completely. His hair was hanging down in his face, hiding his eyes just enough for me to be unable to resist the urge to push it away. His green eyes closed and a small smile spread across his lips.

"I love you," I whispered.

He opened his eyes, revealing a mixture of love, fear, and desire—I only wanted him to feel two of those.

"I love you," I said, making it sound like the promise that it was.

I gently pulled his face down to mine and kissed him. He took the lead and deepened it easily, freely, and without hesitation. I could feel that spark we'd always had between us and taste it on his tongue. It made me feel like I was both floating and drowning in his love for me.

His touch, his lips, the gentle way he was making love to me…they all answered my questions of whether or not my body appealed to him, if my body still worked and reacted the same to him, and if he still wanted me. It wasn't the mad rush Rose had predicted, or the all-night affair Alice had been so sure of—it was better. It was just Edward breathing out while I breathed in and our arms holding us together in a way that promised us we'd never let go, no matter what happened to us.

That floating feeling turned into one of flight and our mingled cries of pleasure filled the room, and I was sure it was the sweetest sound I'd heard in ages. And while I listened to his heart pound beneath my ear and felt his panting breaths against the top of my head, my world finally felt like it was completely put back together and spinning correctly.

We fell asleep still holding tightly to each other, having our first night of deep, uninterrupted sleep in months. When the sun woke us on Saturday, we continued to just lie there, talking softly about everything we could think of. Edward opened up about all of his feelings during the last four months, his current fears, and his future hopes for us. Those walls of his were gone once again and everything about him seemed lighter, from the set of his shoulders, to the tone in his voice, and even the look in his beautiful green eyes. He finally understood and believed that I was okay.

We hardly ventured away from the bed that day, only leaving to eat and to take a very long bath together in the huge spa tub in our bathroom. We didn't do anything more than teasingly touch and cuddle, but we didn't need more—we'd already found each other again.

We spent our Saturday night wrapped up in the fuzzy robes of the hotel, watching a comedy on the huge television and cuddling together in one of the recliners. It was absolutely perfect for us and Edward didn't even mind that I'd wanted to stay in instead of going out on the boat.

Sometime before sunrise on Sunday, Edward woke me with his kisses and we took advantage of our last morning completely alone, both of us knowing it would be sometime before we had a chance to have another slow morning like this. We might not have tons of time at our disposal in the future, but I would do all I could to make sure we never went so long without showing our love for each other.

As much as we'd both enjoyed our time away, we were getting anxious to get back to Charlie. And it was because we'd both admitted to wanting to be with him that I found it extremely odd for Edward to take a turn that led away from Emmett's house.

"What are you going?" I asked, looking around for something familiar and finding nothing.

"You'll see," Edward said, smiling wide.

I found myself smiling just because he was, enjoying seeing my husband truly happy after months of worry. "What are you up to, Tutor-boy?" I asked him.

"You'll see," he repeated.

"Fine. Be cryptic. See if I care," I said, crossing my arms in front of me. My silence lasted exactly twenty-one seconds. "Edward, please? Tell me where we're going. This isn't the way to Em's and you're prolonging my separation from my son and I want to know why."

"Patience is a virtue, Isabella," he said with a huge smirk on his face.

"I believe I recall your response to being told that. Didn't it go something like 'I lost my virtue to you a long time ago'?"

"Yes, it did as a matter of fact. And may I just say that I loved every second of taking it from you?"

As much as I didn't want to because I knew it would just encourage him, I found myself laughing.

Edward reached over and uncrossed my arms, pulling my hand up to his lips and pressing a kiss against my skin. "I love you."

I pulled our joined hands toward me and kissed his hand in return. "I love you, too." I was pretty sure he mumbled "remember that", but when I asked, he swore he hadn't said anything.

Edward eventually turned down a driveway and followed it around a bend and up to a house sitting in the middle of a yard too green to be anything but freshly laid grass.

"What is this place?" I asked, staring up at the massive house through the windshield.

"Well, remember how you said you would do anything…"

For those adult readers wanting a little more, the one-shot is called Make You Believe.

I hope you guys really liked these chapters. Enjoy your DVDs next weekend, and I'll be back the following weekend - we'll find out exactly where Edward has taken his Bella.