A/N: The title of this chapter says it all; this chapter contains fluff (Fluff = romantic, lovey-dovey things). So be aware, this chapter contains lots of romantic stuff. If fluff isn´t really your style, I´ve written a little bonus chapter containing smut (Smut = sex). You can read that after the meadow scene (as it takes place in the meadow).

Also, the sentence ´so long and goodnight´ are lyrics from the song Helena by My Chemical Romance. My boyfriend and I always say that instead of ´good night´

I don´t know why. We´re weird.

Chapter 25: Sleepover Fluff

Bella POV:

I was hesitant to invite Edward to my room at first, but I realised I´ve missed it. I've wanted to sleep in his arms tonight and no one could stop me. And after a day like today, all I wanted was to cuddle and relax. Whisper sweet nothings to each other and fall asleep. Or at least, I would.

Edward had no clue what I was about to ask him. My cheeks turned red. I was sure he wouldn't turn me down, but I was still a bit shy. What if he would? I've made it pretty clear I didn't want him in my room at night anymore and I knew he respected that wish. Still, now that we've kissed, things were different between us, right?

Edwards forehead creased and I wanted to softly kiss that wrinkle away. Contain yourself, woman! Well, here goes nothing.

´Edward, would you please come to my room tonight? I miss you.´ I confidently asked him, even though it was a little bit staged. Fake it till you make it, as they say.

His eyes lit up as he put two and two together. ´Are you sure, Bella?´

Of course! I batted my lashes at him. ´Yes. I´m inviting you.´

´Then I would love to come.´ Edward smiled his dazzling smile and I was happy I was sitting, otherwise I would for sure fall with how unsteady my legs suddenly felt.

´Good, good. Come once you hear Charlie's sleeping.´ I tried to be a little bit distant and not show my eagerness for tonight but the corners of my mouth involuntarily lifted. There goes my poker face.

´Alright.´ Edward absolutely showed his excitement. He started smiling broadly and I saw a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He instantly relaxed and I saw a glimpse of pure euphoria flicker in his eyes.

Oh, who was I kidding? I started grinning at him. Yes, I too, couldn't wait for tonight, is what my eyes told him.

After our little arrangement, it was almost next to impossible to focus on Biology again, but we managed to pull through. I would even go as far and say we´re finished with it but that could also be part of my wishful imagination. If we would not receive an A for this, I would not know what else we had to do.

And as much as I loved the Cullens, I was happy we could work on it without being interrupted.

I gathered my stuff and Edward walked me to my car. I felt a little bit tense with anticipation. I stood next to my car and my fingers played with my keys. Edward followed my gaze and his eyes lingered on my hands. He slowly looked up and I saw the dedication in his eyes.

He then wrapped me in his strong arms. My heart was almost bouncing out of my chest. He set his eyes on me with a seriousness that unsettled me and made me blush. I felt like I was melting in his arms and I had no clue where this would lead us. Oh well, no. I did have some ideas. I lifted my face to meet him halfway, making the angle to kiss me a bit smaller.

As if he needed that! Edward pressed his lips to mine, gently at first but more persistent as our kiss lingered. He opened his mouth slightly and put my lower lip in between his, while lightly sucking at it, tasting the sweet skin of my lip for the first time.

This new sensory feeling was almost too much to handle. He must have felt I stood quite unsteady at my feet, as he stopped kissing me like that and planted a quick peck on my lips instead.

´You didn't have to stop,´ I pleaded with him. It was true, I just needed a quick minute to catch my breath again.

Edward raised an eyebrow at me. His eyes got a little dark edge around the irises again. I didn't like the look he was giving me and as a result, I wanted to show him I was good to go again.

I reached out and cupped his face in my hand. This time, I kissed him and this time, I did not want to waste any more time as I parted my lips slightly, welcoming his cold tongue in my mouth. This slightly surprised him, but he kissed me back instantly.

Before he had time to pull back and swallow his venom, I stopped kissing him altogether. He looked disappointed for our kiss to stop, but I winked at him, said my goodbyes, turned around and got in my car. I reminded him to come as Charlie was asleep, waited a minute for my heart to beat normally again and drove away.

I was in control.

Or at least, that's what I was telling myself as I drove home. Before Edward could come over, I had to make sure everything would be ready. As I returned home, I quickly cooked some pasta for Charlie and I. Afterwards, I kept myself busy with my homework assignments. Since Charlie had to work very early tomorrow, he would head to bed soon.

So I decided to brush my teeth, comb my hair and put on my pyjamas already. I opened the window for Edward and I put the CD he gave me for my birthday in the stereo. I started reading a book to keep myself busy. I did not want to admit it, but I was quite nervous for tonight. I mean, I tend to talk in my sleep and I didn´t know what I would be babbling about. I only wanted to sleep next to Edward again, damnit!

Charlie knocked on my door and wished me a goodnight. The nervous knot in my stomach returned. Why was I this nervous? It would only be Edward. And I asked him to come?! What was wrong with me?

After a few minutes, I heard Charlie snoring peacefully. This is it. I tried to read again but a little bit of wind grabbed my attention. I looked up and saw Edward sitting in the chair in my room, totally relaxed.

´Hey.´ He smiled at me as if he were exactly where he wanted to be. As if he never left. And I felt he truly belonged here. Here, in my room and here, with me.

´Hey,´ I returned his smile, feeling my nervousness slowly go away and my excitement returning. I wanted this. I walked over to the stereo to silence the music.

I walked over to the chair and sat down on his lap. I put my arm behind him and he wrapped both of his arms around me. He put his nose in my neck and slowly inhaled my odour. As he did that, I felt his hair tickle my nose and I awkwardly kissed him where I could reach him.

I only now noticed the change of clothes.

´Why did you change your outfit?´

I felt him smile against my neck before he planted a kiss there. ´When we will drive together to school tomorrow, I don't want to wear the exact same clothes as yesterday. What will the people think, Bella?´ He asked while raising an eyebrow at me. I chuckled. We´ve always acted very PG-13 so there wouldn't be much to tell.

´So, will you stay until tomorrow?´ I asked.

´Only if you want me to,´ he explained while he studied my face, searching for a sign that I did not want that.

I´ve decided to tease him a little bit. ´Let me think…,´ I glanced up to the ceiling while I fought back my smile.

´Okay, you can stay,´ I exclaimed and his face lit up. Edward kissed my cheek and I giggled.

´You had me worried there for a second,´ he said in between kisses. I could almost hear my own heart react to his touch.

´Charlie will have to go to work early anyway. And as I said before, I´ve missed you.´ I moved my head a bit so that our noses touched. Nose to nose. Forehead to forehead. I closed my eyes and let myself linger in this moment. This one, beautiful and perfect moment where I was alone with Edward and I felt truly at peace. Our breathing became synchronised and I felt calm again. It was true, I´ve missed him. Once he left me, I physically missed Edward around me and when he came back, I´ve missed the emotional bond that we shared. We were out of sync and did not understand the other. But now, I truly felt synchronised again.

´I´ve missed you too. More than you can ever imagine,´ he whispered.

I smiled. ´I might have had an idea.´ I leaned in for another kiss.

His cold lips on mine sent shivers down my spine and my breathing became unsteady again. My cheeks reddened and my heartbeat quickened. I guess some things might never change. Oh well…

My hands in his hair, and his arms around me, he gently stood up. He had wrapped an arm under my legs and one arm around my back and he was carrying me towards the bed, bridal style.

He softly laid me down and put the covers on top of me. He laid down next to me, on the covers, and kissed me again.

´Wait,´ I said to him, as a thought came to mind. He always laid down on top of the covers, wouldn´t it be more convenient if he laid down next to me, wrapped in a blanket? So I stood up and grabbed a blanket. I placed the blanket on top of Edward to create a little barrier between our bodies as he was so cold, and I covered the both of us under the covers. Now, if someone would walk in on us, it would seem like we were both under the covers.

´This is better,´ I said to him. I made myself comfortable and snuggled up to Edward. I took his arm and placed it so that I could rest my head on it.

´Isn't it too cold for you?´ Edward worriedly asked me.

´No, it's just fine. Relax.´ I kissed the tip of his nose and when I looked at him, I saw him smiling at me.

´What is it?´ I chuckled.

Instead of answering me, he reached out and stroked my cheek with his hand. He leaned in and softly kissed my lips. And my cheeks. And my forehead.

´I love you, Bella,´ Edward whispered. ´So long, and goodnight.´ Then, he started to softly mumble my lullaby to me. He must have heard that I listened to it before he came. Hearing the familiar song made me sleepy and I felt my eyelids getting heavier and heavier. I nestled into his embrace and closed my eyes.

´I love you too, Edward,´ I whispered back while I was fighting back my sleep. I think he managed to hear me since I heard him chuckle but I didn't know for sure…

I woke up and for a second, thought I had dreamt it all. I had never realised my imagination would be so vivid! But then I felt something on my chest, something heavy and cold. I opened my eyes and saw messy, bronze hair. So it wasn't a dream after all!

Edward´s head laid on my chest and he listened to my steady heartbeat. I reached out and ran my fingers through his velvety soft hair. I smiled. This was a lovely way to wake up for sure!

´Good morning,´ said the pile of hair. Edward slowly lifted his head from my chest and planted a kiss on my lips. I felt his smile against my lips and I was smiling right back at him.

´Good morning,´ I lazily said before I had to gawn. I stretched a bit, making sure sleep left my body and I would be fully awake.

Edward gave me one of his crooked smiles and my heart stuttered. ´I love you too.´

I raised my eyebrow at him. ´What?´

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. ´In your sleep, you constantly said that you love me. I had to wait until you woke up before I could return the favour. It was a long night for sure.´ Edward wickedly smiled at me.

He leaned in and kissed my nose. ´I love you.´

He kissed my forehead. ´I love you.´

He kissed my cheeks. ´I love you.´

He wanted to kiss my lips. And then… My stomach started growling. He started laughing and I joined him.

´Perks of dating a human,´ I said, as I planted a quick kiss on his lips. He lifted me up and we both got out of the bed. Charlie already left for work so we had the house to ourselves. We went straight to the kitchen.

´Let me make breakfast for you,´ Edward said. I stood still, uncertain if I heard him right. Edward wanted to make breakfast for me? He had never done so.

´Don´t look so nervous, Bella. Have a little faith in me.´ Edward pretended to be a little bit offended. And I´ve decided I will just see what he comes up with. It might be tasty.

´So, pancakes?´ Edward asked. Oh, this morning just got better and better. Who would say no to pancakes?

´Sounds great,´ I encouraged him. His face lit up with anticipation and he turned around, ready to begin. He was searching for flour, milk, eggs and a decent pan.

I sat down and watched him. For the first time since I've known him, he seemed utterly at loss. It was endearing to watch, actually. Edward, my Edward, who could do absolutely anything, was struggling to make normal pancakes. And I wondered where and when he even learned to make them.

´Emmett and I practised,´ Edward answered my unspoken question. My heart filled with love as I envisioned those two, in the kitchen, struggling to make pancakes. Emmett, large and strong as a bear and Edward, absolutely talented in anything, in the kitchen, mixing flour with eggs and sugar to make the perfect pancake. I had to see it in action.

´Why didn't you ask Esme? Her brownies were delicious.´ I asked him.

´She would secretly make a pile and pretend I made them. And I wanted to make them myself. You know how Esme is. I would think I´ve made the perfect pancake, come over to your house and absolutely ruin them here. No, I asked Emmett instead. I needed a strong critic.´ He turned around to smile warmly at me.

´Well, you sure made me curious,´ I smiled back at him. That seemed to caught him off guard as he quickly turned around again.

´No flirting with the chef, Bella. I need to concentrate.´ Edward was now mixing all the ingredients and I couldn't help but chuckle.

´Isn't that supposed to be my line?´ I asked him as he always caught me off guard. He laughed in response.

Edward, standing in my kitchen, making pancakes for me certainly was a sight for sore eyes. If only the pancakes would taste as good as watching him, he could make them anytime again. And even if they tasted bad... He tried to make them, for me and it was the thought that counted. I felt loved. Loved by the fact that he loved me.

He took a plate and placed the pancakes on it. He gave me the plate and a fork and eagerly watched as I took the first bite. I smiled encouragingly at him, hoping to remind him that I love him, even if the pancakes don't taste good.

Hold that thought.

He had accidentally switched sugar and salt. The pancakes were shit. I swallowed and he must have seen my face. His brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of what was wrong with them.

´No worries, Edward. You've switched sugar and salt. I'm sure they would have been absolutely perfect otherwise.

He silently took the plate and returned to the stove. ´Attempt one; failed.´

Edward POV:

Luckily, attempt two was a great success. Thank God! Bella was very appreciative of the food and it was truly a joy to watch her eat. She had been very hungry and the pancakes were gone before I knew it.

After her little breakfast, she headed over to her room to change. We soon had to head out and she wasn't even remotely ready yet.

As she left, I let myself think about the other night. In her sleep, Bella had tangled herself around me as if she tried to get closer to me. Her arms were wrapped around me and as a result, I held her there. It was truly marvellous to hold her in my arms all night. My joy was overpowering. Our first night together had been brilliant and I would not change a thing.

The moment she had been in a deep sleep and started mumbling sweet nothings was the moment I wished I could sleep so that I could dream of her. Her silent, ´Edward, I love you´s´ were music to my unbeating heart. How I wished she would wake so that I could tell her the same thing!

Once the sun came out, I laid my head over her chest. Her heartbeat was the most soothing sound in the world and it sang, just for me.

I smiled. Last night had been wonderful and it would hopefully be the first of many wonderful nights together. Just then, I heard Bella come down the stairs. She was wearing a casual sweater-dress and I held my arms open for her, as an invite for a quick hug.

She rushed down the stairs and jumped into my embrace. Her arms tightly wrapped around me, her face in my neck. She started grinning and I couldn't help but laugh with her.

I then felt her warm, soft lips on my neck, where she softly kissed me. From the little hollow under my ear all the way up to my shoulder, her lips made a path of little kisses on my body. My mouth fell open in surprise. Oh my.

´Bella…,´ I sighed. Pleased with my reaction, Bella slightly opened her mouth and gently nibbled down my neck. She sucked on my cold skin, tasting it on her tongue before she pulled away. Her pupils were slightly darkened and she was breathing heavier than before.

She then kissed me and the taste of her warm tongue against mine brought me to life. I pulled her closer, as close as possible and fiercely kissed her back. My hands grabbed her hair and I wished this moment would not have to come to an end. Bella clung to me as if her life depended on it. Eventually, she had to catch her breath and I needed to swallow.

´Wow,´ Bella whispered, out of breath and a little shaken.

´Indeed,´ I whispered. I, too, was out of breath. It was actually quite ironic. I could easily kill the entire school in mere seconds and it would not be hard physically speaking. But here I was, kissing her, and I was out of breath I didn't really need.

I held her hand in mine and we left the house. We walked over to her car and she insisted she wanted to drive. I rolled my eyes at her, I guess some things never changed. We slowly -way too slowly for my liking- drove to school. There, we quickly grabbed the attention of our classmates.

Bella didn't care. She held my hand in hers as we walked to school. She gave a few smiles here and there but she was completely unbothered by the fact we were the main attraction of the parking lot.

Inside the school, I heard Jessica´s quite loud thoughts. She thought we looked cute together and although I might be biased, I had to agree with her. Luckily, Bella had already prepared her friends for our reunion so it wasn´t that remarkable to them.

During school, Bella wanted to sit next to her friends during classes, but she wanted to spend our lunch break together. I missed her, but she assured me she could not just abandon her friends right now. They wanted to hear at least a few details of our reunion. As much as I wanted to give them their privacy, Jessica, again, was very loud and her thoughts were pretty clear. I chuckled as she began describing all the slur words she would scrape on my car if I hurt Bella in any way.

Luckily for me, Bella and I had Biology without Jessica or Angela, so we sat down next to each other as close as possible during that lesson. Our teacher did not like it but given we were the top students of his class, he allowed it.

And then, our lunch break came. Bella and I sneaked to the woods behind the school to repeat our little break from yesterday. This time, I made sure she would eat something as well. This resulted in an eye roll from her, but then her stomach gave her away and started growling.

After school, I suggested we would go to the meadow again and Bella happily agreed. The meadow was our spot and we hadn't been there in almost 9 months. The place held a special place in my heart, as it was the place where I first showed Bella my abilities as a vampire. I showed her I sparkled in the sunlight and it was there, where I made the decision that I would do anything to protect the girl in front of me. Once I showed her the meadow, it became clear to me that we were connected in a way that was truly unbreakable. The place held one of the most special memories I've had with Bella.

After that first time, we regularly went back to truly be alone. We would often just lay down and watch each other. Or we would talk about anything. And as our relationship was now stronger than ever, I thought it would be a great idea to visit that place again.

And now we would. Bella drove us towards the woods. We made the silent agreement that she was responsible for getting us to the woods and I was responsible for bringing us to the meadow. As in; I would run and she would cling to my back.

Bella pulled over and we both got out of the car. She was a bit hesitant to hop on my back, as she got very nauseous the first time around and we had not run together for a long time.

´Remember to close your eyes,´ I reassured her.

She nodded and hopped on. I started running and I felt her smile against me. She felt relaxed, so there was nothing to worry about. The cool wind felt amazing and I truly missed running with Bella. Running was a part of who I was and I was pleased to share that part with her. Meters before the meadow, I came to a stop and Bella got off.

´It's still beautiful,´ she said to me as she walked towards the meadow. Our meadow. And she was right. I also hadn't been here for months as I had to reason for being there without Bella. So it was also the first time I would see the meadow again. And it hadn´t changed a bit. It was still a little piece of quietness, filled with purple flowers. A small sanctuary.

´Just like you,´ I cheekily said to her as we both walked to the centre, holding hands. As much as Bella wanted to give a sarcastic remark, she actually beamed.

We sat down and Bella came crawling to me. I held her in my arms as we watched the peacefulness of nature together. I kissed the top of her head and she pressed her back more firmly against my chest in return. My head rested on her shoulder and my nose followed the curve of her neck, inhaling her intoxicating scent along the way. Her scent became more prominent, meaning she was blushing at this very moment. I grinned.

´What's so funny,´ Bella asked behind her, hating to be left in the dark.

´I was just thinking how much I love your blush...,´ I kissed her cheek once. ´… But I love you altogether.´ I gave her lots of quick kisses on her face, resulting in her squealing and laughing with pleasure.

´Ieh, Edward. Stop, you´re tickling me. I can't breathe,´ Bella laughed, out of breath. I laughed devilishly as I leaned in, preparing to give her more ticklish kisses.

Just then, I heard my sister Alice. What was she doing here? I did not immediately concentrate on her thoughts as I was still wondering why on earth she would be here right now. As I heard her running towards me and Bella, her thoughts became more clear to me and I only whispered one word.

´Victoria.´