A/N… Thank you all for the love you're showing for Angeward. I'll let you get to it.

~oOo~

Chapter 3

BELLA

"Ed—" I was barely able to grunt out, because his hands and mouth were doing things to me that made my brain shut down. "You… Y-You'd th-think w-we never got to be t-together."

His smug-ass smile curled against my sensitive skin on the inside of my thigh. "Isabella, I'm trying very hard not to fucking think."

"Ah, hell…"

Something about the f-bombs he dropped out of nowhere just about drove me mad. I couldn't decide if it was because he only did it in front of me, or if it was so delicious because the rest of his speech was pristine and proper. It had to be both. The combination of both and his voice just killed me.

We'd been home for a couple of days, and we'd barely made it out of bed. We'd unpacked a few things, watched a little TV, and talked a bit about whether we wanted to go anywhere for our anniversary, but somehow, we always ended up back in our bed.

My eyes rolled back into my head, and my body arched up as he went back to licking and sucking and touching. I could barely remember the Edward Cullen I first met – the nervous hundred-year-old vampire who could barely touch me, much less kiss me. I tried to remember the same man who'd lied and left, the one who came back only to fall at my feet, offering me his heart, soul, love.

Every touch had been tentative, but he gave it all. He gave up his body and his heart to me, never looking back. That man could barely utter the things he wanted; he'd hand me the world on a silver platter, but he couldn't voice his own desires.

That shit was long gone. Because the man I was married to now couldn't stop from telling me what he wanted.

"Turn over, sweet girl," he whispered against my mound as he licked his lips from where I'd shattered. "I want to take you from behind."

The wanton moan I let loose simply made him even more smug, but I did it. I rolled over, my ass rising like damn cat in heat, because that's how he made me feel – needy, shameless, and so very wet.

"You think it's any different for me?" he asked, dragging his lips up my spine.

"I'm trying very hard not to fucking think," I answered breathlessly, using his words back at him, because clearly, he was using my thoughts against me.

His chuckle was gorgeous and low and deadly. "Indeed, beautiful. Let's see what it takes to stop all thought processes…" He trailed off, but his cock entered me with a slow yet deliberate push.

God, I loved him. I didn't think it could get any bigger or deeper, but my love for him just grew and bloomed out over everything. It expanded when our connection crackled over our skin, pulling at us, fusing us together. Even after this many years together, it still sparked and flared like it had from the beginning.

Edward leaned over me, caging me with his arms and body, leaving biting kisses across my shoulder up to my neck.

"Oh, Bella, I love you, too."

He linked our fingers together as he stayed atop me, keeping to a rhythm that had me barreling toward another orgasm. He sat back on his knees, the sound of flesh meeting flesh almost loud in the room. His hands were everywhere, it seemed – touching, coaxing, teasing. He knew it wouldn't take much more to send me over – a grip to my ass, a swirl around my clit, and that damn voice I couldn't resist.

"Come for me, my love. Come all over my cock; that sweet pussy is so very close," he said, his voice like a snake charmer.

"Fuck," I ground out through gritted teeth, my eyes squeezing closed as my whole body seemed to unravel, and that sent him over his own precipice.

I was still shuddering when he slipped out of me and curled up with my back to his chest, but I needed to look at him. I always did. I needed to kiss him, see him, because Edward wore his love for me on that gorgeous face.

His smile curled his lips. "Yeah, love. I really do."

I let out a light laugh but pressed my lips to his. For a brief moment, I wondered what our connection looked like.

"Green, baby. Green," Edward whispered against my mouth. "I'm not sure it's been another color in years, my love."

"True," I agreed easily. "Though we may be testing that later today," I added. because Caroline and Alice wanted to go into Butte to a rather large mall.

"Mm, maybe." He nodded a little.

Our friend and the leader of the Volturi, Marcus, saw our connection through colors. Green was good, which meant we were whole and solid and happy. Blue and purple meant we were most likely in pain and needed time together and a moment to reconnect. Red was dangerous. Red meant we were not just in pain, but that we were pushing our limit; it meant that we were pulling apart not at the seams but at our very souls. Too long in the red meant we'd start to fail.

"Does it scare you?" he asked me softly, pulling me closer and dropping a sweet kiss to my forehead.

"Sometimes," I answered honestly. "Ever since London, we've tried really hard not to test it, just the occasional shopping trips/boys hunting trips apart."

Edward sighed deeply, nodding a little. "That's true. Marcus is really good about sending us information when he comes across it. We aren't the only ones out there, but we are rare."

"Does it scare you?" I asked him.

"Sometimes," he whispered against my forehead before pulling back to look me in the eyes. "Not that it would be done on purpose, but that something could separate us unintentionally – like weather or traffic or even something unforeseen."

I kissed him softly. "That's true."

"We went two years apart when I left Forks, my sweet Bella, and that could've killed us both, so the mere thought of even a few hours worries me because I never want you in pain. I don't like to even entertain the idea that we could make some sort of mistake." Edward wrinkled his nose but went on. "When you and I get back from our time away today, we'll make sure to reconnect."

"Definitely," I agreed easily. "Now… Are we going somewhere for our anniversary? It seems neither of us can make up our minds. We're driving Alice crazy."

Edward grinned, and it was beautiful with a touch of mischief. "Too late. I think both of us went crazy ages ago." He tapped his temple, chuckling when I laughed. "Well, we haven't traveled much in the last few years, baby, so if you want, we can go to Isle Esme or see some parts of Europe that you haven't seen. There's hunting in Brazil, or we can even go visit Marcus and Demetri in Italy."

"If we go to Europe, seeing Marcus and Demetri could go along with that," I countered, shrugging a shoulder. "I know Kevin and Adrian want to visit Italy too, and I think that Carlisle was considering going with them."

Edward nodded. "So we could travel with them, love, and then take small trips as we see fit. Archie has been curious about Italy as well, and Caroline has all but begged him."

I broke out into a laugh. "This has gone from our anniversary to a huge Lampoon Vacation."

Edward chuckled with me. "True. Not that they would stop us from doing our own thing."

"No, never." I nodded, pushing at him gently so I could crawl up his glorious body. "Whatever is fine with me, baby. I'm kinda happy we have the freedom to choose. With you, with the whole family…" I shrugged again. "I can't hate any of it. You make the decision, Edward."

He trailed a finger beneath my eye. "Sweet girl, you need to hunt."

"I know. We're stopping before we leave the area. Promise."

"Good girl," he praised, kissing my lips and patting my bottom. "Shower with me, my love, and then we'll brace ourselves for the distance today. Okay?"

"Sounds like a plan."

~oOo~

I hissed, squeezing my eyes closed as we pulled away from the preserve. I wasn't the only one who hunted before facing a day of shopping.

Kevin wrapped an arm around my shoulders in the back seat of Rose's truck. There were six of us going today – Rose, Caroline, Alice, Kevin, Esme, and me. Esme was meeting us at the mall; she was already in Butte.

"You got this, Goddess," Kevin whispered against the top of my head. "How long has it been?"

"Since before we moved to Missoula," I answered through gritted teeth.

Alice turned around from the front seat. "He's fine. He felt it when you did, but he's trying not to tackle Emmett into a river."

That made everyone laugh, but I could imagine my big brother being obnoxious just to be a distraction. We'd all worked really hard over the years to get used to Edward's and my connection. We worked around it, allowed time for it, and we treated it like hunting. While everyone needed to hunt, Edward and I also needed time together after being apart.

However, Alice was always really good at giving me the truth and at creating a distraction, so she asked a question that made me focus.

"So we're all going on vacation?"

Grinning, I shrugged and rubbed my chest for a moment. "I guess?"

Rose cracked up. "You're taking us all on your anniversary trip?"

Kevin cracked up but rubbed his hands together. "Finally, we're getting somewhere! Heavy E's giving lessons…"

"Hush, you," I said, poking his side. "I know that everyone wants to see Demetri, Carina, and Marcus. And Edward and I could travel from there…alone." I raised an eyebrow at Kevin, who grinned shamelessly.

"Adrian wants to check on Brody," he then said seriously. Adrian and Brody had been friends prior to their change into immortality; they'd been changed the same night in New York when Tanya had lost all reason.

"Archie wanted to see Volterra," Caroline piped up from my other side. "And I just want to see everything."

Chuckling, I nudged her with my shoulder. "Good girl. See it all, baby sister."

Caroline grinned and nodded excitedly. She was a most excellent addition to the family. I knew when I joined the Cullens years ago that I was the baby, and due to all the obstacles Edward and I had overcome, the family tended to cater to me. However, Caroline was easy to guide and shower with love. She was happy by nature, and she was smart. She also had an adorable relationship with Edward. He tended to spoil her when he thought no one was paying attention, which is why he'd mentioned the whole family wanted to travel together. He babied her, just like Emmett and Jasper still babied me.

I let out a slow breath, rubbing my chest again, and Kevin simply slipped his hand into mine to let me squeeze.

"Awesome job on the video, by the way," I whispered to him, and he grinned.

"Right?" he asked rhetorically. "It's all about camera angles. Like we can't let Rose and Em be seen, so it's mainly focused on the work they're doing – edited, cut, and sped up. Slap on some funky music, and bam!"

I chuckled a little. "It's amazing. We watched your last one the other day. What's the next car, Rose?"

"Ah, we're not sure yet. We may wait until after we all get back," she answered honestly, stopping at a red light. "Why? You want something?"

I laughed, letting go of Kevin's hand and pointing at her when she glanced my way via the rearview mirror. "Don't even start with me. Been there, done that. Build something for the newer family members. Edward has enough car addictions."

Alice laughed. "True. He's always been that way, though."

"Oh, I'm sure," I sang, but I shielded myself for a moment because suddenly, I knew what I was going to be buying while I was out shopping.

Pulling out my phone, I texted Edward.

B: What's your favorite color today, handsome?

His answer was instant, and I fought my laugh.

E: Oh, it's THAT kind of shopping trip? Buy all the colors, my dangerous girl. Will I be earning this?

I bit my lip because my husband was way too easy. Years ago, I wanted to hear stories about Edward's long life. When Edward would tell those stories, he earned a prize. My prim and proper Edward loved, craved me in lingerie. A story earned him me in something new, something small. He loved to see, touch, and tear. He loved colors and flowers, silk and satin, cotton and lace. He loved it all, and there wasn't a story he was unwilling to share. Victoria's Secret was the one credit card he paid himself instead of leaving it to accounting firms.

B: Color, baby. Pick one. And yes, you have to earn it.

E: We'll start with pink. ;)

B: Pink it is.

I tucked my phone away as we pulled into the mall. Rose found a parking space, and Esme pulled in next to us. Just that small bit of communication with him eased the pain a little. I'd have to call him at least once before this trip was over, just to ease the pain again.

I slipped down from the truck out into the rainy overcast day, linking my fingers with Esme's, who was waiting for me.

She asked, "Hanging in there?"

"Yes. I just texted him. That helped a bit."

"Good, because I've missed this," she said, sounding like an excited girl.

"Me, too."

It was such a fun day. We walked the mall and caught up. After a long stop in Victoria's Secret, we found a seat by the fountain just to chat. We spoke to Esme about the trip that everyone seemed to want to make.

"I think it's a fine idea that we all go," Esme told us. "Carlisle's been in touch with Marcus over the last few months, and he's made the offer for Marcus to come to Montana for a visit, but he and Demetri have been really busy. There has been some worrying activity in different parts of Europe and Asia. They can't get away."

"What kind of activity?" I asked her.

"Missing persons mainly, but a few humans have been found mutilated. They think it's a large coven, if not a newborn army," she answered, wrinkling her nose.

"Where?" Kevin piped up.

"Germany, Switzerland, Romania, Bulgaria." She sighed, shaking her head. "And with the problems with the Ukraine and Russia, I'd be willing to bet it's farther than that, simply to cover up some of it."

"Damn," Rose grumbled, shaking her head.

"Some of it has slowed down. Demetri caught one or two who were causing problems," Esme told us, but she glanced around. "Maybe it's good we're all considering going. I'd worry myself sick if it were just a couple of you."

I nodded, rubbing my chest.

"Do we need to go?" Esme asked.

"Nope," I replied, shaking my head a little, but I pulled out my phone. "Just… Let me call him, and we can keep going." I stepped away from them, dialing Edward.

"Hey, sweet girl," he answered immediately.

"Hey. I just needed…"

"Me, too." His chuckle was soft and sweet. "You in pain?"

"Off and on, but this is helping."

"Good. So what's the question I'm going to be answering in order to earn my prize, Bella?"

Laughing, I said, "Oh, no, mister. You have to wait for that."

He chuckled again. "Haven't I told you everything by now?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out when I hit you with this question now, won't we?" I countered haughtily just to hear him laugh again. It was the best sound, and I needed it to keep going.

"I love you, sweetheart. You guys have fun."

"You, too. Love you."

I ended the call with him, feeling a touch better, stronger, which reminded me of the first couple we'd learned had Completi l'anima. Without modern means of communication, they'd suffered while separated and eventually died. They'd gone four years without seeing each other, and they were separated by an ocean. I couldn't imagine how badly that had hurt them, and I also couldn't imagine just how frightening it would've been to be reunited and unable to heal.

I shook my head, my brow furrowing, but I pushed that thought away as I rejoined the rest of them as we continued shopping.

~oOo~

EDWARD

"Is she hurting, Ed?" Jasper asked from behind me.

We were deep inside Flathead National Park. Emmett, Archie, and Adrian were still off hunting, but I could hear them heading our way. I'd taken a wolf and a doe and was feeling a little better.

Turning around, I smiled sadly. "Yeah, she said off and on, but she sounds okay."

"Is this the first time you've really been apart?" Carlisle asked, taking a seat on a large rock by a creek.

I found a seat near him on a fallen log with a nod. "I don't think we were apart the entire time we were in Missoula. The hospital was perfectly fine with our schedule. Bella sort of charmed the HR guy," I told them, wearing a grin. "She told him that we'd just recently gotten married and that we had family obligations in another state, so we needed to be able to stay together."

Carlisle chuckled. "And it worked."

"Oh, it worked," I agreed, smiling at Jasper's laughter. "The guy was fifty-something, and he couldn't decide whether to adopt her or fall in love with her."

Jasper snorted, shaking his head. "She's learned to use that shit like damn pro."

"Don't I know it," I murmured, grinning at their laughter.

Emmett and Adrian walked up, and I shook my head at Emmett's ripped shirt. He had to have found a bear to wrestle. The last to finally join us was Archie, who just suddenly reappeared at Emmett's side.

"Motherf—" Emmett gasped. "Cut that shit out!"

It was Archie's smirk that had all of us cracking up. Once he finally healed from all the things he'd been through prior to and after his change into immortality, Archie was subtly funny, a bit dry and sarcastic. He loved being a part of a large family, and he'd developed bonds with Carlisle and Esme that were unbreakable. In the beginning, he'd leaned on Bella and me, but that had been before Caroline had entered the picture.

He's way too easy, Archie thought my way, and I grinned over at him. His next thoughts were centered around what it was like to live apart from us for a bit.

"It was good," I told him, pointing around at the group of us. "They've all moved away over the years. I've done it alone several times."

Carlisle caught on quickly as to what I was discussing with Archie. "He's right, son. We've all separated at different points for whatever reasons. The high school thing would grow tedious, but all of us living under one roof can wear thin when everyone knows what everyone else is doing."

"And the fact that you hear every damn thought…" Adrian trailed off when I raised an eyebrow his way. "Right. I'm sure that's just…ugh."

I huffed a laugh. "It is truly ugh." I glanced back at Archie as everyone laughed at that. "This was the first time Bella and I actually moved away. We had our own place in London, but everyone still hung out or took classes."

I pointed Jasper's way, because he'd pretty much stayed by my Bella's side during the time we lived in London. He guarded over her while I attempted to work at the hospital.

"How was it really, Ed?" Emmett asked seriously.

"Living apart? Or working with Bella at the hospital?" I clarified.

"Both, son," Carlisle answered for him.

"Living with Bella is as easy as breathing," I said softly, shrugging a shoulder. "I… I've never experienced that before now. I mean, I've seen it through all of you." I tapped my temple. "But I never… She's such a rest for my mind. Even if she's not shielding me from neighbors or whatever, she gives me peace." I wrinkled my nose at that. "I don't know any other way to explain it. She's just so happy to be."

Emmett and Jasper nodded knowingly because they'd lived with Bella. Once I'd returned to her, Bella was a source of happy and easy and love.

I gazed over at Carlisle. "But working with Bella…" I shook my head while wearing a small smile. "The kids adored her – even the ones she needed to help. Her shield pulled them all in under her protection. She simply couldn't help it, so she didn't truly fight it. She learned to ask the right questions so that even if they didn't verbally answer her, I could catch the answer in their thoughts. It was… It became flawless. We got really good at it.

"The hard part," I continued, my brow wrinkling. "We lost a few to the virus. Once I had to intubate them…" I trailed off, sighing deeply. "It usually wasn't long after that they'd pass. The other hard part was when we'd call Bella for an evaluation and our suspicions were correct, that something was happening at home or a relative's house or whatever. They'd be covered in bruises or burns, or their records were showing a pattern." I rubbed my face, raking both hands through my hair. "Humans can be cruel and heartless to each other all day long, and I'm not sure I'd care, but when it's aimed toward the innocent…"

Emmett growled, shaking his head. "I bet my Bells snapped once or twice."

I nodded, wide-eyed. "Oh, God, there were times I thought she would, but she'd wait to explode when we'd hunt or go home. Sometimes, she'd call Charlie to ask him what the police would need in order get an arrest warrant." I huffed a laugh. "He may be retired, but I swear, he'd hand her the damn world, so he'd guide her as to what proof was needed."

I was quiet for a moment. "I was so…proud of her," I said softly, glancing at Carlisle. "But the pull on her shield, the mental assault… It weighed on us."

"I bet it did, son," he agreed easily, thinking back to when I'd tried before to practice medicine.

"Better. It was better this time, for sure, but after Bella lost Renee, I could see she needed to come home, though she lasted a year after that. But she needs Esme more than I can explain," I answered his silent musings.

That caused the whole group of us to go silent, but their minds weren't. Jasper hurt for Bella. He and Alice had helped us get to Florida for the memorial. He'd verified the service times and place, and Alice had watched the weather. They'd wanted her to be able to say goodbye. Emmett, who remembered when Rose had lost her father, simply ached for Bella. She reminded him of his human baby sister so much that he could barely handle her grief. Archie remembered losing his mother with almost perfect clarity, even though he'd been human at the time. He understood the ache, the pain that never really went away, because deep down, Archie still blamed himself for the death of his mother. Adrian, however, still had parents out there, and even though Jasper watched over them via the internet, he tried very hard not to think about them.

"How's she handling it?" Carlisle asked me.

"Better than I handled mine," I told him honestly with a sad smile.

"Edward, son… Your loss and your change happened to you all at the same time. Your grief carried over into this life, I think," he explained softly.

"I know. And in helping her through it, I've had to finally face the loss of my own parents," I told him, shrugging a little. "You tried, but she succeeded."

His grin flashed quickly. "That's my girl."

I nodded, giving him a small smile. "She has moments, like with any grief. She's immortal, so she feels it all so acutely. I… This was… Losing Renee was the one true fear I had when I changed Bella, so when it came to fruition, I probably smothered her a bit with love and attention. I was so scared she'd regret it all."

"Nah, not my baby sister," Emmett countered solemnly. "I talked to her a bit around that time. She knew it had scared you, so I wanted her to let loose with me, to just explode if she needed. She's wicked strong, though. She didn't have regrets, brother. I promise."

Smiling, I nodded. "I see it in her mind – her strength, her grief, and her happiness. Maybe I underestimate those things about her."

Jasper snorted, shaking his head. "No, brother. You don't underestimate her; you simply want to cushion the bad shit, and when you can't, it's hard to watch. Because she's strong, because she's happy, it's just hard to see when it can't be stopped."

In his mind, he remembered Alice's search for her past. Alice was strength and happiness incarnate, and watching her feel weak or unsure had been hard on all of us, but Jasper had to feel her struggle right along with her.

I gave him a grateful nod because that was exactly how it felt. It was nice to know someone else understood.

Carlisle's phone rang, and he smiled, answering, "Demetri, it's good of you to call me back."

"My friend, I hope all is well with everyone. I'm sorry for the delay. Marcus and I have been busy," he replied in his good-natured tone.

"All is well, I hope," Carlisle stated.

"Meh, nothing we can't handle. There's always some immortal asshole doing something stupid somewhere," Demetri said, and we all laughed because he sounded like Emmett.

"That narrows it down, Big D," Jasper said through a laugh.

"Right? But it's true." Demetri chuckled a little. "Marcus told me to tell you that he received your message and you are welcome anytime. All of you are coming?"

"It originally was just a few of us, but after the last few years, I think we all could use a vacation. Adrian wants to see Brody. Archie wants to take Marcus up on his offer to see Volterra. And Edward and Bella were thinking of traveling for their anniversary. Now it seems to have become a great, big family holiday."

Demetri's laugh was loud and full. "Bring them all, old friend. We've missed you guys. Stay as long as you like. It'll be good to have you."

"Thanks, D!" Emmett yelled.

"Anytime. Just let us know when you're coming, and we'll have your rooms ready," he replied, still with a laugh lacing his words.

"It'll probably be in a few weeks, but I'll call with specifics," Carlisle said, and after goodbyes, he ended the call, glancing around at all of us. "If everyone's in, then we'll plan it. I'll simply hire a private plane for this many of us."

I nodded, flinching when a sharp pang shot through my chest. "Sounds good," I told him, rubbing my sternum to ease it.

"Damn," Jasper groaned, shaking his head as he rubbed his own chest. He could feel it just as much as I did. "Let's at least get back to your house. We'll play some music until the girls get back, yeah?"

I let out a breath, standing when the pain eased up. "Good idea."

"We should find an open mic night before we go," Emmett stated.

Grinning his way, I said, "Absolutely. We can search online at my house."

I pulled out my phone, sending Bella a text that I'd see her at home when she was done. It was hard being separated for the day, but it was truly nice to be back with the family again.

~oOo~

A/N… I'm trying my best to remind you guys of certain things – how their connection affects them, how Bella's shield works, and family dynamics. Nine years is a long time, so I understand how the little shit can be forgotten.

No songs added to the playlist.

This week is Thanksgiving for my American friends. Everyone be safe, enjoy family, and please have sympathy for those of us working the day after…because retail, and OMG I hate it every year.

I'll see you guys next Monday. Until then… Mooches, Deb ;)