Not even they can stop me now. Boy, I be flying overhead. Their heavy words can't bring me down. Boy, I've been raised from the dead. No one even knows how hard life was. I don't even think about it now because I finally found you. ~ Lana Del Rey, Radio

BPOV

"Are you trying to make me spontaneously combust?" I whispered to Edward. Our entire family was sitting in the backyard, covered in blankets and coats. Initially I had chosen to sit next to Edward, not wanting to hurt his newly-freed leg and also needing the distance now that I knew he was fine. It had been almost two months since he touched me, really touched me, and I was about to implode.

Edward had pulled me over to him, sitting with my back right against his chest. The chest that was covered in bruises not too long ago, the one that had bright red scars from shrapnel that nearly hit his heart.

He's fine, he's fine, he's fine. Grabbing Edward's hand from its spot on my thigh, I gave it a tight squeeze.

"Yes," he whispered in my ear. Just the feeling of his warm breath on my skin made my entire body tingle.

Regardless of how anxious I was for everyone to leave, it had been a good night. The best we had in a while. Rosalie and Alice brought dinner, Emmett and Jasper gave Edward some fancy bottle of scotch. It was finally a somewhat normal night. Just family having dinner and catching up.

After the past few weeks, normal was greatly appreciated. I was still in a bit of shock that the whole thing happened. Maybe it was seeing Edward constantly lugging around the boot on his leg that always reminded me of it, or the red scars that wouldn't let me forget. Nearly every time I looked at him I had the urge to cry, sometimes happy tears and sometimes not-so-happy ones.

Instead of celebrating his recovery tonight, I could be alone in an empty house. That thought popped into my head all too often, and always left me with a hole in my chest.

"Cheers to Bella for putting up with Edward's shit the past six weeks," Emmett chuckled, slightly drunk and spilling some of his drink as he raised it.

"He's not that bad," I replied honestly. All things considered, he was a good patient. Though I think he was only good because he could tell I was constantly an inch from breaking down over the whole thing.

I tried my best not to be overbearing, but at the same time I could barely control the need I had to make sure he was okay. And I liked taking care of him, being able to do little things for him to make his life easier made me feel less helpless in the whole situation.

"Emmett broke a finger a few years ago and was insufferable for a month. A finger!" Rosalie added, rolling her eyes at her husband.

Alice added something, but it was at the same time that Edward's hands snuck under my shirt. We were completely hidden by the blanket, but I idly thought about how even if it wasn't there, he would probably still do the same thing.

Warm, strong, capable hands traveled along my abdomen. It was a fairly innocent touch compared to what he could have been doing but it still sent my mind into a tailspin. I had the sudden urge to go for a run. That was what I had been doing to get rid of all of my excess energy, especially when Edward decided to simply walk around shirtless the last few weeks. He said it was because the healing scars itched against the material of a shirt, but I was pretty sure that was complete bullshit. He just liked to watch me squirm.

"I can't wait to have you alone, naked, and begging for me," Edward whispered in my ear. I squirmed in his lap and felt the evidence of his arousal against my back. At least I knew I wasn't the only uncomfortable one.

"Go upstairs and pack a bag for a few days, you won't need much. I'll get rid of everyone."

He didn't give me a chance to respond, quickly lifting me off of his lap and onto the ground. With a quick excuse of not feeling well to everyone, I went upstairs and did as I was told.

Blindly, I threw a few sets of clothes for both of us in a bag. I went to the drawer where Edward kept lingerie fully stocked. Somehow, every time I opened it there were new pieces in it. The one time I asked him about it his cheeks actually flushed.

I pulled on one of the newer pieces. It was embarrassingly complicated to figure it out; there were strings that wrapped around my waist and too many straps to keep track of, but eventually I got it on.

Edward walked in just as I was pulling a sweater over my head. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," I said, grabbing for the bag. Edward swooped in a took it before I could get to it. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere no one will bother us for a very long time."

The drive to our mystery location was intense to put it lightly. Edward took the Bugatti I got him for his birthday years ago. I had seen him look at the car, polish it and admire it from afar, but I had never seen him actually drive it.

"Why did we take this car?" I asked, hoping for a distraction from the electric current running through my body.

"It's the fastest." His voice was tense, but it made me smile. We had been married nearly nine years but he still wanted me like it was the first day.

I should have been looking out the window, trying to figure out where he was taking me, but the final destination wasn't all that important. Instead I watched Edward as he drove, watching as the shadows from the street lights moved across his face, enjoying the sight of his tongue as it came out to wet his lips. His smirk –

"Enjoying the view?"

"Oh, yes." I got caught, but it didn't stop me from staring until we were suddenly parked in an underground garage.

By the time I got out of the car Edward was around to my side with our bag slung over his shoulder. Then, before I could react, I was thrown over his other shoulder.

"What are you doing?" By the time I got the question out we were already in the elevator.

"My legs are longer," he said with a shrug. Once the elevator doors closed he put me back on my feet.

Looking around, I saw the elegant engraving of The Isabella on the wall in front of me. It made me smile. We had only been here the one time, but I loved everything about it.

"Is it open now?" I asked, still needing a distraction for the twelve floors we still had to climb to the penthouse.

"Yes, all booked up," Edward said, smiling down at me. The energy shifted. There wasn't the same frantic desperation in the air as he smiled down at me. One of his hands came up and cupped my cheek lightly. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Putting up with me for the past six weeks."

"Edward, it wasn't –"

"You can say it was fine, but you were scared and exhausted and stressed the whole time and never complained. You always talk about how you never take care of me… but that's not true at all."

I sighed, not wanting to believe how true everything he said was, especially the scared part. The first few days were the worst, but I was still wary about everything today. So many 'what ifs' were running through my head on a daily basis.

I didn't want to start crying and ruin our night, so I wrapped my arms around Edward and buried my head in his chest. His scent, slightly veiled in the fresh leather from the car, and his arms tight around me held off the tears.

The doors slid open with a ding and Edward lifted me in his arms. I carefully wrapped my legs around him, mindful of where I knew his scars were. He walked through the penthouse without a word. I heard the bag fall from his shoulder somewhere, but I kept my head buried in his neck.

I didn't care where we were, whether it was a five-star resort or a motel on the side of the highway. All that mattered was that my husband was alive and with me.

Edward set me down and I finally looked around. I was at the foot of the bed, the room lit only by the city lights out the window. Without a word, he reached down and pulled the hem of my sweater up and over my head. He sucked in a breath as he saw what I had on underneath.

"You changed," he whispered, a finger running down my sternum, over the center of my chest, down my abdomen until it reached the waist of my jeans.

"I thought the occasion called for something a little more exciting."

Edward's hands on my bare waist made me gasp, that electric current and the desperation back in full force. He knelt in front of me, carefully undoing the button of my jeans and pulling them down my legs. It was all done with a surprising amount of care, like he was afraid I would break if touched the wrong way.

With my jeans and shoes out of the way, I expected him to stand, but he kept his position. Warm hands trailed up my legs, leaving goosebumps in their wake. The simple action made my toes curl.

He was saying something, I could feel his lips move as he trailed his nose along my abdomen. His hands tightened around my waist, and teeth suddenly nipped at my skin, then tugged at one of the strings from the bra that wrapped around me.

Edward stood, his hands trailing up my waist and playing with the strings. "I like this."

"I figured it was one of your picks." I smiled up at him.

"I didn't take into consideration how difficult it might be to get off," he said, frowning at all of the strings and ties.

"We're hardly being fair here, me practically naked and you completely clothed." I took my time undoing the buttons on his shirt, enjoying the anticipation of finally getting him naked and being able to enjoy him.

When his shirt slid off of his shoulders my eyes went straight to the two scars on his chest; one right next to his heart, the other further down on his abdomen. They were just slightly raised and pink.

"They don't hurt anymore?" I whispered, my hand hovering over his chest.

"No."

My palm fell flat against his chest. For the first time in six weeks I let myself enjoy the feel of him underneath my hand, enjoy the sight of his bare chest. Every time I saw it I was usually cleaning the incisions.

My hands trailed down his chest, lightly over the second scar, until they ended up at the waistband of his slacks. Careful to avoid too much contact with his straining cock, I undid his slacks and slid them down along with his boxers.

"Now whose being unfair?" Edward asked, his hands immediately going to the strings of my bra. Despite his complaints moments ago, he quickly got the ties undone and the clasp open. He didn't stop until both the bra and matching panties were on the floor.

He eased me back on the bed, not stopping until my head hit the pillow and his body was pressed completely against mine. The complete skin to skin contact set me on fire. I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him as close as possible. I kissed him with everything I had, groaning at the undiluted taste of him. When my hips thrust up into his, Edward pulled both of my arms away, pressing them lightly into the bed, and broke our kiss.

"Slow," he whispered against my neck. He chuckled lightly when I groaned in response. "You deserve to be worshiped."

And worship he did. For what felt like hours Edward kissed every inch of me he could find. His lips made trails up and down each of my arms, biting and licking and kissing every curve. He paid special attention to certain parts, he loved my own scars a few minutes longer than most spots and spent plenty of time reacquainting himself with my breasts. His lips tickled a sensitive spot on my left ankle, and then followed his hands up my calves and thighs.

It was the most exquisite torture, because never once did he touch me where he knew I needed him too, not until he crawled back up my body did he slide one finger down between my legs. It still wasn't enough.

"You. I need you," I whispered against his lips. They were barely touching mine, his entire body hovering over me, taking over every one of my senses.

Edward aligned himself with me, the tip of his cock just barely pressing against where I needed him. His hands came up and intertwined with both of mine on either side of my head. He slid into me slowly, inch by inch, and by the time we were completely connected I was nearly in tears.

I had missed this moment, missed the secret moments that were just for us. There was nothing that compared to the physical and emotional connection we shared like this.

"I love you," I whispered, groaning as he simultaneously bit down on my neck as he began moving.

His movements were slow and tender, each accentuated with a squeeze of his hands or a kiss. He lifted his head from where it had been buried in my shoulder and rested his forehead against mine. I could feel his heavy breath against my skin, his hair tickling my forehead.

"Fuck, Bella," he grunted out, his hands left mine and started frantically grasping at me; my hips, my breasts, my legs, everywhere.

With my hands finally free I was able to grasp his back, feel the solid muscles as they moved with him. As our movements got more frantic and our moment started to near its peak, our eyes met. It was easy to see everything he wanted to say in them.

Thank you.

I love you.

You're mine.

My entire body tensed around Edward; my fingers dug into his back and my eyes squeezed shut as pleasure ripped through every cell of my body. At the same time, I heard Edward moan out an impressive line of curses as I felt him shoot his release into me.

I loved feeling his full weight on top of me, but it was never for long. Edward rolled us over so I was on top of him. My body was completely spent, laying limply on top of him. I was still catching my breath when Edward started peppering kisses all over my face, from my chin to my forehead.

"Stop it," I giggled, when the kisses started getting sloppy and wet.

He looked up at me with a smile. "I missed that."

"What?"

"Your laugh."

I supposed I hadn't done much laughing the past few weeks. There wasn't much to laugh about. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, baby," he replied, accentuating his words with a slow thrust of his hips. He was still inside me, and I could feel him getting hard again.

Fuck. The man had unparalleled stamina.

Dark…

Soft snores woke me up. Edward was completely out, his head buried in my neck and his snores right in my ear. A heavy arm was draped over my waist. The moment would have been perfect if I hadn't desperately needed to pee.

I managed to slide out from beneath him with just a little effort. Edward let out a sigh and relaxed in bed as I moved. Once I took care of what I needed to in the bathroom I found a short silk robe hanging in the closet. I shouldn't have been surprised to see a fully stocked closet. This was our home, I supposed. One of them. I wondered if Alice was Edward's secret partner in crime when it came to that sort of thing.

My body was still tired, but I knew I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep now. I hadn't been able to sleep much the past few weeks, and once I was up I was usually up for good.

Leaning against the door frame, I watched Edward for a minute. He was on his stomach now, arms and legs stretched across nearly the entire bed. Usually I ended up smushed underneath him as he stretched out. The thought made me smile.

I left him in bed and went in search of something to drink. If the closet was stocked, maybe there would be something in the kitchen as well. I put together a quick cup of hot chocolate with what I found and stood at the counter, looking around the place.

It was beautiful. The layout was somewhat similar to Edward's original penthouse. That one had been a typical bachelor pad, while this one definitely felt homey. Everything was in warm colors; the furniture was softer and the artwork less intimidating. All simple, all very us.

The windowed wall caught my eye and I saw a steady stream of rain, or maybe ice, falling from the sky. With my mug in hand, I grabbed a blanket off of the couch and quietly walked out on the small patio. There were just a few lounge chairs, nothing too fancy. I set my cup on the table next to me and folded the blanket over my lap. Thankfully there was a cover over my head keeping the rain off of the patio.

The sound of rain always calmed me, helped me clear my mind. The last month had been hard, to say the least. I was stretched too thin, too worried about Edward to concentrate on much else and haunted by the idea that he could have been taken away from me.

I couldn't move past it this time, though it wasn't the first time I had been in this kind of situation. I spent months wondering if he had died right in front of me during the trial, and I watched Jasper clean up a bullet wound just a few months ago. Why was this one so hard to move on from?

Maybe it was because the whole scenario nearly drove me to murder. It could be because I had never seen Edward as hurt before. He barely had a scar from the bullet graze.

I got the all too familiar pang in my chest when I thought about the two scars now covering his chest. Fuck, that was it. It was one thing to see him momentarily injured, it was another to sit next to him for a day in the hospital while he was sedated because of the severity of his injuries.

Leaving my blanket and mug on the patio, I quietly stepped back inside. Edward was still asleep when I got back to the bedroom. I had to lift his arm up so I could get close to him, I draped it over my abdomen as I laid down.

"I've been terrified since the crash," I whispered, knowing full well Edward was still asleep. It sounded slightly insane, but whenever I couldn't sleep I would talk to Edward, even if he was asleep. "I've never seen you like that… unconscious in a hospital bed, unable to get around because of your leg… it all terrified me.

"I think that's why I haven't been able to move on from the whole thing. Those images are burned in my brain and come up all the time."

"It'll get better," he mumbled from next to me, making me gasp. "The boot is gone and the scars will fade. It'll help you forget about the whole thing."

"How long have you been awake?" I looked over at him and saw his eyes, fully open now, staring at me.

"A while."

"I didn't want to talk to you about it, push all of my shit on you when you were hurt," I admitted.

"I want you to talk to me about anything, anytime, Bella. I can relate to this particular feeling, you know." I frowned at him. "You were shot. In surgery for hours and no one knew if you'd survive. Even after I came back and we went away together… I know what a fucking punch to the gut it can be to see your partner hurt like that."

"Oh." That never occurred to me, that Edward would have gone through something similar then.

"What, you didn't think seeing you scarred and hurt would have affected me?" He sounded a bit hurt, but I couldn't blame him.

"No, I just… it was before we were even married. We had known each other less than six months at that point."

"I've loved you for a very long time, Isabella."

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I rolled us both over so I was on top of Edward, our entire bodies completely lined up. "So… this feeling will go away?"

"Yes. The scars will fade, and my leg will get back to normal. You can even workout with me, help me build up my leg again if you want," he said, smirking at me. I knew where this was headed. "You seem to be doing a lot of working out lately."

The workouts were necessary because I had a very attractive husband, even when he was hurt. It was fine the first few weeks; he was still in some pain and had the stitches. Of course, we wouldn't do anything then, but then he got his stitches out and it was like all hell broke loose.

I hadn't been able to sleep, but that was nothing new. What was new, however, was the fact that Edward was finally able to move around a bit better in his sleep because he had gotten his stitches out yesterday.

That meant I was currently wrapped up in him, surrounded by his scent and his arms and everything that was driving me crazy. The worst part was that his very hard cock was pressing into my hip.

I was already frustrated from our car ride yesterday, the one where I practically jumped him hours after he got his stitches taken out. Fuck, I was horrible.

Sliding out from underneath him, I quickly changed into a sports bra and a pair of shorts and snuck down to the gym without waking Edward. It took a three mile run on the treadmill, an ab workout I remembered from a trainer years ago, and another mile walk to burn off all of the energy I wanted to use with Edward.

"Thankfully, I won't be needing to work out in the gym as much now," I told him, stretching my neck up to kiss his chin.

"Why is that?"

"Because I can finally get back to my favorite kind of workout."

Hours later I walked out of the shower and wrapped a towel around me. I knew for a fact I had left a shirt sitting on the counter to get into after my shower, but it had miraculously disappeared. I didn't bother to do much besides squeeze some water out of my hair before wandering into the bedroom to find a piece of clothing Edward hadn't hidden from me.

I had no luck in the bedroom. The closet door was locked and the bag of clothes I had brought gone. Probably in the locked closet.

"I need some kind of clothing, Edward!" I shouted, fumbling with the closet door once more before stomping out to the living area. Edward was seated on the couch naked, save for the blanket thrown over his lap, with a spread of food around him.

"I don't really think you do."

With a roll of my eyes I tightened the towel around me, figuring it would be the only clothing I was allowed until we left. Edward lifted the blanket for me and I slid onto the couch next to him. We ate in comfortable silence, simply enjoying each other's company.

"Happy anniversary," Edward said softly as we finished. He held out a small black box that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"What?" I asked, trying to think of the date. I didn't even know what day it was. My entire schedule had been off ever since the crash. The holidays were a bit of a mess with Edward's accident. I had been running on autopilot for so long, I didn't even know what month it was.

"It's a few days late, but I thought it was a good time to give you this. Another token of my appreciation."

"I didn't take care of you so you would buy me things." I frowned.

"I know. But I still want you to have this." He pushed the box into my hands.

Reluctantly, I took the box from him. It was light but I could only imagine how expensive the small trinket inside would have cost him. I slowly opened the box, gasping at the ring inside.

"It's beautiful," I whispered, barely touching the ring with my fingers. It was gorgeous, alternating oval and circular diamonds set within even more diamonds. I looked down at the rings on my left finger, noticing how it was similar to my wedding and engagement rings, but not identical.

Edward grabbed my hand and slowly slid the new ring on my left finger where it fit perfectly among the others. I smiled down at my hand, wiggling my fingers and enjoying the feel of the new ring.

"Thank you." I smiled over at him, enjoying the way he smiled back at me. No matter how many times I told him I didn't need them, I always got presents at random intervals from Edward. He always got a certain smile when he gave them to me, it was a mixture of love, happiness, and a touch of pride.

This particular time it made me feel guilty I didn't even realize our wedding anniversary had come and gone. There had been too much going on for me to focus on much of anything besides Edward, let alone the date.

As if he was reading my mind Edward said, "You don't have to get me anything."

I rolled my eyes at him. He knew better.

Dark…

Soft kisses woke me up. They were everywhere; my lips, my shoulder, my nose. I turned toward them, expecting to end up against Edward but the bed was empty. When I opened my eyes, I saw him standing next to the bed, dressed for work.

"No," I groaned, reaching up for him.

"I've got to go to work. I'll be home for dinner, okay?"

"No, stay here." I pulled his arms, wanting him next to me again. Edward gave in and fell into bed beside me.

"I've had a wonderful weekend with you, Mrs. Cullen," he whispered, smiling against my lips.

I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him as close as I could. "I know I've said it a million times, but I'm really glad you're okay."

Edward squeezed me to him a second longer before he got up. He looked down at me and I could see the indecision on his face. Men.

"You don't want to be late."

He leaned over me once more and gave me a toe curling kiss. "We still have a lot of time to make up for. I'll be home at seven, and I think I'd like to start with dessert first."

With that he was gone and I was left panting and alone.

It wasn't as fun being here all alone, so I decided to take a quick shower before heading home. When I got out of the shower I just barely heard my phone ringing from the bedroom.

"Hello?" I answered, panting and too distracted to look at the number calling.

"Isabella? It's Elena."

Shit. "Oh, um. Hi."

"How is Edward doing?"

Did she call to check on Edward, or did she have another motive? We hadn't talked much since she left the hospital. She assured me she wouldn't say anything about me calling her there, not that there was much to tell now. Even if she went to someone, there was nothing for them to find.

"He's good. He got his clean bill of health a few days ago. How… are you?" I asked awkwardly. I wasn't good with small talk, and I wasn't sure what my relationship with this woman was. Were we friends? That seemed odd, considering she was my mother.

"Can I take you to lunch today?"

The question made me tense. It was a simple enough question, but it put me on edge. There were a lot of things I didn't want to talk about with her, and we had never met just the two of us before.

"Uh, sure. I'm actually already downtown. Have you ever heard of the, uh, Isabella?"

"The apartment complex?"

"Yeah. I'll let the front desk know you're coming, and have lunch waiting for us around noon?"

"I'll see you then."

We hung up after an awkward goodbye. The entire conversation felt weird. I didn't know how to act around the woman. I had been completely desperate when I called her after the crash and didn't have time to let things get uncomfortable. I didn't know what to expect from today.

Are you still naked? The text from Edward came in just as I was about to put my phone down.

I rolled my eyes before replying. Took a boring shower all alone, naked. Currently wrapped in a towel because now I'm, unfortunately, allowed to be clothed.

The no clothing rule will go back into effect at precisely 7:02 tonight.

I fell back onto the bed, phone in hand. I miss you. Elena called – having her here for lunch.

Do you want me to meet you?

No, it's okay. Get your work done so the fun can start at 7:02 tonight. Love you.

I tossed my phone to the side. It was already late morning and somehow I had wasted hours doing practically nothing.

In the closet I found a pair of jeans and an oversized sweater to slip into. I pulled my hair into a quick, loose braid and decided I looked good enough. In theory our weekend alone could have been relaxing, but I was exhausted and sore in all of the best places. There wasn't enough room in my brain to worry about my clothing too much.

I called down to the front desk and told them to send Elena up when she got here, and then called the kitchen and ordered food. It wasn't really part of the services the complex offered every tenant, but there were certain perks when you were married to the owner.

Time passed quickly after that, mostly because I started pacing and let my mind wander to every possible outcome this lunch could have. Did she no longer want a relationship with me because of what I asked her to do? Did she want money to keep quiet?

A knock at the door made me jump. I relaxed when I saw an employee through the peep hole. He was obviously nervous as I let him in, rolling in a tray full of food. He was probably terrified that Edward might be here. I rummaged through my hastily packed purse and pulled out a fifty.

"Thank you," I told him with what I hoped was a comforting smile.

"Thank you, ma'am, but we can't –"

"He's not here. It's okay. I know the kitchen doesn't usually do this. Please, take the tip." The kid relaxed visibly when I told him Edward wasn't here and slowly took the money before retreating out into the hall.

I sat at the table, fiddling with a fork while I waited. It was only a few minutes later when there was another knock. Looking down at myself before I opened the door, I suddenly wished I had put more thought into my appearance. Why did this woman make me so insecure?

Elena was there when I opened the door, dressed surprisingly similar to myself in a more form fitting sweater and a pair of dark slacks.

"Come in," I said, stepping aside.

Elena gave me a soft smile as she passed, looking around at the penthouse. "This place is beautiful. I walk past it all of the time on my way to work. I never realized you were The Isabella."

"Edward built it."

We ended up at the table, sitting opposite of each other. I pushed my food around on my plate.

"Are you okay?" she asked me a few minutes later.

I looked up at her and frowned. "I'm fine."

"I know you have no reason to trust me, I haven't earned it. But after the hospital – you were so frazzled. Scared. Then I didn't hear from you for a month and a half. I know I don't deserve the title, but I am your mother and I do worry about you. You asked me to – I know you were going to – I just would have liked to know you were okay."

My instinct was to tell her she was right; she didn't deserve the title and didn't deserve the comfort of knowing what exactly was going on with me. But I was tired; tired of the drama that constantly surrounded everything about my life.

"I'm fine. Edward's good, just has to build up the muscle in his leg back to what it was. That night… I'm sorry. I never should have put you in that position, but I didn't… do anything. Neither of us are in danger of getting caught for anything."

"I wasn't worried about getting caught, I was worried about you."

That was what I couldn't wrap my head around, the fact that she was worried about me. In general, I knew mother's worried about their children. I had just never had a mother like that.

"This whole thing is difficult for me. I've never had a real motherly figure. Growing up, my 'parents' cared about me, I think, but I was still an outsider with them. I'm not used to people caring.

"I've been through a lot of shit. I've been shot, I've been attacked in my own home, and I spent over a year incarcerated. My husband is the only one who was constantly by my side the whole time. I'm not used to trusting anyone but him." It was sad, but true. I trusted our family, but not the way I trusted Edward.

"I'd like you to be able to trust me, eventually. We can work up to it. But until then… maybe a monthly phone call at the least? So I know you're doing okay?"

It wasn't something I liked admitting to myself, but I wanted to know this woman. Even I saw the similarities between us; our appearance, our mannerisms… There was no denying this was my mother. But, like I had told her, I wasn't good with mothers.

"We could meet for lunch or something… every few weeks?" I hated how nervous I was for her answer, hated how much I wanted her to want me.

Elena smiled, though. A big, full face smile. "I'd love that."

A/N: Oh, boy are you guys lucky I got wordy here and didn't have time to use the cliffhanger I wanted. The next chapter will be all kinds of exciting, a second part of this in Bella's POV.

I thought you could use a mostly fluffy, happy chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter might be my favorite. Do I say that too often? Anyway, it's complete already and I'm dying to post it. See you soon!