Welcome back! We know it's been a while - life kind of just came out of nowhere and it took us some time to get ourselves back on track. Please forgive us :)

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Disclaimer: Neither Friends nor Twilight belong to us. We just play with them in our own little world.

Here's a recap from Episode Five!

"I think I'm starting to get it now," Bella reflects. "I remember my dad coming home from work so tired by the end of the week, but I didn't get it until today."

"I think you're officially one of us now," Edward laughs and opens his eyes to her. "I think it's great. How does it feel?"

"Incredible." Bella answers and shoots him a blazing smile. "I really mean that."

Edward swallows hard and looks back down at his knuckles.

"So do I."

It's the last thing either of them say before the entire city is engulfed in darkness.

Episode Six: The One with the Power Outage

Bella had always found a strange peace in power outages. It was the way everything died down, allowing a person to hear new things they never noticed before. The subtle sounds that are usually taken for granted in the hustle and bustle of everyday life are magnified as the world comes to a screeching halt. It makes it feel like time has stopped and has transported her into another world where everyone just took a breath and existed for a bit.

The timing could not have been more perfect.

Right now, it is the way Rose's lighter clicks, lighting candles around the apartment to bathe her and her new friends in a soft, flickering glow in more ways than just the warmth of the flame. The way she can hear the soft taps of Emmett's fingers on his phone, tapping out messages to check on his loved ones. The rustling of Alice's skirt as she moves pillows and blankets around the living room, creating their own little nest to wait out the darkness in. And Edward…

He is close enough to hear him breathing next to her where they sit against the windows in front of the balcony. Steady, calm breaths that soothe her soul in ways she doesn't even know are possible, and she likely isn't even fully aware of. Occasionally, he takes a drink of his beer, and she can hear the liquid move in the bottle and the sound his lips make when they pull away from the suction his sip creates.

She tries not to dwell too much on the fact that it sets a fire deep in her abdomen that hasn't truly been set in…well, in a very long time.

It's such an unexpected feeling she doesn't really know how to handle it at the moment. Does she sit here in her seat against the expansive windows and ignore the thrill she gets when Edward flashes a smile her way? Does she push it down to stifle the flames burning within her because she's still fresh off her failed engagement? Because the ink of his signature is barely dry on his divorce papers?

Does she act on those feelings and see what happens? She is curious to see what Edward would do if she were to tell him just how attractive she finds him.

She's a woman - young and in her prime, so of course, she's noticed how undeniably good-looking her best friend's older brother is. It's more than just his looks, she thinks to herself as she watches him out of the corner of her eye. His presence next to her on the bench by the window is undeniable; she's suddenly hyper-aware of his every movement.

It doesn't help that the power being out, and the candles being lit around the apartment has cast him in a warm, orange glow that makes her imagine him in a different, more sensual setting.

More private.

She's grateful for Alice's excited voice to distract her from the man next to her.

"Gather 'round, kiddies!" Alice calls, bringing Bella reluctantly out of her musings. "Come sit around the campfire! A power outage means it's time for ghost stories."

The 'campfire' in question is nothing more than a cluster of candles in the center of the coffee table, but it does nothing to wipe the smile off Bella's face, leftover from Edward's previous declaration that she was supposed to be here.

Edward chuckles beside her, motioning with his head to follow him over to the so-called campfire in the living room. She watches as he stands, stretching his arms above his head. As he does this, the bottom of his sweater pulls up enough for her to see a glimpse of flat lower stomach and a trail of reddish hair leading from his navel into his jeans. Quickly, she averts her eyes until movement from his direction makes her look back to find him holding his hand out to her.

"You think I can't get up from this bench on my own?" She asks, surprised her voice is as steady as it is considering how completely frazzled he's making her tonight. She cocks an eyebrow, her stubborn streak blazing as a result of her embarrassment at possibly being caught staring when she thought he wasn't looking.

Of course, Edward knows this about her already. He had seen many a Bella tantrum thrown in his house while she felt vulnerable over some useless drama going on when they were younger. He was worried that fire in her had calmed over the years, but he's happy to see it isn't snuffed out completely.

"Oh, I know you're entirely capable, Bella. But you know my mother. What would she say if I wasn't a gentleman and offered my hand to help a lady out?"

His voice is low, molten heat dripping from his lips. Bella is positive he has no idea what he is doing to her, and she tries desperately not to let the flush of her cheeks give her away. She's even more grateful for the lights being out.

She tries and fails horribly, so she can only hope the darkness hides her blush well.

It doesn't, however, and Edward clearly sees how she blushed, though he is sure it's only a result of being called out. He's about to pull his hand back when her lashes drop, and she takes his hand in her own, shooting all the electricity the city lacked through their arms.

As soon as she's on her feet, he drops her hand, and neither say another word as they take seats next to each other on the couch. Rose, ever the hostess, grabs fresh beers for everyone and bags of chips before joining her friends around her coffee table.

"Shit, I gotta get my pizza before it goes bad!" Emmett exclaims, running to his neighboring apartment.

"Emmett has leftovers? That's a first," Edward laughs.

None of them even bat an eye when he returns with not one but two pizza boxes. They can't complain, as Jasper is the one who was sent out to pick up their dinner for the evening. Who knows when he would be getting home now with the city covered in darkness.

"I got extra because I knew I'd be hungry later," Emmett offers unapologetically.

Several terribly told ghost stories later, Emmett interrupts Edward's telling of the time he was alone in the museum and heard footsteps behind him, only to find no one there when he turned around. He tells them he had thought it was the ghost of an old archeologist, mad that he was touching the bones he had found.

They all turn at Emmett's interruption, only to see him staring at his phone with his mouth hanging open right before he says, "Holy. Fucking. Shit. Jasper is stuck in the ATM vestibule...with fucking Wonder Woman! That lucky bastard!"

"Lynda Carter?" Edward inquires, his eyes widening in excitement.

Emmett rolls his eyes, laughing as he hands his phone to Edward to show him a picture of the current and insanely gorgeous Wonder Woman. "No, Nerd. Fucking Gal Gadot."

Everyone murmurs sounds of surprise at his declaration. "Why couldn't it be my turn to cover food for the night? What I wouldn't give to be stuck with the world's most gorgeous woman who could literally crush my skull with her thighs."

"As if you could handle her," Edward scoffs. He is well versed in the world of Marvel and DC Comics and knows that while Emmett is confident in his skills with the ladies, he also knows Wonder Woman and Gal Gadot would completely annihilate the man without even trying.

"And you think you could?" Bella teases, enjoying this little insight into Edward's female preferences.

"I'd fucking try. She was on my Hall Pass list when I was with Tanya." Even though his friends erupt into laughter at this statement, Edward can't help but notice that his chest doesn't have that familiar clench when he mentions Tanya anymore.

"Really, Edward? That's pretty Neanderthal of you," Rose chides around a slice of pizza and a fresh batch of lit candles.

"What, Tanya can sleep with other women, but I can't even fantasize about a celebrity? She's incredible. She won Miss Israel, served in the Israeli army, and studied law before she became an actress. She fucking is Wonder Woman. Tell him to show her my picture and get her number."

Bella smacks his arm, and he at least has the clarity to look sheepish at the fact that he was gushing about a woman in front of the person he maybesortofmight have a tiny bit of a crush on. "She's married, Edward."

"It's just a fantasy! Fantasies are healthy," Alice confirms with a nod.

"Would you guys shut up? I'm about to FaceTime Jasper, and if Gal hears you going nuts over her, my chance will be blown!"

"Right. Because that's the only reason you'll lose your shot with Wonder Woman. Us talking," Rose answers sarcastically. "Not the cheese pizza dangling off your chin, my man."

As soon as the offending cheese is removed, Emmett presses the camera button on his phone, the gang clamoring behind him to see Gal for themselves. Jasper tries to play it cool, to make it look like he's not secretly on FaceTime with his friends whose heads keep butting together in their efforts to see the celebrity he's stuck with until the power goes back on.

"Hey guys, how's everyone doing?" He asks although he sounds like he would much rather be speaking to the woman of wonder standing before him.

...who's way hotter in person, by the way. And taller.

Various responses of "good" come from his phone, and Gal looks up towards the ruckus.

"Is your family checking on you? How sweet," she says in her subtle accent, making all six individuals that can hear her swoon, straight or not.

"Ah, no, not my family. My family is...well, a disaster if I'm being honest. These are my friends."

And for the first time in all the years he's known them, he wishes they weren't. Fuck, he barely wishes he knows them at all right now, let alone call them his friends.

The five floating heads fighting for screen time clearly have no idea how to talk to a celebrity, let alone talk to one all at once through a screen.

After a quick exchange of awkward pleasantries, Jasper informs the group that dinner would have to wait until he is free from the vestibule, but by the look on his face, he doesn't seem to mind as Gal steps closer to his phone, so they're face to face and practically touching. He quickly says goodbye, hangs up on his friends and savors every minute he can with Gal and all her wonder.

His forgotten friends back at Rose and Bella's apartment shake their heads as the call is disconnected.

"What I would give to be Jasper," Emmett repeats, sighing wistfully and shoving his phone in his pocket. "I could go for some Wonder Woman right about now."

"Couldn't we all?" Alice agrees.

"I told you all that Gal's been on my Hall Pass list for, like, forever." Edward mentions, again referring to his list of celebrities he would be allowed to sleep with.

"Not Lynda Carter?" Bella jokes, laughing harder as Edward pretends to consider it.

"I may have to add her," Edward replies.

"You would have to bump someone, though," Alice adds in.

"Who says you have to have a limit to the length of your Hall Pass?" Emmett argues. "You can add whoever you want at any given time. It's not like it's laminated or anything."

"Well…" Edward trails off.

"Hold up. You laminated your Hall Pass?" The words are blasphemous to Emmett's ears.

Edward nods his head in all seriousness. "It's a serious list! A lot of thought went into this process. You know, you were there!"

Rose stands, effectively stepping between the middle of what is sure to be another heated argument between Edward and Emmett. "Can we not have another hour-long debate over which celebrity would most likely cross into our time zone?"

"I'd love to see this list," Bella laughs into her drink. Rose had littered the table with various snacks and drinks and leftovers as they waited for their food from the long-trapped Jasper.

"It's in my wallet; hold on." Edward swallows a large sip of beer from the bottle and makes sure to place it on the awaiting coaster on Rose's coffee table.

"Always good to have it handy," Alice chimes in. "I'm sure Jasper has his on him."

Emmett reaches for another piece of leftover pizza and shrugs his shoulders. "Well, none of us are in relationships now anyway, so it's moo."

"Moo?" Bella questions. She looks around the other room to see if her friends can decipher the meaning behind Emmett's words.

Emmett nods around a mouthful of pizza. "Yeah. A cow's opinion. It doesn't matter." He finishes his bite and burps to make room for more. "It's moo."

"He's right," Rose laughs, understanding Emmett-speak for moo versus moot. "It doesn't matter. Jasper can have all the guilt-free fun he wants with Gal tonight."

"Fuck, man." Emmett groans again. He stands up abruptly. "I gotta go find me a celebrity."

"What are the odds of him running into a gorgeous person like that in a blackout, huh? Two people, scared, in a place without any lighting? Sounds hot," Alice trails off, her eyes glistening over as she takes a personal trip down memory lane.

"Hot? Really? It sounds scary." Bella says with a shrug.

"Being scared doesn't turn you on?" Rose asks.

"I don't think so," Bella answers. "But then again, I can't remember the last time I was turned on, so."

She regrets saying it the minute the words are out of her mouth, especially when it radars Emmett right back into the conversation.

"Weren't you minutes away from marrying someone?" He asks with a laugh but then freezes when he sees the look on Bella's face, catching on to the fact that not only was she unhappy in her relationship with Mike, but also left sexually unsatisfied. "You mean to tell me he did nothing for you, and you were still going to marry him?"

"Well, I didn't marry him, did I?" Bella retorts, reaching for a handful of chips in frustration. "Maybe I subconsciously knew I would run into a celebrity of my own here in the city."

"We have to get you laid, girl." Alice whistles, the more sexually expressive of the three females. "Nothing over the top. Just one crazy night of fun."

"I can help you out with that," Emmett offers and accepts Bella's eye roll as good-natured fun.

"I don't think I'd be able to do that," she replies with a look of skepticism on her face.

"You've never had just one wild night?" Edward asks from his place beside her. He's still seated next to her on the couch, the flickering orange glow from the candles splashing on Bella's face making him easily distracted from the conversation. When it turned towards Bella and her past sex life, he was suddenly on high alert.

"Asks the guy who was married ten minutes after graduating college," Rose quips.

"No," Bella answers Edward. "I don't know; I've just never met anyone where the need for sex was stronger than getting to know them first. "

"You're just not meeting the right people," Emmett realizes.

"Maybe," Bella answers before looking at her friends around the room. "You've all done that? This one-night stand thing?"

"Emmett does that on a weekly basis," Edward laughs. "Jasper tries to but usually ends up just making breakfast for Emmett's girls on their way out in the morning."

"I had that thing with Paul last week," Rose adds in with a dismissive shrug. "Alice has her bag of tricks that always works on luring men into her secret lair."

"You betcha," Alice agrees with a knowing grin, owning up to her reputation and proud of it.

"What about you?" Bella turns on the couch to Edward.

"One," he admits, looking down at his suddenly interesting beer bottle. "In college before I met Tanya."

"Interesting," Bella notes. There's a part of her that twinges in delight at the thought of them being on somewhat the same sexual level - if she were to think of Edward in that way.

Which she doesn't—at all.

Besides, Edward is her best friend's brother. Surely it breaks some type of girl rule or something to think of him in any other way than just being friends.

And as she sits here, listening to him share stories with all of them, she recognizes he's exactly the type of friend she needs. Briefly, she thinks back to their conversations, the ones where it's just the two of them bonding over their failed relationships. Each conversation has led to something more, has led them to a place where being open and honest has covered them with a perpetual safety net.

She knows if she were ever to jump, Edward would safely catch her.

Eyeing the balcony, remembering the way he looked at her last week under the light of the moon, she wonders what it would be like if that ever were to happen.

She's not the only one thinking of their moments on the balcony.

.f.r.i.e.n.d.s.

The city is still blanketed in darkness after hours of no power. It's strange seeing the sky without light pollution in the heart of downtown Seattle.

Rose, Alice, and Emmett all slipped themselves into bed hours ago, but neither Edward nor Bella have the desire to step away from this. It's been dancing between them all night, their skin dreamlike beneath the candlelight as they all discussed their sex lives and fantasies. When it was time to call it a night, neither of them could bring themselves to let the night end.

Not when the fire between them was lit and begging to be stroked, igniting the larger flame from within them both. The tension has been building between them since Bella showed up in her wet wedding dress. Longer, if Edward is honest with himself. Even back in high school, he always wanted her. But she was pretty and popular, and he was geeky and...not. And she was his sister's best friend, so he never dared.

But things have changed now. He's been through a marriage, he's grown up, and Bella...well, Bella has certainly changed.

He can no better stop his arms from caging her in against the balcony railing than he could stop an asteroid should it choose to hurtle to the earth. And when she leans to press her body against him rather than move away, they become the asteroid burning through space.

Unstoppable.

No words need to be said as Bella turns her head, Edward's nose skimming along her jaw and up the side of her cheek. They both breathe heavily in the space between them, their lips hovering and both of them knowing this is going to change everything.

It is Bella who makes the move that sends them hurtling into the unknown. She lifts on the tips of her toes to close the gap between them, feeling Edward's lips vibrate against hers from his groan. And fuck…

He immediately knows that he had loved Tanya, but it wasn't this. This is...something new entirely.

He can't help himself, groaning against her lips, his hand coming up to cup her cheek before spinning her in his arms and pulling her tight against him. His blood rushes in his ears, his heart pounding out of his chest, his every sense focused on everything Bella; smelling as sweet as she tastes and her body moving against him in a way he never realized he was missing.

Tanya had never been turned on by him. Like Bella had with Mike, she had gone through the motions. But now was not the time to be dwelling on his failed marriage, especially when he feels this sense of rejuvenation burning in his veins.

Instead, he cups the back of Bella's neck and pulls her deeper into him. And then he feels small, dainty fingers on the top button of his shirt, and all hell breaks loose.

They both grow frantic, shedding clothes at a record pace. He has never been more thankful for a skirt as he is in this moment, when he lifts Bella onto the wide cement ledge of the railing, not daring to break their kiss as he reaches down to push the delicate lace of her underwear aside and drive into her in one, long stroke.

Bella's head falls back, and she cries out into the air, allowing the space for Edward to kiss down the front column of her throat, his tongue dipping into the little hollow above her collarbone.

One hand spread across her spine between her shoulder blades, the other holding her knee up to ensure with each thrust, he makes her moan in that uncontrollable way he is quickly coming to love. Bella's arms wrap around him, her nails digging into his back, and they both are totally, utterly lost in pleasure so blinding they begin to wonder if they, themselves, are the cause of the power outages.

Just when he is one push away from complete orgasmic bliss, Edward's eyes fall shut, and when they open...he is alone.

A sharp gasp rattles through him, and he shoots up in his bed, his hands reaching out for a woman he won't find.

It had all been a dream, of course. His head hangs to his chest for a moment of defeat before panic grips him.

Because that wasn't just a dream...

That was a sex dream.

About Bella.

Rubbing his temples in horror, he curses himself in the darkness, knowing nothing will ever be the same.

"No. No, no, no, no, no. Fuck!"

Poor Rossward. Can't deny those feelings now, can he?

We had to keep the ATM Vestibule in as a nod to Chandler and Jill Goodacre, modern times or not because that scene is just TOO FUNNY.

See you SOON!