A/N: One more step for our couple today. I hope you enjoy. More explanations at the end. *WARNING: possible trigger warning for mentions of emotional abuse.

By the time we made it to Seattle, Edward had been able to clear my worries. He was like an ice pack on a hot day – that thought made me laugh. But it was true. His words about his wife had helped me feel better, and not as guilt-ridden. But I was still sad for him. I was sorry that he had wanted something, hadn't gotten it, and had a life full of disappointment. My gain, though, really. And I was glad that we had found each other.

I let him take over driving somewhere in the middle of Oregon. We enjoyed the countryside; the green was simply amazing. I hadn't ever lived anywhere that was this green, and I found myself interested, excited and awestruck.

"It's just so...green!" I exclaimed while we were traveling through the Oregon mountains.

Edward laughed, his hand lacing through mine. "Oregon and Washington are two of my favorite states. The green is amazing, and honestly, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Just wait. I have so many places I want to show you."

"I can't wait for you to show me everything," I said, smiling over at him.

Once I had gotten over my temporary freak out, the rest of the ride was really pleasant. We talked about our childhoods; telling stories that we hadn't said to each other already. The past was the best way to direct the conversation, since neither of us knew what the future would hold. Edward was definitely more optimistic than I was, but under his influence I was really trying.

By the time he pulled into an underground parking garage, it was dark. I was desperately looking around trying to see what our new home was like on the outside, but I couldn't tell. We parked my SUV next to his gray Volvo, and then we grabbed my suitcases and our backpacks. Everything else could wait for now; I was too excited to see what he had chosen for us.

Though he had offered, I had never looked at the apartment he had chosen. I decided that it didn't matter; as long as I was with him, I'd be fine with a hole in the ground house. He had said he tried to find us a place close to the office, so that was something. Maybe we would be able to walk to work? I laughed at myself once I remembered how rainy it was in Seattle.

"What's so funny?" Edward asked, his hand firmly clasping mine. He directed us toward the front of the building, leading into a beautiful courtyard.

"Nothing, I was just being silly," I answered, looking around. "I can't see much, but it looks so beautiful, Edward."

"Just wait until morning, baby. Eliot Bay is right there on the other side of the road next to Pier 66. I wanted us close to the Seattle life; there is so much that we can walk to. You are going to love it." We had reached the front door of the building. Edward took his keys out, opened the door for me letting me walk in first, following close behind.

The lobby was brightly lit and sparsely decorated. It was a wash of white, making it seem almost otherworldly. Edward led us to the stairs, leading us up to the third floor. The apartment was at the end of the hall toward the front of the building. He opened the door, taking the suitcase out of my hand, as well as my backpack and purse, setting it inside. Before I could walk in the door, he leaned over and picked me up, bridal style.

"Edward!" I laughed, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Christening our new home, baby," he said, kissing me lightly. "Welcome home, my love."

He stepped in the door, kissing me again before setting me down. The entry way was just a small hallway, but I could see the entry of the living room at the end of the hall. The living room had sparse furniture in it, just as the lobby had. One couch sat directly in front of a beautiful marble fireplace, but the real sight was behind it. A large, black baby grand piano sat behind the couch, separating the living room from the dining room and kitchen.

I walked up to the piano, running my hands lightly across the top of it. Looking up at Edward, I smiled. "Do you play? How did I not know that?"

He smirked, leaning against the wall, hands in his pocket. "Doesn't come up at work very often."

"This is why you needed the truck, right? There's no way this could have fit in your car." I laughed, walking closer to him.

He wound his arms around me, kissing my forehead. "Do you want to see the rest?"

I nodded, and he took my hand. The dining room was through a wide doorway; we walked through and it led in to the kitchen area. It was a galley style, with the same marble that was on the fireplace throughout the room. It was filled with stainless steel appliances. I smiled at Edward, who tugged on my hand and led us down the hallway.

"This is the guest room. Right now, it's just filled with some of my boxes. We need more furniture; I didn't want to pick too much out without you. We can put yours in here also until we find what we need."

"Ok," I breathed, realizing the only room left was ours.

Edward took us to the last doorway in the hall, after pointing out the guest bathroom and laundry and linen closets. He opened the last door wide, letting me step in first. I sucked in a breath. The entire back wall was almost entirely a window. I could see a track for the curtains; it went from wall to wall. The bedroom furniture was a dark wood cherry color, with dark red sheets and comforter. The bed was a four poster, right in the middle of the side wall. There were night stands on either side, a dresser across from the bed, and a book case right next to the door to the bathroom.

"Edward...it's...beautiful!" He came up behind me and wound his arms around me. "This is the bedroom set you bought?"

He nodded, resting his head on my shoulder, kissing my neck lightly. "I wanted something special for us. I may have gone overboard, but this really was the nicest one. Alice said it would look great against our view."

I looked toward the window; I could see the Pier he was talking about, with a giant Ferris wheel lit up at the end. There were several other areas surrounding it that I couldn't identify, then there were boats on the darkened water, and lights on the other side of the water. It was really beautiful.

Shifting so I could look at him, I kissed him softly. "This is amazing, Edward, thank you! How much was all of this?"

He kissed my nose. "I wanted to spoil you a little. You haven't had nearly enough of that in your life. Don't worry about the money, baby. I have plenty. Let me spoil you?"

He has plenty. That's what he said. Suddenly, I was nervous. "How much was the apartment, Edward? What is the rent?"

He shifted a little, looking sheepish. "Don't worry about it; the cost is taken care of."

I stepped back; eyes wide. "What did you do?"

He looked down. "I paid for the first year. It's a rent to own, so at the end of the year we have the option to purchase if we want. I didn't want to buy anything without making sure you loved it, but I also didn't want you to worry about money for a little while."

"You..." I was shocked. A swirl of emotions ran through my mind. "You paid for the entire first year for this apartment...you didn't even discuss that with me first?"

His eyes jerked up to mine, guilt and fear etched all over his face. "I wanted to do something for you. I wasn't trying to upset you."

I turned, still trying to process what was happening. I sat down on the bed, thinking how comfortable it was, but trying not to focus on that. "You can't just make major decisions without me, Edward! We are supposed to be a partnership; I don't need you paying for everything or 'taking care of me.' I've taken care of myself for years."

Edward came over to the bed, crouching down, placing his hands on my legs. "I know you can, Bella. But I don't want you to have to. I want you to realize that you have someone you can lean on now. We can lean on each other."

I leaned toward him and put my forehead on his. "If it's a partnership then we need to talk to each other."

"I'm sorry, Bella. I wanted to surprise you. I wanted to provide for you."

I huffed a laugh, reaching down and pulling him to sit next to me. "I hate surprises."

He laughed with me, putting his arm around me. "How much trouble am I in?" There was a teasing tone in his voice.

"So much trouble." I stood and stepped up to him, my legs on the outside of his. I pushed him back onto the bed. He shifted back a little, and I crawled on top of him. He looked repentant. "Just make sure you talk to me about things like this in the future, Edward. I don't want to be in a one-sided relationship, ok?"

"So, no more surprises?" he asked, bringing his hands to my hips.

"Some surprises are good. Little stuff, you know. I wake up to the coffee already made, or you bringing me flowers...that sort of thing. Big stuff like paying a damn year on our lease? No, please don't do large surprises like that. Deal?" I stuck my hand out as if to shake; he grabbed it and pulled me closer to him.

"Deal." He brought me to his mouth, kissing me softly. "You aren't mad?"

"Oh, I'm mad, mister. Just wait. I'll find a way to get my revenge." Or not, whatever. It really was a sweet thing to do, I just wasn't used to people doing things like that for me.

His hands slipped to the hemline of my shirt, pulling gently eventually tugging it off. I leaned back so he could sit up then pulled his shirt off next. Our lips crashed together as he worked my bra off, slipping his hands in front and rubbing my already painful nipples. Edward grabbed me and laid me down in the middle of the bed, undoing my jeans, pulling them off with my underwear.

He stepped back, working his own pants and boxers off, staring at me. "I can't believe you are really here. In my city, in my bed."

"Our city, Edward. Our bed." I bit my lip, hiding the smile that was threatening to emerge.

He slid up my body, dropping his weight on top of me. My legs circled his as he rested his forehead against mine. "Right, ours." He positioned himself and slid in slowly. Once he was fully inside me, we both breathed a deep sigh, kissing again. He started moving inside me while kissing down my face, sucking on the sensitive spot behind my ear. "Thank you, Bella. Thank you for moving; for choosing to be with me...for loving me."

I smiled, kissing his cheek. "Loving you was the easiest thing I've ever done. Like you said, it was never a choice, baby. It was always going to be you," I repeated his words back to him, smiling, understanding just how true they really were.

He brought his mouth to mine again, still moving within me. I brought my legs down, flattening my feet on the bed. I met him thrust for thrust, eager to feel even more of him. Edward put his hands up on the bed frame, bracing himself and moving inside me even faster. A shine of sweat appeared on his forehead, showing the strain he was under in this position. I kept moving up letting him hit me just right.

"Baby, I love you so much," Edward said as he thrust inside me, bottoming out and moaning as he came. He settled down on top of me, kissing my shoulder and neck. "I'm sorry, I wanted that to last longer. I was just overwhelmed with emotion and couldn't hold it in."

I ran my hands down his back, slightly disappointed that I hadn't found my own release. Edward didn't stay in that position for long, though. He shifted off of me, sliding his hands down to where he had disconnected our bodies, pushing two fingers inside me, while his thumb started circling my clit.

I moaned, my eyes closing as I pushed into his hand. His lips were on mine, tongue in my mouth as his fingers continued to move inside me. It wasn't too long until I was screaming in his mouth and trembling around his fingers.

"Thank you," I sighed, coming down off my high.

He chuckled, pulling me over, laying my head on his shoulder. "You are thanking me for that? Well, my love, you are going to be thanking me for the rest of our lives."

I kissed his shoulder. "No, thank you for thinking of me. Remembering that I hadn't come yet."

He pulled back a little, looking down at me. "What?"

I leaned up so I could see him better. "Thank you for not just falling asleep. For making sure I enjoyed it, too." I kissed him slowly, but he pushed me back, his eyes wild.

"Bella, is...did he...were you not taken care of before?"

I sighed. "There's a lot I didn't tell you about my relationship with him, Edward. Maybe now is a good time. You talked about you and your wife being friends before. Well, he and I were also. At first, it was good, but he never took my pleasure seriously. He would fall asleep before making sure I was done. When I asked him about it right after we were married, he said it was ridiculous to 'make him' have to do something to make sure I came, too. That it shouldn't be expected of him. He would help me out if he was inclined to, but not if I always expected him to."

Edward's mouth dropped open, a look of enormous shock on his face. I smiled sadly, kissing him making his mouth move out of that shape. I kissed him for a few minutes before settling back on his shoulder. He was surprised, so he didn't say anything right away. His hand was idly playing with my hair, circling it around his finger.

"What a fucking idiot," he finally said, huffing a laugh. "No wonder you weren't that upset about not having sex with him for so long."

I laughed, kissing his shoulder again. "I was better at it than he was, anyway. Hell, before our night together, I was a rock star at helping myself out."

He rolled us over, so that he was laying half on top of me. "I promise, baby, you will never have to do that again." His eyes were devious for a moment. "Unless I ask you to." He kissed me again, letting his tongue slide slowly across my bottom lip. "I will make sure you are as satisfied as you want to be for the rest of our lives."

"I love you, Edward. So much." I looked into his eyes as he smiled. "Thank you for loving me."

He kissed me quickly, laying back down and bringing me back next to him. "It's the easiest thing in the world, love."

Never in my life had I woken up feeling so refreshed and happy. Edward was still sound asleep, and I decided not to wake him up. I slid out from his grasp, grabbing his shirt and boxers from the floor, putting them on, and then made my way to the bathroom. Once I was finished, I walked quietly out to the kitchen, searching for the stuff to make coffee. I found the coffee maker on the counter next to the refrigerator, but I didn't see any coffee grounds, or any creamer in the fridge.

I was just wondering what we would do for coffee when warm arms encased me from behind. "I was hoping to wake up next to you," he whispered, kissing my neck.

"I didn't want to disturb you, so I went in search of coffee."

He chuckled. "I didn't have time to go to the store, so we don't really have anything in the house."

I turned around, putting my arms around his neck. "Edward, my love, if I don't get coffee in the morning, I'm not going to be able to function for the rest of the day."

"Baby," he said, kissing me quickly. "We live in the best coffee making city in the world. Coffee is all around us."

"And you are expecting me to be able to go and get coffee?" I asked, kissing him again laughing. "Then, let's get going, buddy! I need coffee!"

We went to the front and grabbed my suitcases that we had ignored once we were inside the night before. I dressed quickly, feeling the need for caffeine as soon as possible. Edward and I walked outside the apartment building, hand in hand, walking toward the road. When we got there, Edward tried to steer us to the left but I couldn't move.

"Oh my god," I whispered. I stared out over the water, seeing a few boats scattered on the crystal-clear water. The wind coming off the water was chilly, but the cold didn't bother me at all. This was the most amazing sight I'd ever seen. The sun was still coming up, and the shine of light was hitting the water, making it look like glass. The deep blue edges of the water rippled slightly in the breeze, nipping at the dock right across the street.

Edward brought me to him, kissing my head, chuckling. "See why I chose this place?" He kissed me again. "Welcome home, baby. Now...coffee?"

"Right. Coffee." He tugged on my hand leading me down the walkway. We had decided to walk, so that I could get more oriented with our surroundings. As we walked, he pointed out a few things of note.

"We can stop at that market on our way back to pick up a few groceries," he said, pointing to the back of a building to our right. He continued to lead me, showing me a bar next to the store, an Oriental market, restaurants...there was so much within walking distance it was amazing.

After getting Starbucks – which Edward made sure to point out was just for this morning, stating Starbucks was the worst coffee Seattle had to offer – we sat down outside just sipping and enjoying the company and caffeine. When we were done, we started walking back to the grocery store to get some supplies.

"We can just pick up a few things for now. Later, we can go to a bigger place with my car and load up." Edward grabbed a few things, including Seattle's Best coffee and filters. I picked out my favorite French vanilla creamer and some items for breakfast and lunch. We could head out to get more after eating.

By the time we got back to our home, I was starving. I set about making French toast while Edward got the coffee going; he knew one cup wasn't going to be enough for me. A smile crept on my face as I realized what we are doing. We were officially a couple; working in the kitchen together, after waking up in our own place.

"What has you smiling like that?" Edward asked, sitting down at the bar on the other side of the stove. "I need to know so I can keep it there forever."

"I was just thinking how great this is. Waking up together, in our own place, making breakfast together...I don't know, just happy we are finally here I guess." I handed him a plate filled with food. He took it from me, kissing my hand.

"Only the beginning, baby."

"I know. That's why I'm smiling." I grabbed my own food, turning off the burner and going to sit next to him. We ate in a comfortable silence until the coffee maker beeped indicating it was done.

I got up and poured us two cups of coffee using the mugs that Edward and pulled out earlier. "These are cute, how long have you had them?" The mugs were in the shape of koala bears, with the tail for the handle.

He laughed, taking the one I was handing him already filled. "Probably since I was ten? I don't really remember. I've had them for so long. They were the first thing I unpacked."

I smiled, grabbing my filled cup, turning to walk around the side of the island to sit back down. My foot caught on the side of the counter, and I tripped, spilling the coffee and dropping the mug. I flinched when it shattered against the ground. Immediately, my eyes started tearing.

"Oh god, Edward, I'm so sorry!" I started shaking, reaching toward all of the large pieces I could see, tears streaming down my face. "I'm such an idiot! I can't believe I tripped. God, and I broke your mug you've had forever! I'm so sorry!"

Warm hands grabbed mine, which were covering my eyes after dropped the pieces all over the floor again. "Bella, stop. It's fine, baby. Really. It's just a dumb mug. Calm down, please?"

But I couldn't calm down; I was waiting for the anger. The fury at ruining something that he loved. Instead, Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled me onto his lap. He kissed the side of my head just holding me until I stopped shaking.

Once I was calmer, he turned me so I was looking straight at him. "Can you tell me what just happened?"

"I b-b-broke your mug that you owned since you were a kid. I thought you were mad at me," I whispered, my eyes looking down avoiding his.

He pushed my chin up, forcing me to look at him. "Why would I be mad because you accidentally broke something, Bella?"

I didn't say anything, but more tears leaked out of my eyes. Suddenly, realization settled on his face and his eyes became fierce. "Is this something he would have yelled at you over? A simple accident?"

I nodded, unable to say anything. Logically, I knew Edward wasn't like him, but I couldn't help the response. It was what I was used to.

"He...that asshole would yell at you over something like this?" There was anger in his voice, and he was the one shaking this time. I nodded again. He put his hand on my cheek keeping me looking directly into his eyes, his voice softening. "Bella, I see that I have some things I need to erase. I will never get mad at you over something like this. I will never raise my voice, or my fist, to you. Ever.

"When I told you that his name-calling was emotional abuse, I meant it. He trained you, even unconsciously, to fear him. His anger, his words, and in the end his hands. You had to be extra careful to avoid him getting angry, am I right?" I nodded, swallowing thickly. He brought his face closer to me, whispering, "You never have to do that with me, baby. I will never make you feel like that. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," I whispered, finally finding my voice. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't. You never have to apologize to me; I will work to show you that I am not him, Bella. Even if it takes the rest of our lives to do that, I will prove it to you. Eventually, you'll stop thinking that's how I'll react. It's not your fault. None of it is."

I threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I love you, Edward. I know you aren't him; you don't have to prove that. It's just, things like that make me regress to who I was with him. It wasn't you; it was me."

He nodded, holding me tightly. "I know that was just how life was for you. I just want you to know that I won't do that to you. I'm not him; I won't treat you like that." He kissed my hair. "I love you, too, Bella. I love you so much."

We sat like that for a few more minutes before shifting to clean up the mess that I had made. Edward silently got out a new mug filling it with coffee for me, while I wiped the mess off the floor. Once it was all fixed, we sat down to our now cold breakfast to finish it. I glanced at him and he was watching me.

"Don't, Bella."

"What?"

"Don't feel guilty. It's muscle memory, baby. I'll free you of the habit, and it will be gone. After a few more accidents, you'll see that kind of shit doesn't bother me. Eventually, you won't expect me to blow up at you."

I sighed, lacing my fingers with his, turning my stool to face him. He did the same. "I do feel guilty. I don't ever want you to think that I think you are like him."

"Not in that way, I know. I'm not upset about that. I'm upset about what he did to you." He stood up, raking his hands through his hair, dropping my hand. "He had someone amazing; beautiful, smart and fun! He tried to ruin you by treating you like shit. I'm angry at him, baby, not you. Never you!"

"Did he ruin me, Edward?" I whispered, sliding down from the stool to stand in front of him. "Am I too hard to deal with?"

He rushed to put his arms around me, holding me tight against his chest. "No, Bella, no. God, I'm so sorry, that's not what I meant. Don't ever think that. He tried, baby, but it's not possible to ruin you. You are too strong to let that happen."

"You make me feel strong."

He leaned back placing both of his hands on my cheeks. "You are strong. You don't need me to make you feel anything. You got through it; you left him. You made your way to me on your own. Never let what happened with him make you think you aren't strong."

I nodded, tears sliding down my cheeks again. He kissed them away before putting his mouth on mine. He kissed me softly. "I love you so much. I love your strength, your beauty, your humor...I love everything about you."

He walked us over to the couch, sitting down with me snuggling in next to him. For a long time, we didn't say anything. Coffee and breakfast dishes were long forgotten as we just held each other. We were each lost in thought.

I had almost ruined everything, once again. But this time I truly listened to what Edward had said. Instead of feeling guilty about my behavior, I focused my thoughts on being angry with him. My Ex is the one to blame for this one. I would blame him for the rest of my life for what he had done to me – things that I didn't even realize.

I hugged Edward tighter. Thanking whatever deity was out there that they had brought him to me.

A/N: Ok, so, Bella's reaction is actually taken from real life. Not me, but a close friend. I have seen how emotional abuse of this nature can actually change the way that you react to things. Because I had written in that aspect from Bella's husband, I wanted to address this. This type of reaction is normal - though, of course, not something that we want people to do. Her response is conditioned based on continued treatment, which is absolutely a thing. Hope it didn't get too real for anyone out there. I just wanted to show that there are repercussionsfrom living in that type of environment.

Also, the interaction with Edward and Bella regarding her pleasure; that is directly from my friend's life also. So that absolutely happened. Just remember, this is the same guy who would scream about accidents right? Some people are very selfish, in all areas.

Anyway, hopefully we can move on to better conversations later, right? More coming soon, I promise. Love your reviews - please keep them coming!

Thanks again to my wonderful BFF beta zombified419. Love you to pieces for just everything!