AN: Finally they talk ...

Bella

Each of us walked toward the other, through the thicker snow in the clearing. Without uttering a word, each step we took brought us closer together. We met in the center, our arms lifting as one to encircle the other. I didn't have to ask any questions and neither did he; the ever-present electricity was still there, tingling along my skin and reaching into my heart. From the look on his face he was feeling the same.

"Bella." My name was almost a whisper on his lips as the heat of his breath washed over my face. "You're here."

"Edward." Before I could say more our lips met, his head and mine slanting to deepen the kiss I'd been waiting eight years for. Eventually, running out of breath, we parted, my eyes landing on his green ones that glittered in the light of the moon.

"I needed to know―" I began. His fingers pressed against my lips, preventing me from finishing what I wanted to say.

"Would you let me explain first, please?"

I nodded in agreement, only now noticing that the sky had clouded in and snow had begun to fall again. Edward pulled a flashlight from his inner pocket and took my cold hand in his warm one, leading me back under the trees to the fallen log we'd used many times when we needed to be here, despite whatever the weather conditions at the time.

He brushed off the small amount of snow that had managed to find its way to the surface and we took a seat as close to each other as we could get; shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, and knee to knee. Taking my hand in his again, he turned his face to mine.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I told the worst of lies when we last spoke; I loved you then and I love you now. I didn't want you to go, but I could see how much it meant to you. It was your dream to travel, and I couldn't follow you. That's why I told you to go; I was so afraid that you'd leave me behind that I lashed out and told you to go when it was the last thing I wanted you to do. Can you forgive me?"

"You hurt me badly, Edward, but I never stopped loving you. I eventually found the courage to write to you, and I came to see you. Seeing you with her―Tanya―broke my heart all over again. She told me I was too late, that you were hers."

Edward nodded. "I know, she told me a few days ago. I promise I didn't know before, and I wouldn't have turned you away."

Covering the hand that held mine, I hesitated before asking the most important question. "Where's Tanya? Is she with you?"

His hand brushed the hair back from my face. "She's in New York; we're over. She lied to me and she kept you from me. So I left and came here to think about what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I wanted to get in touch with you, but I was worried that you'd moved on." His voice grew quieter. "I saw the pictures of you and Riley."

"He asked me to marry him a few days ago." Edward's sharp intake of breath had me hurrying on. "I couldn't give him an answer and told him there was something I had to do. I fled back to my apartment and he turned up an hour or so later, wanting an explanation, so I eventually had to come clean and tell him about you. He accused me of still being in love with you."

"Was he really right? Did you come back here for me?"

I could feel the wide smile on my face, and stood, keeping hold of his hand. "I did, though I never expected to find you here. I was actually on my way to your parent's house to look for you. Even if Tanya had been here, I was prepared to push through her to get to you. Come on, we should go; our respective parents will be wondering where we've gotten to."

At that moment, I could hear the sound of the shouted countdown from the Cullen house, indicating that it was almost midnight. I was determined that the last lips I kissed this year and the first lips I kissed next year would be his.

Dumbfounded, I watched as he dropped to his knees and drew a tatty drawstring bag from his pocket. "Bella, I have always, and will always, love you. Though we have been apart for many years, you've always been in my heart. Will you marry me?"

My hand flew to my mouth, trapping in the Alice-type squeal that threatened to appear. I could see that Edward was absolutely serious, and for a minute I couldn't find one coherent word. His face was calm as he waited for his words to sink in, and for my answer.

"Yes." The single word hit my hand, muffled, and Edward cocked his head to one side, patiently waiting for my answer. My hand dropped to my side. "Yes." This time the word was louder and reverberated around the clearing. I cleared my throat and said it again, watching his face light up with excitement.

When he stood and pulled me into his arms, I burrowed into his warmth, suddenly aware of how cold the air around us was. Shivering, I pushed his sweater up and slid my hands onto the warm skin of his back.

"Oh, my God, your hands are freezing." Arching his back, he grinned. "Nothing's changed, has it? If I remember rightly, you always had cold hands and feet."

"Well, you know what they say, don't you?" I grinned back at him as he shook his head. "Cold hands, warm heart. And my heart is definitely warm for you."

His hold tightened on me. "I'd forgotten how cheesy you could be." He stooped and kissed me again. "And I love it, and you. Come on, your parents will be wondering where you are. Shall we head back to my house?"

"I have to admit that I'd like you to myself for a while, but Mom and Dad were expecting me to follow them a while ago. Since you're missing, too, hopefully they'll have guessed that I'm with you. And if we're going to your house to tell everyone the good news, I guess you'd better give me that ring."

Chuckling, Edward pulled the drawstring bag out of his pocket where he'd tucked it and tipped the ring out into his hand. "Do you like it?" he asked almost shyly. "It belonged to Granny Cullen and has been passed down a few generations now. I've been carrying it with me for years, ever since my dad passed it to me. We can get something else if you'd prefer."

"Nope, this is perfect. It's beautiful and full of the history of love. It's exactly what I would have chosen for myself." He slid the ring onto my finger, where it fit perfectly. "Let's go, fiancé, I want to show it off."

We managed to get back to the truck without mishap, pulling out onto a road covered with more snow. Taking it slow, we eventually arrived back at the house, waiting as a few people left before parking Carlisle's truck back in the garage.

Sitting in the truck for a few minutes, looking at Edward, I was filled with the need to make sure he was actually here. Thank goodness for bench seats, I thought randomly as I maneuvered myself between his body and the steering wheel and straddled him. His smirk told me he approved and his lips met mine, licking along them and asking for entry. I gave myself over to him, allowing his touch to carry me away, until a knock on the window beside us brought us both out of the moment.

Turning to look, we were somewhat surprised to see Mom, Dad, Esme, and Carlisle peering at us. Mom and Esme were grinning like loons, waving their fingers at us.

Edward wound the window down, smirking at them. "Is there something we can help you with?"

"Well, we did wonder where you'd gotten to, Edward." Carlisle shook his head and smirked. "Why don't you come inside?" His eyes alighted on the ring on my finger, where my hand was curved around Edward's jaw, but he said nothing, only cocking his head the way Edward had done earlier. It really was like father, like son.

Carlisle and Esme stepped back and headed toward the house. "You could have let us know, Bella." Dad sounded aggrieved, but the wide smile on his face told me he was fully aware of who I'd been with, if not exactly where we'd been.

"Don't listen to him, Bella. I knew as soon as I saw Edward leave that you and he would be together." Mom nudged Dad and pulled him away toward the house, leaving us to finish our interrupted kiss.

Eventually, I had to lean back away from his lips to take a breath, though his lips continued down my throat and along my collar bone, sending shivers through my body that had nothing to do with the temperature. The heat between my legs was only rivaled by the hardness he was pressing against me; I could feel how much he was affected, too.

"We need to go inside, Edward." The words were practically moaned, belying the need to be closer to him; I'd missed him so much more than I'd realized. While I was surrounded by his warmth, I was reluctant to step outside and return to reality. "Everyone's waiting for us." He wasn't letting up, and I began to rock against the bulge in his jeans.

His hands dropped to my hips, moving my body to create more friction as his lips found mine again. Wrenching myself away from them was difficult, but there was no way I wanted our reaffirmation to be a dry hump in the front seat of his dad's truck. "Edward," I pleaded. "Not here."

He stilled and dropped his head to my shoulder. "Damn, you're right. I'm sorry, I got carried away." He took a deep breath and lifted his head to look directly at me. "Let's go, then."

I unwound myself from his body and slid back into my seat, breathing out a long sigh. Hopping out of the truck, Edward trotted around the front and appeared outside my door. I sat still, remembering how he'd always insisted that I wait for him to help me out of his car. This time was no different, and he took my hand, leading me out into the snowy yard and to the house, his arm firmly around me.

"Bella?" Riley's voice rang out, breaking the calm that surrounded the two of us, and I knew it was time to face him.

~oOo~

** Last Chances **