DISCLAIMER-Stephenie Meyer created The Twilight Saga and its characters, and graciously allowed us crazies to play with them.

Dazzled Eyes22 and Melissa... Thanks, ladies :)

Your reviews for the last chapter made me smile. The thought that you found my Edward and Bella cute warms my heart. This is the first time that at least 450 people are reading my story, so, posting a new chapter is always daunting. Your kind words make it equally exciting. I really appreciate your support.

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CHAPTER 11

"I don't know, Em."

"Oh, c'mon. Please?" he pouted, or attempted to. There was a jutting lower lip, but the eyes were wrong, and all in all, the effect was… quite funny.

"Emmett, I'm not saying no. I'm just saying that I can't give you a definitive answer right this moment because I have to talk to Bella about it first." I grabbed the chart I needed and filled in the results of the patient's latest lab reports.

"Ooh, look at that! My little boy is all grown up," he sniffed, wiping away a non-existent tear. "Just ten days into a relationship and he's already got the hang of how to do it just right."

I shoved him without looking up from my work, but he managed to dodge my elbow. Once I'd finished, I met his far too amused eyes. "You do realize that I've been married once before, right?"

"Uh, I don't need to tell you how that turned out. It was a doomed relationship anyway," he scoffed. "What you have this time, it's much more important. This one is forevahhh," he sang.

I sighed. "I don't- I don't want to think about that."

Emmett's playful demeanor disappeared immediately. "What the hell are you saying? I thought you loved Bella."

"I do, of course I do."

"Then what did you mean by that little statement you just made?" His voice was strained, like he was holding himself back from yelling. "You've both been miserable for a long time, and finally, you're starting to be happy together. I will not let you fuck this up, you hear me?"

This was not a conversation I could have at the nurses' station. I pointed toward the lounge and Emmett followed me. Once inside, I practically fell onto the couch, holding my head in my hands and couldn't help but think about the last time I sat exactly like this, the night of Bella's accident.

"Edward…"

I looked up. "I made this mistake last time with Irina. I thought… I thought our relationship was absolutely perfect and that we'd last forever… have kids and grow old together, the whole package. Then she went ahead and cheated on me. You know what it did to me, and now there's Bella." I shook my head. "She's beautiful, kind and trustworthy… she's everything I could ever want. Though, I can't bring myself to think about the future. I can't put on the rose glasses this time. It- It scares me, Em."

"You think Bella is going to cheat on you?" he asked.

"No, I don't fucking think that. I just said she is trustworthy," I snapped, followed by a groan and regretting my outburst immediately.

Em was just trying to help. He was looking out for me and also for Bella, though they had never even met. I was very grateful for that. It was just that I'd been thinking obsessively ever since I'd woken up with Bella in my arms on the first day of this new year, trying to remember what mistakes I'd made last time and making sure not to repeat them.

I'd been awake, but completely unwilling to move an inch, so for a good half hour, I lay there, with Bella's head resting on my chest, and watched her sleep. The little sounds of her rhythmic breathing, the feel of her soft hair as they tickled the skin of my neck, and the warmth of her arm draped over my torso… I felt that I could spend the rest of my life content, just being with her like that.

When she stirred, I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my lips, listening to her frustrated groan as she fought to hold on to the sleep that was evading her. She went still for another minute or so, but the attempt was futile. Soon enough, she opened her eyes with a huff.

"Good morning," I said softly, pushing away a lock of her hair that was falling over her eyes.

"Morning," she replied, smiling her beautiful smile, and fisting her hand in my T-shirt. She pulled herself up slightly, pressing a small kiss over the corner of my mouth. I turned my head to meet her lips fully but she backed away.

"Nope, not until we're minty fresh, mister," she giggled, while I had to make do with a kiss on her cheek. I sighed dramatically.

She rolled onto her back, and I followed, laying my head over her stomach and looking up at her. She ran her fingers through my hair. I could have purred at how amazing it felt.

"This is nice," she whispered.

"I know. You have a thing for my hair."

That earned me a sharp tug at said hair.

"Be careful. If you pull it out, I'm not gonna be handsome anymore."

She laughed. "At the risk of inflating your already hyper-active ego this morning, I'd say that somehow, I doubt that. While I do love this," she mussed my hair, "you know that's not all I meant."

"I know," I replied. "I agree. It is nice, more so than I could ever have imagined."

She hesitated for a moment, while I waited patiently for her to gather her thoughts. "Should it be like this? I mean, this comfortable, so soon? Is it always like this?"

I shrugged. "It has never been this way for me, if that's what you're asking. Then again, I've always known that we had something special."

The dark brown depth of her eyes sparkled playfully. "Even when you were running from it?" she teased.

"Even when I was running from it," I replied honestly. "Especially then."

Her hand reached down cupped my cheek, pulling me up to her face and pecking me once. She turned her face away when I tried to deepen the kiss.

"Bella!" I protested, or rather, whined.

She pushed me away, giggling at the pout on my face and jumping off the bed. "Find me a toothbrush and then we'll talk." She walked out of the room, still chuckling at my expense and I practically ran to the cabinet in the bathroom.

"Helloooo!" Emmett's meaty paw was waving in front of my eyes, and pulling me back to the present.

"Uh, sorry," I muttered. "What were you saying?"

"I wasn't. You were freaking out about your relationship."

"I'm not-" I sighed. "I'm not freaking out. I'm just saying I don't want to think about the future just yet. Even if I know it in my heart that she's it for me, I'm not ready to acknowledge it. Does that mean… isn't that wrong? Shouldn't I be more confident, more optimistic about this?"

"That's abso-freaking-lutely fine, Edward!" He patted my shoulder. "Listen, this whole discussion sounds… to be honest, it sounds a little crazy. I know you've been pining for this girl for a year and a half, but it has been just a few days since you got together officially. There's no need to think about the future just yet. I know how you think. When you decide to do something, you dive in head-on. It's all or nothing for you. At this point, it is okay to take things one day at a time."

I released the breath I hadn't even known I'd been holding. Until Emmett had said those words, I hadn't realized how much I needed to hear them.

"Bella is not looking for you to commit your life to her after ten days of being together." He held up his hand to stop me from interrupting. "I know, I know. You would do it in a heartbeat. You're just not ready to think about it because it frightens you. That's okay, Edward. I know Carlisle and Esme fell in love at first sight and got married within two months of knowing each other, but you tried that once and it didn't work. Do it differently now. Take this one day at a time, make the most of every moment you have with Bella and stop worrying about things that are just in your head."

Shocked to silence, I sat there listening to Em's little speech. Emmett and I had been friends for almost ten years now, but I'd never talked about the influence my parents' marriage had on my relationship with Irina with anyone other than Bella. My big goof of a friend was much more perceptive than I had given him credit for and I was grateful to have him in my corner.

"You two are going to be just fine. I'm sure of that. You know why?"

I took the bait, shaking my head.

"Because of your face five minutes ago when you were thinking about her. That, my friend, was the face of a guy hopelessly in love. I-" He trailed off when the door opened and Jasper waltzed in.

"Why was I not invited to this party?" he asked Emmett and me as he headed over to the refrigerator.

"Just giving Edward a little relationship advice here, love guru that I am," Emmett said, proud as a peacock, while Jasper looked dubious, and glanced at me for confirmation.

I shrugged.

"What's the problem? Maybe I can throw in my two cents too," he offered, sitting down across from me.

"Uh, really, Jazz?" Emmett teased, using the nickname that Maria had bestowed upon him, which never failed to make Jasper's face scrunch up like he'd just licked a rotten lemon. "Bella is a nice girl. If Edward starts acting like you, she'd be gone faster than he can utter the first syllable of Sorry."

Jasper frowned, looking legitimately hurt. "Hey, I can get a nice girl."

Em and I exchanged a puzzled glance. Jasper had always been a self-certified playboy, and proud of it, too. We'd teased him countless times about his lifestyle and he'd never take it to heart, always replying that we simply didn't know what we were missing. I had no idea what had happened to change that.

"Sure you can, dude," Em placated him. "I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean anything by it. I'm always pulling your leg."

Jasper waved it off. "It's all good."

"Oh!" Em smacked his forehead, and winced. "Before I forget, Jasper, you are cordially invited to a night out at Eclipse on the 22nd to celebrate my Rosie's birthday."

"Eclipse? Isn't that the new club near your place? Man, I've been dying to try it out."

"Thank you!" Em bellowed. "That's the reaction I was hoping for! Watch and learn, Cullen."

"I never said I wasn't excited about it. It's just that Bella has some important submissions coming up next week. I don't know her exact schedule, so I'll talk to her and then let you know if we can make it. That's all I said."

"You could come alone if she's not free. Or does having a girlfriend mean doing everything together?" Jasper looked between us.

I scowled, but Emmett spoke up before I could. "Yeah, uh, Jazz, why don't you leave the advising to me?" He turned to me. "Edward, Rose and I are really excited about meeting Bella. She told me specifically to tell you that. She's been talking about meeting her ever since she's heard your entire history and then heard you go all lovey-dovey over the phone. I was holding her back, since I thought you two should have a little more time before the whole "meeting the friends" thing. So, you let me know what works for you, and if Bella has school stuff, we can do this another time, okay?"

I smiled. "Will do. Thank you."

The sound of my ringing phone kicked my heart into overdrive. I heard my two friends snickering as I jumped up excitedly and answered.

"Hi! I'm here," the sweetest voice said, bringing a huge smile to my lips.

"Where are you?"

"Just getting in through the main doors."

"Okay, walk straight down the hallway. Take a right from the reception and come over to the lounge."

"Lounge? I thought we were just going to be leaving," she wondered.

"Someone here wants to meet you."

"Okaaay. I'll be right there."

I walked out quickly and a minute later, there she was, looking around. When her eyes landed on me, she covered the remaining distance between us and I immediately pulled her into my arms.

"Missed you," she mumbled against my skin.

I held her closer. "I missed you too."

Her teachers had been really cracking the whip after the winter break. They had a couple of assignments lined up that would be counted in their final grades. They also had a certain exam coming up sometime in February. Combine all of that with my hectic workload and the result was that we hadn't seen each other in three days. We texted or sneaked in a few minutes of calls throughout the day, but it just wasn't the same as seeing her and having her in my arms. Today, though, Bella had a lighter schedule with just two classes, so she'd decided to tackle the task of getting herself a new car. When she asked me if I would like to join her, I practically jumped at the chance of spending time with her.

"So, who is that someone waiting to see me?" she asked me, pulling away.

"Come on in."

We entered, and Emmett rushed to us, immediately wrapping Bella in a tight hug.

"Bella, Bella, Bella! It's so nice to meet the girl who's managed to make our dear Grumpy here loosen up! Never thought I'd see the day, but you made it happen!"

Poor Bella had been shocked into immobility for a few seconds. Once she managed to recover, she laughed and hugged him back.

"Hi, Emmett. It's nice to meet you too."

It was a full minute before he released her. Jasper said hello and we all settled onto the couches.

My two friends were full of questions for my girlfriend about her college and studies, and she was a good sport, answering them patiently. Emmett mentioned Rosalie's party and asked Bella if she would be free that night.

"The 22nd, right?" She looked over to me, and I smiled in response, leaving the decision up to her. "Sure, I'd love to come. It would give me a nice break from the studying. Exams won't start until February, so the 22nd should be good."

Emmett whooped. "Awesome! Rosie would love to meet you."

Bella smiled. "I'd love that too. Rosalie is your wife?"

"Yes," he replied, grinning. "We'll be celebrating our fifth anniversary this June."

"That's wonderful." She turned to Jasper, who'd been silent for the last few minutes. "What about you, Jasper?"

I watched as he gulped. "Uh, no. Definitely not married." My brow creased as I wondered why he was behaving so strangely today.

Emmett chatted with Bella, while I observed Jasper. He chimed in occasionally, but looked slightly uncomfortable. Once again, I wondered why. He'd been perfectly fine in Bella's presence during her stay and check up at the hospital. I didn't know what was bothering him now.

"Ready to go?" Bella's question interrupted my train of thought.

"Yeah."

After the goodbyes, we headed out, stopping by at a café around the block for a quick lunch.

"You agreed because you wanted to, right?" I asked Bella once we'd ordered our food.

Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Rosalie's party. I just want to make sure you didn't feel like you had to do it. I know Emmett can come off a little strong the first time you meet him."

I was relieved when she smiled. "It's okay. He seems nice. A little loud, maybe, but nice."

"He is a good friend. Loyal, too." I paused, looking down. "He was really there for me when I, uh, when Jasper was operating on you. He forced me to tell him everything about you… took my mind off what was happening for a little while."

Bella leaned forward, tilting her head until our eyes met. Her hand reached out to take mine, giving me a gentle squeeze and I smiled gratefully at the silent support.

The mood lightened once the waiter brought out our food and the conversation moved on to pleasant topics.

I looked up at the sign outside the building, and frowned.

"The Toyota dealership?"

"Yeah. Something wrong?"

"Shouldn't we get you something… safer?" I suggested, causing Bella to face me with her eyebrows raised in expectation of an explanation.

"It's just… If the airbags would have worked properly in your truck, maybe the accident… maybe your condition… Your heart had stopped, Bella. They had to shock it back into rhythm and still, you were barely stabilized to take you to the OR." My voice shook, so I cleared my throat. "If the insurance money is not, uh-" What was I going to say? Offer to pay for it? If the scowl that was beginning to from on her brow was any indication, and from what I knew about Bella, she would never go for that. In fact, it would probably offend her, when all I wanted was to make sure she was safe.

"I'm a college student, Edward. I'm not supposed to blow loads of money on an extravagant car. There are plenty of safety features available among the reasonably-priced models," she said, a terse note sneaking into her voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound-" I trailed off, releasing a gush of air, frustrated with my inability to find the right words. "I just worry about you, Bella. When I think about what could have happened that night…"

Her features softened, probably in response to the desperate anxiety that laced my voice. "Don't," she whispered, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around my neck. "Don't think about it. I'm here, Edward. We're here. That's all that matters."

I sighed, holding on to her waist. I couldn't see a hint of wavering in her eyes.

"It's not about the money," she continued and the tenor of her voice was patient. "I have a trust fund that Nana set up for me. It's not much, but along with the scholarship I received, it is good enough for my tuition fees and day-to-day needs. The insurance company gave me a fair sum, and it is very likely that after I buy a decent car, I'll have some of it left over and I'd like to keep it that way, you know, save that money. This is what I need right now, Edward. I'm nineteen. I haven't earned an Audi or a BMW. I have a lot to do until I get there. I shouldn't have excessive expenditures at this point in my life."

Pursing my lips, I mulled over her words. She was right, of course. This wasn't my choice to make. It was hers. I knew it all in my mind. Yet, my heart chose to focus solely on the fact that I loved her. Keeping her safe was of utmost importance to me regardless of the consequences.

She leaned in and I followed suit, closing the gap between us until our lips touched, then molded together, pushing and pulling against each other until we were panting to catch our breaths. When I felt her tongue caress mine, I pulled back slowly, not wanting this to escalate to the point where we wouldn't be able to stop, especially since we were in public.

Bella made a little sound of protest in the back of her throat, but I looked around pointedly and she understood. Despite that, I couldn't help but place a lingering kiss on the beautiful blush that had spread across her cheeks.

Bella sighed, regaining her composure after a moment. "How about this? We'll go in, shortlist the options and you can interrogate the salesman to your heart's delight on whatever safety features you want. Then, we'll choose a car together. One we both like."

I smiled wryly. "Is that the best deal I'm going to get?"

"Yep. Take it or leave it, Dr. Cullen," she giggled.

"You're too mature sometimes, you know that?" I pecked the tip of her nose. "Okay, I accept it."

"We have a deal," she announced and sealed it with another kiss.

Hand in hand, we went inside the showroom. While the salesman bombarded us with information about all the cars he had to offer, Bella's hand remained encased in mine. Once in a while, she look over at me with a smile and squeeze my fingers, both of which I'd return.

Her touch, her smile, her voice… They were exactly what I needed to push back the dark memories and reassure myself that she was here with me. We'd met, then separated, and met again in the most horrible circumstances, and now, here we were… together.

I hadn't lost her in the accident.

I'd found her.

A/N: So... thoughts? Questions? Anyone?

I hope you have a great week ahead and I'll see you next Saturday! Until then, watch out for teasers on FB on Wednesday.

~ForeverRobsessed