A/N:

So we got a reunion last chapter :)

I have to say, though, I'm surprised by how many of you instantly want Edward to rush home with Bella and end Caius. I mean, I know you want to get rid of the waste-of-space-uncle, but you do know that would mean the end of the story, right? xD

Title: The Death of a Prince

Author: MarieCarro

Beta: Alice's White Rabbit

Pre-reader: brierlynn03, AgoodWITCH, LunaEclipse17

Genre: Crime/Family/Drama

Rating: NC-17

Summary: At age 7, Edward Cullen witnesses his father's death. Traumatized and terrified, he blames himself and runs away.

Two minor league criminals stumble upon him when he wanders the streets at night, freezing and starving, and they decide to take him in.

Years later, Edward is confronted by his past and must decide if he'll take his rightful place as the head of the Irish Mob, or remain with those who raised him. Based on the plot for The Lion King, which belongs to Disney.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

CHAPTER 13

They parted, and Edward grabbed Bella's hand in his to pull her with him. He didn't have a plan on where they could go. His only thought was to put some distance between the two of them and his brothers so they could have some real privacy. The area of Boston he called home wasn't particularly impressive anyway, especially since he knew the luxury Bella came from.

They eventually ended up on a dilapidated playground surrounded by imposing, square brick buildings, but they were alone, and that was what mattered.

Bella took a firm hold on one of the supporting poles and spun around it gracefully while grinning at him. "Seems appropriate, doesn't it?" she said. "You and me back on a playground."

"Absolutely," Edward vehemently agreed. "Totally my plan all along," he said jokingly with a smile and leaned his shoulder against the same pole. "If I'd had my own place, we could've talked there, but I'm pretty sure the guys went home, so that would mean guaranteed eavesdropping."

"Don't worry about it. I'm still trying to let all of this sink in. The last thing I expected tonight was to find you alive, so I'm more than happy to just be near you right now." With their close proximity, she had to bend her neck back to look into his eyes. "It's amazing how tall you are," she said. Her eyes reflected the few streetlights still working and caused them to shimmer. "I always imagined you would be."

He swallowed when a sudden dryness afflicted his throat. "You've imagined me?"

She cocked her head to the side and lifted one eyebrow in amused disbelief. Then she took a step back to put some distance between them. Meeting his gaze caused her heart to thrum hard against her ribcage, and only physical space dulled the intensity of her sudden emotions. "Of course, I have. Every year, I would think of you and wonder how things would have been if you'd never disappeared." A sudden, quiet giggle erupted as a memory occurred to her. "When I moved out of my parents' house, I sorted through some of my stuff and found an old crayon drawing of you and me about to get married."

His chuckle echoed hers. "Yeah, that always was the running gag in our families, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." Her laughter faded, and she looked down at the ground. "After I found that, I spent the rest of the night crying." Her vision blurred as the memory took over, but before she could hide it, Edward had already pulled her into his embrace, and she gladly nestled against his chest.

An overwhelming need to tell her everything that had happened attempted to assume control, but Edward was so certain the truth would irreparably destroy Bella's view of him, he shoved the darkness further into the corner of his soul. If she realized the truth, he'd never see her again. She'd hate him, and he wouldn't be able to live with that knowledge.

"Why didn't you want your friends to know who you are?" Bella asked, still enveloped in his arms. She felt how he tensed up but didn't relent. "Are you ashamed of where you come from?"

Edward sighed and released his hold on her. He climbed up to sit on the second-story platform of the jungle gym, his long legs dangling over the edge only a few feet above the ground. "No, I'm not ashamed of where I come from. The situation's just … complicated, and Uncle Caius is the boss, so I didn't want to claim a role that's not mine."

"But it is yours," Bella said insistingly from the ground. "After your dad—"

"Bella, please, I really don't want to talk about that."

The air around them was filled with everything unsaid, and Bella wanted nothing more than to pelt him with every question burning in her mind. However, her ability to read him hadn't diminished despite the years they'd spent apart. She knew he'd close off completely if she pushed that particular issue, so she swallowed the argument and searched for something to lighten the mood once again.

A streetlamp at least two hundred yards away caused her to smile as an idea formed.

"Do you remember that deal we made as kids?" she asked and looked back at Edward.

"What deal?" His eyes met hers, and he immediately recognized the competitive glimmer in them, but he remained uncertain about what she meant.

She gasped in mock offense and clutched non-existent pearls around her neck. "I can't believe you forgot," she said dramatically but quickly dropped the act and nodded toward the streetlamp while removing her stiletto heels. "'When you're tall like Uncle Carl, and I'm grown like mom, we'll race again to see who's the winner of all time'," she quoted herself and grinned.

Edward chuckled as he remembered. "Seriously? You want to race me? My legs are easily five or six inches longer than yours."

She locked him in with a challenging gaze. "You scared I'll win?"

"I just don't think it's fair," he said and gestured toward her bare feet and attire. "Not only would you have to do it without shoes, but I doubt that dress will allow for it."

Bella looked down at the tight bodycon dress and shrugged before producing the small but sharp blade she'd attached to the top of her stocking, which she then used to create a high slit in the skirt. The cut revealed a hint of her underwear, which mesmerized Edward and rendered him speechless.

"What other excuses do you have, Cullen?"

Edward blinked and focused back on her teasing challenge and pushed away the onslaught of unfamiliar thoughts and urges slowly building within him. He fixed his mouth into a wide smile and jumped down onto the ground. "Fine, but you asked for it."

Unlike when they were kids and one of them usually cheated to get ahead, this time, they set up next to each other and counted down.

"3 ..."

"2 ..."

"1 ..."

"Go!"

Bella shot forward like a bullet, taking Edward completely by surprise when he realized he actually had to exert himself to keep up. He'd assumed his longer legs would lead him to an easy victory, but he'd underestimated the speed with which Bella's feet sprinted across the concrete.

Their technique differed—his strides were long but slower while her shorter steps burst with strength and swiftness—but neither fell behind. When they were just within reach of the pole, Bella used the balls of her feet to leap into the air, her fingers touching the metal a mere second before Edward.

As Edward bent over to catch his breath, Bella climbed up on the pole and howled victoriously.

"Who-hoo! Make note of this, Boston! I, Bella Swan, am the all-time winner of the races between myself and Edward Cullen!"

He laughed at her antics, still out of breath, as he straightened out and pulled her off the pole by grabbing her waist. "I would like to point out that you, once again, cheated," he said and spun her in a circle, her cries transforming into giggles.

She dug her heels into the ground to stop his movements and turned to face him, grinning and wagging her finger close to his face. "Ah, ah, ah! No excuses or take-backs. That was the deal, Cullen."

The smile he was sporting hurt his cheeks, but he didn't care because he hadn't felt that carefree for years. With a flourish, he went down on his knees in front of her, took a gentle hold of her hand, and touched his forehead to her knuckles like a subject greeting their sovereign. "All hail, Queen Bella," he said, and then bent his neck back to look at her as he placed a kiss on her fingers.

Bella's laughter faded as their eyes met. There was still so much he needed to know and things they had to talk about, but it was as if all of that was forgotten when she stared into his green depths. In them, she could recognize the boy she used to know but also embrace the man he'd become.

Considering his parents and the genes of the family he came from, Bella had always known he would have grown up to be attractive, but she hadn't anticipated how affected she'd be by his presence, or how physically drawn she was to him.

Edward not only saw the shift in her gaze, but he could also sense it in the air around her, and he slowly stood back up.

Both of their expressions were serious as they silently gauged the situation against what they wanted. Bella's eyes wandered from his down to his slightly parted lips, but Edward didn't want to assume that as an invitation and waited.

She had to swallow hard before the words finally found her. "Edward, please, kiss me."

He immediately leaned forward and captured her tantalizing mouth with his own, his hands automatically settling on her waist to pull her closer as her arms rose up to wind around his neck.

The smoldering embers of their suppressed feelings burst into flames at the first intimate touch at the same time as a consuming cognizance of home took over them both. They were exactly where they belonged—in each other's arms.

But a kiss was far from satisfactory for either, and they parted only to collect Bella's shoes and for Edward to lead the way to his apartment. Cheap and rundown as it was, he knew Bella would be less than impressed, but he couldn't afford a motel, so they had little choice.

He prayed to every god in the universe that his brothers wouldn't be home, but not even hearing the TV when they entered deterred him from pulling Bella into the single bedroom, which, as luck would have it, was his for the time being. The need he felt for her, for her warmth and sharp edges alike, had taken control, and if the way she was tearing at his clothes was any indication, Bella was in a similar state of mind.

A slight pause in their lustful frenzy gave Edward the opportunity to reach out and lightly trace Bella's jaw with his fingertips. Past nights spent first with Lucy, and then the women who followed her, had only been about physical lust and satiating a need for both parts, but the difference between those times and now was that it was Bella standing before him.

So much time had passed, he couldn't even begin to fathom the person she'd grown into, but they still had a shared history, and it didn't feel appropriate to treat the situation the same as previous ones.

Bella sensed the shift in him and offered a bashful but playful smirk. "Is this where the magic happens?" she asked and stepped away from him only to plop herself onto the edge of the mattress.

"Depends on what you mean by magic," he said and joined her. "I've rarely invited other girls to witness this miserable excuse of an apartment, if that's what you're asking."

She shook her head and let out a soft laugh. "Honestly, I don't know what I'm asking. I think I'm nervous, for some reason." She shifted her position and eagerly climbed onto his lap, straddling his thighs. Then she raked her fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck, using that grip to bring his mouth back to hers.

"You don't strike me as nervous," Edward said, slightly breathless in between their kisses.

"Only because I'm determined not to let it ruin this moment," she said and aggressively pulled his shirt over his head. "Help me out of this damned dress."

Using their joint efforts, the dress soon hit the floor, and Bella's lingerie was revealed. It was a very sexy, lacy ensemble. While it caused Edward's head to swim with lustful fantasies, he chuckled when an uninvited thought entered his mind.

"What?" she asked and attacked the fastenings on his jeans impatiently.

He shook his head. "Forget it; it's stupid," he said and ran his hands down her naked back to the curve of her waist.

A wide smile spread across her face. "I'll make you tell me later then."

With some difficulty, he shimmied out of the denim by lifting his hips from the mattress, and the action pressed his erection against her heated sex. He groaned as she inhaled sharply. "Yes," he agreed. "Later."

Bella removed her bra, and Edward reverently traced one hand up her side until he was cupping her breast and teased her nipple with his thumb while his nose barely nudged the other. "Oh, yes! Take it in your mouth," she said and arched her back, encouraging him to do exactly as she told him.

It excited him that she was a woman who knew what she wanted and demanded it without qualms. He usually preferred to be in control in the bedroom, but he'd gladly take orders from Bella on any given day.

Just as his lips closed around the puckered tip, there was a knock on his bedroom door.

"Edward?"

He reluctantly turned his head away from her enticing flesh and yelled at the door. "Go away!"

Bella wasn't deterred by the distraction and shoved him back onto the mattress but almost immediately rose up to a standing position. For a short second, Edward was terrified she wanted to stop there because of Emmett's presence outside the room, but that fear was quickly assuaged when she hooked her thumbs under the edge of her underwear and sensually pulled them down her legs.

"Seriously, man, I really think we should talk about what happened before," Emmett said, completely clueless to what was happening inside the bedroom.

"Dude, get the fuck away, okay? I mean it!" Edward was annoyed beyond words, but he couldn't tear his eyes off Bella's naked curves as she approached him like a predator and reached for his briefs.

She ran her hands along his thighs, ghosting over his tenting bulge, which caused his eyes to roll back into his head.

"But—"

"Hey, Emmett, Edward's unavailable right now, so perhaps your talk could wait?" Bella called out and grinned at Edward, who chuckled. The chuckle quickly morphed into a moan when she removed the obstructing clothing and unhesitatingly took him in her mouth.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed at the same time as a muffled, "Oh shit," was heard outside the door accompanied by the blissful sound of retreating steps. Bella giggled around him, and the vibrations did things to him that made him fear he'd come in seconds like an inexperienced teenager. "Uh, Bella, that feels too good. We're gonna have to slow down a bit."

She released him and looked into his eyes. "Or you could return the favor after I'm done," she said and reached up only to rake her, thankfully, short nails down his abdomen.

He was rendered speechless by her brazen and confident actions, feeling a tiny bit out of his depth with her. She was clearly the more experienced of the two, and he only wanted her more for it.

It took embarrassingly little effort for her to finish him off, but she didn't seem to mind as she crawled up onto him, giving him small kisses and caresses to keep his head in the game while his body floated down from the high.

Bella's thoughts were all over the place as she tried to comprehend everything that had happened in the last few hours and that she was in bed with Edward, of all people, while also focusing on what they were doing and the sensations he invoked in her as he pressed his lips to her collarbone and lightly nipped the skin to signal he was ready to continue.

He rolled her onto her back and gave her a deep and intense kiss before he started to head down to "return the favor", as she'd put it. He stopped along the way to give special attention to her breasts, taking each nipple into his mouth and sucking until she was writhing in pleasure. His hand wandered farther down until he had her wet heat under his fingertips.

She moaned when he inched two fingers inside her to lubricate them, but when he pulled them out and traced her folds, she reached down and placed his fingers where she wanted them.

Her assertiveness caused Edward to smile. He thoroughly enjoyed it and decided to immediately let her know he wasn't very well-versed in the art of cunnilingus since he felt certain it wouldn't discourage her in the slightest.

"Bella?"

"Uh … yes?" She opened her eyes to look at him.

"I've only done this once before, so it might not be very good," he said and slid down her body to settle between her thighs.

"Don't worry," she breathed out and grabbed a handful of his hair as he descended. "I'll guide y—oh, fuck, yes!"

It was a heady feeling to be so intimately close to her and elicit the sounds of pleasure she emitted while also hearing his name occasionally falling from her delectable mouth.

Bella was such a brutally honest person that he knew when he was doing something right just by listening to her sounds, compared to Lucy, who'd focused more on doing the sounds than actually being in the moment and tell Edward what he quite obviously did wrong.

"A little to my right," she said, and Edward immediately complied, the tightening of her hand in his hair telling him he was at the correct spot. "Yes, right there. Continue just like that."

He gladly obeyed and focused all his energy on not changing the speed of his tongue—something Emmett had told him was imperative unless the woman said otherwise—and was rewarded by Bella's hips jerking up toward him.

When she fell apart, it was the most glorious thing Edward had ever laid his eyes on. Her cheeks were flushed, and her dark hair was wildly splayed out around her as her neck bent backward and her spine arched up.

The sound she made was just a tiny whimper, but Edward didn't need a loud cry to know her orgasm had been intense, much like his own had been.

He was hard and ready again, eager for the moment he could sink himself inside her, but he didn't want to assume she wanted to go right away, so while he raised himself up until they were once again face to face—still between her legs—he waited until she met his gaze.

"Do you need a minute?" he asked her softly, but she immediately shook her head.

"Hell, no," she said and once again took control by reaching down and steering him until he was fully engulfed in her warmth.

They both groaned at the connection, and she hooked her arm around his neck as if she needed an anchor to keep her in place.

He could feel the rhythmic contractions of her previous orgasm still rolling through her, and he knew he wouldn't last long this time either. She felt too good, and being with her felt too right for him to hold back. Luckily, he could already feel her tightening around him as her second orgasm approached as fast as his own.

"Edward, I'm—"

"I know. Me too."

"Fuck," she exclaimed in reaction to his statement, and her entire body convulsed as she was overtaken a second time by the most violent and deep pleasure she'd ever experienced.

"Christ, Bella!"

Edward's hips stilled, and his arms lost their strength, but Bella's limbs winding around him assured him his added weight was something she enjoyed and welcomed. And he was more than happy to stay in that moment a little while longer.

A/N:

Ahem! Well … so that happened.

Was it way too fast? Yes.

Was it Bella's first time after …? No. (More on that in future chapters)

Will everything be happy, peachy rainbows and sunshine between these two now? Not exactly.

This was a momentary reprieve. A heightened reaction from being overwhelmed with all the emotions at once.

I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted.

I'll see you on Sunday ;-)

Stay Awesome!