A/N: I love you guys.

"Aw, for Chrissakes." James tilted his chair back along with his drink, chugging for a moment before he set it down and glared at Edward. "I've put up with yer damn moods since you were a pissant little snot. You never been this way."

Self-conscious, Edward readjusted his hat so he could better look at the other man. "You got no cause to complain."

James scoffed. "Well, you sure ain't a pleasure to be around, I'll tell you that."

"Ah, hell. You don't pay me for entertainment. I ain't one of your little wenches. I do what I'm told, so leave me be," Edward grumbled, getting up and taking his drink over to a free table.

Unfortunately, James followed him. "Thing is, your head's not in the mix. An' that doesn't set well with me."

Edward slammed his glass down. "What do you want from me, James?"

"I want to know what's gotten into you." He looked Edward over. "It's not that girl... what's her face?"

"You mean my wife?" Edward growled.

James scoffed. "Now, what's the point of getting rid a your baggage if you just think on her. You ain't even looked at all the tasty-"

"G'dammit. Will you shut up?" Edward cupped his glass in both his palms. "It don't sit well with me, leaving her to my brother to care for. That's my responsibility, ain't it?"

"Seems to me like finally that somova bitch is being some use to you. Come on, Edward. What the hell you want with a wife? You wanting a baby?"

Edward choked a little on his drink.

James laughed raucously. "Yeah right. Tell you what. You want a passel of critters, you do like Alec done. You get yourself a little mouse out on the prarie. Lay with her when you're in the area, you come back every year or two to a new brat."

When Edward said nothing, James gave him the side eye. "So what, you want to give her a home of her own and all that."

"That's what she deserves," Edward muttered more to his drink than the man across from him.

"Well, don't know if you noticed, but homes, land... it all takes dinero, friend. How you 'spect you're going to get all that money, huh?"

"Suppose you're going somewhere with this?"

James leaned back in his chair, looking smug. "I reckon so."

~0~

After James made his plans clear, Edward told him he needed time to think. He took to the wild on his own, making his way toward Carlisle's ranch.

No. He was making his way back to her. Back to his impromptu bride.

Edward didn't quite understand why - he'd brought her nothing but heartache, after all - but she smiled when she saw him, and he smiled right back, his heart lighter than it had been since...

Well, maybe ever.

Her expression was shy, but she padded through the snow to give him a kiss sweeter than honey and walked at his side to the stables where he could leave his horse.

"I, um. Well, this all is for you," Edward said, feeling awkward as all get out as he thrust a bundle into her arms.

Bella blinked, taking the twine-tied bundle from him.

"It's fabric, mostly. Figured you and the baby would need something before long. There's a pretty dress, too. Don't know when you might be able to wear it seein' as..." He coughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, it's yours, anyhow."

"Thank you," she said softly, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "It all looks very fine."

Biting the inside of his cheek, Edward took the bundle from her, setting it on the stall wall a moment. "I got something else for you, too." Why he felt so nervous about this, he couldn't say. His heart was up in his throat, his every thought centered around his nerves. Would she think he was foolish?

Shaking his ridiculous schoolboy behavior away, Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace, putting it quickly in her palm. "I had cause to trade with some Indians a week or so back," he explained, his words coming faster than normal. "Don't know how much store you can put in their legends, but they say this will protect you." He closed her fingers around the thing, suddenly not wanting to see it. "You don't got to wear it, but-"

"I think it's beautiful. Thank you," Bella said sincerely, wrapping her arms about his neck.

Edward smiled again and put his hands to her back, pulling her close. He closed his eyes, just breathing her in a moment, thinking how nice it felt to hold a woman against him like this.

Thinking maybe it would be nice not to have to let her go.

~0~

That evening, Esme and Bella went to put the children to bed, leaving Carlisle and Edward at the table.

Wordless, Edward pulled out a roll of bills, tossing it across to his elder brother. Carlisle looked at the roll a moment before tossing it right back.

"I still have the money you gave me before," Carlisle began, his tone deceivingly nonchalant. He cleared his throat. "As it happens, the Whitlocks are looking to sell some of their land. He'd offer you a fair price, I'd wager. The property is out yonder - close enough for us to-"

"What are you on about?" Edward interrupted, irritation thick in his tone. He tossed the roll back with a little more force. "You take this money. It's for Bella."

"I know what it's for," Carlisle's voice was harder when he spoke, but still calm. "I told you before, that girl is no burden to us. She more than pulls her own weight. I got no need of this money." He scoffed. "Hell, half the time I think I should be paying her for how much she helps out around here." He placed the roll back on the table with purpose, staring hard at Edward. "You take this back, take what you give me before back, and you give her a homestead of her own."

"I won't be indebted to you, Carlisle." Edward was rounding quick on furious. "I will do what's right by her."

"Then do what's right. You got no business running off, putting yourself in danger when you got a family waiting for you right here."

"Well if that ain't the pot calling the kettle black," Edward said bitterly.

"What?"

Leaning across the table, Edward glared at his older brother. "You sit here and lecture me about running out on my family when you done the same." He pushed away from the table, getting to his feet. "But there's the difference between you and me. I come back. It ain't running if you keep coming back."

He turned, ignoring the hurt look on his brother's face as he made for Bella's room.

~0~

Bella was surprised to find her brother-in-law alone at the table, staring forlornly down at his drink, when she and Esme returned to the kitchen after getting the children settled.

Esme sighed quietly. "I'll see to my husband, you best see to yours," she said in a sotto tone, patting Bella's arm before she went to Carlisle's side.

With one last glance, her heart twisting a little, Bella retreated.

Sure enough, a soft glow came from under her door, so her lamp was already lit. Not knowing what to expect, Bella breathed deep before she went in.

Edward was sitting on the edge of the bed, his hands tangled in his hair, his shoulders slumped. He looked up when she came in and smiled. It was a tight smile though, tinged with guilt and a tiredness in his eyes that spoke of much more than his 25 years.

"Hey, chickabiddy," he said softly, his voice scratchy. "You ready to sleep?"

She closed the door, leaning back against it for a moment, considering him. "Did something happen between you and Carlisle?"

Edward dropped his gaze down to his feet, chuffing lightly. "Nothing you need to be worrying about."

"Well, maybe you'll tell me more about what happened between you. You speak most times like he's the man you most respect in the world, but you don't want to let him help you." She crossed her arms in front of her, again wondering if she was overstepping her bounds. But no. She'd seen Carlisle and Esme together. It seemed to her Carlisle respected his wife's opinion a great deal. She wanted that if she could have it.

Weren't no harm in asking, as far as she was concerned. And he'd said once he preferred she speak her mind. He had yet to lash out at her anyway.

But Edward didn't look up. "Don't matter none. Bygones is bygones. No use whining 'bout things can't be changed."

Biting the inside of her cheek, Bella crossed the room to him and knelt at his feet, beginning to undo the laces of his boots.

"Ah, honey. You don't need to be doing that. Get up off your knees. You ain't my servant." He tried to tug at her arm, but she shied away.

"Well, if'n you won't talk to me..." She looked up at him from under her eyelashes, proud her voice wasn't shaking though she was nervous about what she was doing. "I got about as much experience being someone's wife as you have being someone's husband. If you ain't going to tell me what's wrong, you let me do for you as I can."

He let out a long sigh, wrapping his hand around her arm and tugging lightly again. "Come on up here, then, if you're sure you want to hear this."

Getting to her feet, she moved to sit beside him. "I want to know you."

He sucked in his cheeks, his lips puckered for a moment, but he nodded. Hesitating a moment, he put his hands on her shoulders, and Bella followed his silent direction so she was turned away from him. Before she could question his intention, she felt his hands soft and light in her hair, undoing the ties and loosing it from the tight braid inch by inch as he spoke.

"Don't know how much Carlisle told you of our upbringing. Happier than some, I suppose. We had food, and shelter, and toys at Christmas." His voice was so far off, Bella's heart twisted just hearing it. She wanted to turn around, wrap him in her arms, but figured he'd turned her away for a reason.

Besides, the feel of his fingers through her hair, the gentle way he worked through the snarls, was just heavenly.

"See, our Pa was a preacher, a very righteous man. He thought it was the Lord's work to, er, correct us - my brother, mother, and me - when we stumbled off the path of righteousness." His tone was hard, bitter here, and again, Bella's heart lurched. She couldn't imagine what he must have suffered.

"Momma kept it from being too bad at first. But when I was eight, she got thrown from her horse and died." Bella made a small mournful noise at the back of her throat but otherwise kept silent. Edward continued.

"It was... real bad after that." He sucked in a deep breath, his hands stilling on her shoulders, his voice getting thinner. "When I was 13, Carlisle run off to apprentice under Doc Gerandy." His breath was becoming unsteady. "He told me he'd be back for me. He promised."

Bella was so tense, he jumped a little when he wrapped his arms around her waist. Squeezing, he breathed her in. Bella kept her hands on his, stroking lightly, waiting for him to continue.

"I held onto that for what seemed like forever. Toward the end, it were the only thing that kept me going, that my brother was going to come for me, and things were going to get better." He swallowed once, twice, the sound wet in her ear. "But then I got post from him - that he'd married his girl, his Esme, I knew he weren't coming for me. Had other responsibilities - another family to tend to first. He wouldn't be coming for me for more years than I could think on surviving."

The silence then was heavy, and it hurt. The ache inside Bella was powerful, her heart heavy. She thought of how alone and abandoned she'd felt when Edward rode off, and how much worse it had to have been for him when he was younger than she was now. He'd left her with his family who he trusted to care for her, to love her. He'd been left without love with a man who'd harmed him.

And though Edward was being careful with his words, Bella knew something of what he'd gone through. She'd seen the scars on Carlisle's back, the remnants of their father's fury. She imagined, when there was no one else left, Edward had borne the burden alone that had once been shared by three.

Bella couldn't stop herself from turning in his arms then. She wrapped her arms about his waist and buried her face against his neck, weeping a little for him. Edward said nothing, but his hold on her was tight. When she lifted her head, she could see his eyes were closed, his breath a little ragged.

She did love him, this accidental husband of hers. He was precious to her. She'd met all manner of people in her time at the orphanage, but Edward was unique. There was a goodness about him, obscured though it was by years of hurt and anger. The way he'd been raised, the people whose company he kept the last ten years, all of it should have made him a monster. Bella wasn't so naive despite her youth. Men not half as rough and tumble as Edward wouldn't have hesitated to use her, use her body, as they saw fit, especially if it was well within their rights, as her husband, to do so. Edward had been nothing but gentle to her, and he tried so hard. Maybe he couldn't see yet how much she wanted nothing more than for him to stay, but he was trying.

Slowly, so unsure of what she was doing or if he would be open to it, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his chin. When he didn't push her away, she kissed a line up his jaw, to his cheek. He was still until her lips hovered above his, and then, with a suddenness that startled her, he kissed her. It weren't rough, but it weren't like the scattered sweet kisses they'd shared since their wedding night either. There was an intent about this kiss, a fervor that made her whole body warm despite the chill of the night.

His hands slid up her body, strong and possessive, as he kissed her. Bella's heart began to speed. This was the way he'd touched her on their wedding night, the way he'd held and kissed her. He released her lips, nuzzling her neck with his scruffy cheek, his fingers beginning to work buttons.

Bella's head spun, but despite his sudden rush, his hands, his lips at her neck, were gentle - titillating, not bruising. It was true, Bella was nervous, but she wasn't scared.

In fact, she was more than a little thrilled.

Though he'd repeatedly assured her it wasn't that she was undesirable, it was difficult to convince herself of that fact when her husband refused to touch her.

Her coat and dress slipped to the floor, and Bella was left in her chemise. She wasn't sure what she should be doing, whether or not she should be helping him out of his clothes. She was shaking, but only a little, and mostly out of an odd elation she had no previous experience with.

Edward stopped just as quickly as he'd started, pulling away from her though he kept his arms around her. Bella made a little mewling sound, unsure why he'd stopped and self-conscious that it might be her fault.

But his eyes were riveted on her belly.

"Oh, God," he muttered under his breath, moving one hand to the bump that was now perceptible with only the thin cloth between them. "Bella, I didn't mean to... I don't want..."

Bella's throat closed and her body stiffened. She tried to pull away but he held her tight.

Did her changing body disgust him?

His hand stroked the swell, and he looked up, his expression contrite. "I almost lost my head. Why didn't you tell me?"

Bella blinked, sure she'd missed something. "Tell you what?"

"I coulda hurt the baby."

"Oh!" She laughed a little. "No. It's okay, I think. You won't hurt him. Not so long as you're gentle."

He looked uncertain. "How do you know?"

"Well... Esme said-"

Edward held up his hands, making a horrified sounding noise. "Ah! I get the idea." He laughed nervously, closing his eyes and blowing out a breath. "But maybe I should sleep on the floor anyhow."

Bella's heart dropped down to her feet. "I don't understand."

He cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking gently. "Don't matter what anyone told you, don't matter what you think your duty is. No one got the right to touch you unless you want 'em to, you hear? That goes double for me. I can't imagine you'd want me after-"

"Your imagination leaves much to be desired, Edward Cullen," Bella blurted, through with hearing his guilty monologue.

He blinked at her, looking a little shocked.

Pressing through her nerves, Bella raised her hands to cup the back of his neck. "Sometimes, you are a very foolish man. Have I ever told you to go or that I don't want you?"

His eyes in the light of the lamp were serious as he searched her, not dropping his hand from her cheek. He scooted closer to her on the bed and kissed her lightly. "You ain't scared?"

"Well..." she hedged, and he pulled back again. "Not of you," she said quickly. "Just scared I can't please you like..." She bit her lip, her eyes flitting to his and away quickly. "Like maybe your other girls can."

He dropped his hands, taking hers and pulling them up between them, kissing her knuckles. "Bella... there ain't been no one since you. Not a soul. No other girl could be as pretty or as sweet. I ain't even looked at them."

A giddiness rose in her so light, Bella couldn't help the way she smiled and giggled. Of course she'd wished it but she hadn't dared to hope. She might have felt foolish but the sound of her laughter brought a beautiful smile to his face, and he peppered kisses about her nose and cheeks before he claimed her lips again, his hands strong on her back, pushing her up against him.

He kissed her right onto her back and hovered over her, his expression so tender it made her eyes prick with tears. She reached up, brushing her palm over his grizzled cheek. "Sweet, sweet girl," he whispered, raining kisses along her jaw.

He sat up only long enough to wiggle out of his trousers before he was over her again. He kissed her while she worked her shaky fingers at the buttons of his shirt, wanting to touch him now that he was letting her. She was more curious than scared as she had been the first time.

But then, this man was no stranger to her.

Mindful of the life she carried and her inexperience, Edward was exceedingly gentle, tender. The way he kissed her made her feel treasured, and he rolled them onto their sides, guiding her legs apart with easy movements, looking in her eyes to assure himself she wasn't frightened.

She was, a little. She knew he could feel the way her heart fluttered fast seeing as they were pressed together. He went slow, letting her acclimate to the feel of him as he entered her.

It was different than before and so much better now that she could cling to him, that she trusted him.

And it was so different because now it was an expression of what she felt, what he felt.

As he began to move in her, with her, she pressed shaky kisses to his lips, mostly breathing in the air he exhaled as he breathed her in. Their eyes were open, noses brushing and bumping.

She'd often noticed how intense his eyes could be - jade heavy with guilt or moss agate sparking with fury. Now the color was soft and deep.

When it was done he did not roll away from her or release her from his hold. He gathered her only closer, rolling her with him as he lay on his back, cradling her against his chest. He kissed her forehead, murmuring some sweet endearment before he drifted to sleep.

Bella lay away for some time afterward, hope and contentedness glowing like twin fires inside her. It was so different from the first time when the world was turned upside down and the man sleeping in her bed was a complete unknown, her future was a question. The ache twixt her nethers was less, the pleasure much greater. The sweat that slicked her skin and his didn't make her feel dirty.

Maybe for the first time, she felt like a woman.

Yawning, Bella snuggled up against her husband, settling her ear against his chest and listening to his heart. He tilted his head down, mumbling something into her hair as he slept, but didn't wake.

The baby, apparently wakened by all the fuss, stirred inside her, making his presence known. Bella rested one hand against her baby and the other on her husband's chest. Her family.

She knew better than to expect he would stay more than a few days. It would have to be enough that he would stay at least through Christmas. They'd come a long way from where they'd been.

Mayhap some day he would see he wasn't as homeless as he thought. As for Bella, she'd finally found her home.

Her home was whatever place he would return to, and she knew she would always be there waiting.

A/N: Jeez. Where did that come from, kid?

GinnyW puts up with a lot from me. So does Barburella. WHY DO YOU PEOPLE DO THIS FOR ME?!

Idk, but I'm glad. Mwah.

How we doing out there?