A/N: Nope, not dead. Just heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellishly busy. I think you should know I'm totally thieving time away from my Honors Contract and my English essay to write this, so I hope you love it. There, I said it.

:)

Oh, and... this is the last chapter. I know, I wasn't planning on it, but the way it flowed just seemed to make it end naturally. I hope you've enjoyed this story, as I have enjoyed writing it. Thank you to everyone for reading it, reviewing it, and putting it on alert. I hope you will continue to read my other stories and yeah... thanks. :)

EPOV

Bella and I were set to meet our parents at a restaurant for brunch so we could discuss the future. I watched, half-amused, while Bella paced in front of the closet like a drill sergeant; she was trying to pick out the most grown up and responsible-looking outfits as possible for the two of us. I didn't dare bring up the fact that we were going to be late if she didn't hurry up, because I'd lived with her long enough to know that you never try to rush a woman.

Especially not when it comes to clothes. I'd observed enough to know that women (and by that, I mean all the women I'd ever met) appear to pick outfits based on all kinds of strange factors, such as their mood and the desired reaction they wished to inspire in their audience.

Don't ask why I know these things; the Association of Men would probably rescind my Man Card and I'd have to prove my mettle all over again by chewing nails and punching random strangers, all while scratching my balls.

Anyway, Bella finally picked an outfit for me and tossed it at my head without any finesse. Without a word, I stood up and dressed myself in the charcoal gray dress shirt and black slacks that my mother had bought for me last Easter. I kept my eyes glued to Bella's back as she cocked her hip out and tapped one bare foot in her impatience and indecision. She actually looked kind of cute from my perspective, but then again, that probably had a lot to do with the fact that her cute little body was barely covered by a black lack bra and panty set that I'd bought her last week (to celebrate, uhh...something, I'm sure...definitely not just because I wanted to see her in it or anything).

She huffed and finally yanked on a conservative black skirt and white sleeveless blouse. She looked like my mom on her way to a business meeting, but whatever. I'd be a dead man if I cracked any jokes in this current environment.

When she turned to ask for my opinion, I gave her a broad smile and told her she looked "very grown up indeed," and left it at that. We were on our way to the restaurant before we spoke again.

"Are you ready for my grumpy father?" Bella asked nervously.

I shot her a quick grin. "I'm ready if you are. Carlisle's been warming up, but he's still not exactly thrilled about all of this. I hope that we can get all of this in a satisfactory place for everyone involved before we leave for school."

The good news was great news, in fact. Bella and I had both received quite a tidy sum of money through scholarships and grants that we'd worked our asses off applying for. After getting our acceptance letters from UW in the mail, we also found out from their financial aid department that we could do things like work study to round out our financial requirements.

We were vastly relieved and elated to hear such wonderful news, and I couldn't wait to share it with my parents. I knew everyone thought Bella and I were throwing away our futures out of foolish pride or whatever, but the two of us being together had really forced us to grow up and mature quicker than I would have thought possible.

If I knew one thing for certain, it was that our priorities were definitely straight. We didn't need our parents to come save us, and we didn't need to pray for miracles. Through our dedication and hard work, both in school and in applying for financial assistance, we'd managed to secure our futures in a way that would make it all the more gratifying when we achieved our goals.

Bella's hand was on my knee, and I could feel the damp, hot heat of her palm through my slacks. "Bella, honey, you need to calm down. We have good news to give our parents today," I told her soothingly.

She turned to me and took a deep breath. "I know, I just want them to be happy for us. All of this would just be so much better if we had the support of our families, you know?"

I nodded and kept my eyes on the road, because we were arriving at the restaurant. I parked my car next to Carlisle's black BMW and came around to help Bella out before we entered the classy little restaurant Esme had picked for brunch.

We found our parents at the back, and as we approached the table, they quieted their conversation. I pulled Bella's chair out for her before sitting between her and my father. I saw Esme and Renee both giving me approving glances before I cleared my throat to speak. "Thank you for meeting us here today. Bella and I wanted to share some news with you and talk about the future," I began.

Charlie glowered at me in an instant. "Jesus H., don't tell me you went and knocked up my daughter!"

Renee gasped and slapped her hand on Charlie's arm. When he looked at her, she told him to zip it and listen to what I had to say. I shot her a grateful smile before continuing on. "No, that's not what we wanted to tell you."

"We're ready to listen, son," Carlisle spoke for the first time as he laid a hand on my arm.

I nodded. "Okay, so Bella and I had applied to UW before all of this really went down, and we got in. We didn't think we could afford to go, but Bella encouraged me to apply for scholarships. We both got news just last week that we both received enough money to attend...so we're moving to Seattle in just a few months to begin the fall semester."

I heard Bella snickering under her breath when we saw the expressions on our parents' faces: there was a mixture of shock, approval, surprise, and disbelief (that last one was Charlie, obviously).

"So, daddy, what do you think?" Bella asked quietly with hope shining in her eyes.

He grumbled a bit. "I can't believe the two of you pulled that off."

Carlisle's face was annoyed as he looked at Charlie. "Remember what we were going to say, Char?"

Charlie nodded and began to look a bit chagrined. My eyes were bouncing back and forth between the two men, wondering what was going on.

Carlisle took a deep breath and plunged in. "That's really great, son. We're very proud of you. I hope you'll allow us to help both of you find a place and get settled up in Seattle before school starts."

Bella's mouth dropped open and I was stunned. Where had the stern, disapproving father I'd suffered for the past month gone? "Ummm...thanks?" I sputtered. Bella's toe kicked me under the table and I winced. "Uh, I mean, thank you, we'd really appreciate that," I amended.

Bella smiled at me and turned to her parents. "I love you both, so much, and I know you wanted me to move home with you...but I just can't. Surely you can why," she tried to plead.

Renee's face was already set in a soft smile before Bella's last words were out. "Honey, we know you're an adult now. As a matter of fact, that's what we were talking about before you both got here. We've really come to see how much you two truly love each other and we all agreed that we want to help you succeed." She shot a sly glance at Charlie from the corner of her eye while she nudged him with her elbow. "Charlie, would you like to add anything?"

He sighed heavily and set his water glass on the table. "Look, Bells. I know this is all my fault in the first place. I probably never should have kicked you out, but I was just really confused and worried sick about you. I know now that I shouldn't have pushed you out on your own like that. I'm your father, and if I were any kind of good dad, I would have stuck by you. I abandoned you, and that's inexcusable. I guess one good thing to come out of all of this, though, is that you and Edward both seem to have really stepped up to the plate and I'm proud to see it. You've really taken responsibility for your actions and it sounds like you've worked your tails off to make this work. That being said, we'll help you...however we can."

Bella and I were completely floored at Charlie's long-winded dialogue. This was amazing. In a hundred years...no, a thousand, I never would have expected to hear those words from his mouth. Bella was choked up and couldn't speak, so I rubbed my hand over her shoulder blades comfortingly while I turned to Charlie and Renee. "Thank you, Chief. You have no idea how much it means to me, and to Bella, to hear you say that. Our biggest goal in coming here today was to leave for school knowing we had your blessing and your support. That's all we could ask for."

I'm pretty sure Charlie blushed a bit before his stern face was back. "Get her pregnant before she graduates, Edward, and I swear to God I will skin your scrawny ass and make a flag out of it to hang above the station so nobody ever dares to touch my daughter again," he warned.

Uhhh....creepy.

And then we all laughed. It was like a collective black cloud had been lifted from the table, and everyone was suddenly happy and relieved. There were hugs, and tears, and manly handshakes all around. Bella was hugging Charlie tightly and sniffling into his shirt as she whispered to him over and over. Charlie looked very at peace as he held his daughter and listened to her.

Carlisle waved the waiter over. "Now that this is all out of the way, I could really go for some pancakes," he said.

I laughed and laid my napkin in my lap. "I bet I could eat more pancakes than you," I dared.

Charlie pulled away from Bella and sat down with a satisfied gleam in his eyes. "And I'm willing to bet that I can eat more pancakes than both of you combined!"

We laughed some more as the women rolled their eyes and placed their orders. All was well...at least for now.

BPOV

After our vastly relieving breakfast, Edward and I drove home with a renewed sense of vigor. My excitement was getting the best of me as we planned for our future. We were finally at peace with our parents, and that was a very good thing. I felt like we could really sink our teeth into our schooling now, and I knew we'd be okay.

Edward had an amused-yet-bloated look on his face. "Ughhhhh....I can't believe I ate eighteen pancakes," he groaned.

I laughed, not feeling sorry for him at all. "You're just mad because Charlie ate twenty," I goaded.

He shot me a filthy look before collapsing back into the passenger seat to grip his stomach pitifully. "I need an antacid...or something," he moaned.

I was enjoying my chance to drive the Volvo; I'd only driven it once before. It handled like a dream, of course, but I was entirely nervous behind the wheel of Edward's precious automobile. "How about when we get home, we can have a Tums-eating contest and I'll let you win?" I joked.

I saw Edward peek at me from one eye. "How about instead, you get naked and give me a lap dance while I lay on the couch in my pancake-induced high?"

I gaped at him as he wriggled his eyebrows at me lasciviously. "Psh, Edward! You're ridiculous."

He sighed. "Eh, it was worth a shot," he mumbled before appearing to fall into a sugary coma.

Once I pulled up to our apartment and parked the car, I shook him awake and told him to go lay down. He stumbled out of the car and up the stairs while I followed him. When we got inside, I went and found a bottle of Tums and tossed it on the bed next to him; he muttered his gratitude.

Thinking back to what he said in the car, I began to form an idea. I laughed to myself while I gathered what I needed and walked back to the bedroom. I found him splayed out on the bed on his stomach, his beautiful face smashed into the pillow. His mouth was gaping open and he looked adorable.

I popped some of my sexy Bella music into the stereo and turned it up loud enough to wake him. He sputtered and flopped over, looking around in confusion. I smiled hugely when his eyes landed on me. "What....?" he began, confused.

I grinned mischievously. "You said a lap dance would make you feel better, so here I am," I said with a wink.

Edward's face was priceless. I watched his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed hugely, his beautiful eyes widening in anticipation as I slithered across the bed on my knees. I was only in my underwear, and he looked like a desperately thirsty man staring at a huge glass of ice water. I grinned and straddled his lap; I allowed my body to move and groove as sensually as possible to the music as he watched me hungrily.

Edward's hands drifted up my thighs, brushing along the skin on the inside briefly as I closed my eyes and ran my hands through my hair. I felt his fingertips pushing against the wet spot forming on my panties, and it caused me to moan. I arched my hips into his hands and he grabbed them, holding them firmly. I gyrated over his lap as I brought my hands down to push my breasts together; I bent forward and jiggled them slightly directly in front of his face and he licked his lips before he let a moan loose. I smiled triumphantly and rubbed my hands down over my sides and across my torso, really feeling the sensuality in the beat of the music playing.

Edward bit his lip, his eyes never leaving my body. I felt like the sexiest woman alive in this moment. I bent forward slightly, grabbed his head, and pushed it into my cleavage. Edward's dick throbbed under my hips and I knew I had him completely under my spell. He shoved his face even deeper into my flesh and his hands came up to push my breasts higher and closer together. I felt him take a deep breath as he rocked his hips up into mine, letting me feel how turned on he was.

"I think I'm feeling much better now," came his muffled voice from between my breasts.

I laughed, surprised to find my voice husky and seductive-sounding. "Good. Now be a good boy and lay back so I can take what's mine," I demanded.

Edward, sporting a goofy grin and sex-eyes, did as he was told. I began to undress him quickly, impatient to feel the way he always made me scream. He watched and waited patiently until I had him naked, and then he flipped me over onto my back and ripped my lacy underwear. He actually ripped them! It was so hot.

I watched, totally turned on beyond words, as he pushed my legs apart and climbed between them. I licked my lips and gave him my best come hither look, and he smiled wickedly. "You wanna see what you do to me, Bella? Do you?" he asked roughly.

I nodded excitedly and ran my hands down my body before reaching up to stroke his muscled chest. "God, yesssss..." I begged.

Edward grinned and shoved his full length in me. I hummed in intense pleasure as he began thrusting into me heavily, again and again. I couldn't get him deep enough at this point, and I wanted him so badly that I wanted to just melt my body around his. I reached for him and spread my legs as far as they could go, but it still wasn't hitting the spot. I growled in frustration and Edward, still thrusting, pulled back to frown at me. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Fuck, Edward... I want you deeper..." I moaned with my eyes clenched shut.

Edward moaned and flipped me over. I climbed onto my hands and knees, but he pushed against my shoulder blades until I was down on my elbows. He kneed my legs apart and spread my ass so he could enter me from behind. Once he was fully sheathed inside of me, I felt him hitting that delicious spot inside that made me want to fuck him forever without end. "Ahhhhhhhhh!" I screamed as he thrust into me, fucking hitting that spot so well.

I heard Edward's groans and felt them vibrating my entire body as he worked me like a charm. His hips were thrusting into mine, pushing me. I could hear our skin slapping together, and there couldn't be a more erotic sound than that.

I felt myself getting closer when Edward's hand reached out to stroke down my spine. "God, you're so fucking beautiful, Bella," he growled. "I can't get enough of you. I don't wanna fuck anyone else. I could live off your pretty pussy and your beautiful tits and your smile and your hair..." and with that, he reached up to grab a handful of my hair and twist it into his fist. He used his grip for leverage as he pulled and pushed my body, and it felt so fucking good that I couldn't hold back anymore.

"I'm coming!!" I yelled as my body clamped down around him and began milking him rhythmically. Edward's pace increased and he shouted triumphantly as he spilled himself inside of me.

He collapsed on the bed next to me, breathing heavily. I sat on my heels and looked at him grinning at me with a satisfied expression. "Bella, you are... you... god. You're the perfect woman," he finally said.

I laughed and swatted at his arm. "Shut up," I said with a blush.

He grinned and tossed an arm over his eyes. "No, seriously. I mean, I already knew I want to marry you, but now I'm like... god, I dunno. I just know."

I was confused. "Dude, Edward, are you seriously trying to tell me that you wanna marry me more just cuz I gave you a lap dance?" I was feeling a little incredulous, a little amused, and a little insulted...a little.

He laughed and sighed before he sat up and took both of my hands in his. "No! No, that's not what I'm trying to say. I'm just so relieved now that our parents aren't being assholes anymore, and I feel like this huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, our shoulders. We've been working so hard to get everything together, and now we have their support, and we've got this future together all laid out in front of us. It just makes me happy to know that things are working out for us, you know?"

I smiled. "I know what you mean. I feel the same way."

Edward leaned forward and kissed me. "When we get to school in the fall, we should think about exchanging that promise ring for something a little more...serious," he said with his eyes gazing deeply into mine.

I choked. "Seriously? Seriously? We just got our parents to be happy for us, and now you wanna go and piss Charlie off all over again?" I rolled my eyes and punched him in the bicep. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

He didn't take offense to my protests. "I don't care what you say, Bella, you're my number one girl and if we're going to be at a new school, I have to make sure you know I mean business."

I sighed. "You're silly, you know that?"

Edward grinned and his eyes sparkled. "We don't have to get married until after we graduate, but I want you to have a real engagement ring."

I dropped my eyes to our joined hands and smiled to myself. Edward's large, competent hands were wrapped securely around my smaller but equally competent hands. I felt secure...and loved. The forever kind of love.

"Okay," I said. "But you better always make me really really happy!" I said emphatically.

I watched his hands clench around mine as he lifted them up to kiss our joined fingers. "Just you wait, Bella Cullen, just you wait."

It sounded so right.

A/N: Yup! The end! Maybe an epilogue, but I don't really think so at this point... I hope you like how it ended:)