A/N: As most know, my computer crashed. As in dead. It's in computer heaven, and sadly so are several of my stories. I'm an idiot and did not back up my work. I recently got my mojo back, so here's the long awaited chapter. I hope you like it.

A million thanks to the always-wonderful pwtf and m81170 for looking over this bad boy and telling me I suck when I suck.

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.

~*~Marking Uncharted Territory~*~

Edward

There was something thoroughly exciting about sneaking off to Port Angeles. My palms were sweating and my chest was pounding in anticipation. It felt dangerous. My foot tensed against the gas pedal, and I had to physically force myself to calm down. In all honestly, it was dangerous—not only for me, but for Bella as well.

I was about to willingly cross a boundary I'd placed. It was stupid for me to meet her, but the thought of her sitting alone in some café, waiting, wondering…. I just couldn't find it within myself to stand her up. I was wrapped around her finger so tightly I could barely think of anything but her—her happiness, her eyes, her kittenish fury, her lips, her hopes and dreams, her body….

I groaned through pursed lips and rolled my eyes at myself. It was becoming more difficult to ignore my baser urges where Bella was concerned. The more and more I fought, the more my libido took me to that place. I wondered briefly at what Bella would think of my secret desires and a thrill shot through my body. The feeling scared the shit out of me.

Something had changed. The fear of Bella's disgust had once been all I'd needed to move on from my silly fantasies of being able to love her openly. Now, I was taking brazen steps to see her in public; I was hoping for more before it was time. I was screwing myself into a position that would be damn near impossible to get out of, yet my hesitation was far surpassed by the tumult of giddy emotions swirling within me.

I was an idiot. I should have stayed home. I should have told her right away that we couldn't see each other. I should have never let this happen. But I did.

It was taking me longer to find the small establishment than I'd guessed it would. I glanced at the clock and cringed, half-hoping Bella would still be there and half-hoping she'd given up and gone home. My hopes were simultaneously answered and dashed when I pulled in and spotted the monstrosity Bella paraded around as a truck.

Excitement gave way to nervousness as I parked. This wasn't a date in the romantic sense, but my stomach still tensed and fluttered at the thought. After graduation, I would be able to take Bella anywhere my heart desired. If she let me, of course.

A tiny, nagging doubt entered my mind. I was almost positive Bella felt something for me, but my insecurities raged. For the twenty seconds before I turned the corner to the café, vision after vision flooded my mind of rejection and disappointment, and then my worry left me at the sight of a tiny, brown-haired girl at the farthest table, her lips and brow twisted in thought while she picked at a paper napkin. Even in her anxious state, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

"This place is hard to find," I said once I'd reached her.

A soft blush tinted her cheeks and the corners of her mouth turned up just slightly. When she looked up at me, her smile grew, lighting her face. "You're here," she said breathlessly. She was contagious, and before long, I was smiling widely without any conscious decision to do so.

"May I join you?" I asked.

Bella nodded her head and rested her cheek on her propped arm, staring at me with a sparkle in her eye. "You're late."

"I'm sorry. I got a late start, and trying to find this place was a feat in and of itself."

"I thought it would be better for our," Bella glanced off to the side, seemingly embarrassed, "situation. Starbucks is overrated anyway."

She sipped her coffee while I chuckled. "I agree. This place is nice."

"So," she said after taking a breath and eyeing me carefully, "you seem… happy."

"I am. I blame you."

Bella grinned. "Why me?"

Because you're everything I could ever want in a woman, I thought to myself. "You helped me see what I was missing. I wouldn't have my sister back if it weren't for you."

For the next half hour, I regaled Bella with what had become of my life over the past several weeks. Rosalie was different from how I had remembered her. She was still tenacious, bossy, and extremely vain, but the naïve optimism of childhood had been replaced by skepticism and steady determination. I also recognized distinct traits I hadn't seen since before our parents' death. I wasn't sure if Rosalie was aware, but she seemed to be turning into our mother.

Bella laughed as I told her of the comparison.

Twice now, not including the first disastrous weekend, Emmett and I had made the drive up to Seattle. I hadn't really needed him as I had at first, but Rosalie was adamant that I bring him along and Emmett wasn't at all put off by the invitation. He and Rosalie were getting along famously.

I had been sure he would buck at my need to be home for Halloween, but he merely shrugged and suggested we drive up separately. I knew I had given him the green light to pursue my sister, but the thought of them being alone in an apartment together really got under my skin.

"I'm not happy about him staying here," I had confided to Tanya. Emmett and Rosalie had gone on a run to her old apartment for more boxes, while Tanya and I unloaded the kitchen into her new house.

"I thought you said they were good for each other."

"They are, I just…. Don't you think they're moving too fast? It's only been a month."

"That's not your call to make, Edward. Rosalie has needs tha—"

"Oh, gross! I really do not need to hear this." I had set down the plate I was unwrapping and walked out of the kitchen with raised hands.

Tanya had only laughed at my discomfort and followed me to the couch. "Will you relax? I meant she needs to feel loved. For her, not for who James wanted her to be. She's not ready for that, but I do think she and Emmett are ready to spend some time together. You know, unsupervised by her little brother?"

"I don't want either of them to get hurt." Rosalie was coming out of a traumatizing relationship and Emmett had always avoided women with baggage at all costs. I wanted them to be happy, but they seemed to be getting way to deep in such a short time.

"You can't protect them. They are adults and they can make their own decisions," Tanya had reminded me. "Besides, you have your own problems to worry about. When are you going to ask out Bella?"

"Will you stop it?" I'd hissed in annoyance. "I'm not asking her anything. We're friends. That's it."

"Friends when you're not in Forks. You really think you can last without any sort of communication?"

"We communicate," I'd said shortly.

"Yeah, because talking about which poems go on which page is definitely on par with telling her what she means to you." I had glared at Tanya, but she'd continued, unfazed. "You're gonna crack."

"I will not crack," I had said, my frustration creeping into my voice. Tanya was the most relentlessly pushy woman I had ever known, and that was saying something with a sister like Rosalie.

"You already have, my friend. You already have." Smiling sweetly, she had patted my knee before leaving me alone to stew.

She had been right of course. I'd cracked so many times it was a wonder I hadn't completely shattered. With meeting Bella on Halloween and then meeting her now at the café, I was surely doomed.

I told Bella of my disagreement with Tanya, leaving out the part where she was involved. "That woman just has a way of irritating every bone in my body. I love her for what she did for my sister, and she really is a good friend, but sometimes I wish she'd just butt out. To make matters worse, Rose came in then and poked fun at me for brooding. She asked me if Mom had caught me using her make-up as war paint again, because apparently I'm still ten years old in her eyes."

Bella coughed to cover her merriment. "Strangely enough, I can picture you smearing lipstick across your cheeks."

"You wouldn't be laughing if you'd been a young boy forced to sit through a two-hour Mary-Kay party," I said as seriously as I could manage. I wanted to smile at the memory, even though I had been sure at the time I was going to be scarred for life. "I have to confess, however, that I never did rifle through my mother's make-up again."

"I wish I could have met her," Bella said wistfully. "She sounds really fun."

"She was. She would have liked you, too."

Bella smiled shyly and then busied herself with picking at her napkin again. Very casually, she said, "So, despite her annoying you, it seems like you and Tanya have hit it off."

I smirked, baffled by Bella's poorly concealed displeasure. I couldn't fathom Bella being jealous of the very obtrusive and very gay Tanya Hutton, but then I was fond of the woman and Bella wasn't privy to her sexuality. It delighted me in some perverse way that Bella would care enough to be jealous.

"We have," I told her honestly. "Tanya was there for Rose when I couldn't be, and despite her overbearing personality, she means well. Small doses, though. I don't think I could handle her more than I do now." Bella nodded, and I hoped that was enough to ease her worries.

"How, um… how is Rose?" Bella asked. So far, we had stayed well away from anything pertaining to what had happened in Seattle, but I knew it would need to come up eventually.

"She's… Rose," I said with a chuckle. "She's determined to get through this without seeing a professional, but she's not ignoring that it happened, so that's something. Most of the time she's officious, sarcastic, or angry; I think she likes the confrontation. It keeps her mind busy and gives her an outlet. Other times, she's incredibly meek, like a little girl. It's hard seeing her like that, but I know she'll be okay eventually. As I said, she's Rose.

"You should have seen her on Halloween." I snorted at the memory. "She railed into me for not telling her I was leaving sooner, all because she bought steaks for dinner."

"You could have called," Bella said. "I would have understood."

"I know." I smiled and let my fingers trace the diamond cutouts in the tabletop. "But I'm selfish. I wanted to see you."

"Really?" Bella bit her lip, smiling shyly. "I thought I was being entirely selfish. I even told Alice that the heavens would smite me if I went through with it."

I laughed but wasn't entirely amused. Being struck down by God's almighty wrath was a genuine fear of mine. "I know the feeling," I said wryly. "Speaking of how people are dealing with what happened, what about you? How's therapy?"

Bella shrugged and tilted her head down, focusing her eyes on her coffee. "It's okay, I guess. It's not the most comfortable of things, but I understand why I should go."

"I'm just glad you're talking to someone." I took a preparatory breath before saying, "Have you told anyone what happened? Besides your therapist, I mean."

Pink flooded Bella's cheeks and her eyes shot to mine. "No," she said adamantly, "and I am so sorry about Jacob. The fact that he knows really makes me angry, but what he did to you… I didn't even know about that until after we left your apartment." I felt my shoulders release their tension. I hadn't been sure why Bella would tell Black about her brush with fate, but the speculation had been driving me crazy. Now that I knew she hadn't told him at all, I felt almost blissful.

"What was he thinking, confronting you like that?" Her voice was steadily rising and her gestures became more animated as she talked. I placed my fist at my mouth to stifle a laugh. Her ire had always been more entertaining than scary. "If you hadn't been there, who knows what could have happened? You're a hero! You don't see people going around and accusing Superman of being the bad guy. They kind of do with Spiderman, but that's beside the point. You rescued me and he's acting like some… some… some pig-headed jerk!"

A giggle escaped my hold before I could stop it, followed by a snort, and then full-blown laughter. It took a moment for me to regain my composure, and when I did, she said, "I don't know what you find so funny. This is serious."

I was still chuckling as I took in Bella's appalled indignation and had to work very hard to stave off the next bout of hilarity. "You're right," I said. "I'm sorry."

"Uh-huh." She didn't believe me for a second. "And if someone believes Jake and you get fired, all of these crappy rules will have been for nothing. I'm not torturing myself for my own entertainment here. There's a reason, and I thought you'd be a little more understanding."

I sighed and reached across the table, trapping Bella's hand within my own. "I am, Bella. I get it. I just don't want this to ruin the little time we have together."

"Do you think…?" Bella bit her lip and then blew out a short breath. "Will we be able to see each other before graduation or is this it?"

I felt my heart clench but smiled as best I could. "It's not that far away. Seven months and we can see each other all we want."

"Seven months," Bella whispered. "I can do that. I just have to remember that you're acting when you treat me like I'm not really there."

My smile faded. "Is that what you think, that I don't care about you? Bella, you're… my best friend," I said lamely, not knowing how else to get across how much she meant to me. "This thing that I do, when I pretend like you're just another student, it's only because I have to. It kills me to see how much I hurt you every damn day, but I can't help it. I can't ruin your life."

"You could never ruin my life," she said softly, her eyes sad but also relieved in a way. "You are the biggest part of it. I couldn't imagine not being… your friend."

"Me, neither." The emotions were getting a little heavy, so I steered the conversation in a different direction. "How are you doing on scholarships? Did you hear back from any of the ones you applied to last year?"

She shook her head and sighed. "No, and if I don't get any, I can't pay for school, and if I can't pay for school, I'm going to end up working at the local Quickie Mart for the next ten years."

"Don't talk like that. You're going to Dartmouth. That's what you want and that's what you'll get," I said, stroking my thumb across the back of her hand. I had told Bella once that I didn't really need the income from teaching, but she didn't know exactly how wealthy I was. I could easily pay for her college and support her for the rest of our lives.

Bella smiled at me, her eyes conveying her amusement. "You are so sure I'm getting in, and acceptance letters are months out."

"You're really good," I said. Bella looked off to the side and shook her head. "I know you don't believe me, but you are."

"What are you doing for Thanksgiving?" she asked suddenly, not even trying to be subtle in shifting the conversation away from herself. She always did this when I complimented her, but I let it drop.

We talked about everything and nothing. Bella fell in love with a new book last week. I was on the losing end of a fight with a jar of pickles last night. Bella's mother just started a new hobby… again. Rosalie had once convinced me to play makeover with her, resulting in the birth of Antoinette—I had luckily found and destroyed all pictures of me in drag.

I was listening intently to Bella's narration of one summer's disastrous fishing trip when I heard a slight buzzing noise. I tried to ignore it, but the damn thing was persistent.

"Do you hear that?" I asked her. She paused long enough to hear it, and her smile faded along with the color in her cheeks. "Bella, what's wrong?"

She pulled her hand from mine to dig around in her backpack, pulling out her cell phone a moment later. Bella grimaced as Charlie Swan's muffled voice streamed through the receiver.

"I know, Dad," she said softly. "No, I was just reading…. Yes, I know, but…. I had my phone on vibrate…." Bella sighed and placed her forehead in her hand. "Let me just pay for the books and I'll be on my way." The Chief's voice carried on for a few more seconds before Bella said a quick goodbye and hung up the phone.

"I can't take it," she said, her voice edging on hysteria. "I know he's worried, but this is ridiculous. I've driven up here more times than I can count and nothing has ever happened."

"It'll get better," I said, and then stumbled over, "And, you know… if it gets to be too much, I'm still your teacher. You can, uh, come to me if you need to."

Bella's face relaxed into a grateful smile. "Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me."

I think I have an idea, I thought and, smiling, said, "You're leaving then?"

"Yeah. I told Charlie I'd be back by three and it's fifteen till."

I noticed Bella swallow nervously and lick her lips before she reached out to grab my hand. I hadn't realized until now that I was usually the one to initiate our small touches, and her gesture made my heart race.

"Would you like to come with me to the book store? It's just around the corner," she said, gauging my reaction carefully. Judging by her rigid posture, Bella actually seemed to think I would deny her anything.

"I'd love to," I told her, and the smile she gave me was breathtaking.

Watching Bella peruse the shelves was another small gift. The bookshop was nothing more than a hole in the wall. Large windows shed light on the tiny dust specs in the air and bounced golden rays from Bella's hair like a halo. She ran her fingers over the spines with such delicate attention, secret smiles gracing her lips, meant only for the books she was eyeing.

I didn't understand what it was about her that was so enthralling. I had seen beautiful girls all my life and had never once reacted the way I did with her. I had met intelligent women and had intelligent conversations, never being so completely captivated by their every word. I had liked my fair share of the opposite sex, but never had I felt a love so pure, so passionate, as what I felt for Bella.

"Oh! I love this one," Bella said, pulling a thin book from the shelf. "My mom used to read this to me every night before bed."

I walked up behind her and peered down at The Velveteen Rabbit. I had liked that story growing up, as well. She turned quickly, not having heard me come over, and lost her balance with a squeak when she ran into me. I caught her around the waist and laughed. "You can't go anywhere without some sort of catastrophe, can you?"

"You totally caused this one!" she cried indignantly.

I straightened her out, and then backed away with my hands raised, still smirking like an idiot. She rolled her eyes and continued shopping, tossing me puckish glances every now and again.

The store had a number of trinkets on the register counter for purchase. I snickered at coming across a bracelet with "Safety" written across the longest bead and seriously considered buying it for her, but as I examined the rest, I found one that read "Someday."

Someday, Bella would be at Dartmouth, on her way to becoming an author or a journalist. Someday, all her dreams would come true and I could be there to see it all happen. Someday, I would be able to share my life with her without the threat of society and morality bearing down on us.

Bella joined me just as the clerk handed me my change and I slyly tucked the bracelet into my back pocket. We walked at a slow pace to the parking lot. I didn't want our time together to end, yet I couldn't find the words to say so. Perhaps it was better that way. The seven months would be hard enough without me adding to it.

"This is me," Bella said, shifting awkwardly beside her truck. "I guess I'll see you at school."

I nodded solemnly, then retrieved the bracelet and fingered the beads. "I, uh, bought you this. It's not much, but I hope you'll wear it."

Bella took the bracelet from my hand and a smile lifted her lips as she mouthed the inscribed word. "Thank you. I love it."

I helped her attach the two ends, and then smoothed it over her wrist, relishing what little contact I could get. The bracelet looked good—not in a fashionable way, but in the way it made me feel to see it on her. I was leaving my mark, and she was choosing to wear it proudly.

I clenched my fists as I turned from her. Meeting her today had been a double-edged sword; we had been free to act however we wished with each other, but going back to a minimal relationship would be more difficult than I could have imagined.

"Edward, wait!" I stopped and reversed my steps, asking Bella what was the matter. She laughed nervously and shook her head. "Nothing, it's only… I said you were my best friend, but there's more to it than that. I… jeez, this is hard."

I smiled slightly and bumped her hand with mine to show her that it was only me; she could tell me anything. She seemed grateful, smiling up at me with her bottom lip between her teeth. "You're kind of amazing, you know that?" she said.

"I do my best," I teased.

"I… I like you, Edward. A lot. Definitely more than I should, and I understand if you don't… have feelings for me that way. I mean, I'm younger than you, and I'm your student, and I'm not the most—"

Her words cut short as I traced my thumb over her cheek. She looked anxious and hopeful and just so damn beautiful. I leaned forward and placed my lips on her cheek, kissing her softly.

I didn't have the right to ask, but she already knew I was selfish. "Wait for me," I whispered. "Just seven months. Please, wait for me, Bella." Her hands snaked around my waist and hugged me tightly. I could feel her nod against my chest, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

We said our goodbyes a second time, and I had to fight from skipping back to my car. The whole drive home, bales of laughter erupted from within me, unprovoked, but by the thought of Bella wanting me in the same way I wanted her. I had thought, maybe. But to have confirmation…. I felt invincible.

A sudden rush of excitement hit me as the hidden driveway to my childhood home approached. Without much thought to what would happen, I took the turn. For once, I thought I might actually be ready to face my demons.

I shifted anxiously in my seat as I passed the trim greenery, some of my anticipation turning sour. Though I hadn't been down this road in more than four years, I knew it would be well taken care of. I had hired a company to oversee the plant life and maintenance in my absence. The inside, however, I knew would be untouched.

I came to a stop just before the porch and took a deep, shuddering breath. The house was a little worse for wear, but still in good condition, considering its abandonment. My high was fading quickly as memories surfaced, and I tried desperately to push them down as I climbed the steps and unlocked the front door. After a moment's hesitation, I stepped inside.

The air was stale and dust covered every surface. The white sheets that draped the furniture stood as ghosts in a place forgotten. My chest constricted and suddenly it was hard to breathe. I ran down the steps and away from the house before doubling over. I hadn't expected it to be easy, but the emotions stabbing me from all sides were almost more than I could take.

I closed my eyes and thought of Bella. My heart seized again, but in a more pleasant way. I saw her smile, her bottomless eyes, and her beauty. I heard her words of encouragement and compassion. I felt her sincerity, her utter belief in me, and I knew that I could do anything with her behind me. When my gasps changed into deep inhales and slow exhales, I gathered my strength and faced my past.

A/N: Ah, the first step... a kiss on the cheek. How quickly the mighty have fallen. *evil laugh* Thanks for reading!