AN - Huge turning point for ExB. Hope it's not too cheesy!

We sat, facing each other, resting casually on my bed, I had taught him the basics of the thumb war game and I knew he was letting me win.

"Let's up the stakes. If you win a battle, you get to ask the loser a question, which they have to answer." I smiled and he agreed. His thumb war skills oddly improved. After five minutes of hard playing, I was biting my lip, focused completely on our entwined fingers, the thumbs trying to attack each other. I noticed that Edward was not watching our hands, but rather me and my expression. So I plastered a pout onto my face. Suddenly Edward lost focus, just for a fraction of a second. Long enough for me to pin him. I smiled in victory as Edward frowned, displeased.

"If you could have one thing in the world what would it be?" I asked. His eyes flashed with remorse.

"Your humanity given back to you." He replied calmly.

The next war he won.

"If you could have one thing in the world what would it be?" He asked, watching me carefully.

"Your laugh." I answered honestly. He blinked in surprise. "I love your laugh. It's soothing, exciting, contagious and sultry all at once." I admitted hanging my head in slight embarrassment.

Another thumb war game was played. He won again.

"One thing you miss about your human life?"

I frowned, thinking. What did I miss? Not my clumsiness. Not my lack of friends, or my possessions. Not my blush. Not my insecurity, which hadn't yet been cured.

"Charlie and Renee?" I asked back. "They had their problems, but they were special, just like our family."

"Thank you." He said, his eyes staring into mine. I was confused, and my face must have shown that, because he explained himself; "For saying 'our' family, for including yourself."

The thumb war continued. I won.

"One thing you wish you were doing right now?" I asked. He frowned and I could see him racking his brain. He then smiled, his eyes showing a pleased kind of realisation.

"Nothing."

"You'd rather be doing nothing?" I asked confusedly. Ouch. Was I that boring?

"No, there's nothing I'd rather be doing than this. I like spending time with you." He ran his free hand through his hair. I bit my lip, trying to suppress an embarrassed, yet pleased smile.

Another thumb war was started. He won.

"Something you'd rather be doing right now?" he asked.

I had to think about it. In all honesty, I'd rather be curled up in his arms. I had felt the smallest of hugs from him, when he had leaned around me to help me with homework. I wanted to be in his arms again. I felt safe and comfortable there.

"I can't tell you. It's embarrassing, forward and completely stupid." I muttered. He lifted my chin, which I had ducked out of his gaze.

"Please?"

It took all of my strength to look at him. His eyes were so calm, so trusting. There was no trace of guilt or pity there. I kept his hand in mine and twisted myself into his grip, so that he was sitting beside me, his hand wrapped around my side. He froze for a moment, before relaxing and pulling me closer. I ducked my head into his chest, simply relaxing as he did. We didn't continue the thumb wars, but we did continue the questioning.

"Why are you so afraid of insects?" Edward asked suddenly. His voice made his chest vibrate slightly; I was in heaven.

"I fell from a tree once when I was smaller, into an old log. I couldn't move because I had broken my leg. The log was filled with bugs of all kinds. I can only remember the feeling as countless insect crawled under my clothing, through my hair while I lay, unable to fend them off. I wouldn't stop having nightmares for weeks afterwards." I shivered and he pulled me slightly closer, protectively.

He leaned back against the headboard of my bed. We were now half-sitting-half-laying on my bed together, just talking. His question reminded me of something I wanted to ask though.

"Why did you miss at the dart game? I was positive you were going to win."

"So was Alice." He chuckled in return. "I would've had it not been for you."

"What do you mean?" I asked. What had I done that could've distracted him?

"The fear that shot through you, I felt it through Jasper. Even then I was worried about you, although I don't think I would've admitted it. As soon as I heard the whimper fall from your lips, every muscle in my body turned to you, every thought suddenly focused on you. It was as though you had flicked a switch, asking for my help. As soon as you felt safe again, I started working. My brain seemed to turn back on and I realised that I hadn't even noticed I had thrown the dart." Edward was gazing down at me thoughtfully.

"Thank you, and I am sorry." I smiled in return. We stared at each other again for a while, comfortable with the silence.

"Why Steve?" Edward asked.

"Steve was a boy at my school back in Phoenix. Major jock, no respect for women, but way too much fun to mess around with. It just fit, especially since I was so hyper." He smiled, envisioning the character I assumed. "Why Cinnia?"

His reaction was not one I expected. He ducked his head slightly, looking embarrassed of all things.

"A lover?" I asked, my heart filling with lead at the words. Edward frowned.

"I'd like her to be, I suppose. Her name tells enough about her. Cinnia is a Celtic name. It means beauty." He stared into my eyes, as if willing me to understand. Suddenly I did. My name, Bella, meant beauty, in Italian. How could I possibly respond to that? I smiled in response, wrapping my arms around his broad muscular chest. I could stay here forever.

"How long have you felt like this?" Edward asked hesitantly, after a long pause. Honestly? I couldn't remember.

"Since I saw your taste in music I think. It just got stronger as you gave me more reasons to love you." I flinched as I said the words. I honestly didn't expect to say that out loud. What was with my tongue recently? Ever since my transformation my body had been so confident. No, I reminded myself, ever since Edward returned.

Edward pulled my face to his with his hand, staring straight into my eyes.

"Did you mean that?" he asked. I couldn't find my voice suddenly.

His topaz eyes stared into mine, his scent filling my nostrils, my mouth. The intensity in his eyes told me that he felt the same way. I leaned in the last few centimetres and my lips met his. Warmth spread from the place of contact through to the very nerve endings of my body. I was almost painfully aware of how close we were, our breathing perfectly in sync, the way his lips seemed to almost smile against mine. It felt so good, so natural being there in his arms. I felt safe, I felt whole; two things I hadn't felt in a while. I felt loved.

I pulled away first. His eyes were half closed, relaxed, his lips slightly parted and he looked happier than I had ever seen him before.

"You okay?" I joked. He laughed and that was instantly enough. I had been worried I had been too forward, or possibly too assuming.

"You have no idea what you do to me, Bella." He leaned in to place a gentle kiss on my forehead.

"How long have you felt like this?"

"About forty-five seconds."

"No," I laughed, "How long have you loved me?" I instantly winced. I was assuming again. To my surprise he hugged me tighter to his chest.

"Since you pinned me, the time after I had first pinned you. You commanded me to explain myself, since then I was fearful you didn't return the same feelings. I was actually convinced you hated me for the longest time."

"What changed your mind about that?" I asked.

"The shower. Everything until then I considered simply polite. You had me convinced then, and I'm not even sure how. All I could think of at the time was why you'd be helping me at all, why you'd messed around with me in the first place, why you were so insistent on being friends with me. It was all so simple, yet I was so oblivious."

"Don't worry – I was the same. I thought you simply felt guilty. I had no idea if you felt the same way, or even if it was possible for you to love me as strongly as I loved you." Had someone hijacked my brain? Had I been human those words would have never fallen from my lips.

"I have loved you Isabella, so intently I didn't imagine you could feel the same way. Every time we touched I felt so alive, like I never had before."

"I wasn't sure at all. I just wanted you to go back to your old self, so the others would stop worrying." Suddenly Edward laughed.

"Bella, I haven't been myself since I met you. Before you entered my family I was hollow, solitary, I never laughed, never let anyone touch me, or be near me. I was supportive of my family, but always more like a recluse. And it was all by choice. After I met you, I found myself wanting to be in the same room as others, wanting to be near you, wanting to see you do simple things, wanting to see you amaze and confuse the others. You confuse me so much Bella. You are unlike any woman I have ever met."

"I'll try and write a handbook." I giggled.

"You could call it 'How to Speak Bella.'"

"Or, 'Bella, for Dummies'."

Edward laughed again, with me, until suddenly he sat up and winced.

" Alice has seen us. She's..."

"Buzzing?"

"Past that."

"Scary?"

"Beyond that." He was still searching for the right word when suddenly my door flung open, leaving a mark in the wall. Alice pounced on both of us, squeezing us hard.

"I knew it! I knew it! I'm so happy for you both! What perfect timing too!" Timing? Edward bristled slightly and Alice clasped her hands over her mouth.

"Sorry, shutting up, not saying a thing more, but oh my word! You two are so perfect together!"

Moments later, the family entered the house, Jasper first, wondering what the hell was wrong with his wife. The look on his face told me that he was trying to calm her and not succeeding. At this point Alice let us go and backed off. Jasper caught glimpse of our hands intertwined with each other and smiled, nodding his approval. He dragged Alice away and told the others that she was just overreacting, at least they had had the good sense not to come barging into my room.

"Guys, although you look fantastic as you are, we're leaving soon. You should both get dressed."

And we both separated. Everyone was getting dressed up apparently. I found a black strapless bra and matching lace underwear and then got dressed in the outfit Edward had helped me to choose, only shortening my mother's necklace so that the cross hung above the shirt. Alice came in, dressed in purples and blacks herself and helped me to pin up my hair. Too soon I was ready and I felt like a million dollars. Alice was ecstatic.

"You look gorgeous. Tonight will be so much fun. I'm sure you'll love it!"

"Where are we going?"

"Can't tell you."

"Will there be humans there?" I asked. She stopped and looked at me thoughtfully.

"I don't think so. There shouldn't be."

For some reason I still didn't feel much better. I hated surprises. She dragged me downstairs and shoved me into the garage.

"You can take the Vanquish with Edward. I take my Porsche, Rose gets her convertible, Carlisle his Mercedes." The others appeared as Alice said their names.

Carlisle looked like a god, so divinely handsome. Esme looked stunning, also wearing a skirt, a simple white one, with a shirt that had a rustic orange tint to it. Rosalie chose a form fitting red dress. She looked so insanely beautiful that I could barely believe it. I felt so insignificant beside her. Jasper and Emmett seemed to be dressed the same, only their shirt colours differed. Jasper had a deep purple, where Emmett's was pink. Despite the girly colour, he looked very good. Edward was the last to come down. I bit my lip as I smiled; he looked so devilishly hot. The emerald green worked so wonderfully with his gold eyes and bronze hair. The shirt fit him so well, the first few buttons open, revealing a sliver of his defined chest. Whatever I was feeling made Jasper chuckle, I glared at him and he held up his hands innocently.

Edward held out his hand for me and I took it gladly, smiling as he brought it to his lips to kiss, his eyes sparkling.

"You look fantastic."

"I thought you couldn't read my mind." I replied, deflecting attention. He placed his hand on the small of my back leading me to the car I had driven before. I slid into the seat, amused by the fact that Edward held the door open for me, closing it gently behind me. We all began driving and I stared out the window, feeling a strange sense of freedom. Emmett and Rosalie's car disappeared before long, I looked questioningly at Edward.

"They're going to take a shortcut, kind of. It's actually the long way round, but they increase their speed and get there before us anyway."

"Where are we going?" I whined, pleading with Edward. He smiled and finally admitted it.

"To see some friends of ours."