A/N…Welcome to the bonus chapter! Only the epilogue after this one…then I'm going to devote some time to DRAGON STONES…ShayTan is nagging me…LOL

…Chapter Six…

…Bella…

Edward was asleep, his head resting on my chest, his right arm holding me firmly against him, his hand once again cupping my shoulder blade. I could hear his thoughts as he settled in REM sleep in the middle of his comfortable bed. There was a thread of me throughout his dreams.

I touched his parents' minds and they were deeply asleep also. I relaxed further into Edward's pillows and thought back over the evening…

~!~!~!~

While we waited on the loveseat for the family to arrive, feeling a lot more at ease after our time together, I asked Edward to think about the meadow. Once again we were holding hands, walking in the quiet ambiance of the flower filled area. I didn't even hear them approaching the house.

Yes, we would have to do more testing on this talent that Edward had. What a strong gift for a human to have. I asked and he released me when Carlisle started speaking, although he stayed inside to keep their voices out of his head.

Since Edward had to be home soon, Carlisle had suggested that there were a couple of things that we could do right away to make things easier on us. He would continue to refine the plan over the next few days. He was sure that he could come up with a protocol for us to use that would buy us time until Edward was at least eighteen.

Edward and I had both agreed with Carlisle that we needed time to adjust to everything and to get his affairs in order. Since the thought of faking his death was not one any of us were happy with, we would just have to take the time for Edward's family to get to know me, to realize that I wasn't just stealing their son and ruining his life.

But we also needed to spend a lot of time together, skin to skin, if we were going to be able to keep the mating imperative at bay until Edward was older. He'd be able to make his own legal decisions then. He also wasn't thrilled with the prospect of looking like a seventeen year old for eternity. I told him that it didn't matter to me. I thought he was handsome and it wasn't like I looked thirty, although I did think that I'd need to punish him for that cougar comment. In order to not remain a high school student forever, it would be helpful if we could wait long enough for him to physically mature a bit more. He understood that thought process and agreed with it.

Carlisle's first suggestion was that I join Edward in his bed each night, arriving after his parents were asleep; then slipping out before they got up each morning. Edward's parents had the master bedroom on the main floor and his bedroom was on the upper floor, on the opposite side of the house. It faced the woods and he had a balcony, which would make my comings and goings much easier to facilitate.

His parents didn't come to check on him at night. It was one of the perks of being a good son and never having been in trouble before. If they did head to his room at any point, I'd hear them coming and I could slip away before they reached the door.

At this point in our conversation, Alice had stepped forward with several bags from a store in Port Angeles. She had not gone hunting game, but hunting for something for us to sleep in. She was pleased to show Edward the many pairs of boardshorts that she had found for him to wear as sleep pants. For me she had an assortment of yoga pants, in a veritable rainbow of colors.

Most of them had sayings across the seat: "Juicy"; "Yummy"; "Tight"; "You Wish". It was a good thing that I couldn't blush. But that didn't stop Edward from blushing when she suggested he could wear the boardshorts one night, and I could wear the yoga pants the next.

I looked at Emmett, wondering if he was going to say anything either out loud or in his mind, but all he did was look at Rosalie. She smiled her approval, but when she looked away I heard him think, Ha, she'll forget about that soon. Man, who is going to wear the pants in that mating?

I glared at him and he just smiled his cheeky grin and thought, Hey, this is going to be blast, having the two of you around all the time. Let the sexy times roll! This is going to be great for Rosie and me…Jasper isn't going to be able to keep a lid on the lust you two are going to be spewing all the time.

Rolling my eyes I had focused back on Carlisle. "Esme will meet you at the school office tomorrow and she'll have Bella moved into all of your classes, Edward. Except the one with Jasper, we might as well leave that one alone. You'll be able to hold hands with Bella and be together during school that way."

"How much togetherness are they going to be able to get away with in school? Are they going to be ducking into the janitor closet between classes? Are you going to write a doctor's note giving them permission?" Emmett asked. Rosalie gave him that look and he quieted down. I think he was still at least partially afraid of what she would have Edward rip off of him if he took the teasing too far, at least the verbal teasing. He was going to have a lot of fun speaking in my mind. I should remind him that Edward was going to be able to hear him easily--soon--and if he wanted to keep all of his body parts together, he should keep himself in check.

Carlisle didn't address Emmett's last two questions, but did the first. "I think that if Bella and Edward are able to be together all night long, with skin to skin contact, it should give them a well to draw from for the times that they are not together and touching. That, along with hand holding during the school hours, should be able to give them enough togetherness to give us time for Edward's family to accept Bella into their lives. It will also give Edward time to physically mature a little more and to reach his eighteenth birthday." Carlisle paused to consider his words.

"This will be hard on you both. The mating imperative is strong once our mates are found. But, if you can hold on for another eight months, it will be very helpful for the rest of your lives. It will also prepare you for making the change, if you choose to do so. That's not a given, and it's not a decision you have to make right now. We do have time for that." Carlisle's face lit up as he continued, "Now, this meadow phenomenon, I would love to be able to look into that a lot more. Edward, you are in there now, correct?"

"Yes, I am. Your mental voices are way too loud right now. Bella says she's learned some tricks to keep the roar down, but I'm actually really good right here." He paused and looked at Carlisle, a look of concentration on his face.

Carlisle's face registered shock, just as I realized that I couldn't hear him anymore. "What? Oh my...I'm in here with you!"

Esme was startled. "I can't hear Carlisle anymore…" Her face showed surprise when she and I both found ourselves standing in the meadow, holding our mates' hands.

Edward, this is magnificent. Carlisle's eyes were darting here and there as Esme clutched his hand, also taking a good look at the flowers and the brook.

I could hear all three of them, but not those left in the living room. There was a small crease in Edward's forehead as I realized the amount of energy this was taking from him. Let us back out, Edward.

When the three of us were back outside of the meadow, the smile on Carlisle's face was almost as bright as the sun we had seen shining there. He loved to find new things for his scientific mind to explore.

Edward looked a bit peaked, and I held his hand tighter.

"Edward, that took a lot out of you. I think you are going to have to work up to bringing so many into the meadow with you. Do you feel drained at all with just yourself in there?" Carlisle asked.

"No, now that I know how to get here, it's doesn't seem to take much effort. When it was just Bella here with me, it was easy too. But bringing you and Esme in took a lot more energy." He leaned back into the loveseat and I could hear how tired he was.

"We have plenty of time to study this gift of yours. Right now it's time for you to head home. I work the midnight shift at the hospital, so maybe after school this week we could work with this more." Edward nodded his approval of that idea.

"So, Bella will join you when you retire each night, she'll share classes with you during school hours. You could take turns driving to and from school which will give you even more time together. I hear Bella is joining the debate team." Carlisle smiled at me in endorsement of the idea. "The meetings are only once a week until after Christmas, I believe. Also, you might want to mention that you've met a girl to your parents, talk her up a bit. Then maybe by the weekend she could meet them. She'll invite you here to meet her parents too. We don't have to tell them that you've already met us." We all laughed at that.

"We'll refine the plan as things need to change. For now, you need to get home. You don't want to get in trouble." He reached out and shook Edward's hand as we stood. "We can make this work, son."

Jasper suggested that I go hunt. He could feel how finely drawn I was becoming. Neither one of us was worried about the blood lust, but the state of arousal and the focus of need were wearing on me.

I walked Edward towards the door as everyone shouted out their goodbyes. Esme came and hugged him. "Have faith, Edward, this will work out. Welcome to the family." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and we went out to his motorcycle.

"I'm going to hunt and then I'll meet you in your room." I had my arms around his waist and he was holding me like he was never going to let me go. He was holding me in his meadow too.

I feel pretty good right now, but it scares me to think that you are not going to be right next to me for the next couple of hours…his thoughts were still calm, but I could see the edge starting to form.

Just remember, it will only be two hours. I think our loving earlier is going to be, as Carlisle said, a well for us to draw strength from. When you are away from the house, and everyone else's thoughts, come out of the meadow…you'll be able to hear me…probably more clearly when I am near your house. That should help, having that mental connection. I don't know when the connection will be able to reach out over miles, but I won't be far tonight anyway. Now, go, don't be late for dinner. Do unlock your deck door and I'll be there waiting when you are done eating. I gave him a last firm hug and stepped back.

I love you, Edward…

I love you, Bella…I'll see you soon…

He started the bike and was soon gone. I felt the tug begin anew, but it was manageable. When he reached the road he came out of the meadow and I could feel the link to his mind again. It was a soft whisper, filled with love.

I looked up as Jasper joined me. "Let's go hunt. You need it. Alice will meet us at his house with the sleep pants, and she has a gift for the two of you."

I rolled my eyes. "Should I be scared?"

"No," he said laughing, "You'll like it." They were both shielding their thoughts so I couldn't catch what the gift was. They really had become quite adept at that over the past twenty-three years.

"Okay, let's go. The sooner I hunt, the sooner I can be waiting in his room." We decided to go for the easy meal and I quickly drained two mule deer. He only took one as he had already taken one earlier while they were giving us privacy.

The soft connection between Edward and I was soothing. He kept checking to make sure that we still were linked as he ate his dinner. I wondered if he could hear his parents' thoughts and asked him. After a moment he said a very surprised no.

It will be interesting to see if you can when I'm closer…I'll be there soon. Did you unlock your door? I asked him.

Yes, I did…and left the light on for you too. I'm almost done eating; I'll do the dishes for mom. Then I'll be up. Where are you now? He asked as I saw him gathering the dishes and making small talk with his folks. Edward was getting pretty good at the double tasking, talking both to me and to his family.

Jasper and I are just over the ridge east of you. Alice is waiting at the tree line behind your house. She has a surprise for us; I'm told that I shouldn't worry…That we'll both enjoy it. How are you feeling? I'm beginning to feel the pull just a bit.

Edward took stock as he rinsed the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher. It's not bad yet. I think that the intense time we spent this afternoon in your bedroom helped a lot.

His mind quickly flipped through some of the highlights of the time we spent together earlier. I found myself running ahead of Jasper as those memories reignited the fire that was only banked slightly. I was ready to get to him, to touch him…

I'll be in your room in about five minutes…

And I'll be up there in ten…

When we reached her, Alice handed me a large bag from Bed, Bath & Beyond. "A gift for the two of you."

"What is it?" I asked we stood below the deck outside of Edward's room. The bag felt heavy.

Alice smiled as she said, "It's an electric mattress pad with dual controls and an electric blanket, also with dual controls. You can remake his bed, and keep your side toasty hot. That way Edward won't freeze sleeping with you." I could hear Jasper snickering where he stood in the trees.

"Alice, you are brilliant!" I took the bag and hugged her. "Where are the sleep pants?"

"I left them on the deck when I took a peek inside his room. I wanted to see where you are going to be spending a lot of your time for the foreseeable future, even though I have already seen the future." She laughed as she hugged me back and then headed into the trees to where Jasper waited for her. Their thoughts were already settling on ways to relieve the sexual tension that they had been swamped in all evening.

Edward had heard bits of our exchange, and he called a goodbye through me for them. An electric blanket? A heated mattress pad? Alice is brilliant…tell her I said so. I'll be up in a couple of minutes. Mom wants to talk about something. By the way, once you were near the house, I could actually hear them a little. Probably it's your proximity that triggers your gift in me. We'll have to test that out too.

I'll tell Alice and get these on the bed. That is interesting about hearing your family's thoughts. I'll see you soon. I passed the messages to Alice and turned to look up at his room. The windows, with the light shining, looked warm and to Edward's deck took no effort at all and his door slid open quietly. I looked around as I stepped inside, pulling the door closed behind me. He had a king sized bed covered in a black comforter. The walls were dark gold with several posters mounted in black frames. One was of his motorcycle, a red Honda CB – 600 Hornet. Another one was of a red 1953 Chevrolet Pickup Truck. Apparently what his beater truck could look like. There was also a framed photo of his debate team holding a trophy and one with him standing with his parents.

One entire wall was shelves filled with books and CD's. A nice stereo system took up one shelf and I could see the speakers in all four corners of the room. A desk with a laptop was on another wall.

I had the bed stripped and the mattress pad installed and the bed remade in no time. I set the dials as high as they could go for now, but only on what would be my side of the bed. I could tell he slept on the right side; his scent was heavier there. Thinking ahead, I placed a damp washcloth and a dry one from the cabinet in the bathroom on the side table. I was pretty sure we'd need them later.

Ripping the tags off of his new pants, I found space for them in one of his drawers. I didn't think it would be a good idea to put my stack in with his. The thought of his mother's face if she found an assortment of yoga pants in his room made me laugh just a little.

He heard that and chuckled quietly as he stepped into the room. I was in his arms the second the door closed. It had only been one hour and forty-seven minutes since we had touched, but that had seemed to be a lifetime. Long sighs of relief left both of us as we tucked our faces into each other's necks.

So, you think I might have a hard time explaining to my Mom just why I have a pair of hot pink yoga pants with the word JUICY written across the seat? He asked as he nuzzled my ear.

She might think that you have some explaining to do, that's for sure! I can always bring a pair with me each night…I was doing some nuzzling of my own. I loved running my lips along his jaw, feeling the bit of stubble there.

Wait, this should work. Pulling me along with him, he stepped into the walk-in closet and reached for a plastic box on one of the shelves. It was empty. You can put yours in here and I'll just set it on the shelf there. Mom won't even bother looking here.

He drew me back into the bedroom and pulled me to his chest. I slid my hands beneath his shirt and caressed his smooth back. Another sigh left us both at the contact.

I hate having to lie to your folks, even if it is a lie of omission. But we can't tell them my true nature and the fact that we are now mates. I'm also thinking that telling them that we'd really like to go off and have sex for a year--or three--wouldn't make them happy. Edward had slipped his hands under my shirt by this point and he was running his fingertips up and down my spine. We need to do our homework and then we can get closer. I think I might have enough control to last until then, if we hurry. I leaned back to look into his face, which gave him the opportunity to kiss me.

Several long minutes later we leaned away from each other and he picked up his backpack, removing the books. We sat on the floor, our thighs touching, and finished the work in record time. Edward closed the math book and we sat up.

Why don't you shower and I'll change. I could get under the heated blankets and wait for you? Edward's eyes darkened at the thought. Standing, he grabbed the pair of the shorts that I had left on his bed and went into his bathroom. He didn't close the door and I could see him in the mirror stripping out of his borrowed jeans and stepping into the shower. The steam magnified his scent again and I breathed in deeply. I'd never tire of that.

Enjoy the show? His voice was teasing, but I could hear the strain beginning in his mind. It was a mirror image of what was happening in mine too.

Yes, very much. So, who gets to wear the pants tonight? I showed him a picture of me, topless, wearing the JUICY ones, bent over picking up our school books. The growl that came from the bathroom made me wet and I groaned in response. I didn't have time to get under the covers as the shower cut off and he was out the door, a towel slung around his hips, water dripping down his chest. His shorts were forgotten on the counter.

Bed…now…He didn't need to ask twice as we both dove for the covers. My side of the bed was scorching, but we didn't need the heat right then, we were making enough together.

His towel was lost in our scramble to the bed and I enjoyed the feeling of his hot skin beneath my palms as I ran them from his shoulders and down over his back to his hips…then on to his ass. I squeezed his cheeks firmly and he groaned into my mouth. That in turn caused me to thrust my hips up to meet his. His erection was already straining against my hip and I spread my legs to allow him closer.

Our bodies were touching from shoulder to ankles and it felt so good. His weight holding me down to the firm mattress was heavenly, only topped by the feel of his lips against mine. He had his hands tangled in my hair, turning my face so that he could get the best angle to kiss me. Sucking my upper lip into his mouth caused another wave of arousal to pour from me and I sucked his lower lip, carefully, between my lips.

Edward situated himself firmly between my thighs. We started moving together in a dance as old as time. Pushing into each other…stroking tongues and roaming hands filled my mind with want. Our mental connection drove our touches, leading me to hike my leg over his hip. The soft material of my pants felt good against his naked skin as he thrust gently against me.

Not as good as your hand or mouth, but this position is feeding something in me, feeling you move beneath me, giving back, taking…His mind was full of emotions as our thrusts became stronger.

I hitched my other leg over his waist, spreading my legs wider and then he was rubbing against the very spot that I needed…Yes, right there Edward…

He complied with my request and pushed harder against me. The explosion in my core was amplified as his orgasm hit and we both tumbled over the cliff, gasping and holding each other tightly.

Coming back down from the high took us a while. He had tucked his face into my neck, trying not to make too much noise and he rested there, just breathing deeply for several moments. I was glad that I didn't need to breathe so that he didn't need to move his weight off my body.

Eventually, with a sigh, Edward rolled off of me and I reached to get the damp cloth that I had left on the table.

You thought of everything…

Well, I try…I tossed the used cloth towards his laundry basket and rolled onto my side of the bed, the heat reaching out to me. I don't want you to get cold while you sleep…whenever you feel chilled, I'll get toasty for you again.

Edward tucked the covers around me and then got up to turn off the light. He didn't lock the door as he knew that I'd be his early alert system. Coming back to bed he pulled my blanket wrapped body close to his, kissing my cheeks and then my lips.

I love you, Bella, I don't think that I'll ever get used to just how wonderful being with you, loving you is. His eyes were so dark and the smile that graced his beautiful face caused my unbeating heart to clench.

Oh, Edward, I love you so much. Our kisses were soft and sweet, the mating imperative appeased for now. This was going to be hard, but if we could keep this level of intimacy up, the quality of our immortal lives would be improved.

Eight months wasn't that long, really…as long as we could be close like this. And with lifetimes ahead of us, we would make it work.

~!~!~!~

A/N…the Epilogue will be up next week. Yes, this was mainly an exercise in limes…with a bit of plot thrown in. Hope that you are enjoying it and stop back by for the epilogue. Reviews make me happy and I thank each and every one of you who have shared with me...

Thanks so much Yuri and hubby for giving me a BIKE to look at...http: //motoprofi. com/bikephoto /414/honda_cb_600_f_hornet_1998_2. jpg take the spaces out to see Edward's bike.

Kathie