A/N: Hi! I know that last chapter was a little hard to read as it was hard for me to write as well. So kudos to all of us for making it past that one.

Let's read on, shall we?

Chapter-5: EPOV

The first time Bella and I have sex is a little over a week before I'm due to take my leave.

No, it doesn't happen like in the romance movies. We don't follow a candle-lit path to fall into a bed.

No, it's not staged. It just happens. And it's real.

After the first night of holding her in my arms, things get easier. Before that night, we tiptoed around the subject of our pasts; we simply wanted to live in the present, but after hearing her story, I wanted to share mine with her too. So I tell her about losing my parents, taking care of my sister when I was barely an adult myself, and I tell her about the war. No, I don't give her the gory details. It's not because I don't think she'll be able to take it, no, I don't tell her the details because I don't want her to know how close to death I will be every moment I spend in that foreign land. Instead, I tell her stories about my comrades. I tell her about huddling in a tent while a sandstorm rages outside of our little shelter. I try to make it all sound like an adventure, but the way she tightens her hold on my arm tells me that I'm not fooling anyone.

Some nights, we decide to stay with my niece, Little Evie, to let Rose and Emmett have a date night. Sitting on my sister's couch, watching her and my brother-in-law smile happily at each other, I feel an emptiness in my heart like I've never felt before. When I chance a glance at Bella, I can see a hint of the same yearning in her eyes.

Other nights, Bella and I either walk the streets of Seattle or stay in her studio apartment, ordering in and just getting lost in each other's lives. That night is no different. After polishing off our pizza, I go out to drop the box in the bin while she takes our plates in the sink. When I return, I watch her at the sink and suddenly, that emptiness in my heart tells me what it wants. It tells me that I want what my sister and Emmett has … with Bella.

Slowly, I walk up to her and place my hands on her waist before leaning forward to press a kiss to the back of her neck. She stiffens for the fraction of a moment and then, she melts in my arms. She allows me to hug her from behind while she finishes up with the dishes. Once she's done, she dries off her hands and then turns in my arms. Hand-in-hand, we make our way to her bed.

When she kisses me, I feel like I'm about to lose it. Holding her tight to myself, I say, "Bella, I should go, or ..."

Threading her fingers through my hair, she pulls my lips back to her. Softly, she whispers against my lips, "Don't go."

So I don't.

Instead, I take her in my arms and spend the whole night showing her how much she has come to mean to me … over and over.

Later that night, when she falls asleep in my arms, I don't think of my past or present. No, I think of my future and how I want Bella to be a part of it.

So two days later, I take her back to Bainbridge Island and back to the beach where I had kissed her for the first time.

A/N: It's a bit shorter, I know, but we're one third of the way done, people.

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Thanks for reading.

See you tomorrow.

Love,

Ann