Author's Note: Sooo... Yeah, not going to give an excuse... but... I DID pass my nursing boards! I'm now an RN! Now I just need a job.

Sorry this took so long, but here's a recap of the last chapter: Edward and Bella told their friends (separately) about their feelings and fears of leaving each other, and Edward confesses to Bella that he was supposed to be with his parents the night they died.

So here is the final chapter. Reviews make me happy :)

Chapter 12: Now It's Time for Us to Go

Knowing that since it was New Year's Eve and the possibility of retiring late was great, the group of friends decided to forego breakfast together in order to allow themselves as much rest as possible. Despite the occasion to sleep through the morning, Edward was woken up early by insistent kisses on his chest. Not so soon after, Bella collapsed on top of him as Edward stroked her spine gently.

"Wasn't it your idea to sleep in?" he half chuckled.

Bella lifted her head and smiled cheekily at him. "Why else do you think I wanted the opportunity to be alone?" She stroked a finger along Edward's jaw bone. "Why? Are you complaining that you didn't get to sleep more?"

Reaching up softly to kiss her on her lips, he whispered, "Nope. Not complaining at all. In fact, if you want to 'sleep in,'" Edward made quotation signs in the air, "I'm all for it."

Bella giggled as she rolled off his chest and sat up. "We could 'sleep' later. Right now I'm starving. I must have worked up an appetite."

"Mmm," Edward murmured, kissing his way up her spine until he reached her neck, causing her to slightly moan. "We can order room service."

"I don't think we'd ever make it out of this room then."

"Once again, I'm not complaining," he responded, peppering kisses up and down her neck.

Laughing happily again, Bella jumped out of the bed and headed to the bathroom. "Come on, sex fiend. We have to enjoy our last day here."

Grumbling, Edward stood to follow her. "I thought my plan was rather enjoyable," he pouted before sneaking up to her and smacking her derriere. Bella jumped and squeaked before running into the bathroom and shutting the door just as Edward reached it.

"Come on! That isn't fair!"

"I don't trust you!" she chuckled and yelled through the door. "If you come in here, we really won't leave the room!"

Edward pretended to pout, "Fine. Whatever." But as he went in search of clothes, he could not keep the smile from his face.

oOoOoOoOo

After breakfast and going on yet another sleigh ride, this time with a lot less attention towards nature, and a lot more towards each other; the couple met the others, who had just emerged from their rooms, for a midday meal. After Alice and Rose discussed their enthusiasm for the night ahead, the discussion inevitably headed towards the plans for departure the next day.

"Edward, what time does your flight leave?" Alice asked, knowing that he was the only one flying alone. Since Bella, Alice, Rose, Jasper, and Emmett were all returning to Seattle, they were all flying together unlike the flight to Tahoe. Edward, of course, was heading back to Chicago to begin his second semester in med school.

"10:45," he replied, his voice constricting at the thought of being separated from Bella. To everybody else, though, it seemed a casual answer with no hesitance at all.

"Well, our flight leaves at 11:10, so we might as well go to the airport together," Alice suggested, bouncing happily in her seat.

Bella was quiet, trying to ignore the happy pixie as she concentrated on her meal. It seemed to her that Edward answered without any hesitation. She sighed inwardly as she took a bite of her chicken sandwich. He's just ready to go on with his life, she thought dejectedly. Like he never met me at all.

She knew she was starting to sound melodramatic and she was feeling sorry for herself, but she also could not help the tears that prickled her eyes. Blinking rapidly, she glanced around the table to make sure that no one saw her near breakdown. Once she knew she had her tears under control, she joined in the conversation, which had moved to the group's plans for skiing after lunch.

Edward was hesitant to join in the plans with Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper since Bella's ankle still had not completely healed. As the group walked out of the restaurant and back to their rooms, Edward was voicing his reluctance to leave Bella.

"Go on," Bella urged, grabbing his hand underneath the table. "This is the last day you have to enjoy the slopes, and you've been ignoring them for me."

"But…" Edward opened his mouth to object, but was cut off when Bella placed a finger over his mouth.

"No buts. I'm a big girl; I can entertain myself. I'll probably just grab a book and read in the library."

"Are you sure?"

Bella rolled her eyes and pushed him towards the elevators. "I mean it. Go!" She ordered, giving him a grin.

"Fine. I'll find you when we're done," he replied, giving Bella his crooked smile that she loved so much.

"Whatever. Shoo!"

As Edward and the rest of the group headed towards the elevators so that they could grab their ski jackets and other equipment, Bella made her way to the two-story library that the chalet housed. She took some time to meander around the perimeter, attempting to decide which book she would read. Knowing that she only had a couple of hours at most, barely enough time to finish reading a short book, she settled upon one of her favorite books since high school. Grabbing Wuthering Heights from the shelf, she made herself comfortable in one of the huge armchairs that inhabited the huge room.

Bella attempted to immerse herself in the land of Catherine and Heathcliff, but to no avail. All that she could think about was the short time she had left with Edward and the nonchalant way he talked about his flight home.

Home, Bella inwardly sighed. Normally Bella could not wait to return home after a long vacation, but the thought of leaving the chalet… of leaving Edward… had her stomach in knots. Rationally, she knew that she hardly knew Edward, but it seemed as if they had known each other for years, not just a week and a half. Bella wasn't even a person who believed in anything remotely to "love at first sight;" however, she could not dismiss the connection she knew existed between the two of them.

Sighing, Bella closed the book in her hands as she realized she would not be able to read that afternoon. As she remembered the joy she felt in the past couple of days, her eyes closed, picturing Edward in her mind. It wasn't just the sex that made her smile inwardly, but it was the image of his crooked smile, his sparkling green eyes, and the feeling of his arms around her. She didn't try to block these images. No, Bella understood that she needed to process the images in her memory in order to recall them later.

It was with these pleasant thoughts that Bella fell asleep in the chair.

oOoOoOoOo

"Bella."

Bella wrinkled her nose at the light touch against the cartilage.

"Beeeeelllla," the velvety voice continued right next to her ear. Again, she felt the sensation against her nose. Moaning, Bella swatted at the offending object, only to come across somebody's face. Opening her eyes slowly, she found herself very close to the object of her affection, who was currently giving her an Eskimo kiss.

"What's going on?" she breathed, overcome by the closeness of Edward who was kneeling before her in front of the armchair.

"Mmm. Nothing," he leaned in to give her a chaste kiss on the mouth. "We just got back from skiing and I came to find you." Edward leaned back on his knees and continued, "And apparently you only have three hours left to get ready for dinner," he emphasized the "only" with a roll of his eyes.

"Alice?"

"Alice." Edward looked down at the book that Bella still gripped in her lap. "Wuthering Heights?" Edward raised an eyebrow.

"It's one of my favorites," she answered, bringing it closer to her body as if to show her attachment to the book.

Edward looked thoughtful as he hummed deep in his throat.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"That wasn't nothing," Bella huffed, aggravated that Edward may have been criticizing her favorite novel.

Bella's companion shrugged. "I guess I never really loved the book. I could not relate to the characters; there is just not one redeeming quality of Catherine or Heathcliff."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't you say that their love is their redeeming quality?"

"One could say that, but one could argue that people like them cannot even know what true love means."

"Maybe you're just not a romantic person, Mr. Cullen," Bella smirked.

Edward was silent for a moment before he leaned close to Bella. She subconsciously leaned close as well, anticipating a kiss, but Edward stopped short of her lips. "Believe me, Ms. Swan, I can be romantic when I very well want to be."

Bella swore she could practically taste Edward on her lips as his breath caressed her face, almost hypnotizing her. When he suddenly stood up, she jerked in shock at his absence in her personal space, causing him to smirk down at her.

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty," he cooed, taking her hands. "Time to hand you over to Alice before she starts blaming me for not having enough time to get ready."

Taking his offered hands, Bella stood and went to put her book away. Taking his hand again, she led Edward out of the library muttering, "God help us all."

oOoOoOoOo

Dinner and the remaining evening passed in the midst of food, dancing, and champagne. The resort held a New Year's Eve party, complete with a full-course meal, live band that played big-band favorites, and free bubbly. It was no surprise that the majority of the guests that were of age took advantage of the fun night without needing to leave the cozy building to venture out into the cold.

Although the group of friends stayed near each other during the whole evening, the couples tended to stay to themselves, especially Edward and Bella, who hardly stopped holding hands or having their arms around each other all night. Both of them felt as if they needed to cling to each other to prevent the next day from dawning.

Despite Bella's protests about her clumsy feet and an ankle that was still healing, Edward managed to persuade her to dance for the last few minutes before midnight.

"Edward! Seriously!" Bella laughed as Edward dragged her to the dance floor. "I'm going to end up hurting everybody around us!"

"I won't let you," he smirked picking her up just enough to settle her feet upon his toes. "Trust me."

Bella wanted to object, but even as she wondered how Edward could dance with her standing on his toes, the way she felt when he pulled her closer silenced her words. All she could do was wrap her left arm around Edward's waist, and take his offered hand with her right. And as the classic song "The Way You Look Tonight" floated around the room, so did Edward and Bella.

"Have I told you lately how beautiful you are?" Bella's breath hitched as she felt Edward's breath caress her shoulder before his lips met the curve of her neck.

"Only about a hundred times," she smiled, turning her head to kiss his cheek. "And have I told you how handsome you are tonight?"

Edward grinned against her skin. "Only a couple of times less than I have."

Indeed they made a striking pair; she, dressed in a deep wine-colored silk dress that dipped into a V to give just the hint of cleavage, and he, dressed in a classic fit black suit and a tie to match her dress. More than a couple of the party-goers stopped to appreciate the fine couple, but Bella and Edward were oblivious to all those around them.

The rest of the dance was spent in comfortable silence, both just enjoying the time spent in each other's arms. As the song came to an end, timed perfectly for the beginning of the 20 second countdown, the couple stilled, but remained with their arms around each other, embracing in a hug. It wasn't until the countdown reached five that Bella looked up to meet Edward's green gaze.

Three.

"Happy New Year, Edward."

Two.

"Happy New Year, Bella."

One.

As cheers, applause, and whistles exploded through the room, Bella met Edward halfway from a gentle kiss that quickly escalated to where tongue met tongue and hair was being tangled between eager fingers. Their bodies were pressed against each other until they could feel everything, and small moans escaped as lips were sucked and nipped.

When Edward did not think he could take any more, he quickly pulled back. With a hoarse voice, he whispered, "Upstairs?"

His companion did not even bother to answer him; she only took a hold of his hand and started pulling Edward towards the exit.

"What about the others?" Edward was able to gather his thoughts enough to remember their friends.

"They'll figure it out," Bella answered quickly while continuing to push the elevator button to take them to their floor.

In Bella's ideal world, nobody would follow them into the elevator, where she would have attacked Edward against the wall, but alas she was not so fortunate. Instead, they spent the short ride in the corner, her back pressed against his front. Edward's hands almost painfully gripped her hips, but the sensation of Edward's arousal against her back only made the pain pleasurable. With a small smirk she pressed back against her lover and wiggled her hips just enough to tease Edward.

Her goal was achieved as Edward groaned. Leaning forward to whisper in her ear, he warned with a hiss, "If you'd rather not have me fuck you right in front of all these people, you better watch yourself."

Although Edward attempted to sound at least a little menacing, Bella's response was a low moan and another wiggle against him.

"Fuck," he hissed, not able to keep himself from thrusting against her.

Fortunately, the elevator arrived at their floor, and Edward barely had the mind to excuse Bella and him as he dragged her out of the elevator. The short walk to their room was tense and full of electricity between them, and by time Edward fought with the keycard and opened the hotel room door, they were both panting in excitement.

Within a second, Bella had Edward backed up against the door, pressed up against him as her lips met his in a passionate kiss. Nips and licks were not interrupted as Bella impatiently pushed Edward's suit jacket off of his shoulders and loosened his tie.

"God Bella," Edward groaned as she unbuttoned his shirt with her lips sucking at his adam's apple.

"Hmm," she moaned, licking her way to the spot behind his ear. As she was occupied with driving him crazy with her lips, he took advantage of her preoccupation. Placing his hands just below her butt, he lifted her up and without ceremony, slammed her back against the wall, grinding his bulge into the heat between her legs.

Bella threw her head back, moaning, as Edward continued to grind against her and reach to her back to lower the zipper of her dress and undo the snaps to her strapless bra. Roughly, he tore the straps down her arms, exposing her very erect nipples. His mouth attached to her left one as his deft right hand began massaging her other.

If Bella was in her right mind, she would have been embarrassed about the sounds coming from her throat. But as it was, the way Edward was making her body feel, she could care less who heard her. Any woman would just be jealous to be where I am.

"Edward," she panted, rubbing her hands through his hair. "I want you."

"Want me how?" he asked and then bit her nipple.

"Fuck," she groaned. "Inside me."

His right hand slowly made its way over her hips and then under the skirt that was bunched at her waist. "Want me here?" he questioned, but as his hand went to cover her sex, he was shocked to find nothing but wetness. "Jesus, Bella. You had no panties on all this time?"

"Maybe," she smirked.

Suddenly, his lips slammed back onto her own as she hurriedly reached down to undo his belt and buttons.

"Get these pants off," she demanded as Edward hurriedly lowered the fabric of his pants and boxers. With their hurried actions, he could only get his pants down to the middle of his thighs.

"Well, shit, this is good enough, he mumbled.

With a quick lift of her ass, he slipped into her wetness. The atmosphere as he did so changed, though, and instead of pulling out to thrust again, they remained still as they gained into each other's eyes, each trying to express the words that they did not have the courage to do so out loud. Kissing Bella's lips softly, Edward finally pulled out slowly and entered her again without hurrying.

Burying his face in Bella's neck, he continued to thrust slowly, but steadily. The only sounds in the room were the pants and occasional moans from the two lovers. However, as Edward and Bella both headed towards their perspective climaxes, Edward could do nothing but speed up, and soon the moans became louder and their skin slick with sweat.

Bella felt the familiar coil tighten as pleasure ransacked her body. As Edward's mouth left a slick trail back down to her nipple, she knew she was getting closer to her orgasm. A sudden nip to her nipple tipped her over the edge as she began to buck herself against Edward. The spasms around his dick were enough to cause Edward to follow, yelling out her name.

As their breathing began to even out, Edward carried Bella to the foot of the bed, where he gently sat her down. He slowly pulled the dress off of Bella before ridding himself of his own clothes before lifting her again to lay her under the covers. He quickly joined her, pulling the covers around them.

They lay there, gazing at each other, with their hands clasped between them.

It was like that they fell asleep.

oOoOoOoOo

"So nothing?"

"Nope."

"Not even a 'Hey, I enjoyed banging you?'"

"Nope."

"But an email address?"

"Yes." Bella sighed and leaned back in the airplane seat with a book in her hand. "Can we just leave it Alice? It was a fling, and nothing else. We had a good time, now it's over."

"But, but.." Alice practically whimpered. "I thought there was something real between you two."

"Yeah, well it's not, seeing that it was just a ploy to make you think that your plan worked?"

Alice didn't even try to deny the plan to set Bella and Edward up. She just frowned, a look of concentration on your face. "So you weren't really sleeping with each other?"

Bella snorted. "Oh, we were, but we definitely overplayed the feelings part."

"Oh."

"Now if you don't mind, I would like to just relax and sleep."

"Okay," Alice sighed. "I just don't…"

"Alice," Bella raised her voice a little. "Just leave it. It was nothing. It was fun, but now it's back to the real world."

This time, Alice did adhere to her friend's wishes and pulled out her iPod to drown out her disappointed thoughts.

But with her eyes conveniently in a magazine, she missed the tears that silently rolled down Bella's cheeks.

AN: *ducks and covers* … But follow me on twitter: chicabonita519

And epilogue to follow!