As always: Everything and anything related to the Twilight saga belongs to Stephenie Meyer. This is a work of fiction based on her writings. No harm is meant by it.

Special thanks and much adoration to my beta Kelly (freakyhazeleyes).

This letter and the activity was purchased and selected by sassyk.

The Missing Letters (FGB Outtakes)

"A bath and a tenderloin steak. Those are the high points of a man's life".
~Curt Siodmak

Chapter Three: B is for Bath

When Bella said she would need a few days to think about what letter she wanted, it was really just that—a few days.

By Tuesday afternoon, Bella knew exactly what letter she wanted and what activity she wanted it to stand for. She thought that she would do something extravagant, something completely outlandish and un-Bella like to show Edward that exhibitionist side he seemed to think she possessed; she thought against it. She promised herself that she would save it for a different letter, and that was partially because of what happened Monday afternoon.

While she showered Monday morning, Bella tried to think of what letter she wanted to select, going back and forth between several different scenarios in her head. Some of them were just ridiculous and involved things she was quite sure her body could not do.

Of the letters that remained, some were not exactly easy pickings, and she couldn't think of anything for them. She hoped that Edward would decide to select the difficult ones—like he had with Z. He was far more creative than she was, even if it was because he found ways around using the actual letter. He always was one to find loopholes in everything.

Bella couldn't even begin to remember just how many times Edward had tried to con his parents out of a punishment by exposing the loopholes of the sentence. For instance, Carlisle had caught Edward on the phone in his bedroom after he had grounded him. Edward was quick to point out that Carlisle had sent him to his room. He had never specified what he could or could not do in his room.

Bella tried a similar tactic with her father, only once. She failed so miserably, and Charlie had ended up tacking on another week to her punishment. She remembered explaining the situation to Edward in homeroom the next day, and he had just laughed at her. They didn't speak for a week after that. Eventually, Edward apologized and being the mastermind that he had come to be, managed to get Bella out of her punishment, by telling Charlie it was his fault that Bella was so late the day he grounded her. It hadn't been though; she had been out by herself in Port Angeles—looking for a book to purchase.

Once she was out of the shower and dressed, she headed toward the kitchen and stared at the paper on the refrigerator door. She rolled her eyes at Edward's handwriting; he wrote so neatly, unlike her. The only thing that really took away from how nice the paper looked was the big X that Edward had scribbled over the letter Z.

There were ten letters left, but, in the shower, she narrowed the selection down to two she was really considering. It wasn't until Edward called to say he would be late that night that the idea became more concrete, but she was still slightly undecided.

He had sounded tired on the phone and stressed out. It had been a while since Bella had seen or heard Edward sound like that. He called again around five and with a strained voice, told her not to wait up for him. She pictured the vein that protruded on the side of forehead when he was angry and state of his hair. The clear indicator of when Edward was angry or stressed out could easily be measured by what level of disarray it appeared. She wondered if it was still neatly combed back or if by then, it looked as if he stuck a fork in an electrical outlet. She also wondered which one of his employees had gotten him so upset. Her suspicions leaned toward the slacker employee Edward had been talking about in the park on Saturday, who she had nicknamed Solitaire Steve.

Just as he informed her earlier in the day, Edward wasn't home until about midnight.

He was quiet as he stepped into the apartment and quickly undressed while he walked toward the bedroom. He slipped his shoes off by the door and by the time he reached the bed, he was down to his underwear and socks. Slipping the cotton socks off, he slowly lifted the sheets off his side of the bed and slipped in beside Bella. He immediately sighed contently. It was the first time all day that he'd had the chance to relax. He was exhausted, and he knew—sadly—that the rest of the week would be just as bad.

As soon as he wrapped himself around Bella, he was fast asleep. The slight jostling of the mattress had caused Bella to wake up shortly, but she was soon back to sleep when she felt Edward's arm around her waist and his soft, steady breathing on her shoulder.

Tuesday was much like Monday and just as bad for Edward. Bella was cleaning up the apartment and getting ready to do some laundry when Edward called to say that he would be late again. She told him to have a good day and continued to gather everything she needed for the laundry room. For some odd reason, having to do laundry now made her smile. It wasn't rare that back before they weren't dating, Edward would throw some of his clothes in with hers, but now his clothes were quite firmly blended with hers in the laundry bag, and that made her smile.

Like Monday, Bella ate dinner alone and was asleep by the time Edward came home at midnight.

The pattern continued all the way up until Friday. On Wednesday, Edward called Bella before she was even fully awake to tell her he would be late again. Even at ten in the morning, she could already hear the tension in his voice. She wished him a good day and told him to call her if he needed to clear his head.

Edward wasn't home as late on Thursday night, but Bella could tell that the stress of the previous three days was starting to catch up with him. There were bags under his eyes, his skin looked paler that usual, and Bella was sure that Edward stopped caring if his hair looked liked one of those troll dolls she had as a young girl.

On Friday night, Edward slowly made his way through the door around eight, while Bella was cleaning up in the kitchen.

"I'm exhausted," Edward complained as he plopped ungracefully onto the couch.

"Another long day, I take it."

"The longest. This week has been the longest of my life. I thought it would never end," he mumbled and repositioned himself on the couch as Bella sat beside him. She passed him a beer and Edward thanked her. He took a large gulp, and his head rolled back onto the couch cushion.

"Damn. There's nothing like a nice, cold beer after a long day."

"So, what's been going on at work?" Bella asked. Edward groaned and got comfortable on the couch beside her. He placed his head in her lap and his feet hung off the other end of the couch. Quickly, he kicked off his shoes and flexed his tired feet.

Bella's hand quickly went to work; she began to scratch her nails softly against his scalp. Edward reveled in the pleasure, and Bella decided not to press the work thing. He would tell her if he needed to.

"I love when you do that," he half-sighed, half-moaned. He didn't want to talk—he just wanted to get lost in the feeling of Bella's fingers, in his hair.

"Are you really that tired?" she teased and Edward slowly rose off her lap, knowing something was up. With the hint of a smirk on his face, he replied.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Just wondering if you'd like to relax in the bathtub with me?"

"Mmm, that sounds nice," he moaned and stood up.

"Do you want dinner first?"

"Suddenly, I'm not so hungry for food," he jested. Bella rolled her eyes.

"That was corny."

Edward chuckled and nodded his head in agreement.

"Doesn't mean it's not true, though," he retorted, and the look in his eyes sent a shiver straight done Bella's spine.

"I'm going to get the bathtub ready. Why don't you go get undressed and meet me in there in about ten minutes?"

Edward smiled and leaned across the small space that separated them and kissed her before getting up and heading toward their bedroom.

Bella quickly scampered off to the bathroom to make sure everything was still as she left it earlier in the day. The candles were still in place, and she went around slowly with a Zippo to light them. There weren't many, but the sweet sandalwood smell was unbelievably soothing. As she let the large bathtub fill, the aroma of the vanilla soap of the bubble bath flooded her nose and she sighed contentedly. The mixture of vanilla and the sandalwood was relaxing; she hoped Edward would enjoy it. She then checked to see that the champagne was still chilling in the ice and that the bubbles that were beginning to rise in the tub were not about to spill over onto the floor.

She quickly undressed and slipped on her silk bathrobe before turning the water in the tub off. The water was just about to the top of the tub and would surely spill over once she and Edward sat down, but that didn't bother her. For precautionary sake, she placed some towels around the outside of the tub, so they wouldn't slip when they were done. The last thing she wanted was to end up in the emergency room with only a bathrobe on.

She struggled slightly to pop open the bottle of champagne, trying every which way to do so, until she finally figured it out and poured some of the sparkling liquid into the two glasses she left in the bathroom.

At ten minutes to the dot, Edward knocked lightly on the bathroom door.

"Can I come in?"

Bella took a deep breath in and turned the lights off in the bathroom. Slowly, she reached for the two glasses of champagne and made sure her robe stayed loosely tied around her waist. It was a purposeful move to keep it slightly opened to tease Edward.

"Of course," she answered as seductively as she could, but she just ended up rolling her eyes at herself.

Edward opened the door, and his eyes widened at the display. Bella was smiling playfully up at him, and in her hands, were two glasses of champagne. However, his eyes kept trailing to the expanse of skin that was teasing him in her barely closed bathrobe. Bella knew exactly how to get his attention. He had always remarked that while it was sexy for a woman to be naked, what really got Edward going was when a woman coyly revealed herself, a tiny bit of forbidden skin here and there.

"You look amazing," he moaned.

"Thank you," she murmured. "Champagne?"

"Yes please."

Carefully, Bella passed him a glass never taking her eyes away from Edward's. She wanted to glance down to see his naked torso. She had peaked when he walked in, but she wanted a full and thorough view of his spectacular body.

Edward's eyes were just as focused on Bella's. The look she was giving him was undeniably seductive. Her eyes were intense and even as she took a long sip of the champagne, her eyes still stayed on him.

"Bella," he hissed and Bella smiled.

"Edward."

"What is all this for? Not that I'm complaining."

"You've been stressed all week. I just wanted you to unwind tonight and relax."

Edward smiled briefly before walking toward Bella. He took her glass and along with his, placed them on the counter by the sink. Softly, he slid his finger through the loose knot of Bella's bathrobe sash. Both of them watched while the knot fell apart before they both darted their eyes up at each other.

"Thank you," he whispered before sliding his hands into Bella's hair. He tenderly pressed his fingers into the back of her head and rubbed her scalp in small circles. Bella's head fell back, onto her shoulders, before she stopped Edward.

"As nice as that feels, I'm not the one who had a long week."

Edward nodded and leaned down to kiss Bella. He gently sucked at her bottom lip before moving to suck on her top lip. Bella let herself get lost in the smooth skin of Edward's lips and the tiny hints of pressure he placed when he pressed his lips harder against hers. His hands were firmly in her hair, and he was gently tugging at it in the way she loved. Her hands were at the nape of his neck, playing softly with the hair there.

"I really appreciate this, Bella," Edward whispered as he pulled away from Bella. He chuckled lightly at the expression on Bella's face. Her eyes remained shut, her lips slightly parted, and forming a tiny smile.

"Let's get in the tub."

Edward bent down again and placed a loving kiss on Bella's forehead before sitting in the tub. He leaned against the back of it and watched as the water level raised and spilled out of the tub. Bella smiled as she watched him. Edward's head rested against the back of the tub, his arms were stretched along the sides, and every so often, he would sigh. He looked at peace.

"Good?"

"Amazing," he mumbled with his eyes still closed. "What are you waiting for?"

Bella slowly stepped into the tub, placed herself between Edward's legs, and sat down. Before she could blink, Edward's arm was around her waist pulling her even closer against his chest.

"Now, it's perfect."

Bella scoffed and shook her head against Edward's chest. He chuckled, and the water around them rippled.

"I really needed this, Bella. Thank you."

"No problem."

"It smells fantastic in here. Vanilla?"

Bella nodded against his chest, again. "The soap is vanilla, and the candles are sandalwood."

"Mmm," Edward remarked. "Works well together."

"Much like us."

The comment caused Edward to laugh, and Bella joined in.

"Look at who's spewing the corny comments now." Bella elbowed him as he continued laughing.

"Yeah, well. You can't always be the one," Bella quietly said. Edward quickly noticed the tone of her voice and grabbed Bella's right hand. He tilted his head forward and looked over her shoulder. He wanted to see her face. He massaged her hand while he waited for her to say something. When she didn't, Edward worked up the nerve to ask.

"What do you mean?"

Bella sighed, placed her other hand over Edward's, and placed their joined hands over her heart. Edward cherished the way her heart beat slowly against their hands. She pushed away from Edward to turn around and look at him. Their hands remained firmly placed against her chest.

"I know," she began and dropped her head. Edward moved his head down to try and catch her view, but when that didn't work, he pushed on her chin so she would look at him.

"Bella?"

"I know—I know that sometimes it seems that I'm not really putting any effort into this relationship—"

"Bella, what are you talking about?" Edward cut her off, and before he could speak again, she disengaged their hands and placed a finger against his lips to silence him.

"No. Let me finish." She felt her eyes starting to sting and rushed on before she lost what she wanted to say. "I know that it doesn't always seem like I'm putting any effort into this relationship, but it's—it's just hard for me. I love you, so much, Edward. I do. I sometimes feel like you put so much more into this. You constantly tell me you love me, and I just smile and nod my head. I love you, Edward. So—s o—so much."

"Bella," Edward sighed kindheartedly. "I've never thought that. I know it's hard for you. You've never been in a serious relationship. I understand; I'll always understand."

Bella's lip quivered as she tried to stop the tears.

"Oh god. I can't believe I'm crying. This was supposed to be about relaxing, and here I am turning it into some sort of therapy session."

Edward chuckled. "Come here," he said as he pulled Bella back against him. This time he moved forward in the tub and Bella straddled him, her legs wrapped around his lower back.

"I know you love me, Bella. And if after today, you never say it again, it won't stop me from always loving you. Do you understand? Bella Swan, I love you. You're it for me."

"Why do you always know what to say?"

"Because I'm your soul mate." His answer was quick and matter-of-fact and Bella reacted quickly and without thinking. She pressed her lips against Edward's hard and the two pulled apart laughing soon after.

"Ouch."

She apologized before leaning forward and this time kissing him slowly. Edward's fingers traveled up and down Bella's spine. Whenever he reached the top, he would slowly run his fingers across her shoulders, before returning them down her spine.

With each pass of his hands, Bella moaned against Edward's lips and pushed herself against him. She moved her kisses down along Edward's jaw line, up to his ear, and then down to the nape of his neck. All the while, the two rocked against each other.

"Bella," Edward moaned. "God, I need you right now." Bella nodded against his neck and pulled away from him. Using the momentum of the water, Edward pushed himself up to allow Bella to straddle him properly, so he could thrust into her.

Once he was inside of Bella, he sat back down and pulled Bella back against him.

"Hi," he groaned. His hands rested against Bella's hips.

"Hello," she half-chuckled, half-moaned as Edward used the weightlessness effect of the water to slide Bella up on his dick before gently bringing her down. She breathed out loudly as she rested against his thighs.

"Slow," he told her and she nodded. Slow was just how they took it. Bella rode Edward slowly in the water. The water splashed all around them and spilled out of the tub, but neither of them cared. At one point, Edward caught a glimpse of the candle wax dripping down the sink counter, but paid no mind to it and focused on the way Bella clenched around him.

"Bella," he groaned as he got closer to coming. He grabbed Bella by the hips tightly and sat up on his knees, keeping himself inside of Bella.

"Edward?" she asked breathlessly.

"Trust me?"

"Yeah," Bella answered before Edward lifted even further up on his knees in the tub, thankful for the support the rub mat below gave him.

"Lean back in the water, but keep your head up."

Bella did as she was told. She gripped the sides of the tub as Edward began to thrust into her faster. She was floating on the water and even though the momentum of Edward's movements pushed the water up to lips, she couldn't get enough of the feeling.

"Yes, Edward…I can't…shit," Bella stuttered

"Fuck, Bella," Edward stuttered along with her. "So, so good."

Edward came first, holding Bella tightly against him as the orgasm traveled through him. Once the immediate ecstasy was over, he pulled out of Bella, but told her to remain in the same position. He maneuvered around. He sat on knees, but was still close to Bella. She was right against the center of his chest, and he lifted her toward his mouth. He took her clit into his mouth and with a few passes of his tongue Bella was coming and calling his name.

"Holy shit," Bella commented as she fell back into the water.

"I concur."

"You know this was my letter."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I chose B."

Edward chuckled pulling Bella toward him, and kissed her lightly. They lay there in the cooling water, catching their breath.

"Let's get out. I'm starting to become a prune".

Bella smiled and let Edward pick her up and carry her to their bedroom. He toweled dried Bella before drying himself off. They said few words before walking toward the bed. Together, they slipped under their covers, not bothering with pajamas, and fell asleep.