Hello Sister, Goodbye Life

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight saga. All recognisable characters, contents or locations belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Warning: There will be some lovin in this chapter. No, it's not an all out lemon, geesh, keep your knickers on. Tehehehe no pun intended. *clears throat awkwardly* annnyyywaaaayyyy, I'd say it's fairly PG15 but seriously, you're certainly weird if you're gonna get your parents to read over this just to make sure it's safe for you to read…. No offence. I'm weird…. Just not like that. I'm more a geek/nerd/dweeb kind of weird. Hum, anyways, language on behalf of Bella, Rosalie and Emmett. Yahhhh, methinks that is all.

Author's Note: Hey bitches! Thanks for all the reviews! Much love! From the wise words of the effervescent Abbey Sciuto (you people better fucking watch NCIS) "I'm hugging you all in my mind". Seventeen reviews or something – impressive seeing as I ditched you all for, like, six weeks or something. Thank you my lovely faithful readers – you brighten up my life and increase my self esteem greatly! Mwa mwa mwa! Thus, read on.

Chapter Sixteen

Bella Swan

Rosalie pounced on me the moment I entered my house. Maria was clearing up the kitchen, as she usually did last thing Fridays. Because I got home later than I used to, picking up Maddie and all, I hardly ever saw her in the evenings these days.

It was the Friday following the Cullen family dinner and Edward and I had a date. Maddie, along with Eva and Tony, were being babysat by Esme and Carlisle, the former practically orgasming at the prospect of children and the latter looking amused as his wife got all excited about the entire thing.

I looked at Rosalie. She had that look in her pretty blue eyes, like she knew what I was thinking. She probably did – that bitch probably had some kind of sexdar thing that she didn't tell me about. IF that was the case, it would've been blaring in her ears a mile a minute the moment she looked at me. We both knew what would be happening tonight. She was going over to Emmett's, to "watch movies" and Maddie was with Esme and Carlisle, thus, the house was empty.

We lounged around until Maria decided that the house was properly immaculate. She gave us both hugs and kisses on the forehead before leaving the both of us in an anxiety filled silence, sitting on the couch and staring at the muted TV, Miley Cyrus and Emily Osment acting out a scene of Hannah Montana. Of all the fucking shows.

After five minutes, we both jolted into action. We sprinted up the stairs together and, while Rosalie headed into my wardrobe, I practically went for a running leap into my ensuite, barely missing the toilet bowl colliding with my knee. I did not want to have sex – make love? – with Edward in a fucking hospital. Hahaha….. I really needed to stop using "fuck" (and any variant) whilst referring to Edward and I's sex life…. Or lack there of.

Thanking all mercies for the wonders of professional bikini waxes – and the spa day Rosalie insisted on two days ago, when we both had days off, - I shaved my legs and armpits and washed my hair, brushing through it with the warm water and the wonders of shampoo conditioner.

Applying deodorant as I exited the bathroom in a black lace thong and matching bra I'd found on my vanity, I found a flowing silk black cocktail dress laying across my bed, at the foot of which were three inch silver pumps.

The silk material clung to all my curves as I slipped on the heels and made my way back into the bathroom, where I began to do my hair and make up. After ten boring minutes of blow drying my hair, I straightened it and let it hang loose around my waist. Edward had said he liked my hair out, after all.

After pulling on a silver chain adorning which was an emerald teardrop, a thin silver identification bracelet and cygnet ring, I packed my clutch and headed downstairs.

Rosalie was in the kitchen. Her mouth was stuffed with chocolate cake, her top was covered in icing. She wore black boot leg Levi's and knee high black leather boots with four inch heels. As inhumanely gorgeous as she was 99.9% of the time, with her mouth stuffed with really good black forest mud cake, the icing spilling onto her blouse, she looked as human as ever. She was one of those people who could eat the world and not gain an ounce, a metabolism I'd starve for.

"Hey, ready for your big night?" She asked, her mouth now empty as she eyed up my outfit. Deciding that I looked good, she returned to her cake-feasting as I flitted nervously around the room.

It wasn't that I was nervous, per se – it wasn't like I was inexperienced in the field of sex – but…. It was Edward. I'd never felt so strongly for any guy and, Christ, it was, if the night turned out right, going to be our first time together – in that way. How did he like sex? He didn't strike me as the rough kind of guy, but, I couldn't really know for sure. Maybe he was kinky and liked role plays or something.

"For the love of Moses, Bella, it's Edward. You love him, he loves you, calm the fuck down." I really did love my best friend.

I managed a nervous laugh and slid onto the barstool across the kitchen island from where Rosalie stood, still munching on her mudcake – Emmett would be picking her up half an hour after Edward said he'd pick me up for a dinner, the location of which, I still wasn't sure of. Shit – maybe I wasn't dressed appropriately.

"For fuck's sake," she mutterd as I began to flit around the kitchen again, checking my hair in the reflective glass of the microwave door, sponging down the countertop near the sink that was already immaculate. "What now, Isabella?"

"What if I'm not dressed right for the restaurant he's taken me?" I let out a mulish wail and buried my face in my hands. The logical side of my brain knew I was acting completely irrationally but the rest of me couldn't really give a shit.

She rolled her eyes, I knew her well enough to know she'd do that, even if I didn't see it. "You think I'd let that happen, fool? I know where you're going to dinner."

I calmed at her words and slumped back in my barstool – Edward would be picking me up at 6:30 – it was 5:45. I wondered if Edward would mind if I indulged in a shot of Cuervo – that would calm me down.

As I moved to the liquor cabinet, however, Rosalie – the complete hypocrite – tugged me away and forcefully sat me back down on my barstool. Before I could protest, she gave me an epic bitch slap across the face.

"What the fuck!"

"What the fuck! Christ, Bella, what the fuck is wrong with you? You never act like this? I haven't seen you like this since your first date in the ninth grade! Jesus, it's a date with maybe some sex afterwards!"

"It's Edward."

"Okay, so, yeah, he's maybe 'the one' for you. If that's the case, than you should know that he wouldn't care if you were a dead fish in the sack."

"I totally am not a dead fish in the sack!"

"Not my point!" Rosalie shouted, exasperated. "You know I hate this mushy shit, so I'm only going to say this once. Edward loves you. God, Bella, he loves you for you and he won't care about how good you are – he'll care that he's sharing the most intimate of acts with you."

I nodded, finally calmed. I hugged her and she hugged me back and so we remained that way. She truly was my best friend, bitchy attitude and all. And though the slap stung, her words took away the bite and I was grateful for her words of wisdom. If Rosalie was anything, she was ruthlessly honest, which was why I had no doubt in her words.

Around quarter past, I relinquished my hold around her waist and rummaged through my clutch, making sure I had everything. Lip gloss, cell phone, wallet, iPod. Yeah, I had everything.

Edward pulled up in his Aston Martin and rushed up to greet me at the front door. He'd taken to giving me romantic gestures and, yet, I was still surprised when he handed me a single red rose, a shy smile on his lips.

Grinning, I took the rose and set it in a vase that Rosalie had just filled, setting the vase on the dining table.

Once back with Edward, I waved a goodnight to Rosalie, shut the front door and was guided to Edward's car.

As we drove to wherever dinner was being held, I put my iPod into the dock and pressed play on Ben Folds. The silence was comfortable, broken by our breathing and the lilting notes of one of Ben Folds' slower songs, the name of which I could never remember.

Edward and I hardly ever spoke on car rides now - more often than not, one or more of the children would be with us and Eva would be talking away in her three-year-old vocabulary or Maddie and Anthony would be giggling about something no one else could understand.

Edward parked in the lot of a classy little Italian restaurant, La Bella Italia, and I could see from the dress of the people in the restaurant that it was more "upperclass" than not.

Edward pulled me to his side and wrapped an arm around my waist, walking in step with me to the hostess, this time probably a college student with mousey brown hair, wearing square rimmed glasses framing hazel eyes. After greeting us formally, she led us to a secluded two person table in her black pumps and told us our waitor would be with us shortly. Edward and I chatted of our respective days and nonsensical things. We spoke of the economy, the government, of global warming, the legal system and of advancements in medicine. He loved his job – he loved saving people, I could see it in the way his eyes glowed, his smile – I only ever saw that expression when he was with his family or with me. It made my heart race and made my stomach do flips and my love for him only seemed to grow.

After our dinner was finished and dessert was orderd, we spoke of our hopes and dreams for the children. Like me, Edward only wanted them to be happy and healthy. I didn't care for Maddie's career, as long as she was happy with her life and healthy living it. Of course, there were jobs I'd frown upon – pimping, prostitution, generally any career that demoralized people.

We shared our fudge brownie and Edward got the last spoonful, eating it up with relish.

Back at mine, my nerves had set in and I was a quivering mass as I somehow managed to unlock the front door. I invited him in and he entered, his expression guarded, but his eyes nervous. His hands were burrowed in the front pockets of his dress pants and he was shuffling his Italian leather clad feet, looking anywhere but at me.

"Do you, um, want a drink?" I tried so hard to keep Rosalie's words from earlier at the forefront of my mind, but my heart was racing and my hands were clammy and he was right there and we were home alone and god, I wanted to kiss him. My eyes met his and, before he could reply, my lips were against his. The chocolate from the brownie was sweet on his lips and his tongue warm against mine as I circled my arms around his neck and he circled his around my waist.

I couldn't really tell someone the events of that night. My mind was fuzzy with Edward induced bliss and I couldn't produce a coherent thought for the life of me, had I tried, anyway. He loved me that night for the first of many times and afterwards, he took me in his arms and kissed my forehead and hummed me to sleep.

I woke up, secure in my love's arms, half on top of his naked body. I was just as nude and, yet, couldn't bringi myself to care. Edward was here, in my bed, and had made love to me. I was right – he wasn't the rough or kinky kind of guy. I smiled at the memory of his gentle caresses, tender kisses. His heart was steady under my ear as his chest rose and fell with every breath he took. I was at peace here, in my love's arms. It was perfect in this bliss and, for the moment, there was nothing wrong in the world.

Author's Note: It's a short chapter, so sorry about that. Um, yeah, it hasn't got much dialogue, weird, seeing as I am the self-titled Dialogue Queen but, meh. Reviews make me smile and flames keep me warm at night. Thanks for reading xx