A/N: So my two real life projects that were eating all my time have finally wrapped up. I should now be able to update all of my fics with more frequency. Thank you so much for sticking with me through this busy time. Special thanks to:

Litha-cullen: I am SO flattered that you wanted to translate my story.

And of course thank you to everyone who is reading this and adding it to their alerts and favorites. It has been getting a bit more traffic lately (maybe because of the impending release of New Moon?) and it makes me really happy because I am quite fond of this little fic.

As always, reviews are love.

Bella fell into an exhausted slumber and Edward held her the entire time, reveling in the sensations when once upon a time they would have been torture. He no longer felt the burn in the back of his throat the way he so often had in the past. Indeed her smell was still delectable but the distance he'd endured and the lengths to which she'd gone to get him back seemed to have finally snapped him to the reality that her life was something he couldn't live without and that knowledge brought about a certain sense of freedom in her presence. The sound of her breathing, her beating heart, even the blood coursing through her veins were a comfort to him now, a bane, a salve to old wounds. He was coming to realize that the only monster inside of him was one of his own making.

A vampire's memory is supposed to be eidetic and for all intents and purposes it is and yet being here with her, feeling her warm body against his, soft and supple was nothing compared to how he'd remembered her. The silky texture of her hair, the satin feel of her skin, all served to endear her to him further and awakened in him a physical need for her that he'd denied almost from the moment he'd laid eyes on her. But rather than chastise himself for these thoughts he allowed them to flow over and through him, finally considering that they were normal. Not because he was 17, not because he was a vampire, but because he was a boy in love with a girl whom he found to be beautiful and intelligent and captivating. He didn't know what would come of all this but he vowed for her sake and for the sake of their relationship that from now on he would make an effort to stop any destructive thoughts in their path and turn them around into something positive.

It was twilight when she finally began to stir. Edward was looking out the window at the setting sun and recalling one of their many conversations from so long ago. He used to think that twilight was the saddest time of day because it was the end of another day and the return to night but all that had changed since meeting Bella. Nights had become anything but predictable and every second that led to the next was a gift so long as Bella was in it.

She tried to turn onto her back as her eyes fluttered open but Edward wouldn't release his grip on her, terrified of letting her go. She mumbled and placed her hand on his chest and looked into his eyes. Her face was blank but her eyes were searching, questing for that clue that he was about to leave, that he'd changed his mind, that he no longer loved her. That fear would always be sitting on the sidelines and she wasn't sure it would ever go away. Her heart skipped a beat when she briefly considered spending an eternity living with that fear.

Edward leaned in for a kiss and she lay still like a deer caught in headlights. Some distant part of her brain screamed that she should be pulling away, that she wasn't ready for this and yet another craved it. Their lips connected and what started out simple and sweet soon became fervent with need. But it wasn't just a physical need. It was the desert her body had become in his absence finally being quenched, it was that electric spark returned, and a desperate desire to engulf him, take him in so he could never leave.

Edward groaned and pulled her impossibly closer, their bodies flush, and pushed her lips open with his, entering her mouth with his tongue, something he had never allowed before. Bella tried to pull away.

"Mmph, Edward, my breath…" she whispered.

"I don't care." He replied as his lips reclaimed hers.

They kissed like that for several minutes, occasionally moaning, their bodies conformed to one another and that barren place Bella had thought would never be filled pulsed with a need born from the recognition that its mate was pressed firmly against her. But finally they stilled, their breathing heavy and synced.

"Wow." Stated Bella.

Edward gave her one of his crooked smiles. "I don't think you'll be able to keep me off of you now that I'm back." He said, punctuating his words with another kiss. She looked away, her need for him and her fear of him at war with each other.

"What are you thinking Bella?"

"I need to get out of bed." She said a bit more harshly than she meant. She softened her tone and continued. "I should take a bath and eat something and then maybe we could go for a walk or something." She could already feel herself slipping back into old habits. She knew it wasn't healthy and she knew she'd have to curb it but she also knew that with her Father being gone for the weekend she should probably take advantage of it. He'll likely try to kill Edward once he knows he's back so any sort of quality time will be out the window at that point.

"I'll run your bath, love."

"Edward." She sighed in exasperation.

"What?" he asked in genuine confusion.

"I don't know how to say this without it sounding terrible but…please don't call me love. Not yet anyway."

He looked so sad when she said this that guilt washed through her.

"I'm sorry Bella." He replied, looking away as he sat up. "I won't do it again."

She sat up behind him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not saying for forever Edward. Just for right now. I do love you. I just haven't forgiven you yet."

He placed his hand over hers and turned his head to look at her. His expression was still sad but he managed a small smile.

"I'll go run your bath now." He said patting her hand.

Bella got up while he was in the bathroom and padded down to the kitchen in search for food. She was absolutely famished yet didn't feel like cooking. She set some water on the stove for tea while she perused the cabinets. Sandwich? No. Cereal? No. Pasta? No. She sighed inwardly, becoming frustrated at her inability to choose. She was still standing in front of the open fridge when Edward came downstairs to inform her that her bath was drawn.

She shut the fridge door with a thud and turned to him.

"I'm hungry." She whined.

He chuckled. He could practically see her desire to stomp her foot. "What do you want Bella?" He had to exert a mental effort not to call her love.

"I don't know." She replied, looking around the room as though it might give her an answer. "I think I'm so hungry that I want everything and yet I've gotten past the point of hunger so that nothing sounds good."

She continued to think while she tended to her tea.

"Steak!" she exclaimed, twirling to face him, happy that she'd thought of something. "I want steak. And French fries."

"Do you have steak?" he asked.

"No, not really. I mean yes but it's for Charlie's dinner." She thought for a moment. "I hate to ask this but do you think…"

"Anything Bella." He said suddenly right in front of her and holding her.

"Edward, it's only steak. It hardly qualifies as a valiant effort. It's not like saving a princess."

"I could find a cow." He retorted. "Slaughter it. That way we'd both get a meal."

"You're right." She said, looking up at him and running her fingers along the dark circles under his eyes. "You should eat."

"I'll be quick. I promise." He whispered, and turned to leave.

"Edward?" Bella called after him.

"Yes?" he said, turning back to her.

"Can you get me a cheese steak from the drive-in? And fries?" She gave him a small comforting smile.

"One cheese steak coming up Miss Swan. Anything else?"

"Just you." She said, turning back to her tea and hiding the genuine smile on her lips. This newfound banter between them was refreshing and she was looking forward to the rest of the evening.