Title: Sinful Thoughts
Author: Readingmama/Vampiremama
Beta: AcrossTheSkyInStars, Are you reading her stories yet? Cause you should be.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

Continuity: AH/AU
Rating: M cause you never know when a lemon writes itself.

Chapter 9

BPOV

You think that Edward would have gone to our parents the next day, but I think that he was having a hard time taking in the idea of it all. I wanted it out in the open. I wanted it confirmed. I wanted the last bit of shame I felt to go away. I knew it wouldn't be all wine and roses if we found out we weren't blood related. We were still raised as siblings and our small town would take one look at a scandal like that and our whole family would be blacklisted. Ironically it was the kind of gossip my mother would kill for, if it wasn't her kin that were the ones involved. It was something that would have to be kept a secret from our friends, our family, and anyone else that knew us.

The summer went by quickly, and before I knew it, Edward's birthday had arrived, or at least the one we were still pretending was his. I had teased him all week about turning sweet sixteen. It had resulted in numerous tickle wars that only made me want to tease him more so I could feel his touch again.

Our relationship had returned to what it once was; only this time the sexual tension was out in the open. It made it easier to tell each other when we felt the pull. Although we were mostly certain that we were not blood related anymore, we still felt an invisible wall between us until we could have it confirmed.

A knock on my door was followed by Edward's voice chanting, "Bella, Bella, Bella…"

"It's open," I yelled not wanting to get up from my bed.

Edward closed the door behind him as he entered. Once he spotted me on the bed he took a flying leap and landed next to me. I let out a little shriek as I bounce uncontrollably.

"So what did you get me for my birthday?" He asked.

"A beautiful gown to wear to your debutante ball," I replied giggling. I expected an attack but Edward just sighed and stared at the ceiling.

"I think I'm going to ask them tonight." We hadn't spoken about him confronting our parents since the day after we found the birth certificate. We had avoided the topic mostly, so I was surprised by his comment.

"Do you want me to be there with you?" I asked.

"I'm not sure yet. Can I let you know?"

"Of course, Edward, I'll be there for you no matter what you need. Always."

"Bella, I really want to kiss you," he said quietly.

"Me too," I replied. He slipped his hand into mine and we turned our heads so we were facing each other. The sadness in his eyes echoed through mine as we enjoyed the intimacy of eye contact.

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"Bella, can I see you for a second?" Renee called out from the kitchen.

"Need a hand with something?" I asked watching her prepare Edward's birthday dinner. He always asked for the same thing every year; pineapple meatballs, rice, and a fruit salad. He was nothing, if not easy to please.

"Nope, I've got everything started here. Have a seat."

I followed her command and took a seat at the island, unsure of what she would want to talk about. She set the timer on the oven before turning around and taking a seat next to me.

"You're going to be going into your last year of school and I was wondering what your future plans are."

"Oh," I said, taken back by the mature topic of conversation. "Well I have been thinking about that a lot lately," it was partially true, "I know that we don't have a ton of money for school, so I think I would like to take a year off and work. Then maybe Edward and I could apply together and share housing to cut costs."

"That's very mature of you honey, but you don't have to take a year off. We can afford to send you to school."

"I just haven't decided what it is I want to do. I don't want to rush off to school and waste a year of tuition before I figure it out. I would rather hang around here and make some money of my own before heading off into the real world."

"Okay, just think about it. You have a whole year to change your mind and figure things out."

"Yeah, I'll think about it," I replied.

"Alright honey, go tell the boys dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes."

I got up and left the kitchen. Edward and I had spoken briefly about this plan. The thought of spending a year apart wasn't something either of us wanted to do. He tried to tell me that maybe it would be better for us if we did, but when I started to cry he took it all back and virtually begged me to stay.

I found Charlie and Edward in the backyard. Rain was drizzling down lightly, nothing that would cause a resident from Forks to hurry indoors. I stood on the porch watching them toss a football back and forth. The rain had dampened their clothes and Edward's shirt clung to his chest. It was obvious that he had been doing crunches. His white top was slightly see-through, allowing me to make out the lines of his abdomen. I bit my lip and held back a groan.

Edward took that moment to look up, his eyes catching mine. His expression told me he knew what I was thinking. He gave me a sad smile before throwing the ball back to Charlie.

"Dinner's just about ready," I called out.

"Okay, we'll be right in," Charlie answered, tossing the ball back to Edward.

I went back inside and helped mom set the table. I lit the candles that she had placed in the centre of the table and went back into the kitchen to help bring the food out. On the second trip, Charlie and Edward were sitting down. Edward seemed to be almost vibrating with excitement.

"You really have been spending too much time with Alice, you're starting to act like her," I teased.

"Shove it, Lizardbella. You're just jealous," he replied. It was easy for us to fall into our sibling roles when around our parents. We both knew it was essential for all of us to do so.

Dinner was followed by cake, which was followed by presents. Our parents had bought Edward a few video games and some new clothes. I was saving all of my summer job money for a car so I didn't have much to spend. Instead I created a scrapbook of pictures of us growing up. The first picture was one of us snuggled in a crib together as babies and the last was one taken in Hawaii.

Edward was visibly touched as he flipped through the book. I seen him pause on a page of us and a little blonde haired girl that I couldn't remember the name of. Edward was about six and I was seven. He ran his fingers over the picture and smiled. I hadn't noticed that my parents had left the room until he spoke.

"That was the day you said you were going to marry me," he said wistfully.

"See, I was smart even then, I knew a good catch when I saw one," I replied lightly, trying not to get lost in the depth of his eyes.

"Thank you Bella, this gift is really…really special."

"Happy birthday Edward." I smiled at him and he returned the sentiment but it was strained. "Now?" I asked him.

"I think so," he replied. I raised my eyebrows, silently asking if he wanted me to come with him. "I think I need to do this on my own."

"Okay, but I will be in my room if you need me after. I don't care how long it takes, if you need to talk, I'm there."

He didn't respond but he reached out and gently squeezed my shoulder, giving me the reassurance that I wanted to give him. I watched him walk out of the room, knowing that whatever he learned tonight had the possibility to change both our lives.

EPOV

I walked into our kitchen where my parents were sitting, sipping on coffee. Charlie was doing a crossword puzzle and Renee was playing solitaire. I took a shaky breath and sat down between them.

"Hi honey, did you have a good birthday?" Renee asked, moving an ace up.

"Yeah, in some ways it already feels like I turned sixteen," I waited for a reaction but received none, so I said the thing I knew would garner one, "Mom, I found my birth certificate."

Instantaneously I held both of their attentions. They shared a quick exchange and Charlie made a sound of dissatisfaction.

"Oh baby," Renee started, "we didn't know how to tell you. We couldn't decide if the time was right and then it felt like it was too late."

"Tell me what? I need to hear you say it, out loud," I said, feeling hurt.

"Son, you're adopted." That was Charlie, straight and to the point.

"Your father and I love you very much. We always planned on adopting and once we filed the paperwork we found out I was pregnant."

"So why didn't you just tell me? You lied to me about my birthday. I don't understand."

"We just thought it would be easier on you as a kid to think you were our biological son, and with only nine months difference between you and Bella, we decided to fudge the numbers," Renee said. "I love you Edward, and you are my child whether it is by blood or not."

"I know. It's just such a shock."

"Is there anything we can do to make it easier?"

"Can I have my real birthday back?" I asked.

"Of course, sweetheart," she replied.

Renee leaned over and gave me a hug before excusing herself to bed. After she left the room I made a motion to stand.

"Edward," Charlie said.

"Yeah, dad?"

"You are the son I always wanted, and I am very proud of you." His unexpected praise filled my heart. I slapped him on the back in acknowledgement and headed up to bed.

Part of me felt like I was walking through quicksand. Everything seemed muddled. I didn't know what I was expecting from the conversation, but it surely wasn't the simple one that we had. I expected them to deny or be angry with me for snooping, but instead they told me the truth and explained how much they loved me. Although part of me was still hurt by their deception, I felt lucky to have such wonderful parents.

I don't know what I expected once I knew the truth, but the world kept turning and all my problems didn't magically disappear. I thought maybe once the shock wore off I would know how I felt better. I needed to talk to Bella.

"Hi," I said, standing in her open door. It was something she never did, but I knew that she left it opened for me. The thought made me smile.

"Hi," she replied, looking up from her book and giving me a tentative smile, "come in."

I walked into the room, closing the door behind me. She looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to say the first word.

"I'm adopted." She let out the breath she was holding and slid over to sit next to me. Bella enveloped me in her arms creating comfort that I was unaware I needed. The safety she provided made me continue talking. "I feel hurt because they hid it from me, but I also feel guilty at the relief I feel."

"Relief?" she inquired.

"Bella, you have been a wonderful sibling, but I am so glad you are not my sister."

"Oh Edward, thank fuck you're not my brother."

Now, I had heard Bella curse before, but I could count on one hand the times she had said fuck. The sound of her exasperated voice along with the cuss word caused me to burst out laughing. Before long her delicate frame barked out a loud guffaw which only caused me to laugh harder.

Our laughter died down and we became quiet. I looked over at her and she was playing with her hands and looking at the floor.

"Bella?" I asked softly. She looked up at me and our eyes locked. In that moment I could feel our connection, as tangible as the bed we sat on. I reached my hand up and brushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ear. I could hear her swallow; the room was so hushed. The silent conversation between us was clear; even if everyone was against us, we knew we weren't wrong. I leaned my body into hers, taking my time to breath in her scent. This kiss would be different from the last one we shared. There was no trick, no guilt, no shame. Her breath hit my lips a moment before…

Knock. Knock.

Our bodies separated quickly. "Bella, honey." Renee's voice came through the door softly.

"Yeah?" Bella asked her voice betraying her frazzled state.

"Do you want to talk?"

"I'm just talking with Edward right now," she called out.

"Alright. Are you kids okay, you sound upset."

Bella got up and went to the door, opening it. Her hushed voice couldn't be heard from where I sat so I just laid back on the bed and waited for her to return. When I heard the door close I raised my head and saw Bella come back over to the bed.

"So, do you feel any different?" She asked, sitting down on the bed and crossing her legs under her.

"No, I mean, I have been thinking about this for a while now and I thought there would be some major change in me but I feel the same way."

"It's not like you were bit by a radioactive spider, Edward, you're just adopted," she teased.

"Aw man, I want a super power, that would be cool," I whined.

"Are you going to try and find out who they are? Your birth parents."

"I don't know. My birth mother's name is on the certificate and not the father's, so I can guess that she was a young, unwed mother."

"I wonder if she was a crack addict," she said and then got a horrified look on her face. "Oh Edward, I'm sorry, that was really insensitive."

"Don't worry about it. I don't feel ripped off. The only thing I would have gained by staying with my birth mother is that I would have been able to hold your hand in public. But I might have never met you then and that wouldn't have been worth the risk," I said honestly.

"Esmeralda Platt," Bella said, trying the name out.

"She sounds like a gypsy. I wonder if she dances in the street with a tambourine and curses the people who steal from her."

"You have been watching way too much Hunchback of Notre Dame," she giggled. We fell into silence again for a minute before Bella whispered, "I bet she's pretty."

"Why would you think that?" I asked.

"The genes that it would take to make someone like you would have to be good."

Bella yawned so I unwillingly picked myself off of her bed. "Goodnight Sweetpea," I said covering her with her comforter.

"Goodnight," her sleepy voice said.

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You would think that finding out that Bella was not my real sister would have given the green light to all sorts of fantasies. The problem was, whenever I found a minute alone, I couldn't help but think about my birth parents. However, that complication was solved one morning about two weeks after I found out I was adopted.

Bella and I had not had any real alone time to talk. We were starting back at school and I was nervous about how things were going to change. We had decided that we would tell our friends about my adoption once we were back in classes. I was just hoping that I was going to have had some time to talk to Bella about it a bit more first.

All of these things were going through my head when I walked into the bathroom. And then all of a sudden, there was nothing in my head but the picture before me. Bella naked. Her hair was wet and beads of water ran down her body. She grabbed a towel and hid herself reflexively.

"Shit, sorry," I said, turning around. I was raised to be a gentleman. I stumbled out of the bathroom and headed back to my room. I closed and locked my door, dropped my pants, and just like that, my fantasies were back.