AN: First off, we are floored, amazed and truly humbled by the outpouring of response to the last two chapters. Thank you all so much!

We're resuming the posting schedule – look for an update every five days (give or take)

Keep that Kleenex handy for just one more chapter – we promise you it's worth it.

As usual, not ours.

Chapter 17 East Village, Different World

Home

Demetri was waiting for us outside. We slipped into the car, and he pulled out onto Fifth Avenue, angling to turn north back towards Edward's place.

"We're going to the Village. Can you head for my apartment?"

"Bella, you don't…" I could see a look of almost panic in Edward's eyes. He thought I was going home, abandoning him.

"It's okay. We're staying at my place tonight, alright? I think we've both had enough of yours for a while."

I looked out the window and played over the scene that we had left behind. I have never been one for confrontation. I have no clue from where I found the courage to take on Edward's family.

Soon enough, we were pulling up in front of my building.

"I know it's Sunday, but would you mind swinging by here around ten tomorrow Demetri? And if it's possible, could you grab a change of clothes from Edward's apartment? Casual is fine."

"Sure thing, Bella." Demetri was a wise man; he was tuned into the mood in the car. "I'll see you in the morning."

I led Edward up to my building, and punched in the code to let us in. We navigated the stairs to my floor. Edward leaned against the wall, lost in thought as I tapped gently on my neighbor's door. I was notorious for losing my keys, and always kept a spare set with her just in case.

I let us into my apartment, and quietly closed the door. When I turned around, I found Edward in the center of my tiny apartment. His tux was still impeccable, his hair its typical all over the place mess. He immediately walked over the couch to study the photos.

'Real people living real lives' he had once said. That is what he needed.

I dropped my evening bag on the counter in the kitchen, and took off the earrings to place next to them. If I never saw them again, it would be too soon.

Edward was lost in his own reverie. I couldn't imagine how difficult tonight had been for him, and I didn't know how to broach the subject. Part of me was afraid that I had gone too far, overstepped my boundaries. I just couldn't stand to see him torn down like that. I promised him us against the world. I meant that. I just hadn't realized that the world would include his family as well.

I wanted us to throw off all the trappings of the evening. No jewelry, no designer clothing, no expensive champagne. We needed a nice, quiet, simple life. T-shirts, bottled water, popcorn. No pretentions. No hidden intentions. Just us being real people.

I slipped into my room and quickly shed the dress. I washed off every trace of makeup, pulled my hair down, and threw on a t-shirt and boxers. Then I dug through my drawer until I found a t-shirt that might be big enough for Edward.

When I made my way back out into the living room, Edward sat on my couch. He looked so lost, so alone. It broke my heart.

I couldn't help but remember the last time he sat on my couch. I wished I could take him back in time to that moment, to when no one else existed in the world but us, caught up in the euphoria of having just found each other. I wished that there was some way that I could take away all the hurt. He, above all, deserved to be loved.

He held a photo in his hands. It was one of Charlie and me. We sat on the back bumper of his cruiser, eating ice cream cones. Charlie was wearing a goofy flowery old lady hat along with his uniform. I was all skinned knees and gawky limbs. I didn't have to look to know that written in the corner was 'Mothers Day '88'.

We do amazing things that are outside of our comfort zone for the people that we love.

Trust

"How do you do it, Bella?"

"Do what?"

"How do you love me? How do you put up with all of this?"

She'd removed all traces of this evening, all evidence that she'd even been in my world. All the armor was gone, but she was till my strength.

"Loving you is the easiest thing I've ever done. Everything else is a direct result of that."

She sat down next to me on the couch, but it wasn't enough. I held out my hand, and when she gave me hers, I pulled lightly, and she inched closer. I needed more, so I reached over, picked her up, and set her side saddle across my lap.

I ran my hand up her back. Just a thin t-shirt. So, little between us. I slid my hand under her shirt and trailed my fingers up and down her bare back. I could feel the little bumps forming as I made contact.

"I need you, Bella." And I brought my hands around to rest under her breasts. She exhaled into my neck.

"I'm here, Edward."

"No, I mean . . . I need to show you how much I love you." I flicked my thumbs across her nipples, and I leaned in to her ear. "And I love you so fucking much."

I started rubbing her breasts with more force, and my mouth took hers. I pulled back for a second because I wanted her to understand I wasn't using her—this wasn't about taking. "If it's too much, or it doesn't feel right, you're going to have to tell me to stop because I'm giving myself over to you now."

And I pulled her shirt over her head. Her hair was disheveled. She didn't make any attempt to pull back or cover herself.

"Are you ready, Bella?"

"Shh, just show me, Edward." And that was the last word that was spoken.

She stood up over me on the couch, and I pulled her boxers off. She straddled me when she sat back down, naked.

There was no background noise in the room, no music, no TV. I could hear a few passing sirens and cars on the street below, but inside her apartment, on her couch, the only sound was passion Smacking lips and buttons popping as she tried to expose me. Heavy breathing and uncontrolled moans as I let my fingers explore her body. Zipper unlocking and pants hitting the floor as Bella finally freed me. One lone "Ah" from me and an "oh god" from her as she came back down on top of me, taking me inside. Skin slapping skin and couch cushions adjusting as we collided into each other again and again.

I had to know if there was any minute part of her I had yet to discover in the time we'd been together. I worshipped at the temple of her body, knowing what paradise was promised within.

And I hoped to heaven I showed her enough, let her know deep inside.

With each thrust, I hoped to confirm it more. But this wasn't just rough sex. This was about getting as far inside her as I could. I wanted to experience more of her than anyone else had; and just as I needed to know all of her, I wanted there to be no millimeter of me with which she was unfamiliar.

I registered the sounds of low moans and sucking, but I didn't know if was my lips on her breast or her mouth on my neck. It didn't matter; every sound we generated was amplified by the emotion we felt.

She braced her hands on the back of the couch and rose off her knees into a crouching position. She was meeting my need. Coming down harder and deeper each time. I brought one hand around to her, and my thumb stroked with short sharp movements hoping to bring her with me to my nirvana.

I could feel her body nearing the finish, and I knew there is now way I could last beyond.

I have no idea what sounds either of us made at the moment of climax. All I knew in that instant was how I felt. And I felt loved.

Affirmation

He was lost, and he was hurt. I couldn't blame him; I would probably have felt the same way.

And he said he needed to prove how much he loved me. He didn't have to prove a thing. I already knew. I always knew.

I held on to him, my fingers running continuously through his hair. Trying to do anything I could to reaffirm to him that I wasn't going anywhere. That I loved him. That he was worthy of being loved.

We stayed that way, not saying a word, for the longest time.

"I'm sorry about tonight," I began. "I just wanted to stand up for you. In retrospect, I hope that I didn't make things worse."

He tightened his arms around me and kissed the top of my breast, just over my heart. "You couldn't do any more damage than was already there."

He lifted his head to look me directly in the eyes. "No one has ever stood up for me like that before. Thank you."

"Thank you for not being angry. I couldn't bear anything more hurting you tonight."

He smiled. It was the first that I had actually seen in hours. It was half hearted, but it was a start.

"I'm here with you. Nothing is going to hurt either of us."

I reached up to trace the edge of his smile. I had spent so much time looking at him, that the little things are what stood out to me now. The little flaws and imperfections that ultimately complemented the overall image that was Edward. He wasn't perfect. None of us are. But he deserved so much more than what people expected of him.

"I remember the first time I saw you. Once I got done ogling…" He snorted. "Yes, I admit it, I ogled. I couldn't get past how sad your eyes were. We have moments where we push it away, and we need to figure out a way to keep it away. You deserve to be happy, Edward. You are a good person. I believe in you."

"I don't remember the last time someone said that to me."

"Well get used to it, because I do." I traced my thumb over his lower lip. This was about affirmation, about faith.

I held his face in my hands, and kissed his forehead. His closed eyes. His nose. Words had such little meaning in his world. They were used to flatter, to hurt; they were disposable. Actions were not.

I started slowly, placing small kisses along his jaw. My hands never left his face, preventing him from moving away, from trying to take control. After a moment, he understood what I was trying to do, and relaxed. His arms wrapped around my waist, and he held on tightly.

Angling up away from his jaw, I placed a few slow, light kisses on his lips. I felt him smile as I increased pressure, opening my mouth slightly. He followed my lead. I kissed him slowly, focused on every reaction, every sound, and every motion.

We stayed like that for a long time, saying with actions what we didn't trust with words. His arms never unwound, and my hands never left his face. There was no ferocity in this, no desperation. We lost ourselves in each other, in the moment.

I pulled back from him, both of us breathing heavily.

"I need you to show me again."

"Bella, you don't…"

"Show me again, please."

Letting go of his face, I crossed my arms behind my back so that I could lace my fingers with his. My thighs shook a bit as I lifted myself up, but he tightened his arms to stabilize me.

We came back together effortlessly. No sound other than my sharp intake of breath.

Neither of us moved for a moment, staring directly into each others' eyes.

His told me that he loved me.

I hope that he could see the same answer in mine.

Hope

We were slower, gentler. Everything but the orgasm was less intense. I don't know how she knew I needed that second time to come down from the emotional carnage, and she'd given me all of herself to do that.

She fell asleep first, which was unusual as of late.

We'd ended up in her bed. It was a couple of sizes smaller than mine. So she cuddled into me more. There was no space between us. I should have crashed.

But I couldn't get the night out of my mind. It had been a complete disaster, and I worried that I scared Bella. But she was still here, seemingly unfazed.

As I stroked her hair, I could make out a faint beeping. I knew what it was. I had no desire to get up from the bed, to get up from her warmth. But I was on edge, and the beeping was only making it worse.

I climbed out of bed with the intension of shutting the phone off. I pulled my underwear out of my tux pants, and slipped them on. I sat down on the couch and grabbed my phone from the pocket of my jacket.

There were three missed calls and two messages. I didn't remember hearing the phone at all since we left the Met.

I scrolled the missed calls. Emmett and my mom were first. Looking at the time, Emmett's had been within minutes of our leaving the building. My mom's came about an hour later. The last one killed the cat so to speak. I couldn't turn off my phone not knowing if his was one of the messages.

The first message was from my mom. She apologized to me and especially to Bella. She expressed embarrassment and disappointment. Her last comment nearly broke my heart.

"I love you all too much not to believe there's hope."

My hope was asleep in the other room. As long as she was with me, I agreed with my mother.

I waited for a minute before pressing "1" to play the next message. I suppose it was an anticipation thing. On one hand, the possibility that he'd called and not left a message was painful. On the other, what kind of message would he leave?

I had stared at the photo of Bella and her dad a long time earlier. Her dad had to act as her mom. She'd lost a parent in a different way than I had, but we were both jilted. She didn't stay bitter though, and I owed it to her to let my resentment go. Not to let him get to me anymore.

With that, I pressed "1" and I heard the voice mail gods tell me I had a message from "Carlisle Cullen."

"Edward, I don't know if you will listen to this message. I believe we need to talk, and I hope you will be open to it. Bella said a lot of things, and I don't agree with everything, but if you don't know that I love you in spite of all our differences, then I have failed as a father, as a man. I would appreciate a call back."

I played it a second time.

And then I just sat on the couch with the phone in my hands, my elbows leaning on my knees. I wanted to wake Bella up, but she deserved a nice long rest from my family drama.

Faith

I heard him in the other room. Clothes rustling. Then the beeping of his phone.

I had hoped that everyone would leave us alone for a few hours. Give us a tiny bit of peace. It seemed that life had other plans.

Tonight was so far beyond removed from anything that we had experienced together in the past. From a physical perspective, we had sex. It was raw and gritty. But at the same time, Edward laid himself emotionally bare, and any remaining semblance of his walls had crumbled.

I saw a lost little boy, who desperately wanted to be loved by a man he had once idolized.

I saw an amazingly wonderful man, who loved me more than I could ever deserve.

And I saw someone whom I loved, more than I ever thought possible, looking for a way to navigate forward.

So I gave myself over. I let him lead, do what he wanted, take what he needed to prove his point. I was never afraid. I trusted him implicitly. I would have done anything he asked.

Lying there in the dark, I heard him sigh and drop his phone back on the table. My heart ached at that sound.

I slipped out of bed and pulled the comforter off to wrap around me. As quietly as possible, I made my way into the living room.

Edward sat on the couch, his elbows propped on his knees. He looked so defeated.

I stood there for the longest time, just watching him. I wanted to go to him, but I didn't want to intrude on his thoughts.

He must have felt me staring. He looked up, and gave me a small smile.

"I remember lying in bed the day after Valentine's Day, dreading going to my parents, and thinking how desperately I wanted to see you. Not five minutes after that, there was a text asking if you could bring me breakfast. And I was just sitting here thinking about how badly I wanted to wake you up. You always seem know what I need, sometimes when I don't even know that I need it."

I made my way over to the couch, and sat down beside him. I opened up the comforter so that he could slip inside with me.

"You okay?"

"I am now."

We sat there in silence for a few minutes. His breathing was slowly and steady, I thought he might have fallen asleep.

"My mom called. She apologized profusely to both of us, but especially to you."

I stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue.

"And my dad called. You may have accomplished a small miracle tonight. He said he didn't agree with a lot of what you said, but he did say that if I didn't know that he loved me, then he was a failure."

I began rubbing slow circles in his back, trying to impart whatever strength or comfort I could.

"How does that make you feel?"

He sighed and dropped his head down on my shoulder.

"I don't know. Part of me doesn't even want to listen to him anymore. I'm tired of it all. Another part of me just wants to hear him say 'I love you, Edward.' What if that message is all I ever get from him?"

I continued rubbing circles in his back. "And what if it is all that you ever get, Edward? What then?"

He was quiet for a moment, as if processing my question.

"Then I guess that I need to say my peace and move on."

It felt like my heart splintered into a million pieces with that simple statement. Why wasn't there anything that I could do to make it better for him? He deserved the love of his father. No child deserved to feel abandoned.

"I was thinking when you came out. I am going to ask him to meet me somewhere this week to talk. Neutral ground. Not work, not their house or my apartment. I'll let him speak his peace, and I'll speak mine. If there is something to be salvaged, we will. If not, I'll move on."

He sat up with that, hands moving to cradle my face. His thumbs traced along my cheekbones as he leaned his forehead into mine.

"Will you promise me that either way you'll be in this with me, Bella? I can't do this without you."

I slipped my arms around his waist. So much had passed between us tonight, yet there was still so much uncertainty in him.

"I'm not going anywhere, Edward. I promised you and me against the world. I took on the world for you tonight, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

I decided to take a leap of faith. He had let all the walls down. It was only fair that I did too.

"You make me believe in things that I didn't want to. As much as I joked about the whole pop tart thing, I so desperately wanted someone who I could love like my dad loved my mother. But I was so afraid of being hurt like my dad was. I never worry about that when I am with you."

I took a deep breath and stepped off the cliff. "All of my life, I have sworn that I would never give in to the traditional things. I saw what they did to my dad, and I refused to let it happen to me. But you make me hope for all the things that I swore I would never do. When you joked tonight about Iowa, about marriage and kids and mowing the lawn…I wanted all of it. And the only reason that I wanted that was because it was with you. Not the name. Not the money. Just Edward."

Love

I took a cleansing breath. This woman. I'd never believed in fate before, not really. But how had she found me? How had I gone from seeing this beautiful quirky girl walking down Fifth Avenue to knowing with absolute certainty that she was my whole reason for being? My thumbs had found their favorite spot on her cheeks earlier, and I let them move softly across her face.

"I love you so much," I said. She leaned her face into my hands in response.

Every day for the rest of my life, making this woman happy would be my goal.

I smiled at her. It was her only warning. I picked her up swiftly and headed toward her room. "Let's get back to bed."

We settled back into the position we were in before I got up to check my messages. I planted kisses down her arm, and ran my fingers through her hair. We used touch to bring calm. I heard her breathing change indicating she was drifting off to sleep. I don't think she heard me.

I said it quietly. "I don't care where we live, but I will marry you."

EN: So world hunger isn't solved, but it's still 'Team Together' as one of the BATgirls joked.

Last week you are all ready to tar and feather Carlisle…but remember, there are two sides to every story. You got a little glimpse of it here. If you want a little more insight – there is an outtake of Carlisle and Esme from that first weekend in Southampton. You want it? Just hit that review button!