A/N: Okay, so we had you on quite a ride for a few chapters, these kids need a break. But don't slack off, there is still important stuff in here…

Of course it's not ours.

Chapter 18 Back to Basics

Smushed, But the Concept Holds True - B

We woke up late on Sunday morning. It had been a long night, and we were both absolutely exhausted.

I slipped out of bed while Edward was still asleep, and pulled the bedroom door closed so as not to wake him. I dug through the kitchen, looking for options for breakfast. I hadn't been spending a lot of time in my apartment, so there weren't many choices available. I was about to give up when I struck gold.

Fifteen minutes later, I had a pub tray loaded down with coffee, sliced pears, and the two packets of strawberry pop tarts that were left over from Valentine's Day. Thank goodness for that shelf life.

I set the tray down on the end table, and I crawled back in bed with him. He immediately wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in close.

"I didn't say you could get up," He mumbled in my hair.

"Tough. I needed food. I was dying. Come on, I have black gold."

"You are the perfect woman. Well, you would be if you didn't hog all the covers."

I sat up and grabbed a mug off the tray and handed it to him, then grabbed my own. He made a funny face at me when he saw my mug.

"What? It was a gift from Alice. She thought it was funny. Belle, Bella. She liked books, I like books…"

"Bella, it's a Disney mug…" Edward was looking at me like I had two heads.

"It was a gift, Edward. It was meant to be funny!"

"Now that I've met her, I can appreciate that. She is quite a character, isn't she?"

He peeked over at the end table.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yep." I smiled. "Still want one?"

"One?" He reached over me to grab both packets. "Who says you get any?"

We ended up wrestling over rights to the pop tarts. In the end we had two very crushed packets. That was okay. They still tasted good; they just didn't look perfect.

Kind of appropriate given everything we'd been through.

"So what do you want to do today?" Edward asked as we finished breakfast.

"Absolutely nothing. I have no faith in humanity right now. I vote for staying in all day, reading the paper and watching movies."

"You can't dodge the world, Bella. We have to go back outside."

I didn't want to go back outside. I didn't want to deal with unrealistic expectations, agendas, or people wanting to take my picture. I wanted to be plain old Bella and Edward.

And honestly, I was surprised that he wanted to venture out. He'd taken more of a hit than I had.

"Come on, we can order pizza, stay just like we are. Make out on the couch all day…" I knew I was playing dirty, taking advantage of a weak point, but I wasn't too proud to use what I had. I was still frayed from the previous evening, and the thought of venturing outside just wasn't high on my list.

"Now you sound like me. Come on, hit the shower. Demetri will be here soon with my clothes. We'll figure out something to do today, just us."

Us. It all came back to that. As long as there is an 'us', nothing else should really matter.

I gave him a pitiful look. I knew I was playing all the angles, but I really didn't want to leave my apartment.

"What if you take a shower with me?"

He groaned and pulled a pillow over his head.

"Go, Bella. I know what you are doing, and as tempting as it is, we are not staying in this apartment all day." Edward gave me a small push. "Now get up, and get in the shower. We are going out."

I sighed and got out of bed. I turned to try and lure him with me.

"No. I know how your brain works. Go." He was trying to be stern, but I could see the smile threatening to break through.

"Offer stands," I called innocently as I headed for the bathroom. "You know where the wellies are."

I heard a loud groan from behind me.

I might be able to convince him to stay in all day after all.

To the Beginning - E

Willpower. I needed it.

It certainly wasn't that I didn't want to join Bella in the shower. I just had a feeling she was right. If we went down that path this morning, we'd never leave her apartment.

Tempting as that was, I knew I needed to go out. In part, I was breathing the stagnant air of a failed evening. We'd used her apartment as an escape, not a haven. I needed a change of scenery to shake things up in my head.

I understood Bella's inclination to hole ourselves up, and a few weeks ago, I would have signed up for that without hesitation. But her approach was rubbing off. As was her faith in me. It made me less concerned about public perception. Made me more willing to live without fear of what others would think.

While she showered, I picked up the kitchen a bit from her breakfast foraging. My phone buzzed from where I left it on the end table the night before. It was a simple message.

U Okay? T

I hit her number, and went back to the kitchen to pour another cup of coffee.

"Hey, Edward," Tanya answered tentatively. "You survived?"

"Barely," I gave a light chuckle. "How bad were things after we left?"

"Not too bad. People caught some tension, and there may be some talk about that, but nothing was too obvious. I saw you two leave, but the rest of the table stayed frozen. There was some whispering, but I didn't really know anything went down until I caught up with Rosalie in the bathroom."

"I bet you got an earful."

"Not really. She was in tears. Just kept blubbering about how mad everyone was at her. She felt really bad. For what it's worth, I think she was kind of trying to stand up for Emmett the way I heard Bella did for you."

I wanted to feel sorry for her, but I couldn't. I knew logically that all of the tension would have been there regardless of whether Rosalie brought it out in the open or not, but we didn't need it last night. And Emmett hadn't been attacked.

"I caught up with Emmett shortly after, and he filled me in a little. He's pretty torn up."

"That makes two of us. He said some rather unpleasant things."

"And apparently Bella came out fighting?"

"It was a knock out."

"Good for her! Damn, I like her. How's she doing?"

"Okay. It wasn't a good night for either of us, but I'm trying to convince her to get out of the house to shake it off."

"Well if it were me, I'd vote for retail therapy, but since it's Bella, that probably won't work."

"Not a chance," I replied, but it actually did give me an idea. "I should get going Tanya."

"No problem. Hey, do you mind if I talk with Emmett? I mean, I think I can help shed some light on things for him, but I didn't want to talk about your relationship without your blessing."

"It's fine, but I doubt it'll do much good. I'm wondering if we aren't as close as I always thought."

"Edward, you don't get it do you? He's always been jealous of you."

"Of me?" I couldn't make sense of that. "Why?"

"You Cullens are supposed to be so smart. I swear. Listen, when you have more time, let's talk, okay?"

"Sounds good. I think we may be headed out of town soon. She mentioned it last night, so I'll call you. And thanks again."

Bella came into the room with wet hair and a towel.

"That was a boring shower."

"I think it's my turn."

"I used all the hot water."

"With you talking about wellies and walking around like that, I needed the water cold anyway."

"Smart ass."

"Get dressed. Casual. Demetri will be here soon, and we can head out. I was thinking it's back to basics time."

Do You Believe in Fate? - B

It was a typical New York spring day, sunny and low fifties. I threw on jeans, a sweater and my Macintosh, and grabbed my sunglasses. It was partially for the sun, partially for a bit of anonymity.

Edward laughed at me. "You look so upper east side."

I shot him a dirty look. That was not a compliment.

"Get over it. You look cute. Come on."

Demetri was waiting for us downstairs. He gave me a wink but didn't say anything as he pulled away from the curb.

"So where are we headed?" I asked.

Edward didn't answer, just smiled and started twirling a strand of my hair.

"Hello? Cullen? Little help?"

He smiled a little bigger as he continued to twirl.

Damn it.

We continued on in silence. Demetri flipped on the radio to fill the silence. Funny, I wouldn't have taken him for a James Taylor fan.

The car pulled up at the corner of 55th and Fifth. Edward got out and turned around, hand out. A flash of last night came back. Getting out of the car at the Met. I didn't want to go back there.

"Come on, Bella. Trust me." I grabbed his hand and got out of the car. He tugged me along behind him as he headed straight for the coffee shop.

"Wonder if they still have the heat on?" He asked as we entered. "You looked so miserable standing there that day. I offered you a section of the paper, and then panicked. I had no clue what else to say to you."

I had to laugh at that. Mr. Smooth, no clue what to say?

"Funny, I felt like a bumbling idiot. When you didn't talk to me, I thought I had made a fool of myself."

We stood in line to get coffee; his arms wrapped around my shoulders and I was pulled back against his chest so he could rest his chin on top of my head.

"So why didn't you tell me that you wanted a mocha? You hate black coffee."

"I thought it sounded goofy. I was embarrassed."

We laughed as we dissected those first few meetings. Short of Edward's 'stalker admission' that first weekend at his apartment, we'd never really discussed how things started. Looking back now, it was funny how unsure we were of ourselves and each others intentions.

We settled into over stuffed chairs with our coffee. Since leaving the house, I had noticed that Edward was constantly in contact in some way. Twirling my hair, arm around me, holding my hand. It wasn't an insecurity thing. The contact was differently. It was like something had changed in the last twenty four hours. I couldn't explain it. Things just felt different.

Good different.

"Do you think you would have ever approached me, had I not come in here to get coffee that day?"

Edward looked out the window, thinking for a moment.

"I honestly don't know. I can't answer now, because my perspective is so skewed. There was a day I almost did. It was at the end of January. You were standing in front of the window, and you looked like you were crying. I wanted to do something to make you happy, to make you smile."

I had to laugh. I knew exactly what day he was talking about.

"You did. You just didn't realize it."

He looked at me, confused. "I didn't talk to you, Bella."

It's funny, looking back on things, how it all wove back together.

"That day was my rock bottom. The day I gave up. I had been on yet another miserable blind date, and was fed up with it all. I decided to stop waiting for Mr. Wonderful. I spent a week or so brooding on it all, and realized that if things were going to be different, I would have to take control of my life, make some changes. My first official act was stopping and getting coffee the day I met you."

"You have to be kidding me." Edward shook his head in amazement. "It's enough to make the biggest cynic believe in fate. The connection to Jasper, how we finally ended up talking. Guess you're lucky that I was persistent and you were a good kisser."

I nudged him with my foot.

"Okay, fine. I have another question for you. What did you think when I grabbed your tie and kissed you?"

He broke into a grin and stood up. "Come on."

"What?"

"Come on. I'll tell you, but first, come on."

He pulled me up out of my chair and led me out onto Fifth Avenue. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where he was headed.

We stopped in front of the window. It was a spring theme, filled with brightly colored stones and flowers. He pulled me around to face him.

"You want to know what I thought? I thought I hesitated a moment too long."

He didn't have a tie to grab on to, but I didn't need one today. It wasn't like I needed to make him come closer. He still tasted like coffee, but no cinnamon this time. I wasn't nervous, but kissing him still gave me the same adrenaline rush.

We stood there like that for a long time. Oblivious to the world. Everything else faded into the background. Last night may have been a disaster, but I would do it again in a heartbeat just to have this.

"Does that answer your question?" He asked when we finally broke apart.

"So I know what you thought the first time you saw me in the boots. That's what you thought when I kissed you? It's confirmed. You are a perv Cullen."

"You complaining Swan?" He squeezed me a bit tighter.

"Nope. Just making an observation."

Subconscious - E

The window was calming and rejuvenating at the same time. It wasn't just about romance, but about what formed the basis of our relationship. The window represented anticipation and hope.

"Do you have any regrets?"

"Why would I?"

"It all seemed so easy back then, but if you knew now, would you still have jumped into a relationship with me?"

"Knowing what I know now?"

I nodded. It had all been so much. It was something of a pulse check for me on her emotional state. Were we worth the pain to her?

"I would dive in head first, Edward. Wouldn't you?"

"Without question."

We silently observed the window for a little while longer. Somehow knowing we didn't have the luxury of this place every day made us reluctant to leave.

"I've been thinking about those earrings. Not that I could avoid thinking about them," Bella began. "Anyway, I know your dad said it was about the meaning of the stone, and that makes sense, but I think there was more to it."

"Such as?"

"I hadn't noticed until we stood face to face, but topaz is very close to his eye color. I think it was his way of always being with your mom. You know the saying the eyes are the window to the soul?' Well, it was a way for her to always be able to see though to the very heart of him."

I let that wash over me.

"I can definitely see that." If that were the case, I could see why it would have hit him harder to see Bella wearing them. They represented something entirely too personal. "I'm sorry."

She smiled. I took her hand, and we began walking slowly away from the window. We didn't say another word about the earrings.

"Well, you got me out of the house, so what's next on the agenda?" she asked changing the subject.

"A walk in the park?"

"Fresh air sounds perfect."

On the way to the park, Bella cautiously prodded.

"Do you want to talk about anything?"

"Not really," I said with a laugh. But she gave me a look that said she was serious.

"I know what you plan to do about your dad, but what about Emmett?"

"Did I tell you he called last night as well?" She shook her head. "He didn't leave a message though. And I talked with Tanya this morning. She said something that confused me. She said he's always been jealous. I don't know. We've fought before, but this was different. More personal, more real."

"Are you willing to make the first move?" I closed my eyes for a second considering my options.

"With Emmett, maybe, but things are a little raw right now, and I can't see that far ahead."

We didn't engage in much conversation after that. We held hands, and we watched people. The park was busy. Just warm enough to bring people out of their apartments. Walking dogs, playing Frisbee, kicking a ball, running, laughing on a first date, or like us, just being in love. Every once in a while, one of us would squeeze the other's hand or slide a little closer to let our bodies have contact. For so many years, touch had not been tender for me. There hadn't been any meaning behind it. This touch wasn't just for me though. I could tell her I loved her every five minutes, but I learned from watching my dad that constant contact communicated love better than any words could.

We paused to watch some people rowing on the lake. The sun made the water sparkle. My hand found her cheek, and she leaned into it.

We paused for a while watching a puppet show. There were mostly families in the audience. One of the early spring park activities. Kids were laughing and yelling and crying. Parents looked excited and exhausted.

I would say it wasn't intentional, and that was true, but I imagine there was something working at a subconscious level when we headed out of the park. We'd probably been in the park an hour and a half or so. We had simply meandered.

I would call it an unexpected surprise when we found ourselves back on Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street. I heard Bella sharply inhale. The Met.

I tugged lightly on her hand to lead her away quickly, but she resisted.

"You were the one who said we couldn't hide today," she reminded me.

"I didn't mean we had to relive last night."

"It's not the place though is it? I've always loved the Met. I can't let last night ruin that."

"You want to go in?"

We stood at the bottom of the steps for a while. She never answered the question, but after a few minutes, she went up the first step and looked back at me. "Coming?"

The Lighthouse - B

Once inside, I pulled Edward along behind me. I knew exactly where I was going.

We dodged tourists and kids as I headed for the back corner of the museum.

"I didn't think this was your speed, Bella," Edward teased as we entered the modern art room. I lead him past O'Keefe's, Lichtenstein's and Picasso's.

"I really have a hard time considering this modern art," I replied as I stopped in front of a painting. "This is heaven."

"You like Hopper?"

"I don't like Hopper. I love Hopper. I could stare at this painting for hours. I actually used to. I would stand here and imagine that I could hear the sea gulls, the ships bells ringing in the distance. I even have printout of it hanging on the wall in my office. It's one of those Zen things."

Edward laughed at me. Full out laughter.

"What?" I hadn't said anything funny. So I was nuts about a painting of a light house.

"Ever read the plaque?" He asked, leaning against the wall smiling.

The Lighthouse at Two Light

Edward Hopper, 1929

On Loan from the Cullen Foundation

"Remember what I was saying about fate?" He had a bemused expression. "I remember when I was little; I would sit and stare at that for hours. It was in the library at Southampton. Why do you like it so much?"

I smiled and shook my head. Fate, destiny, call it what you will, but in retrospect, our lives had been slowly twining around each other for months. Maybe even years.

"I guess it reminded me a bit of home. Not the picture per se, but being close to the ocean, the sounds, the memory of the smell. It was a way for me to reconnect to the things I missed."

We'd not spoken much about my home. I had told Edward a lot about my dad, and we'd had one or two awkward conversations about my mother, but we'd never really delved into stories about where I grew up. I don't think it was intentional on my part; it's just not something I thought to talk about.

"I used to complain about how much it rained. It sucked as a kid. But I have come to appreciate it now that I'm an adult. Everything was so vibrant, so lush. And it always smelled so clean. It blows me away the first time I step out of the car after being away for a long time. Living in the smog and pollution you forget what clean air smells like."

"I don't think I ever recall you talking about your home. I guess I always assumed that you left and never looked back," He observed quietly.

We stood there quietly for a while, looking at the picture. What I had always considered my picture.

"I was serious about going. I realize that you don't know very much beyond what I've told you. It would be good for you to meet my dad, do the whole 'this is your life' thing."

"When do you want to go?" His question was matter of fact. No doubt.

"I don't have any deadlines looming for a while, so my calendar is pretty flexible…"

Edward cut in before I could finish.

"Great, I'll call Teterboro and see when the plane is available. Assuming it's not out, we can go anytime."

I laughed and shook my head. "Ridiculously expensive jewelry, loaning famous paintings to major art institutions, and private planes might wow other women, but not me, Edward. If we are going to Washington, we're doing it the normal way. Commercial flight to Seattle, rent a car for the drive to Forks. Same way I have always done it."

"You really don't care about the money, do you?" He asked, a bit amazed.

"You're just figuring that out?" We had moved away from my painting to sit down on a bench. "There are fringe benefits that are great, but I don't need all that, Edward. I just want you. Trust fund or no."

Edward continued to stare at me; a look of skepticism on is face.

"Why does that surprise you so much? Are people really that shallow that you would expect that money is what makes you different or special?"

"You met Giana." It was a simple answer, but it spoke volumes.

"I hate to tell you Cullen, but I'd love you even if you didn't have a trust fund and had to mow the lawn on your own. I'd take care of you and keep you in the manner you are accustomed too…well, yeah, that wouldn't work. I can't afford your Purple label shirts, and we know you need those."

We both laughed. It didn't solve the mountain of issues that he still had to face, but at least he knew where we stood.

"Come on, I'll buy you a vendor dog." I stood and held my hand out to pull him up. "You can't resist a little New York high cuisine."

Strawberries - E

We didn't hurry. We even stopped for ice cream on the way back to my apartment. We were delaying. She hadn't said it, but I knew she would want to go back to her apartment tonight. We both probably had work issues to deal with and busy days if we were looking to head out of town this week.

We shared a banana split, both fighting over the cherries and the strawberry ice cream.

"I may lead a vanilla life, but you just can't top strawberry flavored anything."

I raised one eyebrow at her. "Anything?"

"Hmm, is this the start of a new fetish, Cullen?" I shook my head and laughed.

"So, I know this wasn't officially a date, and there wasn't much planning involved, but have I redeemed myself at all? Will you trust me to try my hand at planning one again?"

"That depends," she said slyly. "This date isn't over yet."

"True," I said thoughtfully. "So, I need to conclude with a bang then I take it."

"Yes, but please don't tell me you can arrange for actual fireworks."

I snorted. And I didn't tell her that I did actually know who I would call to do that.

"I'll start by offering up the last bite." And I watched her open her mouth to take the spoon I was holding out for her. She drew out a long, "mmmm" as she swallowed the ice cream.

"Bella, you have a little bit of whipped cream right there," I said, pointing at the corner of her mouth. She tried to reach it with her tongue to lick it away. "Still there. Would you like help?"

I must have been wearing my lust on my sleeve. "No way, Cullen. You had your shot at the shower this morning."

When we made it back to my place, we stood in the lobby of the building.

"I know you need to get home, but will you come up for a little while?"

"I don't know, Edward. I'm afraid once I get there, I'll never make it back to my place."

"I understand," and I did, but I wasn't ready to say goodbye. "Let me just run up and get my car keys. I can take you back."

"Really, though, I can just take a cab."

"Bella. Why won't you let me take you home? What kind of a date would I be?"

"You're more than a date, Edward. You're someone who is in a mature relationship with a woman he trusts. How about I make a deal with you?"

I nodded for her to continue.

"I'll come up for an hour. Exactly one hour. But then you have to let me get myself home."

I'm sure I looked conflicted. So, she sweetened the deal. "I bet I still taste like strawberries."

I couldn't get her to the couch fast enough. And after precisely an hour of one of our make out sessions, I walked her back downstairs to help her into a cab. Before I shut the door, she whispered. "Thank you for today. It was exactly what I needed."

"Work on clearing your calendar. We'll get you out of dodge this week."

There were no I love you's in public. It was too personal. Knowing that her first one was caught on camera resulted in an unspoken rule. We said with eyes and smiles and as always my hand on her cheek, but not with words.

I spent the night looking up flights, addressing emails, and checking my schedule for the week. I sent a few messages out to re-arrange some meetings and one to Jasper.

I figured he'd get details from someone else, and I didn't want to leave him completely hanging. I also let him know about our plans for the week. He wrote me back about an hour later saying he had heard about Bella's speech and wishing us well on our trip. As was becoming his norm, his last line warned me to keep Bella safe. As if I needed to be reminded.

"I'm very impressed she took on your whole family. You can't buy that kind of dedication. You better not take it for granted."

I had more money than I could ever spend, and I knew without a doubt that he was right. I just wished he believed me.

I booked the flights before bed. I would never have the heart to tell Bella that the price for 2 last minute first class tickets was probably close to as much as taking our plane, but if she wanted commercial, I would give it to her.

It took me a long time to fall asleep. The bed felt too big. There was too much air in the room with no one to share it. It was too quiet without her breathing or talking in her sleep.

I could go on and on, but it came down to one thing. I missed her.

E/N: They needed a little sweet. And they are getting ready to go meet Charlie. So, the Carlisle battle will have to wait.

Now, the big question is . . . What will/should happen in Forks? Reviews on last chapter were AMAZING! THANK YOU SO MUCH! No Carslisle outtake this time, but we still love to hear from you.

We're back on the regular posting schedule. If you need a filler in between, hmonster4 has her new story, Deconstructing Dracula up and running. Vladward is really tripping profmom's trigger.