I don't own these characters. I just like to be mean to them and make them whimper. Sadly, there's no money in this for me either.

Chapter 10: Chain Yanking

They fell into a routine without even discussing it. On the nights that she worked, Edward would knock on her door and walk her to the club. They would discuss a wide range of topics; books, movies, friends, funny incidences at the club, Bella's new friends in Alaska, and even, infrequently, the accident that had robbed her of her memories. Early every morning after Bella's shift was over, Edward would wait in the alley for her and walk her home again.

She did not invite him up, and that too had come about by some strange unspoken agreement. Somehow, they both sensed that the temptation to give in to their attraction to each other would get the best of them if given the opportunity. Each of them also sensed that it was not yet time.

The time would come, of that they were both certain. But it was not yet. Not quite. So they walked together, talking about the significant and the mundane alike. Edward felt as if he was getting to know this new Bella, though there were tantalizing hints of the girl he had known in Forks. Clearly, however, Bella was now a woman – an intriguing, beautiful, sexy, and independent woman.

And he found her appealing as hell. It was as if he had fallen in love with a girl only to find that there was a woman now in her place. The girl had been wonderful, but the woman was sheer perfection. He wanted her. He wanted her to be his in every way, including that physical intimacy he had resisted for so long.

Through all of his long years, there had never been a female – vampire or human – who had tempted him enough to make that kind of commitment. It was a commitment, that complete giving of one's self to another. Or at least it should be, and it was – to him. Even a few short years ago, his thirst for Bella's blood had been enough to help him keep his physical desires in check. His fear of hurting her was far stronger than his desire to give free rein to his baser instincts. So he had kept those very human desires locked tightly away, pretending, even to himself, that they did not exist.

It had been easy to do, especially when compared to controlling his appetite for her blood.

Now, however, they were getting to know each other again. The terrible, dark thirst for her blood was strangely absent, though she still smelled as alluring as ever. His physical desires, once so tightly restrained, had lately slipped free of his iron control and seemed to be running rampant. He wanted. He desperately wanted to make love to Bella Swan.

Finally, one night when the others were out hunting, Edward sought out Carlisle as he listened to some music. His father smiled and turned down the music, motioning Edward into the study. "Edward," he said softly. "It seems like a long time since we've had a chance to talk."

As he usually did, Carlisle seemed to sense when Edward needed a father's advice. Once more, Edward considered his good fortune in having a man like Carlisle in his life. Edward gave a nervous smile and sank down into a chair, remaining silent for a moment as he considered how to broach the topic. Carlisle remained patiently quiet, waiting for Edward to gather his thoughts.

"Uh yes, well…uh…you know that I've spending quite a bit of time with Bella lately," Edward began.

Carlisle grinned briefly. "Yes, I've been aware of that fact," he replied.

Edward closed his eyes and shook his head. He was quite accustomed to the lack of privacy in the family. He was well aware that he provided no privacy at all – to anyone, with the exception of Bella, the one being whose thoughts he desperately wanted to know. So he knew it was quite unfair of him to be upset that everyone in the Cullen household knew about the time he was spending with Bella. That knowledge, however, seemed to make little difference and he had to tamp down his irritation.

"Anyway," Edward forced himself to continue in a calm and reasonable voice. "We're getting…closer."

"Physically?" Carlisle asked softly, cutting straight toward the heart of the matter in his own gentle way.

"Uh…yes," Edward answered carefully. "Slowly, but…yes, definitely getting closer." Though Bella remained more frustrated than he was at their progress, she was still understanding.

Carlisle was silent for a long moment, his hands steepled in front of him, his index fingers lightly resting on his lips. "I see."

"That's not really very helpful," Edward pointed out dryly.

"Well to be fair, you haven't actually asked me anything, have?" Carlisle retorted with a glint of humor in his golden eyes.

Edward exhaled carefully. "I suppose what I'm trying to get at, in my own inept way, is that I was wondering just how…close Bella and I can get…safely."

Carlisle paused and then answered. "That will depend on you, Edward."

"I realize that, but you know what I'm asking you," Edward pressed.

"Yes," Carlisle agreed. "I know." Carlisle got to his feet and began pacing, which made Edward uneasy. "The thing is, son…" He shrugged. "Why do you want to get closer to Bella…why now, when you were so adamantly opposed to it? Before?"

Edward considered the question – and his answer. "Before… Well, there were many reasons before to be very careful how close I allowed myself to get to Bella." He grimaced. "First of all was the simple but vital fact that I wanted her blood, as much as I wanted her body." The confession was given quietly, shame evident in the soft words. "And I didn't trust myself to be able to control one appetite while satisfying the other." He was ashamed of this truth, but it had to be expressed.

Carlisle put his hand on Edward's shoulder. "To feel temptation is nothing to be embarrassed about, Edward. You controlled it; you should feel pride in that. Not shame."

"What I am endangers her," Edward said. "I can't forget that. It's dangerous if I do."

"That's true," Carlisle allowed. "But you want more, as much as you can safely allow."

"Yes."

"And you want me to give you advice on how to do that."

Edward nodded. "I want to know what my limits should be – or if there's anything I should to do help prepare myself…" This was rather more awkward than he had anticipated.

There was another long silence. "Edward, more than the limits between you, I think you should be considering the timing, and how her memory loss will affect your relationship. If you choose to make your relationship with her more…intimate, then you must decide if you will tell her the truth. And if so, then when?" He paused. "If you don't, and then one day she regains her memory, she'd probably feel betrayed. And she'd be right in a way."

"How would I explain?" Edward asked with a groan, burying his face in his hands. "She'll never understand. She figured out what I was on her own once before, and I'm not sure if I want her to do that again…or not. Can I be a part of her life again? I hurt her, Carlisle. I thought I was going what was best, but now I don't know…"

Carlisle pondered that for a moment. "Well, I told you before Edward, that it seems Bella's destiny is fated to be connected to yours, though in what way none of us can guess at the moment. Alice sees, but not everything – and the timing is always up in the air."

Edward grimaced at his reminder of the imperfection and strange nature of Alice's visions. Like Paul in Dune, she could see into the future but it was not a perfect process, clear cut and precise at every turn. The future still rippled and undulated before her, granting vision and blindness with equal fervor. He had asked her many times and Alice had merely shrugged. "There are many possibilities," she answered truthfully – and he had seen enough of them to know that he would have to be cautious.

"You know, Edward, Alice has been complaining that you've been rather selfish with Bella," Carlisle admonished softly. "You were not the only one who lost Bella." Those words were the only time that Carlisle had betrayed the heartache that had afflicted almost all of them when he decided to leave Bella. Alice especially had suffered.

"You're right," Edward replied. "How about I bring her here tomorrow? It's her night off. I'll take her out to dinner and then bring her home." He laughed and shook his head. "I don't want to have to explain why all seven of us aren't hungry while we're serving her dinner."

"Good thinking," Carlisle agreed with a wink. "We'll look forward to seeing her."

"About damned time, Edward," Alice grumbled. They had just returned.

"Woo hoo!" Emmett hooted. "Baby Bells is coming for a visit."

From Esme, Edward sensed quiet satisfaction. Jasper was wary and wondering if he should absent himself for the visit. Rosalie was the only one who was annoyed, but even her grumblings seemed more a thing of habit rather than true irritation. Edward pondered that change as well as Jasper's caution. He would have to talk to his brother, to let him know that he trusted him.

"All right then," Edward said, getting to his feet. "I should be going. Bella will be getting off work soon and I don't want to be late."

Edward waited patiently for Bella, smiling when he heard her chatting with Shauna. The young woman was explaining that she had just been awarded a scholarship, enough to alleviate the financial burden that her schooling was putting on her and her mother.

"It was amazing, Bella," Shauna was explaining. "My advisor called and said it was brand new and that I fit the specifications perfectly, even down to being of Irish descent! Can you believe it?"

"That's great," Bella answered. "So will you still work here?"

"Oh yeah," Shauna said. "I've still got bills to pay. But this will pay for my classes and my books, along with lab fees and stuff like that. It's going to make a huge difference for me, and my mom can even cut back on some of her hours. It's a godsend, Bella. A miracle." Shauna laughed. "And you didn't believe in miracles anymore, silly girl!"

The two of them emerged from the club and Edward repressed a smile. Shauna's newfound scholarship had been easy enough to accomplish, and it was gratifying to know that they had helped someone who had been such a good friend to Bella. It was such a small thing, after all, but it would make a big difference in the young woman's life.

"Hey, Edward!" Shauna called out. "You know that guy? He's going away for parole violation, 'big boy' time, if you know what I mean." She grinned. "So I won't have to worry about him until he's so old he'd have to chase me in his walker."

"That's great news, Shauna," Edward said. "I'm sure you're relieved."

"It's been a stellar week all around, Edward," Shauna yelled over her shoulder. "I'll let Bella tell you all about it on your walk home."

Bella looked after her friend and shook her head. "She's over the moon right now. First the creepazoid gets sent to the cell he so richly deserves, and then she gets this scholarship that she didn't even know existed." Bella shot him a strange look from under her lashes. "That's great news, don't you think, Edward?"

"Superb news," he agreed with an innocent expression. Surely, Bella did not suspect… Still, he would have to be careful. Bella had always been far too perceptive when he least wanted her to be. He pulled her into his arms, hoping to distract her.

"You're looking good there, Eddie," Bella said breezily. She frowned. "But then again, you always do." Her lips pouted. "It's not fair. You're way prettier than I am and it's giving me a complex."

"Hardly," Edward said, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"You know," Bella said softly, tugging at his shirt. "My lips are only a little bit further down…"

"Good to know," he murmured, kissing a path from her temple to the corner of her mouth.

"Just a little bit to the right," she suggested playfully.

He let his lips remain at the corner of her mouth. "I don't know," he whispered. "I don't really think I want to kiss anyone who insists on calling me Eddie."

She snorted with laughter and then buried her face in his chest. "You know I only call you Eddie to yank your chain, right?" Bella said suddenly, raising her face to look at his.

He looked at her and smirked. "Yes, I sort of got that impression."

Bella laughed softly. "Well, it's really your own fault, you know."

"How did you come to that conclusion?" he asked curiously. As always, the workings of her silent mind fascinated him.

"You're just so serious," Bella explained. "And apparently I'm incapable of resisting the temptation to give your chain a good yank every now and then." She took one look at the pained expression on his face and giggled. "A little over the top, huh?"

"Yes, your sexual innuendo was more of a battering ram," he observed.

"Now who's using a sledgehammer instead of a feather?" Bella teased.

"Ms. Swan, I must insist that you desist in speaking of yanking, chains, feathers, or other topics or objects that might construed as being of a sexual nature."

"You're no fun…Ed-"

"You'd better finish that word, properly, Ms. Swan, or we're going to have a problem," Edward threatened with narrowed eyes, though a smile tugged at his lips.

"Ed….ward," Bella finished.

"That's better," he murmured. He stopped and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her pulse was thundering just under the fragile layer of pale, soft skin. "Do you know how beautiful you are?" he asked suddenly.

Bella blushed, something he did not see as often as he had in the old days. He had missed it more than he knew, and every time the rich color painted her cheeks, an old and aching hunger flared to life within him. "I still say you're prettier than me," she murmured.

Edward cut off her protests with a kiss, the only sure way to make her stop talking.