Disclaimer - Twilight isn't mine but dreaming of Edward is.


Three weeks had passed since Edward and I had been together, three very long weeks of becoming acclimated to my new position with the same company. Twelve, thirteen, even fourteen hour days seemed to morph into the next - my office had become my new home. The few hours I did spend at home, I'd hardly slept. That deprivation had been worry-inspired. After a lifetime of being either the other half of someone, or the daughter of another, I'd finally come into my own, and I found that I thrived on that feeling.

It was early Monday morning when I arrived home after seeing Edward. I had called work to let Angela, my co-worker, know that I wouldn't be in until the afternoon. I was exhausted. Edward and I had stayed up most of the night talking, kissing… other things. To be honest, I didn't want to get back to reality so soon.

I still hadn't told him anything too personal about me, and he hadn't shared anything about himself either, but we had come to an agreement.

Edward had suggested when – he emphasized when – one of us wanted to see the other, they would be the one to make the arrangements. I still didn't know what 'things' he had going on in his life. For almost a month, different scenarios spun through my mind: bad break-up, womanizer, Witness Protection Program, but none of that mattered - he was to be my escape, my reward at the end of the day. Justification through equal desires, I had convinced myself.

Edward had called about a week after we had seen each other, and asked when I might be available. I was a little surprised by how soon he called and found myself whipping through the calendar on my Blackberry eagerly searching for a Saturday. He emailed me directions and a cryptic list of things to pack.

I had also signed the divorce papers and dropped them off at the attorney's office during the weeks prior. I had called Jake when I received the papers, and he had asked if I was sure it was really over between us. What I had mistaken for hope was actual relief; he immediately announced that he had been seeing someone else for a couple of months. Her name was Leah and he swore they hadn't been dating for very long. Jake's announcement was a fist to my gut. It didn't matter that we had been out of love for so long - he still had been mine for over a decade.

My mother had even tried to talk me out of signing the divorce papers. She said, "Good men are hard to come by, Bella. You really should hang on to Jake. You'll be lonely when you get old." It hadn't been worth arguing with her – our differences rarely were. We'd disagreed enough with each other to last a lifetime. Whether it was a decision to cut my hair a certain way or what color to paint my bedroom, my mother had an opinion on everything, and it was always contrary to mine.

So many things had happened, life changing things, in the past few weeks and I couldn't wait to get back to Edward. My new job was the biggest of them all. I'd been fully prepared to confront my boss about the incident at the company barbeque, clean out my desk, and call my attorney regarding the sexual harassment charges I'd intended to press against Mike. It would have been a bluff, really. I was confident he wouldn't fight the charges, especially if his wife were to discover all of the perks he'd been enjoying over the past several years. What I hadn't expected was what – or who - was waiting for me in his office when I arrived. It still made me shake my head in disbelief thinking about it.

"Bella," Angela said. "Mike wants to see you in his office… now." Angela raised her eyebrows – she was obviously worried.

"Shit," I replied under my breath. "Thanks, Ang."

I wondered if he'd found out about the lake house as I walked the short distance to Mike's office, and then I reminded myself that I was not in the wrong. Well, technically I was, I'd still stand up to the prick and threaten him with exposure to his wife by explaining his unprovoked advances, if need be.

I straightened my skirt and stood tall as I opened the door to Mike's office. My knees literally buckled as I stepped through the threshold. The surgically-enhanced Mrs. Newton was sitting behind his desk. She only made appearances at the office a few times per year. Mike stood next to the picture window, his shoulders drooping.

Fuck me. She knew.

"Good morning. You wanted to see me?" I asked, struggling to keep my voice steady.

"Good morning, Bella," Mrs. Newton said. "How was your weekend?"

Fuck me twice. I assumed she had to have known just by the sarcastic tone in her voice. My threat of exposing Mike for the worthless ass he was would be useless if his wife already knew about the house. Mike could be handled, but Tanya Newton was a different story.

"Great. Too short as always. Yours?" I inwardly rolled my eyes at my feeble attempt at small talk.

"Let's get to the point, Bella. You've been working for this company for how long now?" she asked.

I folded my hands in front of me. "Six and a half years." Six and a half godforsaken years under the creepy eyes and quick hands of your husband.

"Would you say that you have a handle on how this company is operated? What I mean is… you've worked for my husband for quite some time, correct?"

I nodded, wondering where she was going with this. If she was going to outright fire me or demand payment for the lake house, I wished she'd just hurry up and get on with it.

"You don't know me very well, Bella, but I know you. I know what kind of work you do, and believe me I know that my husband couldn't be as successful as he's been if it hadn't been for you… and me, of course. Have a seat." She motioned to the leather chair in front of her.

Hesitantly, I sat in the chair and crossed my legs, preparing to listen to a rehearsed speech of what an asset I've been to the company, but I was going to be fired anyway. My foot wriggled nervously as I waited.

"Now, that being said, I also know that you refused to give my husband a blow job last week." Her eyes darted toward Mike. He sighed heavily, seemingly shrinking into his Armani suit.

My eyes widened as I looked back and forth between the two wondering how she found out. She had been no where in sight when Mike had cornered me in the foyer of their oversized house.

"And I also know that you enjoyed a little vacation this weekend paid for by this company."

Fuck. Me. Thrice. It was second grade all over again. I felt like I was sitting in the principal's office for stealing Lauren Mallory's cookie at lunch.

At that moment, I was sure I'd lost my job and performed mental math to try and balance my checking account.

"Mrs. Newton," I started, "I'd like to explain." Maybe she'd give me a decent reference… or maybe not.

Mrs. Newton raised her finger. "Let me finish. I admire you, Bella. You wouldn't believe the number of wannabes who have pleasured my husband over the years, all hoping to either become the next Mrs. Newton," she paused to laugh for a moment, and I knew exactly who she was talking about: Jessica, in Accounting.

"Forgive me." Regaining her composure, she continued. "Or hope to acquire some sort of promotion or whatever the reason they'd unforgivably want to blow my husband," she said, waving her hand dismissively. The strands of diamonds wrapped around her wrist distracted me momentarily. Her bracelet could pay for five year's worth of my mortgage and then some. "But you're the first one to refuse and take recourse. A very creative recourse, I might add."

"Thank you?" I said, and pursed my lips. Now I was completely lost. Was the woman going to fire me or give me an award? And how did she know that I didn't plan the weekend on a whim?

"Here's the deal. I'd like you to take over this position."

"What?" I choked out. I wondered if the silicone had leaked out of one of her implants and into her bloodstream, suffocating her brain. "Mrs. Newton, I don't know anything about running this office," I admitted. Sure, I'd prepared enough flow charts, budget reports, and whatever else Mike needed, but I had never held a managerial position before. And I didn't think running the salad station at Taco Bell when I was sixteen would have qualified.

"You already do. I think you know that."

No, I really didn't know that.

I looked over to Mike as he stood by the window, shaking his head.

"Oh, don't worry about him. Mr. Newton is going to be shipped off to our satellite office in Alaska."

Alaska? I suppressed a laugh thinking of Mike surrounded by burly loggers.

"Mrs. Newton, I'm not sure," I said. This was all happening so fast. It was certainly more appealing than waiting in line at the unemployment office.

"You don't give yourself enough credit. What's it going to be? If you don't want it, I'm sure I can find someone else within the hour that would be grateful for the opportunity. You can return to your desk next to all of the other assistants, if you'd prefer." She leaned back in her chair and tapped her perfectly manicured nails on the desk.

So I wouldn't be fired if I said no, per se, but who knew if whomever she put in this position would turn out to be an even bigger ass.

I furrowed my brow, thinking about the offer that had just fallen into my lap. I was still dreaming – I had to be. Actually, no. If I had been dreaming then Edward would be sexing me up on the desk right now. I couldn't help but chuckle from the thought.

Mrs. Newton glared at me.

I gnawed on the inside of my cheek as I mulled over her offer a few moments longer.

Independence. It had a nice ring to it.

"Yes," I replied. "I'll take it."

"Good. We're done here. You'll need to go upstairs to Human Resources. You can move your things in tomorrow morning."

Mrs. Newton rose from her chair, I followed, as she extended her hand.

"I expect long hours and weekends too."

"Understood," I said, shaking her hand. "However, I won't be available every weekend. I do have engagements coming up." I waited nervously for her response.

Tanya Newton, owner and CEO of Denali Corporation, was one of the few females that held a position of authority. If I was going to be the next woman (and probably the youngest) invited into the boy's club, I needed to show her, before anyone else, that I was capable of standing my ground.

"Fine."

I walked toward the door, still in shock from what had just happened. As I opened it, Mrs. Newton called, "And, Bella… don't fuck up."

My packing list for the weekend was simple: a couple of pairs of jeans, sweatshirts, thick socks, and a decent pair of hiking boots. Edward emphasized the word decent in his email. We had emailed and texted each other more than we had called. It was easier. But I missed his voice. I missed it more than I thought I would have.

It was evident that we were going hiking, and that was fine, but I hoped it was going to be along a clearly marked trail and not a random walk through the woods directed by a compass or the position of the sun in the sky. I really wasn't an outdoorsy type of girl. I also prayed for indoor plumbing.

I followed the directions Edward had emailed to me until I reached the huge brown and green wooden sign: Shenandoah National Park. Edward said he'd meet me in the welcome area, but when I drove in I didn't see his green Porsche, and I was already fifteen minutes late. My palms became a little sweaty from the thought of him changing his mind.

Climbing out of my car, I walked to the rear and leaned against the trunk. I scanned the parking lot again and noticed a man getting out of a black SUV about ten yards away. He was wearing jeans and a dark blue, flannel shirt. He had the same copper-colored hair as Edward and when he looked in my direction, I couldn't help but grin, realizing the man was Edward. My nipples saluted him as a fantasy of having sex with lumber jack Edward up against a tree ran through my mind. What was a little bark on the back between friends?

He began to walk toward me, and I yelled, "Where's the Porsche?" shoving my car keys into my back pocket.

"At home!" he replied and jogged across the dirt parking lot.

How many cars did he have? I wondered.

"It's so good to see you," I confessed, decidedly not asking about the SUV.

My hands reached toward him as if they had a mind of their own – I needed to feel him.

"It's really good to see you too. You look beautiful." I blushed as he leaned in to kiss me; his lips were just as soft and warm as I had remembered. I closed my eyes and breathed him in. He smelled like clean laundry and oak.

"Ready?" he asked.

"More than you know. What do you have planned for us, Mr. Cullen?" A nice cabin deep in the woods, a roaring fire?

"You'll see. Lock up your car. We need to take the truck where we're going." He snickered, and I had a strange feeling that a cozy little cabin for two wasn't happening.

I looked toward his SUV and saw a mound of green nylon pressing against the back window. Camping gear? Communal bathrooms littered with spiders and probable stopped-up toilets or no indoor plumbing whatsoever? Given the two choices, I'd hoped for the latter.

"We're camping? As in tents and sleeping bags camping?" I asked, wrinkling my forehead.

"You don't like camping, do you?" he asked, grimacing.

I felt a twinge of guilt for giving him the idea I wouldn't be up for this, so I lied.

"What gives you that idea? I love it! In fact, I went camping just last week," I said, shrugging… lying.

He laughed. "Last week, huh?" Edward stepped back, shoving his hands in his pockets, seemingly sizing me up and down. "Don't lie. You hate camping, don't you?"

"No, I don't!" I protested. "I love being one with nature and peeing in the woods. It's fantastic!"

Honestly, the last time I had been camping was with my older brother, Emmett, and our mom and dad when I was seven. I was pretty sure I liked it then, but that was twenty-two years ago.

"Mm hmm, you're not very convincing." Edward reached toward me, grabbing onto my belt loop, and pulled me into him. He wrapped his arms around me and then swept my hair away from my neck, his cheek suddenly against mine. "We can do something else if you want," he whispered.

I squeezed him into me for a moment, loving his voice in my ear.

"Not a chance. I'm up for anything you have planned." I tilted my head back to look at him and pulled my keys from my pocket, jingling them between us. "You can get my bag from my car, Grizzly Adams. I'm going to say goodbye to civilization by using the ladies room."

After about twenty-five minutes of driving along the extremely bumpy and mostly desolate road, we had finally turned into a small clearing. It really didn't look any different from the scenery we'd passed along the way, except for the seclusion. We had driven by a few small cabins and dirt paths, a hiker or two. It wasn't until the last few minutes of the drive that I realized just how alone Edward and I would be.

The thought of being so very alone with Edward made me smile as we exited his truck and walked to the rear of it to unload the supplies. My mother would have called me crazy for trusting a stranger so completely. She'd undoubtedly claim he would probably hack me up into tiny pieces and bury the evidence. That's why she'd never know about Edward. There was no way she was going to hang her black rain cloud over this too.

Edward had the tent spread out on the ground and began to hammer the steel fasteners into the soil. I busied myself by arranging the cooler and the other gear in an open space nearby while simultaneously studying Edward's body - mostly the way his jeans hugged his ass - as he worked.

"What's this?" I asked, holding a black plastic container that had a Save the Bears emblem stamped on the lid.

Edward stopped hammering and looked in my direction. "It's a bear-proof canister," he replied casually.

"Huh. So… we might see a bear?" I swallowed a lump that had risen in my throat as he nodded and tried to seem indifferent about the possibility of being eaten by a three-hundred pound animal with razor-sharp teeth and piercing claws that were most likely larger than my head. "How, um… many do you think? One, two?"

Edward looked toward me again and then shifted his body so that I only saw his back.

"Maybe. Maybe more," he said.

"More? Like how many more, Edward?" I crossed my arms in front of my chest, looking around the woods.

I thought I saw his body shake just a little. "You're not scared of a few bears, are you?" His voice cracked and then he cleared his throat.

He looked at me over his shoulder, the corners of his mouth twitching. He was laughing at me.

I shook my head, setting the canister down on the cooler and walked toward Edward, kneeling in front of him. "Me? No. But if one chases us, I will trip you and save myself."

Edward glanced at me and smiled. "Not if I trip you first. You're a little scrawny, Swan. I doubt if you could out run me anyway."

The two of us stood at the same time. Edward walked toward me as I moved backwards to the next corner of the tent that needed to be secured.

"I may be scrawny, Cullen, but I'm very, very fast." I said, quirking my eyebrow.

"Are you?" he asked, biting his full, bottom lip.

Warmth flooded me.

We knelt. Edward picked up the metal rod and held it in place.

"I am." I feathered my fingers along the top of his hand. "And I don't think I'd taste as good as you anyway."

I started to stand, but he grabbed my hand, guiding me back down. He snaked his palm to the back of my neck, pulling me to him, our lips almost touching. "That's where you're wrong, Swan." His head tilted, the tip of his tongue tracing the edge of my bottom lip. "I've already tasted you and you're more than appetizing."

The early September air turned cool after the sun set. Crickets chirped softly in the distance, a background melody against the crackling of the fire. I nestled closer to Edward as we lay on a thick, wool blanket next to the low, orange blaze, our feet tangled. My entire body was a little sore from the long walk we had taken earlier in the day, but even lying on the hard ground, being in Edward's arms, I was more content than if I'd been in my own bed.

He smelled like dried leaves and smoke from the fire. I audibly inhaled his scent as he stared up at the sky, burning it into my memory.

"What are you doing?" he asked softly.

"Remembering you," I whispered. I tilted my head back to look at him; he continued to stare straight up at the sky, his expression unreadable.

Edward raised his hand, pointing toward the sky, and said, "Do you see that - the three stars in a row?"

Rolling onto my back, I rested my hand on his thigh. "Mm hmm."

"That's the belt of Orion. See the two stars below the belt? They're supposed to be his feet?"

I nodded.

"Okay, look at the right one, the brightest." Then he moved his finger in a winding path south from the star. "It's a little hard to see if you're not familiar with it, and you'd never be able to see it if it weren't so black out here, but can you see the trail of stars that stop right there?"

I wasn't sure if I saw what he did. I saw the bright constellation of Orion, but the group of stars he was trying to show me wasn't as clear. There were so many more stars, thousands of silver glints against the black backdrop, all of them hidden back in reality.

"Show me again."

He moved the arm he had around me, scooting down so that our eyes were level and lacing his fingers through mine. Retracing his finger toward the sky, he asked, "Can you see it?"

Squinting my eyes, I followed his finger as he traced the path a few more times. "Yeah, I think so."

"It's Eridanus – a river. The myth is Phaethon was the son of Helios, the sun god. He wanted to drive his father's chariot through the sky, but Helios didn't think that Phaethon was strong enough to handle the white horses that pulled it. Phaethon was too cocky for his own good, though, and after incessantly badgering his father, Helios finally relented and allowed his son to drive his chariot." I remained quiet, just listening. Edward's tone was low, unchanging. "Phaethon was reckless and lost control of the reins, causing the sun to come too close to the earth. Zeus was afraid the earth would burn and sent a lightening bolt, killing Phaethon, causing him to fall into the Eridanus. The myth is that the river still steams from his burning body."

Edward sucked in his breath, as if to say more, but he didn't. Instead, he was quiet for a few moments. I didn't ask why he told me the legend.

He rolled on top of me, cocooning us in the blanket. Edward leaned in and took my upper lip into his mouth. His tongue softly pressed against mine, and I cupped my hands against his face.

He slowly pressed his hips against me, and I began to unbutton his shirt. Edward rose to his knees, swiftly removing his shirt. The two of us undressed ourselves, our eyes not breaking contact. Our clothes strewn around the ground beside us, Edward lay back on top of me. I spread my knees and knotted my fingers through his hair as he slowly entered me.

We continued to look into each other's eyes - the reflection of the fire dancing in his - as he moved deeper inside of me. He was gentle, and our hips moved together. He rested his forehead on my shoulder, the full weight of him on me. It should have been uncomfortable against the itchy, wool blanket and being pressed into the hard ground, but it wasn't. His heart pounded steady and strong against my chest as I pulled him tighter against me with my legs. My pulse responded to his, our hearts rhythmically in sync.

Neither of us said a word. The crickets seemed to have knowingly stopped chirping. The only sounds were that of the fire beside us and our huffs of breath with each guided movement from Edward's hips.

I squeezed his hair in my fingers and clenched him tightly inside of me. Edward lifted his head and looked back to me with heavy eyes. I wanted to read his mind. As he breathed out, I breathed him in, needing to taste him, feel him.

Edward and I moved together a little faster, still gentle but strong, as the surge of elation came closer. He was all of the way inside of me and pressed his face against mine. My body began to quiver, as did his, reaching our orgasms at the same time. My cheek felt damp under his, and he moved his head to softly suck at my neck.

He kissed up the line of my jaw, under my chin, and then to my mouth.

I moved my fingers to his mouth while he kissed me, faintly touching his bottom lip as if it might shatter.

Edward rested his forehead against mine as he traced his hand down my side. He pulled back slightly, still inside of me, and looked into my eyes - his glistened.

He smiled slightly. "I don't want tomorrow to come," he said softly.

Neither did I.


a/n: Huge, huge, huge thanks to Mac, SueBob, and sncmom for reading this chapter a little more than they wanted to.

ms_ambrosia from Twilighted has made the most beautiful banner for this story. Check it out if you get a chance. astrosky84 - I hope you think this chapter is ek.