A/N: Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers - you really make it all worthwhile!

Thanks to MrsKatyCullen for going over this for me.

Chapter 10

The weeks leading up the Yule Ball were among the happiest that Bella had spent in her life. Edward dominated her thoughts, her dreams. She could barely remember what her life had been like before Edward had come into it.

The only fly in the ointment was the fact that already there were whispers about Bella and Edward around the hospital. Bella knew it was inevitable but had hoped to keep their relationship to themselves for a while longer. She knew that the cat would be out of the bag on the night of the Ball, when they arrived together.

It hadn't taken long before Bella had been asked about Edward. When she'd gone into work on Wednesday, she could barely keep the smile off her face when she'd seen him. She'd had to suppress the longing to touch him. Other than a brief squeeze of her hand, they had acted entirely professionally, however hard that had been.

To Bella's delight though, they had managed to have lunch together, finding a corner table in the cafeteria. Although they didn't act in any way that would suggest they were more than just colleagues, their body language gave them away.

"Did you sleep well last night?" asked Edward, his green eyes glinting with memories.

"Eventually. You got me bit worked up, as you know," replied Bella.

"Oh, and like I wasn't?"

Bella smiled and Edward was hard pressed not to lean over and kiss her.

That afternoon, as Bella was getting ready to leave, she was effectively cornered by a curious Sue.

"Is there something going on between you and Dr Cullen?" asked Sue.

Bella sighed softly and turned to her. "What do you mean?" she hedged. Damn, it's started already. Unfortunately, she liked Sue and she didn't want to lie. It would be pointless anyway.

"It's just that I heard some of the nurses talking at lunch. They think the two of you are more than co-workers."

"Listening to gossip Sue?"

"I'm sorry but I couldn't help it. I'm kinda hoping it's true, though. You'd make a great couple."

What to say? Bella knew Sue wasn't an inveterate gossiper and could trust her with the truth. Making sure they were entirely alone, Bella confirmed Sue's suspicions.

"I may as well tell you. It's going to be obvious the night of the Ball anyway. Yes, Edward and I are seeing each other."

Sue grinned widely. "That's great. He's lovely. And so handsome. I'm almost jealous."

Bella laughed and gave her a hug. "Thanks Sue. It's early days yet but I'm happy. I'm just not looking forward to the whispers around here."

"It'll only be at first, Bella. Until the next new thing comes along. Then you'll be old news and no-one will care," said Sue. "So you're going to the Ball with Edward?"

"Yes. His sister Alice is getting me ready for it."

"Got a dress yet?"

"I think so. I'm still not sure about it and might change my mind. You going?"

"Sure am. Bill and I don't get out that much and it's the only chance each year that I get to dress up. Bill whines all night about having to wear a suit, but I always tell him that he looks so handsome that he's definitely getting lucky that night."

Bella burst out laughing. "You are wicked, Sue."

"It works. He says it's the only reason he comes along. Edward will look positively dreamy, don't you think?"

"Oh yes. I get goose bumps just thinking about it," agreed Bella fervently.

"And I'm sure he'll only have eyes for you too. I noticed the chemistry between you two as soon as he came."

Bella smiled as she thought about the explosive chemistry between them. The more she got to know him, the stronger her desire for him.

Edward came over that night, as he did every night that they weren't working or on call. They began to spend every free moment they had together. Bella almost felt lost when he had to go in to work. She missed his presence, his touch, his kisses. She knew he felt the same. He'd told her so.

On the morning Jake and her father were due to leave on their fishing trip, Bella had driven over to Charlie's house really early before work to say goodbye. Jacob, Quil and Billy were already there. Jacob was going to be doing the driving north to Canada, sharing with Charlie. Bella could see how excited Billy was, and was happy for him.

When Jacob asked how Edward was and when was he going meet him, Charlie had overheard.

"Yeah, Bella. I want to meet this boy. When are you going to introduce us?"

"Dad, the 'boy' is thirty years old. I'll bring him over when you get back, ok? The same with you Jake. Just go and have fun, will you?" she replied, exasperated.

"Make sure you do," said Charlie.

"You all be careful on the ice, ok? Jake, don't you go getting your butt stuck on it Or you Quil," she ordered sternly.

With hugs and kisses for all of them, Bella had left for work, promising to keep an eye on the house.

In the time she had spent with Edward, she'd told him about Jacob and his father, explaining that Jacob had been her best friend since she arrived back in Forks as a teenager.

"And there was never anything more between you?" asked Edward, wondering whether he should have asked that. If he really wanted to know.

Bella looked at him, mentally debating if she should tell the whole truth. Deciding that she didn't want doubts or lies between them, she told him.

"When I was twenty and still in Seattle, Jacob came down to stay with me one weekend. He'd often come down and we'd go out with friends from college. It gave him a chance to get away from Forks every now and then. We were both single at the time and for one reason or another, we were fed up with the whole dating scene. As we lamented the difficulty in finding someone, Jacob suggested, out of the blue, that maybe we should get together. It made sense. We were so comfortable together, we knew each other inside out. I thought why not?"

"And?" asked Edward.

"And, we realised very soon that we'd made a mistake. We couldn't get past the fact that we were best friends. It was like dating my brother. We both agreed to forget the whole thing and go back to how things were before."

Edward couldn't help it. He had to know. "Did you sleep together?"

Bella nodded. "Yes. Just the once. After we decided to get together. It was after that, that we knew we'd made a mistake. It was nice, but there wasn't any passion. It was two old friends who were pretending to be something they weren't."

Edward unclenched his teeth. He hated the thought of his Bella being with someone else. He shouldn't have asked the question. He had no right. Bella's past was just that. The past. She was with him now, wanted him.

"And you've been ok, with each other, since then?" he asked.

"Yeah. We're great. And he really wants to meet you. He's happy for me. I didn't really bother with dating after that. I just concentrated on my studies and work. Until you started at Forks Hospital."

"Is he with someone now?" asked Edward curiously.

"No. He hasn't found 'the one' yet. He's still looking though. I offered Alice's matchmaking services, but he declined," said Bella with a laugh.

"You're evil," declared Edward as he pulled her into his arms. When he began kissing her, all thoughts of Jacob fled both their minds.

o-o-o-o-o-o

On her next day off, Alice insisted Bella meet her in order to get shoes to go with the dress.

"I need to put your hem up and I can't do that without you wearing the shoes you intend to wear with it." Despite Bella's less than enthusiastic response, Alice dragged Bella around the shoe stores in Port Angeles.

"Those are perfect," declared Alice as Bella tried on the umpteenth pair of shoes.

Bella looked at them with a wary eye. They were shiny silver stilettos, much higher than anything Bella had worn before. "Al, I don't want to break my neck."

"Don't be silly. You'll be fine. They'll look fabulous with the dress."

Bella let herself be persuaded to buy the shoes. Pleading the need to have a break, they found a cafe and had some lunch.

"Now, we have to get you some underwear," said Alice as they ate.

"I have underwear, Alice."

"Bella, you don't want to have lines under the dress, do you? No. Do you have a thong?"

"A thong! I'm not wearing a thong under the dress," protested Bella.

"Of course you are. It's the only solution," insisted Alice.

"Isn't there something else. I hate thongs," grimaced Bella. "I feel like I need to spend the whole time pulling my pants from my butt."

Alice laughed. "They do take some getting used to, I admit. But honestly, it's the best solution." At Bella's scowl, Alice continued. "We might be able to find something seamless that might do if you're really set against it. But if we can't find anything, a thong it is."

After lunch they walked to a lingerie store To Bella's relief, Alice managed to find a pair of lace boy-leg underwear which had no seams. They even matched the dress in colour. "We'll have to road-test these first. If I see a hint of line..."

"I know, I know, it'll be a thong," finished Bella for her.

Carrying their purchases, they went back to Alice's shop where Alice made Bella put the dress on, complete with shoes and underwear. Again, Bella was taken aback by the amount of skin the dress revealed.

When she walked out, Alice and her assistant, Nina both exclaimed in delight.

"You look so good, Bella," said Nina, walking around Bella, to see her from all angles. "Great choice Alice."

"I know. I'm good, if I do say so myself," said Alice, tongue in cheek.

There were only ten days until the Ball and Alice wanted to make sure the dress was perfect by then. With Nina's help, they pinned up the hem.

"I'll lend you some jewellery," mumbled Alice, her mouth full of pins.

"Ok. You know, I'm actually looking forward to it," admitted Bella.

"If Edward saw this dress, he'd be tearing down your door in anticipation. When are you both free? I want you to come over for dinner."

"I'm working Friday night but I'm free Saturday and Sunday. I think Edward's on call this weekend though." It sometimes got hard to co-ordinate their free time.

"No matter. I'll work something out. Maybe even lunch instead."

Bella was working that night so she knew she wouldn't be seeing Edward as Dr Haas was the doctor on call. She went in a bit early and was delighted to find that Edward hadn't left yet.

Making sure no-one was watching, Bella went into Edward's office and locked the door behind her. With a delighted smile, Edward pulled her into his arms as Bella wrapped hers around his neck.

With a small groan of delight, Edward's lips met Bella's. They kissed hungrily for what seemed an endless time before Edward's mouth trailed over her cheek and down to her throat. Bella sighed as Edward kissed a particularly sensitive spot below her ear, her hand tangled in his unruly hair.

"Mmm, you smell good enough to eat," murmured Edward as he gently nipped at Bella's neck.

"I like that idea," replied Bella with a smile. She turned her head to suck on Edward's ear, delighting in his swift intake of air.

Before they could get too carried away, Edward lifted his head and smiled down at her. "That will have to keep me going until the next time I see you."

"Yeah. Shame I'm working the next three nights. I'll hardly get to see you," pouted Bella prettily.

"I'll miss you. You're not working this weekend are you?" he asked.

Bella shook her head. "No, we'll be able to spend some time together at least."

"Good. Mom asked if we wanted to go to Sunday lunch at their place?"

"Oh, that's nice of her. I'd love to go. I wouldn't miss the chance to eat your Mom's cooking," said Bella.

Edward laughed and held her tight. "I'll tell her you said so."

With no little regret, Bella gave Edward one last, sweet kiss and stepped back. "I'd better go. We don't want to get tongues wagging even more than they already are."

"Yes. I've had a few comments," said Edward.

"I'm sorry," grimaced Bella. "I know you hate being gossiped about, after Tanya."

Edward took her face between his hands, softly stroking her skin with his thumbs. "Hey, it's ok. We knew it was going to happen. At least they're gossiping about something that's true this time. And if it means being able to do this..." Edward leaned down and kissed her deeply, making Bella's pulse race. "It's definitely worth every whisper or comment."

Reluctantly, Bella said goodbye and went to work. During the night they had an admission. Leah Clearwater came in about 2am, in labour with her fourth baby. She'd only had her first contraction an hour earlier, but from previous experience, she knew she'd better get to the hospital fast.

"Hey Leah," greeted Bella, as she helped the labouring woman onto the bed. "Not wasting any time, are we?" she joked.

"No. I think this one's the most impatient," she said, before gasping in pain as another contraction started.

"How far apart are the contractions?" Bella asked her husband, Jared, as she got the equipment ready. Turning on the machine, they instantly heard the rapid heartbeat echo throughout the room.

"Only a couple of minutes apart, I think," replied Jared, taking hold of his wife's hand.

"Well, you're an old hand at this Leah. What's your feeling?" asked Bella, pulling on gloves to give her an internal examination.

"Not long Bella. They're feeling pretty continuous at the moment." She groaned again.

"Yep, you're right. You're nearly fully dilated." She took off her gloves and quickly rang through for another midwife to assist. "Unfortunately, it's too late to give you any painkiller other than gas."

"Don't care," panted Leah. "I never seem to have time to get painkillers."

Melanie, the other midwife on duty came in. Together they got the birth pack ready. Within ten minutes, Leah cried out that she felt like pushing.

Wanting to sit on the bed, Bella adjusted the back for Leah, in order to support her weight, while taking off the detachable end of the bed, allowing easier access.

Moaning loudly now, Leah's face got red and sweaty. During one particularly painful contraction, she turned on her husband. "Damn you Jared! That's it. You're getting neutered after this. I'm not doing this again. Ohhhh!"

Bella bit her lip to stop herself laughing as she saw the chagrin on poor Jared's face at his wife's outburst. Bella had heard a lot worse in her time delivering babies.

"A couple of bricks should do it," groaned Leah. Jared just gulped at the thought.

Bella and Melanie burst out laughing. They couldn't help it. "Don't worry, she'll forgive you the moment the baby's here," she whispered to Jared.

"Don't count on it!" said Leah.

Within the next few minutes, Leah began pushing in earnest. After only three strong pushes, Bella could see the baby's head crowning.

"Ok Leah, here we go. One big push and the head will be out," said Bella.

"Ahhh..." cried Leah, her face turning maroon with her efforts. Slowly, the baby's head emerged. Bella saw that the umbilical cord was wrapped around its neck.

"Ok, don't push now, Leah. I need to remove the cord from its neck." Carefully, Bella unwrapped the cord, ensuring the baby wouldn't be choked as its body emerged. Leah panted swiftly, waiting for the ok to push again. Bella turned the baby's head and prepared to catch. "Ok, push on the next contraction, Leah."

With a loud cry, Leah pushed her baby out, the infant crying out loudly in protest at being pushed out of its warm, cosy cocoon.

"It's a boy, Leah," said Bella with a smile as she held the wriggling baby.

Breathing heavily, Leah turned and kissed her husband, obviously all forgiven. "That's nice. Now we have matching pairs."

Bella gave the baby a swift look over, noting that he seemed perfectly healthy then asked Jared to cut the cord. When she gave the baby to his mother, both parents were oblivious of everything other than their new son. Bella delivered the placenta without any fuss and she and Melanie cleaned Leah up.

"Good work Leah," said Bella. "If everyone was as quick as you, I wouldn't have much to do." Bella looked at the clock. It was just past 3am, so Leah had taken an hour to deliver her baby. "If you have any more, I think you might have to camp out outside the hospital, you'll probably deliver that fast."

"If you think I'm doing this again, you're dreaming," said Leah, cuddling her son close. "Nope. This is it. I have an even number, two boys, two girls. I'm not messing with that. Are we Jared?" She looked pointedly at her husband.

"Yeah ok. I'll go and get snipped," said Jared, a look of resignation on his face.

"Good idea, if you want to get any," replied Leah.

Bella chuckled. "It's not that bad, Jared. I promise."

"Yeah, if I can push four heads out of my nether regions, you can have one tiny little snip in yours."

Jared winced then took his son, while Bella finished cleaning Leah up.

"I'll leave you guys alone for a while, ok," said Bella. "If you need anything, just ring the buzzer."

That was a fun birth, chuckled Bella to herself as she wrote up her notes. Being an experienced mom, Leah had been relatively relaxed and knew what was happening. Poor Jared. Bella almost felt sorry for him.

Bella was reminded of poor Chelsea Johnson's birth, nearly two weeks ago now. Such different emotions to tonight's. Such different circumstances. Chelsea's baby had been discharged two days ago. For the moment, the baby had been placed in foster care. The authorities were hoping that Chelsea and her mother would decide to keep the baby. Bella knew that they were receiving counselling. She'd heard on the grapevine that the baby's father had been arrested by the Port Angeles Police and released on bail. She wondered how Mrs Johnson was coping, seeing as he was a neighbour. Hopefully, he was staying elsewhere.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully, and Bella was glad to get home the next morning and straight to bed. Her last thought before falling asleep was, as always, of Edward.

o-o-o-o-o-o

It was early afternoon on Saturday when Edward knocked on Bella's door. After working the night shift again, she needed to get some sleep. Bella opened the door to Edward's sexy smile and threw herself at him.

Edward lifted her bodily into his arms before devouring her with his mouth. Relief at being together again after nearly three days apart lent an urgency to their kiss. There was nothing gentle about this kiss; this was just pent up passion.

Without thought, Bella wrapped her legs around Edward's waist, her hands spearing into his hair as she pulled him as close as possible. His hands were holding her tight and Bella couldn't stop the moan when one hand moved down to her behind. She was on fire for him. As she wriggled in his arms, she felt his hardness and knew she could wait no longer for him. She wanted him so badly.

"Bella," he gasped against her throat.

"Oh Edward. I've missed you," she whispered into his hair. One hand reached inside the collar of his shirt and she caressed the smooth skin of his shoulder.

"Ah Bella. I want you. You don't know how much," murmured Edward into her shoulder as he brought her body up tight against his, letting her feel exactly how much he wanted her.

Edward took a couple of steps towards the lounge but Bella stopped him. At the question in his eyes, Bella shook her head and pointed to another door. Her bedroom.

"Bella?"

"Yes Edward. I want you too." Taking his face between her hands, she kissed him deeply, her tongue invading his mouth, devouring him.

With a groan of relief, Edward walked to her bedroom door and opened it. He hadn't been in here before but now wasn't the time to admire the decor. Walking to the bed, he lay Bella down on it, following with his body. The sheer pleasure of lying so close stopped him for a moment.

Bella's hands were roaming all over his back, pulling his shirt free from his pants. Needing to feel her hands on his body, Edward pulled back and began undoing his buttons. As he pulled it off, Bella licked her lips in anticipation.

He was perfection. Slim but with perfectly defined muscles, his chest coated with light layer of hair. His body tapered down from his broad shoulders to his waist, his trousers now riding low on his hips. A trail of hair went from his belly button down into his trousers, as if leading to untold delights.

Bella reached up to run her hands over his chest, loving the feel of his muscles rippling beneath her touch. Impatiently, she pulled him down to her again, their mouths crashing together with the force of their desire. She scraped the smooth, warm skin of his back with her fingernails, smiling as she heard his sharp intake of breath.

Edward's lips left hers to trail kisses all over her face before moving down over her throat. She moaned as he gently sucked on her skin before soothing it with his tongue, tingles of pleasure running up and down her spine. Gradually, Edward's mouth moved lower to the vee between her breasts. Bella's breathing was getting more and more erratic. Edward's hand moved up and began massaging her breasts over the material of her blouse.

Bella needed to feel his mouth on her. "Take it off. Please."

Edward lifted his head and looked in deeply into her eyes. "Are you sure, Bella?" Bella only nodded. She needed this now.

With somewhat shaky fingers, Edward slowly undid the buttons on her blouse before taking it completely off. Bella was only wearing a soft pink cotton and lace bra and Edward couldn't resist rubbing his lips and cheek over her breast, feeling her taut nipples beneath the material.

"Oh Edward. Please," gasped Bella.

At her bidding, he undid the front clasp, freeing her breasts to his gaze. "Oh god Bella," he breathed. "You are perfection itself. You are beyond words, beyond my dreams." With that he lowered his head and took her eager nipple into his mouth.

Bella cried out with pleasure as he licked, nipped and sucked on her nipple before moving to the other one. Each movement sent a flame of desire down to her very core and she couldn't help squeezing her legs together, trying to ease the ache between them. It didn't work. Only Edward could ease that particular ache.

After a short while, Edward stopped to press his naked chest to hers, both of them gasping at the feel of their flesh pressed together so intimately. Bella opened her legs so that Edward could lay between them, his hardness pressing against her. He had Bella so wound up, she felt like she could snap at any moment.

Edward kneeled up between her legs and began kissing and nibbling her skin, starting at her lips and working his way down her body. Her pulse was racing and she was struggling to get breath into her lungs. Again, Edward paid particular attention to her breasts, worshipping them with his lips and tongue. Eventually his lips began working their way down her torso, the excitement building.

How did I end up this lucky? Thought Edward as he learn the secrets of Bella's body. She was everything he never knew he wanted in a woman. Smart, sexy, kind, beautiful. She was perfect in his eyes.

Her skin was like silk, pale silk. He could happily spend forever just touching her skin. With his hands, his mouth, his body. When he'd uncovered the perfection of her breasts to his gaze, he'd had to close his eyes briefly to regain some control over himself. He just wanted to bury himself in her body, forget everything and everyone, revel in her warmth.

Breathing deeply of her scent, his lips and tongue feasted on her, her gasps of pleasure increasing his excitement. He'd made her this way; wanton, sensual. He wanted to pleasure her endlessly.

No-one had ever been as important to him as Bella. No-one. She consumed his waking thoughts as well as his dreams at night. He didn't feel whole until she was with him. She was in his blood and there was no cure. He didn't want a cure. Was this love? This all consuming passion he felt for her? The need to be with her? The joy he felt in just her smile? The pride he felt watching her work? If not, it was doing a very good imitation.

His mouth and hands reached the button of her jeans and he paused. He wanted her to be absolutely sure she wanted this. He couldn't bear it if she regretted it later.

"Bella, love, are you sure about this? I'll stop if you're not."

Bella's eyes were nearly black with desire as she looked at him. "Oh yes, Edward. I'm sure. Make love to me."

Closing his eyes in order to maintain some control, Edward undid the button and pulled down the zip. Underneath he could see matching pink panties and gulped. Heaven help me, he thought. He was so hard that he was actually worried he'd disgrace himself before he'd even had the chance to give her pleasure. Bella did that to him.

He leaned down and kissed the soft skin of her belly, hearing her gasp in pleasure.

"Oh god Edward," she moaned. "I want you so much."

Slowly he began to pull down her jeans, kissing the exposed skin as he went. He was so engrossed in what he was doing, he didn't notice the sound at first.

Bella opened her desire-filled eyes and frowned. "What's that?"

Edward reluctantly lifted his lips from her skin and listened. Then he swore silently. "It's my phone. I'm on call remember?"

Bella just groaned, her body suddenly cold now that he wasn't touching it. Please don't let it be work, she pleaded silently.

Edward fumbled in his coat pocket and found the offending object. "Edward Cullen," he barked out, pure frustration lacing his voice. He listened for a few moments before replying. "Ok, I'll be there in ten minutes."

Bella felt like crying at that moment. Damn, damn, damn, damn. Why now?

She felt Edwards lips against her cheek and opened her eyes to see his regretful green ones. "I'm so sorry Bella, but I've got to go."

Bella sighed resignedly. She, of all people, knew what his job entailed so she shouldn't be surprised this happened. It was part of the profession they'd chosen.

Taking his face between her hands, Bella pulled him down and gave him a gentle kiss of understanding. "I know. It's not your fault. I, more than anyone understand the pros and cons of our profession. It doesn't mean I'm not disappointed though. And frustrated."

Edward chuckled. "You and me both, kiddo. Lord I want you," he murmured and gave her one last lingering kiss before pulling his shirt back on.

Bella sat up and began dressing too. She walked him to the door and gave him a hug as he left. "Come back when you finish."

Edward nodded and with a last wave, left for the hospital.

o-o-o-o-o-o

It turned out that Edward was at the hospital until the early hours of the morning as they battled to save the life of a mother and her unborn baby after a car crash. The next time Bella saw Edward was when he came to pick her up the next afternoon to go for lunch with Esme and Carlisle.

On the way Edward described his, Dr Haas and the other surgeons' struggle to keep the baby and mother alive. Unfortunately the baby had lost its fight and the mother was in a critical condition, her chances of survival still touch and go. Bella could see the toll it had taken on Edward, his face still drawn. Reaching out, she took his hand and gave it squeeze then lifted it to her lips, kissing his palm in a gesture of comfort. She kept hold of it the rest of the way.

The Cullen's house was on the outskirts of town, on edge of the forest. Edward turned off the main highway into a gravel drive that wound through the thick trees. Bella's eyes widened in surprised delight as the house came into view. It was lovely.

It was a stately, double storied house that seemed to fit perfectly into the background of ancient green trees. A large, welcoming front porch greeted visitors, the banisters liberally coated with climbing plants. Painted white, the house looked like it had always been there, had grown out of the forest itself.

"It's beautiful, Edward," she said, as she watched the front door open, Esme and Carlisle coming out to greet them.

"Yeah, it is," he agreed. He climbed out of the car and jogged around to Bella's side, opening the door and helping her out. He didn't let go of her hand as they walked up greet a smiling Esme.

"Hello darling," greeted Esme, giving Edward a warm hug and kiss. Turning to Bella, Esme smiled widely. "Bella! How are you dear? I'm so glad you could come today," she said, as she kissed Bella's cheek.

"Hi Esme. Thanks for asking me," replied Bella.

"Don't be silly. Come in and get comfortable," urged Esme.

Bella turned to greet Carlisle. "Hi Carlisle."

"Hello Bella. You wouldn't believe how excited Esme was that you were coming with Edward today," he said, smiling affectionately at his wife then leaning down to kiss Bella on the cheek.

"Well I certainly wouldn't be silly enough to turn down Esme's cooking," said Bella.

"Thank you dear," said Esme, tucking her arm through Bella's and leading her up the porch steps. Edward fell back, talking with Carlisle about the previous night's emergency at the hospital.

"Bella, I can't tell you how happy I am about you and Edward," said Esme. "I always hoped that he would find someone who would make him happy. And who I liked," she added.

"Thank you Esme. I really appreciate that. And Edward makes me happy. Very happy. He's a special man."

Esme looked at her warmly, before giving her a brief hug. "Well, I think he's found a very special lady. You two just have so much in common."

Bella felt humbled at being so warmly accepted by Edward's family. Of course, she'd known Carlisle and Esme since they arrived in Forks, but only as a colleague. Now they were accepting her as Edward's girlfriend, for want of a better word. A family as close as Edward's would want the best for him and she was so grateful that they felt she was good enough for their son.

As Esme led her into the house, Bella looked around, delighting at the beautiful decor. It was light and airy, but also warm and welcoming, with fresh flowers everywhere, photos on the wall. The polished floors had colourful rugs while the open fireplace radiated a lovely warmth.

"Esme, your house is lovely," exclaimed Bella.

"Why thank you, Bella. I must admit I love this house. I had such a fun time decorating it. Come, I'll show you around. Let the boys talk shop," she said as they wandered into another room.

Esme showed Bella around, pointing out some of her favourite objects, telling her the stories behind some of the photos. One room had a beautiful grand piano in it, with comfortable lounges grouped around another fireplace. The mantelpiece was covered in photos.

"Do you play, Esme?" asked Bella as she walked over to the fireplace.

"Oh no. Edward plays the piano."

Bella looked at Esme in astonishment. "Edward plays the piano? He never told me that."

"Oh yes. He's very good. Unfortunately, due to living in smaller apartments, he hasn't been able to keep the piano with him but he knows it's here whenever he feels the need to use it. He used it a lot when he was going through treatment," said Esme quietly, remembering. "Anyway, you'll have to get him to play for you."

Esme showed her around the rest of the house then took her out to look at the backyard. "Everything's dormant at the moment, of course, but it's lovely and colourful in the spring and summer."

"It must be lovely to sit out here on a summer's evening," commented Bella as she looked around the large cleared backyard, now covered in snow and frost. It was surrounded by the edges of the forest.

"Oh yes. I love having my breakfast out here in summer, listening to the birds. You'll see it in its glory next spring," said Esme as Carlisle and Edward came out. Edward came up to Bella and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as he kissed her hair.

"Mom give you the tour?" he asked with a smile at his mother.

"Yes. It's a gorgeous house. I'm jealous," replied Bella.

They all went inside and chatted while Esme bustled around, finishing the preparations for their lunch. She insisted they eat in the large country-style kitchen, saying the dining room was too formal for a family lunch.

Bella loved watching the interaction between Edward and his parents, the bond between them plainly evident. They talked a little about the events at the hospital but didn't want Esme to feel left out of the conversation so steered the topics to more general ones. Esme regaled Bella with tales of Edward's childhood and some of the mischief he got into, usually at Alice's instigation.

"It was all Alice's fault," declared Edward. "She led me astray."

"Who's the older one?" laughed Bella.

After lunch, Carlisle excused himself and went to his study to do some paperwork. Esme said she was going to ring Alice, not too subtly leaving Edward and Bella alone.

Edward led Bella to the sitting room which had the piano in it. Bella walked over to the photos, smiling as she saw ones of Edward and Alice at various ages. One had Edward, around three, holding his baby sister, a cherubic smile on his face. Another had Edward in his baseball outfit, proudly holding a trophy. He looked around ten.

"You played baseball?" asked Bella.

"Yeah, I loved it. That was our first winner's trophy. Mom still has it somewhere."

There were others, including his high school and university graduation photos. Bella could see the progression from a cute, chubby cheeked toddler into a gangly teenager, then into a drop-dead gorgeous man.

As she looked at the photos, Edward stood behind her, his arms around her waist, holding her tight. Bella put her hands over his and he dipped his head to kiss the skin where her throat met her shoulder.

"You were a cute kid," said Bella, leaning back into him.

"Still think I'm cute?"

"Mmm, you were probably cuter then," joked Bella, earning herself a tickle around her waist.

"Stop!" she laughed, trying to pull away. "Ok, ok. I take it back. You're definitely cuter now!"

"That's better," laughed Edward, turning her to face him and giving her a quick but passionate kiss.

"Play something for me," asked Bella.

Edward took her hand and led her to the piano. Sitting her down next to him on the piano stool, Edward opened the cover and ran his fingers over the keys to see if it needed tuning.

"What do you want me to play?" he asked.

"Anything. I don't care."

Edward started playing, his fingers seemingly dancing over the keys. Bella was astounded at how good he was. He could be a concert pianist, if he hadn't gone into medicine. She watched his face as he played, could see how the music seemed to take over, his face calm and serene. The piece he played was beautiful, the music ebbing and flowing. Bella was so lost in it, that it took her a few moments to realise he'd stopped playing and was looking at her, a tender look in his eyes.

"That was beautiful, Edward," she said, her voice low with wonder. "What was that?"

"Chopin. It's one of his 'ballades', a love song."

Bella just looked at him, neither saying a word. Both knew that something had changed.

That there was no going back, for either of them.

o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: I can hear all the groans of frustration! I'm sorry. But your patience will be rewarded, I promise.

Review and let me know what you think - or to tell me off for leaving you high and dry!