IMPORTANT NOTE IN REGARD TO THE REMAINDER OF THIS STORY!!!! *PLEASE READ!!!!* In order to read the remainder of this story, you must use the link on my profile page to check out one of the two alternate locations. This is the last chapter that does not violate FFN's TOS. This was done less from fear and more from a desire to be a good example for 'following the rules' even if they stuck. Thanks for reading and for the reviews!!!


Disclaimer: The twilight characters aren't mine, but I've enjoyed using them to fashion my little OOC/AH characters here!

Author's Note: Another fluffy chapter before the boys leave and even my beta pointed out it's a bit slower, but there's some important info here that needed addressed. I promise things are going to heat up and get away from the fluffy again starting toward the end of the next chapter and pretty much staying that way through the two following chapters. So you'll get a bit of a break from the fluff soon. I have an a/n that explains a thing or two at the bottom as well as a bit of a challenge so please take time to read it when you're done with the chapter!

16. New Heat and Old Flames

BPOV

The rest of the week before the guys left continued on as it had in the beginning. Every morning Edward would bring me breakfast at the crack of dawn and then come back when my rounds were over to walk me back to his place. He really was being so overprotective and I hate to admit it, but this was more than a little sexy.

Once we got back to his place he gave me privacy to shower dragging me into the dining room for a light lunch before crawling into his sinfully comfortable bed. He always pulled me to his chest to sleep the day away. Sometimes we would make out a bit before I fell asleep, but most of the time we saved the making out for when I woke up and oh my, did we ever make out!

I was rather surprised though because we kept everything over the clothes. After the first day he began to sleep shirtless, which made me very happy. I swear I could look at him shirtless all day long and never grow tired of it. The man was like heaven personified. But he never let any more of his clothes or any of mine come off and didn't try to take mine off either.

The boys were leaving Saturday morning, so Alice and I did some bartering and trading in order to get Friday night off so we could spend the last day and night with the boys and work our weekend off instead. Once they are gone we will be trapped in Alice's apartment under armed guard.

When Edward and Jasper picked us up they were caught off guard by our excitement. Normally we were barely more than the walking dead when we got off of the floor the morning after a graveyard shift, but we were too excited by our surprise. We had only found out two hours before that our bartering had worked. We were both stuck working a double beginning Saturday at ten, but it was going to totally be worth it.

"What are you two all chipper about?" Jasper asked as we giggled and sauntered up to them both melting into their arms.

"We have a surprise for you two," Alice trilled slightly muffled within Jasper's jacket.

I looked up at Edward with a wink and he cocked a suspicious eyebrow at us.

"Guess what two hot and sexy doctors managed to negotiate this morning?"

They looked a bit worried as they waited for us to continue.

"We traded tonight's shift so that we can spend all of our time with you until you guys have to leave tomorrow morning."

Edward's eyes sparkled and a wide grin took over his face. He stretched down and kissed me then pulled me into a warm hug.

"How did you pull that off?" He asked as he continued to hold me to his chest and kiss the top of my head.

"You guys are gone anyway, so we agreed to a double on Saturday night and Sunday."

I felt Edward tense under my embrace as I heard Jasper yelp next to me. "You did what? You guys are already nearly dead when we pick you up after a regular graveyard shift. Why would you ever volunteer to do a double?"

I shrugged. "It's going to be par for the course in a few months. We've been lucky so far that we've only had to do it a few times during emergencies up till now. Dr. K is really a believer in easing interns into the full stress of the field, but she feels we're ready to take on the responsibility. It isn't unusual at all for hospital doctors to pull eighty or more hours a week. We definitely didn't choose a fluffy laid back profession."

I didn't even have to look at Edward to know he had a deep scowl on his face. "Once you finish your residency it won't be so bad though will it? You can't keep this up forever."

"A lot of doctors do. It just depends on what I choose. If I go private practice then it won't be so bad unless I go obstetrics or something that requires 24 hour on call. But if I go trauma, surgery, or something along those lines which means full time in a hospital then it will probably be the standard."

I felt Edward sigh and pull away from me as he began to guide me to the doors. I looked up to see Jasper and Alice were long gone. "Well let's not worry about all of that right now love. We'll deal with that when the time comes. Right now let's get you home and let you get a few hours of shut eye and then maybe we can do something this afternoon."

I smiled and melted into his side as he led me down the street toward his apartment building.

We walked in to meet a smiling George at the front counter. "Morning George, how are things going?"

"Mighty fine Miss Bella. It's a beautiful day."

I looked out through the plate glass windows of the lobby having been so lost in being close to Edward that I hadn't even noticed the crystal clear fall day full of bright sunshine.

"So it is. Too bad we're going to end up sleeping through a lot of it."

George smiled, "That's okay Miss Bella. There will be more sunny days once you get past your internship."

Edward smiled and waved as we stepped into the elevator and rode up in companionable silence to his floor. The hall was thankfully empty as we made our way toward his apartment.

When we rounded the corner there was a package sitting in front of Edward's door. He leaned down to pick it up and groaned at the flowery cursive writing and little hearts written in a glittery metallic pink gel pen. "Lauren."

I chuckled and pulled the package from his hands, ripping the white paper and opening the box to reveal a skimpy bra and thong set. I growled and grabbed the little piece of paper folded to the side and read the note.

Edward, Done with the mousy brunette yet? I'm sure you'd prefer these on me to the cotton granny panties she probably wears. I'd be more than happy to give you a private viewing anytime, anywhere. –Lauren

"That's it! The bitch is going down!" I screamed dropping my jacket and purse to the floor by Edward's door and stomping down the hallway toward penthouse 1.

I barely made it to the corner when I felt two strong arms grab around my waist and pull me off the floor holding me with my still flailing legs in mid air.

"Put me down Edward! I am going to go teach this bitch a lesson in propriety and manners!"

I felt him chuckle as he held me tightly to his chest as his mouth came up by my ear. "Damn you're sexy when you're pissed off." The feel of his breath on my ear sent shivers down my spine and I stopped flailing relaxing a bit into his embrace.

"Don't worry about Lauren. We'll take care of her later. Right now I'd much rather pull you into my nice big warm bed with me, pull your beautiful body close and fall asleep with the smell of your hair all around me. Then we can spend the rest of my last day in Chicago with you instead of dealing with the bitch."

I groaned a little and sighed. He sat me back down on my feet taking the box of disgusting lingerie from my hand and throwing it down the hallway toward Lauren's door. He spun me around, placing a hot probing kiss on my lips as he walked backwards, pulling me back toward the doorway to his apartment as my hands wound instinctively into his hair. I had been waiting for the day when he would turn around and I would find permanent indentions where my hands always seemed to like to entrench themselves when we kissed.

When we reached the door he fumbled with the lock, continuing to claim my mouth with his, only breaking our kiss long enough to kneel down and pick up my belongings. He grabbed my waist and pulling me into his apartment to resume the kiss. We stood in the entryway for a good five minutes before we finally pulled away from necessity.

"Okay, you go shower and get ready to lay down while I fix lunch. Frozen Pizza sound good?"

I smiled, "Do you have the one with the white sauce?"

He nodded with a sexy smile. "I bought extra since you seem to love it so much."

I jumped up and latched onto his neck, pressing a loud peck on his lips. "Thank you, baby! You always take such good care of me!"

He chuckled and turned me toward his bedroom giving my ass a light smack. I yelped and I put my hand behind me in surprise. He laughed a deep belly laugh as he watched me scurry away, protecting my ass with my hands.

I hurried through my shower and threw on a pair of his boxers and one of his old Metallica concert t-shirts which I tied up on the side so it didn't totally swallow me and padded barefoot to the kitchen to find Edward.

He was sitting up on the counter in his blue plaid flannel pajama bottoms and no shirt reading the Tribune when I entered the room. He looked up with a smile before freezing mid page turn and started at me with wide eyes. His gaze roamed my body up and down once before it darkened from surprise to something else that I was beginning to recognize. I smiled, feeling a flutter in my stomach.

"Hope you don't mind. I ran out of pajamas here. I really need to stop by my apartment sometime today, do some laundry, and pack up for Alice's."

He swallowed hard and shook his head quickly. "I don't mind at all. You look a hell of a lot better in my clothes than I do, that's for damn sure."

I smiled and tipped up on my toes to kiss his cheek. "Good, because your clothes are a hell of a lot more comfortable than my clothes and I like wearing them. They smell like you."

He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to his side, placing a deeper kiss on my mouth before moaning against my lips. "Mmmm, that's why I love sleeping in my bed so much more, now that my sheets smell like you."

I giggled and reached in front of him to grab a slice of pizza. I hopped up on the stool next to him at the island counter and grabbed a section of the paper from the pile, taking a big bite of my slice.

"Hey! I was going to read that next," he whined from next to me.

I stuck out my tongue, "Too bad! Ya snooze ya loose! Besides you have the whole paper in front of you…I'm sure you can find something else to read until I'm finished with this one tiny section."

"Nice tongue with pizza goop all over it. That's really mature not to mention sexy Bells." He laughed, as he rolled the paper in his hand and tapped it on top of my head.

"Hey, this is tame. I grew up with Emmett remember?"

We both laughed as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. We read the paper together and ate the pizza. About five minutes in we traded sections and he smiled over at me, tightening his arm around my shoulder and I leaned against him.

"I could get used to this you know."

I smiled up at him and kissed his lips. "Me too."

We finished and straightened up a bit before shuffling our way into his bedroom where we tucked ourselves into the sheets of the cloud he called a bed. We passed out face to face with our arms and legs tangled together familiarly.

I woke up to Edward's left hand massaging my side while his right ghosted along my cheek tucking a stray hair behind my ear. I opened my eyes to see his green ones, darkened with a desire I was beginning to recognize and welcome.

He closed the small space that separated our lips and pressed a gentle kiss, pulling my bottom lip lightly between his and sucking gently, eliciting a hum of appreciation from my chest. I reciprocated by sucking his top lip lightly and earning a moan from him.

His hand at my side moved to the small of my back, pulling me closer as he opened his mouth and deepened our kiss. I opened to allow him entrance as I felt my body arch closer to him and my hands burrowed deeply in his thick bronze hair, tugging lightly.

The heat between us was growing steadily as I felt his fingers grazed the sliver of exposed flesh on my back. The warm tingle he often created in my body began to spread all over as my insides began to hum and vibrate at his touch. I wanted more.

I began trailing my kisses from his mouth across his chin and down his neck to his collarbone where I focused my kisses nipping and licking as I let my hands wonder over his amazing torso. I loved every line and ridge and couldn't get enough of him under my fingertips. He moaned appreciatively while his muscles twitched and rippled with spasms under my nails while I tenderly drug them up and down. His hands continued to roam over my back and sides, finally cupping my ass and squeezing gently to pull me closer.

After a while his hands roamed up my frame to grab my shoulders and pulled me back as he began trailing kisses up and down the column of my neck. His hands got braver, ghosting over my sides and brushing the outsides of my breasts, earning a moan of appreciation. His fingers moved further and further toward sternum finally grazing my nipples, already erect from the heat building between us, making them tighten more and we both moaned when he returned to claim my mouth. He continued to tease the tightened nubs through my bra and his shirt.

This wasn't the first time we had gotten to this point, but he still hadn't even attempted to get under the clothes. I felt desperation rising in my body as the need for my bare chest pressed against his skin.

I reached my hands down to the hem of the t-shirt and began to pull it up slowly. I had it about halfway up my stomach when I heard him gasp and moan, and then he grabbed my hands to stop their ascent.

I leaned away, looking at his face in confusion feeling a bit rejected. He looked at my face, his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed. He rubbed his thumbs over my hands as he looked into my eyes and spoke through a tense jaw with a pained voice.

"Don't get me wrong; I really, really want that shirt to come off, but not yet. If that shirt comes off I might not be able to keep more stuff from coming off and I'm not fucking us up like that. You're not ready."

I looked into his eyes and saw the conflict his desire for things to be different in our relationship waging war with his lust and libido.

I nibbled on my lip nervously and whispered, "But what if I am ready Edward? I know I love you, you say you love me, why can't we make love?"

He closed his eyes and moaned as though I were torturing him. "Not yet love, if I get a taste of being with you now I won't be able to stop. I'll just need more and more of you. These next two weeks are already going to be total hell, but if we add this to the mix one of us is going to lose it."

I snorted in a very nonsexy and unladylike fashion and he smiled at me, his green eyes twinkling slightly again. I took in a deep breath and sighed. "But when you get back we'll re-visit the subject?"

His eyes glazed over again with that dark lusty brooding expression I had grown to love. He growled under his breath and flipped me over so I was lying under him as he hovered above me on his forearms. "Absolutely."

He rested some of his weight on me and kissed me deeply as the lower half of his body rested heavily on mine and I felt the large bulge in his pajama pants against my leg and I squeaked in reaction. I had felt it briefly after our first date, but we had been intentionally trying to keep from doing to much hip on hip action in an attempt to take things slowly So I was more than a little freaked out by just how large the bulge was. I was not an innocent, but I could already pretty much guarantee he was going to be much larger than any male anatomy I had ever encountered before and that instantly made me more than just a little nervous and relieved that I had a couple of weeks to mentally prepare for that encounter.

We kissed a bit longer before he finally sighed and placed pecks on my forehead, eyes, and cheeks then rolled off of me and out of bed. I found myself gulping at the sight of the scene I took in shirtless, still aroused Edward crossing the bedroom. The butterflies returned to my stomach and I instantly began to worry once more that when it really came down to the wire and we did finally cross the sexual barriers that I was going to fall way short of his expectations. Not only was he an experienced male, but he was, well at least I hoped, a reformed lothario. My insecurities flooded me immediately leaving me feeling nauseas and blushing brightly. Thankfully he disappeared into the bathroom without looking back to see.

As soon as he was out of sight I fell back onto the bed and began to panic. He loved me now, but what if I couldn't keep up sexually? He was most definitely a sexual creature, so if I couldn't keep up I really wasn't sure how long we could last. I never really got complaints, but at the same time I was never really wowed by sex either. What if I never got complaints because I was with people who sucked at it too and didn't know the difference? I was on the verge of a full on panic attack when Edward stepped back into the room without my even realizing it.

I felt the bed buckle next to me and Edward wrapped his arms around me as his worried voice whispered in my ear. "What's wrong Bella? Are you okay?"

I turned my wide eyes toward him as I felt the heat flood my face even more and then clamped my eyes closed tight in embarrassment.

"Bella?" Edward's slightly panicked voice said a bit more loudly. "What's the matter?"

I shook my head and tried to get up and go to the shower but he held me tightly in his arms on the bed. "Oh no you don't Isabella Marie…you tell me what's wrong."

"I…I can't. It's too embarrassing." I moaned burying my face in my pillow.

"Hey, we need to be able to talk about stuff that's bothering us Bella. I know I don't know anything at all about relationships, but I know that much. Now tell me what's wrong. Are you upset about me stopping you earlier?"

I shook my head no as I timidly looked up at his face. He looked so concerned and I felt horrible. I groaned and scooted back against the headboard throwing my head back, bouncing it against the hard dark wood a couple of times while he settled in next to me.

"This is going to sound so stupid and juvenile and probably just exacerbate my worries."

He shook his head a little and lifted his eyebrow encouraging me to continue. I drew my knees up to my chest and rested my elbows on them covering my face with my hands and shaking my head back and forth before lowering my head down past my palms so that they held my head up by my hairline and I stared down at his t-shirt. I began my verbal diarrhea.

"I'm scared…terrified actually. I know I'm not a virgin by any stretch of the imagination, but I just…I don't know if I'm going to be enough for you."

I felt his body shift next to me as his hands clasped around my wrists bringing them down from my head before he released one and used that hand to lift my face to look in his.

"Bella, I know you probably don't understand this, but I've never felt for anybody in my entire life the way I feel about you. There's no way you could ever not be enough for me…you're the only one who could ever be enough for me."

I shook my head. "That might be, but if I can't meet your sexual needs then it could never work. You're used to very experienced and probably very talented women. I never got any complaints, but I would never say I had amazing sex. It was always just sort of okay. What if I suck is why it was just okay?"

He laughed and shook his head as he grasped my face between his hands. "Baby, trust me. First of all, just because women are experienced doesn't necessarily mean anything, and secondly, I can tell you right now just by the way you kiss and move your body when you dance and how you are naturally sexy without even trying, you're not going to be bad…by a long shot. Please don't be afraid. If anything I'm the one who should be, and if I'm honest, I actually am afraid."

My eyes shot up bugged out, "Why? Why would you be afraid?"

He smiled and leaned in closer to kiss my lips gently. "Bella, in so many ways I feel like everything I do with you is my first time because I've never done any of this with someone I love. You might not believe this because you're not the type to do it, but kissing someone you just met that you have no connection with and kissing someone you care about and love feel like two entirely different acts. Running my hands up and down your body, feeling your mouth on my body and your hands on my chest, everything we do is so different and new because the feelings I have for you and that you have for me make it different."

"I worry sometimes that maybe I won't know how to treat you right when we really do this. I've never 'made love' with anyone before. It was always simply fucking. Bodies and sweat and orgasms and out the door…there were no loving looks, no sweet kisses, no looking in the other person's eyes because you want to see their feelings for you reflected in them. So really we're in the same boat…no actually you're ahead of the game."

He ran his hands through my hair and I stared at him in awe. I had never thought of it that way. I swallowed hard watching the water droplets from his forgotten freshly showered hair drip onto his shoulders and chest and roll slowly down clouding my thinking for a moment as I whispered. "Not really."

He frowned. "Not really how?"

"If I'm totally honest I've never made love either. Sex with Damon was always never sweet and romantic like you're talking about, it was usually just fast and furious and then it was over. I think I usually kept my eyes closed for most of it. I didn't love Damon. I cared about him and he was one of the few guys to ever show me attention so I kind of figured I'd never find better and I settled for what I had with him. My heart never belonged to him…it already belonged to someone else."

I looked up at his eyes and they looked pained as he locked gazes with mine. I saw the telltale beginnings of moisture pooling in them as he blinked a couple of times before closing them. "Oh Bella."

He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me so I was sitting on his lap. He wrapped me up in his arms, cradling me to his chest. "Christ. How could you have ever thought you'd never find love?"

"You didn't believe in love, you admitted that openly on several occasions and the guys all agreed. I fought against the idea for a long time, clinging to my classics, especially my Austen, but the longer I went being single or being cheated on by the guys that I did actually date; I finally decided you guys were right and I gave up. I found someone I liked, a friend who I could be more with, and I settled for the best I thought I could get."

I felt him blow out a couple of hard breaths as he kissed my head and mumbled into my hair. "We should all be taken out in the woods and shot! We didn't even think half the time about what we said in front of you. We were stupid kids trying to take care of a kid. I'm so sorry Bella."

I cuddled myself closer to his chest and buried my nose in his neck as I kissed him softly there before pulling back and holding his face in my hands looking deeply in his eyes. "No, don't be sorry. God knows what would have happened to me if you guys didn't step up like you did. I would have ended up in the foster system with lord only knows what crazy creepy people. You guys all gave up so much to look out for me and I am so grateful. Okay, so you guys were maybe not the best examples when it came to certain things, but I shudder to think what my life would have been like if you guys didn't all help take care of me. I owe you guys everything."

He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes a moment before slowly opening them. "I love you so much Bella. I'm so thankful to have you in my life."

I smiled and rubbed his cheeks with my thumbs. "Ditto. Now can I go get my shower while you pack for your trip?"

He nodded and kissed my head before releasing me to the bathroom. I rushed through my shower and stepped out to realize I had forgotten my clothes. I wrapped one of his huge fluffy Egyptian cotton towels around my body and walked into the bedroom where he was turned with his back to me, filling his suitcase. He turned around to grab something out of the drawer and stopped mid step to stare at me with wide eyes.

I blushed and looked at my feet. "Sorry, I forgot my clothes in all the drama."

He swallowed and mumbled, "S'okay," before appearing to force himself to turn back around where he stood ramrod straight.

I rushed across the room to grab my clothes out of my drawer, the one he gave me earlier in the week since I was staying with him. Suddenly I felt two strong arms around my waist and his lips caressing my shoulders.

He groaned and mumbled, "You are going to be the death of me woman," into the flesh of my shoulder before taking a deep breath and releasing me. I stood there a moment attempting to catch my breath before finally grabbing my clothes from the top of the dresser and hurrying back into the bathroom to dress.

By the time I regained control of my hormones and dressed, I stepped out of the bathroom to find Edward sitting on the edge of the bed staring out at the lake beyond. I climbed up on the bed behind him and wrapped my arms around his neck and resting my chin on his right shoulder after placing a quick kiss on his cheek. He reached his hands up and cupped them over mine and sighed.

"You know I don't take the time to enjoy this view as much as I should."

"It's a beautiful view," I whispered as I looked at the sun sparkling on the top of the lake water in the distance.

"I'm going to miss you while I'm gone. I've never had someone to actually miss before. It's a bit of a double edge sword," he said softly as he rubbed his hands back and forth across my forearms.

I sighed and kissed his shoulder. "Yeah, but you've also never had someone to look forward to getting back to…someone missing you as much as you miss them to be reunited with."

He took a deep breath and shifted as I turned toward him and we kissed gently and I tightened my grip around his torso.

"Well, are you finished with this packing or do you have some more left?"

He turned and looked at the suitcase. "I think I have everything. Only thing missing is you, and I can't take you." He winked at me and I giggled.

I released him and crawled off the bed and over to where I had set my clothes when I came out of the bathroom shaking out his Metallica t-shirt that I had slept in the night before. I carried it to him and offered it to him as he looked up confused.

"Does it smell like me now that I slept in it?"

He pulled it up to his face and buried his nose in it taking a deep breath and hummed with a smile. I nodded and took it back from him to pack it with his things and looked up in time to see him smile and jump up to grab my pillow off the bed and yank off the pillowcase. I shot him a worried look and he laughed.

"To put on my pillow while I'm gone. Wanna take mine?"

I blushed and then ran to grab his pillow and tugged off the pillowcase, tucking it into the bag I was taking to Alice's Saturday morning. We worked together after that to pull off the sheets and put them in the laundry basket in the spare bathroom for Edward's maid, Melissa, to take care of next week and pulled out a new set to put on his bed for us to sleep on when he got home.

Once again it all felt so natural and work side by side with Edward like that. I had only been staying with him for five days and yet I had really gotten used to being with him and doing such regular things. I knew I was really going to miss it while he was gone.

After we finished with the bedding we piled our bags by his bedroom door, got my purse and things ready to head over to my apartment to pick up more clothes for my time with Alice. As we left the building we waved to Jason who had taken over doorman duties at some point while we slept before making our way down the street with our arms wrapped around each other's waists. I noticed a sweet old couple sitting on a bench waiting for the bus. They looked over at us and smiled with a look of nostalgia on their faces and I wondered if Edward and I would possibly make it there some day, two elderly sweethearts having shared a lifetime together.

We entered my building and made our way up to my apartment. The sight before me saddened me as I pushed through my door to see piles of boxes all over the living room. I had almost forgotten in all the chaos of the Trager situation that Emmett was packing up to move out. I had loved my time with Edward, but I instantly felt robbed of my last week with my big brother.

I sighed deeply and felt Edward behind me rub my shoulders tenderly. "Sorry love. I know you lost your last week with Emmett because of this mess."

I turned and smiled sadly before heading down the hallway to my room. He crossed the room and sat on my bed as I flitted around grabbing things I wanted to have for the next two weeks. He grabbed my iPod, the one that he had bought me a few years ago for my birthday, off the bedside table and fiddled with it as I continued to pile my clothes on the bed and grabbed my big suitcase out of the hallway closet and began to fill it with my belongings.

I was almost done when Edward looked up at me quizzically. "Bella? Is this EAM playlist what I think it is?"

I froze with my back to him and dropped the can of hairspray I was holding as I felt the blush creeping up my face yet again that day. I turned to the suitcase not looking up at him and nodded.

"How long ago did you put this on here?" He asked in little more than a whisper.

"How long have I had the iPod?" I knew he knew the answer; he had bought the 60 gig version for me for my twentieth birthday three years ago. "Of course I added more songs recently."

I heard his breathing pick up as he scanned the songs. I continued to move back and forth from my suitcase to the closet and dresser filling it with far more clothes than I was actually going to need in an effort to keep myself busy. When I turned back to the suitcase with two hands full of socks I ran into a hard wall of muscle.

I slowly looked up to his face, a little afraid of what I was going to find there. I finally reached his eyes and I gasped at the darkness hidden within his beautiful emerald green irises. He grabbed the socks out of my hands and tossed them into the open suitcase before grabbing my waist and picking me up to kiss me. I wrapped my arms and legs around him instantly. He held me tight as he kissed me passionately, stalking forward until my back was pressed against the wall. He claimed my mouth with all his might and I buried my fingers deep in his hair, scratching my nails against his scalp, we both moaned.

Our hands roamed one another and we continued to stay lost in our kisses, breaking apart occasionally to pant together until the sound of a door closing pulled us out of our lust filled haze. Edward settled me carefully on the floor, continuing to hold me when my legs failed to support my full weight. Seconds later my door flung open and a disturbed looking Emmett looked back and forth between us.

"You two are killing me you know that?! I really can't be hearing that stuff!"

I blushed and Edward chuckled. Emmett stepped into my room and started a discussion with Edward about the security plans while they are away. The agency providing bodyguard services had three teams that would be rotating out on an eight-hour basis day and night for the entire two weeks with two teams taking twelve-hour shifts over the weekend days.

They still didn't like leaving me, but at least they were somewhat satisfied with what they did manage to arrange. I still couldn't help but laugh at the extremes they were taking and often wondered if the paparazzi might start taking pictures of us by mistake simply due to our security detail.

Once we were done at the apartment, they both took me to the Hancock building to drop my things off at Alice's apartment and have one last meeting with the building security manager. Alice and I were to be introduced to the manager of the guard agency and the teams who would take over first thing Saturday morning, as soon as the guys leave.

I was shocked at the opulent surroundings on our way to the Brandon's apartment. If I thought Edward's place was impressive then this place was a freaking royal palace. Alice invited us in right away and I smiled at the sight of my buddy Jasper who was sprawled out across the expensive furniture in the fancy flat as though he owned the place.

The boys joined Jasper in discussion and Alice led me down a long hallway to the room I would be staying in for the next two-weeks of lockdown. She helped me put away my things tsking at my underwear collection with promises of sneaking away to La Perla one day while we were stuck together to upgrade my taste in lingerie. I sighed and giggled at the idea of two hulking bodyguards following us around the expensive store.

We made our way back into the main living space to find that our boys had been joined by a group of ten rather large men, all dressed in dark suits and sunglasses. I couldn't help but chuckle at how cliché they looked, as though every movie regarding the secret service I had ever seen had suddenly jumped out of the TV screen to meet us in Alice's living room.

The manager of the agency offered for us to sit and began introductions around the room of the different guards who would be following us twenty-four seven. They would thankfully not be in full dress while on duty. Instead, they would be in casual clothes to blend; they would spend their time in the hospital in the main waiting area for the duration of their time, watching out for us from where we would meet them at the end of our shifts. I really felt it was overkill, but it was to ease my brother and my boyfriend's mind so I wasn't going to balk much.

The guards were introduced by their last names as they went around the room, each stepping forward to shake our hands professionally. We were nearly to the end where we were meeting the weekend guards when I realized that one extremely tall tan man with long black hair seemed extremely familiar. When the manager said his name and I gasped.

"Jake?"

He straightened his back and looked nervously over at Edward, Emmett, and Jasper before looking back at me with a timid smile. "Bella."

"You're a bodyguard now?"

He nodded, stealing a glance at the boys who appeared to be seething in his direction.

"I'm actually glad to run into you, even if it's such bad circumstances. I own you one massive apology Bella. I was a prick in high school. You were an amazing girl and I was a stupid jerk. I deserved everything they did to me and more. I always swore if I ever saw you again that I would tell you that."

I smiled and nibbled on my bottom lip. "Thank you Jake. I actually do appreciate that."

Edward stepped forward and placed his hand on my shoulder possessively and I chuckled. I put my hand over his comfortingly, thinking that he might as well be pissing on my leg, but it was cute in an annoying, caveman sort of way. I looked up with a knowing smile as I whispered, "It's okay Edward."

He glowered at Jake but then nodded. The manager asked if we had a past to which Jake admitted openly and then looked to me asking if this was a problem that needed resolved. I told him that I didn't think that was necessary. I could tell the boys didn't like it, but Jake visibly relaxed, smiling, and I smiled back.

It was six years ago for goodness sake and he even apologized. It was time to let the past go. The second the security left though it seemed the boys didn't agree. Edward was wound tighter than a spring.

"After what he did to you…how can you say it is okay for him to be on this detail?" His voice was raised but I knew he wasn't really yelling at me, just venting his frustrations.

"Edward, it was six years ago. I've been over it for a long time and he even apologized for it. Everyone deserves a second chance."

His eyes were blazing. "That guy was a sex fiend back then and I'm guessing he probably is now. There's no way I'm leaving you here with him. Guys like that don't change!"

I stood up in front of him, my eyes no blazing hotter than his were even capable of. "Well Edward Anthony Masen, I really fucking hope that you are wrong or else we're screwed before we even started wouldn't you say?!"

He blanched and blinked at me. "I…I didn't mean that…" He ran his hands through his hair. "Christ Bella! You know I've changed. I could never do that to you…but I've also never tried to force myself on a girl either."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, only because you never dated anyone who was in the least bit conservative. If it wasn't a sure deal, you didn't bother. You never had to deal with a girl not putting out. I have a feeling if you had to beg for it you would have pushed a bit harder too. He never hurt me physically and he never pushed too hard, he just made his moves and when I denied him he dumped me…that's a long way from being a sexual predator Edward. He was a horny teenager with a frigid girlfriend. He's grown up since then and I intend to give him a chance."

He snorted and closed his eyes pinching the bridge of his nose tightly. I stepped forward; reaching up to pull his hand away and stroked his cheek.

"Is this because you're worried about the fact that Jake and I dated in the past?" He looked at me blankly. "Don't you trust me?" He sighed looking defeated.

"I love YOU. That's been true for a long, long time. You have no reason to worry about that with me. Okay? I know you're not used to having these kinds of feelings or trusting others, but you have to trust me with situations like this or we really won't be able to make it."

He sighed and relaxed his shoulders, wrapping his arms around my waist and tipping down to kiss my lips. I jumped after a few seconds when I heard a throat clear behind us. I had completely forgotten about our audience. The guard guys had left, but Emmett, Jasper, and Alice had been there to witness the whole conversation.

"If you two are done reenacting a scene from The Young and The Restless do you think we could get back to the issues at hand?"

We continued to look at each other with a chuckle, my favorite crooked grin gracing Edward's face. He gave me one more quick kiss before we turned and made our way back to the couch where we settled in and listened to Emmett as he paced back and forth in front of us like a general rallying his troops.

Finally we were finished with the third degree and Alice jumped up and down as the boys agreed to take us out for one last night out on the town before two weeks of 24/7 lockdown. Alice pulled me, kicking and screaming toward her bedroom for a session of Bella Barbie while Edward, Jasper, and Emmett laughed at me.

Once in her bedroom, Alice set about with the never-ending procession of hair and beauty products as she manipulated my features into something more classically attractive.

"Alice, I don't need all of this! Can't I just be myself? Edward likes me as myself!"

Alice groaned and rolled he eyes. "Yes Bella, Edward loves you as yourself, but don't you want to leave him with an impression that he can't get out of his mind for the next two weeks in case he's around any temptations? Wouldn't you rather he remember you in a sexy dress and heels, grinding on him in the middle of the dance floor at Dooley's than in jeans and a t-shirt? Besides, you know his harem will be all over the place there. It's good to have your own self-esteem ammo in case they try to swoop in for the kill. You walk in looking hotter than hell and they'll be less likely to attack."

I frowned at Alice as she painfully tugged on unruly hairs around my eyebrows. "Isn't it usually the opposite there Ali?"

She scoffed. "Oh naïve Bella. Stick with me young padawan, you have much to learn."

My eyes widened, "Holy crap Alice! You just accurately used a Star Wars reference in a real life situation. I'm so proud of you!"

She just laughed and continued to tug at the hairs around my eyebrows, grumbling about my total lack of facial maintenance. After what seemed like forever of poking, prodding, gooping, and gloping, Alice finally leaned back with a sigh. "Perfection! You know Bella; if you'd just put in a bit of effort it would take a lot less time and energy to get you ready to go when we have our nights out. Now go into my closet and grab the garment bag to the right of the door. I picked something up for you last weekend that's perfect!"

I grumbled, walking over to the closet where I grabbed a long white garment bag and unzipped it to reveal a royal blue halter style dress with a very low neckline. I spun on Alice.

"I can't wear this to Dooley's Alice! It's way too dressy and not only that but Emmett will blow a spark plug!"

Alice chuckled. "It won't look as bad on, and besides; Emmett is going to be far too distracted with Rosalie tonight to even notice. Matter of fact, if our timing is still on track, he'll begin being distracted in 3…2…1."

The sound of the doorbell resounded throughout the apartment and I looked at Alice in awe. "How the hell do you do that?!"

Alice just smiled and shrugged as she pushed me into the bathroom with the garment bag in hand, leaving me alone to dress. I slid on the underwear and hose from the counter top and then pulled the satin gown over my head, marveling at how it was actually felt really soft against my skin.

Alice was right; it didn't look nearly as over the top on my body as it had appeared on the hanger. I adjusted my cleavage slightly before throwing on the necklace, which was also waiting for me and slid my feet into the matching three-inch heels. I took a spin in front of the full-length mirror and found myself a bit in awe at the final product.

I felt butterflies flutter in my stomach as I stepped out of the bathroom to come face to face with a beaming Alice and Rosalie.

"Oh Bella! You look beautiful! Edward's going to pass out when he sees you!"

I laughed uncomfortably, feeling less than adequate standing next to the two beauty queens already in the room. Alice was wearing a shimmery slip dress that clung to every curve of her tiny body and Rose wore a low cut, very short red satin dress that appeared to have been painted onto her body, leaving nothing to the imagination. I loved my friends, but I found myself immediately envious and embarrassed to be coming out of this room next to them.

My insecurities began to grow inside me as I nervously fidgeted in front of the mirror before the girls drug me out into the hallway to go grab our dates and get out for our last night of quasi freedom.

PLEASE DO NOT NEGLECT TO READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES ON THIS PAGE. IT INFORMS YOU OF WHERE YOU CAN GO TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS STORY WHICH IS COMPLETE WITH 60 CHAPTERS PLUS 11 OUTTAKES!

Author's Note:

PLEASE READ!!!!Sorry to leave it here, but it seemed like the chapter was already getting a wee bit long and if I included their night out it would have been my biggest chapter yet. I figured it was better to break it up so you didn't have to wait any longer than necessary and also to save my beta from having to deal with so much at once. Hope it wasn't too painfully slow for you.

Also,Just in case someone is confused in regards to the playlist, EAM standsfor Edward Anthony Masen, of course. It's a playlist of songs that has reminded her of him over the years and I didn't share the songs in the playlist on purpose because they will come back into the story in a more important way later…but from his reaction I'm sure you have some ideas. Actually I already have a list of songs that I have associated with the playlist, but I'm curious if you guys have any suggestionsforsongs that would remind Bella of Edward over the years, both before and after they got together. Either include them in a review for me or you can PM me, but I'd love to hear your suggestions.

As always, thanks to my awesome beta Sihaya 9 for her work. I am forever sending her 10,000 plus word chapters that she then has to drudge through and find all my errors, and there are usually many. She's awesome and I am perpetually grateful for her great work!