Disclaimer- Stephenie still owns the usual suspects.

I own my original characters and original story.

**You know the deal. This parallels Chapter 19 of V&V. Not too exciting, but sweet.

********************************LRM******************************

19. A Long Awaited Reunion

After arriving at the hotel, Alice took everything in hand. She checked us in, and had the bags delivered to our suite.

I had some time to kill because Bella wouldn't arrive until this evening, so Jasper and I went skiing for the afternoon. Alice was never one for skiing so, no surprise, she decided to spend her time shopping.

I enjoyed skiing, although I rarely got the chance to do it. I tried to remember the last time I'd had the opportunity to enjoy the slopes, and realized that it had been an entire year.

After skiing, we changed and I went down to the hotel bar where I found Sylvia, Mark, and a couple of friends who were all wedding attendees. I wasn't surprised that Sylvia and Mark had invited very few 'Hollywood' types.

"Hello Edward, glad you made it." Mark said as he shook my hand.

Sylvia grinned and gave me a quick hug. "So where's your 'plus one'?"

"Bella will arrive tonight." I was pretty sure I was grinning from ear to ear as soon as I mentioned Bella's name.

Sylvia quirked an eyebrow at me. "So, this is the real deal?"

Sylvia and Mark were part of the small group of friends that knew my relationship with Tanya was a fraud.

"Yes. Quite frankly, I've never felt this way before." I answered solemnly.

Sylvia nodded sagely. "And she knows the truth about Tanya?" She whispered the question.

"Bella knows everything."

Even more than you do.

"We can't wait to meet her." Mark said with a smile.

Knowing that Bella was probably a nervous wreck today and most likely wouldn't have eaten much, I made arrangements for the hotel to deliver a food tray this evening after she arrived.

Alice had made reservations for 'spa time' with Bella tomorrow, I hoped she wouldn't mind. The only thing I'd set up was a ski lesson in the morning. I knew she'd never skied before, and decided that there was no way I would allow Bella to come to Aspen and not ski.

As the day wore on, and evening approached, I could feel myself becoming giddy with nervous excitement.

Damn. I feel like a little kid going to Disneyland for the first time.

Jasper, Alice and I ate dinner in the hotel restaurant, my nervousness keeping me from eating much. "Edward, are you going to survive?" Jasper asked with a small laugh.

Ass.

"I'll be fine Jasper." I said through gritted teeth, which only caused him to laugh more.

"Edward, I've been with you at award shows where you've seen your acting idols, and times when you've met directors that you're in awe of, and I've never seen you this nervous." He kept chuckling and my sister had the nerve to join in.

"It's true Edward. I find it funny that tiny little Bella has this effect on the mighty Mr. Masen." Alice chimed in.

I thought about that. For years, I'd been a closed-off monumental prick to almost everyone I came in contact with. Not much could ruffle my composure. Isabella had me a nervous quivering mess.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

During dessert, in which I opted simply for coffee, our conversation took a more serious turn. "Edward, something's been on my mind and I feel the need to speak with you about it." Alice said in a voice just above a whisper.

"What's up Ali?"

"For the last few days, I've been plagued with a feeling that you are going to do something stupid, and screw things up with Bella."

Where the hell did that come from?

My mouth fell open in shock. "Don't hold back Alice. Please tell us what you really think why don't you?" I remarked sarcastically.

She shook her head slightly and let out a nervous laugh. "I really didn't mean that the way it sounded Edward. It's not that I think you'd ever willinglydo anything to hurt Bella. Your mistakes will always be made in a misguided attempt to protect her."

Is Alice purposely being cryptic? Maybe this is just a distraction to calm my nerves?

"Alice, I don't know what to say. I love Bella. I don't ever want to hurt her."

She tilted her head to the side as she studied my face. "Just remember to always be honest with her Edward. And don't treat her as if she's made of glass. Bella is a lot stronger than you think."

Still bewildered, I answered. "Okay Alice, I'll try to remember that."

-LRM-

As much as I wanted to greet Bella as soon as she landed, I opted to wait in the car. We'd been able to elude the paps this long, and I found no reason to tempt fate by standing in the middle of the airport in full view of everyone.

Sidney left me waiting in the car, as he went inside to retrieve my girl.

After what felt like an eternity, they both appeared, walking toward the car.

As soon as the door opened, Bella dove onto my lap. "Edward." She sighed.

She felt so warm and soft. I buried my face in her hair for a moment to fill my lungs with the unique scent of Bella.

"I missed you so much sweetheart." I breathed.

We spent the short ride from the airport wrapped in each others arms, kissing as if our lives depended on it.

I could tell by Bella's reaction, that she liked the hotel. It was quite beautiful. The perfect setting for a winter wedding.

God, I sound like a woman. Next thing you know, I'll willingly watch 'The Notebook'.

Fuck me.

I led Bella up to the suite, silently hoping that my sister gives us some time to relax. It seemed we'd been apart so long that I just wanted to revel in her closeness for the rest of the night.

The rest of my life….

As I put Bella's bag in our bedroom closet, I heard Alice's voice in the sitting room.

I came out of the bedroom as she was informing Bella of their 'spa afternoon'. Bella seemed a little quiet, but not upset.

Good. She and Alice deserve a little 'bonding time'. But not tonight.

At that moment, the food tray I'd ordered arrived. Once again, I knew I'd made the right decision, as Bella dug into it as if she were starving. Having had very little dinner, I found myself eating quite a bit of it too.

The champagne was the finishing touch, and succeeded in taking the edge off, seeing that I'd let my nerves do a number on me today.

Bella yawned widely after drinking her champagne, and then informed me that she was off to take a shower. I continued to relax in the sitting room for a few minutes, then also retreated to our bedroom.

I was stretched across our bed, channel surfing, when Bella emerged from the bathroom.

Now, I'd seen Bella in sweats, jeans, t-shirts, dressy shirts, skirts, and dresses, always finding her to be the most breathtakingly beautiful woman in the room. But, nothing prepared me for Bella in a sexy satin nightgown. I almost swallowed my tongue in surprise. It was lovely, and hugged every inch of her beautiful body.

My mind shut down most thought processes, it even forgot how to think in full sentences, opting instead for Cavemanese, as all my blood left my brain, traveling south to my dick.

Bare skin, cleavage, breasts (so glad I didn't think 'tits' …shit, I just did).

Hips, ass (I thought 'ass' too…because I am one).

Gorgeous legs, even has sexy feet (perv).

Oh God….

Several different scenarios flashed through my mind in which I would successfully talk Bella into having sex with me. Right now. Right here. Or over there on the bed, or on the floor, or in the dressing area, or in the shower, or all of the above.

Fuuuuuccckkkk

I'm not sure what my face looked like, but Bella must have felt the need to explain her clothing choice.

"Um, Rose re-packed my suitcase, removing all my comfortable clothes. Do you think this looks okay?"

Okay? If okay translates to mean fuckhot? Fuckhot as in I want to throw you down and make you scream my name…

yeah I guess the nightgown is… okay.

I made a valiant effort to pull myself together and speak.

Come on, you can do this.

I cleared my throat. "You look very nice." I said quietly.

"I need a shower." I blurted as I stood abruptly and ran into the bathroom, knowing that if I stood there for one more minute, I would be begging Bella for sex.

Begging, pleading, coercing….

Why the hell is this so difficult?

In the shower I stared down at my traitorous dick. "You are a stupid fucker." Then I laughed at my unintentional joke.

I think I may be losing my mind.

Realizing what an ass I had made of myself in front of Bella, I was overcome with remorse for the thoughts that had taken hold of me just before my escape into the shower.

She probably realizes what an asshole I am now, and will want to be on the first flight back to Seattle.

After freezing my ass, and other body parts in the shower, I dressed and joined Bella in the bed. Thank God she was hidden under the covers.

I laid on my side facing her, as I tried to think of the best way to word my apology. Bella seemed to catch on to my mood almost immediately.

"What's wrong Edward?"

I sighed. "You know Bella, I've always prided myself on my self-control." I chuckled darkly at how I'd almost fucked up tonight. "I realized when I met you that I'd never really been tested until then. Despite that, I still felt I was handling things pretty well." I sat up and ran my hands through my hair. "I owe you an apology."

She looked confused.

"When you came out in that nightgown just now, it was everything I could do not to go all caveman, throw you over my shoulder and take you to bed." I murmured.

She gasped in shock.

"Maybe if I'd had a little warning, I would have reacted more gentlemanly. I'm so sorry."

Watch now as the love of your life tells you off before leaving your sorry ass.

But Bella didn't tell me off. "Edward please don't apologize. It's hard for me to say this but, I'm feeling really flattered right now." She whispered. "It makes me happy to know you want me in that way. I know we talked about wanting to be each other's firsts, but you've been so reserved that I wasn't sure if you were really interested."

My mouth fell open in shock.

Wow, I'm a better actor than I thought. I should receive an Oscar for disguising the fact that I really want make love to Bella.

Yes, I want to kiss every square inch of her naked body. I want to make her see stars or whatever the hell it is that girls do….over and over again.

How the hell did she not see this?

"Forgive me Miss Swan for not expressing my thoughts before now." I took hold of her hand. "Bella, don't hate me for this but, I've thought of little else since you spilled coffee on your shirt the first day we met." I chuckled. "Let's just say that I'm getting used to cold showers."

That was the sad truth of my pathetic existence.

She was so sweet as she knelt in front of me on the bed and stroked my face with her hand.

We kissed again, and my lust-addled brain was still too much in control of my body. My hands traveled, trying to caress as much of Bella's bare skin as they could find. I deepened the kiss. When she sucked on my lower lip, I almost moaned out loud.

In the heat of the kiss, and without my permission, my hands wandered lower to Bella's thighs. I couldn't help myself when I felt her small warm hands skim across my back muscles.

Bella pulled back slightly, and I realized that my erection had been pressing again her stomach.

Damn traitorous dick again. Ruining a perfect moment.

I pulled back and looked into her eyes. I forced myself to blink, willing the lustful thoughts away, and sighed.

"Maybe we should just talk for a little while." I suggested.

We both relaxed and sat down. The only physical connection, our clasped hands.

"What do you want to talk about?" Bella asked as she pulled herself together.

I blurted out something that I'd been curious about for some time.

"Well, since we're already on the subject…. Oh hell, I'm just going to ask. Bella, how much do you know about sex?"

Why the hell did I just ask that? Could I have been any more insensitive?

"Um." She muttered as she thought, seemingly taken by surprise.

"I'm sorry, I've made you feel uncomfortable."

I wish Emmett was here, I'd gladly let him kick my ass. I deserve it.

"Edward, stop. I'm not uncomfortable. I'm just trying to think how to word this without sounding stupid."

"Bella, you're not going to sound stupid." I smiled, a little relieved, and more than curious.

"Okay. Well, about three years ago Rose discovered that I was woefully ignorant about sex. She made it her mission to become my own personal 'Dr. Ruth'." I could tell that this was unpleasant to speak about.

"She started forcing me to read all the sex-related articles in Cosmo. At first I pretended to read them. She found me out pretty quickly, so she started quizzing me on what I was supposed to have read." She cringed. "It was horrifying, and it went on for months. The worst part was that she would decide to quiz me at the most bizarre times, and sometimes in public places. I've never been so embarrassed before or since, even by the things Emmett has done."

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. Bella continued without noticing.

"I explained to Father Pat that I didn't think it was a sin, because I hated every minute of it. And at the time, I was more afraid of Rose than of my punishment from God. She can be pretty intimidating."

Somewhere in the middle of that last bit, I couldn't stop myself from cracking up at Bella's bizarre conversation with her priest. As a result of trying to keep quiet, my body started to shake with silent laughter.

Bella noticed.

"You know, I'm so glad I amuse you Mr. Movie Star. I suppose you know everything about sex?" She said as she smacked my arm.

"Bella, I'm a guy, I think we're born knowing it." I was still laughing, but at least I didn't feel like quite a heel any more. "What we're not born knowing, we learn from each other and other sources."

"At the risk of sounding like an idiot, what sources are you talking about Edward?"

"Bella, come on, every guy I know has watched at least one porno, or a hundred." I laughed again.

Christ, what made me say that? It had been years since I'd seen one of those.

"I think that was too much information Edward."

Damn it, now I've made her feel awkward.

"Don't feel bad." I said, looking at her warily. "It was back in high school Bella."

"Listen" I decided to be completely honest. "I know your history, and I would never push you into anything you weren't ready for. When we are ready for the next step, I think we'll know. I don't just want you for a few months or even years, Bella, I want you forever. Believe me, I'm willing to wait as long as I need to."

I felt relieved that I'd shared my hopes of forever with Bella, and slept better that night than I had in almost three weeks.

-LRM-

The next morning, Bella began to fret about her ski lesson. Her biggest fear seemed to be that she'd crash into someone.

"It'll be fine Bella, you worry too much." I tried to soothe.

"You don't understand Edward, I'm a walking disaster. When I was eleven, Emmett took me roller skating. I lost control when I was coming off the rink, and crashed into a group of older boys that were standing there talking. They cursed me out and I spent the next twenty minutes crying in the bathroom."

Bastards, who would do that to a young girl?

"Please tell me that Emmett did something to them."

"Well, when Emmett finally coaxed me out of the ladies' room, he had all three of them lined up to apologize. When I asked him later what happened while I was in the rest room, he told me that he never laid a finger on them, but that he was so verbally persuasive that one of them started crying, and the other two pissed their pants." She smiled.

I like Emmett more every day.

Unbeknownst to Bella, I watched from a distance as she took her lesson. Alice and Jasper chuckled at my 'voyeurism'.

Asses. It wasn't like I was watching her shower. Although that would be infinitely more stimulating that this ski lesson.

Exactly the kind of stimulation I don't need at the moment.

-LRM-

While the girls had their 'spa time', Jasper and I decided to go for a work out, and then swim a few laps in the hotel pool.

"I have to hand it to you Edward, you're faithful to your work-out schedule."

I nodded. "I was a little lazy during Christmas vacation, so the first day I got back with my trainer, I whined like a little bitch."

We both laughed. "This movie is pretty physically demanding so I have to push myself. You have no idea how much I'd rather be back in the room right now, playing my guitar."

Jasper grinned and nodded.

After our swim, we went for drinks at the hotel bar, expecting the girls to arrive back at any time.

While we sat at the bar, Jasper got a text from Alice informing him that she and Bella had arrived back at the suite.

Once we finished our drinks, we headed back upstairs.

The girls were dressing for the wedding when we arrived. Bella was a vision when she stepped into the sitting area. I walked over to her, taking her hands in order to get a better view.

I think Bella may be about to break some unwritten rule about not 'outshining' the bride at a wedding.

Jasper smiled and went in search of Alice.

"Bella" I said "you take my breath away. You're absolutely stunning."

And she was.

She smirked. "Now you know how I feel all the time, Mr. Movie Star."

I smiled back. "Silly girl. Okay, I'll go get dressed, and then we can go downstairs."

She seemed equally as pleased with me when I stepped back into the room in my suit. Of course my tie matched Bella's dress perfectly.

Before long, it was time to go downstairs for the wedding.

-LRM-

We were all seated at circular tables for the ceremony and reception to follow. The Grand Ballroom was beautiful and elegant. Knowing Sylvia and Mark as I did, I was surprised that their wedding was so formal. They were such quirky, fun-loving people, and always full of mischief. They were always to ones to play practical jokes on the film set. When they met each other, I knew it was a match made in heaven.

During the moments that I was able to drag my eyes away from my beautiful Bella, I did notice that Sylvia made a lovely bride. The ceremony went off without a hitch, and the reception to follow was great fun.

Never expecting anything less, I was still gratified that Sylvia and Mark were so welcoming to Bella, making her feel right at home immediately.

The evening was winding down and I was holding Bella in my arms dancing to the strains of Truly Madly Deeply. My girl suddenly looked very sad, almost as if she was very close to tears.

"Why do you look sad Bella?" I asked.

"It's our last night." She whispered.

That was a thought that had already crossed my mind, and I'd had to push it away to enjoy the evening.

"I'm looking forward to the day that we won't have to be apart any more Bella."

"Me too." She whispered.

-LRM-

That night, our last night together for a while, I laid down with Bella and thought about how I was going to face the long weeks ahead without her.

She was crying quietly as I sang low in her ear until she finally drifted off to sleep.

I want to stand with you on a mountain

I want to bathe with you in the sea

I want to lay like this forever

Until the sky falls down on me….

****************************A/N*****************************

A/N Song rec- Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden.

Will post one more LRM…hopefully in the next 1-2 days, followed very quickly by V&V. The next V&V is almost ready to go.

Here's a little 'inside information', the next V&V will carry Bella all the way up to the day she flies to London. Yay!

Reviews are as good as spiked egg nog!