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not beta'd

storyline - beginning (last chapter)

prompt - conform

Bella was enchanted by this new, playful Edward.

She'd never have known he was hiding beneath the more dour version of himself she'd once been so acquainted with.

"What?" he asked, biting at her ear like a rascally puppy.

Bella smiled down at him, leaning away from the answering grin on his face. "You."

"What about me?"

"You're better now…lighter." She let him tug her closer. "More fun."

"I wasn't fun before?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "You were fun till you weren't, and then you were definitely un-fun."

"Sorry," he murmured, back at her ear.

She cringed away from the tickly arousal he was creating in her and slipped her arms around him, angling so that she was underneath him on the couch, their unspoken place of safe physical contact.

Things got a little hot and heavy here, but they never went to the next level.

Neither Bella nor Edward had really discussed it, because really, there was no need. As is the general case with relationships, things were progressing naturally; there wasn't any need to conform to a time table of sorts. Bella wanted Edward and she could tell he most definitely wanted her, but she figured that when the moment arose, they'd both know.

For now, it was all about frolicsome kissing and silly texts between classes and shifts at works and long walks and midnight chats by telephone.

"I'm glad you're happy now," Bella whispered, rubbing her thumb over Edward's chin.

He sobered slightly, nodding. "Me too. I… spoke to my father again, you know."

"You did?" Bella sat up, a little surprised.

"His health isn't improving or anything; if anything it's worse, but he said he just wanted to see how I was doing since…my visit."

Bella nodded, withdrawing her hand and waiting for him to continue. It was hard not to touch him when he was vulnerable like this, difficult to keep her hands form caressing and loving him, but she wanted him to be able to express himself without distraction.

"It'll never be perfect, I now that," he said, his eyes flickering over her face. "But, it's good. I don't know. I guess I never thought I'd speak to him again, and then seeing him and now talking to him… I don't know. It's okay. It still hurts, but I'm not really mad anymore, you know?"

Bella bit her lip, nodding. "It helps when the other person reaches out. It fills that space."

"Yeah."

They sat quietly for a moment, and then Edward leaned down and kissed Bella again, holding her body close to his. "Thanks for not giving up on me."

"I almost did."

"I know."

"But I couldn't, I guess. Not when you actually started to try."

"You're my best friend."

Bella's vision blurred and she looked down, slightly embarrassed by her reaction. Edward kissed her eyelids, her cheeks.

"You're mine, too," she whispered, running her fingers over the hair on the nape of his neck.

"I'd like to fill your space," he said, nibbling at her ear again.

Bella snorted at how quickly Edward transitioned from sweet to naughty. "I bet."

He grinned, moving down to her neck. Bella squirmed beneath him, getting –admittedly – turned on. "Hey…"

But he just covered her mouth with his, eating her words before she could utter them.

They were out with friends, chatting over drinks at restaurant near campus.

Every once in a while her hand squeezed his, or his fingers drummed a little tempo on her knee, and he knew, and she knew, and they shared the secret gladness.

Bella knew their friends could sense the changes in Edward, and in the way the he interacted with her. Gone was the reticence of last year, the subtle tension, the abrupt departures Edward had been known for. Only people who knew him well could see that he wasn't as moody as he' once been; it was in the small things, the vibe, the way he smiled a little more, relaxed.

It was in the ownership he had over Bella, and that she had over him, a sweet comfortable thing, not possessive, just tangible and true.

Later, in the cool dark of his bedroom, hands and mouths found warm skin and pulses.

Edward kissed Bella until her lips were as flushed as her cheeks, and then he kissed her some more. She reveled in it, in his attention.

She pulled him up to sitting and took off his shirt. He had a little bit of a farmer tan… it had been a long time since she'd seen this much of him. He slid off her tank top and laid her back down, kissing away her bra and her jeans, noting with a pang of anticipation the tan lines running across her collar bone.

"When do you go to the beach?" he asked, almost accusingly, running his finger over her chest.

Bella glanced down at her breasts, paler than the rest of her upper body. "I don't… Alice and I tan in the backyard."

"Mm." He stood up and unzipped his jeans, taking his boxers right off with them.

Bella's heart kicked it on to overdrive. She'd slept with Edward, but it had been months and months, nearly a year, and usually after a night of half conversation and alcohol.

This was different. It was what she'd yearned for, even back in the days when she'd been able to convince herself that she didn't care.

But she did care, and she always had.

And when he pushed his way inside her, she felt it even more, her caring and his caring.

"Filling up my space," she whisper-giggled, half giddy with love and how good Edward felt.

"You fill up mine, so…" He pulled back, mouth crooked in a half grin. "A favor for a favor."

He thrust a little harder, making Bella groan and pull her fingers through his hair.

"I missed you," he said.

"I missed you, too."

"It's better this time," he said, tucking her leg high around his waist.

He was talking about the sex, but he was talking about them, too.

"Much," Bella said, holding him closer.

And it was.