A/N: Well... here we go, lovelies.

Time was the answer to most frustrations.

For the last eight years, Bella's life had moved. There was always work, her father, her step-family. For a while, there had been Jacob.

Now, her life had stalled. Rather than resent it, as Bella thought she might, she felt the calm was a welcome respite. For the first time, she could think without having to move, without having to wonder where her next meal would come from or how she would pay the rent.

Money was not without its advantages.

Bella had lived her life with few regrets. Breaking Edward's heart, and everything she'd lost in doing so, had been at the crux of all of them. As heartbreaking as it was, as much as she ached every day with grief, it had repaired something in her heart to reconnect with Esme before she died.

She and Carlisle spent a lot of time in his office. At first, Bella thought she might be hurting him, asking as many questions about Esme as she could.

"Would you understand what I meant if I said it was a good ache?" he asked, squeezing her hand. "Edward and Alice... they find it difficult to talk about her right now, I think. Everyone deals with grief differently."

His look got far away and glassy, his lower lip trembling faintly for a moment before he rallied. "I can't not think about her. She's under my skin. There isn't a thought in my head that doesn't tie back to her. Our lives were just that way - entwined. These memories are only mine now."

He smiled at Bella, a wan smile. "It hurts, but it helps," he assured her.

They could talk for hours about his and Esme's lives before their kids were born, antics with baby Edward - fussy baby that he was - and later Alice as only a parent could see them.

One way or another, these people had been some of the most important people in her life once upon a time. Repairing those relationships, with Esme and now Carlisle, mended a hole in her heart for good.

And then, Edward.

He was courteous each morning, greeting her with tea and an offering of breakfast. He usually made lunch, too, seeing as Bella spent most mornings with Carlisle in his office talking.

Some days, Carlisle hardly ate at all. He spent a lot of time lost in his head. One such day, both Edward and Bella watched with worry on their faces as he wandered away from the table mid-conversation.

Bella was surprised when Edward took her hand, pulling her gently toward him for a hug. "You're helping him a lot, you know," he murmured near her ear.

She shivered, the sound of his rumbled words sending pleasant chills down her spine.

"Thank you," he said.

She had enough time to squeeze him back before he let her go. "I'm not doing anything," she insisted.

He only smiled at her, reaching up to brush her hair back in a tender motion.

It occurred to Bella then that much had changed between them in the last month or so. How funny, she thought to herself. She realized with a start it had been a while since she'd felt wary and defensive around him. She hadn't even noticed when that had faded away, but it was all but gone.

Prolonged exposure, she supposed. They'd stumbled a little in the beginning, like when they argued about whether or not she should take his money for school, but they were relearning each other. The more time went on, Bella was able to convince herself that Edward was done being antagonistic. At some point, it had sunk into the marrow of her bones that she really didn't have to walk on eggshells around him.

Tilting her head, Bella considered him with fresh eyes.

She'd seen a movie once with Nicolas Cage where he, a confirmed bachelor, was transported into a life where he had a wife, too many bills, and two kids. His little daughter had decided her daddy was replaced by a look-alike alien. Of course, good ol' Nick had learned the requisite lesson. He loved his wife, his kids, his responsibilities, and his little girl smiled with satisfaction, welcoming him back.

The man who smiled at Bella now was the same boy she'd grown up with. Her best friend, her first love. He'd just been displaced for a while, but now, it seemed, he was back.

Tentative, suddenly, inexplicably, nervous, she reached out, taking his hand this time. He looked down at their hands, blinking before he looked up at her again.

"How are you, Edward?"

"I'm-"

"Don't say you're fine," she warned. "You take care of your father; you've been taking care of your sister, and I got those leads you found for me. Thank you, by the way." She squeezed his fingers. "What are you doing for you?"

Edward's mouth was set in a thin line, but his expression was thoughtful. "I'm... I'm better than I should be."

"What does that mean?"

"I thought... I was sure having to watch my mother die was going to kill me." He shifted, his glance furtive. "That was one of the reasons I was so angry when I went back for you. I wanted my mother to be happy. I would have done anything to give her even a modicum of peace, but..." He looked up, his expression so honest and open it caught Bella off guard. Her heart twisted at the vulnerability she saw there. "Losing you... it destroyed me in a lot of ways. It was just so painful. Watching my mother die, knowing I couldn't do anything to stop it, and knowing I would have to live the rest of my life without her... I really didn't know how to deal with both pains at once.

"Now, I feel like I should be drowning in guilt. I lost so much time with her because I was wallowing, avoiding anything that reminded me of you." He laughed without humor. "Of course, at the same time, I was surrounding myself with the life we planned together, doing all the things we talked about doing without stopping to think if that was still what I wanted."

He pursed his lips, thinking a moment before he continued. "But I don't know. It's filled me with a purpose instead. I have no idea what I really want to do with my life." He smirked at her. "I think you understand that better than most. But for now, it's enough that I can push Alice to start living the life she wants. It's enough that I know I'm not going to leave my father alone. And..."

He dropped his gaze down to their joined hands, swallowing audibly. He scooted his chair closer to her slightly. "Bella." He was playing with her fingers "I really hope this doesn't come out the wrong way. It sounds... very condescending in my head, but that's not how I mean it."

Bella's stomach tightened, and her throat closed. She didn't know what he was about to say, but she took a deep breath, reminding herself to listen without defensiveness first.

"You should know that I forgive you." His words were quiet, sincere, and he looked her in the eyes as he spoke. "If my mother taught me anything before she passed, it was that I'm responsible for my own happiness. I can't say you didn't leave your mark, but I'm sure the same can be said of me for you. I'm done blaming you for the choices I made after you left me, and I understand why you did it."

Though part of her wants to be indignant, Bella was more stuck on a different sensation. For as long as she could remember, there was a weight on her shoulders, a binding on her heart that kept it caged. With Edward's words, that weight lifted, and Bella's heart soared - a bird flying for the first time since its wing broke.

Maybe it was the way he looked at her. The loss of her lover, her partner in this life, had been devastating, but it was the loss of her best friend that had crippled her.

Robbed of words, she surged forward, enveloping him in a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her readily.

Somewhere inside her, the eighteen-year-old girl she'd been an age ago needed to hear those words from him.

After a little while, he squeezed her hard and let her go. "Do you want to see some of the houses we're looking at?" he offered.

Bella tilted her head, studying him for a long moment.

They were all tiptoeing around the elephant in the room. Where would Bella go when they moved, as they were planning to do in the next month?

"Just for fun," he said easily.

"Okay," she agreed. She let him take her hand and lead her upstairs.

~0~

It was only in the last week that Edward had gotten the balls to ask about Jacob Black. It was a masochistic, morbid curiosity, but he was endlessly curious about the man she'd at least tried to be with for a while.

Edward had never been able to make any of his relationships stick. It wasn't their fault. He was just more invested with work.

"He made me laugh," Bella had said. "He always could. He was nice, attentive, and very, very patient."

"Patient?"

She sighed. "You already know I wasn't in the best of places after you. The regret was eating me alive, but more than that, I was so lost about just... everything. And Jacob is younger than me, so he was just a kid to me anyway. He had a crush. I knew he did, but he didn't push, and I ignored it... Until I didn't."

"Sounds... nice," he'd said carefully.

"It was nice. Simple." Her smile was wistful when she looked up at him. "It was never going to last. I think I always knew that. At the end of the day, I know how... amazing not simple can be." She'd bumped her shoulder against his. "I wanted to try."

"So what happened?"

"Jacob made breaking up a lot easier. He was very possessive and jealous. The last straw was when I took a walk on First Beach with his best friend, Quil. Jacob totally lost it. He hit Quil and yelled at me. It wasn't the first time he'd overreacted about some guy talking to me or looking at me."

At the time, Edward counted himself above the likes of Jacob Black at least in that respect. He had his faults, but being a jealous asshole wasn't one of them. He was certain of this.

Edward was secure in this fact until he and Bella happened to go out for dinner at Pacific Pizza.

Now that the hole she'd torn in his heart was closing - still tender around the edges, but no longer an open wound - Edward found he enjoyed reclaiming his memories of their childhood. They'd spent so many summers hanging out there. It was not only the only place in town to get pizza, but one of the only restaurants as well.

They were having a good time, snickering as they recalled the summer when he was fourteen, and she was almost thirteen, and they tried the oddest combinations of pizza they could think of.

"Heya, Bells."

Edward jumped, startled to remember they weren't alone in a little bubble but out in public, in Forks, where people knew them. They'd been leaning across the table, but they both backed up now and looked toward the voice and the imposing figure that had come to stand by their booth.

"Hey, Jacob," Bella greeted. Her eyes darted to Edward then back, her posture becoming wary.

Before Edward could react, Jacob was sitting down beside Bella. She jerked to the side in time to avoid a lapful of obnoxious ex-boyfriend.

Edward bristled.

Jacob made a point of looking her up and down before he looked at Edward with a grin full of teeth. He offered his hand. "I'm Jacob Black. You must be the husband."

"Edward Cullen," he said tightly, finding himself in the typical handshake of death scenario. He was gratified when Jacob winced just perceptibly and further satisfied when he managed not to react to the other man's grip at all.

As he pulled back, Jacob stretched his arms over the booth. Of course, his fingers just happened to brush the back of Bella's neck.

Edward gritted his teeth.

They exchanged the usual pleasantries. Bella asked after his father and sister. He talked about seeing Charlie and Sue not that long ago and asked about married life.

"Gotten over your wild child days of jumping off cliffs with me, huh?" He waggled his eyebrows playfully at her.

"You jumped off cliffs?" Edward's voice raised just slightly at the end of his exclamation.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Into the water, and I jumped from pretty low down. Some of the guys from the reservation used to jump from higher up because they were insane."

Jacob chuckled. "You still got in trouble that one time." He looked at Edward. "A wave hit her too strong, and she almost drowned. I pulled her up."

Edward's stomach twisted, and he very suddenly felt light headed. He remembered those awful minutes on the beach in California believing Bella was out in the water, in danger.

What if she had drowned before he ever got her back?

Oblivious to his sudden distress, Jacob had turned to grin back at Bella. "So technically you still owe me a life debt."

"I'm not a Wookie." She threw some popcorn - which Pacific Pizza served like Mexican restaurants served chips - at him. Jacob caught most of them in his mouth, making her laugh, and she threw a few more with the same result. Obviously, they'd done this before.

Edward had to bite back a snarl.

Oh, hell. He was a jealous ass.

Luckily for him, Jacob finally got the not so subtle hints Bella was dropping. He stood, but paused at the head of their table. "Hey, Bells. It's your birthday next week. You think maybe I can buy you a drink. Or lunch. Or something. If hubby here doesn't mind."

Hubby minded quite a bit, but Edward ground his teeth together, knowing he had no right to stop Bella if that was what she wanted.

"We'll see, Jake."

After Jacob left, Edward was distracted. The rest of the meal was pleasant enough, but inwardly, Edward was wondering if he had the right to ask what he was about to ask.

They were in the car before he found the right words.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"I would like very much if you spent your birthday with me." He went on quickly, before she could answer. "We always did that, remember? When we were friends. You told your parents you didn't want a party but every year, I would give you one anyway. I know you don't have plans with your dad. I heard you tell him you didn't care if he went on that fishing trip. So I think-"

He stopped when Bella laughed. "What?"

She shook her head. "Do you remember when you asked me to the dance? Our first date?"

"Of course."

"You laid it out just like that. All logical plot points."

He sighed. "So?"

"Okay."

His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. When had a yes from this girl ever come easily? "Okay?"

Her smirk was bemused. "I can take it back."

"No." His smile crept slowly across his face. "Where do you want to go? We can go anywhere you want."

"There is something I've always wanted to do."

"What?"

"You'll think it's stupid."

"It doesn't matter if I think it's stupid. It's your birthday. If you wanted me to go to England to have tea and crumpets in a little hat, I'm honor bound to say yes."

Bella laughed, and Edward found the sight of her grin made him happier than he'd been in a long time. "You should watch it. That's dangerously close to being a challenge." She hemmed. "But no."

"So what do you want?"

~0~

Bella's wish was simple.

Despite living not so far away, Bella had only ever done a handful of Seattle's most popular things. She'd been to the top of the Space Needle but not at night. She'd gone once to the aquarium on a field trip. She hadn't been to the EMP - the Experience Music Project - Museum at all.

The Seattle City Pass offered one low price for two trips to the top of the Space Needle - one at night and the other in the morning - admission to the Seattle Aquarium, a ticket for a harbor cruise, admission to the EMP museum and the Pacific Science Museum, and entrance to the Woodland Park Zoo or the Museum of Flight.

They got to the aquarium as it opened and enjoyed a quick tour before the usual plethora of kiddies showed up. Edward took Bella's picture posing as a jellyfish, and he complained that the tide pools near La Push were better stocked than what the aquarium had.

"We could drive down really quick and get them something interesting," he proposed, and Bella laughed. He bought her a small, adorable, stuffed sea otter doll holding hands with its mate, and delighted in her pleased smile.

They ate breakfast on the harbor tour boat, enjoying being out on the water and listening to the history of Seattle's skyline. When Bella wandered outside to get a closer look at the sea lions - rejected as mates for the season they were told - and shivered in the cool, September air, Edward put his arm around her. She looked up at him, smiled, and snuggled close, letting him hold her.

Because the rain was not yet threatening, they walked from the pier to the Space Needle. They visited the top first for their day trip. The wind made it bitterly cold, and Edward took a picture of Bella with her hair whipping about crazily while she laughed. Inside, he bought them both hot chocolate to warm them up again.

The Pacific Science Museum and the EMP Museum were in the same square as the Space Needle. Since neither of them had been inside, they visited the EMP museum. They played like kids with the various sound booths and took a picture on a Harley outside the leather jacket exhibit.

But the highlight of the EMP museum was the Science Fiction Museum that was located in the same building.

There, they found many interactive exhibits, but the best was the shadow monster maker. Their shadows were projected on a white wall but made to look spooky with odd appendages, eyes, and growling things coming out of the shapes they made with their bodies. Edward and Bella started out side by side, but the more they played, the more they began to twist themselves together, trying to make the weirdest monster possible.

They were both laughing, their hands on each others bodies creating blank spaces where blinking eyes would appear. Bella was practically gasping for air when they made a creature with what had to be a good 13 eyes and a big, belching mouth. She turned to him and...

Suddenly, they were both very aware of the position they found themselves in.

Their smiles died on their lips, the mood between them going from lighthearted to something much heavier.

It took only a small movement for Edward to slide his hand from her shoulder to her neck and up along the side of her face. She watched him, turning her body so she was pressed up against him fully. His other hand went to the small of her back, and her hands slid down to his waist.

For a long handful of breaths, they only stared at each other, the noises of the gloopy monster they were creating now far away to Edward's ears. He could swear the hammering of his heart against his chest was audible above all the noises - the howling, the snorting, the spooky sounds.

He whispered her name, watching her tongue dart out over her lips.

Her eyes closed, and she pushed up onto the balls of her feet, closing the distance between her mouth and his.

In these last six months, he'd kissed her so many times.

Kisses that were a ruse, part of the act.

Kisses that were a physical manifestation of his fury, his resentment that she still had such control over him.

Kisses that marked his fervent relief that she was alive and whole in front of him instead of taken out by the surf.

Kisses that were an act of desperation because he was in so much pain after his mother's death, he needed to forget, he needed to feel alive.

But she'd never kissed him first.

Damned if it wasn't the sweetest moment of his life. It was hope, because he'd wondered to himself in the small of the night as he slept in the bedroom down the hall from his wife if, at the end of this all, he would be left in love on his own. It was relief, because he'd wondered if he really was in love with her, or if it was just another facet of his inability to let go of what they'd had so many years ago when they were both children.

No. Her kiss was home. Her kiss was all things missing from his empty life. He was in love with her, and her kiss told him she had not forgotten.

God, how he'd missed this. She was made for him. Her lips fit his, moved with his like a choreographed dance. Her body tucked up against his just right, her head tilted up. The same, and yet...

Different.

If anything, better. This was so much more. They weren't children playing at love. They'd stripped each other of every idealistic, naive belief, knocked themselves off pedestals and thrown each other into the mud. They'd seen the very worst of each other, the ugliness.

Yet they were still capable of this breathtakingly beautiful moment. It was glorious and terrifying and while some part of Edward understood it would be over sooner than later - they were in public after all - he was going to soak up every second he could.

He understood when they parted, their world wouldn't be the same. As wrapped up as he was in the magic, the passion he felt for the woman in his arms, some part of him was aware they were teetering on the brink. He'd told her once he didn't know how to be friends with her, and that hadn't changed.

When their kiss broke, they would fall off and land on one side or the other.

But Edward didn't want to think about that yet. He wanted to kiss this girl, this woman, until somebody forced him to return to reality.

A/N: Many thanks to barburella and songster and all of you with your lovely responses.

How we doin', kids?