A.N: Oh, I forgot to tell you. If you follow me on twitter or follow my author page on FB, the image is me making a shadow monster at the EMP museum.

Once upon a time, Bella had been a part of something beautiful.

The grown woman she'd become recognized what an absurd child she'd been. All teenagers thought they knew everything. Most of their adult incarnations looked back with the knowledge they hadn't known shit - not about the real world and not about the people they would become. Edward and Bella were no different.

Still, for the length of one heartbeat, one breath, Bella's whole world was perfect - a beautiful painting most people only fantasized about, adult or not.

Bella firmly believed all love was true, but that didn't make the people involved any less human, any less breakable. It was a nice idea but not one based in reality.

Beautiful and consuming as their love was, it didn't stop Bella from destroying what they had. Like a temperamental artist who made a small mistake and rather than erase and start over, she'd destroyed every pencil, every paintbrush.

Their love was strong enough to withstand anything, but Bella wasn't. Edward proved no stronger than she. Their love, the overwhelming thing they felt for each other, never wavered in its vibrancy, but the couple themselves crumpled at the first hurdle life threw at them.

Life had taught Bella that, year after year, most people were torn down and rebuilt, maybe not from the ground up, but in pieces and parts. Strength of the soul was like any muscle: it had to be ripped apart to come back stronger.

She certainly wasn't the same girl she'd been when she fell in love with Edward Cullen the first time.

The first time she fell in love, she was fearless - a pretty little fool who didn't know the stakes to the game she was playing. The second time was terrifying.

And breathtaking.

And exhilarating.

And. Yeah. Terrifying.

After their first kisses were interrupted by an irritated parent whose kid had been waiting forever to make monsters, Edward and Bella had skirted around the rest of the museum in a daze.

Neither of them spoke, and what he might be thinking, Bella couldn't begin to guess. Her own thoughts were chaotic - giddy, but definitely chaotic.

Just what in the hell did they think they were doing now?

He held her hand, stroking his thumb over her knuckles until he found the Jimi Hendrix exhibit. There, he led her to a roundabout of seats. He pushed theirs together, a smirk playing at his lips that erased the last of her worries. To hell with logic. To hell with making sense of any of this.

She grinned back as he picked up the set of noise-canceling headphones at her seat. He leaned in, ghosting kisses along her jaw, making a path up to her ear. "Close your eyes," he whispered. The low rumble of his voice and his nearness sent thrills down her spine.

Moments after she obeyed, she felt him fit the headphones over her ears. Another handful of seconds later, and her world was nothing but the sound of Jimi Hendrix and his guitar. She felt the pulse of the rhythm in her bloodstream.

And then she felt Edward's mouth over hers. His hands at her sides, his fingers tap, tap, tapping along to the song that played.

It was Hendrix. It was a fast song, and his kisses moved to the fervent pace. His mouth pressed against hers, leading her in a dance with their lips and tongues moving in perfect simpatico.

There was nothing but this, no outside world at all.

When the song faded away, Bella was breathless. She was panting. He was, too. They breathed in their mingled hot air, and it was only then Bella realized how completely tangled up they were - arms around each other, legs bent together.

A movement out of the corner of her eye caught Bella's attention. They weren't alone. Of course they weren't alone. It was a weekday, but it was a museum. There were others milling around the exhibit.

Clearing her throat, Bella reluctantly untangled herself from Edward. He only smiled, ducking his head to press a quick kiss to her chin before he backed off.

Bella's thoughts felt cloudy until they were outside again and the cold air chilled her fevered cheeks. She shivered. Edward wrapped his arm around her, tucking her to his side. She looked up, he looked down, and it was too easy to share yet another kiss as they walked toward the science museum.

The rest of the day passed much like this. They played, as they had before, enjoying each other's company, but now with added kisses every time the mood struck them. Neither of them could seem to get enough. It was like opening a bag of the most decadent treats, swearing you were only going to eat one, then two.

What would happen, she wondered, when the bag was gone?

Day gave way to evening, and they rode to the top of the Space Needle for the second time that day. If anything, the wind was even more biting, but Bella hardly felt it. Almost as soon as they'd found a spot on the observation deck, Edward pulled her into his arms and kissed her on top of the world.

They took a taxi back to his car. On the ride there, Bella snuggled up against him, resting her head against his chest and breathing in his scent, his warmth. His chin rested against the top of her head, and his fingers traced a small circle on her arm.

It was a short car ride, and then they had to break apart for the longer drive back to Forks. Edward held her hand over the shifter as they talked quietly about everything and nothing.

They were both quiet when they pulled up to the house. Edward took the couple of bags they'd accumulated, just a few odds and ends he'd seen fit to buy her while they were out and about, in one hand and held her hand with the other. The house was quiet, so they ascended the stairs together.

Edward stepped with her into the room she'd been in alone for a month and a half now. His eyes were on her as he set down the bags. Every inch of Bella's skin felt alive, aware.

She wasn't at all sure what she wanted him to do. Her body called for him, yearning for his touch, his skin against hers. Her heart wasn't nearly as confident, and it cried out for her to be careful.

He reached out, his fingers skimming along her cheek until his whole palm fitted one side of her face. Bella let out a shudder of a sigh, closing her eyes and pressing her hand against his. He shuffled another step closer, his body brushing hers, and began to drizzle little kisses to her temple.

"Did you have a good day, Bella?" As he spoke, he brought his other hand to the small of her back, and Bella wound an arm around his waist.

"Mmhmm," she hummed with a sigh. "Best birthday in a long time, actually."

His breath was hot against her hairline. He kissed down the bridge of her nose so slowly, tenderly. "That makes me very happy."

Her hand slipped up, over the musculature of his back. She tilted her head up to catch his lips and grinned at him wickedly. "The point was to make me happy, remember? It's my birthday."

A smile crept up one side of his mouth, and he nuzzled her with the tip of his nose. He stepped forward, forcing her to step backward. One more step and her back was pressed against the door, her heart pounding hard against her chest. Startled, her arms wrapped around his neck, and she held on, suddenly breathless.

His body pinned her against the door as he kissed her. It was a serious kind of kiss, slow but insistent. His tongue teased hers, and when she leaned forward, he broke their kiss, smirking when she whined a little at the back of her throat. "Are you happy?"

When her head was spinning crazily, like she was drunk except without the twinge in her stomach? "Yes." Her answer was breathy and quickly drowned out as she kissed him. He splayed his hands flat on the door on either side of her head, returning her kisses with equal urgency.

Bella's heart begged her to be sensible, but she could hardly hear it over the commotion of her desire. She was dizzy with want.

But.

She sighed against his lips, her hands slipping down to his shoulders.

But.

With a noise that was part growl, part gasp, Edward pulled away from her. He didn't go very far, but it was enough that her brain kicked into gear again. She groaned, ducking her head against his neck.

Being an adult not ruled by teenage hormones sucked sometimes.

Edward chuckled, stroking his fingers through her hair before he took another step away from her. He kissed her again, this kiss lacking the kind of heat that would get them in trouble, but making up for it in sweetness. "I should let you get some sleep."

"Back to the real world tomorrow," Bella mumbled, thinking out loud. She pushed off the door, opening it to let him go.

Before he crossed the threshold into the hallway, Edward reached back, grabbing her hand. The look on his face was so intensely vulnerable, it put an expression to the hesitant uncertainty that lingered at the back of her mind, waiting for the right moment to rear its ugly head.

Edward pressed his lips together before he finally spoked. "Is it going to be different tomorrow?"

Her throat tightened painfully. "I don't know."

He stared at her for a beat longer, looking as though he wanted to say something more. Instead, he raised his free hand, brushing the backs of his knuckles over her lips. "Happy birthday, Bella."

With that, he took a step backward, officially in the hallway. He squeezed her hand once more before letting it drop and walking back to his room.

~0~

The day after Bella's birthday, Edward was driving right back to Seattle. This time, his whole family and Jasper were with him.

And Bella, of course.

She was sitting in the backseat, having relinquished the passenger seat to Carlisle, citing legroom issues. She was short. Carlisle was not. Neither was Jasper, but he was young and not driving.

Of course, that left Bella next to Alice in the back seat. Edward kept looking in the mirror, wondering if he was imagining the tension in the car.

"I think it's great that you're doing this, Alice," Bella said, her tone unassuming.

"Yeah, I'll just bet."

Obviously, Edward was not imagining it. He glared at his sister in the mirror, but she wasn't looking up.

Ever the trooper, Bella soldiered on. "I think it's a very brave thing to do. You have a really good reason to stay here, but you also have every reason to go. I've been there a few times, and I wasn't brave enough to take that leap."

Alice gave a little humph at first, but then she sighed. "I'm really nervous."

Jasper reached over, taking her hand. "Dream big, baby girl. You can do anything."

Glancing over his shoulder, Carlisle smiled at his daughter. "And we'll be here when you come home again."

~0~

After dropping Alice and Jasper off at the airport, the rest of the family went to view a few houses.

"This one might be ideal." Carlisle stood at the backdoor of the ample house, peering at the spacious backyard.

The realtor nodded enthusiastically. "A detached mother-in-law unit so the kids have their space. And your grandkids will be able to skedaddle right across the lawn to see granddad."

Edward's gaze darted to Bella. She was blushing, biting her lower lip as she looked down at her feet. "I'm, um... I'm going to go look at the bedrooms."

They watched her beat a hasty retreat. The realtor looked concerned. "I'm sorry, did I-"

"It wasn't you," Edward assured him. He turned to his father and smiled tightly. "Why don't you go check out the little house? I'll talk to Bella."

"Okay." He clapped Edward's shoulder. "Good luck."

Edward climbed the stairs, not knowing what to expect. He had the horrible feeling that the trepidation he'd felt leaving her room the night before was about to be validated. Yesterday had been a good day - dangerously close to perfect, in fact. It felt so much like that world would be lost to him when he woke up the next morning.

All day, he'd felt needy for her. He'd sought out little touches from her. At breakfast, he'd nudged her foot with his, earning a small smile and a subtle game of footsie. After Alice and Jasper walked away, she'd pressed her hand to his back in a comforting gesture. When he held her hand as they toured houses, she hadn't pulled away.

But that didn't mean the tentative happiness he'd found wasn't about to come crashing down around him.

He found Bella in the master bedroom, staring out the big window down at the ample yard. He felt a rush of lightheadedness.

For a second, just a second, he saw a vision of the future flash before his eyes. He saw this room, done up to their own tastes. He imagined walking to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind while they stared out the window at their children playing in the lawn.

A vision of the future that was a specter of their past.

Swallowing down the tightness in his throat, Edward stepped into the room. "Hey," he said.

She didn't turn right away, and when she did, she only angled her body in his direction without looking at him. "I think we need to at least tell Carlisle we're getting a divorce, if not the whole story," she said in a rush.

Edward sucked in a breath, feeling like he'd been punched in the gut.

"I mean, it's only fair. You both should be looking at homes that suit your needs, not mine."

"I..." Edward found he didn't have the voice to continue. He took a gulp of air, trying like hell to loosen the knot threatening to close off his lungs. "Do you-"

Before he could think of what to say, they heard Carlisle and the realtor's voices coming from the stairwell.

Bella's shoulders rose and fell sharply. "We should talk tonight."

Edward could only nod.

~0~

The rest of the day was horrendously long.

Edward was withdrawn most the rest of the day, lost in his thoughts as he made argument after argument in his head.

Had her birthday meant nothing to Bella? Hell, the tightrope they'd been walking since he stormed back into her life... had any of that even sunk in for her?

He vacillated, so tempted to fall into old patterns. Maybe she really was as cold-hearted as he'd assumed her to be.

Or maybe she had every reason to run screaming from him at this point. His anger had burned itself out too late.

Maybe it had always been too late for them.

By the time they got to the hotel, Edward was beyond worked up. It was all he could do not to grab Bella and run off to where he could confront her,destroy the possibility of them once and for all or...

Or convince her to give him a chance.

Edward was jarred back into the present when Carlisle pressed a keycard in his hand. He looked down, blinking at the thing without any comprehension. "This is your and Bella's room," his father explained. "I'm tired. I'm going to go lay down."

He tilted his head, giving his son a significant look. Work it out, the look said.

Edward could almost hear his mother's voice backing Carlisle up.

With a tight nod, Edward went out to the car to get the luggage and his reluctant bride.

Thankfully, Bella didn't say anything as they parked the car. It gave Edward some time to formulate an opening argument. They got out of the car, Bella shouldering the duffel bag with all their toiletries and Edward rolled the single suitcase along. He opened the door for her.

She hadn't really looked at them since before their interrupted conversation.

Edward closed the door, setting down the suitcase, and watched her look about the room, her eyes lingering on the single bed.

"I don't want to divorce you."

His words startled both of them. Her eyes finally snapped up to his. She took a deep breath. "Edward-"

He crossed the room quickly, gripping her shoulders. His hold wasn't hard. She easily could have stepped away, but she didn't. Her eyes locked with his his, her words dying on her lips.

Edward swallowed hard. His heartbeat was loud in his ears. "It hasn't been easy for us. I know we... I..." He closed his eyes, taking two full seconds to calm his stuttering. When he opened his eyes again, his voice was steadier though he felt anything but.

The answer to his next question could break them, could break him.

"Do you not want us at all? Not even the slightest bit?"

He held his breath.

"Edward," she whispered.

His shoulders tensed, preparing for the final no.

"Yes, I want us." Her words were so soft, Edward almost thought he'd imagined them.

He exhaled with a noisy gust.

"But I don't think the two thoughts are connected," she hurried on. "I know a divorce is usually the end of a relationship, but it doesn't have to be that way for-"

Edward was entirely too elated to let her continue. He surged forward, his hands going up to cradle her face as he kissed her. It was a hard kiss, both joyous and relieved. It was a kiss that was the embodiment of every moment of adoration that had been tamped down or overruled by anger these last few months. All his pent up passion, the love he'd been terrified to let himself feel, engulfed him like flames.

And Bella's body responded to his. She kissed him back, her hands making fists in his shirt. His hands went down to her waist. They stumbled with the sudden, incredible strength of the emotion between them. Off balance, Edward's shoulder collided with the wall. He shifted, not letting her go but turning them so he was leaning against the wall and she was leaning on him.

When he had to breathe, he pressed open mouth kisses to her neck, reveling in the tiny moan he drew out of her. "You want this?"

"Yes," she said, her voice breathless.

He kissed the edge of her jaw and lifted his head. Pressing two fingers to her chin, he turned her head toward him. "You want me?"

Her lips turned up. "Yes," she whispered. Her arms were around his neck, her hands in his hair. "You want me?"

Winding his arms around her as if he could consume her whole, he peppered a smattering of kisses across the bridge of her nose. "Yes."

He spun them so it was her against the wall, kissing her again. This kiss was slower, building. She whimpered, or he whimpered; it was difficult to tell. Either way the rest of the world was melting away by the millisecond.

When Bella hitched her leg up around his, Edward took the opening to pull her up his body. He was mostly supporting her weight as he stumbled a few steps backward, falling onto the bed with her on top of him.

This was, it occurred to his lust-muddled brain, a very new position for them. He explored her with his hands, running his fingers from her back down to cup her ass.

God, she felt good. Her weight was perfect on top of him, her kisses-

"Oh, God." Bella was panting as she pulled back slightly, but their kiss wasn't broken for long. She came right back for more. "We have to stop," she mumbled against his lips.

"We do?" Something wasn't computing to him. This was Bella and she was in his arms and she wanted to be in his arms and he wanted her there.

And it wasn't like she was in a hurry to move.

"What are we doing?" she groaned, but she kissed the underside of his jaw. "We need to be smarter about this." She claimed his mouth again. "We need to do it right."

Edward had some suggestions about how they could do it right, but despite the way she kissed him, moved on him, the tone of Bella's voice caught his attention.

The atmosphere between them was always so intense. The pinnacle of love. The utter destructive force of rage. They needed to calm down. If they wanted this chance that they could find each other again, reclaim what was rightfully theirs, they needed to talk.

"Fuck," Edward growled. He wrapped his arms around her again, rolling them onto their sides. He didn't let her go, but he did wiggle backward a bit, giving them some space. He closed his eyes. Their breath mingled in the air between them, and Bella didn't try to disentangle herself. They waited.

"Okay," Edward finally said. He sat upright, bringing her with him. "Okay. Let's talk."

A/N: Wee. Thanks to Songster for everything 3

Okay, okay. Let's all assume I hear your cries of cockblocker... what else do you think?