A/N: Hi and happy weekend! I have to apologize to everyone who read last chapter right after posting. I made a mistake by announcing the update would be Tuesday. It took me about ten minutes to realize it and correct my mistake. I always meant to update today.

So this is finally the last regular chapter. I can't believe we've made it this far. Thanks to all of you who supported me with their reviews or by just reading this. But, before you all think this is it, I want to remind you that there's still a three-part epilogue to come. More about that after the chapter.

Again, I have to thank my betas EdardsMate4ever and evelyn-shaye for being the incredible editors that they are. You're great. I also want to thank my pre-readers Vampgirl79 and LaPumuckl for their help and support. I love you.

Now, on to the chapter. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine.

******POMH*****

Chapter 33 – A New Beginning

I woke up lying on my side with a pillow in my arms, while Edward placed feather-light kisses on my neck and down my back. I felt my lips curl up in a contented smile and couldn't hold back the moan of happiness. Two days ago, I'd never thought this would ever happen again. Waking up in Edward's arm like that was like a dream come true.

"Good morning, baby. Did you sleep well?" he purred, kissing his way up from the small of my back.

I sighed as I opened my eyes to see that daylight was already lighting up the room. "Like the dead. What time is it? Have you been up for long?"

I giggled when, in response, Edward pressed his morning wood against my ass. "It's nine in the morning. I've been up for a while now, and it's beginning to feel uncomfortable. I figured you might be willing to help me get comfortable again." His hips were grinding against my butt as his teeth nibbled on my earlobe.

"I'd love to, but I'm afraid I have to use the bathroom first." Although I really wanted to stay right where I was, I had some human needs.

Edward groaned in disappointment when I jumped off the bed and looked down at him, sheepishly biting my lip when I realized I was standing in his room, stark naked, with no idea where the bathroom was.

He chuckled when he noticed my predicament. "What's in it for me if I show you the way?" One eyebrow was raised teasingly.

"Hmmm, let me think about that." I tapped my index finger against my lip in contemplation. When I had an idea, I wiggled my brows suggestively. "You could show me how the shower works."

Edward smiled challengingly when he pointed to a door and answered, "Deal. My bathroom's through that door."

"Great. Join me in five." I turned around and sprinted out of the room.

After doing my business, I stood at the sink, looking at my reflection in the mirror. At first, I didn't recognize the woman looking back at me. She was glowing, with bright eyes and slightly swollen red lips. I smiled at myself when I realized that it was all Edward who made me look that happy.

My eyes wandered to the delicate gold chain around my neck and the locket dangling from it when the door opened, and Edward walked inside. He stopped right behind me, pressing his bare front against my naked back, his erection still very prominent. He wrapped his arms around my waist as his eyes met mine in the mirror. My hand moved up and touched the golden pendant he'd given me.

"How did you do it?" I asked with wonder.

His eyes didn't leave mine. "How did I do what?"

I turned around to really look him in the eye. "The locket. How did you find it?"

He smiled a little as his finger stroked over the gold and the gemstones. "I called Sue right after Thanksgiving, and she sent me a picture of it. I contacted every antique shop in Seattle and Chicago and sent it to them. They promised to use their contacts to try and find what I was looking for." His face turned serious when he continued. "One shopkeeper called me the Tuesday after Alice's party, telling me he had found a locket looking just like the one I wanted. A man from England had contacted him after he put his request to buy one in an online forum. I didn't have to think about it and had it air-shipped to Seattle that same day." His brows furrowed, and a flash of pain crossed his face.

"When you refused to talk to me, the only way to get it to you was giving it to Sue and Charlie. I was ashamed and more than a little scared that your dad would shoot me when he realized that I'd broken the promise I'd made to him. But more than anything, I wanted you to have the locket. Even if you never spoke to me again, I wanted you to have it."

I reached up and cupped his cheek with my palm. "Thank you. No one has ever given me anything as special as this. It made me realize just how much you love me and that I couldn't stand to be away from you any longer. I booked the flight right after I stopped crying." A single tear ran down my face, and he wiped it away with the pad of his thumb.

Edward pulled me close to him and, kissing my forehead, he whispered, "I love you, baby. I'd do anything for you."

We stood there for a long moment, holding each other, until Edward began to chuckle. "Baby, I'm sorry I have to say this, but we stink. Come on, let's take a shower."

With his words, the spell was broken and, giggling, we moved into the shower where I did my best to help Edward with his condition.

****POMH****

About an hour later, freshly showered and sated for the time being, we left Edward's room. We'd had sex in the shower — twice — and it was great. Since my bag was over at Emmett's house, and the clothes I'd worn the night before were scattered all over the house, Edward had given me a pair of sweat pants, an old college t-shirt, and socks.

"What will your parents think when they see me like this?" I felt my cheeks turn beet-red at the thought of his mom and dad coming home to a house littered with women's clothes and underwear. I was embarrassed of what they might think of me. Would they see me as a slut? A tramp who just invited herself into their house to screw their son? Someone without any morals or proper upbringing? They wouldn't want someone like that to be with Edward.

"They'll think that you made their son a very happy man last night — not to mention this morning. Come on. They don't bite." He grabbed my hand and dragged me behind him down the stairs, through the big living room with the grand piano, and into an impressive kitchen.

A slender woman with caramel-colored hair, wearing black slacks and a green silk blouse, was bent over the stove. On the side of the room was a big table where a blond man was seated, reading the paper while drinking coffee. Both of them turned to look at us when we stumbled through the doorway.

I was scared to find rejection or annoyance on their faces, but at the sight of Edward holding me to his side, his arm around my waist, they both smiled with an expression of love and acceptance.

"Good morning, you two. Did you have a good night?" the very attractive man greeted with a knowing grin.

"Carlisle, behave," the woman scolded, playfully hitting his shoulder with her hand when she went to stand behind her husband.

"Bella, these are my parents, Esme and Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Mom, Dad, this is my Bella."

Edward's words made my heart skip a beat. To hear him call me his Bella felt so unbelievably good. After a second, I remembered where I was and what was going on. I tried to smile at Edward's parents, but instead, my nervousness made the corners of my mouth twitch uncomfortably.

"Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, I'm sorry for showing up here unannounced — " Before I had finished my sentence, Edward's mom had walked the few feet over to us and pulled me into a hug.

"Nonsense, dear. We're happy to have you. Anyone who makes our gloomy son grin like the Cheshire cat is more than welcome in our home. Oh, and call me Esme, honey." She released me and grabbed my hands as her dark brown eyes sparkled at me.

I swallowed before I could answer. "Thank you, Mrs. — Esme. I don't know what to say."

Dr. Cullen stood next to his wife with his left arm around her waist, extending his right hand to me. "I'm Carlisle. Nice to finally meet you. We're so glad you came and pulled Edward out of his funk." His words were said in a teasing tone, but his eyes showed me just how worried they'd been by their son's recent mood.

I shook his hand and noticed his expression lighten up. "Nice to meet you, too. You have a wonderful home."

Before I could say more, a boisterous laugh sounded from behind us. "Knowing you two, I'm sure you haven't seen much apart from Ed's bedroom." Emmett hit Edward's shoulder when he passed us while entering the kitchen. "Morning, bro, Bella. And Happy New Year. Hard night, huh?" He chuckled as he greeted his parents, wishing them a Happy New Year, too. "Oh, and Bella, I brought your suitcase. You look like you need it." He grinned with amusement as his eyes scanned me from head to toe, recognizing his brother's clothes.

"Uhm, thanks. Maybe I should go —"

I was cut off by a woman's angry shout. "Emmett McCarty Cullen! Can't you at least wait for me to put some shoes on before you storm off?" A beautiful, tall, blonde woman with furiously twinkling blue eyes stormed into the kitchen and stopped right in front of Emmett, glaring at him.

"Sorry, baby. I had to bring Bella here her luggage. Look at the poor girl, wearing Eddie boy's ugly old clothes." He gestured toward me, and the blonde amazon whirled around to look at me.

"So, you're the enchantress who finally got Edward to pull his head out of his ass. I don't get why you forgave him for being such an idiot to you, but I'm glad you did." Her hard stare turned into a sisterly smile. "I'm Rosalie, by the way, or Rose. Nice to meet you." She captured me in an unexpected hug, and that gesture finally made me relax.

"Now that you're all here, sit down, and we'll have a late breakfast together." Esme waved us over to sit down at the table.

I stood a little insecurely while watching Carlisle, Emmett and Rosalie take their seats. Edward started toward the table, too, tugging at my hand to make me follow him.

"Can I help you with anything, Esme?" I asked, feeling uncomfortable letting her serve us all while we just sat and waited.

"Oh no, dear. Just sit down. Carlisle will set the table." She raised her brow, looking at her husband, who reluctantly got up and took plates and silverware out of the kitchen cabinets.

A few minutes later, the table was all set. I couldn't believe the variety of food Edward's mom had prepared. There were pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, toast and even omelets.

"Wow, Esme. This looks great. But I don't think we'll eat all of that." I sighed, watching everyone around the table putting food on their plates.

Emmett chuckled wickedly as he built a mountain of scrambled eggs in front of him. "I'm sure you two worked up enough of an appetite last night." His eyes were sparkling with mischief until Rosalie hit his arm to shut him up.

"I don't know about last night," Carlisle started, laughing lightly. "But I can tell you that the water in Edward's bathroom ran for a very long time this morning. And every time I passed by the door, I heard some really strange noises coming from within." He smiled a lopsided smile at his younger son, daring him to comment on his words.

I felt my cheeks turning bright red. My eyes moved to the food in front of me while waiting for Edward to say something.

"Well, Dad, if I remember it correctly, you taught us to never kiss and tell, right?" He took my hand and raised it to his lips to lovingly kiss my palm.

"You wanna know about last night, Dad? I came here some time after Bella went over. Just to make sure everything was alright, of course." Emmett tried to sound innocent, but I already knew him better than that. "When I couldn't find anyone down here, and there were clothes strewn all over the room, I was worried. So I followed the trail of garments up the stairs. On the landing, I almost broke my neck when I tripped on the buttons on the floor. Then I heard those noises, you know, loud moaning and such. I thought someone was in pain, and I wanted to go in." He winked at me, and as if someone had given us a silent signal, Edward and I both lunged across the table and each punched him in one of his shoulders.

That had the whole table laughing and Emmett whimpering in mock pain. "Wow, Edward, you have a feisty one there. That was a serious left hook. You should work hard to stay on her good side."

Edward looked deeply into my eyes when he answered, "I promise, I will."

****POMH****

The rest of the meal was nice and comfortable. The atmosphere was cheerful and happy when everyone told stories about the party the night before. Edward's family seemed to accept me as part of their circle without any difficulty.

Time flew by, and before we knew it, we had to get ready to leave for our flight back to Seattle. Somehow, Edward had managed to book me a seat on the plane he was taking home that night.

Changed into some comfy jeans, a sweater and my Chucks for traveling, I was sad to say goodbye to Edward's parents after only one day with them. They'd been so warm and welcoming, and I really hoped to spend more time with them soon.

We were just about to get our coats and leave when the doorbell rang. Carlisle went to open while we gathered our things, sure that our taxi had arrived. A second later, Alice hastened into the room, grabbing me and clutching me to her.

"Bella, honey, I was so worried. I called your cell at least a hundred times, but it went straight to voice mail. When I called your home, I only got the answering machine. I thought you were sick or dead or something." My best friend was talking a mile a minute while I was struggling for breath. "I'm so glad you're here, and that you made up with Edward. That's so great. I need to tell you something, too." She pulled away and shoved her left hand into my face. My eyes needed a moment to adjust and focus on the diamond ring on her third finger. "Jazzy proposed last night. We're getting married, yay!"

This time, it was my turn to pull her into my arms. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you."

I let go of her and walked over to embrace her fiancé, who had entered the room after her. "Jazz, congratulations to you, too. Wow, it was about time."

He chuckled, telling me, "That's just what Ali said right after shouting 'yes' about a hundred times."

"I already expected something like that when you didn't show up at the party last night," Rosalie stated while hugging her brother to congratulate him. "Where did you go, anyway?"

Of course, Alice didn't give Jasper the chance to answer the question. "It was all so wonderful. He took me to this restaurant on the shore overlooking the lake. We had a whole room to ourselves. He had pre-ordered all my favorite food. My favorite music was playing and we danced a lot. Then, when the dessert was served, the plates were covered by those silver steel domes. When mine was lifted, there was a blue velvet box instead of the chocolate cake I'd expected. I looked up and Jazzy was on his knee, asking me to marry him."

Alice snaked her arms around Jasper's waist and pulled herself into his side as all the women in the room sighed because of the romantic proposal. The men looked at Jasper with various expressions. Emmett nodded his head in approval, Carlisle smiled warmly and Edward looked at the two of them with a wistful gleam in his eyes.

Esme poured eight glasses of champagne, and we drank to the future, all of ours, before we eventually had to leave for the airport.

****POMH****

"I haven't told you about my New Year's resolution, yet," Edward whispered into my ear, his lips lightly grazing the shell.

We were on our flight home, cuddling as well as we could in the narrow seats with people around us watching.

"Hmm, sounds interesting. So, what do you want to do this year?" I hummed the words out, reveling in the butterfly kisses Edward peppered along my clavicle.

"I'm planning on doing some scientific research. I'm going to explore every inch of your body, get to know you like the back of my hand." He let his tongue trail up my sensitive skin to reach my ear, setting my skin on fire. "I want to memorize the way you shiver when I do this — " He sucked on the skin right behind my earlobe, chuckling lightly when a shudder ran down my spine. " — the way you moan when I bite your earlobe — " No matter how much I wanted to prove him wrong, I couldn't hold back the noises of arousal. " — and I want to watch your eyes roll back into your head every time I make you come. And I'm planning on doing that a lot." His warm breath on my skin and the promise in his words almost made me orgasm on the spot. "Just wait until I get you into my bed. I'll make sure you'll never want to leave again." Edward stopped his ministrations when the captain announced we'd soon be leaving cruising altitude to start our approach to SeaTac. He grinned at me, taking my hand in his.

That's when I remembered. "Uhm, I have a little something for you," I told Edward, worrying my bottom lip with my teeth.

"You have something for me? What is it?" he asked, his eyes bright with anticipation.

I lifted my purse from the floor, placed it in my lap and pulled out the flat rectangular present. I hadn't had the chance to give it to him earlier since I'd left my bag in his parents' living room overnight.

Insecurely, I handed it over to Edward. "It's not as special as what you gave me, but I made it myself," I explained.

"Every gift from you is special, baby." He kissed my lips tenderly, then began to unwrap it.

A minute later, he looked at the framed collage I'd made with pictures of him and me. I'd worked on it the week Edward had spent in New Orleans. In the center was a photo of the two of us gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. Alice had taken it with her phone one night when we were out together. Along the edges were small close-ups from our sexy photo shoot of us kissing or looking at each other.

"This is great," Edward said, smiling brightly at me.

I grinned back at him. "It's only a miniature. The real thing was too big to take with me."

"Wow! So I have one for my desk at work and one to hang on the wall at home. Thank you, baby. I love it." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to kiss me deeply.

Before it could turn into a heated lip-lock, we broke apart. Edward looked at his present again and his brows furrowed when he noticed an envelope on the back of the metal frame. I nodded, prompting him to open it. After lifting the flap, he pulled out a piece of paper and studied it.

"What's that?" he asked, turning it around.

The corners of my mouth lifted as I looked at my design. It was little dark red heart. But it wasn't just a heart: it was a puzzle, missing a piece right in the center.

"The engraving on the locket and your letter inspired it. It's the design for a tattoo I want to get. This is me." I moved my finger around the outlines of the heart. "I'm just not complete without you." I explained, pointing at the empty spot in the middle.

"I'm the missing piece?" He chuckled lightly. "Then I'll have that tattooed on me. So we're whole when we're together."

Edward touched his lips to mine, but pulled back, looking at me quizzically. "Where do you want it, anyway?" he asked, intrigued.

"Somewhere only you will ever see it," I told him mysteriously, smiling to myself.

"You can show me later — in my bed — for hours," he stated and winked at me.

I rested my head against the headrest, smiling to myself. Yes, we had a lot of time later, a whole lifetime if I had it my way.

It was hard to believe how much my life had changed in only a few months — since the night I met a green-eyed stranger in a dark corner at a party. Edward had changed it completely, and me along with it. With incredible patience, love and understanding, he'd shown me that I could open myself up and love again.

For the first time ever, I felt safe and was actually looking forward to the future. I couldn't wait to explore all the new possibilities a life with Edward held. I wasn't afraid of anything fate could throw our way because, from now on, I wouldn't be alone. We would face everything life had in store for us together — the good, the bad and the unexpected. And I couldn't wait to start.

********POMH********

A/N: So, the lovebirds are back together and everything's right in the world again ;). I hope you like where I took the story.

I have to thank my dear friend LaPumuckl very much for helping me find the right present for Bella to give to Edward. She inspired the collage and also the tattoo idea.

Yes, this was the last chapter but it's not yet the end of the story. There are still three chapters of epilogue left. I think you all want to know where Bella and Edward go from here. I promise to tell you a bit about that.

From here, I'm going back to my weekly updates. The angst is over, and I'm still not done with the last part of the epi. So, the next update will be next Friday. Until then, leave me your thoughts here or on FB in the group Payton79's Fanfiction.

See you Friday.