True Love Way

Chapter 30

Bella and Don were waiting outside when I left work the next day. Don spotted me first and nearly hauled Bella off her feet when he ran towards me. Apparently he had done several laps around her legs before I'd appeared, tangling her in his leash. I raced towards them before he could pull her over.

"This guy is gonna be a powerhouse when he's fully grown," I commented as she grasped my arm to steady herself, climbing out of the leash loops.

"Hopefully he won't be so excitable, then."

"Are you all right with him at home? Is he behaving?" I'd been so pleased with my rash decision to get Bella a puppy when she was so thrilled about him. Now, I was wondering if he was causing her too much grief, but she was too polite to say anything. That worry was dashed when I saw her watching him with adoration as he tugged on my pant leg with his teeth.

"Sure. He's just really happy to see you. I am, too." Standing on her toes, she planted a kiss on my lips. "He's great company for me when you're at work. He's funny to watch. He falls asleep so easily." She snickered softly. "I took him for a long walk this morning to burn off some energy –"

"Yours or his?" I asked with a coy grin.

"Both. He fell asleep eating when we came home. Too cute – he was planked on his belly, ear hanging in his food dish. Emmett did a great job with the crate training. It's amazing he was able to do that. I had no problem showering today."

That was the first I'd heard of that issue. "It's normally a problem?"

She pulled a freaked out face. "He's a perv, Edward. He watches me in the shower. If I don't leave the door open, he howls the entire time I'm in there. But if I let him in, he hangs his head over the edge of the tub, watching me the whole time. It's just not right."

"He's a dog," I countered with a laugh. "I don't think he watches for the same reason I would."

"It's still weird. I'm not used to any sort of audience. He played in his crate while I showered today. It was so good to not have to rush through it. Rose and Nathan dropped by at lunch for a visit. He's good with the baby." She turned her attention on the dog. "Aren't you, Don Everly? You love Nathan, don't you?"

I'm sure he had no clue what she was saying, but he loved the attention from her – both the verbal praise and the ear rubbing he was getting. He peed a little.

"Is my sister doing better now? She says she's over her phase of insecurity, but is she really?"

Bella looped her arm through mine, leaning into me as we started walking towards our building. "She loves you so much, Edward. You're really lucky to have siblings that care about you the way they do. Rose told me that she said she would give Nathan up for you." Her voice was soft and laden with concern. "But I know you'd never do that to them."

"I wouldn't do that to Nathan," I added. "Bella, I'm even clueless with puppy care. How the hell would I take care of a baby?"

"You'd find a way. It's a moot point anyway, and I just want to put that all behind us and let Nathan be our godson."

"And nephew."

"And occasional houseguest… Rose asked if we could watch him for a couple of hours on the weekend."

I didn't hesitate with my agreement. I was actually looking forward to spending some time with him again. It would be much smoother babysitting with Bella there.

"Don't worry. I'll do the diapers," she teased with a laugh. "Have you talked to your mom since we got home?"

The sudden topic change threw me for a moment. "Why? Something wrong?"

"You should call her."

I halted outside our building. "Bella, what's the deal?" It wasn't unusual for me to not speak with my mother for a week or two at a time. Other times, we talked every day. My mother had never been shy about calling me up when she needed some mother/son time because she was feeling the weight of her empty nest, so this seemed strange.

"We should talk upstairs."

"That bad?" My chest began to tighten.

"Or maybe I should just say it now while I have your full attention."

I nodded stiffly.

"I understand why you tune out sometimes, Edward, but there are sometimes I really wish you wouldn't."

"I'm paying attention," I said defensively. "What?"

"I don't mean now. I'm referring to when you made your mental escape at your parents' house. When Esme and I were talking about breastfeeding."

I coughed to clear my lungs as they began to feel even more constricted. "Jesus. I thought all talk of breastfeeding was done." I was wringing my hands, shifting from foot to foot, and looking for anything to distract myself from the unpleasant fluttering it always left in my stomach.

"It's not about breastfeeding. Well, it sort of is, but not entirely. It's not about my breast milk anyway."

Sighing, I frowned at her. "Just get it over with."

"Your mom told me it happened to her after she got the twins home – the drying up. Too much stress."

"Okay… why should I be talking to her about this?" If I didn't like thinking of my girlfriend with milky boobs, I absolutely did not want to think of my mother that way.

"Because, Edward, I don't think your habit of taking on unjustified guilt is in your DNA. I think that's learned behaviour – from your mom."

"Bella, having three infants to care for is stressful. I'm sure she was exhausted. So, what… she felt guilty about needing sleep? And she's kept that with her all these years?" I grinned crookedly. Women had such a way of making the littlest thing into a huge drama.

"Do you know why she overfed you in your 'fat years' as you call them?"

"Yeah. 'Cause I was a scrawny fucker until then."

She shook her head, frowning. "It was to compensate for not being there for you those first months when she was hospitalized."

I snorted my disapproval. "That's ridiculous."

"Not to a woman like Esme," she argued. "It tore her apart not being with you every minute right from birth. Can you imagine Rosalie being away from Nathan for more than an hour or two? Honestly?"

Giving it serious thought, I shook my head. "No. I guess not. It didn't hurt me, though. I had Dad. And the nanny. And Dad took me to see her every day. I don't even remember it, Bella. I was a baby! Obviously, it didn't matter."

"It mattered to her. You mattered to her. She felt like she let you down. And don't you even scoff at that, Edward. I'm serious." The scowl on her face that accompanied the warning stopped me mid-huff. "You don't understand women."

"Obviously."

"For years, she felt like you were smaller and quiet and generally uncomfortable because of those first months of missed bonding."

I had to sigh. I did it with a little smile however, so as not to rile up my girlfriend who happened to be one of those women I didn't understand. "That seems so unbelievable to me, because my mom and I are close. We've always had a different kind of bond, a special thing between us. Whatever she wasn't able to do in those first months, she certainly made up for it later on."

"She dried up, couldn't feed the twins because she felt guilty not being able to feed all three of you."

"What the fuck?" Of all things womanly that I could never comprehend, this had to be the biggest.

"Edward, it's a mother thing. A new mother thing, in particular. I really wish you had heard her yourself, speaking of how all three of you were so special. She wanted each of you to have the exact same things, but in your own way, you know? Special time with each baby and mom."

"Okay… and she couldn't do that without having a boob out?"

I received Bella's unimpressed face.

"Sorry. I just don't get it at all I suppose. Why couldn't she just give me a bottle?"

"It didn't work like that for her. She said that once her milk was in, every time she held you, it started –"

"No-n-n-noooo." I waved my hands emphatically, cutting her off. Mom, plus me as a baby, plus leaking… no. Just no. I did not want to go there in my head.

"Okay, you get the picture. You wouldn't nurse. You'd already become accustomed to the bottle. And if she fed you by bottle, there wouldn't be enough milk to feed both twins because of the natural flow during feeding time."

I shook my head. "I don't even want to understand all of that. It's a good thing I went to another world during that conversation there. I would have died hearing her talk about all that. Oh my god, you don't want me to call her and talk about it now, do you?"

"No!" Bella followed her exclamation with a chuckle. "God, no. I think that would be the most uncomfortable conversation ever. For both of you. I just think you should show her a little more love right now."

"She knows what she means to me."

Bella's warm smile was back. "I know that. But sometimes women need some extra effort. I know you're not completely ignorant about these things. I see how you're different with your sister than you are with Jasper. There were always just small, tender things you'd do for her that you wouldn't even think of doing with your brother. That's what I'm talking about doing with your mom now."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do."

"I don't!" I exclaimed with a laugh. "My brother and sister are the same to me."

"So you'd beat up four guys for saying something about Jazz?" Her arms were folded across her chest, and her left eyebrow was defiantly lifted.

"No," I relented. "No. I wouldn't have. Okay… I guess I know what you're talking about. I should call my mom more often. Let her know that I love her. Is that it?"

Bella's eyes drifted away, following Don as he paced back and forth, looking for a pee spot. Her bottom lip was sucked in, so I knew she wasn't done. And as I wasn't nearly as stupid as I liked to pretend to be in regards to women's emotions, I assumed the three-way cry at Emmett and Rose's house was a follow-up.

"I spoke with Aro today."

That, I wasn't expecting. "Let's let Don finish up here and go upstairs."

~ 0 ~

"Social or professional – your chat with Aro?" I'd waited until after dinner to resume our talk, but I didn't want to let it go longer than that.

"Both, I guess." Bella curled her legs up as she sat on the couch. Don Everly was beside her, chewing on a toy bone that sounded like a duck. Alice's creation lay beside him, soggy and a little deformed. He dragged the doll around with him as a child would tote a favourite blanket. It was never far from him.

"Are you okay? You've seemed better since we got back to Port Angeles. You haven't said anything about feeling down. Please don't shut me out now, Bella."

She smiled at me, reaching out to give my hand a squeeze as I sat on the other side of Don. "I needed some advice, that's all."

"Well, Aro's good for that. Generally." I still didn't completely agree with his advice about sharing her sexual history – or lack thereof aside from Jasper.

"Esme shared something that I wasn't sure about telling you. I don't want you to take on more guilty feelings that aren't yours to take."

I smirked at her affectionately. "You should talk, young lady."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We worked a little on my own misplaced guilt, too. Do you want to know about that?"

"Only if you feel you want to tell me. Bella, I don't have to know everything that goes on in therapy. That's the point of having a therapist. You can say things that you wouldn't say to anyone else. It's a dumping ground for shit you need to get out and still feel safe."

"I feel safe with you," she commented softly.

"I know. I'm just saying that I understand how therapy works. Believe me, I understand. You can share it with me, or not. I'm fine with it either way. Just as long as you're feeling secure and optimistic, really, that's all I care about."

She nodded, absent-mindedly stroking Don Everly. "When Rosalie was so emotional that day we came back, I suggested she talk to Esme about her feelings. Esme's been there – a newly adoptive mom."

"So you Skype'd her and had a festival of tears."

"Something like that." Bella smiled at my attempt to keep the tone light.

"It's funny how many things are alike with our situations. Different, yet alike."

I slid over so I could reach Bella across from Don. I ran my fingers through her hair before settling on the back of her neck. "Such as?"

"Elizabeth… your mother… well, she was to Esme and Carlisle what I was to Gianna and Marcus. It kind of made me feel pig-headed about not accepting their gift gracefully. I mean, if the reverse happened to Esme and Carlisle – God forbid – I think they would have given Elizabeth all that they had, too."

"Are you taking back all your gifts?" I joked lightly.

"No, of course not." She chuckled, smiling at me appreciatively. "I'm just in a place right now where I'm not so anxious to rid myself of everything."

"Well that's good, right? This is a good thing. So why does it upset you?"

"It doesn't – that part is good. Esme really helped me see that accepting the inheritance isn't a buy-out. And it isn't me taking everything they had and running with it. They'll always be part of my life. Every time I look at Nathan, I still see them."

"Honey… I'm sorry. I hadn't even thought about that."

"It's okay," she assured me firmly. "It's getting to the point where he's just Nathan, not Gianna and Marcus' baby. Esme also helped me see that a world of good has come out of tragedy. It's not that I didn't know that before. Emmett is great with putting things into perspective that way for me. But Esme, well she's kind of neutral and yet bipartisan, if that makes sense. She knows the loss and the gain from personal experience."

I'd be lying if I said that didn't hit me hard. Did I remind Esme of her loss every time she held me as a baby?

"See? I can tell by your face that you're thinking you somehow made Esme feel bad. That's what you're doing, right? That's why I wanted Aro's opinion on this."

The brief pang of guilt was eased with Bella's astute ability to know me and my malfunctioning brain so well. "This is why I love you so much, you know. I'll try not to be selfish about this. I know you're trying to share my mom's side of her ordeal."

"It's not being selfish, Edward," she commented gently. "Your heart just can't let someone else's grief be only their own. Somehow, you make it yours, and it doesn't have to be. I want you to really try to put yourself in Esme's shoes right now. I know you're not a woman, and you're not desperate for a child, but just think of her heart. You know it so well."

I nodded, clearing my head of destructive thoughts. In between me and the love of my life, our puppy began to snore. "We've bored him."

"Told you he just nods off without warning." The love in Bella's eyes shone as she ran her hand over the sleeping dog's head. "So adorable."

"I'm in my mother's shoes, by the way. Hope that doesn't push me towards a life of cross dressing."

"I just hope you chose flats. Heels are hell to begin with, and you're not the most graceful person."

I had to go in for a kiss. It's what I'd wanted to do every time she made me feel world's better by joking with me as teenagers. Now, I finally could.

"I'm going to use their names, okay? Because they're both your mom, and I don't want it to be confusing." She waited for my nod of confirmation before continuing. "When Esme and Carlisle took her in, Elizabeth put her full trust in them. Esme told us she'd had a difficult upbringing. Elizabeth never felt she could rely on her parents, and when she started getting in trouble and ended up pregnant, they proved it by tossing her out of their home. The home you grew up in was a safe haven for her. Naturally, she felt it was the best thing for you to have them as your parents.

"Esme would have done the same for her, even if Elizabeth hadn't asked them to adopt you. The more she opened up with them, the more they grew to love her. The day you were born was both the best and worst day of Esme's life. I'm sure Carlisle felt the same, but I'm speaking from a new mother's perspective. Plus, Esme was also an expectant mother. Her hormones were going nuts, and she took everything so much harder. In one moment, she had the baby boy of her dreams – you. A perfect little boy given to her by a young woman she adored. The next moment, that girl was gone."

Bella paused when my eyes misted up. "I'm fine," I advised, not entirely truthfully. "Go on."

"She didn't have the chance to fully feel the emotions of either event before yet another thing was thrown at her."

"Her twins," I said quietly.

"I can relate. We were both hospitalized after the loss, and both of us had unborn babies to consider. Neither of us had the opportunity to attend funerals, and find any closure to the sudden loss. And both of us were afraid to give into our grief in case the babies suffered. But Esme had another burden."

"Me."

"No. Not you. Never you." Bella teared up along with me. She took my hand and squeezed it lovingly. "You were the only light for her in those days. When Carlisle would bring you to her in the hospital, it was the only time each day that she felt she could breathe. You weren't her burden, Edward – her feelings of guilt were. Elizabeth's pregnancy was fairly high risk. She was so young, and her early months were full of stress and poor living conditions. She should have been in the hospital when she was nearing her due date. Esme wanted her to feel as secure as she possibly could, so she agreed to care for her at home rather than admitting her."

"She blamed herself for my mother dying on the way to the hospital," I surmised. "Shit. There's no way she could have known that would happen. It was a fluke. The storm. The downed tree. Elizabeth's age and poor health – none of it was Mom's fault. She didn't ask Elizabeth to have me for them. She was merely trying to make something good happen for all. It wasn't her fault."

Bella eased off the couch, careful not to disturb Don Everly. She knelt in front of me, taking both of my hands in hers. "Edward, it was no more your fault than Esme's, do you see that? Do you see how senseless is it to live with the guilt of something you had no power over?"

My temples began to throb. My airways had already seized up as the familiar load of rocks settled in my chest. I looked away, staring at a distant spot on the wall. Anything to avoid Bella's eyes.

"Breathe, sweetie," she reminded me in a whisper. "Just breathe."

A tear fell onto my lap. I don't know if it was mine or Bella's. It hit with such force that it drew my attention away from the wall. I stared at the wet drop on my leg, inches from where my hands rested. Hands that had other hands – tiny ones – wrapped protectively around them. Gasping, I tried to fill my lungs with the oxygen they needed. It wasn't working. My lungs refused to accept anything I tried to offer, and I began to panic.

The hands that held mine so caringly released them and moved upwards. One held my cheek while the other ran through my hair. "It's okay, Edward. I'm here. You're okay. We're okay here." Her voice was soft but sure. I could feel the certainty she was expressing.

I would be okay.

If only I could breathe.

If only I didn't want to cry. Scream. Punch a fucking hole through the side of that damned ambulance that took my mother's life. The ambulance that took her from me. And took her from my parents. That fucking ambulance. I hated that fucking ambulance.

I felt the hot tears coursing down my cheeks. They burned and yet it felt as though they were draining the poison from the very core of my pain. I attempted to draw in another breath unsuccessfully. My stomach heaved, and a loud sob caught in my throat. If I didn't feel it, I would have thought someone else was weeping. It didn't sound like me. It couldn't be me. I hadn't cried like this for years. Almost a decade. Those tears hadn't been for the loss of my birth mother but for the other half of myself – Bella. The person who made me feel normal. Wanted. Understood.

That person was in front of me. Her fingers massaging my scalp, stroking my cheek. Whispering soothing words and encouraging me to let it out and breathe.

Breathe.

This attempt was successful, and suddenly my lungs couldn't get enough of the offering. I was near hyperventilating. The damned tears kept coming, unrelenting. My head begged my body to cooperate. To give me a fucking break on this. Cry later. Breathe now. Or just quit crying altogether. It was over. It was long over. And there was nothing I could do about it. There was nothing I could have done to prevent it. Nothing anyone could have done. Certainly not Mom.

I sucked in a deep breath as a wave of sobs overtook me. These were tears for my mother. Not my birth mother, but the one who'd raised me. They didn't burn – they felt cleansing. All these years, she had been suffering with needless guilt. Putting her own life on hold to tend to me and everything I could possibly need. Needs that were never ending. Needs that kept her from enjoying the miracle of the twins? No. She'd had that. That was the reason she'd been able to function. That had given her the lift in spirits to be able to cope with me. Had she mourned yet? Truly mourned her loss without the burden of guilt? I somehow doubted it.

It was something I hadn't done myself.

The thoughts quieted as my sobbing did. The only sound in the otherwise silent world was a whimpering. An insistent whimpering. Bella?

I finally dared to look at her. Her cheeks were tear-stained as well, but she smiled at me encouragingly. "Don Everly's worried about you."

Sure enough, I'd woken the little snorer. He was currently staring at me in wonder. His sad puppy eyes begging me to knock it off. I was scaring him. Worrying him. He covered my face with sloppy doggy kisses as I hugged him for dear life. I had to give this shit up. I couldn't spend the rest of my life carrying the weight of my birth. Bella and Don Everly were relying on me. Not to mention my godson. If Nathan ever had a moment where he questioned his part in his biological parents' death, he would need a guide. I had to be the man I should be – a well-adjusted man who'd suffered tragedy and blessings. In fact, there were many blessings that far outweighed the one tragedy. In that moment I knew that Nathan would be the child I should have been. The blessed child, not the tormented one. And I would be the man both of my mothers dreamed I would be.

~ 0 ~

"Hi, Mom. What's up with your beautiful self?"

"Oh boy. You want something. Or you did something bad. Which is it?" My mother teased me when I called her that night.

"Neither. I just realized that we haven't spoken in a while. I'm missing you tonight."

"Aw, you're so sweet. Is everything all right?"

"Great. Perfect, in fact." That was the god's honest truth.

"Why does your voice sound funny? Are you coming down with something? I can make some soup. Or give Bella the recipe for the one that always makes you feel better. Does she have Jell-O? The kind you like?"

I smiled, fully appreciating my mother's concern rather than telling her to knock off the fussing. "I'm fine. And you already told Bella about my obsession with Jell-O."

"Wild Cherry and Blue Raspberry."

"Made separately, but served together."

We both laughed at the quirky request that had become my favourite treat when I was sick. I'd been humiliated when Bella teased me about it after Mom had shared that tidbit with her. But now I saw it as my mom letting go – not giving me up, but sharing the burden of the worry I unintentionally caused. I didn't want to be that worry for either of them, and tonight, I finally had hope that I wouldn't be.

"I really just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you," I told her. "And that I love you."

I could hear the smile in her voice when she responded. "I've loved you every minute of every day since you came into my life, son. And you're the only one of my three who will allow me to say that. That makes you special."

I laughed, knowing this was true. Jasper would roll his eyes and get all huffy over the mush Mom dished out. Rosalie would quirk an eyebrow and shrug it off. Mom and I had always been more open with our affection for each other. "Yes, well you birthed some cold, hard ingrates. Lucky for you, I was born a sap."

"Lucky for me you were born," she countered.

A momentary pang of sadness peeked out, but before it spread, I used this comment as an opportunity. "I was wondering about something… have you got more pictures of Elizabeth by any chance?"

There was brief silence. "Yes. I do. Is there something you're looking for?"

I hummed softly. "I was wondering if you could tell me more about her. What was she like? Did she like having her picture taken? Was she shy? Smart? Do I have her hair? Her love of sarcasm? Did she have big feet?"

My mother's soft laughter was the best thing I could hear. "You do have her hair. Hers was deeper red, though. And you have her eyes to a tee. Even the little yellow flecks."

"Really?" My mind drifted to my malachite stone.

"She was definitely on the shy side, but once she felt comfortable, she was open and just a joy to be around. I suppose that's much like you, as well. And my gosh, she could sing! Oh, what a lovely voice she had. She wouldn't ever sing in front of us – well, not facing us. But after she felt at home here, if she was working on something and singing to herself, she wouldn't stop if we came in. As long as she wasn't looking at us, she'd sing for us. She used to sing to you, as well."

"To me?" I chuckled thinking it was ridiculous for someone to sing to their belly. Then again, I'd interacted with Nathan when he was inside Bella.

"Oh yes. Your Dad's old recliner was Lizzie's favourite spot to rest in when you were overactive. She would lie back and sing softly with her eyes closed. Her hands would feel around on her stomach until they settled in one place. I asked her what she was looking for once, and she told me she was figuring out how you were positioned in there. Apparently, you only liked to be touched on the head. Anywhere else set you off. So she'd lie there, tracing soothing circles on where she determined your head to be, and sing. It was the sweetest thing."

"I didn't get her vocal skills, that's for sure."

"Uh… no." Mom laughed along with me. "Nor her feet. They were quite small, given her height."

"She was tall?"

"Quite, yes. And lean. Very slender. Even when her belly was at its largest, she remained slender everywhere else. It was no surprise that you came out long and slim. And you were more interested in your fingers than a bottle. A small appetite, just like Lizzie."

"Did you ever meet her parents?"

"Oh, did I!" She snorted in amusement. "You know me when I'm defensive of my children."

"Indeed." I could picture her tearing into them over their lack of support in their child. And I loved her even more for that.

"What was her favourite food?"

We spent nearly an hour with a question and answer session on the woman who'd died after giving birth to me. That's how I was seeing it now. Almost like separate events. After speaking with my mother, I felt like I knew the girl who created me. I found out that she never really knew my father. I was the product of a one night stand – a huge misjudgement on Elizabeth's part. She never heard from him again after their encounter. I was relieved about that. The last thing I needed was another person involved. Three parents were enough for me, especially since the two who'd raised me ranked tops on my list of extraordinary people. Besides, I didn't want to know anyone who would use and abandon Elizabeth that way.

"That was a wonderful thing you just did," Bella said when I climbed into bed next to her.

"You wouldn't say that if you went into the bathroom right now."

"Oh gross." She made a face before laughing at me. "Too much information, Edward."

I shrugged before stretching out. "Shit happens."

"Okay, stop." Despite her words of disapproval, she was laughing at me. "I'm trying to tell you how great you were with Esme tonight. The bits I heard sounded like you were having a really good talk."

I nodded, tracing circles on the back of her hand. "I was thinking of asking her if we could go see her gravesite. Do you think that would be a good thing for her? Or would it just dredge up sadness?"

Bella turned onto her side and ran her fingers along my jawline. "I think that would be a really sweet thing to do. Maybe Carlisle could go, too – the three of you together saying your goodbyes."

"And thank-yous," I added. "She could have just gotten rid of me. Instead, she gave me the best life I could ever have."

"In that case, I'm going to have to thank her someday, as well. I can't imagine my life without you."

That called for a kiss. A long, deep kiss that left me wanting more.

"Before this gets out of hand and you attack me –"

"I attack you?"

"Admit it, Bella, that's how it usually goes. You want me. I can't help that."

"I never knew you could be so full of yourself," she said teasingly.

"You could be full of me, too, if the doctor would ever rebook that appointment."

"Don't remind me. Actually, do remind me. I should call and see what's going on with the rebooking."

"Will do. But what I was going to say is I owe you more thanks than anyone. Not just for getting me through that panic attack, but for sharing all of that with me."

"It wasn't too much?" she asked, her concern still showing.

"It was exactly what I needed. Thank you." I gave her a kiss appropriate for the situation – soft, loving – and I hope it conveyed the fact that she had my heart for eternity.

"You know what I need?"

I smiled hearing the hoarseness in her voice. That could only mean one thing. "I think I do, yeah."

Her laughter sounded beautiful and delightfully naughty. I left our bed just long enough to enclose Don Everly in his crate, tucking him for the night with all his essentials. The last thing I wanted was a witness to what I was about to do to that gorgeous woman in my bed. Bella showed me just how dirty she could talk when she was coming. I couldn't join in on the dirty talk, as my mouth was busy causing her utterances. She was so easy to pleasure, whether by hand or lips, it eased my worries over full intercourse. I knew I could find a way to please her. It was just a matter of when.

A/N ~ I cannot thank you all enough. Everyone who chimed in, provided answers to my questions last week... you're awesome. It's great to know my sure and steady readers' opinions on the matter, as well as hearing from many silent readers. *waves quiet people! Loved hearing from you!* The reactions were varied, as I expected, but I'm sure glad to know not everyone will give up on the fandom.

You have absolutely NO worries about me finishing this one up. It will be done, Girl Scout's honour. Okay, so I was never a Girl Scout, but my word is good, right? Even if everyone bailed on me, I'd still have to wrap this up for myself. Plot bunnies were waiting anxiously to see what would happen to TwiFic as well. They are quiet now, giving me some peace to focus on TLW. Such sweet bunnies they are. Well, one sweet, one naughty, and one confrontational. LOL We'll see what happens to them once this wraps.

Thanks again to my readers/reviewers, and as always, to Shug and msj. *hugs* See you next time! XX ~ SR