Thanks once again to my fab beta, CoppertopJ, for reading over everything and fixing my mistakes. Any thing that's left, including my non-Americanised words are all mine lol. Enjoy!


I awoke the next morning, back in the Cullen's house in Rochester, and wrapped in Edward's arms. Despite the nightmares, I felt like I had gotten more sleep in the last two nights in his arms than I had in the past year without him.

Edward had been fairly quiet since I had told him about Victoria and the werewolves. He barely said a word on the flight home and I could tell that he was still beating himself up over the fact that he had left me unprotected. I had tried telling him that he couldn't have known that Victoria would come looking for me, but nothing seemed to be bringing him out of his mood.

Looking up at him as I awoke, I could tell that a night left to his own thoughts hadn't improved things at all. In fact, it seemed to have made things worse. He smiled down at me, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Stop it!" I chided, sitting up to face him.

"Stop what?" he asked, taking my hands in his, his face showing worry that he had done something to upset me.

"Stop beating yourself up," I scolded, "We can't change the past. You did what you thought was right at the time. You were trying to protect me. Whilst I don't agree with it, I do understand why you did it, but this brooding has to stop. We need to focus on the future, not the past."

"I know," he said contritely, "I'm trying, honestly, but I just can't help thinking about what might have happened."

"I know it's hard," I said, "But we are together now. We can't let her ruin that. You will protect me from here on out and that's what matters."

"I don't deserve you," he whispered, pulling me into a hug and placing soft kisses on my head.

"We need to get out of here for a while," I said to him, "Get you out of your head and do something fun."

"Okay," he replied, his face softening, "What did you have in mind?"

"Leave it with me," I replied.

~~~TTOGILB~~~

A couple of hours later, after a shower and one of Esme's patented, huge breakfasts, we headed out to the garage. I gasped when I saw the car Edward walked towards. His silver Volvo. The car he had had in Forks that held so many memories of our time there together.

"Where did this come from?" I exclaimed, "I've been out here with Rose and this definitely wasn't here."

"It was in storage," he explained, "When we first moved, I couldn't even look at it. Everything about it just reminded me of you, yet I couldn't bear the thought of getting rid of it either so I had Alice put it in storage for me. She and Jasper went and picked it up for me last night."

"I'm so glad you didn't get rid of it," I told him, walking over and running my hand along the paintwork.

Always the gentleman, Edward opened the passenger door for me and I climbed in, taking a deep breath, a barrage of memories hitting me. Sitting in the school parking lot, listening to Clair de Lune, after a disastrous biology lesson; watching it appear out of the darkness in Port Angeles as I was surrounded by dangerous men; running out my front door, late for school, and seeing it sitting at the end of my drive. This car was a huge part of our beginning and I was really happy to see it again.

Almost instantly, Edward was sitting beside me in the driver's seat, looking at me expectantly, as he had no idea where we were going. I had taken it upon myself to decide how we were going to spend the day and, since I was the only one who could, I was surprising Edward. I told him the address for where we were going, but still kept the activity a secret.

We were headed to a nearby park to an outdoor cinema. It had sounded like a lovely, romantic activity and since it was a warm but overcast day, (and Alice had confirmed that we would be fine outdoors all day) it seemed like the perfect date. I had packed myself a small picnic, which I grabbed from the car along with a blanket, before heading to find a space to sit.

"This is perfect," Edward said, as he took the blanket and spread it on the ground, gesturing for me to sit. He placed himself behind me, pulling me to him so my back was against his chest.

A few minutes later, the movie began, a romantic comedy, something I hadn't watched since he left. I couldn't bring myself to watch anything remotely romantic, just as I couldn't listen to love songs or watch couples walking hand in hand down the street; it was all just too hard. But now that Edward was back, I relaxed against him ready to watch something sappy.

As we watched, Edward seemed unable to sit still, a strange occurrence for a vampire. His fingers were tracing lazy circles on almost every part of my body he could reach; sweeping up and down my arms, lightly pulling my hair off my shoulder and trailing along my neck. I tried as hard as I could to concentrate on the movie, but I couldn't have told you how the movie ended. By then, I was a goner, too focused on Edward's hands and his voice in my ear singing along to the love songs in the movie. I would have sworn he was trying to drive me crazy.

By the time the credits rolled, my whole body was zinging with electricity and I couldn't wait to have him alone. He pulled me towards him, kissing me deeply and it took all I had to pull away from him.

"We need to get out of here," I rasped, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, "You've been driving me crazy!"

"Sorry," he said, though he didn't really sound it, "I can't help it. Before I had amazing self-control. All that went out the window the minute you found me again."

We quickly gathered our things and headed back to the car, both feeling a little flushed. Edward quickly started the engine and soon we were headed home. It wasn't long before his hand left the steering wheel, resting on my thigh, his fingers rubbing over my summer dress just above my knee.

"God, Edward," I moaned, "I'm not going to make it home if you keep that up."

At that, he pulled the car off the main road and down a small road that led to a quiet forest trail. He pulled the car up and turned off the engine, looking over at me with dark eyes.

"I just can't keep my hands off you," he whispered, his hand still on my thigh.

"I'm not complaining," I told him, leaning over to kiss him deeply, now that we were somewhere secluded. Our tongues glided over one another, his breath feeding my own, my hands gripping his hair as if to hold him to me. I ran my tongue along his bottom lip, his hand slowly moving higher up my thigh. He moaned into my mouth as he reached my underwear, which were already soaked through from his teasing throughout the movie.

I gasped as his fingers pushed my underwear aside and glided through my folds, quickly finding my swollen nub and circling it until I was panting with need. He swiftly thrust two fingers deep inside me as his thumb continued circling my clit until I was moaning inarticulately into his mouth. He curled his fingers just right and I came hard all over his hand, my muscles clenching tightly around him.

I put my forehead to his, breathing heavily as I came back down to earth. I opened my eyes to see the smug smile on his face, though I could still see the desire clearly in his dark eyes.

"I love that I can do that to you," he whispered, "I never thought any of this to be possible. I can't believe I thought I could live my life without ever watching you come apart like that."

With that, he lifted me easily onto his lap, "Now, I need to see it again," he said, as he swiftly ripped my underwear away, reaching down to open his jeans. Without a single part of me being exposed, he lifted me up, before lowering me down over him. He eased me gently down over his length and I was once again flooded with that amazing feeling of belonging at being filled by him. This time there was no pain, just pleasure as he guided me up and down over him, again and again.

I flung my head back in ecstasy as the pressure began to build up within me. Edward placed open-mouthed kisses along my neck, each one just adding to the pressure. After a while, I could feel that Edward was getting close, his heavy breath sending chills across my skin, as I felt his hand snake between us. He pressed his finger to my clit and I instantly came at the same time as he released into me with a growl.

I collapsed onto him, my head hitting his shoulder, as I tried to regain some semblance of coherent thought. He seemed to be having the same problem and it was a few minutes before either of us moved or spoke.

"That wasn't the most romantic," Edward groaned, "Sorry."

"I dunno," I said to him, pulling back to look him in the eye, "I think there's something romantic about not being able to control yourself."

"Maybe," he admitted quietly, "But you planned such a romantic afternoon and this is how it ended."

"Once again, I'm definitely not complaining," I chuckled, "Before... I always thought it was just me who wanted you so much. It made me feel like you didn't want me that way. I like this side of you, so don't apologise for it."

"I always wanted you this way," he confessed, "I was just afraid of what might happen. I am sorry I ever made you feel unwanted though. That was never the case."

I smiled at him, kissing him lightly before moving off him. I quickly cleaned myself up with my underwear, which was completely ruined. I would have to go commando until we got home. Edward's eyes darkened again when he realised that and I chuckled at his expression, however, he quickly righted himself before starting the engine and heading back home.

~~~TTOGILB~~~

That afternoon, back at the Cullen's house, I called Charlie. I had been keeping in constant contact with him the whole time I'd been away, as per his request, but I may have been a little loose with the truth about where I had been. Since he thought I was travelling around the country, I couldn't very well tell him that I'd been in the one place for so long as I'd looked for and then stayed with the Cullens. I had told him that I was headed to Chicago though and now it was time to bring up Edward. He wasn't going to be happy, but I'd hated lying to him and I wanted to be able to be truthful with him, though there would have to be a few more white lies about how we had found each other again.

"Hey Dad," I said, as he answered his phone.

"Bells," he sighed, "It's good to hear from you. How's Chicago? You still there?"

"Not exactly," I said, taking a deep breath and readying myself for his reaction.

"What does that mean?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, I've got something to tell you and I want you to promise not to be mad," I said.

"I can't promise that, Bells," he said, worry colouring his voice, "Just tell me."

"I bumped into someone when I was in Chicago," I said quietly.

"Who?" he asked brusquely.

"Edward," I whispered.

"Cullen?" he yelled, his temper rising but I knew that it was only due to worry about me getting hurt again, "I hope you're not telling me this because you're back with him! He hurt you so badly. You need to stay clear of him!"

"Dad, listen, please," I pleaded, "Just hear me out." I waited for his response, but he was quiet on the other end of the phone, trying to calm himself down, I assumed.

"We've talked a lot about what happened," I continued, "His family was leaving and he didn't think the long-distance thing was a good idea. He didn't leave because he didn't love me, but because he wanted to protect me from the difficulties of a long-distance relationship."

Charlie huffed down the phone, clearly not buying that excuse.

"It's true, Dad," I said, "He still loves me and I still love him, so yes, we are back together. I know you're worried about me, and I really appreciate that, but I'm an adult and I can make my own decisions about my life."

"I know you are," he admitted, "And you've always been a sensible girl, but I can't help worrying about you. You'll always be my little girl. That boy hurt you real bad and I don't want to see that happen to you again."

"It won't, I promise," I said, "We've really talked about everything and I know he was hurting just as much as I was. Neither of us coped well without the other. I'm really happy, Dad. Please try to be happy for me too."

"Ah, Bells, I only want you to be happy," he said quietly, "I will try my best to be civil towards the boy."

"Thanks, Dad, that really means a lot to me," I said.

"Now, where are you if you aren't in Chicago any more?" Charlie asked.

"Well, Edward was only visiting Chicago," I said, "He and his family are living in Rochester, so I came back to Rochester with him. I missed the rest of the family too. It's been really nice catching up with Alice and seeing Esme again."

"Well, as much as I'm not Edward's biggest fan, I did like the rest of the family," Charlie admitted, "Knowing that you're not on your own any more makes me feel better. I know Carlisle and Esme will look after you."

"They really are," I chuckled, "You should see the size of the breakfasts Esme's been cooking up for me. Apparently, she was worried I wasn't eating right when I was staying in hostels."

"That's good," he said, "I'm much happier knowing that you are being well looked after. How long are you planning on staying with them?"

"I dunno," I told him, "A while, probably. They have said I'm welcome for as long as I want and we have a lot to catch up on."

"Well, you take care of yourself, kiddo," he said, "And come back and see your old dad soon, okay?"

"I will," I promised, "Love you, Dad."

"Love you too, Bells," Charlie sighed.

I hung up, smiling down at the phone. That had actually gone much better than I thought it would. I'd known he wouldn't be happy about Edward being back in my life and had expected a bigger argument. I looked up as Edward peeked his head around the door of the bedroom, looking at me with a sad look on his face.

"Don't look like that," I said, gesturing to him to come sit beside me on the bed, "He took that really well."

"He hates me," Edward said quietly, "And with good reason."

"Look, I've already told you how I was when you left," I said, taking his hands in mine, "He's just worried about me getting hurt again. Are you gonna leave me again?"

"No!" he exclaimed, looking up into my eyes, "I promise. I need you."

"Well then, Charlie has nothing to worry about," I said, climbing into his lap, "And neither do you."

"Charlie's not going to make things easy for me," he said, tucking me into his arms and placing a kiss on my forehead.

"Well, it's a good thing you're bulletproof then," I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. He laughed a little, his eyes softening and his face losing some of the worry and sadness.

"We are together now," I said, "We can deal with anything anyone can throw at us."


This weeks recommendation is a story I'm in the middle of reading. It's very funny, with lots of embarrassing situations for a very innocent Edward and Bella.

Family Emergency by JenERoseCullen

An unusual call from Esme has Carlisle feeling confused and leaving work early. (Started out as a two-shot story and quickly became much, much bigger.)