A/N: I am going to stop promising when chapters will update because I never seem to get it right. My mojo is of the finicky variety. Sometimes when I'm on I'm very on, but when I'm off, I'm lousy. So, I hope you readers and reviewers will forgive me when I don't make the mark. I don't want to give you anything crappy so I tend to wait until I know the chapter is as good as I can make it before I send it to be beta'd and then posted for you.
As Always, I'd like to thank a few ladies whom I really count among my RL friends since we have been working together and collaborating on this story since August: SSHG316, Charmie77, acireamos and Savage Woman. They champion TLC and encourage me so much, I don't know what I would do without them. I want to especially thank SavageWoman and SSHG316 for laboring over this chapter because SavageWoman beta'd it twice and SSHG316 took two days to complete the process, and somehow I always manage to have SSHG316 working on Friday nights. Thank you all for giving of quality family time to help me in my writing.
My Gift Fic was written for Cullenbabe86 and it is entitled "Yuletide Canticle." If you want to go to the Twilight Gift Exchange and read it, that would be fine. However, I am going to flesh it out and post it on FFN and Twilighted as a multi-chapter story. It is a Darkward Vampire AU story, so it won't be anything like TLC. If you go to the gift exchange and read, PM me let me know what you think.
"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction, both are transformed." -- C. G. Jung
"Synchronicity isn't just proof of the existence of God. It's also proof of God's concern for and involvement with you." -- Bayard
"Their hearts are like an oven; they approach him with intrigue. Their passion smolders all night; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire." -- Hosea 7:6
TLC - Chapter 19 – Passion and Synchronicity
BPOV
Bella awoke much too early and found herself practically pinned down by a warm, and decidedly sexy, male body. Oozing contentment, she remembered she was at Edward's, and they had slept together in his bed. After the explosive climax to their evening—in more ways than one—they'd decided that he didn't have to stay on the couch after all. Feeling his even breathing in her hair, tickling the back of her neck, she smiled, remembering how his talented hands and mouth had played her like a baby grand piano. She blushed, remembering what she had done to him as well.
Edward seemed to be protecting her even in his sleep, holding her so close that movement was virtually impossible. She was held flush against the front of his body, her back to his chest, her tush to the morning stiffness of his member. Her legs were entwined in his, with her head resting on his left arm and his right arm thrown possessively over her body. She couldn't possibly escape without waking him, but she needed to use the bathroom—soon. However, she decided that she wanted to watch him sleep for a few seconds. Carefully extricating her legs from his, she turned slowly in the circle of his arms onto her right side, facing him. Edward shifted slightly and sighed, but continued to breathe evenly as she studied his sleeping visage.
With his face relaxed he looked totally vulnerable and sweet, almost like he had in the picture she'd seen of him when he was a little boy. The day-old stubble on his cheeks was the only thing that belied his youth. His hair was truly a wild bed head mess at the moment, with absolutely no order to it whatsoever. She looked at his lips that were relaxed in slumber, yet ruddy and puckered as if begging to be kissed. Grinning impishly, she leaned in and brushed his lips softly with her own.
"Morning, beautiful," Edward mumbled without opening his eyes. "It is morning, right?"
Now that he was talking, she felt it was probably okay to touch him. Her hands hungered to be on him all the time now. Pressing another soft kiss to his lips, she ran her hands, palm open, over his expansive chest. He smiled instantaneously, and his green, sleep-cloudy eyes opened and swept greedily over her face. He pulled her closer, massaging her lower back and sweeping lazily down the curve of her bottom.
She smiled and whispered, "Technically, yes. But it's not time to get up yet." She moved in preparation to get out of bed, but he held her closer.
"Then where are you going?" He opened his eyes in earnest then; his question had a frantic tenseness that she didn't expect.
"Um, I think I had a little too much wine last night," she answered as honestly as she could without delving into the murky grayness of TMI. She wriggled out of his arms, hopped off the bed, and headed for the bathroom.
She glanced back at him. Edward stretched out on his back with his hands propped behind his head, watching her, his eyes smoldering with unmistakable desire. "Be right back," she promised with a smirk on her lips and a shake of her head. He was insatiable, but she was also as hungry for him as he was for her.
Quickly taking care of her business, she examined herself in the mirror. Her hair was a disheveled mess, but as she regarded the woman looking back at her, she couldn't help but notice that she looked like a sexier version of herself. She surveyed the burgundy satin teddy she had slipped on while cleaning up from the previous night's activities, her pajamas having been rendered un-wearable. Finger combing her unruly hair a bit, she took in the results in the mirror. As her eyes traveled from her face to her neck and shoulders, she saw a couple of quarter-sized hickeys visible on her skin, one on the side of her neck and the other on her chest, perilously close to her cleavage.
"Ugh," she groaned. How was she going to be able to show herself in church without embarrassing her parents and herself?
Edward was at the door in a few seconds. "Bella?" he called through the door. "Are you okay?" He must have heard her groaning and thought she was sick or something.
Rather than yell through the door, Bella swung it open. "I'm fine. I just realized that the Swan curse has betrayed me again." She gestured toward the offending bruises.
"Oh man," he said, touching the bruised spots gingerly while he examined her. Bella watched as he also inspected the fading bruises on her arms left by Laurent. He scowled. "I need to remember to be more careful with you."
"You think these will fade sufficiently enough in six hours so I won't have to go to church looking like I've had a wild night of passion with my boyfriend?" she teased and wound her arms around his waist.
Edward shook his head, smirking rather smugly. "I wouldn't count on it. Will Rev. Swan shoot me on sight when he sees this?"
"Probably," she answered, playfully enunciating the word in three distinct syllables.
He feigned a fearful look. "This will definitely ruin the great first impression I planned to have on him this weekend."
"I'll just have figure out what to do about concealing your handiwork, Casanova." Bella released him and moved back toward the bed. She climbed back in as he entered the bathroom and closed the door.
She'd been in college the last time she had a hickey. It had been embarrassing enough being around her friends. How was she going to finesse this under her parents and maybe even the whole congregation's appraising eyes? The one on her chest was easy enough to cover by not wearing a low cut top, but the one on her neck required another form of concealment. A scarf was out of the question because it was too hot in the Florida Panhandle this time of year. Maybe some makeup concealer would do the trick. Crisis averted.
Edward came out of the bathroom and slid into bed beside her, his hands immediately reaching for her. As she settled into the crook of his arm and laid her head on his chest, they both sighed in unison. She couldn't help but giggle.
"What's so funny?" he asked.
"Us—how we're kind of comfortable together like this."
"Yeah, we are, aren't we?" he marveled, squeezing her closer and kissing the top of her head. After a beat, he said, "Thank you for agreeing to stay even after that fiasco last night."
She smiled. "I think I should be thanking you, but you're welcome."
~888~
Bella was dreaming of eating chocolate-covered strawberries and drinking champagne in some unknown place with Edward. They wore plush white robes and sat on a balcony boasting a gorgeous ocean view in the early morning sun. Smiling, Edward picked up a strawberry and brought it to her lips. The dream felt so real, she could smell the chocolate and strawberries...
"Hey, sleepy head," the most beautiful voice in the world said to her. She felt something against her lips that was just a little too rigid to be Edward's lips. Then she smelled the strawberry and chocolate. Her eyes and mouth flew opening simultaneously before tasting the chocolate. Her eyes adjusted to see Edward leaning over her prone form on the bed, holding a chocolate-covered strawberry to her lips. Bella took a bite, smiled, and wound her hands around his neck to pull him down for a brief kiss.
When she let him go, he leaned back up, bringing her with him into a sitting position, and gave her the rest of the strawberry, which she happily consumed. He licked the chocolate from his lips that she had smeared on him when she'd kissed him. Seeing his tongue made her want to nix the strawberries and pull him back into the bed, but she knew she had to get ready for church soon.
"Mmm, thanks," she murmured happily. "Where did you get these?"
"My neighbor is the manager of the Godiva store in Governor's Square Mall. I picked them up from his place this morning." He took her hand. "Come on, there's more where that came from."
Bella went willingly as Edward led her out into the dining area where he already had breakfast laid out for them. There were more chocolate-covered strawberries, French toast with strawberries and whipped cream topping, turkey bacon, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and a cup of her favorite latte from Starbucks. A single red rose adorned her place setting, and a vase filled with eleven more was the centerpiece.
His surprise overwhelmed her. "Edward, this is just... awesome." She took the rose and brought it to her nose, inhaling the beautiful scent. "How did you manage all this without waking me up?"
"The French toast and turkey bacon were the only things I actually had to prepare. Once I picked up the strawberries from Ian next door, everything else was just grab and go."
She moved to him and threw her arms around his neck. He caught her around the waist and pulled her close. This kiss was not brief. Bella reluctantly let him go when he broke the kiss and held her chair out for her.
"I think we'd better cool it if we plan on making it to City of Hope on time," he said. Bella did a double-take.
"We?" She arched an eyebrow as she unfolded a napkin into her lap. Her heart began to thump wildly in her chest. Was he contemplating going with her? She glanced quickly at him and got her answer almost immediately.
Edward moved to the chair on her left and sat down. "Um, yeah, I should probably go with you today—I mean, that is, if you want me to."
Oh. My. God. Edward is offering to go to church with me. This is epic.
"Of course I want you to. I didn't invite you because I know you're still grappling with what COGS did to you and your mom, and I thought it might be too soon to ask."
"Bella you don't ever have to feel like it's too soon to ask me anything." He poured orange juice for her as she cut into her French toast. "So, tell me, what's the dress code?" he asked tentatively.
"We're pretty laid back. We get everything from Sunday best to jeans and shorts." She took a bite of the French toast. Her excitement that he was willing to join her at church almost made her choke. She washed it down with a sip of her latte and cleared her throat.
"Are you wearing jeans or shorts?" he probed.
"No, I usually wear a nice dress. I feel like God is worth the effort, so I dress nicely for worship. But that's my personal conviction. He prefers we come as we are." She felt like she was babbling, so she shut up abruptly.
"I'm sure I have some slacks and a dress shirt that'll be fine." He smiled and popped a strawberry into his mouth. Edward never ceased to amaze her. Considering his general aversion to all things church-related, he seemed really excited about going to church with her.
"Are you sure?" she asked. One thing she didn't want to do was guilt him into going. And truth be told, she didn't know if she was ready to let her dad know that she was seriously dating someone who didn't share their faith. She knew it was cowardly of her to not confront the situation head-on and have her dad just deal with it. But she hadn't given sufficient thought about how to make that rather startling revelation to the good reverend. Maybe if she could talk Edward into not going to church with her today, they could go to the Memorial Day party together, where her father was expecting her to bring him anyway, and she'd have another week or so to think about what she was going to say to her dad.
"Edward, if you're going because you think I won't be safe, I've got my dad there and a couple hundred men in the congregation who won't let any harm come to me if they can help it. I want you to go, but not out of obligation."
He took her left hand in his, fingering her commitment ring. "Yes, I'm sure I want to go. I've just been thinking about what happened to my parents. As messed up as COGS was, their marriage might have survived if my dad had kept his pants firmly zipped and been willing to compromise and find another church, considering how important faith was to my mother." He locked eyes with her. "Bella, I know how important your faith is to you, and even if I don't buy everything hook, line, and sinker, I want to try to understand what the appeal is for you."
Bella was flabbergasted. When he put it like that, how could she struggle with a simple thing like telling her dad? He was all but baring his soul to her. She struggled to respond calmly. "Okay, then I'd be honored to have you go with me. You know, I've looked at my parents' relationship analytically, too, and despite what people think about Christian marriages, it's not without its challenges. My parents like to say that they are committed to being committed to one another. There is always going to be conflict, but the true measure of how strong a relationship really is can be relegated to how that conflict is resolved."
"More of the reverend's Swanisms?" he asked playfully.
"You know it."
"His teachings seem so practical, not high-minded and mystical at all."
"My dad's sermons come across like conversations. He communicates a culturally relevant evangelical message, which addresses both personal and social concerns, and delivers it in a way that is easily understood."
He finally dug into his French toast. "Then, I'm looking forward to it."
~888~
EPOV
Edward stood in the back of the City of Hope Church, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. Several church members had approached him almost immediately after the service, pegging him as a visitor despite the fact that half the congregation was Caucasian. In their smiling, almost overly-kind manner, they'd thanked him profusely for coming and admonished him to "do come again." Add to this the stream of curious, young, single women who had accosted him with their flirtatious manner, inviting him to their next meeting at Chez Pierre. He let them know in no uncertain terms that if he attended, he'd do so as Bella's date. He considered bolting if they approached him again, however, he couldn't very well leave without Bella. As soon as Rev. Swan had given the benediction she'd disappeared with the rest of the choir into the back of the building.
Having endured about twenty minutes of singing, which was by far his favorite part of the service, a few announcements, and then a thirty-minute sermon, he was anxious to see the woman who gave him the courage to end his self-imposed exile from church. Her solo was tantamount to perfection. Edward smiled as he remembered watching Bella sing. Her eyes had returned to his again and again. He'd been so proud that he felt like leaning forward to the people in the pew in front of him and telling them, "That's my girlfriend."
Completely lost in his thoughts about Bella, he started when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Turning, he recognized Renee Swan.
"Edward." Renee greeted him with a dazzling smile, her hazel eyes dancing merrily. She looked resplendent in a cool white linen suit with a matching white hat perched in her auburn hair. "I thought it was you back here." She lowered her voice and leaned in to whisper, "I would have said hello sooner, but Mrs. Glover decided to show me the pictures of her great-grandchildren in Ann Arbor again. Poor thing. She never remembers that I've seen them several times. But every time she pulls out that long plastic foldout of wallet-sized photos. I give her a few minutes because I want people to return the favor when I'm her age."
"Mrs. Swan, it's good to see you again." He offered his hand to her, but she patted it away.
"I don't require the 'right hand of fellowship' from my daughter's friends." She opened her arms for a hug, and he embraced her briefly, then sheepishly slid his hands into his pockets. "And call me Renee, remember."
"There's something about being in church that kind of makes it seem necessary to use titles," he said. "I'll remember next time, though."
"I'm glad you were able to visit with us today. We aren't as high church as St. John's and not as charismatic as COGS, but we try to strike a good balance."
Frowning slightly, he hastened to correct her. "Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme are members of St. John's, and I haven't set foot on the grounds at COGS since I was a little boy—well, until recently, that is." He smiled genuinely. "I actually like City of Hope because it doesn't lean too far in either direction."
"That's right; you were in Indiana before moving here a year ago. Sorry for making assumptions about your affiliation. Maybe Bella can persuade you to join us." The suggestion was not lost on him.
"Maybe," he replied, a slight smirk playing on his lips. Looking over Renee's shoulder, he saw Bella hurrying toward them. "Here comes our favorite soloist now."
"Mom," Bella said, opening her arms and walking into her mother's embrace. "Thanks for keeping Edward company." She then moved effortlessly from her mother's embrace to his side and laced her fingers through his.
Renee raised an eyebrow at their joined hands but didn't say anything, and Bella didn't make any effort to explain. After an uncomfortable silence, Renee chose to acknowledge Bella. "I really just got here, but I think Edward received a warm welcome from quite a few people before I escaped Mrs. Glover."
"How are those great-grandchildren, Mom?" Bella teased.
Renee rolled her eyes, smiling good-naturedly. "I'm going to join your father on the steps to see the last of the congregants out. You two say hello to him before you leave."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Edward said to her in parting, but he was already drinking Bella in with his eyes. Before he could ask her why she didn't introduce him formally to her mother, she asked him a question.
"So, what did you think?"
"My favorite part was your singing," he answered honestly. "And Rev. Swan was quite engaging. I didn't fall asleep once. But one guy on the pew with me did—several times."
"That was Deacon Wilson. He's been a member here forever and a good friend of my parents. Dad teases him that he can't stay awake because he samples too much barbeque before he comes to church. He's a caterer and makes the best barbeque in Tallahassee, which you'll get a chance to taste tomorrow."
"Now, he did manage to stay awake for your singing, as a matter of fact. His face practically lit up, as did many other men's faces in the room."
"Really now?"
"Yeah, and I wanted to tell everybody within whispering distance, 'That's my girlfriend up there,'" he said with a wicked grin. He wanted to hold her in his arms so badly, but he was unsure of what was appropriate in church, so he settled for holding both her hands.
"Kinda glad you didn't do that," she muttered, blushing profusely. "I probably would've tumbled out of the choir loft mid-song." She looked so red with embarrassment, he believed her.
Releasing her right hand he kept her left hand in his and moved toward the door, chuckling. "Let's say hi to your dad. Alice sent a text inviting us for lunch after church."
Bella giggled. "You know, that sounds weird coming from you."
"Saying hi to your dad, or Alice inviting us for lunch after church?" He had to admit that saying he'd do anything after church was a foreign notion.
"Actually, both."
As they approached Rev. Swan, Edward felt Bella stiffen a bit, and her hand became moist and clammy in his. He looked down at her, silently questioning if she were okay. She looked back up at him, her eyes wide with unmistakable fear, as if she were about to face an execution. Through it all, she flashed him a quick smile that didn't engage her eyes and tugged him along as the couple in front of them finally moved away from her parents.
"Edward!" Rev. Swan greeted him warmly, extending his hand, which Edward gladly took and shook firmly. "So glad you chose to visit with us today. You're always welcome at City of Hope Church. You just keep taking care of my daughter like you've been doing, and we just might have to grant you an honorable membership."
"Rev. Swan," Edward said by way of greeting with a ready smile. "Thanks for the warm welcome. Taking care of Bella is by far the most favorite part of my job. Great message, by the way. Job's story has always intrigued me and you gave us another perspective from which to look at it."
"God is good. I am always in awe of the messages He gives a lowly former cop like me to share," Charlie said humbly. He then caught Bella's eye. "Good to see you're actually practicing some of the tenets of the Great Commission and inviting friends to church again, or should I say boyfriend?"
Edward waited for Bella to agree with her dad and introduce him as her boyfriend, a special friend, or something other than just someone whom she was evangelizing or sharing the Good News. Ignoring the big-assed elephant on the steps of the church with them, she just released his hand and embraced her father.
"Who's responsible for attracting most of the youth and college students here within the last year, hmm?" Bella goaded.
Charlie gathered his daughter into his arms and squeezed her tight. "Something you never allow me to forget, baby girl."
When Charlie released her, Bella moved between her parents and took her mom's hand, and Charlie addressed Edward again.
"We would have you two over for lunch today, but we'll be here in the fellowship hall a while. We have a new members and visitors lunch today. I know how fond you Episcopals are of your liturgies, so I wouldn't deign to proselytize." Rev. Swan laughed.
Renee, having made this same mistake a while ago, swooped in to the rescue. "Edward isn't a member of the Episcopal church, honey." Charlie looked baffled. "I'll explain later," she promised and then smoothly addressed him again. "Edward, did Bella remember to invite you to our annual Memorial Day Family Barbeque at the house tomorrow?"
"Yes, Mrs—Renee," Edward self-corrected quickly. "We definitely plan on being there." Renee smiled as if she approved of the royal "we" he'd used, but Charlie seemed rather surprised by it.
Seeing the line behind them growing by several people at once, Bella immediately stepped in and amiably slid her arm through his. She quickly maneuvered them away.
"We'll see you tomorrow, then, Mom, Dad," she said in parting.
~888~
On the ride over to Alice and Jasper's, Bella attempted conversation several times, but Edward was monosyllabic, at best. He hated himself for shutting down on her like that, but he was oddly pissed off that she hadn't made it clear to her parents that he was more than just some guy she'd decided to invite to church. For her, he wanted to be more than just a co-worker, more than just the cop who protected her, more than just a friend. Was there something she was afraid to say to her parents, her father in particular? The entire thing weirded him out because he'd never even cared to meet any woman's parents before, let alone hope that one would introduce him as someone important to them. He'd never wanted to be that for anyone before, and the first time that he did, it didn't happen.
Undaunted, Bella continued her attempts to draw him out in conversation.
"I really think you're growing on my parents," she ventured.
"Huh," he grunted. Looking out the rearview mirror, he spied a familiar gold car about three cars back. He decided he'd take the next turn to see if the car actually followed them. The car kept going on Thomasville road, so he rounded the next block and decided to pick up Thomasville later. Bella sighed loudly, and he glanced at her.
"Okay, that's it. You want to tell me what's gotten into you, Edward? You've been giving me the cold shoulder ever since we left the church."
"I guess I was just following the lead you established with your parents. Adopt a 'don't ask, don't answer' posture and let the chips fall where they may."
"What are you talking about?" she asked through a nervous chuckle.
"You know very well what I'm talking about. What am I to you, Bella?"
"You're my boyfriend. I-I've grown to care about you very much," she admitted unsteadily.
"Why wasn't that fact made clear to either of your parents, today?" he accused hotly.
When Edward glanced at her again, she dropped her head and fidgeted with her fingers in her lap.
"I guess I didn't think it was absolutely necessary to do that today," she breathed fiercely. "That's all."
"Why? Are you ashamed of me, or something?" Injustice boiled up in his blood. Whether it was real or perceived, he wasn't entirely sure.
"No, why would you think that?"
"I can see where my past might be kind of distasteful to church-folks' sensitivities," he said scornfully.
She recoiled slightly from his misplaced ire, but she didn't completely back down. "Everyone—every person in that church—has sins, has a past."
"That may be true, but I still want to know why you looked like you were going to the gas chamber when we were simply going down to greet your dad."
She leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes.
"I just didn't want to tell him about you today because I need time to figure out how I'm going to tell him."
"Oh, that's an easy one. How about, 'Dad, I'm dating Edward Cullen exclusively' or 'Dad, Edward Cullen is my boyfriend.'"
"I'm clear on that part. I just need to figure out how to tell him that you're neither Protestant nor Catholic and may never be."
"Is that a deal-breaker for him or something?"
"Maybe for him, but not for me," she insisted.
He pulled into the Whitlock's' driveway and parked the car before he responded. "How can you be sure, if you can't even tell him about me, Bella?"
"I can tell him. I'm going to tell him."
"When?"
Bella's mouth moved but no words came out.
Edward's reaction was one of biting sarcasm. "That's what I thought." He slid out of the car and, despite feeling like she had just kicked him in the gut, opened the door for her. Why was it so important to him that she make their relationship known to her parents? Yes, he had let his mother know how important she was to him and had gone so far as to renounce her if she didn't accept Bella, but this was not about reciprocity. So what was it?
Admittedly, this could be a remnant of his abandonment issues rearing its ugly head when everything was going so well. But it wasn't until he opened the door and saw the pain in her eyes that he realized why he was so damned upset about her not acknowledging their relationship today, and it pierced his heart as if he were being stabbed. He knew why he needed Bella to tell her parents he was special to her: He was falling in love with her.
Given what he had just admitted to himself, there was no way he could let her go into his cousin's house in her current state. Seeing the same trepidation in her eyes that he'd seen when they were going to greet her father, he never wanted to see that look associated with him again. He had to make this right somehow, but before he could think out a plan of action, she was out of the car and in his arms.
"Edward, please don't be upset with me," she mumbled against his chest, her slender arms locked behind his back and holding him with all her might. "I'll tell him—tomorrow. I promise."
Edward really felt like an asshole then. He held her in his arms firmly yet gently, massaging her back softly with his hands. "Hey," he said soothingly. "I'm sorry I was being such a douche, just now. You have parents whose opinions matter to you. I can understand why you need time to tell your father something that might become a source contention in your family."
She looked up at him with her brown eyes, and he felt overwhelmed with the need to tell her how he really felt, but he didn't want to scare her away by declaring himself to her too early. He smiled down at her, hoping that his change in demeanor was easing the anxiety he'd made her feel.
"But I should have told them today and not ignored their intimations so blatantly. It made you uncomfortable, and I'm so sorry." Bella relaxed her arms around him, and her thumbs hooked through the belt loops at his waist. She raised herself on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "Forgive me?"
His heart melted completely then, and he could not help himself. He cupped her cheeks in his hands, leaned down, and kissed her in a way that he hoped conveyed everything he wanted to say but was unable to articulate at that moment. Suddenly he was kissing her with a fervor that threatened to sap his strength. It must have done the same to her because he felt her knees give way just a bit, and she relaxed against him completely, a low moan escaping her gorgeous, dusky rose lips. Frantic and seeking, he plundered deeper and deeper into her mouth, as he tightened his arms around her. He could feel her giving way to his mastery completely, and for a few fleeting seconds, he was glad they were in Alice and Jasper's driveway. Had they been back at his apartment, this kiss might have been their undoing, stripping them bare and leaving them vulnerable—almost too vulnerable.
The unmistakable sound of a door opening and a throat clearing brought them out of that soul-stealing kiss, and they looked over to see Jasper approaching them.
"I thought I heard a car pull up a little while ago," he said with a smirk. "You know, we have neighbors whose sensibilities might just be offended by such graphic PDA."
"Sorry, Jasper." Bella blushed and began to pull away.
Edward held her fast and brushed a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. "I'm almost certain the neighbors have been initiated thoroughly by you and my spritely cousin. Nothing could shock them now," he drawled confidently. He smiled at his beautiful girlfriend again and did not move toward the door until he got a smile from her in return.
~888~
BPOV
Leave it to Alice to discover the hickey on her neck that she was trying to conceal. They were in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on lunch when Alice spotted the half-concealed bruise. Jasper and Edward were in the den watching a basketball game. Some of the cosmetic must have rubbed off while she and Edward had been making up after their little spat in the driveway. Examining the hickey like it was a wart, Alice scrunched her tiny nose at her friend.
She redistributed the errant concealer on Bella's neck. "There. You know, I'm getting a visual of what caused this, and it's squicking me out," Alice teased.
"Yeah, right," Bella said, peering at herself in the glass front of the microwave. "You and Jasper have squicked me out so much that I think my squicker is broken."
They giggled like fools. When they recovered, Alice took the casserole out of the oven and set it on top of the stove to cool just a bit.
"Edward looks so happy," Alice said. "I've never seen him like this before—not even when he was with Vicky."
"Rosalie told me as much just last night. And what do I do today? I almost messed things up with him, big time."
"Really? I can't imagine how you could do that. Can you believe Rosalie and Emmett finally set a date?"
"It's exciting, but what I really can't believe is that she asked me to be her maid of honor. I hurt Edward's feelings today by not being completely honest with my parents about our relationship." Bella continued the dual topics with Alice easily.
"Who knew my cuz was so sensitive? The old Edward would have been offended if a girl wanted him to meet her parents." Alice scoffed. "You'll be a great maid of honor for Rosalie. She takes high maintenance to a whole 'nother level. Even my mad skills wouldn't be able to handle the Bridezilla she will most definitely be."
Bella smiled, marveling at how well Rosalie and Alice knew each other and still came to the same conclusions, although for completely different reasons.
"Well, honestly, I was a little intimidated by Rosalie when I first met her, but she's turned out to be a cool friend. Besides, I'm indebted to her now for—asking me to be her maid of honor when she could have asked so many others." The latter half of the sentence tumbled out almost unintelligibly.
Alice was like a bloodhound. She knew right away that Bella had not said what she originally intended to say. Narrowing her eyes and folding her arms in front of her meager chest, Bella waited for the onslaught.
"Isabella Marie Swan." Alice rolled all the syllables of her name out like a true southern belle. "I do believe you're trying to hide something from me."
Bella looked at her friend as innocently as she could. "What?"
"Let me just tell you what I think," she said, grabbing the potholders and grasping the casserole again. Bella followed her into the dining room where Alice set the dish in the middle of the table. Alice stood erect again with the huge potholders still on her hands gesturing wildly. "You have a passion mark on your neck—undoubtedly placed there by my cousin sometime last night. Rosalie and Emmett hung out with you guys last night at Edward's place. So, I think Rosalie encouraged you somehow with her Nordic Dr. Ruth Westheimer School of Sexual Expertise."
Bella's mouth fell open. Alice was indeed clairvoyant. "Well, her advice wasn't unsolicited," Bella declared.
"I knew it!" Alice walked back into the kitchen, and Bella followed.
"I wanted to move things along with Edward. Rosalie did not push me."
"Is that so?" Pursing her lips, Alice opened the fridge, brought out a pitcher of lemonade and set it on the island. "What made you feel like you needed to go there if Rosalie's advice wasn't a factor?"
"Do you know how hot your cousin is? I mean seriously."
"But you've had 'hot' before and never felt the need to push the boundaries of physical intimacy."
"I don't know, Alice, I just want him in that way more than I've ever wanted any other man." With a frustrated sigh, Bella fidgeted nervously with her purity ring. "And then, these... these women kept showing up at his apartment, and I just kinda panicked, I guess. I don't want to lose him to some skank who's throwing it at him," she said quietly, her face visibly paling in the process.
Alice softened. "Oh, sweetie, Edward cares about you. You really don't need to be worried about that. Let your relationship progress naturally."
"I don't have any prior experience, but everything we did last night felt natural," Bella said sheepishly.
"Show me your ring, Bella," Alice demanded suddenly.
Bella was peeved that Alice would even ask, but she quickly held up her left hand so Alice could get a good look at it. "You really didn't think I'd actually given it up, did you?"
"Edward is very experienced, and you're kind of naive when it comes to sex. He could do things to you that would have you thinking you've lost your mind. How easy would it then be to lose a little cherry?"
"Alice! I thought it squicked you out to think about your cousin in that way?"
"Not when it comes to my friend and her faith convictions. He's not pressuring you, is he?"
"No, Edward is not pressuring me. He wouldn't do that. He's been a perfect gentleman. We slept together in his bed last night after Rosalie and Emmett left, and I didn't come away deflowered."
"You spent the night at Edward's?" Alice gasped, clapping her hand over her mouth.
"Yeah, but it's really not what you think. Edward didn't want me to be alone in my apartment just in case Laurent showed up after all the trouble he caused at the festival. As a result of his crap, we're going to have to start carrying pepper spray and following stricter safety precautions at the Center."
Alice relaxed visibly. "Okay, well tell me what 'moving things along' entailed besides a ginormous hickey?"
"Are you seriously asking me for details?"
"Bella, you're probably the only virgin friend I have left. Humor me." She opened a bag of Hawaiian wheat rolls and placed them in a bread bowl.
"Second base." Bella sighed audibly. "With like all the benefits of third." She bit her lip nervously.
"Ooh, little Bellarina had a big 'O,'" Alice teased. "I thought you looked different today—not so uptight."
Bella turned red as a beet. "Would you stop it, Alice?"
"Stop what?" Jasper asked as he entered the kitchen. He was followed by Edward, who gravitated to Bella, took up residence behind her, and wrapped his arms around her torso.
Jasper sauntered over to Alice and kissed the top of her head. "Honey, we came to see if lunch was ready."
"Um, yeah, take the lemonade to the table. I'll bring the bread," Alice said, ignoring his original question.
As Alice and Jasper moved into the dining room, Edward looked with curiosity at Bella's blushing skin. "Alice giving you a hard time?"
"You know how infuriatingly perceptive she is," she said, patting his hands that were busy driving her crazy by making lazy little passes over her tummy. She turned in his arms to face him. "Aren't you hungry?"
His eyes smoldered with so much desire, his normal emerald-green burned dark jade. "I'm always hungry for you, baby."
E/N: Stories I have been enamored with lately: "Dark Games and Twisted Minds" by katinki; "Becoming Jane" by LoreliD; and "Hide and Drink" by Savage (on Twilighted). Notice a pattern here? I have become totally smitten with vampire fics of late. I will be writing a Volturi-centric vampire story when I finish TLC, so stay tuned. Don't you think Felix is just yummy in a bad boy kind of way? Well, I do ;)
My Gift Exchange Fic is posted at the Twilight Gift Exchange. Check it out here: http: // community dot livejournal dot com / twi_exchange / They were anonymous for a while, but mine is "Yuletide Canticle" written for Cullenbabe86