Hey guys! I just wanted to say: Holy shit. I'm really, really loving these lovely reviews. You guys are amazing for taking the time, every single one of them makes me smile. It also made me want to post sooner, because, well, you get me all excited to share this story with you. So here you go!

Music? Edward's playing the piano for Bella today, a cover of Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls. I'll put a link on my profile for those that want a visual... of the audio. Audisual? Whatever, it sounds nice.

. . . . . . . . . .

I wasn't expecting this. How weird it would be coming into the club and watching her work, now that we were… dating, I thought with a smile. Really, this was almost as new for me as it was for her. I'd never had this sort of relationship with someone before. Without, well, you know... sex. I'd never really dated someone that I'd been friends with first either. This connection with Bella had nothing to do with sex though, I just fucking loved her.

I'd never had this sort of connection, this draw, to anyone before.

And I couldn't stop myself from watching her like I always had. To most of the room she seemed her own sort of invisible; silent, still, yet deadly as she stood in the corner of the room, watching the floor like a hawk with that serious expression. I stopped breathing every time I saw her dart out of her position, breaking up (usually)almost-fist fights, dragging away guys that got too touchy with some of the women on the dance floor, peeling aggressive drinkers away from the bar when they started trying to pick fights with the bartenders. She was the same as she had always been, from that first day I saw her.

But now, her eyes would flicker to me every once in a while, and when she met my watchful gaze, she would give me a small smile.

She was B here. No one else knew my Bella. They saw a deadly ninja, but when I looked at her, I saw my angel. They didn't know that she smelled like strawberries, or how soft her hands were, or how small she really was when she wasn't wearing those large boots and standing with her oddly perfect, intimidating posture.

They didn't know how soft her lips were, how she created indescribable art on her violin, how gentle she was when she tended to someone's mood, or how selfless her love for her family was.

No one else has ever seen the way she blushes when I tuck a stray piece of her hair behind her ear.

My phone buzzed, and I picked it up quickly.

Stop trying to distract me Hollywood, I'm trying to work here.

I laughed, and winked at her when I looked back up. She rolled her eyes before they went back to scanning the floor.

"What's so funny?" Rose asked, giving me a knowing smile and looking over at Bella. She had a hand on her ear, and was talking into her fancy watch.

"Nothing. Hey, would you guys want to come over for dinner at my place tomorrow?" I asked, taking another sip of my water.

"You're not cooking, are you?" Alice asked, wrinkling her nose. I laughed.

"No."

"Okay then, I'm down. Jazz?"

"Sounds good," he said easily, twirling a piece of her hair around one of his fingers while smiling at her. Every time I saw them, I had the urge to look at her hand and make sure she wasn't wearing a ring.

Any fucking day now, I could feel it. Their love was kind of hard to look at directly.

So I looked back over at Bella again. She had a slight scowl on her face, and although I hated seeing her looking any kind of upset, it was also fucking sexy.

I haven't gotten laid in four months. My right hand, that was still wrapped up in bandages from yesterday, had a perpetual cramp in it. I knew this would be more than worth the fucking wait though. I just had to be patient, and I was fine with that. I ran my hand through my hair, a frustrated habit of mine, and flinched from the sharp pain the motion sent through my palm.

"What happened to your hand?"

I looked over at Jasper in surprise, he had a concerned expression on his face. "Oh, I gripped onto a glass too hard yesterday. It's fine, just stings a little bit."

"Did you go see dad?"

"No, it's nothing, really." I had nurse Bella taking care of me. I felt a goofy grin spread across my face.

"So, any news for your work?" Emmett asked, a strange expression on his face.

"Oh, umm… The premiere is still set for the end of January, I have to go on a two week promotion tour. There's no date set yet for shooting the next film though."

"And your filming, when it starts, where does that take place?"

"LA and London."

"How long will it take?"

"About four months," I said dejectedly, looking back over at Bella. She seemed to be having a heated discussion with one of her bouncers. "It won't be solid though, a few days on then a few days off. I'll be coming back here for all of my downtime." Even if it was only one day off, I would still fly down just to see her for an hour. There was no choice in the matter, really. I had to. Just thinking about it made me feel sick.

Why the fuck did I sign for this movie again?

When I looked back over to Emmett, he was looking back over at his sister, watching her with a worried expression.

I still needed to talk to her about it.

Soon. And everything was going to be okay. We would make it work. We had to. We'd been 'dating' for six days, but I've known I couldn't live without her for much longer.

Alice and Jasper left early, and I was left alone with Emmett when Bella took Rose away to talk to her about something. It put a knot in my stomach when she didn't look at me when she came over.

"Have you talked to her about your filming yet?" Emmett asked quietly.

"Not yet. She knows, but we haven't talked about it. I will though, as soon as I get the chance." Emmett sighed. "What?"

He watched me for a moment, then pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

His resemblance to Bella in that moment was uncanny.

"I can't help but worry about her, you have a sister, you know how it is," he said seriously. "B, she might not seem like a very emotional person, but..." He sighed, and looked back up at me with sad eyes. "She let you in, which I'm still trying to wrap my mind around. That means more than you know. I'm worried about what it will do to her if you leave. She'd never say it out loud, but I know it's going to hurt her."

"Emmett, I'm going to be honest with you. I've regretted signing that contract since the moment I came home. I don't want to leave, but I don't have a choice in the matter anymore. It's not going to change anything though, I'm going to do everything in my fucking power to make this work. I don't want to hurt her, just thinking about being away from her for more than a day makes me sick. I've even thought about asking her to come with me, but I know that she'll say no."

He didn't argue with me, so I knew even more in that moment that I was right. She wouldn't leave New York.

"You're a good guy Edward," he said quietly, resting a hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad she's giving you a chance. Just don't make her regret it."

"Never."

Rose came back, dropping into the booth with a huff.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I guess. One of my bouncers got a concussion, B had to take him to the hospital."

"Why didn't she just get someone else to take him?" I asked curiously, a little hurt that she didn't come say goodbye to me.

"Because she takes these things personally. She feels responsible that one of her men was injured under her watch. That woman puts too much on herself, I swear, she's going to go grey before she hits twenty-five," she said sadly.

I couldn't argue with that, but even with grey hair she'd still be fucking gorgeous. It was the stress that worried me. How long could she keep up this sort of lifestyle? I don't know where she found all of the energy, the woman didn't even drink caffeine.

I went home with a pit in my stomach, watching my phone the entire time. As soon as I walked in through my door, it buzzed.

Sorry for taking off without saying goodbye, I had to see to one of my guys. Are we still on for tomorrow?

I smiled, releasing a deep breath.

Of course, and don't worry about it. I don't want you to worry about me while you're working, I know it's not fair for me to try and distract you from your job, but I just can't stay away.

Her reply was quick.

I don't mind. It's nice having you around. Goodnight Hollywood.

Goodnight beautiful.

I fell asleep easily after that, with a smile on my face.

. . . . . . . . . .

I was in an amazing mood. Excited, because I knew Alice was going to lose her shit when I told her Bella and I were dating. I would have told her last night, but I wanted us to do it together. Bella was like her best friend now, and I knew she was going to be ecstatic.

This time when the six of us hung out, there would be no fifth-wheel vibes. We were all together now. I wasn't alone.

The fact that Bella was going to cook me dinner in my own kitchen didn't help lessen my excitement.

I spent the entire morning scrubbing my apartment from top to bottom, even though my cleaning lady had been in two days ago, made sure my bar fridge was stocked up, and even went grocery shopping though Bella told me I didn't need to get anything. I just ended up buying liquor, my bar was in pretty bad shape.

I tried to read when I ran out of things to do, but I was too restless. I changed three times before I settled on a pair of jeans with a black t-shirt. It was an outfit Bella would approve of. Afterwards, I ended up sitting down in front of my piano, and used my music to drain out some of my mental restlessness. I got lost in the vibrations of the sound that filled my apartment and my mind, closing my eyes as I let the emotions transfer into the ivory as a means of escape. Excitement, nervousness, my underlying fear and worry for the future, but most dominantly, my immeasurable happiness.

"That was beautiful," she whispered from directly behind me, making me jump and clutch at my chest. She smiled. "Sorry, your door was open, and I couldn't bring myself to interrupt," she said with a smile.

I was having trouble finding my words while looking at the angel who magically appeared before me. Her hair was tied into a thick braid that hung over one of her shoulders, and she was wearing a denim skirt with black tights and a white cotton shirt with baggy sleeves. She sat down next to me on the small wooden bench, and I could feel her body heat radiating against me with this proximity. "Can you play something else?" She asked hopefully.

As if I could deny her anything.

I smiled at her before turning back to the keys and moving into an actual song. Whenever my eyes flickered over to her next to me, I saw her watching my fingers with an engrossed, pleased smile.

"How was your day off?" I asked her quietly, not breaking my rhythm in the melody.

"It was good. I didn't get home until six this morning, and ended up sleeping most of the day," she said sheepishly, watching my face.

"You look stunning," I whispered in a deep voice, shifting into a different song. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked back down at the keys as I played with a small smile. I glanced over at the clock, and saw that it was only two. "You're early," I stated happily.

She looked back up at me. "I missed you," she whispered, not breaking eye contact. My grin split my face.

"I'm glad. I was going crazy waiting for you. I even washed my toilet."

She laughed, pushing my shoulder playfully before getting back up. I followed her over to my kitchen, and helped her to start unloading the bags of food that she brought. She looked at my hand as I handed her a pepper, and she gasped.

"Edward! Why haven't you changed the bandage on your hand? It's filthy, you're going to get an infection!"

"Oh, uhmmm… it feels fine, I guess I didn't even think about it." She shook her head, and sat me down at my kitchen table before grabbing her big black purse. She sat it down on the table, and took a first aid kit out of it. "Why do you keep a first aid kit in your purse?"

"Just in case," she said absently, and started taking the bandages off of my hand. She sighed, relaxing as she inspected the cuts. "They're not infected, you're lucky. You should change this twice a day though," she said. She cleaned my hand with alcohol swabs, taking off the temporary stitches that were no longer needed apparently, before putting on some anti-bacterial ointment and wrapping my hand back up. "There, good as new."

"Thanks. I'll pick up some stuff for it tomorrow," I said, inspecting her handiwork.

"I'll just leave this one here for you," she said, throwing out the used supplies before washing her hands and then the table.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I buy in bulk, and am not lacking in medical supplies at home," she said easily. She paused, looking around my kitchen.

"What's wrong?"

She grinned. "I don't know where anything is, I've never used your kitchen before."

I jumped up to my feet. "What do you need?"

I got her the cutting boards, bowls, knives and dishes that she needed, and leaned against the counter and watched while she worked. She wouldn't let me help, saying she didn't want me to get anything on my fresh bandages.

I knew her well enough to know that she just didn't like people fucking with her groove in the kitchen though.

She cut up a bunch of beef and chicken, peppers, onions, lettuce and tomatoes, then started making tortilla bread. I'd never once seen her use a recipe.

Mom was going to adore her.

She opened up one of the cupboards, and stretched up on the tips of her toes trying to reach for one of the large plates on the top shelf. She was about half an inch too short though. I grinned, walking up behind her, and rested a hand on her waist while reaching over her to grab it easily. She jumped, but didn't move away. I set the plate down on the counter in front of her, and kept my hand on her waist as she turned around to face me.

"T-thanks," she said quietly, her sweet breath washing over me. I smiled at her, just enjoying looking at her this closely. I reached up with my other hand, brushing my thumb over her warm cheek while getting lost in her eyes. She relaxed, and smiled back up at me.

It was like gravity, the force that pulled my face down to hers, brushing my lips against hers softly. My body was buzzing with that odd electricity that came with her touch, making every atom of my body flare with life. My arms wrapped around her small waist, holding her against me as I leaned her into the counter. Her hands slid up my chest, my neck, and into my hair as she leaned into the kiss.

It was her lips that became more forceful as she pulled my face more into hers, her hands gripping into my hair. It shot adrenaline through my body, and my hands slid up her ribs before I lifted her up easily, setting her down on the counter so she was closer to my height. Her arms wrapped around my neck as I crushed her against me, and we were both gasping for ragged breaths through our kisses. Her mouth opened against mine, and she let out a soft moan as I traced the tip of my tongue along her bottom lip.

She seemed to scare herself with the noise she made, flinching back and clapping her hands over her mouth in horror. I grinned, grabbing her wrists and pinning them against the cupboard before kissing her again. She didn't fight me off, letting out a sigh as my lips trailed across her jaw to just below her ear.

"Don't be scared, and definitely not embarrassed, because that was sexy as hell," I growled, nibbling on her ear lobe gently. She fucking giggled, and I nuzzled my face into her neck while wrapping my arms around her.

Best fucking kiss in the history of the universe.

And now that I had finally kissed her good and proper-like, I felt safe letting myself have a drink. I stepped back, setting her back on the floor, and giving her one more gentle kiss before letting her go. "Would you like a drink?" I asked hesitantly. My manners were warring with my fear of letting her drive home. She seemed to catch onto my hesitation immediately. She smiled before walking back over to her dough.

"I took a cab over, and I'm getting a drive home with Em later."

I sighed in relief. "What would you like? I make a pretty mean martini."

"Sounds good 007," she said with a grin, and started rolling out more balls of dough. I chuckled, and walked over to my bar. After I set her drink down next to her, I couldn't help wrapping my arms around her waist and watching over her shoulder as she worked. She leaned into my embrace with a smile.

That's when Alice blew in through my door. "Edward, I'm-" She gasped, taking in the scene in front of her, me standing behind Bella with my arms wrapped around her.

Then she screamed.

"Oh my god! I knew it! I knew it! Didn't I tell you Jazz?"

"I'm pretty sure I told you first," he teased, wrapping his arms around her and grinning at us. I stepped back from Bella, rubbing my hand on her back lightly before going over to give my sister a hug.

"Can I get you guys something to drink?" I asked, walking back over to the bar. I made another martini for Alice, and handed Jasper a beer as they took a seat at the island. I leaned against the counter next to Bella while she finished cleaning.

"So how long has this been going on for?" My sister asked excitedly, her eyes flickering between the two of us.

"Just a couple days," I told her, though it felt anything but. I wanted to kiss her again so badly, but something told me she wasn't the type to appreciate PDA. Jasper jumped at the chance to help her cook the tortillas, grinning like a kid at Christmas as he flipped the flat breads over on the skillet.

"Do you remember two Christmases ago?" He asked her with a grin. She laughed loudly, smacking him on the shoulder.

"You've come a long way, grasshopper," she teased.

"What happened two Christmases ago?" Alice asked curiously.

"The four of us were having dinner at Emmett's, and when Zeus stole the pie, Bella ran out to get another one at the store. She called and asked me to turn on the pot of water on the stove for her."

"He turned on the wrong pot though, one that had oil in it for the stuffing. They didn't even notice the two-foot flames that were coming out of the pot when I came back in. They almost burnt down the building."

"Bella taught me how to use a fire extinguisher for the first time that day," Jasper said with a laugh. We all joined in. It was a little strange though, it was easy to forget that even though Alice and I were related to Rose, we were the new ones in our little group. The others have known each other for years.

I was a little jealous.

"Did mom and dad tell you that they're going to Connecticut for Thanks-giving?" Alice asked, I shook my head.

"No, they never mentioned it," I said.

"Oh, well they just decided yesterday. Grandpa's having one of his big shin-digs again."

"Are you going?"

"No, they're going for the week, and I can't take that much time off of work. It's too close to the release of my winter line." She didn't ask me, we both knew I wouldn't be going over to my grandfather's house.

"You guys are more than welcome to come over to my place for Thanks-giving if you want," Bella said shyly. "I always cook enough to feed an army."

"Your place, as in your apartment?" Alice asked excitedly. Bella nodded, and I saw that her shoulders were tensed.

She was trying to let them in more, and she was scared. I moved closer to her, wrapping an arm around her waist, and felt her relax.

"I'd love to!" Alice cheered excitedly, "Jazz?"

"Sounds awesome. I'd never turn down a chance for Bella's mashed potatoes," he said with a grin, making her roll her eyes.

Emmett and Rose came in not long afterwards, and I set the table while Bella started cooking. Within half an hour we were all sitting together feasting on the best fajitas I've ever had. Emmett got that worried look on his face again when Bella told them that she'd be doing Thanksgiving at her house, but he seemed happy at the same time.

I understood that look. He was worried about her getting hurt, but relieved that she was trying harder to just… live.

. . . . . . . . . .

"Edward, hey!" Jasper said, running over from the display of civil war soldiers he was fixing. He punched me in the shoulder lightly, our own manly version of a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey man," I said happily, glad that he didn't seem to mind me visiting him at work. "I was just in the area, thought I'd swing by and see what it is that you do all day. I had to admit, I thought it would be exciting, but here I find you playing with dolls," I teased.

"Ha ha, very funny," he said dryly, walking back over to the display. "We just got these in from a donor, but the medals are all wrong. I can't believe they just put them out like this without checking with me first," he said in an annoyed tone. I laughed. He looked back over at me, and gave me a curious look before smiling. "You're here to surprise B, aren't you?"

Busted.

"Do you think she would mind? I'm thinking I maybe should have checked with her first," I said nervously. He laughed at me.

Asshole.

"I doubt it. Do you know where she is?"

"Not a fucking clue. All I know is that she works for the Library."

"Fourth floor, east wing," he said easily. "She does a lot of running around, but that's where her desk is."

"Thanks man."

"Hey Edward…"

"Yeah?"

"Since you're here… I was wondering if I could get your dad's phone number?"

I looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"

He sighed, then laughed nervously as he pulled a small white box out of his pants pocket. He opened it up to show me a beautiful ring. A small emerald ringed in diamonds on a thin gold band.

"Fuck," I said, staring at the ring for a long moment before sighing. "Give me your phone."

He handed it over with a shaking hand, taking the ring back before I programmed my father's number into it. He seemed surprised when I handed it back to him.

"You're… you're okay with this? You're not pissed?"

"Nope. Honestly, I've been checking my sister's left hand every time I've seen her for the last month. I knew it was only a matter of time." He stared at me, wide eyed. I grinned, and clapped him on the shoulder. "Yeah, I get that it's kind of fast, but I know exactly how much that sort of love can flip around your entire world Jasper. She's never been happier than she is with you. You guys were made for each other."

His eyes watered a little bit before he crushed me into a hug, and I patted his back awkwardly. "Thanks. It means the world to hear that from you."

"No problem." He grinned at me, before we both straightened up and punched each other a couple times. I fled quickly, making my way to the other end of the museum.

I hadn't been in here since I was a child, and got lost for about an hour before finally finding my way to the place Jasper had directed me to.

There were four different desks in the area, but I couldn't find anything to identify one as Bella's. I didn't even know what her writing looked like, she always typed things. I stopped at the most organized desk, and smelt the faintest hint of strawberries. I couldn't see her coat or anything though, and the name plate on the side of the desk said "Bree T." The name did ring a bell. I decided to just look around for a little bit while I waited for her to get back, taking in the place where Bella spent every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The amount of literature in here was intimidating, and had a sort of lost-in-time beauty about it.

"No, the shipment should have arrived last week. There are some- no, Ma'am, please let me finish,- there's a book in there that's almost four-hundred years old. Even with the protective casing, if its container is left in a place in the sun for too long the delicate ink might dissolve. It's imperative that I receive the tracking information for the shipment." I followed the sound of her voice excitedly, grinning when I saw her.

Her hair was in a messy bun, and she was wearing a black pencil skirt with a fitted white blouse, bending over to reach for something out of the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet. She stood back up with a folder and slid the drawer shut with one of her black ankle boots.

Why didn't she dress like this more often, and why had I waited so long to come visit her at her work?

"Thank you Melanie, I really appreciate your help. Have a nice afternoon." She typed a new number into her little black phone. "Hello? Hi, this is Bree Tanner calling from The Historical Society of New York, I'd like to run a trace on a shipment number if possible. Yes, the container number is 7786 tango bravo 224. The shipment should have arrived last week." She was tapping her foot while she waited, and it sounded like she sighed in relief. "Thank you very much, I really appreciate the help. Have a nice afternoon." She turned around, smiling to herself, and I felt my pants tighten when I saw her face.

She was wearing a pair of fucking glasses.

I was dating a sexy Librarian. God damn it.

Her eyes went wide for a moment when she saw me standing there, but a bright smile quickly took over her face, making my heart stutter. "Hey Hollywood, what are you doing here?"

I just stared.

"Edward? Are you okay?" she asked in a concerned voice, walking up to me in those sexy boots.

"I need you to take those glasses off."

"What? Why?"

"Cause I can barely fucking think looking at you right now."

She laughed, and took off her glasses, looked around the room, and dug her sunglasses out of her purse before putting them on. I immediately felt guilty; she wasn't trying to fuck with me, she was trying to protect her identity so she could keep her fucking job. She sat down on the polished wood of her desk, crossing her legs as she looked up at me. I could see the edges of a couple stars on her thigh.

"So, to what do I owe this surprise?" She asked curiously, grinning at me.

"I just wanted to surprise you, and I was curious about where you work. I hope you don't mind?" I asked nervously.

"Not at all, it's a very pleasant surprise," she said easily. She glanced down at her watch. "I still have another hour, but you're welcome to stick around if you'd like."

"I'd like that," I said in relief. "So… Bree?"

"Yeah, I guess we've never really talked about her, have we?" She mused, looking around the room. It was silent. "We can talk after work," she assured me.

She gave me a tour of her wing, explaining to me what she did. She specialized in antique literature, and I was engrossed listening to her tell me about some of their more famous pieces. She even got me to put on some special white gloves, and let me hold a book that was almost three hundred years old.

. . .

"So what, you have like, an alter ego for each one of your jobs?" I asked, my eyes trailing over her again as we drove through town in her truck.

"I guess, it makes it harder for people to recognize me in different places. If someone that knew me from the club saw me at the library they wouldn't recognize me right away."

"It's a shame, you should dress like this more often." Her cheeks flushed slightly as she smiled nervously, and I had to stop myself from sliding over and kissing her right there.

I could only kiss her inside one of our apartments. And only when we were alone. It was hard, but it was more than worth it.

"So, Bree Tanner?" I asked curiously.

"It's the false identity I go by now. Emmett kept his first name this time, but we changed both of my names. We keep the same last name though, just to make things easier if one of us were to end up in the hospital."

"So your real name is Bella, right?"

She grinned. "Yeah. Well, it's Isabella, but everyone always called me Bella. Our real last name is Swan."

"Is it hard, having to use a fake name?"

"Yes and no. I've had this name for almost three years now, so I'm used to it. I rarely even give out my fake name though, just to stay on the safe side. I've been doing that since I was fourteen though, it's only the last name that bothers me really." She was fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat now, and I decided not to ask more questions at the moment. Baby steps, that was probably hard for her to share. "Uhm, I have to stop at the grocery store to pick up stuff for tomorrow… do you want me to drop you off first?"

"Why?"

"It's just… you look especially Edward-Cullen-like today. In case you didn't want any pictures of you walking around a grocery store with a woman," she said uncomfortably. I looked down at myself, with my designer jeans, white shirt and a black vest. I wasn't quite sure what especially Edward-Cullen-like meant. I didn't spare it much thought to that though, I was concentrating more on the other part of her sentence.

"You think I'd be embarrassed to be seen with you?" I asked in disbelief. She didn't say anything. "Bella, I feel like the luckiest man in the fucking world to have you as my girlfriend. The only reason I'm not shouting your name from the rooftops is for your own safety. I thought you knew that?" It was strange seeing her looking so… unsure of herself. Had I somehow given her the impression that I wasn't absolutely insane for her? I opened her glove box, and handed her the pair of giant sunglasses that she wore to hide her face when we went out together. She smiled and took them.

I loved these rare moments, getting to do something so… normal, with my girl. I couldn't keep the grin off of my face as I pushed the shopping cart, watching as she inspected vegetables and walked through the aisles picking up ingredients with obvious certainty. She was a very efficient shopper.

"Do you have any Thanksgiving favourites?" She asked me curiously. She had handed a receipt to the butcher, and he had gone into the back to grab something for her.

"Turkey. All I want is turkey," I said with a big smile. She grinned at me.

"Well, Mr. Cullen, you're in for quite a treat then." I looked over to see the butcher walking over with one of the biggest turkeys I'd ever seen. She reached up over the counter to grab it, and I caught her just in time as she almost fell backwards from the weight of it, my glasses falling off from the sudden movement.

That's when the photos started, as I stood there with my arms wrapped around my beautiful girl, a giant turkey wedged between us. I took the bird from her, put it into the cart, and walked over to the two men who were clicking away.

"Nice catch Cullen, she's-hey!"

I stepped on both of their phones, tossed them each a few hundred dollars for the damage, and told Bella to go wait in the truck for me while I paid for the groceries. Thankfully, no one but the butcher had seen the incident, and he gave me an approving nod.

I went out to the truck, loaded the bags into the bed, then climbed into the cabin.

"Edward, I'm so sorry, I didn't-"

"Hey," I said gently, sliding over and rubbing my hand on her back. "That wasn't your fault, I should be apologizing to you. The pictures don't exist anymore, so no harm done, right?" She turned her head towards me, but I couldn't read her expression with those giant glasses. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it was just weird… usually I'm the one that gets to break things," she said with a small smile, making me laugh. "I hesitated, I felt… off, being in that situation while being in these clothes. I kind of forgot for a moment, you know? It was nice getting to do something so normal with you." She looked back out the windshield. "I'm sorry that you can't have a normal relationship with me Edward."

"I wouldn't trade what we have for anything in the world. Do I wish I could hold your hand and kiss you in public? Yeah, but if I could then you'd probably never be able to pry me off of you, and I'm clingy enough as it is." She laughed. "But Bella, I love what we have. This connection. I'm happy, I just hate seeing you sad. I wish there was more I could do for you."

"You do so much more for me than you could ever know," she told me back quietly, then started up the truck.

"Can I come over? I don't want you attempting to lift that dinosaur again," I said teasingly. She smiled while she nodded. I pulled out her big CD case and started thumbing through the collection.

She took a sharp turn, tires squealing, and my head collided with the window.

"Shit, sorry, are you okay?" She asked, taking off her sunglasses. Her eyes were flickering between me and the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah, what was that?"

"Someone's following us."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, they've stayed three cars behind us since the grocery store and just ran a red light."

"Fuck, I'm sorry, I-"

"It's okay. I got this," she said easily. "Brace yourself, cowboy." I grabbed onto the door quickly as she took another sharp right, and then an immediate left, effortlessly weaving through the traffic.

"Let me guess, defensive driving course?"

"No, just a lot of GTA," she said.

"Is that a joke?" I still had a hard time deciphering her sarcasm sometimes.

"Nope. There's a red garage door opener in my glove box, can you take it out?" There were four different ones in there, but only one was red. I showed it to her and she nodded. "Hit it after I take the next right."

She took the turn, and I hit the button. She quickly pulled into a parking garage, and the door closed behind us.

"Where are we?"

"Jasper's building," she said, pulling into a parking spot.

He was going to marry my sister, I don't know why it made me jealous when she talked about him, but it fucking did. "What are we doing here?"

She gave me a small smile. "He's out today, I'm just going to switch cars with him. If they're out there waiting, they'll be looking for my truck."

She stepped out of the truck after stuffing some more things from her glove box into her purse, and took out another set of keys. When she clicked it, the black Mazda with tinted windows next to us flashed.

"I feel like I'm dating Bruce Wayne's hot daughter," I mused, stepping out of the truck and helping her transfer the groceries. She gave her truck an affectionate pat after locking it, then stepped around to the car. We slid in, and she quickly backed out before driving out of the garage. There was a blue Toyota parked on the side of the road, the two men from the grocery store watching hopefully with a digital camera, but they didn't give us a second look.

"What's their problem?" I hissed, glaring through the tinted windows as we drove away.

"You smashed their phones, they probably think you have something to hide. Secrets are valuable," she said easily. I nodded, it made sense, but I was still pissed. "Why don't you own a car?" She asked curiously, pulling me out of my mind.

"Oh… I just don't like driving."

"Why don't you like driving?" I froze, the flashes of white and green rushing at me in my mind making me flinch. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that," she said quietly, and I looked over to see her giving me a worried expression.

"No, it's okay… I was in an accident when I was a kid. My grandma had gotten me a BMW for my sixteenth Birthday. First time I ever drove. We were coming back from the dealership, and the tires skidded on the ice before catching on the side of the road. My Grandma didn't make it, and I've never really felt the desire to drive again."

Bella reached over, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze. I looked over at her.

"I'm really sorry that happened to you."

"It was a long time ago. I'm always going to feel bad about what happened to her, but it was an accident. There's nothing that can be done about it." She nodded, and didn't let go of my hand the entire drive. Her electric touch easily pushed the painful memories into the back of my mind once more, and I felt myself relax quickly.

We pulled up into her building, and I carried the beast while she grabbed the other bags.

We walked inside her apartment, and I spun around when I heard her bags clatter on the floor. I dropped the turkey when her hands grabbed onto my face, pulling me down to kiss me. Adrenaline shot through my body from the contact with her soft lips, and my hand slid into her hair while my other arm wound tightly around her waist. Her lips were fierce, urgent against mine, and the passion that flowed through her kiss blurred out everything else in the world. I lifted her up with my grip around her waist, and her breath came out halfway between a huff and a soft moan as I pushed her up against the door a little roughly. Her fingers slid into my hair, gripping tightly, and I let out something close to a growl from the arousing sensation.

The very arousing sensation.

I had to pull away, or I would have fucked her right there against the door. Lucky, I was holding her high enough that she couldn't feel just how excited she had made me. I held her there, resting my forehead on her shoulder while we both stood there, shaking and gasping for breath.

Fuck, this woman was going to be the death of me.

She was combing her fingers through my hair slowly, and the sensation was incredibly soothing. I hummed against her neck, making her giggle.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, I just need a second to regroup," I laughed. She laughed too.

"I meant about what happened in the truck," she said gently. I leaned back to look at her curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"I never would have pulled that stunt if I had known what you'd gone through Edward. I'm so sorry."

"Wha- oh," It took a second to figure out what she was talking about, and I smiled. "It really didn't bother me Bella. It's sad to think about what happened, but I really am okay. I moved on from that a long time ago, I don't have PTSD or anything like that. I'm not afraid of cars, I just really don't have any desire to own one." I trailed a finger down her temple softly. "It was kind of fun actually. I felt like I was on set," I teased. She smiled, and relaxed in my arms. I kissed the tip of her nose, and set her down on her feet gently.

We picked up the scattered items on the floor, putting everything in the kitchen. I stood in front of her fridge holding the turkey, pursing my lips.

"Where do you want this thing?" I asked, looking over at her.

"Oh, up on the roof."

"What?"

"My smoker is up on the roof. Let's go," she said.

"Where's Zeus?"

"Oh, he's with his uncle today. Emmett was going hiking with Garrett and they took him with them."

"Oh, I bet he's loving that," I said with a smile, following her up the stairs with the giant bird. She led me to the corner of the roof, where there was this giant metal container that reminded me of a space ship. We unwrapped the bird, and I helped her maneuver it into the device before she locked it. Before we went down, she pulled a bench over to one of the security cameras, and adjusted it so that it was facing the smoker before we went back down to her apartment. Bella ordered us a pizza and a big order of chicken wings, and we spent the evening cuddling and watching House of Cards.

. . . . . . . . . .

Bella wants the gang over for dinner! Big step for her. How did you like Edward stepping up a bit? Reviews are better than Fajitas. And I really, really love Fajitas.

Do you like turkey? If so, how do you like yours cooked?

-Kitty