2brown-eyes rocks!

Plush—Stone Temple Pilots

"Fire it up," I say, looking up at my guy who has a blunt positioned between his lips.

"One last high," Emmett says, Rose tucked beneath his arm, "before life grabs us by the balls."

He starts PA Community College next week. He'll be taking some mechanic courses to help with his motorcycle shop work, much to Mayor McCarty's chagrin. But the truth is, it doesn't matter what profession Emmett chooses in his younger life, if he wants to be Mayor one day, he'll win.

The McCarty name alone is enough.

Rose is already settled into her job at the hospital. Between that and Emmett's work at the bike shop around his classes, they'll have a nice setup when they move into their first apartment over the drug store in town.

Jasper chuckles, passing on the blunt as it comes his way. "Life has had some of us by the balls for years."

He works at the Jiffy Lube full-time, but he's already assistant manager, so it'll fund his weekend trips to Seattle to visit Alice. He doesn't need to worry about his own place just yet, with his mom all alone, she's in no hurry for him to move out.

Alice doesn't pass, plucking the skunky goodness right out of Emmett's fingers. "I'll take that," she says, inhaling a deep toke. "What time is your flight, Edward?"

He sighs, droopy eyes flashing my way as he takes the doobie from her. "One tomorrow afternoon." He sucks in a long draw, blowing it out with more words. "Dad wants me back in Hanover before too late."

"Yeah," Alice agrees, bobbing her head. "That return trip is a bitch. You gotta make up those hours."

"Yeah." My boy is solemn, sad that it'll be another week and a half before we'll see each other again. "At least my dad is having the T/A shipped over."

"What?" Emmett perks up then, eyes wide. "Uncle C is sending you the rod?"

Edward smirks, holding the roach out so I don't burn my fingers. "Yeah," he says, all high and chill. "He doesn't want me distracted in school, so he figures the best way to stop that is to pay for a small off-campus apartment and make sure I have a ride for the hour-long drives."

"You're serious?" Emmett is dumbfounded.

"Yep." Edward tosses the smoldering piece of cigar paper to the deck and stomps it out with his Doc. "I didn't give him much choice. He didn't want me to get a job or take the bus to Keene, so for the promise to put school first, he made some concessions."

"That's fucking rad, man," Emmett says, looking between us. "I didn't expect Uncle C to be so understanding."

"Neither did I," I chime in, smiling up at my guy like an idiot. "Edward worked the Cullen charm on him."

"He knows what's up," Rose says, still in her scrubs from her shift. "The only way to have any control from so far away is to fork out the big bucks."

"Damn straight," Alice says, laughing as she gives her sister a high five.

I huff a laugh. "Doctor Daddy came through."

"Don't call him that," Edward says, wrinkling his nose. "Just no."

We all share a laugh and trail inside after that. The stereo gets turned up, Stone Temple Pilots blasting, and we spend a few more hours together, laughing and dancing and occasionally popping back outside to smoke. But like all good things, it gets late, and Jasper makes sure everyone else gets home safe.

Carlisle and Esme were nice enough to stay in Port A, so I spend the night with my guy. We share a skeeter leg on his balcony at two in the morning before retiring to his bed, all squinty red eyes and hearts full of love.

He's hovering over me, bleary red eyes shining. "I can hardly believe I get to have you back in New Hampshire."

"I was always gonna come for you," I tell him, fingers brushing his cheek. "Ivy has never been my dream, so Dartmouth was out, but I had a few good options that were in close enough proximity."

His smile is slow and lazy, his eyes roving over my face. "What made you settle on Keene?"

"They have a great education program." My fingers trail to his hair that's still a little longer than usual. "I don't know, it just seemed like a doctor and a teacher could have a good life."

His lazy smile morphs into something else entirely, hunger glinting fierce and strong. "I love you, B, so fucking much."

His lips press into mine with urgency, and clothes fly soon after. He fucks me fast and hard, wielding his urgency like a brand, burning his mark on me.

And then he fucks me slow and careful, soft whispers and deep kisses. For the rest of the night, we stay tangled close, napping and waking only to start all over again.

At seven in the morning, I kiss him goodbye.

But this isn't the three-thousand-mile kiss.

It's the I'll see you next weekend kiss.

Hubs at work on a Saturday, so you get a chapter!

We're winding down, and this will finish around the end of the month. I'm working hella hard on my next thing, but it'll post with the intent of finishing on Christmas day, so the length will determine the first post day. I hope to also work on Perfect Knot, but this billionaire bunny got my fingers fired up :P

See ya Monday for the last regular chapter of the fic :)