RL has been a demanding harpy. I'm sorry.

I think with the fall things will begin to settle down a bit. Have patience with me as I continue to try and maintain my weekly updates.

Also...it may seem like we are plateauing a little bit here...but the groundwork just has to be lain for the future.

The future is exciting.

I posted my Twinklings one shot here, so be sure to check that out and give me some love if you like.

As always, I read every review and try to respond to most. They honestly make my day. I love them as much as I love these two kids.

And a special thanks to Monika who is a pillar of patience in my goldfish bowl.

~xox~

After the night we passed out half naked on the elementary school playground equipment my mind had been nothing but chaos. It was building for months inside me, but that last drunken, juvenile act and my father's words of subtle wisdom had sent my psyche into overdrive.

"You're a bit old for all this, don't you think?"

I agreed wholeheartedly. I was too old for "this". All the bullshit and sneaking and waiting and being miserable. It was getting old and time just kept ticking without any change to help see me through.

I wanted so much more. That was where the problem lay. If I thought too much about what I was old enough for and everything I truly longed for, a sharp swell of anger would begin to toss about inside of my gut and pull at the delicate strings that hung from my heart.

My ache to remain near Bella, coupled with everything that had transpired over Mother's Day weekend, had my emotions and thoughts on edge. Everything was dark and urgent and swirling around in my head demanding attention. My hands were constantly shaking with a quiet anxiety and my mind refused to just let me be. Once thoughts invaded my head they were there to stay until I worked them out for myself. I kept having nightmares that I couldn't remember once I awoke, but that left me with an unsettling feeling for the rest of the day.

The powerless feeling that went along with wanting shit you couldn't have was enough to tip me over the ledge that I had always balanced on since I was a child – that knife edge of brooding dramatics that made all my loved ones worry whenever they saw the anxiety tiptoe in on me, but in the end, solved nothing. So I tried my hardest to force it down into a distant crevice inside myself. The rage, the pain, the subjection and all the wants – the urgent, desperate wants – the beautiful, precious things that my heart and my fingertips craved. All the things I tingled for, the things that made me smile into the dark, empty New York air during the lonesome hours of the night when my thoughts ran unguarded.

I found myself constantly scheming, trying to invent approaches that would be the best for both myself and Bella – ways we could stay in the same state for longer than a few weeks at a time. Unfortunately, it was always to no avail, so I tried to reassure myself of the words I had professed so confidently to my father not even a year ago.

"We're bothmuddling through. We have our heads down and we're just pushing forward, trying to get through the next few years until we can be in the same place at the same time and focus on being together properly. We've waited our entire lives to have each other like this...we can survive a couple more years if that's all it takes. Then, I can happily claim everything I have ever wanted. Bella will be a Cullen someday, I promise."

The things I longed for were put on a shelf for a later date. I would claim them with everything I had one day, but I couldn't have them just yet. That was just the way the cards had unfolded for me.

I could wait. For those things, for her, I could be a patient man. I could be everything she deserved. That was what love was – digging deep inside to pull out the qualities that usually lay dormant. All the things that made me a better man, a better friend and lover, but that were difficult to put into practice every day. Love made me want to be all of those things and more.

However, it was all taking its toll on me and I knew Bella and I had to talk, and soon. I just needed it. Something had to give.

That was what brought me to Bella's doorstep.

I needed to get away and I needed to do it with her. We had always been one another's anchor. She held me to everything that mattered in my life and reminded me just by being within arm's reach that everything would be alright. As long as she was there with me then I had everything I could ever want and the rest would ultimately work itself out. Sometimes I just got the best of myself and needed Bella to help soothe me.

My entire family, Charlie, and Rosalie's parents and cousin had a huge camping trip booked for the beginning of August. We weren't planning on going anywhere too far, considering Rosalie was literally going to burst into labour at any second, just something fun to get away for a bit. But I need to get away with Bella alone first. I had no idea how she was going to help me or what she would say to me, but that was what made me need her so much – she always knew how to still my mind even when I didn't. It didn't matter where we went; I just needed to be alone with her. I needed to breathe in that steady, peaceful air and feel the gentle whir of energy as it coursed through me at her proximity.

Her scent currently filled the steamy little room – strawberry and coconut and something soft and sweet that I could never put my finger on but was always just so Bella. It brought a gentle smile to my lips and I closed my eyes and just let the scent and the humidity begin its slow course of pulling at the tight restraints that bound my mind.

Bella.

"Close your eyes," I requested with a smooth yet firm voice so that she would be able to hear me.

I may have scared the life right out of her. She screamed and her palm hit the wet glass with a thud. Obviously, I hadn't thought my actions though very carefully.

The sudden burst of inspiration had hit as I was seated at the old piano in my parents front room, distractedly poking at the keys with my fingers. The tinkling of the keys had distracted my mind just enough to let an errant idea break through. I was in the car almost immediately. However, I should have realised that storming Bella's bathroom while she was in the shower and thought she was alone in the house was practically asking for a trip to see my father in the ER.

Luckily, she just shrieked and then muttered some mild obscenities after recognising my voice while she beat her fist against the tile a few times. She eventually opened the shower door and glared at me with everything she had. It was still adorable and in no way menacing, but I switched my amused grin to something that looked slightly more repentant. I blinked and gave her my narrowed-eye "I'm sorry" smirk.

"Do you ever knock?" she asked, peeking her wet head around the edge of the door. Her eyes were bright and her lips were red. She was startled and annoyed, but happy to see me and just being playful.

I shook my head "no" while leaning forward on my toes to peer behind the door at her naked body. I had one brow arched high as I licked my lips appreciatively and smirked at her. My eyes swept up and down her skin deviously.

She smacked the top of my head, sending droplets of water against my cheeks and dabbling against the paper in my hands.

"Hey! Careful," I scolded, jumping back.

I shook the paper to clear the water off and held my arm out to the side to further protect it and also to hide it from her view. I ducked in toward the shower to kiss her, but then I remembered something and forced myself to stop at the last minute, just as my nose brushed hers.

Bella pouted.

Dark strings of her wet hair snaked around her shoulders and neck. I watched in awe as they slid down her cheeks, over her lips, across her breasts and down past her hipbones. The moisture pooled at her toes near the drain. I licked my lips again on instinct and forgot everything about why I was even standing there in the first place. My eyes glossed over as I looked at her, seeing so much more than just a gloriously wet woman in front of me – which brought me back to my task and the paper in my hand.

I tried to say something but her wet fingers had begun tracing lines along my neck and the tops of my shoulders, dampening my tee shirt and stirring particular parts of me. My voice didn't work on the first try so I cleared my throat, ignored her amused giggles, and took a step back to try again.

"Okay, please, Bella, will you close your eyes for me."

As was to be expected with Bella, her curiosity was piqued and she did the exact opposite of what I asked.

She is so predictable.

Her fingers stilled near the collar of my shirt while her other hand pressed into my chest. She balanced on the balls of her feet to try and lean out of shower and look at what I held in my hand.

"Eh, eh, eh," I scolded. "Just do as I say and nobody gets hurt."

She snorted and rolled her eyes, but fell back onto her heels and complied. Once her eyes were safely closed, I unfolded the paper and refolded it loudly so it was precisely the way I wanted it. I glanced at Bella and snickered at the way her face was all twisted up in confusion as she tried in vain to decipher the sound.

"Okay, now give me your hand, please," I asked nicely, but my impatience got the best of me and I ended up reaching down and taking her hand in mine before she could move it herself. I pushed her hand into a fist except for her index finger, which I pressed lightly to a wet pad of black ink that I stole from my mother's desk drawer.

"Uhh…?" she murmured as her finger became wet, unsure of what I was up to.

"Shh. Okay, now just stick your finger out and touch anywhere in front of you," I asked, holding the paper up.

She giggled and a sweet blush crept up her cheeks as she had less than pure thoughts. Then, she shook her head at my silly antics, but stopped when she nearly fell over from the disorientation of having her eyes closed. I grabbed at her shoulder and asked her to politely hurry the fuck up and touch her finger to the paper before someone really did get hurt.

Her arm extended cautiously and her finger made contact with the paper. I flipped it over immediately and began folding it back up without looking at it.

"A map?" she asked opening her eyes and blinking at me.

"Hey, did I say you could your eyes yet?" I scolded.

She mashed her lips together in a sign of silence, a smile tugging up both corners of her mouth despite her best efforts. Something heady flashed in her eyes and I knew I wasn't going to be able to ignore the building tension for much longer. I figured I should answer her and make it quick – clearly, there were better things to get around to.

"Yes, a map. I already talked to your dad on the way here. He doesn't have anything for the two of you planned between now and the camping trip, so...I'm taking you somewhere. Just the two of us."

I couldn't help the trill of excitement that shot through me at my last words. From the look of things Bella felt the same energy spring through her. We had been together since summer started two months before, but still…there was never enough time alone and unhurried. We both felt the desire to reclaim our intimacy as the summer wore on.

"Where are we going?" she asked with an excited smile.

"I don't know, you tell me," I joked and held up the refolded map, swatting her nose with it playfully before withdrawing it from her wet, reaching fingertips.

I tossed the map on the edge of the counter and then turned to look at her more seriously. "I miss you, even though we've been together…you know? I think our trips to see each other during the year have spoiled me. I need so much more than all this usual crap now." I smiled though I knew it didn't reach my eyes. It was a troubled yet sincere explanation and I hoped that it made sense because I wasn't sure how else to word it. I knew in my heart that she would understand. She felt what I felt…always.

Her eyes melted and spread through her entire body as I watched her turn from excited to compassionate. Her smile was warm and her body relaxed. She reached out to wrap her arms around my neck. The action felt so warm and wonderful that I didn't care how wet I got or that I had nothing to change into. Just before her lips found mine I pulled back again, denying the contact just as I had a moment ago. I dug into my back pocket and produced my "kiss me now" card with a wink.

She giggled but told me to keep it since she didn't have anywhere appropriate to stash it at the time. I agreed, my eyes sweeping over her body from head to toe and back again until they met hers. And with that everything else was momentarily abandoned and my clothes became very wet regardless...from their place at the bottom of the shower stall.

Charlie was working dailies, the opposite of his usual five PM to five AM schedule, so he would be gone all day. After sitting wrapped in towels on Bella's bed for over an hour talking excitedly about the idea of a mystery trip away together, we decided it would be a good idea to scoop my clothes up off the floor of the shower and throw them into the dryer downstairs.

Bella secured the fluffy purple towel around her and took her hamper into the bathroom to gather my things. I tied my equally fluffy and purple towel around my waist and followed her down the stairs.

I came into the mud room just as she was bent over closing the dryer door. It took me all of half a minute to become insatiably aroused again. I grabbed her hips roughly and spun her around and lifted her to the top of the dyer.

"Edward!" she screeched wide and alarmed eyes. "Can you please stop trying to give me a heart attack? I'm too young to go out like that." She giggled and pressed the button to begin the dryer cycle, but something in her words upset me.

I didn't try to decipher it, my mind and emotions had been an unexplainable torrent for weeks. So I ignored it and grabbed her at the back of her head instead. My fingers tangled in the damp hair and I lay into her, my hips meeting her knees as she rest on the edge of the dryer. Her legs opened at the same time that her lips parted, meeting mine. Her towel slipped.

I spent what felt like hours just kissing the sweet scented skin at the junction of her shoulder and neck and then down the valley between her breasts. Her arms extended behind her and she rest against her flat palms with her head thrown back, humming and murmuring as she enjoyed my affections. Her legs wrapped around me and her feet pushed at my towel until it hit floor. I hissed as the head of my cock met the cold metal in front of me.

My hands slid down her back, along her sides and came to rest at her hips as I cradled them gently, atoning for my earlier haste. I drew a pert little nipple into my mouth and suckled at it, coercing a low moan from her. I felt her toes curl where they tickled at the small of my back. My fingers knead her flesh softly as I laved. Emotions coursed thick through my veins as my heart strum out. Bella's fingers twirled in my hair just as I bent lower to taste her. My head lolled into her hand at the touch and my eyes closed. The feeling was an instant balm on my nerves. My hands slid from her hips to her thighs and I worked slow, tender circles with my thumbs at the inner flesh.

After a few minutes, Bella pushed off the hand that was supporting her and bent toward me. With both hands curled deep into my hair she lifted me to face her. My eyes only held the slightest of questions for a moment until they met hers and I had my answers. Bella knew me well. She knew when something was bothering me and she always knew how to fix me. I obviously needed to talk it out, but she would wait until I was ready. In the meantime, she held my face in her hands and her eyes on mine with something so soft yet piercing that it nearly took my breath away.

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine, her fingertips circling my scalp soothingly. Disregarding her own taste that was still on my tongue, she welcomed my kiss. Our lips moved together perfectly for several minutes until we pulled back for more air. Without breaking her gaze and bent down and finished what I started.

Afterward, I held her in my arms as she balanced on the edge of the dryer laying against me and we both came down from the high of our climax. My lips moved up and down the sensitive skin at the side of her neck while her fingernails scratched lightly against my spine.

Once the dryer sounded I dressed and sent her upstairs to do the same. It was lunchtime and I drove us back to my place to get something to eat and inform my parents of the impending trip.

Bella made us sandwiches I ran upstairs and returned my mother's inkpad to her desk. When I came back down she was just returning everything back to the refrigerator. I hopped off the steps and sidled up to her, pinching her pretty little ass cheek just for kicks. She glared, but it was an empty threat.

"There's no apple juice, do you want grape juice or milk?" she asked, already pouring two cups of milk. It was a joke. I hate grape juice, it's full of sugar and makes me feel like I'm four years old or something.

I just winked at her and hopped up onto the counter between the fridge and the stovetop. I grabbed one sandwich off the plate and sunk my teeth in just as Bella squirmed in between my thighs. She waggled her eyebrows suggestively at me.

"Well this is a fun role reversal," she murmured, wiggling against my crotch as she bit her lip.

"Don't even. My parent's will be back any minute. I think that would be quite the rude awakening," I joked.

She pouted but bit into her sandwich as a happy alternative. I mentally kicked myself for turning down a blow job and wondered if I would get kicked out of the "guy" club for that one. I smirked down at her as I decided I would take her up on the offer later.

"I know what you're up to, Cullen," she said, pinching my inner thigh with her free hand and giggling.

I nodded unapologetically and with dark eyes.

When we were finished I cleaned up the dishes as Bella sat in my place on the counter. Then I grabbed a box of crackers and her arm, slung her over my back and pushed through the door to the living room. She laughed and held on tight, nipping at my ear. I tried to release her once we got to the seating area, but she clamped her legs around me and refused to let go. I tickled her sides and she squirmed out of my way but never slid off my back.

"Fine, have it your way," I scoffed and slumped myself heavily into the overstuffed chair and a half with her behind me.

She squeaked and shoved at my back with her arms but I refused to move, chuckling at her ultra girly cries for help. Finally, she gave up and wrapped her legs around my waist and relaxed into the chair with me in front of her.

"You put up a pretty weak fight there, Swan. I'd expect more from the Chief's daughter," I joked and opened the box of Triscuits, offering some to her over my shoulder.

One hand dug into the box while her other pinched my side, just below my ribs, until I had to elbow her back.

"On the contrary, I have you right where I want you," she purred from behind me, making me turn around to smile at her.

I relaxed into her, my head lying against the dip between her shoulder and her collarbone. I fed her the occasional cracker while she combed through my hair. Her legs were bent on either side of me and I had one arm looped underneath her knee, cupping her leg. We both had our eyes closed.

We talked casually for about twenty minutes until mom and dad came through the doorway from the kitchen. I was laughing about something Bella had said as she reclined comfortably beneath me, humming at my amusement. Both my parents' eyes settled on us for a solid thirty seconds in silence before they shook their thoughts free and continued into the living room. I met Bella's gaze out of the corner of my eye and smiled, but didn't sit up.

"How was the movie?" I asked innocently. Bella's fingers continued in my hair.

"Very good thank you," my father replied with a quick glance in my mother's direction and then back to me. "What are you two up to?"

"We're going on a road trip to nowhere," Bella answered without missing a beat. I chuckled at her.

I explained to them that I just wanted to get away for a few days and told them of the map game where Bella unknowingly selected our destination. Neither of them questioned us much further. Mom told us about some funny parts from the movie and suggested that we go see it, before she excused herself to go upstairs and change into her gardening clothes.

"So, a trip to nowhere?" Dad broached the subject again, perched on the armrest of the couch across from us. Both me and Bella nodded enthusiastically.

"I think that's an excellent idea, kids." His smile was warm and genuine. "I think this one needs it," he directed at Bella while nodding toward me.

My family knew me too well. My mind had been bogging me down even more so than usual, and they could see it. They always tried to help me combat my dramatic side. I knew Mom and Dad would wholeheartedly support the decision to take off for a few days with Bella to try and unwind. Though, I was momentarily embarrassed for brooding like a petulant teenager about some errant thought that I wasn't even sure I could place.

I didn't have a chance to feel that way for long. Bella leaned in closer to me but continued looking at my father.

"I agree, he does need this," she replied, stroking my hair and placing her lips gently to the side of my neck. Her kiss was chaste but lingered long enough that the intimacy could not be denied.

My mother was halfway down the staircase when I looked up, Bella's lips just pulling away from me.

"So…I was thinking we could just go out for dinner if that's okay with everyone. Alice and Jasper will be here tomorrow, and Emmett and Rose will be coming home to spend the weekend with them. We'll be having a big family dinner," Mom said as she sat down on the couch next to Dad. "It's too bad you guys will miss out on that, but I guess you'll see everyone on the camping trip. Why don't we just go grab something simple so that I can come home and start getting things organised for tomorrow? "

We all nodded obediently, knowing we weren't really being asked.

We had a lovely dinner just the four of us and then stopped at the Thriftway on the way home to get enough groceries to sustain several extra people over the week including Emmett. Once we got home, Bella put away the groceries while started the laundry.

I was upstairs with dad talking about the trip. He had a fire blazing in the warm room even though it was summer. The heat pump in the basement was funnelling cool air through the house and the windows near the fire were open. It was an environmental nightmare, but my dad always lit the fire when he spent any length of time in his study. He said there was something about the dancing flames that mesmerised the soul and the crackling noises that soothed one's bones. I had to agree, the fire was comforting as we sipped our drinks and lounged on the sofas. We were each stretched out with our hands under our heads staring at the lazily at the ceiling.

"Shouldn't we go downstairs and help mom and Bella?" I asked, feeling more than a little guilty for just lounging around sipping an old, sweet port while they were downstairs bustling around.

Dad's head rolled over to look at me and he smiled. His eyes shined in a way that caught my attention. "No, son, they both enjoy their time together like that," he murmured slowly.

I knew what he meant. My mom was possibly the most tender and compassionate soul that had ever walked the Earth. She was designed from head to toe to be a mother. It was in her nature and she was good at it. Her voice was always quiet and peaceful and her eyes soft and nurturing. My parents had wanted more children after Alice was born, but my mother had complications during that pregnancy. Nothing major, but they both decided it was better to enjoy the three blessings they had been given rather than pushing their luck with my mother's health.

I also knew that Bella craved her motherly interaction on a subconscious level. It came easily with my mother and she loved being near her, especially in the kitchen as they worked side-by-side and chatted.

"So," Dad began. "You're heading out first thing in the morning?"

"Well, I wanna wait for Allie to get home, so I can at least say 'hi'."

Dad scoffed. "She's not going to be very impressed with you for taking off as soon as she gets back."

"I know." I kneaded the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes. "I just…"

"I know, Edward. She'll understand," he interrupted me before I could allow too much guilt in.

Alice had been travelling all summer working for a company she was hoping to get a job with once she graduated the following year. Jasper and his band mates were following along with her from city to city as she shopped with the fashion buyer and Jasper's band played small gigs. It seemed like a great way for the two of them to spend the summer. I was eternally thankful that their lives, while drastically different, blended together so harmoniously. I knew it wouldn't be long before Jasper came to have a serious talk with my father and the idea both made my heart swell and clench at the same time.

"I think you should take my car," Dad's languid voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"Huh?" I turned to my side to face him, resting my empty cup on the floor beside the couch.

"The Mercedes SUV, I think you should take that instead of the Volvo."

I grimaced, fond of my Volvo, even if it was getting a little old.

"The Volvo isn't as trustworthy as it once was, Edward. You don't even know where you're headed. I just changed the tires on the Merc and it has an excellent Navigation system. I can pre-program it tonight with your destination if you show me the map, that way it can still remain a mystery even as you drive."

He winked at me, knowing that was going to be the selling point. The idea of the mystery was very appealing to me. I wanted something semi-spontaneous and fun with Bella to help lighten my mind, even though Bella, in her innate ability to ease my soul, had already begun the process earlier in the day.

After agreeing to take the Merc, I drug my sleepy feet to my bedroom to retrieve the map for my father. I moved slowly – heavy with the ease I had found in Bella, the glass of port, and the long day.

I handed over the map and ambled down the front staircase in search of Bella so I could drive her home. As soon as I was in the living room I heard their gentle voices and happy giggles filtering through the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. I approached quietly and leaned against the doorjamb unnoticed. They sat at the breakfast bar sipping tea, a teapot and plate of cookies sitting between them.

A slow, lazy smile spread across my face as I watched them chatter and giggle together. Bella had her head thrown back as she laughed heartily and my mother held her hand atop the bar. They were family and it was a very beautiful thing to watch. Bella fit into every aspect of my life seamlessly. Better than fitting…that would imply that she wasn't a natural part of my existence to begin with. Bella had been woven intricately into everything that was me from birth. Everything was empty without her. Conversely, my entire being sang when she was around, complementing every aspect of me brilliantly.

There had never been any doubt that my life was designed to be spent next to her. Not even in the dark years when we didn't communicate. It had always been obvious that I was living a half-life without her. I needed her in ways that no words could ever articulate.

I entered the kitchen quietly, Bella's back to me as she faced my mother. My mom was saying something softly to her and I could tell just by Bella's posture that she was smiling broadly as she listened. My mom's eyes looked up to me just as I reached Bella's barstool. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head, looking down at her to see her smile stretch even wider.

"You almost ready to go?" I asked, my fingers playing at the loose ends of her hair where it spilled down her back.

"Baby, you look awfully tired," Mom observed. "Why don't I take Bella home and you head upstairs to bed, especially if you are going to be driving tomorrow."

As much as I wanted to tuck Bella in bed myself, I had to admit that my mother had a point. I agreed and took Bella's hand as she stood. I walked her to the door leading into the garage.

Mom went into the little room to the side of the breakfast nook to grab her jacket and keys as I pushed the hair gently away from Bella's face and held her in my hands smiling down at her. I brushed my thumb over her lips and kissed her forehead, a thousand silent words travelling between us.

Mom came up behind me and ruffled my hair that was literally standing on end after all it had been through over the course the day. I walked them to the car and waved good-bye, then poked my head into the open driver side door as dad sat in the passenger seat of his Merc plugging in coordinates into the GPS.

"No cheating," he joked as he pushed me back out of the car. I smiled at him and a glimpse of an unnamed emotion flit across his features. His eyes were wistful but before I could ask why he climbed out of the car and shut the door. The loud sound vibrated in the silent garage. He passed me on his way back into the house, slapping me on the shoulder.

"Get to bed, son, you have a little bit of a drive ahead of you."

I eyed him curiously but agreed and followed him in, climbing the back staircase and heading to my old room for the night. I knew we couldn't be headed too far away, I had folded the map so that only the Pacific North West was visible, not wanting to go far since still had the big family trip to go on once we got back. Besides, I didn't need the distance, I just needed the seclusion with Bella.

Bella came over after breakfast the next morning but stayed downstairs to chat with my parents as I finished throwing the few things that I would need into a duffle bag. I was careful not to disturb the neatly folded, softer things that didn't belong to me on the other half of the bag. I zipped it up and made my way down the stairs with a happy smile on my face. I couldn't wait to be alone with Bella the way that my soul craved.

As I climbed down the staircase voices filtered up toward me. I heard my mom comforting Rosalie about the pregnancy, assuring her that she was almost done. Rosalie groaned loudly. I also heard my little sister's voice which made my smile widen. I couldn't wait to see her – I hadn't since she visited me in January in New York.

I bounced excitedly down the final few stairs and jumped off the landing into the living room, my heart swelling at seeing my entire family all in one place. Bella sat on the edge of a sofa armrest, her elbows on her knees and her little hands cupping her cheeks as she chatted with Jasper. Alice kept interrupting them, bouncing in her seat and clapping, interrupting with her adorable commentary.

They all looked up as I landed on the wooden floors loudly after springing off the staircase. My smile had to be ridiculous because they all eyed me curiously. All but Bella, who just held a gentle smile for me and shook her head at my excitement. Her eyes gleamed and I wanted nothing more than to cross the room, lift her off the couch into my arms and kiss the shit out of her. But my brother's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Hey, bro. So…you guys are off for a whole week by yourselves?" He gave me a dramatically arched brow.

"We'll see how it goes." I winked at him and he shook his head.

I made a mental note to have a serious conversation with him when I got home. I was pretty sure he knew about me and Bella, but he deserved to have an elaborated account straight from me. Besides, he was my brother, and he was a great brother, and I wanted to talk to him. I just always wanted to talk in person, which was difficult to do given all the circumstances. My openness with my brother was just one of the many things that had unintentionally slipped by the wayside the longer I stayed away from home.

I ignored Em and his confused look as I ran straight for Allie. She sprang off the couch and into my arms, wrapping her legs around me. I would have fallen backward with the force if Jasper hadn't anticipated his girlfriend's actions so well and pre-emptively grabbed at my tee-shirt to counterweight me. He didn't look or even break in his conversation with Bella.

Allie was inches from my face, talking a thousand miles a minute about her summer and her experiences with the company she worked for. She was throwing around the names of places like Florence, Singapore, and New York and I tried to keep up.

"Seriously though, Edward, how awesome would it be if we moved to New York and lived near you next year?" she squealed shaking my shoulders with her tiny hands.

I narrowed my eyes at her and returned her gently to the couch next to Jasper.

"New York?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair and sitting on the edge of the coffee table in front of her.

"Yeah, this company has offices in all the major fashion metropolises of the world, including New York." She was so cute and excited. So I bit my tongue about the fact that if I had my way I wouldn't be in New York much longer.

We caught up for a little while longer, and then I pat her head and rolled my eyes at Jasper in a sign of solidarity over handling her perpetual exuberance. He winked and draped his arm around her smirking into the back of her head as he placed a soft kiss.

"Okay, so…one more time just to make sure I've got this right…" Emmett began, and I knew immediately where he was headed. "You're just gonna drive and you have no fucking clue where the hell you're going?"

He walked toward me with his arm looped through my grinning girlfriends' to where I stood in the foyer gathering our bags onto my shoulder.

"Yup," I said, shooting Bella a pointed look that made her bite her lip and blush. She looked down at her feet quickly. She was so predictable and easy to fluster.

"Bro," Em leaned into me and stage-whispered dramatically so that everyone still heard him. "Wouldn't you rather go away with someone that, you know, you have a shot at getting laid with?" He elbowed me roughly in the ribs and gave me wide, persuasive eyes.

I gaped at him for what felt like an eternity.

He must have misinterpreted my silence to imply that he was being rude or something, because he hurriedly qualified. "I mean, no offence B, I just...ya know, thought..." He killed his own sentence as his wife came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a look that meant he needed to stop talking immediately.

Beside me, Bella pulled her bag from my shoulder and placed it on her own, stubbornly, and hugged Em who was still yammering about how he didn't mean to offend her. She patted his head and told him to shut up.

I shoved him and hugged Rose, noticing four pairs of eyes twinkling as they snickered over her shoulder at us.

"Is he serious with this shit?" I asked as I pulled back, not even trying to whisper.

"Well, it is Emmett...so yes, unfortunately, he probably is," Rose joked.

Okay...so maybe a much more in depth conversation was due.

Rose shook her head and pushed the heel of her palm into the side of her swollen belly, grimacing and smiling at me at the same time. I hugged her and laid my hand over hers on her tummy.

"Please don't go into labour early while I'm gone, I'll be highly put out."

"No promises," she grumbled and everyone laughed. "I'm seriously considering some Caster Oil." She hugged her swollen belly and hunched forward.

"Don't you dare," my father scolded all joking aside as his doctor mentality kicked in.

"Well, call us if she does," I called over my shoulder as we made out way outside.

My mom handed Bella a paper sack full of snacks and sandwiches for the drive to...somewhere. She kissed each of our cheeks and they all waved from the porch as if we were headed off to war and not just down the highway for a few days. My family was close like that.

Just before I climbed into the SUV, Mom and Dad exchanged a sharp look from their place on the top step of the front porch. Dad nodded almost indiscernibly at her and came bounding down the steps.

"Edward, hang on a second," he called.

He approached my door as Bella looked over from the passenger seat. Handing me a manila envelope he refused to completely let go at first. Instead, he laid his hand over mine as I reached for it.

"Don't open it on the first day, please. And I hope you don't mind, but the fingerprint on the map was only 15 or so miles from here so I couldn't resist." His voice was smooth but held a trace of something that I thought sounded almost sombre. I was reminded of his look the night before as he set the GPS. "You guys will have an excellent time, I promise."

Dad bent down with one hand still on the envelope and the other on the roof of the vehicle. He leaned across me and kissed Bella's cheek gently, commanding her to relax and enjoy herself. He tried very unsuccessfully to hide his smirk from me as he stood and relinquished the envelope. He slapped me on the back and I finished climbing into the car.

"Any idea what that was about?" Bella asked once we were pulling out of the driveway as she fingered the manila.

I glanced over at her and slid my hand off the gear shift and to her thigh. I shook my head.

"Do you want me to stop at the station so you can say goodbye to Charlie?"

"Oh, it's okay, I'm sure he's busy." I gave her a dubious look. How busy can Forks keep him, really? She giggled. "Besides, I said goodbye last night and he acted kinda weird. He either knows where we are going or he just doesn't like the idea of me going away alone with you."

I chuckled, both points were highly plausible. The poor guy.

"I wonder where we are going," I mused, the backs of my fingers sliding back and forth along the top of her thigh as I drove, following the Navigation's instructions east onto the one-oh-one.

"Well, I'd say 'who one knows?', but I think a few people might."

Hmmm... *opens Google Maps*

You still hanging in there?

Hugs!

Air

xox