Title: Giving and Receiving

Fandom: Twilight

Rating: M

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: AH. Edward gives Bella the gift all girls should get for their birthdays. Written for Fandoms Fight the Floods.

Giving and Receiving

"Bella! Your boyfriend's here," Charlie bellowed. She went careening down the stairs, eager as ever when it came to Edward Cullen.

"Hi," she grinned, finding her crazy-haired boy standing in the foyer.

"Hi. Happy Birthday," he said, holding out a box wrapped in blue paper, beaming at her.

She took it, smiling indulgently. "I told you not to get me anything."

"Bella, really. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't get you a birthday present?"

Charlie chose that moment to huff and return to the living room. Bella tugged Edward into the kitchen, where they were confined whenever they were in the Swan household.

"Open it," Edward insisted, sitting across from her at the table. Bella tore the paper away with relish; any hesitation she felt was belied by her curiosity. Lifting the lid, she found a simple journal, bound in dark brown leather.

"It's lovely," Bella said, lifting it from the tissue paper, flipping through the thick and sturdy pages.

"Look at the first page," Edward whispered. Dubiously, she did as she was told.

Your other present comes later.

"Another present?"

Edward nodded, shot an anxious glance at the living room, and whispered, "I thought I'd give you something along the lines of what you gave me for my birthday."

Bella frowned. "A sweatshirt?"

Edward flushed. "No – the other thing."

"The other – oh."

"If you want, I mean. I don't have to – but I really enjoyed what you did, and I just thought..."

Her face went hot. "I'd like that."

A slow grin spread across Edward's face. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"I'll come to your room tonight, after your Dad's gone to bed," Edward murmured, leaning across the table to be heard. "Is that okay?"

She hesitated. Could they get away with it? Was it worth the risk?

"Okay," she finally said. "Tonight."

Charlie went to bed at 9:54, and at 9:55, Bella opened her bedroom window. Edward was going to be climbing in via the tree outside, and it worried her; what if he fell and broke his neck and died? But he assured her that his climbing skills were impeccable, and Bella selfishly agreed to the plan.

At 10:21, when Bella was growing impatient and extremely nervous, she finally heard the scuffle of Edward's shoes on tree bark. She rushed to the window to watch his ascent.

"Be careful," she hissed, watching him scrabbling his way up.

"Let me concentrate." Edward was shimmying along a branch now, creeping toward her window.

"Oh God." Bella covered her eyes with her hands, unable to watch him stretch his leg out in midair into her open window. She heard a couple thumps and not much else, and then Edward pulled her hands away.

"All clear," he whispered. She grinned.

"I think maybe next time I should just sneak you in through the front door."

"What fun would that be?"

Bella rolled her eyes, and Edward just laughed and dove in to kiss her. Stifling the urge to giggle, she towed him back toward the bed, where they fell together. The bed gave a loud creak in protest, and they froze, listening for Charlie.

At the sound of his snores, they both relaxed.

"This is crazy," Bella breathed.

"It'll be worth it. ...I hope, anyway." He kissed her again, and she went with it, because his lips always felt so soft. She couldn't help getting completely wrapped up in this boy.

"I like your pajamas," Edward murmured when he was kissing her neck. He traced a finger over the hem of her shorts in a way that made her feel hot all over. She was glad it was still warm enough to justify wearing shorts and a tank top to bed.

"Will you take your shirt off?" she asked. She knew the whole point of this was for Edward to get to her girly parts, but she'd feel a lot better if Edward was at least half-naked. That, and she liked to look at him. Both valid excuses, in her opinion.

"Okay," he mumbled, yanking it by the back over his head. Why did boys take their shirts off that way? It seemed awfully difficult for such an easy action.

Edward kissed her on the mouth again, this time while his hands were busy tugging her top up. She blushed as it came off. Edward had seen her naked before, but it was still new enough that she felt awkward about it. Granted, she didn't feel awkward for long, not when the novelty of breasts had yet to wear off for her boyfriend, and he was fondling them before she'd made it all the way back down on the bed.

"You're beautiful," Edward sighed, more to her chest than her face. But when he flicked his tongue across her nipple, she didn't really care.

Bella wound her fingers in his thick hair and let him do his thing, because his thing made her squirm in the best way possible. His mouth was hot and wet on her breasts, and his hands were inching under her shorts, under her panties.

When he started to inch both shorts and panties down her legs, she felt the blush return. Edward scooted down the bed as he pulled the last of her clothing off, in prime position between her legs. His hands ran back up her legs, to her thighs, which she clamped shut as nerves took over.

"You weren't this shy when I fingered you the first time," Edward pointed out.

Bella blushed hotter. "Yeah, well, you weren't about to stick your face in my crotch."

Edward laughed under his breath. "You weren't this shy when you stuck your face in my crotch, either."

"Shut up," she retorted.

"Maybe it'll help if you close your eyes?" She sighed, but did as he suggested. "Just relax."

Then Edward placed his hands on her knees and parted her legs. She felt horribly exposed with her legs wide open like that, able to feel the cool air from the open window brushing over her sex. The bed shifted, and cool air was replaced with hot. She shifted, fighting the urge to close her legs.

And then there it was. The blistering hot swipe of Edward's tongue up her slit, across her clitoris.

She clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from moaning aloud.

Edward closed his lips around her clit, sucking lightly, then licking. He alternated between lips and tongue at varying speeds, but no matter what he did, she was on fire. Like he had a secret link to her body and was telling it to sing for him.

The warm pool of pleasure in her belly was just too good. She had to look, to see how he was causing it.

Bella peeked down at him, and oh lord. His head looked good between her legs. Better than she expected. And she could actually see what was going on down there – his hollowed cheeks, a flash of his tongue. His eyes rose, met hers, and his sultry gaze sealed her fate. She couldn't look away – she would watch as each slick pass of his tongue drove her deeper into the flames.

As he watched her, watching him, Bella felt Edward's lips curl into a smile against her, and given the devious look in his eyes, she shouldn't have been surprised when he pushed two long fingers inside her. But she was surprised, and she had to bite down on her hand to keep from crying out. The fullness only increased the fever his mouth induced.

When his fingers began to move in and out, stroking her on the inside, she knew she was done for. Her muscles tensed from hands to feet. The coil deep inside tightened even further.

And then she snapped, split like an atom with her particles flying everywhere and energy exploding outward. She had to turn her head and bite into her pillow, and even then, it didn't totally muffle the sound she let out. For a beautiful, suspended moment, she floated weightless through a sea of utter bliss.

Edward's mouth gentled, easing her down with soft brushes of his tongue. When only her legs were still trembling, he pulled back.

Sitting on his knees, he grinned at her like the cat that ate the canary, or like the boy who ate – well, she wasn't quite ready to go there in her thoughts yet – and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. She was mortified at the mess her body had made of his face, but she was too exhausted to do anything about it.

Edward crawled up over her, shielding her with his warm weight, and she didn't even try to stop him from kissing her, mess or no mess. She was filled with such a swelling of love that she had to kiss him to release it, had to clutch him close, skin to skin.

"I like the way you taste," he whispered to her.

She smiled – and blushed, but not as badly this time. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." He nuzzled her shoulder, and she wished he could stay with her, cuddled up in her bed. Tomorrow they had school, though, and the longer he stayed in her room, the greater the chance they could get caught.

Obviously on the same train of thought, Edward shifted himself off her and retrieved his shirt. She watched him pull it over his head, already missing him. Bella pulled the covers over herself, not bothering to redress.

Edward returned, sitting on the edge of the bed. He brushed her hair away from her face. "So I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah." But he didn't move.

"Happy Birthday, Bella."

She grinned. "You know, if this is what we're doing for birthdays, it's going to be hard to top for Christmas."

"Oh, but Christmas is about giving and receiving," Edward said slyly. She laughed and drew him down for one more kiss.

"Thanks for the present," she murmured, watching him retreat to the window.

"Anytime," he shot back at her before gingerly making his way out onto the tree limb.

Bella thought she might hold him to that.