Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

To make the time line easier to understand I'll start posting the date.

10. Home

October 15th

*Edward*

I checked my watch. Bella's flight should have landed thirty minutes ago. Anxiety seemed to gnaw through me, eating away what sanity I had left the longer I waited for her plane to land. Each day without her was increasingly a struggle. Now each minute dragged on like an hour. Our separation might have been bearable if I could have heard her voice, and had audible evidence of her wellbeing. Her damn emails did nothing to quell my worries. They only contained information about school and what work I had to get her. A gamut of emotions could have been running through her while she was away. I couldn't see or hear any of them. For the span of three weeks, I my emails, calls, and texts were unanswered. My messages, they were all pitiful; they ranged from angry to apologetic, then to defeat. I wasn't sure if she heard them.

I couldn't have predicted the outcome of our fight. One thing was clear to me now: I had pushed her too far and exacerbated the problem more than it helped me to find out what was troubling her.

Would I ever get this marriage thing right? I huffed in frustration. Somehow I thought marrying Bella I would be my chance to get things right and the rest of our relationship would go untarnished by my mistakes. I scrubbed my hand over my face with one hand hoping to wipe the pathetic look off my face before Bella arrived.

I lifted my head from my hands to scan the crowd pouring out of baggage claim. My hand tightened around my phone as I realized my foot tapping uncontrollably. I was going to explode with nervous energy. I looked at my watch. If she wasn't here in ten more minutes I would…Then I saw her. Her hair was tied up in a messy knot and the dark circles under her eyes told me that she didn't get much sleep. I stood, hoping she'd see me, but before she could notice her bag slipped off her shoulder, spilling all its contents on the ground. Some guy stopped and helped her. I growled under my breath as I heard his thoughts to get her number. Mine.

As I approached them, the boy made small talk with her. She tried to shove things into her bag quickly, but he had most of her stuff already. They both stood up, he handed her the pile, and offered to give her a ride if she didn't have a car. I wanted to wring him by his neck. Didn't he see the ring on her finger? It wasn't there.

"Thank you for helping me, but I think I…" she trailed off, finally noticing me. Her pulse hammered with the realization.

Somehow I drew my eyes from her naked hand. I glared at the boy and said, "I think I can take it from here." He withered. I turned to look at my wife. "Bella."

"What are you doing here?" Her eyes were cast down shielding them from me.

I took a breath, which I hadn't realized I'd been holding, and got a lung full of her mouthwatering scent. Welcoming the burn and rush of venom to my mouth, I took another. I needed to hunt. I hadn't hunted since she left. She shifted her weight. Then, I realized I never answered her question.

"I couldn't wait," I said, dumbly unable to think of anything else. It was the truth, I couldn't handle another second. She looked up just as I settled on her eyes. Her flush was just as predictable and just as enticing.

"We should get going," she said.

"Let me help you," I offered.

"I can do it," she said albeit without much conviction. I took her suitcases anyway and asked for the keys. Reluctantly, she pulled them out of her pocket and gave them to me.

*Bella*

The car ride was anticlimactic at best. He didn't speak to me the entire time. His hands clutched the wheel and the expression on his face was painfully blank. I couldn't believe he came to get me from the airport. Well, I shouldn't have expected anything less. The moment I heard his tenor voice it incited the disjointed beating of my heart. I didn't like being away from him anymore than he liked being away from me. But I wasn't ready to see him. I wasn't ready to tell him I was pregnant. How would I explain? Even Carlisle couldn't believe it. Carlisle and I discussed the risks that this pregnancy could hold. He would need to visit us every other month through the duration of the pregnancy. I needed more time. One more day and then I'd be brave enough to tell him the news.

Before I knew it we were home. I was too wrapped up in my thoughts. Wanting to get inside as quickly as possible, I reached over the console and took the keys. His questions, I knew they were coming. Simply, I wasn't ready to answer them. Edward didn't make a move when I took them. He sat there. I got out of the car and walked up the step to the front door. I was walking up to the second floor, when I decided to at least tell him I needed my space. I heard his footsteps on the stairs.

I reached our bedroom door and I turned around. "Edward, I need some—"

He was much closer to me than I expected, his tall frame caused him to tower over me. I could see the rise and fall of his chest. I didn't dare look up at him. His cool breath fanning over me caused my heart to race and me to shiver. He stepped forward and I reflexively pushed against his him. Electricity pulsed between my hand and his chest, setting my skin ablaze.

Then several things happened: Edward dropped my bags took my hand and pulled me into his chest, closing the last bit of space that separated us. Using his thumb and forefinger, he lifted my chin so our eyes could meet. His eyes were hard as flint, a mixture of hurt and unexpectedly lust flashed across his features. His lips hovered above mine.

"Where's your ring?" he whispered breathlessly.

Oh no, I thought. I recoiled from the implications that must have been going through his mind this whole time.

I hadn't realized. I forgot to slip the ring back on. I took it off the night I left to see Charlie, I was so mad at Edward. Even after the anger dissipated, I still couldn't put it back on. I felt like Edward and I were so far away emotionally. I didn't want to be reminded of our distance with the opposing symbol of our unity.

I took a breath. "The reminder of you was too painful." His fingers fell from my face.

"Is it too painful now?" he asked, the heartbreaking desperation was clear in voice.

Honestly, we had a lot to discuss. I wasn't sure if I was ready to put back on the ring. "I don't know."

His eyes searched mine for a moment, before he released me and stepped away. My heart ached.

"Where are you going?" I asked. I began to cry. He couldn't leave me now. I knew we were in limbo but that didn't diminish my need for him. Three weeks was a long time. I needed him.

"Please, don't," he said, his voice cracking.

"I can't."

"Bella." His hands balled in to fists at his sides.

"I can't spend another night away from you. I need you."

I knew what I was asking him was unfair. Selfishly, I asked him to stay with me to push his emotions aside for the sake of mine after I all of the pain I caused him.

I assumed my pleading worked because he came back to me and kissed me. It wasn't loving or tender. It was desperate and hungry. While grasping my face, his lips pushed mine apart so his tongue could delve into my mouth. He devoured me or at least he attempted to. I couldn't manage to get enough air; his relentless lips wouldn't leave mine for more than a few seconds. He stripped my clothing away with ease as we stumbled to the bed. Possessively, he molded his hands to my curves. My breath was labored as he grabbed my breasts roughly. I cried out and bit him. He growled and broke the button on his pants in haste to burry himself inside of me. I arched off the bed. Edward flipped us over and grabbed my ass causing him to go deeper. We moved quickly and it wasn't long before I climaxed. He followed crying my name and held me in a tight, desperate embrace. I realized my body was shaking uncontrollably and so was Edward's.

"It's okay. I'm here," Edward consoled brokenly.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

We were entwined with each other, gasping and sobbing together. Eventually, I fell asleep but it wasn't quiet or restful.

*Edward*

The next morning I had Bella's breakfast ready on the kitchen counter. The slight change in her heartbeat told me she was awake. Anticipation was driving me mad, while I waited for her to get ready. When she did come down, she looked more rested than yesterday. She was wearing one of my favorite midnight blue satin slip with a robe loosely tied draped over her shoulders. Ahh, so tempting.

"Good morning," I said first.

"Hi," she said, moving around me towards the coffee machine. She paused murmuring something about forgetting. She got orange juice from the fridge instead.

I waited until she sat down to speak again. "I made your favorite," I told her weakly.

"I see," she said without looking at me. "Um, thank you."

She ate in silence. I couldn't stand it a moment longer. "Say something," I said exasperatedly.

"What do you want me to say?" she asked and then finally looked at me. Her eyes looked as if they could burn me.

"We can't pretend last night didn't happen," I said pointedly.

Just like that the fire died in her eyes and her features softened. "I know," she murmured looking down at her plate.

"Stop doing that and look at me, Bella." When she did I asked her, "Are we okay?"

A wary smile touched her lips. "Things don't get better overnight no matter how much we want them to."

"You shut me out for three weeks, Bella. You have to give me something."

"I don't have to give you anything," she snapped.

"I'm your husband. On some level you have to acknowledge that you'll need to communicate with me. Do you even want this marriage?" I finally asked. The thought plagued me as she slept through the night. Her readiness to shut me out wasn't something was familiar with and she removed her ring.

"How could you ask me that?" she looked disgusted.

"How could I not? You came back without your wedding band."

"We weren't speaking to each other and we weren't happy. Wearing it was like a lie and it kept reminding me of how far you were from me," she explained.

I looked down now avoiding the hurt in her eyes. I had seen enough. I remembered her explaining last night in part that it was too painful. It was equally as painful for me while she was away, yet I kept mine on. Did she not think it would hurt me? I heard her slide off the bar stool and she walked towards me and placed her warm hand on my cheek.

"I'm sorry," she said gently. "I know I hurt you. Marriage hasn't exactly turned out to be what I expected."

I wondered how different our expectations for this new phase in our life were. "What did you expect?" I tentatively let my hands move to the small of her back.

"I didn't think I would have to share so much with you. Before there were limits to what I could share with you and what you could share with me, but now…"she trailed off.

I completed her thought, "We have to make decisions together. You have to tell me what you're feeling and thinking lest I go mad."

"Sometimes you don't need to know everything." Her hands slid down to my chest. "And you're controlling."

"I realize I need to make some more changes but, Bella, you were acting so outside of your character that day I didn't know what to make of it. I only wanted to fix what was wrong."

She blushed though I didn't have a clue as to why. "What going on in that head of yours?"

"I told you about needing to know everything," she smirked.

"That's different and you know it."

"Our class starts in an hour, I still need to shower, and you need to hunt otherwise you'll scare everyone on campus," she told me.

I chuckled. She was trying to distract me. I looked at her knowingly.

"Edward, I'll tell you about it later. You mind letting me go?"

"Not yet." I missed holding her like this I needed to hold her for a while longer. Then, I thought of something.

"Edward."

I leaned forward and kissed her until she stopped trying to talk around my lips.

"You're in incorrigible," she said as I loosened my arms around her. She struggled to hide her smile.

"I missed you," I said honestly.

"I missed you, too." She placed her hands over mine and moved them off of her hips, pulling away from me slowly.

I watched as she retreated up the stairs, a sense of peace settling over me. She was home.

A/N: So college has been crazy, my beta had to stop beta'ing, and I've miss my readers. Please review.

~Tiff