A/N: I don't own this, we all know who does. What I do own is a bottle of bubble bath and a shower robe thingie that my friend gave me for Christmas. It was so sweet...and the note she attached totally made me cry. Much better than the space heater I bought myself for Christmas. :D I got that a few weeks ago, because I was FREEZING! :D I live in the desert...anything below 70 degrees is WAY too cold. :D

Thanks to staceleo and CullensTwiMistress for prereading this. I love them. I hope they know that. :)

You girls sure like some good candies. :) Who says gummy candies are only for kids? :D

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Chapter Five

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Edward's bedroom was dark and warm. Bella had been in it plenty of times before. She'd actually helped him decorate it when he moved into the house. He'd always wondered why she had chosen such an ornate metal headboard for it. He was clearly lacking any type of interior design gene, but Bella had insisted. He'd never had another woman in his bed, at least not the bed he and Bella were currently making out on. As her hand reached up and grasped one of the metal rods in the headboard, he said a silent prayer of thanks for letting her have her way when it came to that particular piece of bedroom furniture. The way her fingers wrapped around the hard steel, and the muscles in her forearm flexed, reminded him of fingers wrapped around other hard things, and it made him ache all that much more for her.

His lips never left hers, his hands roaming up and down her body as she clung to him. Their legs were twisted together and he pushed his hips against her time and time again. He was grateful when her need seemed to match his own, and soon enough he was unbuttoning her blouse and pulling the two sides apart. He'd seen her in her bra several times, most of them by accident, but he'd never been close enough to see the goosebumps that formed on her skin when he pulled away to look down at her lace covered breasts.

"Bell," he whispered, watching her chest rise and fall as her heart continued to pound. "Are you sure? You really want this? Because once we start, I'm not gonna be able to stop. Ever."

She nodded. "I'm sure, I promise I'm so sure."

Edward looked back at her, their eyes meeting. "If we do this and you change your mind after, it'll kill me. I won't be able to get over you."

Bella could see the sincerity in his eyes, and the depths of his words made her breath catch in her throat. She'd believed him before, when he said all the things he'd said at Thanksgiving, and when he'd said them again outside just moments before, but watching his eyes, feeling how his heart beat for her, she finally grasped the seriousness of them. She finally knew the truth.

"I'll never change my mind, ever. It would kill me, too."

His hand moved to her face, softly stroking his fingers over her cheek, her jaw, down her neck and along her collar bones. As his eyes stayed connected with hers, his hand moved down to her bra, where he carefully unclasped the front closure on it and let the blue lace fall away from her.

His kisses soon continued, beginning at her lips and quickly descending down her neck and chest to her breasts, where he licked and kissed and sucked as Bella wound her hands deeper into his hair and arched into his touch.

Clothes came off, bit by bit, and in what seemed like no time, they were both naked and shivering. It wasn't from the cold, but more from the excitement of the moment, the intensity of their actions, the strength of their feelings. When Bella began to shake, Edward quickly pulled the blanket from under them and they somewhat clumsily slipped into the bed sheets, laughing as they did. It wasn't graceful and it wasn't smooth, but it was them, and they were happy.

Edward's fingers found their way to Bella's center, where she was wet and yearning for him, and after pulling a condom from his night stand, he hovered over her, ready to feel her in a way he never had before. Bella seemed to stiffen up just a bit, and Edward wondered if she was having second thoughts.

"No, it's just been a while since I did this. Go slow, okay?" she said.

Edward paused. "But, I thought..."

"I never slept with Jacob," she said, shaking her head. "He wanted to, and I thought I did, too, but it never felt right. I couldn't do it. That's probably why he broke up with me. Well, that and he said I used to whisper your name when I slept."

Her revelation brought a smile to Edward's lips, and he let out a little laugh. "Oh yeah? That's good. I don't like that guy."

Bella smiled, pulling Edward's face toward hers for a kiss. "Me either," she said. "What about you? Has it been a while? I mean, what am I in for, here?"

Their teasing friendship seemed to be bleeding over into their intimacy, and Edward liked it. He'd never experienced that before with the few women he'd had sex with. He didn't feel nearly as nervous or self-conscious as he typically did, and he knew it was because what he shared with Bella was right and true and lasting.

"It's been a couple of years," he said. "You remember that one girl, the blonde with all the cats?" he asked. Bella laughed as she nodded. "Yeah, one time with her and that was enough."

Their laughter filled the room, and after a few moments Edward stopped, kissing Bella once more before losing his smile and placing the tip of his cock at her entrance.

"No more talk about anyone else, okay? This is just us, from now on, forever."

And he pushed himself inside of her, making both of them gasp at the intensity of the connection. As he pushed and pulled, she met him stroke for stroke, her fingers digging into his back as she pulled him closer to her. It didn't last long, with both of them so completely lost in the moment, but as the night wore on they stayed connected in one way or another, with neither of them getting much sleep.

Dawn came early, but they didn't rise from the bed. They were in no rush to be apart, and it wasn't until Bella's stomach grumbled loudly enough for Edward to hear it over her moans of pleasure as she straddled him, that he finally decided he needed to feed her. He used his fingers on her clit as she rocked back and forth, and soon both of them were falling into ecstasy as they orgasmed together. He pulled her into the shower with him, refusing to let her out of his sight. Promising to collect her suitcases from her car after breakfast, he gave her a t-shirt of his to wear, along with a pair of shorts she'd left at his house once before. Hand in hand they made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen, only to suddenly stop due to the sight before them.

Grandma Masen stood in the middle of the room surrounded by what must have been the leftover breakfast she'd fixed at Edward's parents house. She smiled when she looked up and saw her grandson, and then it grew even brighter when she saw Bella standing next to him.

"Bella!" she called loudly, practically shoving Edward out of the way so that she could hug the sweet girl her grandson had always been so enamored with. "I'm so glad you're here. You're home to stay, right?" she asked, hoping for the best.

"Yes, I'm here for good," Bella said softly, looking up to see Edward's smiling face as he was reminded once again of all the things they'd promised each other the night before.

"And I take it things are good between you two? Since you clearly spent the night and you're holding my grandson's hand and all."

Edward laughed. "Yes, Grandma, you can stop pushing. Things are good."

Her eyes sparkled just a bit at his words, and when she stood back to look at the two lovebirds, she sucked in a quick breath. "So, am I going to be getting a great-grandchild any time soon, then?"

Edward continued to laugh as Bella froze, not sure of what to say or do. "Give us a little time, Grandma. We've got a few other things to work out first."

"You mean, like a wedding?" she asked, and watched as Bella blushed.

"Uh...well..." Edward stuttered, his laughter having trailed off for the moment. "I mean..."

Grandma Masen smiled, quickly walking out of the room and leaving them alone for a few moments.

"Your Grandma's always so funny," Bella said cautiously. While she wasn't opposed to marrying Edward, and actually hoped and planned to do it someday, she wondered what their families would think if it were to happen so soon after her return.

"Yeah, she's definitely got her own opinions about things, that's for sure," he said, just as a question crossed his mind. "Bella, why did it take so long for you to come here? I didn't ever ask last night."

Bella leaned into his chest as his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. "I had to give my two weeks notice. I kinda...I quit my job, and I packed as much into my car as I could. The rest I boxed up and shipped to my parent's house. I'm not going back."

Edward breathed a sigh of relief as his lips laid a soft kiss on her head. "Are you sure?" he asked, needing the confirmation one more time.

"I'm positive," she said, pulling back just enough to look up and meet his eyes. "I'm staying here with you."

He smiled and lifted his hand to her face, stroking his fingers along her jawbone. "What if I'd said no? What if I'd changed my mind?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

"I still would have stayed. I'd have won you over eventually," she teased. "I would have kept apologizing over and over, and sooner or later you'd have given in to me. I never would have given up, I would have waited for you forever."

Edward lightly rubbed his nose against hers, making her smile grow even wider.

"I never would have been able to say no to you, Bell."

"I was thinking of all the places I could apply for work while I drove here yesterday," she told him. "There are a lot of options I'd never thought about before."

Edward didn't want her to give up all the schooling and training she'd done, not for him. He knew how happy it made her to help people, to make a difference. His smile brightened when he realized she wasn't giving up everything to be with him, she wasn't giving up her dreams. She could still have them, and be with him, and in the process they could make new dreams for themselves.

He leaned down to kiss her lips just as his grandmother returned to the room.

"Here you go," she said, grabbing Edward's hand and placing a small box in it. "Why don't you give Bella her Christmas present now?" she said, winking at him.

"What? Grandma, I didn't-"

"Nonsense, boy. This is hers, so you give it to her. I'm an old woman—hurry it up, now."

He laughed. "Grandma, you're far from an old woman."

"Hush, you!" she said as she swatted at his shoulder. "Mind your elders, and all that. Always so stubborn, just like your grandpa."

Edward looked at Bella, hoping to see some sign that what was obviously about to happen was okay with her. The corners of her lips turned up just a bit as she looked lovingly at him, and he knew without a doubt that it was okay. Opening the small box, he saw his grandmother's wedding ring there, nestled carefully into the crushed black velvet box.

"Grandma, are you sure? This is your ring from Grandpa," he asked.

"I'm sure. There's no one else in this world that he and I would want to wear this ring. Nothing could make me happier than to see it on Bella's finger."

Edward took the ring from the box and, after letting out a deep breath, he slowly dropped down to one knee. Gazing up at her—as she stood in his kitchen, wearing his t-shirt and no make-up—his bright green eyes almost glowing with joy, he spoke. "Bella Swan, I've loved you my whole life, as long as I can remember. Will you marry me?"

Bella smiled and nodded quickly. "Yes."

And Edward slid the ring onto her finger, both of them knowing that's where it would stay for the rest of her life. He stood up and softly kissed her lips, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. It was that moment when Bella's smile vanished and she looked on at her new fiance in horror.

"I didn't get you anything," she sadly said.

Edward laughed. "You got me you. That's the only Christmas present I could have ever wanted—you coming home to me and staying."

She smiled happily at him, her eyes growing watery from the tears that were quickly collecting there. "I guess there's no sense fighting destiny, huh?"

He nodded. "We've known each other for years, and you're the only one I've ever wanted," he whispered as he leaned down to kiss her again.

It was then that they heard an excited squeal from the living room.

"Esme! We're gonna have a wedding!" Grandma Masen yelled into the phone. "And babies, Esme! There are gonna to be babies! Lots of babies!" she excitedly told his mother as Edward laughed and continued to kiss his Bella, his one true love...the only Christmas present he'd wished for that year.

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A/N: Thanks for coming along on this little journey. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, and that 2013 brings you joy and happiness. I think it'll be good. It's Lucky 13, after all. :D

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