I know, I know, I suck. I'm sorry.

--

Chapter 24

When Edward rolled over into a soft, warm body, he wasn't at all surprised. This had become the beautiful norm over the past couple of months, at least on weekends. What wasn't the norm, however, was the fact that the soft, warm body in question was also very much naked.

As was he.

A slow smile spread across his face as he opened his eyes to a tumble of brown hair, vividly remembering the events that had led to their unclothed state.

He'd never been so happy to be caught off guard before. The dinner alone was incredibly sweet and thoughtful of her, but what had followed…

Making love with Bella had surpassed every fantasy he'd ever had about her – and considering some of the thoughts he'd entertained, especially since their reunion in September, that was quite an accomplishment. He supposed it was because, while he'd been able to clearly imagine the physical aspects of their joining, the emotional connection had been somewhat vague. The reality had blown his mind; never before had he felt so close to another human being. Ever. He hadn't even realized that level of emotional intimacy was possible.

Tightening his arm around her, Edward drew Bella's back flush against his chest, groaning softly as her butt nestled perfectly against his already growing hard-on. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the faint scent of her shampoo while nuzzling her gently. She made soft, sleepy noise as she shifted against him, and he grinned.

He trailed the backs of his fingers up her belly and around her breasts, first one and then the other, before dragging them over their peaks. They responded automatically to the gentle stimulation, and Edward couldn't resist rolling one of the hardened nipples between his fingers. Bella arched her back slightly, seeking his touch, and her breathing began to shallow out, indicating she was starting to wake up.

Edward feathered kisses along her shoulder, silently encouraging her to join the land of the living. Very subtly, her chest vibrated with a silent hum as her hand came up to cover his where it rested on her breast. Propping himself up on one elbow, he smiled down at Bella as she scrunched up her face and stretched.

She was so adorably sexy in the mornings. Sweet and vulnerable, warm and snuggly, and possessing a special sensuality of which he knew she was completely unaware, Bella completely owned him every time he woke up with her.

Hell, if he were being honest, she owned him all the time. But that wasn't really the point.

Big, brown eyes opened and peered up at him. She blinked repeatedly as she struggled to focus on his face, and Edward chuckled. "Morning," he greeted her, his voice rough with sleep.

"Morning," Bella replied just before rolling towards him and snuggling into his chest, eyes shutting once again.

Settling himself down next to her, Edward wrapped his arm around her and drew her closer before letting his hand find her hair. "Did I wear you out last night?" he teased, and was rewarded by a snort of laughter.

"Don't flatter yourself," she mumbled and poked him in the ribs with one bony little finger.

He caught her hand before she could pull away, wrapping his long fingers around hers, and lifted it to his mouth, kissing the tip of the offending digit. "You're lucky I love you, y'know," he joked.

Instead of telling him to fuck off, as he'd expected, Bella snuggled closer, draping her arm over his waist, and kissed his chest right over his heart. "I know."

He could hear the smile in her voice, feel the way her lips curled against his skin, and he curved into her, needing to get closer. Because as much as he loved his snarky Bella, he treasured the moments with sweet, snuggly, sentimental Bella, if only because they were so much less common.

They'd become more frequent over the past couple of months, of course, but still.

"Nah, I'm the lucky one," he corrected, using the side of his finger to lift her chin, bringing her mouth to his.

Their lips moved against each other's slowly, and when Edward tried to deepen the kiss, Bella clamped her lips shut tight, and pulled back to duck her head. "Morning breath," she explained, the word muffled but understandable.

He rolled his eyes. "Yours or mine?"

"Mine."

"Then don't worry about it," he assured her, lifting her face to his again and crushing her lips beneath his. In no time, she'd surrendered, her tongue sneaking out to meet his.

Edward immersed himself in the soft and sweet Bella scents that never failed to intoxicate him, the addictive hot silk of her skin, and the alluring sounds - quiet moans and hitched breaths - he drew from her. He lost all track of time, having no idea how long they lay there, lost in each other, kissing and caressing, before their needs became more insistent. His erection was now throbbing almost painfully, and when his fingers trailed down and settled between her thighs, the evidence of her own arousal made him growl softly.

"Want you," he whispered into her mouth, his fingers stroking her folds and causing her hips to arch off the bed.

With an enthusiastic nod, Bella surprised him by placing her hand on his shoulder and urging him onto his back. Edward's brow furrowed slightly, but the question that had been on the tip of his tongue turned into a moan as he watched her climb to her knees and swing one leg over his, so she was straddling him.

Someone was feeling bold this morning, apparently, and he wasn't nearly stupid enough to complain. In fact, he loved it every time he caught a glimpse of this side of Bella.

He grasped her hips and slid her forward so that her heat was pressed against his cock. They both whimpered at the sensation, and Bella continued shifting her weight, sliding forward, then back, along his length.

She was trying to kill him. Clearly.

Just as he was about to physically lift her off his lap and slam into her, Bella leaned forward to kiss him, her breasts brushing his chest lightly as she opened herself to him. Her hand slipped between them, gripping him by the base, and guided him towards her entrance. Once he felt her wet heat, he angled his hips upward, pushing just his head inside. He paused, giving her a chance to adjust to him, and nearly lost all control when she lowered herself, slowly and steadily, down his shaft until she'd taken in all of him.

Jesus. Fucking. Christ. He was going to die. Bella was going to kill him with pleasure, and there wasn't a damn thing he could – or wanted to – do about it.

Careful to avoid the bandage covering her burn, he found her hands, laced their fingers together and laid them on the bed near his head, causing Bella to settle on top of him, their chests flush against each other, both rising in falling quickly with their rapid breathing. When she started to move, there was nothing Edward could do to keep from hissing with pleasure, his fingers tightening around hers. "Jesus," he whispered, rocking his hips up to meet hers.

It was heaven. Pure, unadulterated heaven, and he never wanted it to end.

"You okay?"

"Hmmmm," was all he could say, nodding and smiling as he held her gaze.

Her answering smile was crooked and adorable, and he needed to kiss her. Releasing her hands, he curled one around the back of her head to pull her in for a kiss, while the other found its way to her hip, guiding her movements. Not that she needed the help, because she was doing fantastic on her own, but he loved that gentle, feminine curve of hers, and gladly took advantage of any opportunity to touch her there.

Tongues warring and breathing ragged, their hips slammed together faster as they climbed towards release. But Edward wanted to see her face this time, watch her as she came apart for him. Sliding his hand from where it had tangled in her hair to her shoulder, he gently pushed her up and back, until she was sitting straight up above him. Her hips never ceased their rocking rhythm, and he knew he didn't have much time before he'd reach the point of no return.

Cupping her face tenderly, Edward smiled at her as she gazed down at him, her face and chest flushed a lovely shade of pink. "God, I love you," he told her, voice low and nearly choked with emotion. "So much."

"Love you back," she vowed breathily, a smile curling her kiss-plumped lips as she stroked his chest.

Releasing her cheek, he trailed a hand down her chest, between her beasts and down over her belly, until his fingers could curl around her hip, his thumb exploring where they were joined, searching for that wonderful, magical nub. The second he found it, her walls clenched around him and she moaned, increasing her speed as she continued riding him. His free hand reached for her breasts, palming one and squeezing gently as his thumb worked her.

Bella's eyes drifted shut and she sucked her lower lip into her mouth, worrying it with her teeth. His thumb must have found a particularly sensitive spot because she suddenly whimpered and arched into him, slamming her hips down against his.

"Lean back a bit," he commanded in a whisper, and she complied, her hands leaving his chest to grip his thighs behind her. Edward moaned at the incredible sight this new position granted him: the way her back arched, nipples puckered and begging for his mouth, hair falling down her back and tickling his legs, and her gorgeous hips flexing and rocking desperately. She released her lip as her mouth fell open with a gasp, a small knot of concentration forming between her closed eyes. The soft little sounds she'd been making grew just a bit louder, and flowed together to form one long, melodic mewling whimper as her inner muscles continued to tighten around him.

Desperately, he tried to stave off his orgasm, knowing he was right on the edge, willing the tightening and tingling in his gut, his groin, his balls, to retreat, but to no avail. Edward increased the efforts of his thumb, moving it in rapid circles and pressing it hard to her clit.

Bella's eyes clenched tight and her jaw dropped in a silent cry as she exploded, body suddenly paralyzed above him as her muscles clamped down and fluttered around his desperate cock as she came. Unable to wait until she was on the downside, Edward grasped her hips with both his hands and took control, slamming her down as he bucked to meet her. She cried out and he felt an increase in pressure as she pulsed around him, his mind just barely registering it as he held her still so he could pound up into her once, twice, three times, and then it was his turn to groan loudly as his orgasm hit hard, his entire body to convulsing in ecstasy.

A panting, slightly sweaty Bella collapsed on top of him, head turned so that she could press tired, sated kisses to his neck. "Holy shit," she slurred, her body completely limp above him. Edward let out a shaky breath and nodded in agreement, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly.

They were silent for a long moment, too exhausted to speak let alone move. Eventually, their breathing steadied, but neither made an effort to move despite the fact that Edward could feel himself softening inside her, and knew he'd soon slip out and cause one hell of a mess.

Wet spot, smet spot. He wanted to stay exactly where he was.

"I know I don't have much of a basis for comparison," Bella said softly, breath tickling his neck, "but I think we're pretty damn good at that."

A laugh bubbled up inside him and his chest shook with silent laughter. "You've got a gift for understatement," he informed her. "We're not good, Swan, we're fuckawesome."

Bella made a choked sound of amusement as she swatted his chest and began to giggle. Unfortunately, her laughter caused certain below-the-waist muscles to clench, and she effectively evicted him from her body. When she realized what happened, Bella started laughing even more, and Edward winced in distaste as his now soft cock flopped inelegantly against his leg. Still giggling, she rolled off him and onto the bed, but stayed close, resting her head on his shoulder as she grinned at him. "Sorry."

There was no remorse in her voice at all.

"Go ahead, laugh it up," he told her, cocking an eyebrow in warning. "You're the one who's going to start leaking any second now."

"Eeeew," she whined, then scrambled to the edge of the bed. Grabbing his discarded shirt from the night before, she slipped it on and headed for the bathroom, waddling comically as she struggled to keep her legs clenched tightly together to keep the evidence of their earlier activities from trickling down her thighs. Laughing at her antics, he made a mental note to make sure he had a full box of Kleenex by his bed at all times to make things a little less… messy for her.

Edward was on the verge of drifting back to sleep when the bed shook violently. His eyes popped open to find a grinning Bella on her knees beside him. There was no way he couldn't laugh at her – she just looked so damn adorable. Reaching up, he twirled a lock of her hair around his index finger and tried to use that to tug her down for a kiss. She resisted, wrapping her fingers around his wrist to still his downward motion.

"How's your hand?" he wondered, his forefinger lightly tracing around the outside edge of the gauze.

"It hurts," she admitted grudgingly. "I stole a couple of Tylenol from your medicine cabinet, so that should help. How's your head?"

His lips quirked to one side as he fingered the back of his head gently. To be honest, he'd forgotten all about it. "Not even a lump."

He couldn't get over how much he loved having Bella in bed. In his room. In his apartment. It was like she just fit his life perfectly. He hated that they couldn't be together all the time, wrap up in each others' arms every night and wake up together every morning.

"You're not planning on living in res again next year, are you?" Edward asked, still winding and unwinding her hair from his finger.

Her eyebrows hopped slightly. "Holy non-sequitur, Batman. Um… hadn't really given it a lot of thought," she admitted. "I'm not particularly enamored with the idea, but I figured I'd wait and see what Alice wants to do. Maybe we'll get an apartment off campus, or something. Why?"

And wasn't that the million-dollar question? Why, indeed?

"It'd be nice to have you closer," he finally settled on. It was the truth, just not all of it. Because what he wanted was for Bella to move in with him.

It was too soon for them to think about living together, he reluctantly admitted to himself. And besides that, he didn't particularly like the idea of Charlie coming after him with a shot gun for shacking up with his little girl.

"I'll talk to Al," Bella told him, then flashed a rather mischievous. "Maybe we can find a vacancy in this building. That would make things nice and convenient."

It would, it really would. And Edward loved the way his girl's mind worked. Because if she and Alice got an apartment together, even if they rarely stayed there, it would keep up the pretense of not living together (even though he had no intention of letting her spend much time in her own place) and likely keep Chief Swan from castrating him with a hail of bullets.

"I'd love that," he admitted, giving her what he knew was a rather sappy smile.

"Me, too." She swooped down and kissed him again, lingering slightly as she nibbled his lower lip before sitting back up. "Now, feed me," Bella demanded.

"Feed you?" he repeated, wondering if she'd forgotten who she was talking to

She nodded, the rest of her mussed hair falling over her shoulders. "I need sustenance, pronto."

The power had come back on last night not long after they'd began their dessert-in-bed, so he figured anything in his fridge was probably still okay to eat… the only problem was, there hadn't been much there to begin with. There was only one logical solution.

"Cora's?"

Her eyes lit up at the mention of the little diner with the best weekend breakfast buffet around. "You? Are brilliant." Leaning down, she gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I knew there was a reason I kept you around."

"Just one?" Edward knew his voice was low and suggestive, and it earned him the response he was looking for – Bella's cheeks flushed pink, and she bit her lower lip.

"I'm going to grab a quick shower," she told him, ignoring his loaded question. She crawled backwards off the bed, and tossed him a playful smirk. "Wanna share?"

As if she'd have to ask him twice.

While Edward and Bella had been getting ready to go out, Jasper had called to see what they were up to, and had eagerly agreed to rally the troops and meet them for breakfast. Not that Edward particularly felt like sharing Bella with anyone, not even their closest friends, but hopefully it would be enough socializing to ensure they got the rest of the day to themselves.

As they waited for the other couples to arrive at the restaurant, it struck Edward that he and Bella both seemed extra affectionate with each other that morning, even out in public. Sure, holding hands and the occasional kiss wasn't unusual for them, but neither seemed to be able to get enough of the simply touching the other, their bodies constantly in as much contact as possible. Even now, as Edward leaned against the wall, they were wrapped up in each other's arms, kissing slowly, sweetly.

"I think he's trying to eat her face." An annoying familiar voice, Texas twang exaggerated for comedic effect, interrupted their moment. Stupid Jasper.

"Hey, Bellarina, you've got an Edward on your face!"

Edward reluctantly pulled his lips from Bella's and looked up to see their friends approaching. Emmett was laughing openly at the two of them and waggling his eyebrows suggestively as Rosalie thwapped him across the chest.

Bella sighed and gave Edward a long-suffering look. "This is going to be the longest breakfast in the history of the world, isn't it?"

All Edward could do was nod solemnly. "I'll make it up to you later, I promise."

"You'd better make it good," she grumbled before finally turning towards the new arrivals.

The group stood and chatted for a few minutes, and Edward noted that Alice was staring at Bella oddly, and Bella was shifting uncomfortably, inching her way closer to him until she was pressed firmly against his side. His arm slipped around her shoulders comfortably, and he leaned down to place a kiss on the top of her head. It didn't seem to have the calming effect he'd hoped for, but it was as good an excuse as any to hold her close, so he didn't much care.

"Alice, what?" Bella finally demanded, but Alice simply cocked her cute little pixie head to one side and regarded her friend more closely. "Fuck off. You're creeping me out."

Grey eyes narrowed slightly in scrutiny. "You. Me. Bathroom. Now." Alice grabbed Bella's arm and started dragging her towards the door. Startled and clearly confused, all Bella could do was look at Edward helplessly as she was kidnapped.

---

Flashback

One month. Four weeks. Thirty days. That was all the time he had left before he'd leave rainy Washington for Illinois, and the pre-med program at the University of Chicago. He was excited, scared, excited. He was also dreading it for one reason - and she was currently putting her stuff away in her cubby so she could get ready to hit the floor.

Checking out the shift schedule for the next two weeks, Edward's brow knit in confusion. There was one name conspicuously absent.

"Hey, Swan," he called over his shoulder, "why aren't you working next week?"

Bella finished tying her apron strings and tugged the skirt to straighten it out. "Alice is kidnapping me."

That… wasn't helpful. "Explain."

She sighed and tightened her ponytail. "Her family's renting a beach house in California. Alice got to Charlie before I could, and the two of them think I need a vacation. So I'm going with her. Against my will."

Two weeks without Bella. Two weeks… of the very limited time he had left before leaving for college. He felt a knot forming in his stomach, and he fought to keep his feelings from showing on his face.

"Still, a beach house in Cali. Nice." He nodded in approval, forcing a grin. "You're gone for a whole two weeks?"

"Yeah," she grumbled. "And I was counting on those hours. Alice owes me, big time."

"Tell Alice I want a picture of you two in your teeny, tiny bikinis," he said with a leer, only partly joking. Sure, he wouldn't mind seeing Alice in a swimsuit (she was a really pretty girl with a great little body, after all, and he was a guy), but he'd do many a bad thing to get a glimpse of Bella in a skimpy two-piece. To have it in photo-form, for repeated viewing at his leisure, would be ideal.

"Ass," Bella called to him as she left him alone in the back room to go start her shift. Their shift, actually, but he was too busy trying to process this new information, trying to figure out how he felt about being Bella-less for two of his last four weeks in Washington.

Other than disappointed, of course, because that was a given. But maybe a small part of him was... relieved?

His parents had been pushing for a family road trip out to the Windy City, and if they did that, they'd have to leave in two weeks, rather than four. If they left then, Bella would still be away. So if he played dumb about it, even fooled himself into believing he was undecided until last-minute, he could be halfway across the country before Bella came back and found out he was gone.

And he wouldn't have to say good bye. He could tell her to have a good trip with Alice, and then he could take the coward's way out and leave her a note or something for when she got back. It was an easy out. And really, it would be so much easier for them both if they made a clean break than deal with increasingly infrequent phone calls and emails. Besides, he knew he wouldn't be able to move on and get over his stupid crush, or whatever the hell it was, on Bella if he kept in touch with her. The failed attempt at using Gianna to distract himself was proof enough of that. (What red blooded, American male would turn town a willing, gorgeous woman? Edward would, that's who, and he'd been disgusted with himself for it.) But this way, he could get on with his life, really enjoy his first year at college... and Bella could simply enjoy being a senior, and he wouldn't have to be eaten alive by jealousy hearing about the fun she was having, and with whom.

This could actually work, he realized. It would kill him, but it could work.

Edward had been absolutely dreading having to let Bella go. He didn't know if he could stand actually saying the words 'good bye' to her. There was a part of him that was terrified he'd break down.

And Edward Cullen didn't break down. Especially not over a girl - a girl who wasn't even his girlfriend.

Bella wasn't just any girl, though, and he damn well knew it. And therein lay the problem. She would always own a piece of him; she had changed him, for better or worse, and he'd never be able to forget her.

As if he'd ever want to.

----

As she reached for the door handle, Alice turned back and hollered, "Rose!"

Edward glanced at the blond, who simply shrugged before following after her friends. "Who the hell knows with those two?"

The guys watched, bewildered, as their girlfriends disappeared into the restaurant. "Girls are fucking weird," Emmett observed with a shake of his head.

"No shit," Edward scoffed.

"So, Eddie," Jasper drawled, using the much-loathed nickname, "how did things go last night?"

Something in Jasper's voice made Edward instantly suspicious. "Dinner was great," he replied warily.

With a smirk, Jasper appraised Edward carefully. "And I suppose dinner is the only reason you look happy as a pig in shit?"

That was enough to get Emmett jumping on the bandwagon. "Yeah, dude, you look pretty fucking proud of yourself." Edward could almost see the cartoon light bulb appear above Emmett's head when he put two and two together. "Holy shit! You finally nailed her!"

Edward punched Emmett hard in the shoulder in an attempt to shut him up. "Don't be so fucking crude," he growled.

"You did!" Emmett crowed, completely ignoring Edward's annoyance. He looked at Jasper and grinned even wider. "Dude, the E-man finally got laid last night!"

Winding up, Edward landed another blow to his arm. "That's Bella you're talking about, asshole. A little respect, okay?"

Emmett had the decency to look a little contrite, but it didn't last. "Our little boy's growing up, Jazz," he teased.

"Fuck you," Edward grumbled.

Jasper just gave that easy, knowing smile that seemed to be his default expression and nodded. "Suspected as much."

Dragging his hand through his hair in annoyance, Edward glared at his so-called friends. "How'd you know?"

"When Bella asked us to help her out by keeping you busy yesterday afternoon, she seemed kinda anxious," Jasper replied with a shrug. "I figured she must've been planning more than just dinner, if she was that jittery. And when I saw the pair of you just now, it was pretty obvious from your body language."

"Obvious to you, maybe," Emmett corrected. "I just saw the shit-eating grin and figured something had to be up." Obviously cluing in to what he'd just said, he snickered. "Be up. Ha! Get it?"

With a sigh, Edward scrubbed his hands over his face. He didn't realize he'd shown his hand that openly or obviously. Hopefully Bella wouldn't be any the wiser. He'd hate for her to feel self-conscious around the guys.

A large hand clapped him on the back and gripped his shoulder in a show of solidarity. "It's all good, man," Jasper promised with a grin. "Don't worry that pretty little head o' yours. We won't give your girl a hard time."

"Nah, that's your job," Emmett guffawed.

Edward rolled his eyes and shrugged off Jasper's hand, heading for the door to Cora's, his friends' laughter following him. The hostess showed them to a table for six, and the boys settled in to wait.

As the minutes ticked by and girls had yet to join them, Edward found himself growing more and more concerned. Finally, they appeared, Bella in the middle and Alice and Rosalie on either side, arms linked. It didn't seem like Bella was particularly happy about it, if her pinked cheeks and slight scowl were anything to go by. As soon as she could manage, Bella slipped from her friends' evil clutches.

"You okay?" Edward asked softly, slipping his arm around her shoulders as she settled into the seat next to him.

"Yeah. I just wasn't expecting to be subjected to the goddamn Spanish Inquisition," Bella grumbled, shooting the evil eye at Rose and Alice.

"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition," the others chorused loudly, earning startled glares from several nearby diners. An older woman cleared her throat while staring disdainfully at the bunch of them, and they dissolved into muffled giggles.

At least that had successfully lightened the mood at the table.

"Less laughing, more foooooooood," Emmett drawled, pushing back his chair and doing his best drooling Homer Simpson impression as he bee-lined for the buffet.

"I swear to god, if I didn't know how smart he really was, I'd think my boyfriend was a moron," Rose lamented as she followed after him.

Jasper and Alice stood and looked askance at the remaining couple. "You guys coming?" Alice wondered.

"In a minute," Edward replied, tightening his arm around Bella's shoulders just enough to communicate he wanted her to stay seated. "You guys go so you don't have to wrestle Em for the tray of bacon."

The two exchanged a knowing look, but linked hands and went off to join Rose and Emmett at the buffet. Once they were safely out of earshot, Edward turned his attention back to Bella, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "Really, are you okay?"

She sighed and nodded. "Just a bit embarrassed," she admitted. "Alice and Rose know about last night. Al said she could tell because I was 'glowing'," Bella rolled her eyes, "whatever the hell she means by that."

Edward was well aware that Bella was a rather private person. It had taken months of talking before she began to open up at all to him, and even then, some topics were carefully avoided. If he got too close to something she didn't want to discuss, she'd steer him in another direction. She never even really learned to confide in her girl friends about truly personal things, unlike most of the girls he'd known in the past. Much to Alice's annoyance, he was sure. So to have something like this suddenly be common knowledge among their friends doubtlessly made her uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry," he said, sincerity coloring his tone. "If I'd known they'd pounce on us like that…"

Bella groaned and covered her face with her hands, speaking through splayed fingers. "Jazz and Em, too?"

"Yeah," he admitted, and Bella whimpered. "If either of those idiots says anything to you, tell me and kick their asses, okay?"

She snorted out a laugh and lowered her hands. Not hiding was a good sign. "My hero," she deadpanned, and Edward mock-bowed – which wasn't easy to do, sitting at a table.

"Seriously, Bella, are you all right with all this?"

Taking a deep breath, Bella let it out slowly and nodded. "Yeah. It's not like we didn't expect this would happen."

Edward quirked an eyebrow at her. "What, us sleeping together or them giving us hell about it?"

"Both," she admitted, lips curling into a lopsided smile that he couldn't resist kissing.

"C'mon, let's get you fed." He stood and tugged her to feet, then ducked down until his lips were right by her ear. "You need to keep up your strength. I've got plans for you later."

The shiver that ran through Bella brought a grin to his face, and she glared up at him. "You? Are evil."

"But you love me," Edward gloated happily, leading her towards the expanse of food items.

"I do," she relented, albeit grudgingly, and gave his hand a squeeze. "Not sure why sometimes, but I do."

He planned on spending the rest of the weekend reminding her.

1. While I didn't win any of the Moonlight Awards I was nominated for a while back (thank you for voting, though!), now I'm up for three Mystic Awards: Mrs. Perfect (best Bella), Mr. Perfect (best Edward, essentially), and Golden Fingers ('best' author). Voting ends Friday, October 9, so go vote for your faves! [http://] themysticawards [dot] webs [dot] com

2. I'm outing myself to my fellow Twifans for the sake of my other hobby. I've recently revamped my photography website, in an attempt to make a few sales before the end of the year. I'm *this* close to getting on Mr. Government's hit list. So if you feel so inclined, take a peek: www [dot] jenstlouisphotography [dot] com If by any chance you find something you like, just put 'alicedances' in the comments field, and I'll give you a 30% discount on your order. A special deal, Twifan to Twifan. ;-)

3. A big THANK YOU to the ladies over at PPSS for featuring MIA this week. You rock, and I love you. :D

4. I think there's only one more regular chapter after this one, and then the epilogue. This makes me very sad, because I really love these kids. I'm going to miss them somethin' awful. **sniffles** That said, if you want to know when I start posting my next fic, make sure you've got me on Author Alert. Not entirely sure when I'll be able to start working on the new one, but I *will* write another fic. I just need to flesh out a couple of ideas.