A/N:

Yes, they had sex. Even with the fact that this is a short story, they still have a strong bond. It's not like they just met the day before.

Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is Dinx. Thank you both for sticking with me on this. I couldn't have done it without you.

Last chapter, y'all.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
*MERGE*

Sometime later that night, I woke up with the photos still scattered around the bed and Bella wrapped around me. I could feel her deep breaths against my chest, and it kept me calm while I thought of what would happen when she left very soon.

I didn't want her to go. I was selfish in that respect. At the same time, she had this whole other life away from me. I couldn't just ask her to be with me here. What exactly would she do? Well, besides me, I thought with a smirk.

Her breath suddenly hitched sharply, and she lifted her head from my shoulder.

"Mmm," she groaned groggily, and opened one eye. "You're awake."

I chuckled and ran my hand up her bare back. "Yeah."

"Please don't tell me it's morning."

I looked over at the digital clock on my nightstand to see it was after midnight. "Technically, yes. It's ten past twelve."

"Yesss," she hissed in excitement, and closed her eyes. "More sleep."

I smiled and kissed her forehead. "Do you have somewhere to be early?"

"No. It's just that ever since wrapping up the show, I've enjoyed having more time to sleep. I had to be on set at six, and we'd spend the entire day there, up until late at night sometimes. Other times, I'd have press to do, which sucked."

"What kind of press?"

"Talk shows, magazine interviews, photo shoots with the cast, that sort of thing."

"Did you like doing all that stuff?" I questioned curiously.

She snorted. "No," she answered. "I liked talking about Andy, but never about myself."

I caressed her cheekbone, and her eyes fluttered open to meet mine. "Why not?"

"I enjoy my privacy. Plus, I'm not that interesting, to be honest."

"You're not?" I asked incredulously. "You're probably the most interesting person I know."

She chuckled and rested her chin on my chest. "Well, to you I'm interesting, to them I'm not. In their words, I'm 'just a small town girl who happened to make it big.'"

I scoffed. "Well, screw them."

She smiled. "That's why I prefer talking about Andy."

I could sense a touch of forlorn in her words. "Will you miss being her?"

Her smile fell into a frown, tugging at my heartstrings. "Yeah, a lot," she admitted. "I liked my job. It sucks that Victoria got her way. She doesn't even care about her character, or the show, or even the viewers. She was born into show business, and her dad practically handed the part to her on a golden platter."

I brushed some hair out of her face. "I'm sorry."

"Well, I'm not. If I had to spend another season with her, I would've torn out her stupid, curly red hair and donated it to Locks of Love."

I snorted. "She definitely has a lot of hair."

"It's a jungle," she said with a giggle. "And you, mister." She poked her finger hard into my chest, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "You watched me."

"Guilty," I admitted, heat rising up to my face. It wasn't manly of me at all to admit I watched a chick show. In my defense, I was watching for Bella, but still…

"Every time an episode aired, I wondered if you were watching, but I convinced myself you would never."

I rolled my eyes. "Then you don't know me at all."

"Apparently, I don't, because I was sure we'd be friends forever."

I sighed sadly. "I'm really sorry about that," I said with emotion. "I hope we can be again."

She grinned and brought her mouth to my neck. "I hope we can be more than that." She kissed and licked my neck for a few moments, until she suddenly hopped up to her knees and looked at me with excitement. "Come with me."

I raised an eyebrow. "Where?" I questioned.

"Back home—to my home."

I thought about that for a moment. The idea was…well, it was amazing, more than I could dream of, but…it just wasn't a possibility for me. "I want to, believe me, but I can't."

She frowned momentarily; however, she seemed determined. "Of course you can."

I shook my head. "I've got work, Bella. Not to mention, Alice and Mom need me."

She lay back down, resting her head on my shoulder. "It's been years, Edward. Your mom seems fine, and Alice looks happy. Just think about it."

She didn't get it. Just because she'd been back a little over a week, didn't mean she suddenly understood my family and what they needed. "No," I replied firmly, making myself clear.

She huffed and rolled off me, resting on her back. I felt bad, so I turned on my side and proceeded to brush my fingertips over her naked stomach.

Her head turned to me, and she pursed her lips before looking straight up to the ceiling. "I have to go back in three days," she said.

A deep crease formed on my brow. "I thought you were staying a bit longer."

"Yeah, me, too, but my publicist called this afternoon and reminded me I have an interview and photo shoot with Elle Magazine. I completely forgot."

Publicist…interviews…photo shoots. It was hard to believe this was the same Bella Swan. Though she'd changed physically, it seemed her personality had never been altered. For that, I was glad.

"And…after that?" I asked. It was the question I feared an answer to the most.

"After that…" she paused "…I stay there." Her eyes sought mine, and I glanced away. "LA is my home now."

I nodded, understanding. I was afraid of her saying that, but it was truth. She belonged there.

"Anyway, let's not think about that," she said, her mood suddenly becoming more upbeat.

She moved on top of me and straddled my hips, right where we'd been joined for the second time hours before. Light kisses were showered down my body, until they stopped right where I wanted her the most. I closed my eyes, getting lost in her mouth and switching off my worried thoughts for now.

X-X-X-X

After work the next day, Bella wanted me to meet her at my mom's house, so I drove over there as soon as I could, instead of going with Emmett to the diner, like we normally would've. He understood when I told him Bella was only in town a couple more days.

I had no clue what that meant for us. Could we do a long distance thing? Would she come back to visit? My mind was racing with different scenarios, but I knew I couldn't be without her, even with the distance. I wouldn't allow myself to lose contact with her again.

The front door opened as I pulled into the driveway, and Bella came trotting out of the house. She looked anxious, which was exactly how I felt.

"Hi," she greeted with a big grin, threw her arms around my neck, and kissed me fervently.

I spun her around and pushed her against the car, molding my body to hers. Our tongues battled for dominance and our hands roamed freely. She pulled her face away with a smirk and ground her hips into mine, causing me to groan.

"Someone's excited to see me," she teased, my boner prominent between us.

"Very," I agreed, and practically attacked her neck with my lips and tongue.

"Ew, Edward! Stop doing that to Andy!" I heard Alice yell out somewhere behind me.

I moved away from Bella reluctantly and turned around to see my sister standing in the doorway. "Alice, stop calling her that!" I scolded.

She giggled and went back into the house.

I turned back to Bella apologetically. "I'm so sorry she called you Andy. I'm sure that's really annoying."

She laughed. "It's fine. I'm used to it," she assured. "But you're aware she's only doing that to annoy you, right? She knows my name."

I groaned. She was right. Alice was a little shit who enjoyed pushing my buttons. "Yeah, whatever."

Her expression suddenly turned serious. "Now, when we go inside, promise me you won't be mad."

I pinched my eyebrows together. "Why would I be mad?"

"I can't tell you just yet, but promise me you won't."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, but nodded. She took my hand and led me up the driveway and into the house, where my mom and Alice sat in the living room.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?" I questioned warily. This looked like a damn intervention or something. I didn't like it.

"Just hangin'," Alice replied, and flashed me her teeth.

I pointed my finger at her. "You're up to something."

"No, I am," Bella admitted, causing me to look at her in bewilderment. "I have a gift for you." She gave me an envelope and shifted on her feet as I opened it. My brow furrowed when I saw what was inside. "I traded in my first class ticket for two tickets in coach. I was lucky they weren't fully booked at the last minute."

"Bella," I reprimanded, and pushed the tickets back in the envelope. She knew exactly what I was going to say, so there was no need to speak the words.

"I get it," she said. "You don't want to leave them. But, Edward, they're fine with you going. This was your dream—to go and experience life. You can't just give that up."

"She's right," my mother chimed in.

"Mom," I sighed. She didn't know what she was saying.

"I had no idea you felt obligated to stay, sweetie," she started, and approached me. "I know my behavior might've been a factor, and I'm truly sorry for that. Things were rough for a while, but we would've dealt without you."

"Do you even know what the real cause of the accident was?" I blurted as a last ditch effort for them all to understand. This was a damaging secret I'd kept for years, and it would hurt her, but it was my only shot.

Her face remained warm and encouraging. "Alice told me."

My eyes immediately went to my sister. "You told her?" I asked, even though I already had been given the answer.

"A few years ago," Alice replied with a sorrowful frown I hadn't seen in a while from her. She used to hold so much guilt over Dad's death; however, I thought she was over it. Perhaps she never would be, which was another reason why she needed me here. I was the only one who knew how to comfort her.

"You've wanted this for ages," Mom spoke. "You should go and make the most of it."

"See? Your mom's okay with it," Bella said.

"Of course she's going to say that, Bella," I responded, frustrated. "But who took care of Alice while she was up in her room, crying?"

"Edward," Alice spoke sternly, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm fifteen years old. I can take care of myself."

"No, you can't," I replied, feeling everything crash down around me. "Dad would've never left this family. Ever."

The room was silent, apart from everyone's breathing. After a long moment, Alice came up to me and wrapped her arms around my torso.

"He did leave this family," she whispered. "And you're not Dad. You're my big brother, and you've been living your life as if you were him, but you're not."

I swallowed thickly. "Ali, I can't just up and leave you. It's too hard."

"You won't leave me. You'll be back." She pulled away, her eyes watery. "Mom and I have moved on. It's your turn now."

Everyone had gotten over Dad's death. Everyone but me. It made me feel weak. I didn't want to feel like this. I wished more than anything that I could find peace, like they had.

A warm hand pressed against my lower back as I remained still, my mind numb because of everyone's words. "They're round trip tickets," Bella spoke at my side. "You come for a week, stay with me, I show you LA, and you can decide."

"Decide what?" I questioned, my voice raspy.

"Decide if you want to stay there or come back here," she answered.

There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to go, but the thought was scary. It would be difficult leaving my family. In any case, I couldn't deny that this offer appealed me. Could I really turn it down? Would I regret it if I didn't do it? I already knew my answers, and it emboldened me. For the first time, in a long time, I felt excited over something.

"Okay," I agreed, not just to Bella, but to my sister and Mom.

"Really?" Bella asked, sounding surprised. She probably thought she'd have to work harder.

"Yeah, I'll go," I said, and in an instant, I was suffocated with hugs, squeals, and kisses. I closed my eyes and smiled, enjoying how happy they all were because of this, including me.

X-X-X-X

I spent the next day packing and organizing myself to go. I was finally getting to use some of the vacation days I'd earned at work, which was great. I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend them than with Bella.

She'd already packed and was now helping me by raiding my closet.

"You should bring this," Bella said, pulling out a black dress shirt. "Maybe we can go out to dinner some place nice, or I can take you to a high end club on Sunset."

I hoped that would be on the agenda. There was nothing more I wanted than seeing Bella in a sexy dress. Actually, scratch that, there was nothing more I wanted than having her naked in her own bed. With a smile on my face, I folded the shirt carefully and packed it in my suitcase.

"Oh, what about this?" Bella asked, snickering and holding up a dark green Speedo.

I smirked. "That's Emmett's."

"Ew!" she exclaimed, and flung it across the room. "Wait, why do you have it in your closet?"

I pondered that for a moment. "I have no idea."

She snorted and moved aside all the pairs of folded up boxers to sit down. "I can't believe you're actually coming. This is like a dream come true for me."

I stopped what I was doing and looked at her. Her saying things like that warmed me. I dipped my head down and brushed my lips over hers adoringly. "I'm not sure I would've been able to watch you leave me again, anyway," I admitted. If it had really come down to her going, I most likely would've gone insane and begged her to stay.

"That was a hard day," she spoke, and pouted. "I cried the entire flight."

I caressed her cheek with the back of my fingers, causing her beautiful eyes to close. "That day was when I knew."

Her inquisitive eyes opened delicately. "Knew what?"

The corners of my mouth turned up. She had no idea. "That I was in love with you."

She blinked several times, taking in what I said. "Is that past tense?" she asked, her voice quiet.

I shook my head slowly and traced a finger around her full, pink lips. "Present."

A small smile slowly appeared, which soon morphed into a wide grin. She reached up and yanked my head down, crashing her mouth to mine. I lost my balance and toppled on her. We fell onto the bed, laughing. When our laughter died, I rolled off her and onto my side.

"I knew before you," she gloated.

"Really?" Her words made my heart soar.

"It was the day my parents wanted me to consider going to college in Seattle. I realized that night I'd consider staying close by, because I loved you. And I still do."

I brought her into my arms, and she rested her head in the crook of my neck. If only we'd had the guts to tell each other. There would be no doubt we'd be in a different place right now. However, I didn't want to think of what ifs. All that mattered was she was giving me everything I wanted, not just a trip of a lifetime, but herself, as well.

X-X-X-X

On the day of our departure, for some reason, I felt the strong urge to visit my dad's grave. I usually only visited a couple times a year, so this was out of routine for me.

It wasn't even a question whether I took Bella with me. Of course I did. She was my everything. Plus, my dad had loved Bella like a second daughter and would've wanted her to visit. She was really appreciative of it, and along the way, we stopped off at the florist to buy a single white rose.

As I stood and stared at my dad's gravestone, moisture filled my eyes. I worried that he'd feel like I was abandoning not only my family, but him. I just hoped wherever he was, he understood that I needed to go on this adventure. I deserved it.

Bella stood back, allowing me space, but stayed close enough to assure me she was still here.

"Hey, Dad," I greeted, and squatted down to place the rose in front of his gravestone. "Bella finally came back. She was pretty mad at me, but we missed each other, and it didn't take long for us to tell one another how we truly felt. She knows I love her, Dad. And by some miracle, she loves me, too.

"She wants me to go home to LA with her, and I'm going." I sighed. "I don't want you to think I'm abandoning Mom or Alice. I think they'll be fine. They have been for a while. I've just been too blind to really see it.

"I hope you can understand that I have to go for myself, but I'll be back. So, don't worry about me. I promise I'll be safe." I stood, straightening my legs. "Take care, Dad. I'll think about you every day."

When I turned around, I saw Bella crying quietly. She wiped at her eyes and smiled as I approached her.

"It was nice seeing you, Mr. Cullen," she said.

I smiled, threw an arm around her shoulder, and pressed my lips to her temple. We walked away, and I felt freer than I ever had.

Bella's big SUV, which I found out was just an airport rental, was packed with our luggage. Our families wanted to see us off, so we swung by our old homes and waited for them to pile into their cars, except Alice, who decided she was going in our car.

The only problem with that was she spent the entire car ride asking questions about Riley Biers and how good of a kisser he was. Bella just laughed it off, while I nearly strangled my sister. I swear, Alice knew exactly what to say to irritate the hell out of me.

At the airport, we checked ourselves in and made our way to security with our families in tow. Once we reached the point where they wouldn't be allowed to pass, Bella and I took time to say goodbye to each of them.

"I'm going to miss you," my mom said, squishing me in a hug.

"Me, too, Mom," I assured, and kissed her cheek.

"Don't take drugs."

I raised an eyebrow. "Mom," I reprimanded. "Do you know me at all?"

She put her hands up in surrender. "I know, just reminding you."

I chuckled and moved on to Alice, wrapping her in my arms. "You'll be good, right? I don't want to have to fly home early just to scold you."

She snorted and tightened her arms around me. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be good."

I gave her a serious look. "And try not to spend too much time with Jasper."

"Ugh!" she exclaimed, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, only if you try not to spend too much time with Andy."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You're the devil," I said. "Do I need to give you the birds and the bees talk?"

"Ew, Edward. I can't talk about sex with you. You're my brother," she replied, causing me to roll my eyes. "Plus, Mom already beat you to it."

I groaned and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you soon, Ali."

Bella and I switched families. I said goodbye to Mrs. Swan with a hug and gave Mr. Swan a firm handshake. He shot me a warning look, which I understood to mean I wasn't to mess around with his daughter's heart. With an assuring expression, I let him know I would never do that. He nodded and patted my shoulder once.

"Ready?" Bella asked, and held out her hand to me.

I laced my fingers with hers. "Yep."

We gave one last wave to our families and walked to our destination. I wasn't sure what awaited me in Los Angeles, but every step I took with her, it felt more and more like I was heading home. I was finally getting to live my dream. And the bonus? I was doing it all with my dream girl.

THE END

A/N:

We don't get to see what they get up to in LA, that's completely up to you. Although I didn't intend for this to have an epilogue, I've been toying around with the idea of a novella-styled sequel, which in my mind would be like an extended epilogue. Unfortunately, this isn't a guarantee. I have my other stories to work on first, including my new multi-chaptered fic.

Speaking of my new fic, it's called Washed Up. If you don't already know about it, there's a banner on my profile to give you an idea what it's about. Add me to author alert for that.

Time for some honesty, which you can ignore if you want:

First of all, thank you for reading and becoming so invested in this. I'd never done a novella before, and never thought I'd do one, but my last fic, MPMI, left me self-conscious, and I needed something to make me love writing again. When writing a story, you put a lot of yourself into it emotionally. It's like your baby. I had no idea MPMI would get as many reads as it did.

Although many enjoyed the story, there's a certain mentality that goes along with reviewing a fic that has quite a bit of reviews already there. Many think the author doesn't see what they say in the reviews/on Twitter, or that the author just doesn't care, which is far from true. I never ask for 100% positive reviews, but I also don't ask for hateful reviews, especially from people who I thought were my friends. It's very difficult to see people whose opinions you respect trash your story. So, as a result, I felt down on myself, and I even contemplated leaving the fandom after I finished up my WIPs. In real life, I'm not a pushover and I don't let anyone bully me around. In fact, I can be sort of a bitch, to be honest. But I let people's opinions get to me online.

Some of you have guessed that These Days is based off a song. That's true. "These Days" by Rascal Flatts inspired some portions of this story—mainly to do with Edward and Bella's star-crossed relationship. But overall, the plot branched from an experience I had with losing my boyfriend quite suddenly about a year ago. The emotions in this story felt so real because I went through them all—Alice's emotions, Esme's emotions, and Edward's. It was tough when people would criticize any of those characters' behaviors, but I made myself understand that not everyone can put themselves in the shoes of someone that has experienced death of a loved one. Bella, in this story, doesn't understand Edward's emotions, and you know what? That's okay. It's alright to have sympathy toward grief but lack empathy.

So, though most of this story was sad, I hope it conveyed a realistic experience of someone learning to deal with a close relation passing away, however long that may take, because grief has no time limit.

Thanks again for reading.

Twitter: xrxdanixrx