A/N - This is my first fanfic so please leave lots of reviews ! I will try and update weekly :)

Chapter 1 – Giving

Tick tock. I can hear every tick of the clock on the wall behind me as the diner is completely empty aside from me and Felix, the cook. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he left out the back door a half hour ago. I sigh and, in an attempt to distract myself from the boredom that's threatening to overcome me, I think about my boyfriend, Edward. Every now and then we work late shifts on the same nights – me until midnight and him until 1 AM – and tonight happens to be one of those nights. Just like every other time, when my shift ends tonight I'll head over to his bar, Eclipse, and hang out until it's time to close. I'll help him close as I usually do and then spend the night at his apartment. I let my mind wander through the possibilities that tonight will bring once we're alone together but find that the anticipation building up inside of me is actually making time go by slower. Leaning on my elbows that are propped on top of the counter in front of me, I lift up the metal lid of the straw holder and remove one straw. I rip off half of the white wrapper, put the straw in my mouth, and blow the other half of the thin paper off of the straw. I turn it into a game, seeing how far I can blow the wrapper across the diner. When I put the fourth straw in my mouth the bell above the door chimes, alerting me of – most likely – someone who stumbled over from Jude's bar looking for some greasy sustenance. Instead, I look up and find Aro, the owner of the local bakery, Sugar Street Sweets.

"Hey, Aro. What're you doing in here at this ungodly hour?" I ask, not bothering to straighten up from my position. He smiles at me as he takes a seat on the shiny, red barstool in front of the counter. His black hair with streaks of gray on the sides, which is usually slicked back, is messy and sticking out in a few different directions. He sighs and scrubs his hands over his face before answering me.

"I had to stay late at the bakery to help Emmett and Jasper work on Jessica Stanley's birthday cake. I can't believe she's going to be 18 on Sunday! You know she's been working for me since she was 15 years old?" He asks, shaking his head in disbelief. Emmett and Jasper are bakers at Sugar Street Sweets and good friends of mine and Edward. Jasper happens to be dating Alice, one of my best friends as well as a fellow waitress here at Esme's Diner. Emmett is married to Rosalie, one of the bartenders at Edward's bar and Jessica Stanley is a teenager in town who works at the front counter of the bakery. I have to admit, after spending my childhood in various foster homes it's nice to live in a small town like Forks where everyone not only knows but also has a close relationship with one another.

"I know, it's crazy. I remember when you first hired Jess. She was this tiny, shy little thing and now she's so outgoing and confident. I hope she has a great 18thbirthday; she really deserves it." I remark and Aro nods his head in agreement.

"So, what can I get for you?" I question. Aro doesn't even have to look at the menu before he tells me he'll have a grilled chicken wrap with a pickle on the side. I go to the swinging door that leads to the kitchen in the back, hoping that Felix hasn't actually left and find him watching some sports game on his phone. I tell him the order and he nods at me, not bothering to look up from his phone as I turn to make my way back to the front counter.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" I ask Aro.

"I'll have a water." He smiles at me and I turn to grab a glass to fill with ice and water for him.

Before long I bring Aro's food out to him and the two of us make small talk while he eats. I tell him all about how Edward's bar is doing. I briefly think back to when he moved here almost two years ago to buy the bar, which was being foreclosed on at the time. He had always wanted to own his own business and he's really been doing an amazing job with it. Several weeks after the grand opening was when we started dating and I got an up-close look at all of the work he put into the place. He spends so much time perfecting every last detail of the bar, from the recipes they use for cocktails to the music they play all the way down to the glasses they use. His ability to hone in on the littlest things that end up being essential to the atmosphere of the bar is something I admire about him. He really puts his all into that place.

Angelo tells me all about how well things are going between him and Sulpicia – a nurse at the hospital just outside of town who he's been seeing for almost a year now – and how he's thinking about asking her to move in with him. I smile and tell him I think that's a great idea. I've known Aro since I moved here six years ago, just after I turned 18. I fell in love with the bakery and spent almost every day in it trying new pastry's – hell, I still spend most days in there. Aro had always been so nice to me, telling me all about the best places in town, the various traditions to look forward to throughout the year, and the people that I'd probably get along well with. He has a kind smile and a loud, jolly laugh that could snap you out of a bad mood in a second. If anyone deserved a successful, happy relationship it was him.

We continue on with our small talk when my phone buzzes in my back pocket. I reach behind me to grab it and unlock the home screen to see a text from Edward.

Where are you?

I check the time. 12:13 AM. I text back telling him I'll meet him at the bar in a few minutes and then turn to Aro and clap my hands together.

"Well, it's about that time. You don't have to go home but you got to get the heck outta here." I smile and jog over to the swinging door, peeking through the window to see Felix once again watching that sports game on his phone. I push the door open and shout "Closing time!" at him. He looks up at me and then back down at his phone, clicking out of the game to check the time and then raising his eyebrows in shock.

"Shit, thanks Bella. Have a goodnight honey, I'll see you...?"

"Monday." I reply with a smile and then wave goodnight. I jog back to the front, grab my jacket from underneath the counter, shut the lights out and walk outside into the chilly October night with Aro next to me. He insists on walking me to the bar, though we both know I have a better chance of getting struck by lightening than anything bad happening to me from walking these streets alone. I figure he probably wants to grab a beer since he's already out so I don't argue as the two of us walk the short distance from Betty's diner to The Crystal Ship in comfortable silence. When we walk into the dimly lit bar the place is pretty packed and we can hear Sympathy for the Devil playing on the speakers.

"Hey, there's my girl!" Edward shouts from behind the counter as he finishes topping off Seth's drink. I wave at Seth and he lifts his drink and nods back at me, his large smile always so inviting. Seth co-owns the furniture store in town with his husband, Jacob, and the two typically spend their Friday and Saturday nights here. Aro and I part ways, him going to greet some friends and me walking over to Seth, Jacob, and Edward.

"Hey, sorry I'm a little late hon. I lost track of time." I say as I lean over the counter and peck Edward on the lips. He smiles at me and waves a hand dismissively.

"Eh, don't worry about it. I hardly noticed."

"Yeah, right!" Jacob snorts and rolls his eyes at Edward before facing me. "At 12:01 he started wondering if you were alright, 12:02 he was asking us if he should call you, and by 12:03 he was on the verge of sending out a search party!" Jacob informs me as Seth chuckles next to him. Edward shakes his head and smirks as he cleans out a glass.

"Oh, for fucks sake." He chuckles as he turns to me, "I brieflywondered aloud if you were okay. And that was only after I hadn't heard from you ten minutes past when I usually do. These guys just like to make me sound like a maniac." He explains, shaking his head.

"Well, I happen to find it sweet that you care so much." I giggle.

He winks at me, throws the towel that he was just using to clean glasses with over his shoulder, and walks to the opposite end of the bar to refill glasses. Seth and Jacob are engrossed in a private conversation so I make my way through the room to socialize and come across Alice and Jasper. I spend the next hour playing pool and having a few drinks with them as Edward occasionally stops over for a few minutes before returning to work. Around 1:00 AM the remaining few patrons start to filter out as Edward and Rosalie get ready to close up. I say good night to Alice and Jasper and then go join Edward in wiping down some of the tables. Music is playing over the speakers much lower now, almost too low to hear though I can just make out Jim Morrison's distinctive voice.

Rosalie finishes up closing the register and collecting her tips before approaching us by the tables we're cleaning. She smiles at me before addressing Edward and I return the gesture while taking in her appearance. She's sporting a light pink, leather mini skirt with a black, mesh long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black boots that come up to her knees. Her blonde hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail and her blue eyes are complimented with flawlessly applied eye shadow that matches her dark lipstick. If I ever tried to replicate her outfit or her make up I would look completely ridiculous but Rosalie is able to pull off the look effortlessly.

"Alright, boss, I'm headin' out now. I'll see you on Wednesday, right?" She questions.

"Yup. Drive safe." Edward answers and waves her goodbye.

"Always. Night Bells!" She calls to me. I wave and admire the just-visible set of wings that she has tattooed on her shoulder blades as she turns to leave. Once she's outside I put down the rag that I'm using to wipe off the last table and skip over to Edward, wrapping my arms around his neck and stretching up on my tippy-toes to kiss him. He moans in approval as my tongue glides across his lip and places his hands on the small of my back, pulling me in closer to him. Our bodies press tightly together while I continue to brush my lips against his and we stay like this for a few moments before I reluctantly pull away, giggling at his groans of protest.

"What do you think of Rosalie's back tattoo?" I ask him, thinking about my own tattoos that are etched over my body. My left arm is decorated with half a sleeve of compasses and maps, – an homage to my parents who passed away when I was much younger; my father, Charlie was a pilot and my mother, Renee was a flight attendant and they both loved to travel. On my ankle I have a smiley face, and on my right inner forearm I have a small evergreen – to represent our home state, Washington – that I got as a matching tattoo with Edward a few months ago.

"Uh, it's nice, I guess." He shrugs, pulling me out of my head.

"What if I got something like that? Not necessarily wings but something in that same spot. Maybe a flower... oh! Maybe a lotus flower! I bet that would look nice." I muse. Edward chuckles and kisses my forehead.

"I think that would look really sexy on you." He murmurs, shooting me a suggestive look. We quickly finish closing up the rest of the bar and open the door in the back that reveals a stairwell leading to Edward's apartment. Once we reach the front door we exchange a few more kisses before finally going inside where Edward closes the door and pins me up against it. I waste no time, wrapping my legs around his hips and threading my fingers through his thick, auburn hair. He carries me through the apartment to his bedroom where he lays me down gently on the bed and climbs over me. He lowers himself down to his elbows so as not to rest his weight on me and begins a trail of kisses up and down my neck. I arch my back, thrust my hips into his, and fumble with the buttons on his flannel as I attempt to remove his shirt. Finally, I get the last button undone and he breaks away from me to pull the shirt off. I move for the button and zipper on his jeans at the same time that he tugs at the hem of my shirt. We laugh together and resolve to undressing ourselves. Once we're both completely naked, Edward firmly grasps my hips and flips us so that he's laying on the bed and I'm now straddling him. I watch him as his eyes hungrily gaze up and down my body and that's all that it takes to extinguish what little patience I have left in me. I wrap my hand around him and slowly slide myself over him, gasping at the pleasure that he fills me with every time. I set a slow rhythm, thrusting my hips against him in a delightfully torturous motion before it becomes too much for him to handle. He grabs my hips and guides me into a faster pace as we moan each others names, along with a few choice expletives.

"I'm close... so close." I breathe as I rock my body against his. He moves his hand slowly from my breasts, down my stomach, and to the most sensitive part of my body, pushing me over the edge and into a mind numbing orgasm. I close my eyes tightly as I whimper his name and vaguely acknowledge his thighs tense as he finds his own release, digging his fingers into my outer thighs and cursing loudly. I collapse next to him on the bed and we both lay there for a few minutes, catching our breath. It's always like this with him, so passionate and intense, like we haven't been together in weeks when it's really been just a day or two. It's one of the things that I love so much about being with Edward.

I allow my happiness to wash over me as I delight in the sensation of making love to someone that I'm actually in love with. Before Edward I had what some might call a promiscuous love life. I never had a real, exclusive relationship with another man out of fear of getting too attached. My therapist that I've been seeing outside of town for a little over a year now, Maggie, helped me to realize that my attachment issues stemmed from a combination of the loss of my parents when I was nine years old, the separation from my sister Lauren as we were placed into different foster homes, and my being placed in different homes every few years. To this day I still don't know where my sister is. She's four years older than me so by the time I got out of foster care she was no longer in the system, making it that much harder to try and track her down. Every now and then I look her up online and try to find her that way but nothing ever comes up. When I first told Edward about my sister he suggested that I start saving up money to hire a private investigator to find her and has been contributing to his own money as well. I always tell him that he doesn't have to do that for me but he insisted. The support that he has for me is something that I will never take for granted.

I thought back to the beginning of our relationship and how different he was from every other man I had been with before him. All of the others were fine – elated, really – with my rule about not getting too close. I'd never let them take me out on dates, buy me anything, bring me home to meet their parents, or any of the other things people tend to do when they start dating somebody. They were always relieved about that. They never pushed for more and if they were ready for a more serious relationship we'd part ways without the heartbreak or stress of a break-up. Edward was different though. After he moved here in February we quickly became friends. He'd spend almost every day in the diner, something that I later learned he did so that he'd have an excuse to talk to me. We spoke about everything; where he grew up, why he moved here, his ideas for the bar, what he loved most about living in Washington. Whenever he tried to ask about me I'd usually deflect and go back to talking about him. He asked me out on a date once but I declined so instead he settled on being friends. We went hiking together and spent hours admiring snow-capped mountains, visited nature reserves, and went to Seattle occasionally with groups of friends but I continued to keep him at arms length. One night, it was just the two of us at his bar – I was helping him set up for his grand opening – when one thing led to another and we ended up sharing a heated kiss against the pool table. I stopped before anything else could come from it and left abruptly. I can still remember the fear that washed over me when I got back to my apartment and cried alone in the middle of my living room. I thought that I was being careful but I had already let myself fall for him and I knew that it was only a matter of time before he'd leave me, just like everybody else. I cried longer and harder that night than I ever had in my life, including the night that my parents died. I cried until I had nothing left and then I spent the next few weeks avoiding Edward. Finally, on a warm evening in May, he caught me leaving the diner after my shift. He confessed his love for me and told me that he could see how hesitant I was. He told me he was determined to find out why so that he could make sure I'd never feel afraid to be loved again and that he'd wait forever for me to be ready to love him in return. Before I knew what I was doing I weaved my fingers into his hair and kissed him. It was a kiss like I'd never experienced before, one filled with love, hope, and optimism. I knew in that moment that I couldn't ever be without this man.

Edward runs his fingers through my hair, pulling me out of my reverie. When I turn on my side I see that he's looking at me thoughtfully.

"Where'd you go just now?" He inquires.

"I was just thinking about that first time you told me you love me."

"You mean when I all but got down on my knees and begged you to give me a chance?" He laughs, kisses my temple, and then starts to get out of bed.

"Where are you going?" I ask him, propping myself up on my elbow.

"I'm exhausted, baby. I'm going to go get ready for bed and then I'm passing out." He explains as he pulls a pair of sweat pants out of his dresser and puts them on. I take the moment to ogle him. He's tall with broad shoulders and messy, auburn hair. He's muscular but not where it's too much, just where you can tell that he definitely works out. As much as I love his body it's his bright, green eyes that are my favorite feature of his. I swear I could spend all day getting lost in his eyes, as cheesy as that sounds.

"Like what you see, huh? I can go for round two." He jokes, raising his eyebrows up and down suggestively. I smile and roll my eyes at him as I get out of bed and head to the closet to put on one of his t-shirts. Together, we make our way to the bathroom to brush our teeth and wash our faces before going to sleep. When we lay back down in his bed we discuss our plans for the weekend. I'm going to the blood bank tomorrow to donate for the first time – something I decided to do after seeing an ad for our local blood bank posted outside of the diner. Edward will most likely go to the gym with Seth, Jasper, and Emmett and then end the day with me. On Sunday I'm volunteering to do story time for a few of the kids in town at Page Turner, the local book store. Edward says that he'll come along and then afterwards the two of us can head over to Jasper and Alice's place for dinner and a few drinks. We continue speaking about our weekend plans until we both yawn at the same time, causing Jude to chuckle and suggest we finally go to sleep. I readily agree and curl into him, my head leaning against his chest as I allow the steady beating of his heart to lull me to sleep.

I wake up in the morning feeling well-rested and warm, thanks to the large arms that are wrapped around my torso. I think about getting up and ready to go to the blood bank, wanting to get it over with so that I have more free time for the rest of the day. I try to imagine how it'll feel when they take my blood and start to feel a little nauseous. I ignore it, assuming that it's nerves and slowly peel Edward's arms away so that I can quietly get out of bed without waking him up. I head to the walk-in closet to pick out an outfit. I keep about half of my wardrobe here since we spend most nights at Edward's so finding something to wear is easy. I throw on a long dark green sweater-dress along with a pair of black tights and ankle boots. I top the outfit off with a long ball chain necklace that has a wooden heart at the end of it – a gift from Edward last Christmas – and several rings on each hand. I look myself over in the mirror. My pale face – a product of living in the pacific northwest all my life – is framed by long brown hair with loose curls on the ends and my brown eyes are looking a touch lighter than usual. The sweater-dress that I have on hugs my petite curves and the slight heel on my boots adds an inch or two to my normally short stature. Satisfied, I exit the closet and make sure to close the door quietly. When I turn to face the bed I find a pair of sleepy green eyes looking over at me.

"I didn't peg you for the type to sleep with me and then sneak out early the next morning." He says, one eyebrow cocked in amusement. I laugh at him, walk over to the edge of the bed, and kneel down so that we're face to face.

"I'm donating blood today, remember? I guess I'm a little eager to get it over with." I explain.

"You're nervous?"

"A little bit... I've never really been afraid of needles but I was feeling sort of queasy before when I started to think about it." I admit, chewing nervously on my bottom lip.

"You'll be fine, sweetheart. It goes by fast and if it freaks you out that much it's not like you have to do it." He shrugs and I smile and lean in to kiss his forehead. I don't know how he does it but he's always able to effortlessly calm my nerves. I get up and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth, hearing Edward get out of bed and follow me. When we're both through freshening up we eat breakfast together and head down the stairs to leave through the bar. Once outside we kiss quickly before turning in different directions – him towards the gym and me towards my Jeep. Vibrant red and orange leaves crunch loudly beneath my boots as I approach my vehicle. I allow myself a moment to take in the sound of the foliage beneath me as well as the beauty of this rare sunny day before stepping up into my seat and heading towards the blood bank.

The drive is about 10 minutes and when I finally get there I'm happy to see that there aren't any other donors yet. I check in at the front desk, fill out some paper work, and get a quick physical examination done. Before I know it I'm sitting in a chair with a rubber band tied around my arm and a small, squishy pink ball in my hand.

"You ever give blood before, sweetie?" The nurse questions as she gets the needle ready.

"Nope. I'm a first timer."

"Alright, well there's not much to it. I'll insert the needle here," she points to a spot on my arm, "it'll collect about one pint of blood which will go into that machine over to your right and then you'll be all done. Shouldn't take longer than eight to ten minutes. Ready?" She asks, holding up the needle. I smile timidly and nod while squeezing my squishy ball. She inserts the needle and I watch as the tube that runs from my arm to the machine next to me fills with the deep burgundy blood from my vein. I release a deep breath that I didn't realize I was holding in and rest my head back against the seat.

Oddly enough I begin to think about my parents and the night that they died. It was a warm July evening and my parents, Lauren, and I just finished eating dinner. I helped mom wash the dishes while Lauren helped dad dry them. Afterwards the two of us girls raced to the couch and turned on the TV to watch Invader Zim. The sun was just starting to set, casting an orange glow through the living room window. Mom and dad decided that they wanted to go for a stroll around the neighborhood and asked Lauren and I if we wanted to join. Not willing to be ripped away from our cartoons we both declined and remained firmly planted on the couch. Our parents kissed us both on the tops of our heads and left the house hand-in-hand. That was the last time that I ever saw them. After a little while I heard sirens racing down a nearby street. Very soon after that mine and Lauren's attention was averted from the TV by the red and blue lights of a police cruiser that were flashing repeatedly throughout the room. An officer came to our door and escorted us outside where there were several other cruisers and police officers. All they would tell us was that there had been an accident and that we needed to go with them. I remember feeling very confused and afraid. It wasn't until later that night that a social worker explained to us that our parents were killed in a hit and run by a drunk driver.

As I look back down at the blood rushing from my arm I imagine my parents hurt, dying, and in need of a blood transfusion. I imagine them being rushed to a hospital and a doctor picking up a bag filled with a deep red liquid marked "Bella Swan." The imaginary doctor uses the blood to save my parents and reunite my now broken and scattered family. I close my eyes tightly and frown. My parents died instantly, according to the police reports. No amount of donor blood would've made a difference. I sigh before shaking my head of the sad thoughts and sitting up straighter in the chair. No, a blood transfusion wouldn't have done anything for my parents but there are thousands of people out there right now who it wouldbenefit. I take comfort in the knowledge that the few minutes I'm taking out of my day to do this could make all the difference for someone.

Before I know it the nurse returns to remove the needle and place a small Band-Aid on my arm. I thank her, stand up to leave, and then everything goes black.