Chapter One
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
"It was a cool cloudy day in the small town of Forks. A sleek silver Volvo pulled into the driveway of the Swan household, horn blowing a couple times.
Seconds later—after running downstairs and giving a quick, "Byedadseeyoulater!" Bella came outside, a smile flitting across her face as she approached the familiar silver sports car. She opened the door and slid into the seat, still finding that her heart raced whenever she was near its driver.
Said driver threw the car in reverse and pulled back down the driveway before heading off to the small high school. "So, sleep well?" he asked, turning his eyes towards her for a few seconds before turning them back to the road.
"Well...it was a little chilly," she grinned a bit, "but nothing I'm not used to."
He rolled his eyes a bit before driving past the school. "Oops....guess I missed the turn." he said with a bit of a smirk.
"Sure it wasn't on purpose?" She asked, knowing how on certain days he would miss classes--but only because he needed to hunt. She glanced over to see if she could catch a glimpse of his eyes to see if they were their unusual, comforting amber, or a dark, near-black chocolate.
He gazed over at her and shrugged. "Maybe.....I'm not thirsty, so don't worry. I just don't feel like going to class today. I'll turn around and take you if you want me to." he said, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of his music.
"What? Think if I miss a day they'll send the cops after me?" She teased him lightly, a bit of relief washing over her at seeing the golden tone of his captivating eyes.
"Uh, you never know what YOUR father will do." he said giving her a knowing look.
It was Bella's turn to roll her eyes, "Same thing he always does--come home, reheat some leftovers--no wait, BURN some leftovers--and sit down in front of the TV till he falls asleep."
Edward chuckled before taking an old dirt road that lead to the edge of the forest. "I guess that is true....heh.....He'd shit himself if he knew I was upstairs with you every single night...."
Unable to hide a laugh of her own at the thought--though a hint of nervousness was easily heard as the thought of her father actually /finding/ them together at night crossed her mind. It wasn't a pleasant thought.
"Hey, I'm a VAMPIRE, remember. The chance of him finding me there is pretty much 0." he said, distinguishing the tone in her laugh. He parked his car and turned it off before opening his door and flitting to her side to open her door.
He could see her blink as he seemed to appear at her door. She'd never get used to that, she was sure of it. Stepping out, she left her backpack on the seat as she stood alongside him.
"Would you like to walk, or for me to carry you, as usual?" he asked with another smirk.
"Showoff," she returned the smirk--though with nowhere near as much coolness as him. "I do know how to walk, y'know....besides, your back could probably use a break."
"Well fine, we'll walk then." he said heading into the tree-line.
"Hey--wait up!" She made a face and quickly caught up to him, walking alongside him for a few seconds before gingerly reaching over to slip her hand in his.
He laced their fingers together and smiled at her before gazing up at the rare sun that shone in the sky, coming down through some small breaks in the leaves.
Unable to resist, Bella glanced over--hoping to catch a glimpse of Edward's diamond-like skin as the sunlight filtered through the trees.
One ray struck his face and he squinted against the bright light. "Ow....."
The seemingly unexpected reaction to the sun in his face made Bella laugh aloud--she'd never heard Edward express discomfort over anything--and the fact that he never slept made his reaction even more amusing to her.
"Hey, even MY eyes hurt when I decide to be stupid and look at the sun..." he said with a very fake tone of annoyance in his voice.
She stifled her laughter with her free hand, risking a glance over to see if a smile was on his beautiful face as she thought it would be.
Sure enough, a huge smile spread across his lips.
Her heart began to race again at just seeing the simple happiness on his exquisite face. "So...any other reason you didn't feel like talking about the wonders of Biology and English today?"
"Eh.....I didn't feel like sitting through a two-hour long movie about the mating rituals of frogs." he said with a grin as they reached the meadow
"You prob'ly saw it when it was new," she elbowed him a bit, remembering that he was just over a hundred years old.
He grinned. "Yeah.....and it's disgusting. Plus I just wanted to get a little bit of time for just us."
She laughed again at his reply, and then slipped her hand out of his to hold the curve of his elbow so she could move closer to him, "So long as we don't get caught, right?" She grinned, knowing that if any of her friends at school noticed that both she and Edward were absent on the same day--especially Jessica--she'd never hear the end of it.
"Of course. Your friends would annoy the hell out of us." he said before stepping out into the sun, squinting a bit under the sun again before walking to the middle of the open area and sitting down, patting the spot beside him.
It doesn't take much to convince her to sit down, and she grins as she plops down right next to him, squinting at the sunlight as well.
Before long, he laid back and pulled her down beside him, looking up at the few clouds scattered across the sky. "So....is there anything you want to talk about?"
"Other than why the heck you think I'm the one for you, not really," she smiled and lay back in the thick grass, her head resting in the curve of his shoulder.
He looked over at her and moved a stray lock of hair off her face before taking one of her hands in his. "You really can't see it?"
She gave a little shrug before turning her head to meet his eyes, "Guess I never thought I was someone special...well, 'cept to my parents of course."
"Well, you were obviously very, VERY wrong." he said before kissing her forehead.
He can almost feel her blood race at the contact, and she closes her eyes for a moment before scooting a bit closer to his lean form, moving to lay on her side with an arm across his chest, "If you say so." She chuckled softly.
Edward grinned and put his arm around her shoulders, absent-mindedly playing with her hair with his other hand.
"I love you." he whispered in her ear before closing his eyes.
Even though her head was resting on his chest, Bella still found that Edward's silent heartbeat caught her attention. She knew his had ceased to work so long ago, but it still amazed a part of her that anyone--even a vampire like him--didn't have one.
"Since I saw you in the cafeteria," she replied with a grin as she watched his eyes close before returning her head to the gentle curve of his shoulder.
His smile remained on his face as he enjoyed the feeling of the warm sun beating down on his cold skin.
Bella's curiosity won out and she moved to look up at him once more, her eyes following a path from his throat to his chin and up to his closed eyes as he enjoyed the sun. "Can you feel it?" she asked softly, part of her wondering if he felt the sunlight like she did.
His smile simply grew. "Yes, and it feels absolutely amazing......." he said, turning to look down at her.
She grins sheepishly, "Sorry...guess there's some things I'll hafta find out on my own, right?"
"It's alright, you can ask me anything you want." he said before propping himself up on his elbow to look down at her.
She made a face at having to do the same, as she'd been content to lie alongside him all day. She shivered a bit in the chilly morning air--even though the sky was clear, the weather seemed to always be cold in Forks.
At seeing her shiver, Edward immediately removed his coat and handed it to her.
"Sometimes I wonder if you're over-protective," she grins, tugging her own coat a bit closer around her as she accepts his own and drapes it over her shoulders. "Sure you won't be--never mind."
He grinned at her almost-statement. "If you want, we can go somewhere warmer."
"Like where--the Home Ec lab back at school?" she laughed, "Well, we can't go anywhere near town, that's for sure."
"I wasn't thinking of anywhere near town." he said gazing down into her eyes. "If you'd want to get out of the wind for a bit, that is."
Finding that she couldn't help but be riveted to his golden eyes, all Bella could do was smile up at him. She leaned a bit closer, part of her wanting to kiss him again--something about kissing Edward was like a drug to her system.
He smiled back and leaned down so she didn't need to stretch, his lips covering hers.
Suddenly feeling the intensity that his kiss always brought, Bella reached up to slip an arm around his lean form, her breathing rapid.
After a few minutes, he pulled back and stood up, pulling her with him. "Come on.....there's somewhere I want to take you where you WON'T freeze."
Blinking, and appearing a bit disoriented from Edward's almost hypnotic kiss, she could only reply with, "Wasn't freezing..." before she found herself pulled to her feet as he stood.
He chuckled in her ear before picking her up and going back to the car within moments.
"You really worry about me too much, Edward," she playfully protests as she finds herself spirited over to the shiny sports car.
"Well, I'm allowed to." He said, sticking his tongue out playfully before depositing her into the passenger seat and climbing into the driver's seat. He started the car and drove about an hour before pulling to a stop before a cozy looking log cabin.
"And here I thought there wasn't anything out here other than trees," Bella stated in amusement as she saw the cabin come into view.
"This is where we all stay when we come out here to hunt." he said pulling a key out of his pocket and unlocking the cabin door. "Come on."
Following like a curious puppy, Bella's eyes took in all the details they could--something about the rustic atmosphere of the cabin made her feel right at home. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?" She grinned.
"Of course." he said with a grin of his own as he held the door open for her. "Ladies first."
Sticking her tongue out at him as she passed, Bella stepped in with a grin, "Such a gentleman." Her backpack was slung over her shoulder as she took in the cabin's interior, "Wow..."
"You like it?" he asked, putting his arms around her waist.
"It's gorgeous--makes my dad's place look like a cardboard box!" She laughs as she thrills at his touch.
He smiled again and kissed the back of her neck before slipping past her into the spacious cabin.
She moved to follow him--part of her hoping for more of his addictive kisses--and the other part just wanting to get away from the cold near the door!
He went into the kitchen and looked around. "Hm.....that's right....nothing for a human to eat or drink here.....boy do I feel stupid." he muttered before seating himself on the couch.
Rolling her eyes as she sat alongside him, Bella replied with a grin, "Well, if you want to keep me, you do have to feed me at least three times a day. Oh, and I have to be taken on long walks, too--gotta keep in shape y'know."
He blinked for a moment before failing to stifle a bark of laughter. "Oh, well alright then."
She let her backpack slip to the floor at her feet before leaning over to give Edward a quick kiss on the cheek--showing an odd bit of boldness even for her, "For a hundred year old vampire you sure don't know much about having a pet, do you?"
"Ya know, you should watch what you say, sweetie." he said before pulling her into his lap.
"Why's that?" She questioned as he pulled her into his lap, then raised an eyebrow, "You're...not gonna make me start wearing a leash to keep track of me, are you?"
"Hmmm.....that's a tempting idea...." he said before leaning forward and letting his cool lips linger on the side of her neck for a few moments.
He could hear a soft little sound escape her throat as she felt his lips on her warm skin, "You're not serious..." she trailed off.
"No, I'm not. I would never embarrass you like that." he said leaning back on the couch. "Sitting in my lap probably isn't helping you be warm...." he said, but made no move to remove her from her spot.
She gave a little smirk, "Sure you wouldn't. Rosalie would." She made a wry face at the mention of Edward's older, classy sister...the only one who still seemed to want nothing to do with her.
He grunted a bit and rolled his eyes before shifting on the couch and looking over at the T.V.
Her smirk didn't fade as she spoke again, "No superpowers to turn it on by blinking your eyes?" She tried to stifle a giggle.
"I'm immortal, not a superhero." he said picking up the remote and handing it to her. "Anything you want to watch?"
Another grin crossed Bella's face, but she said nothing--knowing that Edward was unable to read her mind for some reason, she'd considered making a joke about it when he'd asked her what she wanted to watch. Though seeing as how she didn't want to lose her place on his lap, she kept silent.
"God I hate not being able to know what you're thinking.......so you need to tell me."
"Well, I'm usually in math right now so I don't exactly know what's on, Mister Cullen," she replied, the hint of a laugh in her voice.
He grinned. "Well, let's find out." he said taking the remote and flipping through the channels.
Blinking as the channels whizzed by, Bella reached over and took the remote as she turned to meet his eyes, "You're not driving your car--slow down!" She laughed as the TV stopped on a talk show...appropriately enough, one that had guests talking about their 'extraterrestrial experiences.'
Edward blinked at the T.V. and rolled his eyes. "Pft, please....aliens.....yeah right."
Again Bella raised an eyebrow in his direction, "And just what's so strange about aliens, O Vegetarian of mine?"
"Um...maybe the fact that they don't exist?" he said, raising an eyebrow back at her, only to poke her in the side with a little grin.
She flinches immediately--being EXTREMELY ticklish and trying to hide it...though does a horrible job as her stiff posture is a dead giveaway that he'd hit a particularly sensitive spot.
He grinned almost evilly before pinning her to the couch and starting an all-out tickle attack.
"Edward!!! Stoppit!!" With a very girlish squeal, Bella laughs uncontrollably as his 'attack' continues, squirming in attempt to get away but finding herself pinned by his lithe body. "Quit it!! Edward--I swear I'm gonna wet the couch!!!" Her helpless laughter only continued as she tried to fend him off--though with little success.
He laughed along with her and finally stopped, though not moving from his place above her. "Couldn't resist."
It takes a few minutes for her laughter to subside, leaving her literally lying breathless beneath him. "You suck," she stated simply, a cheeky grin on her face, not caring what silly puns her words weren't meant to imply.
He grinned back. "I know."
"No pun intended," she giggles as she gives him a puppy dog face. "Can't I at least have an arm free to get my hair out of my face?"
He nodded and freed her arms before lying behind her on the couch, putting an arm around her waist.
"Oh no you don't..." she said as she rolled over to face him, "You're not gettin' off that easy!" She shows what she hopes is a devious grin as she moves to sit up, reaching down in attempt to tickle him into submission as well.
Edward raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, love, I'm not ticklish."
At first she doesn't give up, but quickly realizes that her 'attack' has failed and sticks her tongue out at him, "Party pooper." She flopped down in front of him again, pretending to be annoyed at his lack of ticklishness.
He wrapped his arms around her again, his lips attaching themselves to one of his favorite places, the pulse point in her neck. "Would you like me to PRETEND to be ticklish?"
He got his desired reaction--Bella seemed to freeze in place at the feel of his cool lips on her neck, so close to her throat. She didn't reply as she felt her blood begin to race in her veins--she couldn't help it...he just had that effect on her.
When he felt her freeze, Edward grinned and tightened his arms around her waist just the smallest fraction before gazing over at the T.V.
In the back of her mind, Bella couldn't help but think of just how close...how.../easy/ it would be for him to bite her, letting his venom take over her blood. Whenever he kissed her neck, the thought would spring into the front of her mind, making her shiver a bit.
"Something wrong?" he asked, looking down at her.
"Just daydreaming..." she replied, looking only half-heartedly at the television screen.
"Oh? Are you sure.....you look like something is bothering you."
"You worry too much," she grinned, turning slightly so she could look up at him.
"It's my job to worry about you and keep you safe....you know that."
Again she rolled her eyes at his comment--as accident prone as she was his mission to keep her out of harm's way seemed pointless in her mind. "How do you do it?" She asked a curious look on her face.
"Do what?" he asked, running his fingers through her hair gently.
"You said my blood.../sings/ to you..." she said softly, reaching up to lightly brush where his lips had just touched her neck, feeling the hint of her pulse."...how do you control your...thirst?"
He smiled a little bit. "It's not easy, I'll tell you that much. I just tell myself that I'm supposed to PROTECT you, not HURT you, and it makes it possible."
Hesitating a moment before she spoke her next words, she tried to keep her voice level--not wanting to sound over eager, "If you did...you know..." she implies his thirst even without saying it, "...would it kill me?"
"If I were to bite you when I was thirsty, then I know I wouldn't be able to stop myself.....and yes, it would kill you...."
He can just see a flash of fear in her eyes--but not fear of him...fear of being without him even in another life.
"But.....if I was like I am now, then no, I wouldn't kill you, because I would be able to stop."
"You stopped before..." she said softly.
"Bella....that was different.....I did that to save you.....and I had just finished a hunt.....so it wasn't that hard to stop....."
She paused for a moment to think, wondering how he'd react to her question, even though she'd playfully mentioned the idea before, but only in passing.
He leaned forward and buried his nose in her hair, closing his eyes.