This was written to the song Dear Juliet - Lullaby. I suggest listening as you read. Enjoy!

"Edward? Are you still awake?" a small voice asked in the darkness.

I was, actually. Bella and I were home on a visit from college, where we'd met, visiting my parents. I was all alone in my room, as my rather old fashioned mother had put Bella in my sister's empty room for the stay, and had plenty of time to just...be quiet and think. And, since we were in Forks, Washington, one of the wettest places in the country, it was storming outside. Really storming. Every few minutes lightening would light up the room and thunder would boom. I just couldn't get to sleep, but I wasn't sure if it was because my thought kept bouncing around in my head, or because of the storm, or because I missed Bella. Probably a little of each. So I had been laying in bed, watching the storm, lost in my thoughts. I hadn't even heard my door open, but there she was. I could just make out her small figure in the dark, making her way across my room, hands outstretched to keep from bumping into anything.

"Hey. Yeah, I'm awake. What's wrong?" I sat up and reached to turn on the lamp as Bella sat down on the edge of my bed. I flicked the switch, but nothing happened. The power was must've been knocked out.

"Can I sleep with you?" she asked shyly, playing with a piece of her hair, a nervous habit. "Will your mom get mad?"

Truthfully, Esme, my mother, would probably be a little upset when morning came. But it wasn't like we were actually going to be doing anything. And once I explained, she would probably be ok with it. So I shook my head and lifted up the blankets so Bella could join me. She slid under just as lightening struck dangerously close and thunder cracked so loudly that the entire house shook. Bella jumped violently and snuggled close to me under the covers, burying her face in my chest and laying her small, very cold hand on my bare stomach. I jumped as well, mroe beause of her reaction and her cold hands than from actually being surprised, chuckled a little, and covered her hand with mine, rubbing small circles onto the back of it. "Babe, your hands are freezing. And shaking. Are you scared of the storm?" She hadn't grown up in Forks like I had, and wasn't as used to the storms and rain as I was.

Bella shook her head very hard, even as she pulled the covers over her head. "No." came her rather muffled reply. I had to supress the urge to laugh, and focused on drawing designs on her hand. "I'm twenty-one years old. It would be incredibly stupid to be afraid of a silly storm."

I smiled and pulled the covers up even higher so that we were in a little cave of blankets, hiding away from the storm. I sought out her nose with my lips, and when I found it, kissed it gently. She giggled softly. "It's okay to be afraid of a storm like this." I reassured her, trying my best to be the comfort that she needed. "It's pretty intense. When I was little, I was terrified of them. I would hide under my bed with Ralph, my teddy bear. He protected me from a lot of storms way back when." A thought struck me. "Wait. I'll be right back, ok?"

"Ok." She whispered, and I climbed out of bed and walked over to my closet, snatching my phone off the dresser, where it had been charging. Using the phone as a mini flashlight, I rummaged around in the back of my closet for a few minutes, making a little bit more noise than I would've liked, especially when I acidentally knocked over a tower of boxes filled with who knows what and they all landed on my back.

Finally, I found what I was looking for and ducked under the covers again, still using my phone as a flashlight. Bella blinked sleepily in the bright light and instinctively tried to hide from it, but then, seeing what I was holding, looked up and smiled. She held out her hands and I handed it over. "Is this Ralph?" She asked, stroking the bear's tenderly with a childlike look of happiness on her face, then quickly scooted closer to me as thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Yeah. This is Ralph. You can have him now, if you want." I offered, smoothing over a fraying patch of his fur. The little guy had been through a lot with a kid like me. I kind of felt bad for how I'd treated him, but Bella would take excellent care of him. "He can help keep you safe tonight. But I promise I won't let anything, not even a thunderstorm, hurt you. Ever." I kissed her on the forehead and switched my phone off, setting it on the table by my bed.

Bella sighed and rested her head on my chest. I pulled the blankets off our heads so we could breathe again, then wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly against me, hoping to make her feel safe. I knew I'd succeeded when she tangled her legs with mine, finding her particular comfortable spot like she always did. I don't know why, but she liked to have her toes covered by my legs so that they would stay warm. And then it was very quiet, except for the sounds of the storm, for a long while. I went back to my thoughts, but they were considerably happier now that Bella was with me, snuggled so close to me. I could feel her warm breath on my chest, the steady rise and fall of her breathing. It was so soothing. I quickly decided, like I did every time Bella fell asleep with me, that this was exactly how I wanted to sleep, every single night, for the rest of my life. It was so...perfect. Everything was right with the world, even for just a short amount of time. Even the storm was quieting.

"I love you." Bella whispered sleepily, breaking the silence but enhancing the perfectness of the scene, and planted a kiss directly over my heart. Warmth radiated from the spot, and I couldn't stop grinning, despite being half-asleep. I buried my nose in her hair and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you so much more." I told her, but she was already asleep.

And so, I, Dani, return to Fanfiction.

Sooo, what did y'all think? Send me a review. I like detailed ones...but anything's fine. Just review it. Especially if you didn't like it. I really need feedback. I haven't written anything in around a year (EEK!) so it's pretty important...please and thank you =)

To my past readers, if you want to know about my absence and the details of my return, PM me.