DISCLAIMER and CREDITS: "Only When I Sleep" is an awesomely dramatic song belonging to The Corrs. I do not own it, Twilight, King Lear, or Twitter. Sharon Corr's Tweet regarding Teresa Treacy is REAL. I did NOT make it up. And the ESB's treatment of Teresa Treacy IS an outrage. Special thanks to my friend and editor, twilightismydrug.

Only When I Sleep

He stood in front of her, peering into her soul. His intense, piercing eyes were riveted upon her. She studied his chiseled face and perfect, wavy copper hair. He was the symbol of perfection and she loved every little thing about him. This man was her life. It was still hard to believe that he was right here, standing before her. And then he smiled that irresistible smile, that one little thing being enough to throw her over the edge. Her breath caught, and he stepped forward. She reached out to him, hesitating slightly as her fingers hovered near his delicate features, fearing it was too good to be true. But they found his face, and he leaned in to kiss her. She had to tell him. "I love you!"

Bella jolted upright in her bed. Her eyes focusing in the darkness, she ran a trembling hand through her hair. He had invaded her dreams once again. It had become so frequent that she had lost count of the times he had suddenly materialized and made her feel alive—and just as quickly vanished into thin air, leaving her dismayed and saddened.

And when I wake from slumber

Your shadow's disappeared

Your breath is just a sea mist

Surrounding my body

Yet something set this dream apart from the others. This time she had awaken to the sound of her own voice. She had begun talking in her sleep.

Ever since Edward left her, Bella had become restless. She couldn't sleep at night, and when she finally did fall into a sub-conscious state, she always found a way to him. That was the only way to him she had. It was a curse, being constantly haunted by memories and mentally projected visuals of him. Every second of the day, he was there. He was always, in a way, with her. It didn't matter where he was, or what he was doing. And though that was a comfort, it was also a disease. "Where is he now? What is he doing? Is he happy? Will we ever be physically together? If I try to contact him, will he answer me? Does he think about me the way I think about him? Will he come back? Does he know how much he's hurt me? I wish he knew…" Every single day those thoughts hounded her, relentless in their torment.

Bella wiped tears from the rims of her chocolate eyes. She frowned, suddenly upset. He had left. That was it. She wanted to kick the filling out of him, that smug, arrogant bastard. How could he have just walked away from everything they had? Their life together had meant everything to her, and he went and shattered it. Her eyes narrowed into two little slits as she imagined backing him into a corner and beating him with a baseball bat. Not that it would do any good. Besides, her heart wasn't there. Beating his beautiful, god-like body was incomprehensible. He simply meant too much to her.

She stifled a yawn. Glancing at her alarm, the flashing red, digital face indicated that it was nearing one-twenty in the morning. She might as well try to go back to sleep.

But when it's time to rest

I'm lying in my bed

Listening to my breath

Falling from the edge…

Forty minutes and innumerous tossing-and-turnings later, it finally was realized that trying to sleep was futile. She needed a distraction. Leaning over the edge of her bed and reaching down to the floor, she got her fingers around her laptop and raised it. She turned it on and logged onto the Internet. Bella checked her e-mail account, only to find nothing new in her inbox. Jessica was available for instant messaging, but that was one of the last things Bella wanted to do this late at night. She could just imagine all the crazy things Jessica would ask. She was signing out just as a new chat box appeared in the bottom right corner of her screen. "BELLA?" it read. The cursor was already positioned over the sign out option. "Ooops," she mouthed as she clicked on it, knowing perfectly well she'd have to invent a really good excuse for Jess.

Bella next tried Twitter, signing in as 1BrowneyedBella. There were only a few new Tweets awaiting her. That wasn't very surprising; she didn't follow that many people. She scrolled through a few from Taylor Swift describing her concerts in Atlanta and from Ellen DeGeneres promoting her new book, Seriously…I'm Kidding. Near the bottom of the list of newest Tweets was a post by one of her favorite music artists, Sharon Corr. Sharon was ranting over the imprisonment of Teresa Treacy. "Cannot believe the ESB's treatment of Teresa Treacy! A pensioner in jail? What an outrage!" she had written. Bella grinned. "Well, that's random…I wonder what she thinks of the Amanda Knox case…" But she never got around to asking her question. Instead, she Googled Teresa Treacy and was shell-shocked to learn the elderly woman was thrown in jail just for trying to save her trees. Worse still was the fact her jail time was made indeterminate—until she consents to have her trees cut down, she shall remain in prison. Bella felt the heat rise in her face. Suddenly she understood where Sharon was coming from. "That's horrible! Where's their humanity?" Finding herself distressing, she offered a silent prayer for the woman before seeking a distraction.

Sighing, Bella turned on her bedside lamp. She might as well begin reading King Lear for her big English book report. William Shakespeare. So exciting. Maybe this would put her to sleep. Isabella had barely begun the third page when came a knocking sound at her bedroom window. Nearly jumping out of her skin, she dropped the book and reached for the paperweight resting on her nightstand. She raised it above her head, waiting for someone to come crashing through her window. "Bella?" she heard. The sound was faint. "Bella?" It was louder this time, loud enough that she could recognize the smooth, syrupy voice. Standing, she set down the paperweight, transfixed on the window. "Edward?" she asked, pushing back the curtain and sliding open the glass panel. The man in question crawled inside. Upon stepping foot on her floor, he readjusted his long sleeved, charcoal sweater. It clung to his form in the most tempting, enticing way. And his hair was perfect, as always.

You're only just a dream boat

Sailing in my head

You swim my secret oceans

Of coral blue and red

"Edward…what—what are you doing here?"

He glanced up, but couldn't quite look at her. Edward stared past her, focusing on her wall. "I…I…well came to…see you…" It wasn't often that this articulate of a man stumbled for the right words. Bella stood still, not knowing what to do. He had finally come back. And she didn't want to make the wrong move. Finally his amber eyes fell on her, causing emotions to build up inside of her. "Bella, leaving was a mistake and I'm so sorry that I hurt you. I just wanted what was best for you but... You and I share an unbreakable bond and I'm afraid that I can't stay away from you. You are my life, now, Bella."

"Then don't," she whispered. "Don't stay away from me."

He stepped forward. She stepped back. He halted. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, a sudden realization donning on her. "I'm afraid you're only just another dream. You're going to leave me again."

Pain swept across his face and his perfect posture disintegrated. "I will never leave you, Bella. How can I make you believe me?"

Tears were already streaming down her cheeks. Letting the tears flow, she need not answer.

Edward took her face in his hands and enveloped her in a passionate kiss. She kissed him back, throwing her arms around him.

Your smell is incense burning

Your touch is silken yet

It reaches through my skin

Moving from within

And clutches at my breast

Bella broke away, gasping. He stared expectantly at her, waiting for the girl to make up her mind.

She was overwhelmed. His cologne was intoxicating, his very presence enough to cause her to lose control. And then there was the intensity of their relationship. When he touched her, she felt as if she was on fire. There was no other feeling she loved more than the kind he could evoke in her. She would spend the rest of her life with this man, if given the choice, albeit she wished that was not one she would have to make. He had caused her enough heartache. How could she trust him not to do it again?

"Bella," he whispered softly, slowly approaching her and running a hand through her hair. "You shall forever be my Bella." He kissed her forehead. She embraced him, holding him close, pressing her face into his chest. He stroked her hair. After a moment she pulled back and, smiling, said, "I love you." Edward smiled enchantingly as he repeated the words back to her.

O~o~O

He shoved her against the wall and kissed her throat. "Edward…" His hands began gliding over her body. "Oh, my God."

Bella's eyes flew open. She glanced around. She was in bed, King Lear caught in her tangled blanket, the morning sunlight barely streaming through her closed bedroom window. Her digital clock read 6:04. She climbed out of bed and stood up, computing everything in her head. The first thing that became clear was that she had woken herself up by hearing her own desperate cry. Following that everything else came into focus.

But it's only when I sleep

See you in my dreams

Got me spinning round and round

Turning upside down

He was only just a dream…

But I only hear you breathe

Somewhere in my sleep

Got me spinning round and round

Turning upside down…

Bella fell to her knees and wept.

…but it's only when I sleep.

Contact Bella at 1BrowneyedBella on Twitter! While you're at it, feel free to check out her best bud, Aliceknowsall. Also, please visit Sharon_Corr, 'UK Ms. Twitter'. She has quite the personality and is an inspiring human being. :)