"Edward, why do you always catch me when I trip?" Bella asked quietly, blushing

The two of them were in his room listening to Edward's extensive music collection and enjoying each other's company. The day proved to be full of Bella's clumsiness and Edward was always there to save her.

"I don't want you to fall and hurt yourself. Why, do you not like me catching you?" Edward responded. He looked into her eyes, again searching to find a way to know her thoughts. Bella was glad that he was unable to know her thoughts, not that she would mind him knowing, but she was afraid of his reactions to certain thoughts. She smiled at his attention, but kept from being too dazzled to answer.

"I don't mind at all. It keeps me in one piece. I'm just annoyed at how weak and helpless I must seem. I don't like being saved all the time, even from myself. I don't see why a guy as independent like you wants to spend so much time watching out for me. " Bella continued with blushing, and was only talking in a low whisper. This topic was one of the milder worries she had about their relationship. Even though she knew that he loved her, and she him of course, but she also knew that she did not deserve him. She wanted to be better, for him, and for others. No matter how many times he called her clumsiness cute or endearing, she always felt as if it was a burden on him. She didn't want that.

Edward raised her chin up, so he could look into her eyes. Though not crying, the beginnings of tears were there, making her brown eyes sparkle from the moisture. He smiled and kissed her forehead before answering.

"I love saving you. You have saved me in many ways. I am more human now than I ever could be otherwise. You've given my eternal life meaning and purpose. Preventing a scratch or a bump on the head is a small way of giving you what you have given me. "

Bella now had at tear rolling down her cheek. Edward wiped it away and leaned forward to kiss her. Before their lips touched though, he added,

"It also gives me the excuse to hold you in my arms, where I always want you to be. "

The kiss was sweet, chaste and short. Bella, becoming overwhelmed with emotion actually cut the kiss short, needing to breathe and compose herself. Edward simply held her and whispered 'I love you' and other phrases that put her on cloud nine, though did not help her from calming. She sat up from her place next to Edward.

"You surpass me in all things, from cooking to dazzling. How am I to be equal to you, as girlfriend now, soon to be wife?" Bella asked, wanting to know the answer before they were married. The imbalance in their relationship has bothered her from the start. She didn't mind, but she was concerned that it would make eternity together difficult at some point.

"Is that what you are really worried about, you being lesser than me? Oh, my dear love, it is true we are not equals, for you exceed me in many ways. You do 'dazzle' me. You've dazzled me from 

the moment I laid my eyes on you. You bring people together like none other. You are new and fresh and always bring a new and different perspective to my life. You have brought to this family life and love. Before you I was certain I was happy with what my existence has provided for me. I had a family, a place, my music and cars. A life many would die for, one I had already died for." Edward stopped for a moment, reflecting on how the life people dream of is actually a nightmare. Though he quickly returned to pleasanter thoughts.

" You gave me something I for once had to work for. I now know that if I were to lose everything, everything but you, I would still feel as happy and alive as before. You are my life, in so many ways. All that I know and can do comes from time spent perfecting my self, my life. I was perfecting myself, unknowingly, for you. I am who I am because I knew, deep down, I had to be worthy for someone, and you are her. No matter how hard I have worked and will work, I will still never be worthy to hold you and claim you as my love. All I can do is kneel down and beg that you accept me as I am and let me love you as best as I can."

Edward then brought his hands together, as if shackled. "I am your slave."

Keeping back tears Bella responded.

"I suppose we are both slaves to love then. I would admit that you are better at vocalizing it than I. To keep up variety in your life, I guess I should resort to other methods of showing you my feelings.

"And those would be?"

"Come here and find out." And with that Bella kissed him with all that she could. Edward responded, lips dancing against each other and holding her as tightly as he dared. They continued until Bella moved her lips to kiss him along his jaw. Moving to his ear, she whispered

"I love you, my dear knight in shining armor. Always saving this damsel in distress. "