A Twilight One-shot

I really wish a conversation like this had happened at some point. Communication is vital, I feel like they didn't do a good job listening to eachother and then Edward just straightened out when I think he had some things going on that Bella could have been more sensitive too.

Also I love the headcannon that like most predators vampires function off mostly scent despite their other senses.

Unbeta'd all mistakes are my own.

Bella paused to take a fortifying breath before entering her bedroom, she knows he'll be waiting there, she can picture him now, stiff against the window frame, golden irises burning with some repressed emotion, features masklike, she knew intuitively that the mask was hiding hurt, and not disdain or even disappointment.

Finally mustering the courage to look into those eyes she loved and hold fast to her side of the argument, Bella pushed the door open and was surprised to see unlike her mental image Edward was turned away from her toward the window.

She waits for him to break the silence, he doesn't. Though after a few seconds that feel like an age he turns to face her. Whenever a vampire brakes from their habitual stillness it's like flowing water effortlessly graceful.

Bella ignored with some irritation the familiar pang of self doubt caused by the wide gap between their physical attributes. The look on his face is just as mask like as she imagined it would be, props for her. But there's a slightly different glint in his eyes than there was last time they had this argument. She knows to much of her vampires stubborn nature to hope that he's giving up.

Finally Edward looked up and met her eyes, a swirl of passion betraying the apathetic nature of his mask, "Did you have a good time down at La Plush?" Though his tone is perfectly controlled, disinterest marking the tone while voicing his casual question, as though between acquaintances his handsome face is still frozen in false apathy.

Bella remembers what Angela said about jealousy and men, and suddenly this situation is much much worse, an argument is much preferable then attempting to reassure the normally confident adonis of her love. Because she is now very sure he is jealous. The scene is so much clearer when viewed through that light. She nervously licks her lips ignoring Edwards sudden look of concentration that means he once again is trying to read her mind, no doubt to determine the cause of her sudden discomfort.

"Edward, you know better than to... you're not…" A vague hand gesture is the closest she can get to voicing what she suddenly thinks. That her vampire is jealous, is worried that her new werewolf friends could possibly hold a candle to him in her heart. She tries again, Edward has dropped the pretext of apathy and is looking at her intensely, studying her every micro expression as is his want when she struggles to articulate.

"Are you, maybe, jealous?"

Edward doesn't quite roll his eyes but the feeling of the face he's giving her now is the same. For a creature supposedly made out of stone he's very expressive when he wants to be.

Mimicking her previous hand gesture but sharper he brushes the question aside, as off topic. "Yes, but that's hardly the most prominent of my feelings."

Just then the constant cloud cover of Forks shifted just enough to give the moon a chance to play across her vampires living statue features, brush through his hair and create an unearthly glow on his skin. Even the elements seem constantly to conspire together, remind her that as much as she loves him he's not even human!

Not even human…

"What do you mean?"

Edward opens his mouth a snarky comment on his lips when she cuts him off, voice softer, she takes a step forward bridging the distance between them.

"I mean, what do you mean? Edward, I'm only human. I can only compare your frustrations with my own."

His eyes soften, he doesn't make any move toward her on his side but he doesn't stop her from slowly making her way toward him.

"Please, Edward explain it to me. All of it. Please, tell me every emotion, not just the ones I'll understand." She wants him to explain himself... unknowingly releasing her most powerful weapon in her arsenal by asking please.

Abruptly he's moving forward so he's standing less than an inch away. A blink is all it takes to miss the show of speed. Not touching, but very, very close. Bella gasps in surprise, but doesn't step back; or forward, for that matter. Knowing enough to stand still.

He looks at her briefly confirming her assent before reaching up slowly and gently placing the insides of his wrists just below her ears and slowly running his hands down her neck, over her shoulders, and down her arms.

Bella unconsciously relaxes. Edwards scent, natural and somewhat woodsy surrounding her. She sways slightly, blinking rapidly in an attempt to recover her train of thought.

"Come." Edward commands. Pulling her closer and backing up to the window. Burying his face in her hair, blowing his cool, sweet cool breath over her scalp, causing her to shiver with pleasure, he pulled her down into his lap so she was cradled against his chest, surrounded by arms capable of turning steel to dust.

"All of them Edward, every motive, what are you feeling? Please I want to understand." She reiterates after his rapid ministrations over her arms, throat, and face slow, and the silence is comfortable.

Edward chuckles, a deep sonorous sound, vibrating through his chest. "Imagine a multifaceted something- let's make it a crystal, hard and sparky. Like the one on you bracelet." he moves his cold fingers gently around her wrist till he's holding the clear heart between two fingers. "Let's pretend that each side is an emotion, a motive if you will."

"I grasp the concept." she tells him softly, somewhat teasingly still buoyant from Edward's scent.

"Of course am feeling jealousy, I'm jealous of your time, your smiles, your everything. There's not an inch of you that I don't resent being away from my side at any time. I feel protective. As you well know."

He raises his eyebrows and smirks at her sheepish grin.

"My entire being hangs in the balance every time you're in any kind of danger. Any time I can't protect you…

I'm scared. No, more than scared I'm terrified."

He breaks off absently staring at something beyond what she can see. "I've never felt fear, not really, not quite this way, until you came along and woke it within me. scared of you being hurt…" he trailed off again.

Bella knows that baring his soul, which he very much has, is hard. Even if it's to her. Who despite their arguments over the wolves he still trusts above all others.

"Of the wolves making you realize can do a thousand times better than me."

Bella scoffed, gently (for the sake of her poor bones) elbowing him in the stomach.

"Scared you'll fall in love-"

Bella turned and glared at him,

"With life, and living. No longer want to join me in immortality…"

Her glare of course melted, and was replaced with a look of dismay that he could be worried about that of all things! After all she'd gone through to convince him to turn her in the first place?

Ridiculous.

She turned against him so she could look him in the eye without twisting. Pressing her hands against his soundless chest.

"Self Loathing. I should want you to wake up and run away screaming. I get so worried that an insight from one of my biological enemy's will tip the scales and you'll realize how much I've hurt you. How much this relationship is in my favor…"

Bella reached up and tugged on his bronze hair bringing his golden eyes back down to her brown ones, wanting to convince him how false that was with one love filled gaze.

Abruptly he started again, maintaining eye contact. Arms tightening around her. His face serene with his confession. "The wolves remind me every time I'm within range of their thoughts of the terrible pain I put you in. How much I broke you. In all of their memories of you... your empty. I hate seeing it almost as I hate myself for making you that way. They remind me that I can never give you so many things you deserve."

"Edward…" Bella minutely shook her head at the billionth apology forming at his lips. She'd forgiven him long ago, if only he would forgive himself…

"You wanted to know." His eyes are tired. Filled with ancient sorrow. "Would you like to know the rest?"

Bella nodded wordlessly carefully tracing patterns over his diamond like skin.

"I'm unsure how best to word the rest… those are human emotions, and to an extent you can relate to them."

He brushed her hair back from her neck watching the pulse of the artery there. "Bella, part of being a vampire is that we are the the top of the food chain, unafraid of anything but our own kind. We have almost no natural predators, in all my experience and what I've seen through the minds of others the wolves are the only ones I've ever come across.

They are biologically engineered to kill vampires to protect their people. So on a very basic and instinctual level there's enmity between us."

Bella resisted the temptation to roll her eyes and instead tried to step back and understand what he was saying, as opposed to denying it outright.

"I can't do more then what I have to explain to you what your scent does to me Bella, What my scent on you does to me. I don't have the words. "

Edward dipped his head, touching his nose to her hair and breathing deeply, "I can tell your scent apart from every other, but when it's mingled with mine..." His didn't finish for a moment, his eyes had a slight glaze as he took another deep breath. Staring at her, entranced.

Bella's pleased but embarrassed whisper "Dazzling." spurred him to continue.

"I'd like to think I could put my better feelings first, gratitude and respect; and let you go without fuss despite my many reservations about your safety, because I do trust you Bella." He assured, promised even. "If you didn't come home devoid of my scent and instead smelling like my only, as far as I know, natural predator, instead of my mate."

Bella smirked, "I knew it had something to do with the smell."

Edward grimaced "I am astounded at how easily your pet's completely demolish your scent as my singer and even worse my mark on you."

Bella's smirk widened into a grin, "Would you feel better if I tattooed your name on me?"

Edward huffed in mock indinancy averting his eyes to the ceiling, "Please, like a blemish on your skin would make me feel even remotely better about this."

Bella hummed thoughtfully tapping a slim finger to her chin, "A necklace? Something like your charm on my bracelet, but around my neck, a visual reminder of you to the pack when I visit."

Edward looked back at her quickly "Miss Swan, are you asking me to give you jewelry? Did pigs start to grow wings when I wasn't looking?" but he was smiling her favorite crooked smile.

Imagining a gift of his resting over the hollow of her throat, chain gently sliding over her collarbones as she moved, its weight a constant reminder of his love for her when the boundary line forced him from her side.

Before she could back out as the faint blush on her cheeks was indicating she might he lowered his voice and tracing the line the necklace would follow with his fingers around the base of her spine and around her collar bones gently placing a kiss in the hollow of her throat listening to her stuttering heartbeat . "I would be honored if you'd let me do that Bella."

"Oh. Its- its no biggie, just a necklace." she stuttered out thoroughly dazzled.

She was right of course it wasn't enough. Not nearly, but hopefully it would take some of the edge off.

Clearing her throat and tucking back a strand of her hair somewhat self consciously Bella looked up from underneath her eyelashes at her besotted vampire, "Edward, thank you for telling me all this."

"Of course Bella."

"No, really I mean it, Thank you for helping me understand." her voice was sincere as she gazed into his eyes, "I want to know all of you, especially what happens in your heart."

"And I you, I love you so much. Forever's not nearly enough time to tell you how much you mean to me…."

"You're mine you know." Bella stated factually.

Edward grinned playfully grasping her wrists with his long fingers, "Your very willing prisoner, just like I told you that first night you said you loved me."

Finis

Again, I would love to hear from you tell me anything at all about the story. Seriously anything!

Also any other ideas for a title would be awesome I don't love this one

This story has been worked on a few lines at a time for months with no Beta: any mistakes I overlooked please let me know so I can fix it Lots of love- Anna