Edward's POV:
"Edward?" The most beautiful woman on the face of all God's creation asked me. My wife, Bella, was the only person in this living hell for me that made it heaven in every possible way. She has been a vampire for a few months now and I must say immortality suits her well. Her eyes were almost golden with just a smudge left of crimson. I loved her as a human and even though before I detested her becoming a vampire then her life was not on the line and she wouldn't live to see our daughter, Renesmee. My mind cringed at the thought of the pain she went through at that time of depression and sorrow. If I could have cried I would have and the tears would be endless coming in long restless waves of painful memories and sorrow rushing through my mind with nothing but torture on their minds. The only difference now was that I wasn't crying. I began to linger on all the pain that felt like it was burning me inside to no end.
The most beautiful voice that I have memorized some thousand times began to pull me out of my train of thought. "Edward?" She asked me once again and I remembered that she had wanted to ask me something.
I looked up at her and immediately saw the concern in her eyes. "Edward, are you okay you look like you're in pain?" She asked me with worry seeping through every word that she spoke. I began to figure out how I was going to answer one of the simplest of questions.
"I was just thinking about how much of a monster I was before all of this." I told her even though I already knew she was going to defend me for reasons that I could not seem to comprehend. She did not think I was ever a monster even when she was a human and I was a vampire but she did not know my past very well.
"Edward." She stated with a sigh and her eyes closed as well. After a moment of silence she began to speak again and opened her eyes to look at me. "We've been through this so many times that I lost count of how many times we've argued about this." I could tell she was struggling to stay calm because our daughter, Renesmee, was asleep in her room taking a nap and she did not want to wake her. She leaned over me on the couch we were lying across and put her hands on my chest to support her body to look at me with her almost golden eyes. "You were not a monster and you will never be because monsters are people who do bad things and try nothing to prevent them. You were trying everything in your power to not kill me and possibly other humans along the way. Even when Jacob was rude to you and said awful things about you and your family you didn't try to fight fire with fire. You respected him since he was my friend and would do anything to protect my happiness. That to me and should be for you as well is not a monster or 'the bad guy' in any shape or form." What she was saying I could actually understand and when I mixed it with what Carlisle had told me countless times as well they were about the same in many ways.
After some thought even though I would never forget all the horrible things I have done in my past I would forgive myself for the sake of Bella's happiness and mine as well. "Bella, I will never forget the terrible things I have done in my past but for the sake of your happiness and mine as well I will forgive myself and look to the future instead of the past."
I could see the smile forming on her lips. She threw her arms around me. "Thank you Edward." She said and as I released my grip on her waist, she captured my lips in a searing passionate kiss. She was wreaking havoc in my mouth and her lips felt like comfortable fire on my own. Once we pulled away I had remembered that she had a question before that she had wanted to ask.
"Love, what was it you wished to ask me before we had that discussion?" I reminded her. I was curious as to what she wanted to ask me about.
It took less than a millisecond for her to take in my words and have a look of remembrance. "Well I was wondering if you ever loved someone else before me. If you don't want to talk about it you don't have too…" she trailed off in an awkward tone. I chuckled at this because I'm sure if she had the ability to blush she would have put any cherry to shame.
I brushed a mahogany locket of hair from her pale forehead with my hand and put it behind her ear and leaned forward to place a kiss on her ear. I took exceedingly great pleasure in seeing her shiver as I did this and kissed her forehead all the way down to her neck. I let my hands linger near her waist as I kissed her collarbone and earned a few moans in return.
I finally gave her my answer as I sat up and pulled her into my lap. I put my lips at her ear and whispered as if I didn't want anyone else to hear. "Jealous are we?" I asked of her and when I saw the appalled look on her face I couldn't help but laugh as I kissed her hair. "You know I'm only kidding right?" She looked at me harshly and just gave a nod of her head but I could see her smile breaking through. We both began to laugh in our chime like voices which echoed across the room.
"My real answer is yes I did love one other girl before you. She had straight long blonde hair that was usually always in two long pony tails and she wore a variety of things." I knew she was going to ask me many questions now.
"You loved a blonde girl? I thought you said you preferred brunettes." My Bella always remembered the little details I told her.
"Yes but you see what I saw in this girl was something else because she was blind but she still fended for herself well." I explained as if this was casual conversation.
Bella had a shocked expression on her face. "I had no idea…" she told me still in a state of complete shock.
"What was her name?" She asked me after a few moments of silence strictly reserved to my former love.
"Anna." I answered easily.
"What happened to Anna and you?" She suddenly put her hand over her mouth probably wondering if she had said the wrong thing. "I'm sorry Edward…I didn't mean to intrude on your past." I only chuckled at this.
"You're not intruding on anything, love, I'm glad you're interested in learning things about me." I told her while stroking and playing with her hair.
"So you are going to tell me the story?" She asked looking anxious as well as curious.
"Of course, love." I told her as if it would be preposterous if I didn't.
Flashback (Edward's POV):
I was walking in the park on a beautiful evening in Chicago, 1921. I was thinking about my life before becoming a vampire a few years back. I was trying to picture my mother and father but it was as if every time I tried I would automatically forget. I did a good job at blocking painful memories from my mind. I don't know why I called them 'painful memories' but every time I thought about my mother or father my lifeless heart would begin to break.
I finally took notice of my surroundings. There were children playing on the swing set and the slide and they were laughing and giggling as their parents followed suit. This also made me sad because when I looked at the mothers I would always think of my mother laughing and making silly faces. I tilted my head down at the gray gravel path and continued walking. Suddenly, a noise of distress broke the cold harmony.
"Please somebody help me! I've lost my dog! Please, please won't someone help me?" It was a young woman's voice but I don't see how someone could get so distressed about losing their dog. You put posters up and see if you get results, right?
Instead of asking myself questions I decided to look in the direction of the voice to see what her situation was. The girl coming down the opposite direction of me had long blond hair pulled back into two big pony tails and her eyes were strangely closed, she looked about seventeen, and the way her hands were out in front of her I concluded that she was blind. When I put two and two together I assumed that the dog she was looking for was her guide dog.
I figured somebody would help her find her dog but people only glanced in her direction and guiltily turned their face back to what they were doing instead of helping her. Is this what human society has come to? Not helping a blind girl? I decided to do something since it seemed that nobody else was going to move from their positions.
I carefully began to walk toward her, making sure to go at a slow human pace. Once I was in front of her I gently touched her shoulder.
"Ahhh!" She screeched seeming startled.
"Shhh, it's okay. I'm going to help you find your dog." I told her in a calm natural voice.
I suddenly saw a smile form on her lips. "Really? Oh, thank you, thank you." She told me in a polite tone. She wrapped both her arms around one of mine and we began to walk.
"So…what is your dog's name?" I asked so it would be easier to find her dog.
"Peaty." She answered easily. She did not turn her face toward me; not that there was a need to. Even though I couldn't fully see her face I could still see she was blushing.
"Peaty!" I called out once without a response.
"Peaty!" The girl joined in.
The dead silence was almost suspenseful and in this time I remembered I did not know her name and she did not know mine.
"What is your name?" I asked her in a quiet voice.
"Anna." She whispered back as if it were a secret. "And yours?" She asked, returning the gesture.
"Edward." I told her; no longer whispering. "And must I say you have a lovely name, Anna." She blushed at this as I chuckled lightly.
We both acknowledged the silence and we began calling her dog's name into the ebony night once again.
"I don't think it's any use Edward, but I greatly appreciate your help." She told me in a quiet voice that I could tell was near to tears. She may have been blind but I'm sure she even noticed we had been around the park at least five times.
"No, we can keep looking if you want Anna…" I told her in a comforting tone.
"No, Edward, I'm only keeping you from your family… I'm sorry I bothered you and kept you for so long." She told me with tears like crystals now beginning to pour down her face.
I caressed the side of her face with my hand and began wiping her tears away but only more followed. I pulled her into a comforting embrace and kissed her forehead.
"Shhh… shhh…" I repeated as I stroked her hair.
"Shhh… where do you live?" I asked her while rubbing the red stains on her cheeks from her tears.
She tilted her head down. "Anna, where do you live?" I tried again.
"I don't know…" She told me in a barely audible voice that if it weren't for my vampire abilities I wouldn't have been able to have heard.
"Why do you not know where you live?" I asked her. I was a little surprised she didn't know where she lived. I thought someone must have at least told her.
"I know it's in an apartment but that's all." She told me in a depressed tone. Her head was still tilted down to the pavement. "I always depended on my dog to take me home." She said in a shameful voice.
"Since you don't have any where to stay why don't you come over to my house until we figure everything out for you?" I asked her because I was sure Carlisle would let her stay for awhile.
"We?" She asked while finally bringing her head up.
"I only live with my father, Carlisle Cullen." I explained to her.
"Oh, I see…" She responded in a distant tone "… I don't want to intrude…"
"No, no I'm sure it would be Carlisle's pleasure to allow you to stay for awhile." I told her in a light tone, afraid that one word would break her.
"If you're sure?" I laughed at her selflessness because I knew an average person would take it right away especially if they were blind.
"I'm positive." I told her while allowing both of her small arms to snake around one of my muscular ones.
Once Anna and I were in Carlisle and mine's mansion I sat her carefully down on the couch in our massive den. Carlisle came out of the study with a heavy volume in his hand of some famous scientist.
"Good evening, Edward." He told me automatically.
He sent me a thought that questioned the girl on the sofa. 'Who is the girl?'
"She is blind and lost her guide dog so I thought we could help her find where she lives and help her out." I whispered so human ears couldn't hear. Even though I could read minds the people I had conversations with didn't.
'She doesn't know where she lives?'
"No, she depended on her guide dog to take her everywhere, including her house."
'Hmmm… what is her name?'
"Anna," I said the name with reverence and I liked the sound of it for than I should have.
'Alright, we shall help Anna, but Edward I would not get to attached to her. I know it's not a bad thing to like humans but the Volturi would have are heads for this if they found out that you, a vampire, and her, a human, have a relationship. Something would also have to be done with the girl too…'
"I know, I know it would put her in unthinkable danger. I told myself I would never put a human through pain once again and I plan not to… but… but…" Carlisle must have sensed my distress because he came over and put a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"Ummm," I then realized I had been so forgetful of Anna when I heard her speak again. Having these conversations like this was like second nature to me.