Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended).

A/N: Here is where SM left off...I hope you enjoy it!

As I made the quick drive home I realized I had a looming problem to deal with – Rose's seething anger over the fact that Bella now knew all of our secrets. I didn't have to make it too far up the driveway before I could hear Rose's thoughts, aimed towards me like daggers, and Emmett's futile attempt to calm her.

How selfish! Her thoughts were screaming at me.

Rosalie was waiting for me at the foot of the stairs as soon as I entered the house. This was my family's home where, ironically, we felt safe. Right now Rosalie was pre-occupied with visions of torture dancing through her head. But which would she choose to inflict upon me?

The rest of the family were mulling about the house, but not in close proximity to each other.

Emmett stood at the top of the stairs, overlooking the situation that was about to unfold and keeping a watchful eye in the event he needed to intercede.

Carlisle and Esme were sitting on the couch, pouring over some house plans. Architecture and design were my mother's passions and there was always a new project at hand.

Jasper and Alice were playing chess, which I felt was more for show than for strategy. Alice would destroy Jazz with her advantage of foresight into any moves he planned to make, altering hers accordingly.

"Hello Edward," Rose growled, with her arms tightly across her chest. She was standing about three steps from the bottom. That posture and position, along with her stiletto heels were all about intimidation and dominance. Don't get me wrong. Rose could and has held her own - just never with me. She had the most domineering personality I had ever encountered but that was no match for my mind-reading abilities.

I stepped further into the entrance hall and laid my coat on the bench by the front door. My mother also had exquisite taste in furnishings, having chosen this particular sofa-sized black, distressed bamboo bench while visiting the Philippines. She filled our house with treasures from around the world we each had accumulated throughout our existence.

I smirked at Rosalie. I knew what was coming and I did not care. No matter what she had to say, it would not change my commitment to Bella and her survival.

I reached for the banister of the stairwell and acknowledged my sister, "Hello Rose." As I took one step further, she reached out and grabbed my arm, forcing me to turn to face her.

"Yes Rosalie," I growled. She hated when I used her given name. It was a move that asserted my position in the Alpha role with her. Rose believed herself to be the Alpha, Beta and Theta.

You've done it now little brother. Her eyes were filled with fury. Perhaps she needed to hunt. but right now all her anger and frustration was directed solely at me.

"What exactly have I done Rosalie?" When I asked that question, everyone stopped what they were doing and stepped towards us. I wasn't sure if it was to take sides or prevent a brawl.

Let it go, Edward. She'll calm down in time. Emmett was doing his best to avert a possible clash between us. Ultimately Rosalie was his mate and no matter how strong our bond as brothers was, nothing would surpass his love and devotion to her.

"As if you didn't put us in danger before, you have now sealed our fate. The girl knows everything. Not only do we have to worry about the locals finding out about us, we now have to worry about the Volturi."

The last part of her speech got everyone's attention. The Volturi were our species' version of a royal family. They lived and ruled from their secret fortress in the Italian, Tuscan countryside.

There was only one rule our kind had to follow to avoid being dealt with by the Volturi – keep our secret.

Carlisle stepped in to try to quiet the situation. "Rose, if Edward says the girl can be trusted, we must have faith in his judgment. She has said nothing yet."

Rose jumped right in with her retort. "Yet?! Well, before she had only guessed certain things and maybe noticed abnormalities. Now she knows we are vampires and knows how we hunt and live. She knows entirely too much and it is time the situation is dealt with. Edward, obviously, is too emotionally invested in the situation to do that himself."

I let out a deeper growl and tightened my fists. If Rosalie wanted to deal with Bella, she would have to deal with me first and that would not work out well for her.

Emmett rushed down the stairs and laid a hand on Rosalie's shoulder to calm her. "Don't make rash decisions Rose," He pleaded.

"Rash decisions? I don't think I am the one making rash decisions." She quickly snapped her head towards me and let out her own growl. "I think that would be Edward and that's the problem. His rash decisions could destroy our family."

Carlisle, always the peacemaker, stepped in. "Rosalie, Edward loves this family as much as any of us and he would never knowingly put us in harm's way. We protect our family. I do not believe this Bella girl requires us to guard ourselves against her. I have met her and I trust Edward's judgment. She is a good person."

Esme stepped up to me and laid her hand gently on my back. "Bella is good for Edward. How could any of you, who have love, want to deny Edward his love?"

Esme's soft eyes searched for that part of Rosalie that would understand something as deep and complex, yet as simple as Love and everything it involved.

"She's human!" Rosalie raised her voice, stating the obvious.

"Yes Rosalie, she is. But we have time to see how this will play out. For now we must trust Edward's judgment of Bella and trust Edward's devotion to our family. I do not question either," Esme said calmly.

The words from Esme, our mother, seemed to calm the whole situation down, or perhaps it was Jasper, working his magic.

None of us wanted to upset Esme. We all wanted, more than anything, to make her happy since we were the only children she would ever have.

I'll let you know if she becomes a danger. Alice and Jasper had made their way behind me by this time and she was always looking out for me. Alice was not only my sister, but my best friend and confidant. She had developed an unusual obsession with Bella as well and hoped that she would be in my future – in our future, in some meaningful way.

I am not worried about her becoming a danger, Alice. I am worried about becoming a danger to her. I replied, silently, to my sister with the gift to see the future. As much as I was taken with Bella Swan, I knew I was not good for her. I was a weapon of mass destruction and she was the most beautiful, delicate piece of a glass menagerie.

I will let you know if I see that as well, Edward. I don't think you will hurt her. You love her. I love her. Alice smiled as she thought about that.

I loved Bella. Alice loved Bella. How quickly this had gotten out of hand.

"You have created this situation Edward. You had better handle it – one way or the other," Rose snarled.

Alice jumped in before the situation escalated again.

"Rosalie, I don't see Bella causing us any problems." Of course Alice had reservations about my ability to control myself on my trip to the meadow with Bella but she knew I didn't want to hurt Bella and would do everything in my power to keep her safe.

"I just want you to know I will not suffer for your mistakes Edward." Rosalie always had to get the last word. It was ALL about her.

"I don't intend for anyone to suffer for my decisions. I assure you of that." I smirked at her.

"We trust your judgment Edward," Carlisle said calmly, looking towards Rosalie. Carlisle was always the voice of reason and hopefully Rosalie would realize that.

I had somewhere to be and realized it was past time to rescue myself from the situation. "I will see you all at school tomorrow." I smiled slightly, looking forward to another night of studying Bella as she slept. It was fascinating.

Idiot. Rosalie shot a parting glare at me.

I went to my room and listened to some of my classical music in order to calm myself before I left for Bella's house. I was not concerned that my argument with Rosalie would make me dangerous to Bella, but I wanted to enjoy the night – watching her sleep, wondering what visions danced through her mind while she slept. I wanted no distractions.

As soon as I was certain Bella's father, Charlie, had fallen asleep for the night, I headed out. I dashed through the forest with such a feeling of anticipation. What would Bella talk about tonight? Would she think of me after our wonderful day at school together?

I had greased the window the last time I came in to watch her so the window lifted quietly, with ease. I took my usual seat in the rocking chair in the corner of the room.

I thought I had settled in for an uneventful evening of covert surveillance of this human that captivated me so completely.

Bella was restless throughout the night and woke several times. I found myself darting in and out of her closet a number of times until she drifted back into her fitful slumber.

She reached out several times, like she was searching for something. What was she looking for? Could she be reaching for me or possibly pushing me away? Her facial expressions gave no clues.

I desperately wished I could reach out to her, hold her and offer her comfort and security. But I was still a monster that was intoxicated by the scent of her blood, which made it much too dangerous for me to be that close to her.

Surely the cold touch of my skin would only jolt her from what little sleep she was getting. One day I would be strong enough to hold her in my arms and breathe in the floral scent of her body. For now, I could only cherish these secret visits to her room that I looked forward to each night.

I also knew, at least for now, I had the hope of tomorrow. Tomorrow she would answer my questions and perhaps Bella Swan would let me get to know her as I wanted her to know me.

I left her room as the sun rose above the Olympic Mountain Range, running back to my house to shower and change before I drove back to her house to pick her up for school.

Although the time away from her was short it pained me greatly to leave her. The only insight into the lovely human girl that had become my obsession was to watch and listen to her as she slept. There was always the eaves-dropping thing with those close to her, but I despised myself when I stooped to that level. I worried that any moment I was away from her I would miss something crucial and wonderful.

I sped down the drive, onto the highway and was at her house quickly. I only had to wait around the corner for a few moments before Chief Swan left for work. Just as I had yesterday morning, I pulled into his parking spot in front of the quaint house that sat at the foot of the towering Madrone trees.

I waited impatiently, hoping Bella would look for me. I hoped she would. I wanted her to look forward to seeing me as much as I looked forward to seeing her.

Then she appeared, like Juliet, in the window and smiled down at me. She quickly turned from the window and before I knew it, she was bounding out the front door towards my Volvo.

I assumed she was happy to see me and smiled widely at her. "Good morning."

I opened her door for her, breathing in her scent, testing the whole pleasure/pain principal as it burned its way down my throat. "How are you today?" I looked down at her as she laid her backpack in the front floorboard.

"Good, thank you," she smiled at me. She was pretending to be lively. I could tell. I had no doubt her words were sincere but I also knew she did not rest well. "I couldn't sleep."

No one was around so I walked at my faster-than-human speed to the driver's side of the car. I got in and smiled a knowing smile at her. "Neither could I," I teased.

Bella seemed to be amused by my response and joked back that she supposed she had gotten slightly more sleep than I had. "So what did you do last night?" she asked.

I started the engine and headed off towards Forks High School. "Not a chance. It's my day to ask you questions." I had been looking forward to this all night. I would drag this out all day if possible.

I started off with an easy question. "What's your favorite color?"

I tried to look serious as I asked the question. I didn't want her to doubt the sincerity of my questions, no matter how trivial they seemed. There wasn't a thing I didn't want to know about the beautiful girl with the warm chocolate eyes that sat next to me.

"It changes from day to day," she said, rolling her eyes. Yes. She thought the question was trivial. Surely she was expecting something more involved.

"What's your favorite color today?" I asked, still with all seriousness.

She looked down at the shirt she was wearing and touched it as she answered. "Probably brown."

The brown shirt she wore today was far more fetching than the hideous sweater she wore yesterday, but not nearly as lovely as the blue shirt she wore the night we had dinner in Port Angeles. Blue was my favorite color on her.

"Brown?" I asked, raising my eyebrow in wonderment. She never ceased to amaze me or surprise me. I expected an answer like pink or red or purple – typical girl answers. Not brown. The answer seemed right though. Bella wasn't flashy like pink, red or purple. She was subdued and warm, like brown.

"Sure," she answered. "Brown is warm. I miss brown. Everything that's supposed to be brown – tree trunks, rocks, dirt – is all covered up with squishy green stuff here." She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she mentioned the green stuff.

I listened to her and realized she used the same word to describe brown as I had, warm. I reached over quickly, but smoothly to push her long dark hair over her shoulders. This would allow me to take in one last deep breath, filling my lungs with her scent before we entered the high school. I had to get used to this, to make myself immune to her lovely toxicity. "You're right. Brown is warm."

We pulled into the parking lot of the high school that, until the day Bella Swan had entered it, had been the bane of my existence. Going to school each day had been an exercise in futility, repeating my teenage years again and again. I had received degrees from Ivy-league colleges and was far more educated than the teachers that stood before me each day. It was different now. Now I had Bella to look forward to each and every day and it was never the same as the day before.

I wasn't ready to let Bella leave me just yet. "What music is in your CD player right now?" Again I asked my question with all seriousness. This was no joke to me.

"Meteora by Linkin Park," she answered with a slight grin. I quickly searched through my assortment of CD's in the car and found the exact CD she had mentioned. She certainly liked a varied assortment of music. "Debussy to this?"

This was going to be a wonderful day. It was my day to ask and hers to answer and I would not miss one chance the entire day.

At lunch I asked her about her favorite books. I already had a pretty good idea after my surveillance of her the day she fell asleep on the quilt in her backyard, skimming through the pages of Jane Austen novels, frustrated for some reason.

"I like the classics," she said before sipping on her lemonade. "Jane Austen and Shakespeare are favorites." I smirked with a knowing grin.

"Do you enjoy Tolstoy?" I asked, probing her to see if she had read some of my favorites. War and Peace was one of my most prized possessions. The pages were worn from decades of reading and re-reading with notes I had scrawled in the margins. The book mirrored my own century long quest for the meaning of life.

Since Bella had such a fondness for Austen I doubted Tolstoy would be anywhere near the top of her list. Tolstoy was a realist. Austen was a romantic.

"Not really," she answered. "I found it tortuous to read."

I persisted with the interrogation throughout the day; in between classes, the rest of lunch – anytime I was near her. She answered every question with such fervor and intensity but seemed embarrassed on occasion, blushing. I noted that and occasionally threw in another question that would bring the pink color to her cheeks. She was even more radiant when the blood rushed suddenly to her face. I wasn't able to read her mind but I could read her expressions. She was like an open book – a very engrossing book.

"What is your favorite gemstone?" I asked.

She quickly answered, "Topaz." She tried to hide her face behind her hair as she blushed again. I knew the question probably seemed ridiculous to her, but I could not imagine why a question like that would illicit such a response.

My eyes and my words pleaded with her. "Tell me why it is your favorite."

She reached up to twist a piece of her hair between her fingers, looked down and answered, "because it is the color of your eyes today." She looked up at me through her long eyelashes, never raising her head.

She added, "I suppose if you asked me in two weeks I'd say onyx." That surprised me. My eyes? She saw beauty in my eyes – the mirror to my monstrous soul?

I could tell it was difficult for her to open up to me and answer that question in particular, so I moved onto another, letting her off the hook. I asked her about her favorite flower, what made it her favorite flower? Was it the scent or the color?

She thought for a moment and touched her finger to her bottom lip. "The desert blue bell," she said.

"Why?" I asked, scrunching my eyebrows together. I had expected a rose or tulips or daisies – typical answers. I should have known at that point that there was nothing typical about her.

"As much as I love the brown earth tones of Arizona, the desert blue bell is like a little gift, rising from the dirt floor. It is such a bright and vibrant color against the sand and dust. It reminds me that there is always a hidden beauty, waiting to be discovered." She smiled when she remembered her home.

If she had asked me what my favorite flower was I would have said she was. Bella's unique scent was the combination of various flowers and was a treasure in itself, unique to her alone, much as the desert blue bell was unique to Arizona.

What I wouldn't give to be able to read her thoughts behind her guarded answers. In time, I hoped Bella, would open up to me and trust me as much as I now trusted her. I wanted her to trust me with her life, and with her heart.

We headed off to Biology and the questioning continued. I was sure she was getting tired of my inquiry but I just could not get enough information about her. Learning about Bella was like drinking exquisite wine from a bottomless glass.

I convinced myself that the more endearing qualities she revealed to me would prevent me from killing her. I truly wanted to find a way to live with her human self in my vampire world.

As soon as Mr. Banner dimmed the lights for the day's audio-visual performance, I pulled my chair a little further away from her, in hopes that the electrical charge that emanated from within us yesterday would be abated today. Along with getting to know Bella better, I also had to learn more self-control to be near her.

As quickly as the lights shut off, the electrical surge returned, racing through my body.

I could tell she was distracted by me and wasn't getting much out of the movie. She continued to move her hands closer to mine, then move them away, folding her arms, leaning forward on the table and resting her chin on her arms. She was fighting back an urge. I knew better than anyone what a difficult undertaking that was.

When the lights came back on, I hoped Bella had noticed I was looking at her. I spent the entire film analyzing her body language and what it was saying to me. I don't think either of us got much out of the film, although I had seen it plenty of times before.

I silently rose from my seat and pulled her chair out for her. I would walk her to her gym class, leaving her to the distorted thoughts of Mike Newton. I shuddered at the thought.

Just like yesterday we walked in silence, pushing me to analyze her body language further. As she stopped to enter the gym, I looked tenderly down at her and stroked her cheek with the back of my cold hand. She didn't seem to be bothered by it yesterday and feeling her warmth and softness did so much for me.

Gym lasted its normal torturous hour, forcing me to watch Bella through the minds of Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley, two teenagers I absolutely despised; Newton for his relentless pursuit of Bella and Jessica for her rude thoughts and back-stabbing ways.

It was actually a pretty quiet day for one of Bella's gym classes. I got from Jessica that Bella was sitting out and Mike had taken it upon himself to become a one-man badminton show.

Mike and Jessica did not talk to Bella the entire period. I felt complete exultation. Perhaps he was still angry with her from the squabble they had the day before. Either way, I didn't care. Bella wasn't the focus of Mike's thoughts.

Bella was out of the gym and headed towards me almost as soon as the bell had sounded. How did she get changed so quickly? She stumbled through the doors and greeted me with a wide smile that lit up her chocolate eyes.

When Bella smiled, I smiled. I couldn't help it. She made me feel joy and happiness. I was grateful for each and every little moment I had with her, because I knew the clock was ticking. I was immortal but she was not and if I had my way, she never would be.

I already started the new round of questioning with Bella as soon as we got into my car and continued the barrage until we pulled in front of her house.

My questions were getting more in-depth. That was my plan. Start her off on the easy questions, gain her confidence, then sneak the more probing ones in and catch her off guard.

"What is it you miss about Phoenix?" My question was pleading and I hoped she knew I wanted details, not trite answers.

She bit her bottom lip as she frequently did when she was deep in thought. "Well, I miss the brown, like I said earlier. I miss the heat and the sun and the smaller vegetation. It is so different here. Here everything is green, even tree trunks – things that should be brown. The rain makes it hard to go out and do much. They are just two different places." She paused for a moment, shaking her head. Then she turned to look at me, "but there was no Edward in Phoenix and you are worth all of the things I miss."

I pulled the car up in front of the Swan's home and turned off the ignition. The day wasn't over and there was plenty more I wanted to know about Bella. "Tell me more about Arizona. I want to know what is so wonderful and beautiful about your home. I want to know the different smells, the way the weather is different – how the sun feels as it warms your skin. Tell me everything," I pleaded again.

She seemed genuinely interested in the fact that I wanted to know every little detail of things she considered trivial.

"I love hearing the Cicadas in July but my favorite thing ever is how big and open the sky is. You can see the clouds shifting and see storm fronts moving in over the mountains. There are so many colors, more than brown; there is the purple of volcanic rock and the red clay, the feathery barrenness of the trees. And mostly, the sun and the heat and how that affects your mood. It is so easy to be happy there."

Her answer puzzled me and I had to ask, "You aren't happy here?"

She smiled and reached to touch my hand, looking at it at the same time, "I am becoming happy here because of you Edward. You are my sun."

I begged her to continue – to tell me about her school there, her friends, her house and even pushed for details of her bedroom. I couldn't see it through her mind but I hoped she would paint a visual picture that would let me see into her soul a little.

Just as I completed my line of questioning there was a dim light of a storm moving in. She took this as an opportunity to escape the inquisition.

"Are you finished?" she asked, letting out a breath as if she had just run a 5K marathon.

I smiled, "Not even close – but your father will be home soon."

She panicked, "Charlie! How late is it?" She looked at the clock and seemed shocked. I was sure she was worried about getting the Chief's dinner on the table for him. I knew Charlie Swan was not a callous parent. She loved her father. That was clear.

I looked off into the western horizon, realizing I would have to let her go soon and answered, "It's Twilight."

I continued to think about that for a few moments, what Twilight meant to my kind. I could tell Bella knew my mind was elsewhere and I suddenly looked back at her with an explanation, "It's the safest time of day for us. The easiest time. But also the saddest, in a way…the end of another day, the return of the night. Darkness is so predictable, don't you think?" I asked wistfully.

Her answer was so Bella. She saw the good in the bad, the right in wrong, and the sweet in the sour. With her, there was always a silver lining. "I like the night. Without the dark, we'd never see the stars," she frowned. "Not that you see them here very much."

This was one of the reasons I loved Bella. She could brighten my day, any and every day. I smiled at her and touched her arm through her coat. I knew it was time for me to go.

"Charlie will be here in a few minutes. So, unless you want to tell him that you'll be with me Saturday…" I ended, raising one eyebrow. Maybe she did want to tell Charlie about us. This was her opportunity.

Bella gathered her books together, "Thanks. But no thanks." Then her voice turned excited. "So is it my turn tomorrow?"

I was teasing with her, but wanted her to know that that was an outrageous request. "Certainly not! I told you I wasn't done, didn't I?"

Bella wrinkled her lips in the way she always did when things weren't going her way. She was frustrated that she wasn't winning this battle with me. "What more is there?"

I moved around the car to open the door for her. "You'll find out tomorrow." As I said those words, touching her door handle, I could hear her heart begin to palpitate wildly. But my hand was frozen there. "Not good."

My jaws were clenched and eyes crazed. I was sure it scared Bella. "What is it?" she asked.

I glanced quickly at her. I did not want her to think this was about her. "Another complication."

I moved, without hesitation away from her, swiftly climbing into the driver's side. I would have preferred to lead her to her front door, but the situation would not allow that. "Charlie's around the corner," I warned, looking out into the downpour at the vehicle that had just pulled up to the curb near us. The car's occupants were my concern, not Bella's father.

As soon as I told Bella that her father was near, she hopped out of the car. She looked in the direction of the other vehicle, but I could tell she had no idea who was there.

I knew who it was. It was the Blacks – Jacob and his father Billy. I felt they didn't care for my presence in Bella's life and were here to serve a warning. I stared defiantly at them through the glare of their head-lights, letting them know this was not something I would back down from.

I revved the Volvo's engine and sped away just as Charlie's police cruiser pulled over the hill. As long as Chief Swan was with Bella I was certain I did not need to worry about her safety, although I was thoroughly disapproving of the Black's proximity to my Bella.