DISCLAIMER:

The characters do not belong to me. They belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 1: Bend in the Road

BPOV

August 3rd. 5:30 in the morning. Ugh.

I kept my eyes shut as tightly as possible, shielding them from the impending day to come, and sighed out of frustration.

"Good morning, love," a soft voice whispered in my ear. I looked up only to find Edward staring intently at me with such adoration. I grinned, cuddling into his cold comforting body, "Hey." His arms wound around me and his hands tenderly massaged my back. I swear I heard him giggle.

"Did you sleep well?" he chuckled, seemingly amused with himself.

"Wonderful, sure." I grumbled, now annoyed. "What?"

"I watched you moan my name quite a few times in your sleep last night. You have quite a vivid imagination, Bella," he smiled, leaning over to kiss me. Instantly my face fell, eyes wide with shock. Could I be even more embarrassed? He paused several inches away, puzzled.

"It... was... nothing. Just the usual. You know, saving your life from the Volturi and all," I stammered.

"Oh... of course it was." He drew back, a grin spreading across his gorgeous face.

I shrugged. How could I tell him the truth? That my mind was consumed with thoughts of being a vampire? Of our stone-hard and ice-cold bare bodies against each other, fingers interlaced, lips locked in the most passionate, timeless kiss ever known to man? If only he could read my mind.

"How could a soulless creature like me be so lucky to have you?" He whispered, resting his forehead against mine.

"I can't even find the words to describe my love for you. I love you so much. Looking back, waiting 90 years for you was worth every second," he continued. My breathing got uneven as his words made my heart pump faster. My fingers twisted in his hair pulling him closer to me.

"I'm glad I only had to wait 18." I laughed idiotically. Oh god, I'm so dumb.

A smile lit up his entire face. He leaned in to kiss me feverishly, his soft lips molding around mine. A giant spark flew between us. One like I've never felt before. Shivers ran through my spine. I threw my head back and gasped for air. Curse you, air! I protested internally as my stomach rumbled.

He gently pushed me away as I crawled out of bed, stumbling around bags of clothes, and shuffled downstairs to eat breakfast.

Today was moving day. After receiving my acceptance letter to Darthmouth College, the same institution Edward had been eyeing over the past year, the Cullen's and I made a decision to move to Norwich, a small town bordering Hanover, New Hampshire.

As I impatiently ate a bowl of cereal waiting for Charlie to wake up, a familiar booming guffaw came from out front. I shouldn't of been surprised by the luxurious cars – Emmett's Jeep Wrangler, Rosalie's BMW, Carlisle's Mercedes, Edward's Volvo, Alice's Porsche – lined up in front of the house. I glanced out the front door, only to hear part of the altercation between Edward and Emmett.

"What's going on?" I asked. "BELLA! You're awake!" Alice chirped, quickly skipping to my side and wrapping me in her arms. She pointed in the direction of my bedroom window, "Emmett kicked Edward as he jumped out, so immature for a 93 year old," she rolled her eyes, giggling.

"Bro, I can't pick on you at night since you're here. Do you know how boring it is to hear Rose talk about how beautiful her hair is all night?"

Emmett laughed out loud, unaware of the hostile glare Rosalie shot at him, while Edward stood up, infuriated. Emmett stopped, looked around, and exploded into laughter once more as Edward crouched down and leaped forward, as if hunting for a much-loved mountain lion. I gasped as I watched Edward blast into Emmett's chest, making a loud crashing noise and causing the ground to tremble.

They looked at each other and started laughing hysterically.

"What on EARTH is going on?" Charlie scolded.

Oh no!

I ran inside and found my dad stumbling out of his bedroom, muttering some inaudible curses under his breath. The boys were carrying out my belongings, one at a time, to a moving trailer attached to Emmett's Jeep, conspicuously hiding their guilt for creating such a commotion.

"It's... 6 o'clock!" he whined. Charlie looked down at the calendar and out at the Cullens, clearly remembering the date at that exact moment. "Wow, Bells... so today's the day huh," resigned to the idea of his teenage daughter moving away to college with the Cullens.

"Good morning, Mr. Swan." Carlisle and Esme stepped up to greet Charlie with an open hand. "Yes, morning," Charlie rebuked, looking towards me. The rain slowly trickled down Esme's umbrella. "Awfully dreary weather for such a wonderful day! We've been looking forward to this for a long time," Esme beamed, excited about the move. "Yes, definitely. Bella's part of us now. We'll take good care of her," Carlisle resumed.

Edward chuckled, stealing a glance at Charlie, and then locking his gaze with mine. I froze, taking in his amber eyes as he loaded one of the last bags of clothing – from one too many shopping trips with Alice – into the trunk of his car. He swiftly gestured me with his index finger to come over, and I nodded. If it wasn't for Alice's interruption, I'd be in Edward's loving embrace right now.

"Bella," Alice voice came back. "Earth to Bella. Aren't you going to say goodbye to Charlie?" Oops, how could I forget? I realized.

Jasper settled himself in Alice's impressive yellow sports car as Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme started up their own. I ran into Charlie's arms with brute force, hugging him as tightly as possible. He reluctantly hugged me back. "Be careful, Bells," unsure of his parting words to me. "Still got that pepper spray? I could give you a few," he stated hesitantly. He had a hard time letting me go. "Call me as soon as you get to Norwich."

The tears came streaming down my face. Edward came to my side and stroked my back affectionately.

"And you!" Charlie pointed at him, not bothering to be polite.

"You better protect my Bella's life with your own. I'm counting on you. And don't you dare make her unhappy!"

"DAD" I groaned, gritting my teeth. I can't believe he just said that. What a...

"I promise, sir. My life means nothing without Bella. As long as I live in this world, she will be safe and happy. " Edward smiled, his voice calming.

Wow. That was unexpected.

Beep, beep, beep. Alice, now sitting in the driver's seat of the Porsche, graciously pointed at her wrist, reminding us of the time.

"Right," I choked. "We have to get going. Being able to drive for 2 days isn't my forte." Edward smirked at my comment.

We slowly turned to Edward's shiny, silver Volvo as I bolted for the driver's seat. Edward beat me to it, of course. Defeated, I sank into the passenger seat and heard Emmett complain once more. "Come on, lovebirds. The quicker we get there, the sooner we can catch something to eat."

Everyone but Rosalie snickered at his latest statement.

As we drove away, all I could see was Charlie's confused reflection in the side view mirror. I wiped away the tears, now drying on my cheeks. As soon as I knew it, we were driving along Olympic Highway, heading east. Edward reached out for my hand and stroked it.

By this time, I completely forgot about our conversation last night.

Edward was all that mattered to me now.

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I'm new to the world of fanfics. I'll take ideas, suggestions or feedback about my work.

Be nice, and of course – enjoy

Maya