Authors Note: This isn't my beta'd version. I don't own Harry Potter or Twilight. Read and Review

Awake

Obsession can cause many things to happen. It can drive a loving wife to kill her husband, it can cause a world leader to declare war. Many people lose their lives to it. Obsession was often if not always a dangerous thing. It blurred the lines, it put the rules out of focus. It was a dangerous motivation and seemed to run parallel with insanity. Nothing good came from it, it was ruthless. It brought out a desperation in people that could quickly turn to violence.

Edward Cullen knew this, but in the heat of his obsession he had already lost reason. It seemed to him that all his life had become a fine dust that was easily blown away by the sight of Harry Potter. He forgot himself in that green gaze, he lost himself to the sound of Harry's voice. He was caged in his love for Harry, he was hopelessly trapped in it. He feared himself around Harry. He felt as if he would do anything to get the small boys notice.

Edward had memorized every detail of this boy. He could close his eyes and picture his face completely. It was heart shaped the lips were full and pink and utterly soft looking. His nose was very strait, his eyebrows arched perfectly. His eye lashes were like tiny fans framing his eyes perfectly. The eyes captured Edward the most. He could fall right into those eyes. He was nearly glad that his little human had such a knack for avoiding him.

If he ever got close enough to speak he would surely blurt out something ridiculous, like his undying devotion. It was a fantasy and one that Edward indulged himself in quite frequently. It played something like a sappy romance film in his head. Harry would run into his arms and off into the sunset they would go. Edward was full of romantic notions like that. He was brimming with them actually, but a larger part of him, the truer and darker part of him was more realistic.

It would be more like a horror film if Harry ever ran into his arms. It seemed like Harry knew this. There would be no running off into the sunset. It would be nothing like a romance film. There would be blood and there would be death. It was unavoidable. His true nature would allow for nothing else. If this were any other human Edward would have already left town. It wasn't any human though it was Harry and Edward could not bring himself to take one step in any direction if it meant he would be away from Harry.

Edward knew that he was dangerous. He was here though like the monster he was sitting on Harry's windowsill and watching him sleep. Indeed the lines had not just been blurred for Edward they had nearly been erased altogether. He needed Harry like he had never needed anything before, unless you counted blood. He needed Harry even more than blood though, indeed he had been neglecting to feed regularly.

He needed Harry to breathe, he needed him to smile and to live. His need seemed to become worse with each passing moment. If he couldn't see Harry he couldn't focus, if he couldn't hear Harry then he couldn't breathe. His mind was beyond his control. Without warning he would slip into daydreams of him and Harry together. He would picture himself bringing Harry into his arms and changing him. Harry would rush to him and together they would roam the world. Two vampires in the night, together forever.

Edward knew one thing for sure; the thin veil of control keeping him from turning his fantasies into realties was dissolving. If something did not happen soon he might just open the window that was currently separating him from Harry and cross that final fading line. Edward was scared to risk it. He wasn't sure he would be able to actually harm Harry. Edward knew that what he wanted from the boy would be harmful to him. He wanted his life he wanted to swallow it up and in so doing lock Harry to him for eternity.

His need for the small human was slowly eating at him. It was a torture that he both despised and loved. Edward knew that he would rather watch Harry from afar and protect him rather then not have Harry in his life at all. He was sure that was love and it thrilled him and terrified him like nothing else. Love was a powerful emotion and it had hurt him in the past. Edward felt like a stick of dynamite burning on both ends. On one end there was love and on the other end was obsession. At this point Edward didn't know which one was worse or more dangerous, he was positive though that each was inappropriate.

He imagined going into Harry's room and running his fingers through his long midnight hair. Would Harry hate him if he did that? Would he scream would he run? Edward didn't know the answer to that but he could dream. He could dream of being close enough to Harry to drown in his intense green gaze. If he could have just one moment were Harry would look at him well it would be worth any amount of pain, for just one moment.

That moment though was not likely to come. Time had become something like a sharp pain to Edward, almost like someone had a dagger to his chest. He noticed the five minutes Harry took to arrive to school, he noticed the three minutes Harry spent in the washroom each day. Worse of all he noticed each day that went by. So far it had been one hundred and eighty and a half days. Six months had gone by, and never since Edward had been turned had he noticed the passing of half a year.

For some reason Harry had instantly recognized him for what he was. His reaction hadn't been fear or revulsion it had been worse; Harry simply seemed indifferent. Edward would almost believe that Harry didn't even really care except for the fact that he avoided him like the plague. Harry's mind would go in and out of focus at the oddest times. Edward would sometimes hear his thoughts clear as day and at other times the thoughts sounded muffled. Most of the time though Harry's mind was silent.

Harry seemed to go through long periods of the day and sometimes weeks were he thought nothing. Edward knew that was impossible but it was happening none the less. He would stare at his mate while he was speaking only to hear no thoughts behind the words. Edward could only come to one conclusion and it unsettled him. Somehow Harry was blocking his mind, a small moan caused Edward to focus into the room. He zoned in on Harry, who rolled over in his sleep moaning softly again.

Edward noticed that Harry almost seemed to be grimacing in pain. He had never seen Harry do anything like this while he was sleeping. He moaned again and then curled into a tight ball. Edward scanned the room and cracked open the window without thinking. He froze with his fingers curled around the bottom of the window pane. This was a moment, if he opened the window something would happen. Possibly something good or maybe something bad whatever it was it was the moment and something would be changed forever.

It was irrational, Edward knew this. It was plain that Harry was having a nightmare, he would wake up and he would be fine whether or not Edward intervened. Harry cried out louder than before and Edward reacted all rationality lost to that one small sound of distress. Before he had completely thought it through he was inside the room, logic forgotten. He wanted to comfort Harry he wanted to shield him from even the smallest amount of pain, but he had opened the window and now he was in his room the monster in the night here to save the beauty from his scary dreams.

As soon as Edward's feet touched the ground several things happened in rapid succession. Harry's eyes snapped open, he vaulted out of bed as if his body had become water and Edward found himself thrown into a wall with astonishing force. He watched Harry half thrilled half terrified. There he was so close looking like some avenging angel and holding a thin piece of wood. His eyes were narrowed into thin slits and then his face melted becoming completely serene.

"Cullen?"

Edward felt shivers run through his body at the sound of that voice. To have Harry speak his name even in anger was more progress then he had made in the past six months. Harry was looking at him at least and he felt real for once locked in that gaze, like he affected something like he changed something. He was good at being a ghost at being forgettable but he did not want to be any of those things for Harry, he did not want to be forgettable.

He spent a lot of his time listening to that voice. He spent the entire day searching for it, waiting for it. His siblings thought he was becoming absent minded and teased him for succumbing to old age so quickly. He wasn't forgetful though, there were times when he wanted to be. Times when he wished he could forget as easily as a human could forget. A mind like his though was not so easily eased. Things like fading memories were not afforded to him and just as well…

Again Edward cursed his own mind for being so well trained to multitask, here he was frightening his mate. There was no simple way to explain what he was doing in Harry's bedroom in the middle of the night. There was no lie to tell nothing he could think of would make any sense. The truth sounded ridiculous. It didn't really matter though, right now Edward was terrified, Harry was doing things he had never seen any human do, humans were not capable of such things.

It occurred to him that possibly Harry wasn't human, he had never found a human that could veil his thoughts, he had never seen a human with emerald eyes that sparkled like fire. If he could just hear what Harry was thinking then he could figure out what was brewing under that serene face. Edward pushed into Harry's mind, something he had never done before. He had never needed to do it before and he was not even sure that he was doing it right. He just pushed imagining a wall.

"Stop that! My mind is my own Cullen."

The pleasure came again a bit more exquisite then the last time. Harry was indescribably beautiful to look at. Edward's body was shaking now and he realized with a thrill of something close to excitement that Harry might just be deadly. He had never come so close to dying there had never been a real chance of it actually happening. The inappropriate feelings of happiness came once more, Harry was not quite so fragile.

"What are you doing in my house?"

Edward's eyes remained locked to Harry's face, he was stunning and Edward was drinking him in like a man dying of thirst. He had never seen him so up close while he was awake,it was slightly intoxicating, it was most certainly for the best that he was pinned to the wall. Edward knew that Harry wanted an answer to his question. He was unable to provide one though, since whatever power Harry was using was slowly crushing his windpipe. It couldn't kill him, breathing wasn't necessary but it did stop him from being able to speak.

Edward was not sure if he would be able to break free of whatever was holding him to the wall. He wouldn't risk trying it though it was clear that he had already frightened Harry. It would only make matters worse if he attempted to overpower him. Edward would usually be sure of something like that, that he would be able to overpower a human, but now he wasn't, he didn't know whether or not he actually could overpower Harry. Some of the pressure on Edward's throat eased up but his body remained pinned to the wall. He took and unnecessary breath and looked at Harry who was looking at him intently.

"Harry I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. You were having a…"

You were having a nightmare and what. Edward didn't know what to say. Was he was supposed to tell him that he watched him sleep? No, somehow Edward was sure that wouldn't come out right…'Hey Harry I watch you sleep and I follow you everywhere. I have been ever since you got here and you had a nightmare so I came in here to save you from your pillows.' Nope that wouldn't go over well.

"You've been doing what?"

Harry's voice was quite suddenly not as appealing. For some reason he was shrieking loudly. Edward could not understand where this new wave of anger had come from. Harry was looking at him with such pure hatred that Edward felt himself recoil.

"How dare you invade my privacy like that! It's bad enough that you've been trying to read my mind constantly but you follow me everywhere and watch me sleep! You're sick."

It was a confusing moment for Edward. He knew that Harry had never seen him. There was no way for him to know that Edward followed him everywhere, and on the few occasions that Harry had seen him he had quickly disappeared. Edward wasn't stupid he wasn't about to confess to Harry that he was some crazed stalker he had just been thinking…

A very unpleasant feeling seemed to slither down Edward's spine. It couldn't have been possible but Harry had just read his mind. What the hell was Harry, he had never come across a mortal that could read minds. It wasn't supposed to be possible. Edward stared at Harry for a long time the feeling of fear becoming acute and settling in his mind firmly. There was something he did not know about Harry. He decided to test his little theory.

'Harry can you hear me?'

Edward watched Harry carefully but he could not detect any change in him at all. Harry's expression remained serene. After a moment his lips quirked slightly into a smirk, the look was sexy but it was clear to Edward that Harry was now enraged were as only a few moments ago he had just been angry. Despite his loose stance all his muscles were tense. None of the anger took away from his beauty but he was terrifying. Edward watched Harry's lips twist into a full smile and then he flicked his thin stick.

For a brief second nothing happened and then Edward was engulfed in flames. The pain was intense in a way that he had not felt since he had been turned. The pain rose to a dizzying height and then stopped without warning. The room was silent and there was a moment where Edward looked at Harry and he looked at him completely open. Edward could only read shock in Harry's eyes and then Harry collapsed screaming.

Edward watched in horror as Harry began to convulse and thrash on the floor. Harry's arm hit the floor with a loud thud and his screams rose dramatically in volume. Edward realized he could move but he wasn't sure what to do. He knelt down beside Harry but was afraid to touch him. His skin was turning red and white in patches. He curled in on himself suddenly holding himself around the middle and gritting his teeth.

"I'M SORRY PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! I'M SORRY!"

Edward was sitting close enough to Harry that the volume of his voice caused his ears to ring. After that he couldn't make out any words but it was clear to him that Harry was in agony. It was torture and it was made worse because he had no idea what to do. Edward wasn't sure if he should touch Harry or move him. The screaming was driving him mad though and if it didn't stop he was sure that he would lose his reason all together. It was as if Harry had heard his thoughts because at that moment he quieted and his body straightened out just a bit. He began to murmur lowly but it was still incomprehensible. Edward strained to hear and made out six words.

"Please Edward forgive me I'm sorry."

Edward couldn't think what it was Harry wanted to be forgiven for. He said the words though since Harry had asked and he tried his best to infuse them with feeling, to make them sound sincere. As soon as the words left his mouth Harry's body went lip and his heart slowed down again to a normal rhythm. Edward looked at him and Harry met his eyes for a moment and then he lost consciousness. Edward picked him up carefully and placed him on is bed. He stood quickly to the side thinking it would be best if he was away from Harry. Edward did stare at him though and with little shame.

A quiet calm settled over him as he watched Harry sleep. Six hours passed before he woke again and in that time Edward's mind settled into a steady pattern of thoughts that were not productive at all. Harry was dangerous, Harry could hurt him, Harry could kill him. At some point in the night his eyes had fastened on the thin stick of wood Harry was till holding in a death grip and a compulsion came over him so strong to try to take it that he did try without thought. He was shocked and the pain sang through his body swiftly, it was magnificent to feel something like pain still he let go of the stick quickly and fell again to just watching Harry sleep.

He had some ideas as to what the stick was used for. It was just he had never supposed that anything like that existed which was obtuse when you considered that he himself existed as a vampire. He had always been like that though, he was only able to see as far as the end of the road, anything beyond that feel into the realm of impossibility. A soft sigh was his alert that Harry was waking up. He watched him transfixed as the green eyes opened and locked onto him the way he had been wishing they would for months. For a moment there was a storm of emotion nothing that he could discern and then the eyes went blank almost as if someone had lowered the shutters. Harry smiled and stretched and then he spoke…

"Hello Edward, I'm Harry Potter and you're a vampire and my soul mate nice to meet you."

Edward was once again happy that his mind was proficient. He could remark that Harry's voice was very flat almost as if he was joking, he could think that it was very strange that Harry had come to this conclusion, he could remember to force his face into a neutral expression but he had done that too late, he was sure of it because at the moment he fixed his face a wide smirk spread across Harry's face.

*** Harry's POV ***

Harry was amused with the vampires very open expression; it was cute in a way. Several things had suddenly clicked in Harry's mind, at first he had no clue really as to why the vampire insisted on following him, well stalking him. Edward was skilled in stalking Harry would give him that, he had needed to use every ounce of his cunning to keep away from him. Of course Harry had not accounted for the vampires nature, he had forgotten completely that they didn't sleep. He did have magic to his advantage and given the way Edward was gaping at him, Harry was sure Edward didn't know what magic was.

Harry had realized quickly that the vampires interest in him had nothing to do with his blood. He was aware of the Cullen's and there special diet, however knowing that the vampire wasn't lusting for his blood had left him confused. The push had been the spying, it was just so personal, Harry was vulnerable in his sleep he had nightmares, he talked out loud. He didn't have his guard up when he was asleep and knowing that Edward has been watching him in that state, made him angry. He had never intended to hurt Edward he just wanted to prove that he was not some helpless mortal boy, and to possibly instill some fear in Edward that would potentially make him stay away. It was impossible but Harry was now sure that Edward was his mate. There was no other explanation for his own curse rebounding on him.

"You can feel it?"

Harry could hear the slightly awed tone in Edward's voice. He looked at his face briefly and saw that it was a mask of confusion, perfect and beautiful confusion. It made Harry wonder exactly what Edward knew about being mates. He had not heard of any mortal having an immortal mate. There was also the fact that Harry couldn't feel anything, there was supposed to be something like a warmth in your heart when you were near your mate. Harry didn't feel any warmth but his curse had rebounded on him and that was proof enough.

"Well I can't feel it but when I attacked you with the intent to harm you my magic attacked me. Wizards are bound at birth to never be able to physically harm their true mate and I can't harm you."

Harry could not help the small burst of laughter that escaped him at the vampires reaction. As far as Harry knew vampires were supposed to be the calm and collected type. Apparently Edward was not one of those types of vampires, for some reason he had chosen to very abruptly take a seat on the floor. He was looking up at Harry with an expression very close to awe settling over his perfect features.

He looked like the perfect imitation of man, made completely out of marble. The bronze hair was in perfect disarray, the golden eyes were wide, the skin was a dazzling white as if someone had polished it for hours on end with perfect care. All in all the face was the face of an angel and the body was as perfect as if it had been made for the gods. This creature was no god though. Harry took a moment to wonder at his own fate and whether or not their was some being with a terrible sense of humor in control of it. Vampires wether or not they were beautiful were extremely possessive creatures and Harry was sure that he was not the type to be owned or controlled.

He focused on Edward once more, he noted the way he sat there on the floor with unnatural stillness. He breathed too slowly, it seemed his own shock had caused him to forget his perfect human act. Not that it had fooled Harry for a moment, he knew the first time he saw Edward that he was not human. Well not the very first time he had seen him, but the first time he had seen him in the flesh.

The females and some of the males at school were attracted to Edward. Of course humans were instinctual creatures and the appearance of Edward while perfect did not sit quite well with them. It was too perfect to unnatural, even the personalities of Edward and his 'siblings' were too perfect to be accepted with ease, in short Harry had noticed that the general student population gave the Cullen clan a wide breadth at all times.

Harry was not entirely thrilled that this vampire seemed to be his mate. There was nothing that would force him to actually mate with Edward. There wasn't any sickness or sudden death he would suffer for turning away from his mate. Though it seemed to be clear that the vampire would be staying regardless of Harry decision and Harry did not know him well enough to say whether or not the vampire would become violent if he out right rejected him. It wasn't attraction that was the problem, Harry suspected that even if he was blind he would be drawn to Edward. It was the possessive nature of vampires that was the problem, that and his godfather. Harry very much doubted that he would remain human for very long if he chose to bond with the vampire. As if Edward had picked the thought right out of Harry's head which he very well might have he voiced his next question.

"Harry are you frightened of me? Why do you avoid me? How do you avoid me?"

Confusion. Harry was used to people being confused when it came to him. There was something about him that defied logic, of course those people were aware that he was capable of magic. Edward was not one of those people. He was not really even people actually, he was a vampire and he thought that Harry was a simple human, and a human would not be able to avoid him like Harry had been doing. Harry himself was used to unnatural creatures like Edward, unnatural beauty, captivating beauty like that of a Veela. Edward while uniquely perfect even for his kind, was used to nothing of that sort, for him the prenatural, the fantastical, the unfathomable existed in no other form then that of the vampire.

"To answer your first question, no I am not frightened of you. To your second question, you know why I avoid you. You are a vampire, I understand that you do not want my blood, I am aware of your special diet and I commend you and your family for your restraint. However I have no interest in becoming a human puppy for you, vampires are very possessive creatures."

Harry noticed the very slight flinch at the word creature but he ignored it to continue on. Harry was actually quite pleased with himself, he had achieved the uncaring air he had been aiming for. The truth was that Harry's heart was racing with joy, but he was content to let the vampire think it was fear. The truth was Harry was not sure what he wanted, but he knew that he could not turn himself over to Edward with reckless abandon. He could not abandon Remus who needed Harry and much as Harry needed him. Finally he refused to believe that a vampire could complete his soul, that he was destined to become one. It could not be, it was not normal, and now Harry would prove against all his own longing to just be average, that he was not.

"And to your final question Edward."

It was a bit painful for Harry to say his name, all of it was painful, and confusing. Harry felt as if he was being pulled in a million different directions but he focused and went only to the other side of the room in a silent apparition. He had learned from Voldemort of all people that the annoying cracking sound could be removed with a spell. Harry watched Edward carefully as his expression morphed slowly into confusion. Harry knew that Edward had been unable to detect any movement, he was most likely wondering if Harry possessed any prenatural speed. Harry took a moment and did it again appearing directly beside Edward who jumped and then quickly composed himself.

"What are you?"

He sounded frightened and amazed, he looked it to, which caused Harry a bit more pain then he cared to admit. It was not up to a vampire to determine what was normal anyway, where did he get off being frightened of Harry! Harry should be the one who was frightened of him not the other way around. It was quite a rude question coming from a vampire and Harry fought back his own annoyance even though it had been the reaction he was aiming for.

"I already told you I am a wizard."

Edward regarded Harry strangely almost as if he was trying to look right through him, or inside him it was almost as if he was trying to find the place the magic was stored. His eyes followed the familiar pattern of an up and down stare. Harry noticed that Edward had forgotten his pretend breathing all together. His eyes finally went back up to Harry's face and they locked eyes for a moment, Harry was hit with a strong sense of familiarity that he was not at all comfortable with. Edward's expression seemed very similar to the young Tom Riddles expression, the moment he had found out that he was a wizard, or that he was special as the young Tom had put it. It was a hungry and possessive look and it didn't settle well with Harry.

"You're telling me that wizards are real?"

Harry was taken aback by the confused note in Edward's voice, maybe he had read his face wrong, he sounded more like a confused little boy then a power hungry maniac.

"Your sire Carlisle knows of us, he was a close friend of the late Albus Dumbledore."

Harry watched carefully as Edward's face seemed to go quite blank. He seemed to be a bit thrown off that Harry knew about his family in such detail. He actually didn't know much at all, surprisingly his digging hand't revealed much he knew their names and a few birth places. Harry wasn't even being noisy he had only snooped around because of Carlisle, he didn't want anyone to recognize him, but other than Carlisle no one else was known in the wizarding world.

"Harry what will you do now that you know what we are to each other?"

Well Edward was clearly not the type to beat around the bush. Harry took a moment to pretend to think carefully about his answer. Harry's plan was to do absolutely nothing. Harry had not come to Forks to find his mate, he had come to forget his demons, to start fresh, to become someone new and better. If Edward insisted on pursuing Harry then Harry would run, far and fast. Harry kept telling himself stubbornly that he did not need Edward, he did not want Edward, he was losing.

"I don't imagine I'll be doing much about it, although I assume it will be difficult to avoid you from now on, especially difficult since you seem to have no shame in stalking me."

At the very least Edward had the decency to look ashamed. Harry was the one thrown for a loop with Edward's next question. He seemed to have composed himself once more and was now sitting calmly and looking up at Harry with a purely curious expression.

"About that... I mean my stalking actually. How did you know, I never said it out loud, I only thought that I shouldn't tell you."

Harry didn't answer right away, in fact he nearly turned completely away from Edward so he could concentrate. He tried to remember every detail of what had happened last night. It had been right before he had attacked Edward...and Edward had not actually spoken to Harry. Harry raked his brain for every last detail and he could not actually figure out what the difference was, he couldn't hear any thoughts now.

Harry reviewed the events again trying to strip away all emotions and leave only facts, he thought again of the moment right before Edward confessed to spying on him and he realized that at that exact moment he had looked into Edwards eyes. Harry hesitated but then he turned back around and tried it again, he looked Edward in the eyes and at once a multitude of voices swelled. Harry could hear people in the street, he could hear his neighbor, but the most interesting thoughts were rapid and held the distinctive velvet quality of Edward's voice. Harry looked away and smirked slyly at no one.

"You think I would look nice in black silk?"

Edward had the audacity to look affronted but Harry paid it no mind and continued to smirk. For someone who could read minds like Edward, it must have been quite a shock to have someone enter his mind, if even for just a brief second.

"You heard that? You can read my thoughts?"

Harry did not really want to admit that he couldn't really read Edward's mind. Edward had a interesting defense, since he could read minds, Harry had mainly heard a whole mess of noise he had barely been able to distinguish any individual thought. And even though Harry wouldn't mind making Edward uncomfortable by listening to his thoughts all day, Harry had no desire to listen that din day in and day out. He had no idea how Edward could stand it, and he wondered seriously if a vampire could get a headache.

"I can only hear your thoughts when I look you in the eyes."

Harry was definitely glad that he could not hear thoughts like that all the time. He moved away from Edward and went to look out the window, the sun was just rising, the sky was turning a pale gray. The town was a peaceful place in spite of Edward. Harry dreamed of him every night and he felt safe and at home when the dream Edward held him in his arms. He was awkward around the real Edward though. He made Harry feel like he could break, he was not willing to give himself over to anyone that completely, and Harry knew that if he let it happen, then Edward would consume him completely. There wouldn't be anything left of him and he would be hopelessly trapped no longer able to tell where Harry began or where Edward ended.

"Why can't I always hear your thoughts Harry?"

The sun was up now, Harry continued to look at the sky, he didn't give any sign to let Edward know if he had heard him or not. Edward's voice held a frustrated edge that Harry didn't care for. He had wanted them to be on even footing , or more honestly he had wanted to be the one who held all the cards, the one who remained in control. His control was slipping though, he was unsure of himself and his own intentions suddenly. Harry continued to look out the window at the grey sky, he hand't seen the sun in six months, but it was just as well, Harry didn't care much for the sun, it didn't suit his mood anyhow.

"I am very skilled at occulmency; it is a mind magic used to block your mind from outside influences. I have to maintain it at full strength with you around as a result there are periods of time when I can't keep it up, and I suspect that anything less then one hundred percent won't keep you out."

"Oh"

Harry turned around and spared Edward a glance, he was still sitting on the floor, he seemed a little overwhelmed, possibly as overwhelmed as Harry felt at that moment. It did cause Harry a smidgen of relief, they were both unsure there was no even ground. For the both of them this was uneven territory. Right now though Harry's main concern was getting Edward to back off, he needed to come to the point and say what he needed to say.

"I don't love you Edward."

Harry noticed that Edward seemed to nearly collapse at this, he slumped and then all at once became impossibly rigid. The pain in his eyes was clear and Harry felt a sharp echo of it in his own heart. He almost broke right there, but then he thought of Remus and his resolve strengthened just a bit.

"Let me clarify a bit. I don't know you, all I know is what I know about your kind, and you have to admit that your reputation is not that great as a species, your controlling and in the end you will kill me. I'm not saying any of this to hurt you, I'm just trying to be realistic."

Harry resisted sighing in relief when Edward seemed to relax. Harry was not being realistic though, it would have made more sense to run. If he so much as held a lengthy conversation with Edward everything would be out of his control, but he had seen the pain in Edward's eyes. He could tell that Edward was on some kind of precipice just like him and if Harry turned him away now, then he might as well push him over the edge. It was too late already.

"Edward, we need to take things slowly, I mean we're not even friends. Us being mates isn't some type of enchantment, it does mean that we are perfect for each other, not all mates end up together, we need to let things take there natural course and see where that leads us. I don't want to just jump into this."

"You don't hate me then?"

Harry winced inwardly at the hopeful tone in Edward's voice. Was he really that desperate for his mate? Harry wondered how old Edward was, he knew Carlisle was three to four centuries old but Edward couldn't have been that old. Vampires had a tendency to go a bit mad without there mates given enough, or too much time as it were. As far as Harry could tell Edward didn't seem insane, he seemed more silent and brooding then insane, although brooding did have its drawbacks, insanity being one of them. Harry did consider that Edward had been stalking him which was leaning a bit heavily on the obsessive side, although that could very well be a personality trait of Edwards. Either way there was noway Harry could just come out and ask if Edward was insane.

"No I don't hate you Edward. I am...nervous about your temperament I know vampires can be a bit crazy about their mates and I have no desire to become some sort of possession to you, either way what we need to do first is get to know each other."

*** Edward's POV ***

Edward was satisfied, he let the beautiful tones of Harry's voice wash over him as he took in what he said carefully. It was not an unreasonable request, they should get to know each other before Harry could consider spending and an eternity with him. Of course Edward was already decided, he was Harry's completely and now it was up to Harry to decide what to do with him.

"We have school in thirty minutes you should get ready?"

Edward watched Harry nod and smile gently at him, he forced himself to move quickly and went out the window. He needed to be home in time to drive his family to school. No one spoke to him when he arrived and everyone was attempting to drown out his ability with loud music. He caught a few whispers though, of course they all already knew he was leaving he house at night but now they were wondering why he seemed so happy. He shrugged it off and got into the divers seat the faster he got to school, the faster he could see Harry.

He arrived in time to see Harry climbing out of his sleek black sports car, Harry smirked at him briefly but other then that he gave no indication that he had seen Edward. He went on into the school and Edward stayed still feeling his siblings eyes on him from all angles. Rosalie was glaring at Harry openly but Edward was sure it wouldn't actually bother Harry. He shook himself mentally and broke away from his still siblings and made his way towards the school while being careful not to rush.

The first class of the day was Harry free and Edward was waiting with absolutely no patience for it to end. He was fidgeting and Alice was openly staring at him in awe and confusion. He only had biology and gym with Harry and in his opinion that wasn't enough. When it was finally time for bio Edward was out the door almost before the bell had rang. He took his usual seat at the front of the class trying to look clam and collected. He listened for Harry's steps and forced himself to remain looking at the board when Harry entered the room. Edward failed completely when Harry chose to sit beside him, as soon as he heard the stool scrap across the floor his face broke into a huge grin. Harry gave him a knowing smirk and then focused on the board.

Edward tried to focus on the assignment Mr. Banner had already printed on the board, but he was having enough trouble trying to keep his gaze off of Harry. He noticed the light buzz of curiosity from the other students, but their thoughts were much more interesting to him for once. Their thoughts were honest, and while Edward loathed his gift as much as he loved it, he found himself scanning for thoughts at this moment. One set of thoughts were coming through quite loudly it only took Edward a moment to pinpoint the thoughts to Mike Newton, out of all of the students, Mike seemed to have formed a small attachment to Harry.

Edward focused on Mike's thoughts alone and found himself hard pressed to not laugh out loud at what he heard. For one thing Newton's thoughts were very rapid and panicky as he went through a list of all the various reasons he could think of for Harry sitting next to him. It was actually slightly alarming to Edward that the wilder the reason's became the more accurate they sounded. It was if Mike had some type of information about him that he shouldn't have, and there was something like radio interference in Mikes mind. Edward could hear the thoughts loud and clear but there was a constant static. Mike finally seemed to decide that Edward had somehow threatened Harry, once again it was a bit too close to the truth.

Edward waited for Harry to strike up a conversation but he never did, not that he would of been any good at a conversation at this particular moment. He was too caught up in studying every detail of Harry. He was staring at the way his hands moved as he wrote, the small crease that formed between his eyebrows has he squinted at the board, the way he tucked a loose strand of his long hair behind his ear again and again.

Edward barely noticed when the bell rang and when he didn't move Harry turned and smiled at him slightly, he nodded awkwardly glad for once that he could not blush, he gathered his things quickly and watched Harry leave the classroom. He had spanish next and that meant another hour in which he would not be able to see Harry. He contented himself by spying on Harry via Rosalie's mind. Her thoughts were annoying but since this morning she hand't taken her eyes off of Harry, so Edward had a very good view.

*** Harry's POV ***

Harry didn't know what to really make of biology with Edward, in a word it had been awkward, but Harry supposed that it was to be expected. It wasn't as if they could have held any meaningful conversations in a classroom and even less likely with Edward sitting right up front like the perfect model student. The entire situation between them was abnormal at best and bizarre at worst. Despite that Harry was still here, there wasn't anything good to come of this, his life was already complicated as it was and if he didn't get a grip of himself soon, he would regret it.

The reasonable thing to do would be to leave town. He could leave easily enough disappear well enough that even a vampire wouldn't be able to find him. Harry didn't want to disappear though, if the dream Edward was anything like the real Edward, then he needed him. Harry was broken on the inside, shattered really and the only time he felt real and safe was in dream Edward's arms, but he would always wake up. Harry always seemed to be stuck between reality and fantasy. Before coming here he had imagined that he was in a nightmare, screaming and screaming to be awake, to feel something, but if Edward was just a dream then he wanted to stay asleep and never wake up.

The real Edward was threatening the dream Edward. The real Edward came along with a host of real problems. Harry could not get into bed with a vampire, with an entire coven of vampires, where would that leave Remus. That was his dilemma and yet here he was sitting in school telling himself that he was not waiting for gym glass so he could see Edward again. Edward was an interesting case for a vampire he was caught in a freeze frame of enteral youth but not only that, he was caught in the body of a developing man, a boy who had yet to come of age. He would always have potential, people would always be expecting more of him. Harry couldn't figure a reason to keep up with this human charade. Don't kill the humans sure but why live with them, why live like them?

It seemed to Harry like the Cullens were putting themselves through an unnecessary but definite torture, why put yourself through so many human lives? Why not just be immortal. The bell rang and Harry got up, he arrived at gym early as usual so he could change in privacy, by the time he was done the rest of the class was just arriving. There was always a bit of open gawking in gym class it was co-ed after all, and some of the boys couldn't quite control there raging teenage hormones. A few boys would always find a way to brush up against Harry, for the past six months he had been studiously ignoring the soft growling this had inspired, but today he was curious to see what Edwards reaction would be.

Edward was the first one out of the change room and Harry let his eyes linger openly for once. Edward did have a perfect body and the standard black and white uniform seemed to fit him particularly well. Edward smiled brightly at Harry and came over quickly looking a lot less awkward then he had in bio class. Harry got a glimpse of Mike's thunderstruck face at this change of events but he ignored it. Mike was strange Harry never gave much indication that he liked Mike but the boy kept hanging around like they were good friends. Harry put Mike out of his head for now, he would deal with his questioning later.

"Hey."

Harry blinked and refocused, he was not sure what made Edward's voice quite so smooth, but when he spoke Harry always got the urge to close his eyes and drift away. He tried to smile smoothly and nod without flushing.

"Hey."

Harry's hey did not sound quite as smooth as he had intended but at least they had conversed, it was a step up from Bio class in which Edward had openly stared at him for an hour strait which had been extremely uncomfortable. The activity for the class was announced and Harry missed hearing it in the bright glare of Edward's grin. He did hear the coach announce Edward and Mike as team captains which was normal. Edward had first pick. He never picked Harry, well he had picked him once but then Harry had faked being sick and he hand't done it again.

"Harry."

Harry blinked and looked at Mike who went from red to green in record time, he gave him a shrug and a wave and went to stand behind Edward. Unfortunately Bella Swan was picked for their team, she was more likely to take out her own teammates or get concussed by the ball. Harry shrugged it off and went to stand on the other side of the gym, Edward picked a spot very close to him, he grinned at Harry again.

"Are you ready Harry?"

Edward's grin was infectious and Harry felt himself responding with a grin of his own. Pretending that Edward did not exist did have its advantages. For one Harry was not as distracted. Harry was so caught up in staring at him that he was out of the game in the first two minutes. Bella was next, it was still a shame though, no one was ever out before Bella. The team did win the game of course. Edward was the last one standing, for some reason the ball could never quite make contact with Edward. When gyn was over Edward walked Harry to his car and struck up a conversation about math, he was clearly trying to distract me from leaving, being subtle was not his strong suit.

For some reason Harry admitted that he wasn't any good at math and suddenly Edward was offering to be his tutor. They reached Harry's car and then stood there awkwardly, for a little while before Harry got in. Harry had to maneuver a bit because Edward wasn't moving. He waved once he was in the car and as soon as he reversed slightly Edward finally moved. Harry had an urge to just run himself into a tree or do something else lethal. He was in love with Edward, there was no stopping it... He was on the ledge and he could never push Edward off, if he did Harry knew that he would jump after him.

Authors Note: Hello, I have been slowly but surely rewriting awake, let me know what you think of the differences if there are any of you who remember the original chapter. This chapter is currently with my beta but she is taking a little while to get back to me and it has been so ridiculously long since I've updated so I'm putting this up now, but it will get reposted once I get the beta version back. Also I wouldn't mind a second beta so if your interested let me no. I will post the next chapter pretty soon as well I just need to go over it again. Sorry for any mistakes. Read and review

Peace and Love