Hello! Wow. The response to this story is unreal. Here is the next chapter, there's not much change from the original. The changes are coming but not just yet. Thank you so much for your support, I love you all!

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~Edward~

"Edward…"

I can hear my father's footsteps behind me as I dart through the forest toward my intended. My own thoughts are scattered and frantic, making it extremely difficult to focus on his. I am able to make out his concern, however. He is worried that we might have moved too fast for Bella's fragile human mind. That thought alone sends me into a guilt-ridden panic. I hate that my actions earlier today might be the cause of her obvious discomfort.

Her scent washes over me as we approach her modest home, and while her heady aroma slightly calms my frazzled nerves, the sound of her sobbing alone in her room only adds to my distress. Easily scaling the side of the house, I'm inside her room before her next heartbeat.

"Edward!"

The relief and joy in her voice is a stark contrast to what I heard over the phone, and it confuses me a little. None of that matters, though, when she throws her arms around me.

Her body feels soft and warm against me, and it takes all of my self-control not to take her full, pouty lips in a heated kiss. Especially when her actions are urging me on, and she pouts at my lack of compliance. I chuckle at her petulance, but drop a kiss to her forehead nonetheless, and quietly explain that we need to look her over before I can kiss her.

She nods her understanding, but tightens her grip on me as she looks over at my father. Her eyes are red and puffy from crying, but she still manages to look beyond beautiful to me.

"I'm sorry that I disturbed your night, Dr. Cullen, but I just couldn't stand another minute without my Edward."

She looks up at me with complete devotion shining in her beautiful brown eyes, and I can't suppress the possessive growl that reverberates from my chest at hearing her refer to me as hers. Completely ignoring my father's reminders to be cautious, I gently cradle her face in my large, strong hands, and bring my lips to hers. Her sigh of contentment is all the encouragement I need to finally push my tongue into her mouth.

Her hands fly up to my hair, tugging forcefully, as a deep moan escapes her throat. I can smell the spike of her arousal as she returns my kiss with fervor. Her mouth is soft, wet, warm, and tastes like heaven. I can only hope that she is not overwhelmed in the way that we feared, but rather she just couldn't stand to be separated from me as she stated. I deepen the kiss even more while wrapping myself completely around her. It feels incredible to kiss her without restraint, and, from the passion with which she responds, she agrees.

I pull away reluctantly, and remind her that my father still needs to look her over. She nods her head in agreement, but doesn't bother to hide the annoyance at his interruption. She turns in my embrace in order to face him, but pulls my arms tighter around her waist in a silent request for me to not let her go. I guess he will just have to work around me. I nuzzle the side of her face and hair while he shines a light into her eyes, and asks her some basic questions. He also checks her blood pressure and pulse, much to her chagrin. My father moves forward to touch her wrist at a snail's pace, so not to cause a possessive reaction from me, but Bella still manages to flinch just as he is about to make contact.

I can tell by the stiffness in her posture that the thought of another male touching her is repulsive, even if it's just my father. She apologizes profusely for her reaction, and then takes a deep breath, buries her face in my shoulder, and finally offers him her wrist. She looks completely uncomfortable, but I can definitely understand how she is feeling, because it is taking every ounce of control I have to suppress the growl threatening to leave my chest.

Thankfully, my father is not the least bit offended, and makes sure to tell us both that our instincts are perfectly natural, and not to feel badly about it. I try not to feel guilty when we both sigh in relief as he finally steps away from us.

She smiles smugly when he gives her a clean bill of health, to which he responds internally with a raised eyebrow. She's feisty. You've got your work cut out for you taking care of that one. With one last smirk, and well wishes to Bella, he is out the window, and on his way back to my mother.

"Stay?"

"Of course, always."

I brush my fingers through her hair, pulling her tightly to my chest for a moment before leading her back to her bed. After removing my jeans and shirt, I climb in beside her, wrapping her tightly in my embrace, prepared to spend the rest of the night holding my love. I am grateful that, although I don't require a full night's sleep, I'm still able to, granting me the experience of sleeping next to my mate. Much to my surprise, she doesn't fall asleep right away.

"Tell me about your family. I noticed that Carlisle, Esme, Emmett and Alice all have the same golden eyes, but that you, Rosalie, and Jasper do not. Why is that?"

"Well, I was born in 1901 but reached full maturity in 1918. I'm Carlisle and Esme's biological son, and Rosalie's biological brother, so I guess that makes us hybrids. Jasper is Emmett and Rosalie's son, so he is really my nephew. As a matter of fact, he just rejoined the family not too long ago. You see, he went off in search of his mate about forty years ago, and got caught up in a vampire war. Luckily, he found Alice in a diner one night, and that was that. Emmett and Rose also have a daughter, Maggie. She is staying with our friends in Alaska right now, much to Rosalie's dismay."

"Oh, wow. I wasn't aware that vampires could have offspring. But I guess that's the whole purpose of mating though, right?"

"Well, sort of. Vampire mating is a little different. Not all couples can reproduce. For instance, two vampires cannot procreate, but a male vampire and a human can, as well as two hybrids, or a hybrid and a human. It's a little confusing. The true purpose of our mating, however, is to ensure having a companion to walk the earth with. Eternity is a long time, and our nature is too animalistic for casual relationships."

"Why did your mom and dad, and Rosalie and Emmett, only have two kids each? And why haven't Jasper and Alice had any children?"

"Nature's way of population control, I suppose. Once mated, a female human, or hybrid, will only go into heat twice in her lifetime. However, it's up to the couple whether or not to take advantage of the fertility. Some mated pairs choose not to procreate, although that's nearly impossible, unless it's a human female with a vampire or hybrid male."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, if the female of the pair is human, they can choose to change her immediately, and skip the reproduction phase."

"Is that what happened with Alice and Jasper?"

"Yes. Neither one of them wanted children, so he changed her immediately."

"Oh, wow." She looks thoughtful for a moment before continuing, "When will I go into heat? Gosh, that sounds so crazy."

"Not to me, it doesn't." I reassure her with a smile while brushing a strand of her beautiful, silky hair behind her ear. "You won't go into heat until we consummate our bond. It could happen any time after that, although birth control will usually put it off for a year or so."

She looks shy and embarrassed, making me wish I could read her thoughts. I know, however, that she has the confidence to ask me anything she wants to, but I don't hesitate to encourage her anyway, "You can ask me anything, sweetheart. I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Okay…Uh, well…do you want to have children with me?" I hate that she feels insecure about asking me.

I laugh softly before answering her ridiculous question, "I know that you already know the answer to that, Bella, but I will answer you anyway. Yes, I most definitely want to have children with you. If it's at all possible, yes."

"Why did you say 'if it's at all possible'?" My Bella is so observant; she catches everything.

"Well, there are some mated pairs where the female never goes into heat. Like I said, nature's population control, I guess."

She looks so sad as she ponders this new information, "I really hope that doesn't happen to us. I mean, I'd like to wait until after I graduate high school before stopping birth control, if that's okay with you, but I would be absolutely devastated if we were never given the chance at all."

"Yes, I agree. That would be devastating to me as well."

I go ahead, and expand on that thought, just in case she's wondering. It's so frustrating to not be able to read her thoughts. "Any regular birth control method that stops ovulation will work. I would be happy to ask my father for a prescription if you'd like."

The room is silent for a moment while she considers her options; I smile before she even has a chance to voice her decision. "I appreciate your offer, but I think it would be best to be honest with my father. He's just going to have to understand that intimacy is part of our bond. Speaking of which, what should I tell him about our living arrangements? I refuse to spend my nights away from you."

"Well, my angel, according to vampire law, we are bound more tightly than human marriage, and once we consummate our bond, we will be permanent. There is really no negotiating at this point, with him, or anyone else for that matter. You are my mate, or my wife if he would rather think of it that way, and you will live with me. I am willing to stay here, though, if you are worried about what people might think. It's up to you, baby."

"Oooh, I like that."

"What?"

"Baby."

"Okay, baby." I tease as I smile indulgently at her, "What about our living arrangements? Where would you like to stay?"

"I think I'd like to split our time between the houses, if that's okay."

"Then that's what we'll do."

"I have one more question."

"Ask me anything."

"Well, you said that you were born in 1901, but that you reached full maturity in 1918. So how old does that make you? I mean, obviously you're like a hundred and nine or something, but…humph, I guess what I'm saying is that you look older, like, I don't know, twenty or twenty one. As a matter of fact, I'm kind of amazed that you even pass for a high school student."

The innocence in her eyes is endearing.

"Well, my Bella, we hybrids continue to grow and age until we reach full maturity. It can take anywhere from fifteen to twenty years to reach that point, so it's not really an age, per se. I'm playing a younger role right now, so my clothes and styling reflect that. It's all an illusion, one that Alice is very good at creating. When I'm not playing a high school student, I look a bit older, between twenty five and thirty, but probably closer to thirty, in all honesty. I hope that doesn't bother you too much."

The spike in the scent of her arousal, and the way she attacks my mouth tells me that she doesn't mind at all. Apparently, she finds older men very, very attractive. Good for me.

She tilts her face up to me, silently requesting one last kiss before she finally lets sleep wash over her. I know that our conversation with Charlie isn't going to be easy, but it will surely be worth it in the end. I want my Bella to have access to her family even after she's fully changed.

My angel wakes long after me the next morning, and immediately snaps her head in my direction. I smile at her adoringly before pressing a sweet, gentle kiss to her delectable lips. She hums in appreciation, but pulls away before I can deepen it, citing morning breath. I hope she gets over that insecurity quickly, because nothing can make her undesirable in my eyes. She smells wonderful to me, especially in the morning when the perfume of soap has faded, and her natural scent is the strongest.

I head down to the kitchen to fix her breakfast while she gets dressed, silently thanking God that Charlie has already left for the day. I know that we have to tell him, but Carlisle isn't sure that we should tell him everything. I really want to be honest with him, since vampire mating is a helluva lot different than human dating. I honestly think that he would be wearier of the intensity of our bond if we didn't explain it, especially since Bella and I agreed to be honest about our sleeping arrangements.

According to vampire law, we are able to disclose our nature to our intended and his or her immediate family. Charlie and Renee will also be covered under Bella's protection rights, but they won't know any of this unless we tell them. I sigh heavily at the dilemma.

Before I'm able to sink too far into my wallowing thoughts, Bella bounds down the stairs. She breathes a sigh of relief when she snakes her arms around my waist. Savoring the comfort of her small body against mine, I hold her tight against me as I automatically begin breathing my scent into her skin and hair. I am pleased that my scent lingers, albeit faintly, from yesterday, and I relish the thought that it will only get stronger with time. I can't wait for when we consummate our bond completely, because then our scents will fuse to each other's body permanently, not that it will stop the ritual of scent marking, which we are both currently doing. It amazes me how she instinctually breathes and rubs herself against me.

When she finally lifts her face to me, we spend a moment blowing and breathing into each other's mouth before fusing our lips and tongues together. I don't pull away until I'm satisfied that she is thoroughly saturated in my scent. I love that she's as eager to mark me as hers as I am to mark her as mine.

She smiles brightly when I finally pull away, and the sentiment falls from her perfect pouty lips, "Mine." I chuckle at the same time my heart fills with pride at her possessiveness, and say it right back to her. "Mine." One final kiss to her rosy lips, and she finally sits down to eat the French toast that I made for her. As much as her calm demeanor makes me happy, I still feel the need to make sure she's okay with everything we talked about last night.

"I hope I didn't overwhelm you last night with all of the information I threw at you. I know it can be a lot to take in at once."

"Not at all. I actually feel more settled and in control now that I have a better understanding of the entire situation. I'm really happy, Edward; please don't doubt that."

There is nothing but honesty and adulation shining reflected in her voice, and her beautiful brown eyes reflect a calm, clear appreciation of our bond, as well as a tremendous sense of joy. I can't help but smile at my findings.

"When we sit down to talk this afternoon, sweetheart, we are going to have to discuss how you want to handle your parents. You know, figure out how much you want to tell them and when."

I tenderly brush a wayward strand of hair away from her beautiful face to ease some of her tension. She is deep in thought for a moment, but surprises me when she finally speaks.

"I understand that we will have to discuss it further, you know, with your family and all, but I think it would be best to be completely honest with my father. He is very close friends with the elders of the Quileute tribe down on the La Push Reservation, Especially the Chief, Billy Black. My father has been aware of the tribe's legends, and he's worked closely with the shape-shifters, or, as most people on the rez refer to them, 'the wolves', for as long as he's been the police chief in this town.

"He knows that Billy's son, Jacob, as well as several other Quileute boys, are shape shifters, and he is aware of their mating rituals. He loves and accepts Jacob just the way he is. Because of this knowledge, I believe that he'll be able to handle our news. He may not like it, but he will understand the nature of our connection. He would be far more upset with the intensity of our relationship if we gave him no explanation. I honestly don't think he will be able to accept it any other way, and he most certainly will not allow sleepovers without an explanation whatsoever."

Her maturity amazes me. "I agree with you one hundred percent. We will talk to my dad about it this afternoon." I punctuate my statement with a soft kiss to her temple, to which she easily leans into. It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that we have been together for less than twenty four hours. It feels like ages. I do have one question though, "You mentioned before that Jacob is your best friend; but how is that possible if you only moved here a few days ago?"

"Even though I lived in Phoenix for the last fifteen years, Jacob and I basically grew up together. I spent every summer, Christmas, and spring break here, but never got to know any of the local kids because we spent all of our time on the reservation. Billy would watch me while my dad worked, and, sometimes, when we were little, Jacob and I would have to stay with Mrs. Clearwater if there was official 'wolf' business to attend to during that time. Needless to say, by the time we respectively reached thirteen and eleven, Jacob and I spent a lot of time alone together, and we made it a point to stay connected even when I was in Phoenix. I can assure you, though, that nothing has ever happed between us. He's like a brother to me, nothing more. There's nothing to be jealous of; besides, I like older men."

Her flirtatious comment and alluring smile, combined with the way she kisses me, make me forget all about my jealousy over Jacob.

All eyes are on us and our entwined hands as we pull into the parking lot of Forks High School. Some students are shocked that I have finally shown interest in someone outside my family, and some are shocked that Bella would attach herself to someone so quickly, having just arrived yesterday. The worst of the thoughts, however, are the ones filled with jealousy and disappointment.

I suppress a warning growl and the natural urge to fully claim my mate when I hear Mike Newton's thoughts after seeing Bella and me together for the first time. His plan, in his mind, to win Bella over is full proof. He has decided to wait until their shared second period English class to approach her. At that time, he intends to 'fill her in' on the social downfalls of dating me. Silly human boy. As pointless as his efforts will be, I can't deny that it stirs something very primal and possessive that is deeply ingrained in me. Before I realize what I'm doing, I'm snarling under my breath at the child while practically wrapping myself around her. She will never reject my displays of affection and possessiveness, much to my satisfaction, Bella merely burrows down deeper into my embrace. I shoot a glare at the boy as we pass, and I can't deny the sense of satisfaction I feel when he cowers in fear.

The girls in the school are just as bad, or even worse, in some cases. Lauren Mallory has now made it her 'life mission' to 'show me what a real woman can do'-complete with visuals. Gross. No one could ever compete with my Bella. I know the moment she recognizes Lauren's intent, because her body stiffens at the same time that her arm tightens around my waist. Her beautiful brown eyes narrow into slits, making her look positively lethal. That, in itself, is incredibly arousing.

I wrap my arms around her firmly as she moves to stand in front of me. It is a blatant show of possession, but I surely don't mind. As a matter of fact, I have to work hard at suppressing my urge to purr in contentment. I do, however, allow myself to indulge in nuzzling the side of her head.

As I lead her through the hall to her first class, she confides to me how surprising it was to have such an overwhelming urge to mark and protect me. She sends me a sheepish look but admits that she's anything but remorseful. As a matter of fact, she says that she's still contemplating how she can get away with ripping Lauren's hair out by the roots. I make a point of telling her that her reaction is perfectly normal, and that she doesn't have to feel the least bit guilty for it, before taking the time to explain my own feelings of jealousy and possessiveness to her. I can tell by her expression that she's still a little bit unsure, but hearing my struggle makes hers seem less embarrassing.

These feelings come to a head at lunchtime.

We are in a fairly secluded part of the courtyard when we approach my family hand in hand. Emmett grabs Bella in an enthusiastic bear hug while swinging her around. My mind is so clouded with fury that I'm not even able to read his mind. The only thing that registers with me is how Bella flinches away as he reaches for her and how she pushes against him when he embraces her.

Deep down, I assume that he is just trying to welcome my beloved to the group, but that knowledge doesn't deter my instincts one bit. I pull her from his embrace at the same time that a deep, threatening growl erupts from my chest. It doesn't matter that Emmett is family, at this point, and it doesn't matter that he outweighs me by nearly forty pounds. All that matters, in this moment, is that he has his hands on my mate.

Mine.

Bella's hands tighten their grip on my shirt, and she actively tries to calm me down. Once she is out of his grasp, I'm able to get a read on his thoughts, and it really annoys me that Emmett's thoughts show that this little stunt was planned. I quirk a questioning eyebrow at him, and he merely lets his thoughts wander to how else he could've possibly explained that family ties mean nothing where our mates are concerned. With one last menacing look toward my brother, I turn my attention to find a very displeased Bella.

On cue, Alice finds us in the courtyard, and gracefully jumps right into my arms. Bella's reaction is instant and intense. I barely have time to try and set Alice down before Bella is roughly shoving Alice away from me. "Get away! Don't you dare touch him, Alice; he is mine!" Her chest is heaving as she openly glares at my sister while making no pretenses about how blatantly she positions herself between us. I can tell that the little display is hard on Jasper, but it is clear that he was in on Alice's and Emmett's little scheme. Instinctively, I reach out to wrap my arm around Bella's heaving shoulders, and pull her tiny form tightly up against me. I kiss and nuzzle the side of her head to try and offer at least a small amount of comfort before explaining what just happened to her. It is clear, by this point, that the demonstration was to benefit Bella and me, and, as much as I still want to be upset that they went to such extremes to show us, I do understand that we would never have been prepared for the overwhelming emotions if someone outside the family had grabbed either one of us first.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way, but better us than Mike or Lauren, right?" Alice's expression is a mix of smug and amused. I want to stay annoyed with her, but it is impossible. Bella's sweet voice pulls me from my reverie.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you, Alice. I just couldn't stop myself."

"Don't you worry about it, Bella; your reaction was perfectly normal. We will talk about it a little bit more later today, but I just needed you to be aware of how deep and primal these feelings are. It will make it much easier for both of you to deal with the opposite sex, now that you know how it will affect your mates. There is just no room to be nice, or hope that they 'get the hint'. If you know what I mean. You will have to be absolutely clear in your rejections. You don't want to end up hurting your mate for the sake of letting someone down easy."

Images of other guys touching my Bella rush through my mind, causing me to tighten my grip on her. Those images alone and the feelings of pure jealousy they evoke in me solidify my resolve to never put her in that position. I turn to her and vow to never let another female feel like they have a chance with me. I lean in to place a kiss on her pillow-like lips, and she returns the promise.

I am a little unsettled after Alice and Emmett's demonstration, and I can tell that my Bella is, as well. There is nothing, outside of constant reassurance, that will ease either of us at this point, so I gently take her hand, and lead her to our shared Biology class.

Bella calmly explains to Mr. Banner that she fell ill yesterday, and, after her sincere apology, Mr. Banner directs her to the only available seat left in the class. I am grateful that the seat is beside me. There is no possible way I would be able to function having her in the same room without a way to touch her.

She slips her small hand into mine as she situates herself in the empty seat. Her disposition alone tells me that she is agitated, but it's her troubled eyes that tell me that she is starting to feel more and more overwhelmed. Guilt instantly washes over me. She is unhappy, and I am the cause.

Her big, beautiful brown eyes look up at me, and it's clear that she just didn't get enough reassurance. It is painfully clear that she wants nothing more at this moment than to crawl into my lap and rub herself all over me. The extreme urge to scent mark is confusing, yet uncontrollable, and we're both having difficulty tampering down the yearning.

"I hate that I can't smell myself on you, Edward. I can't stand it. Why is my scent gone? Why doesn't it last? I don't want you to smell like Alice!"

She is near hysterical by the end of her rant, and the tears pooling in her eyes make my chest ache. "I'm so sorry, baby. I know how you feel, though. Smelling Emmett on you is making my skin crawl." Her sharp intake of breath indicates that she hadn't thought about it that way. "Oh, Edward. Fix it. Please."

I lean over, and breathe my scent onto her face and into her hair, despite the strange looks we are garnering from our peers. It doesn't take her long before she is instinctively rubbing her face into my neck and over my jawline. She finally pulls away with a resigned sigh, "I guess that will have to do for now." I place a tender kiss to the top of her head, and reluctantly turn my attention to the front of the room. The last thing I want to do is get Bella into trouble with Mr. Banner.

The rest of the day is painfully long, and the fact that Bella has another male's scent on her does nothing to quell my agitation. By the time the final bell rings, I am wound so tightly that nothing besides Bella's presence is able to calm me, and even her touch isn't able to bring me the solace I need. What I need is to get my brother's goddamn scent off of her and Alice's off of me.

I drive like a bat out of hell, and manage to get us home in record time. Sweeping my Bella up gently into my arms, I bound the stairs, and have us stripped and in the shower within six seconds flat. I don't have time to worry if my need to rid her of my brother's infuriating smell is frightening to her or not, because I am completely caught up in frantically cleaning her perfect, beautiful body. Thankfully, as his scent washes down the drain, I am able to regain some semblance of control, and notice that she is reciprocating with just as much urgency.

As I rinse the final remnants of shampoo out of my hair, I'm finally calm enough to enjoy the sight of her naked and wet in my shower. Holy hell! My Bella is naked and wet in my shower. Starting at her cute little toes, I allow my eyes to rake slowly up the soft creamy flesh of her impossibly long legs to the small patch of dark hair at the juncture of her shapely thighs, over the gentle curve of her hips, the sharp narrowing of her waist to the generous swell of her breasts. Taking a shaky albeit unnecessary breath, I force my eyes away from her incredible chest to the delicate shape of her collar bones and the graceful line of her neck. Her full, pouty lips are impossibly red and begging to be kissed. Finally, I snap my eyes up to her dark exotic ones and see the same all-consuming lust reflected right back at me. Her chest is rising and falling rapidly, and her breath is coming out in pants. I don't even have time to make a coherent decision before she is in my arms and my tongue is deep inside her warm, wet mouth.

My thoughts are incoherent as I struggle to keep the animal at bay. I don't want to disgust or frighten my Bella with that side of myself. I use all of my concentration to keep my touches soft and my sounds human as I pull her soft form flush against me.

"No. Please don't hold back, Edward."

Her words confuse me, yet they arouse me at the same time, and I'm unable to stop the low growl that escapes me.

"Ungh, yes. More, Edward. I need more. Growl at me."

She claws frantically at my shoulders, trying to bring herself even closer to me while offering the soft delicate flesh of her neck for a mark. Her actions, combined with the heady scent of her arousal, is driving me mad with desire. I don't think that I have the strength to stop us.

Reaching down to grasp her bottom, I hoist her up, urging her to wrap her long legs around me. This lines her up perfectly with my throbbing erection, and I lose all sense of restraint as I look up into her eyes, needing to see that she needs me as much as I need her.

Love, trust, and desire are reflected back at me, and it is all I need to make the decision to push her down on to me. Before I get the chance to, however, she is being stripped from my arms, and pulled into my bedroom by my very annoying sisters. It's frustrating to me that this is the second time that my mind reading abilities have let me down today. I can't understand how I didn't hear the thoughts of my family as they approached.

Without thinking twice, I lunge for them growling menacingly, knowing that I won't get as much as an inch before my brothers are restraining me. I don't even have a chance to be embarrassed about our state of undress, or the activities we were engaging in, because the most heartbreaking sob tear out of my Bella's chest the moment we are separated. The agony in her cries is insurmountable, making it nearly impossible for both of my brothers, along with my father, to hold me back. A deafening roar, filled with desperation and anguish, escapes me, and I fight with everything that I am to free myself from their iron clad hold.

Somehow, my sisters manage to take Bella to Alice's room and covered her in an emerald green plush robe, which is quite a feat, considering that she is fighting their every attempt. White hot rage colors my vision when I hear her calling for me.

"Edward! Please…No, Alice. Stop trying to keep him from me, he is MINE! Edward!" A choked sob cuts off her shouting rant, and it nearly destroys me. I'm only mildly mollified when I hear my sister's voice, but I'm momentarily distracted by the fact that Alice is blocking me. Why on earth would she be blocking me?

"Oh, Bella, we aren't trying to take him from you. I swear. You guys were just getting a little carried away, and we don't want anything to happen to you. You want to stay healthy for him, don't you?"

"But I need him, Alice. I need him to breathe. I need him inside of me, I need to smell him on my skin, and taste him on my tongue. God, please, Alice, I need him."

"Okay, Bella, we'll take you to him. But you have to promise me that you won't consummate your bond yet. Your mind and body aren't ready. Do you understand? This is very important, Bella. You could die if you rush this."

"I understand." She is defeated, but resigned. I think she would agree to anything at this point just to get back to me. I know because I feel exactly the same way.

They take a moment to clean up my Bella's face and my father forces me to slip on a pair of boxer-briefs. I hate the thought of anything between us, but I understand that it is necessary…for now.

When she is finally escorted back into my-our room, I immediately scoop her up, and place her gently on the bed. She clings tightly to me, tilting her face up for a kiss, to which I easily comply. I hear my father's voice reminding me not to consummate, and demanding that we meet him in his study in half an hour to discuss the progress of our bond, as he closes the door behind him, leaving us alone at last.

I know from his thoughts that my father wishes to discuss birth control, disclosure to Bella's parents, and our reactions to contact with the opposite sex with us. He wants to make sure that Bella fully understands her reaction, and prepare her for the surge in intensity that is inevitable before we take the steps toward finally coming together as one. The possessive instincts are immediate and intense. As a matter of fact, he is concerned about how we will fare at school with how deeply we were both affected earlier. It seems that our bond is stronger than anything he has ever witnessed. His thoughts show that he is surprised that we both reacted so similarly. I guess we will hear his theories on that later, right now, I have pillow soft lips and a warm, wet tongue to concentrate on. Not to mention a perfect female form pressed against me with an abundance of curves, curves I can't seem to keep my hands off of.

Judging by the soft sighs and sensual moans coming from my angel, she doesn't seem to mind one bit.

What do we think about the family? What should they do? What are your theories about why Alice is blocking him?

Smooches,

Laila