A/N: Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter and for the reviews. I'm working on the next chapter, but it's my birthday on Valentine's Day, so we'll see if I get it done. This chapter is all from EPOV, so enjoy and review (reviews make great birthday presents)!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, not the book, not the movie, not the songs or lyrics.

Rating: M for darker themes and adult content in later chapters.

Flight 5107

Chapter Two: This fight he cannot win…

EPOV

I don't know what is wrong with me. Well, okay, I know what is wrong with me, but I don't know why in this moment, after 90 years of being what I am, I have faltered.

And in a big way.

You can't do this. Think of everything Carlisle has built up. Think of what this might mean for the family.

I have always prided myself on my strength. Not only physical, but mental. Others in my family have given into temptation here and there, well, except Carlisle, but I haven't in many, many years. But here in this moment, on this plane, I have never wanted to drink the most delicious of wines, this insignificant creature's blood, more. I know it is because of this girl, this wily character brought straight from hell to torture my soulless body. It is a test from the devil, of which I am sure. It's a test to see how strong I really am. And sadly, I think it is proving that I am seriously lacking in will power and resolve.

As soon as I laid my weary eyes on her, it was like something inside of me clicked on for the first time. Her fragrance hit me like a shot to the heart…if I had one. I actually think I almost felt alive for a minute there before her scent struck me down in agony. I hadn't felt pain like that in almost a century. It was so real, so raw and wounding to my senses. The only thing I could describe her fragrance was that she smelled…like innocence. She was pure and whole and everything I was not.

And then just as suddenly, hatred for her existence coursed ruthlessly through my body. She was my ruin, my destroyer. I dreamt of a million ways to kill her. She was unbelievable, and it was unbelievable how frightened I was of her. I had never felt this way since the transformation, and I didn't know what to do with myself. I was an animal. I was a newborn again.

Who was this temptress?

Her long dark tresses touching her luscious pink lips were enough to drive me insane, but of course that wasn't the end of her beauty. Her milky white skin looked so much like mine, I was almost hoping she was like me…but I quickly discovered that she wasn't. She couldn't be…not with that essence coming from deep inside her, pulsating through those arteries. My nostrils burned as the most basest of my desires took over. The bitterness of my venom teased the back of my throat as I forced a swallow down hard. I squeezed my eyes shut, not allowing myself to stare at her, but to no avail. All I could imagine was the snap of her vulnerable neck as I bit into the purest of flesh…the look on her face as she could feel my hot poison seeping through her skin…the contortion of her features as the pain struck her body. I wanted to take her. I desired her. I craved her. I could have her if I wanted, she was asleep, she wouldn't even know until it was all over. God, help me. Someone, help me. The thirst…the bloodlust…too much to bear.

Almost too much to bear.

Get a hold of yourself, Edward. You are better than this. You have been through much worse to let an fleeting instance of bad judgment cloud your clarity. Suppress. The. Urge. Now.

I was doing remarkably well in spite of the insane yearning for her blood. There was a deep ache in my stomach, just anticipating that first taste. I just kept my fists clenched, tried to keep breathing to a minimum and turned on my iPod as high as it would go. I'm a creature of conditioning and discipline, after all, our family is vegetarian. I've gone this long without a drop of human blood, what was a few more hours? I'd been on many flights before, been around many beautiful women before without taking that first bite. I could do it.

No I couldn't. Not with the angel of my discontent sitting beside me. Her wavy raven hair fell down her back, shrouding her delicate featured face. Her eyes, a deep mahogany, were bright and filled with inquisitiveness. Her dainty nose, her prominent cheekbones, her soft, yet sharp chin with a slight cleft. Gorgeous. Would I draw it out and relish the thrill of the kill or would I make it quick and painless for her?

I abhorred every fiber of my being.

And then fate dealt me a terrible hand by sending that stewardess our way to wake her up and adjust her seat. Her eyes fluttered open, and I knew she didn't have a chance.

I'm sorry, my beautiful lamb. I will make it quick, this will all be over soon.

Then she made the most enchanting sound, better than any complex musical composition, a sigh. A stupid little sigh.

I was now afflicted, and I suddenly wanted to hear anything spoken from those lips. But what I wanted more was to release some of the tension in my mind. I stifled a laugh in response to her obvious frustration. She turned and pierced me with the depth of her chocolate eyes, boring into my own dull pair. Her plump pink lips parted softly as she took in my features.

Oh God, she doesn't stand a chance. I have to disgust her. Repel her.

"Excuse me, miss?" I stared at her, waiting for her to answer. I had to repulse her. I had to make her hate me. It was the only way to save her. I am the world's greatest predator--everything about me will invite her in, from my appearance, my smell, my voice, my ability to know her next move…

And then it hit me. I couldn't hear what she was thinking. Had I been so distressed with my own thoughts that I hadn't even realized that she was completely silent to me? I blocked out all of the various chattering, especially that from the idiotic flight attendants who were falling over themselves behind the first class curtain to catch a glimpse of me. I listened again. No, nothing. I couldn't get any signal at all.

Before I could panic, she replied in the tiniest of voices, "Yes?"

I had to smile in response to the blush that was progressively conquering her face. "Sorry, but you have a little bit of something under your lip." Her pupils doubled in size as she clamped a hand over her mouth hurriedly. I laughed a little bit under my breath, glad that something was distracting me.

She turned her shoulder away from me, hiding her beautifully rosy cheeks from my view.

Good girl, be wary of me, don't let me in. I'm dangerous. I'm no good for you.

I had to keep from staring at her long, slender neck. I could just almost visualize the blood flowing into her jugular veins, rushing back to her heart. Oh how that saltiness must taste. My parasympathetics were in overdrive, I could barely hide the fact that I was salivating. A burst of searing pain hit my nose, and I squeezed my armrests as hard as I could without breaking them off. She shook her long wavy hair out making me almost choke on her inviting scent.

Please stop. God, make it stop. The craving is too strong. Make me stop thinking about killing her. I kept whispering over and over to myself, not even caring if she could hear me.

I couldn't hold it in, I had to lower my head in my hands, plugging my nose to try and block out the smell. It was burning. The hatred and loathing flowed rampantly through my body. I pulled at my hair to force my brain to comprehend any other type of sensation. I clenched my eyes shut, counting to ten over and over in my head. I had never felt a need this strong, an addiction this painful. Now I knew what heroin addicts must feel like.

My beautiful own personal brand of heroin.

"Are you okay?" she hesitated with her words. She blinked her eyelids quickly, crushing her lush thick lashes together. I was so acutely aware of every part of her being, it hurt.

NO. Don't talk to me. Ignore me, leave me be. I will hurt you. Please.

I bargained with myself and with God to please make her stop. I only nodded dejectedly, not wanting to egg her on. "Do you just not like flying?" She kept coming with the questions.

Please…spare her. Please make her stop.

"Yeah, something like that," I laced the retort with as much venom as I could muster. Please take the hint.

"Can we get you anything Mr. Cullen?" Fucking shit. I snickered, smirking widely. These flight attendants were incredible, with their vulgar thoughts of how they would lure me into the bathroom. Which gave me an idea of my own. NO. You can't think about taking the girl.

I glared at the blonde woman in front of me, ostentatiously flaunting her too fake and too large breasts in my face.

She grew more impatient, Why isn't he looking at my boobs? These cost a lot, buddy, the least you can do is appreciate them. Why isn't he looking at me at all? I'm hot, he's hot, like duh! Ohmigod, I bet he's gay. The hottest ones always are. Totally gay, obviously. I mean really, who wouldn't want some of this? I wonder what the captain is doing later…

Humans had such a lack of originality, they were so banal. I could hear all of her thoughts clear as day and I could only smile at her as she scrunched her nose and hurried back to inform all of her other friends of her revelation. Like I hadn't heard the gay theory before.

"What's so funny?" my angel questioned, looking very smug herself.

"What?" I was shocked that I hadn't put her off completely. This girl was either very stupid or she was a daredevil. I couldn't hide the displeasure from my face as I stared at her, making her break the stare. I tried to retune my hearing towards her, but nothing. I couldn't hear a damn thing. And it was really starting to piss me off.

"I just wanted to see what the joke is…you seem to be more in tune to what is happening than I am," she stated timidly. Very astute, indeed.

I huffed, she obviously was not going to give up on talking to me. Fuck it. I can't deny this anymore. Once we get off the plane, I'll try and get her alone and give in. It would be easy to make her follow me, what mortal could say no to my charms?

Even the great ones fall sometime, and this time it would be me. Sure, Carlisle and Esme would be really disappointed, but I just couldn't take this any more.

I leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You are…very perceptive." Her heart started beating double time which excited me. "Well, right now, the blonde is lamenting the fact that I didn't stare right at her chest when so much was on display." Her face twisted. "She is chalking my response up to the fact that she thinks I'm gay. But in reality, I'm just not into women who throw themselves out there for the taking…it's rather gauche and appalling to me. I'm more into the thrill of the chase…and anyway, I prefer brunettes."

She was so red, I thought she was going to pass out from heatstroke. This was going to be too easy.

It's too bad it has to end for you, love. The life in your cheeks is incredible.

She put her earbuds back in place, trying to catch her breath. I tried once more to hear anything that was coming out of her head. But nothing. Of course. Torture. Patience, Edward. I shifted in my seat to be as far from her.

An excited tizzy buzzed in my ear. Oh my gosh, he is sexy. Ooh, I would love to have some of that. Oh crap. A male flight attendant hopped up next to me, and put his hand on my shoulder. He grinned from ear, "Can I get you a drink, Mr. Cullen?"

I guess word really travels fast amongst the flight crew. How uncomfortable. I forcefully shook his hand off of my back. I didn't like that. "No thank you, but if you could bring my beautiful friend here another…Grey Goose tonic, I bet she would really appreciate it."

I looked over at her, and begged her to play along. I put my faith in her delicate little hands, and I knew she would follow through.

"Yes, I would really like another, thank you." He shot her a dirty look before sulking back to the galley. She would be rewarded for her loyalty, a loyalty that would probably eventually end her life. I winked at her and smiled as her heart fluttered at an irregular pace.

"That was very awkward, even for me. Thank you for assisting me…" I waited, the anticipation killing me.

"Bella, Bella Swan." Bella Swan, exquisite name fitting for an extraordinary girl.

"Well, Bella Swan, I am Edward Cullen. It is nice to meet you." She held her hand out expectantly, but I was not ready to have any physical contact yet. Just the slightest touch and I knew I would fly off the handle. I closed my eyes and held them until I heard her steady breath.

"It's nice to meet you, too Edward…even if you're trying to get me drunk," she murmured softly. As if trying to get her drunk was the only weapon in my arsenal to lure her away…did I look like a frat boy? If only it were that simple. I ran my tongue over the sharp edges of my teeth.

Unfortunately for you, darling, I can do so much worse.

What a little bitch, maybe this guy isn't as gay as Sarah thought he was. I heard the hostile thoughts of the flight attendant, back to serve Bella her drink. I heard his thoughts right before the drink splashed across my lap.

"OH! My God. I am so sorry, Oh my God!" She leapt out of her seat and smacked her head right into the air conditioning vent above. Oh please, no blood. No blood. "Oh, fuck, shit! I'm sorry, Oh God…"

"Ma'am, you're going to have to stay seated with your seatbelt fastened until we reach cruising altitude and the Captain turns off the fasten seatbelt sign," the steward stated snidely.

I could only widen my grin as her eyes looked at me in utter horror and shock. She tried to futilely wipe at my lap, trying hard not to touch me down there, and I had to stop her from dying of embarrassment.

"I am so sorry, Edward, I am such a klutz," she sincerely apologized. I grabbed the napkin from her hand, brushing against her so briefly that had it not been for the intense lightning bolt that surged through me leaving me reeling, I wouldn't have known I'd touched her at all. I had never felt a shock like that with anyone, human or vampire or whatever. It was demoralizing, devastating.

"That's quite alright, I'll get that spot. Thanks," I muttered. Her face crumpled in pain, and I couldn't hide my concern. "Are you alright? You hit your head…"

She massaged the back of her head, wincing slightly. "Ow. I think I drew blood."

I can only imagine that my face betrayed me then as I harshly growled, "No you did not."

Trust me, you wouldn't be still breathing if you'd drawn blood.

I had to close my eyes to calm myself down again. I wished Jasper was with me, so that he could automatically dispel the shame and conflict I felt. Well, maybe not, he did have trouble controlling his urges sometimes and this girl wouldn't even have had a chance past takeoff.

Once I was sure she was sleeping, I turned my head and peeked at her, my resolve already shattered into a billion razor sharp pieces. The obsession overtook my strength and I wouldn't fight it again.

So still, so full of rest. What she would look like as I bit down? Would she even put up a fight? I may be a little cocky, a little bit arrogant, but I knew I was enticing her, drawing her to me. Even without hearing her thoughts, I could tell by the way her eyes flickered with lust. I had that affect on people, but rarely did someone have that affect on me.

Bella. My lovely enchantress. Will you look as beautiful in death as you do in life?

I looked at her reclining form, appreciating the way her ample breasts heaved up and down with every breath, barely being held in by the flimsy silk fabric of that amazing blue dress. It really brought out the stark white color of her skin. I traced a line along the hem of her dress, following a sliver of skin that poked out from under her dress, just above her knee high boots. Skin leading to creamy, silky thighs. I wondered what they would feel like in my inexperienced hands, how smooth they really were. Maybe I'd bite her femoral artery just to see.

In all of my years roaming the Earth, I'd never experienced the feel of a woman's body underneath mine in an intimate fashion. Sure, there were attractive women who were attracted to me, but either I killed them or I didn't. I didn't stick around to see what it would feel like to be physical with them. Not that women hadn't tried, I mean, as many times as I attended college? Please. They most certainly had thrown themselves at me, but I'd never wanted them like that. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pleased to finally find that I could feel this way about someone…I was beginning to think there was some truth behind Emmett's constant teasing that I was some sort of asexual eunuch-like creature incapable of getting a hard-on for a girl. His words, not mine.

He also never let me forget that I turned Rosalie, his Rosalie, down. The one who was made especially for me. Even she wasn't good enough for me, so who was? Emmett thought he was the love guru or something, but truthfully, Rosalie was and is still kind of a huge bitch. But all that aside, I was starting to wonder about myself. Now I didn't have to…I may not be a human, but at least I am still a man. Esme would be so proud that I found someone in which I was interested. Ironically though, she wouldn't be pleased that this girl, my Bella, would be the source of my eventual downfall.

Because after I was done with her, there was no way I would be able to even look Carlisle or the rest of my family in the face ever again.

Focus, Edward. This is not the time to think about them. There is a task at hand. You've made your decision and now you have to follow through.

I really wanted to kiss Bella's petulant little lips, who sat there, slightly parted, teasing me. Well, I wanted to kiss her lips, her hair, her breasts, her stomach, her legs. Everywhere. I would leave no inch of flesh untouched. I wanted to feel her heat, I wanted to hear her pant and moan from her depths underneath me. I wanted to make her shiver with my cold hands, make her shudder. I wanted to feel the pressure of our bodies pressed together, wanted to make her scream in pain and in pleasure. Maybe I would get the chance to touch her, right before…

No, don't think about it.

Actually, it wouldn't be very hard, it was like her blood was calling out my name, singing in time to that magical drumbeat of her pulse. Edward. Edward. Edward.

"Edward."

I inhaled sharply. Had she just said my name? I listened closely. Nothing. No, it must be a figment of my imagination.

"Edward…" she sounded more desperate this time, like she was pleading for me.

There was never a more heartbreaking sound uttered. She was my ruin. She would be the death of me…if I could actually die. I actually wished I could, then maybe she would be safe.

"Edward…" she softly moaned my name again. Was she thinking the same thing I was?

Well, she probably wasn't thinking I would take her life, but maybe the other stuff…

"Jacob." Her voice was low and filled with a great sadness.

Jacob? Who the fuck was Jacob?

Her eyes flicked open, and then she blinked rapidly to get the sleep out of her eyes. She searched around until she landed on my amused eyes. She shrank back, surprised I had already beat her to the punch. "Bad dream?"

"Confusing," she sniffed. Her cheeks reddened, maybe with desire? She fanned herself, trying to dissipate some of the smoldering heat.

"I bet. Was I very good?" She was already the end of me, I could afford to be a little flirtatious.

Her mouth formed into a perfect O shape. Did she know what she was stirring up inside me? That perfect, wet mouth. God. Help. Me. "Excuse me? That was not a sex dream, not that it's any of your business…" She was definitely perturbed.

"Well, it actually does concern me when my name is being called out by a beautiful woman. Not, that I'm not flattered though, sweetheart. I can promise you that I'm probably better than you were imaging though…" I spoke with false confidence. And yeah, so I lied. I was already going to hell for what I was planning on doing to her, so might as well go down swinging.

My brow wrinkled, "I have a question though, who is Jacob, and why was he present during our intimate moment?" I couldn't believe myself. What the fuck was this? Was I…was I jealous?

She only rolled her eyes in response, and I knew that she was trying to hide some deep regret. I hated that this Jacob, whomever he was, made her feel that way. Envy and rage swirled together in my thoughts. Now my curiosity was piqued. "In all seriousness, Bella, who is Jacob, you seemed very upset."

She bit down sharply on her lip, and I was so scared she would break the thin membrane. I couldn't hide the audible breath I took. "No one," she stated plainly. "How long was I out?"

"About three hours…and you were having your way with me for about an hour of it," I raised my eyebrows at her, causing her heart to beat itself into a fury.

Her expression changed and before I could even stop her, her tiny fist hit my bicep, causing me no pain at all. Really, it was like a bug bite, maybe? It caused more of a rumble deep down in my core, like a bunch of little needles were pricking me in excitement. She bit down on her lip again, and I could see that I had caused her intense pain. It was somewhat of a turn on to see her face contort like that, but I found myself feeling very guilty for making her hurt. Great, I was a vampire with a conscience. "Fuck!" she cried out.

"Oh shit, sorry, but you shouldn't have done that. I uh…work out a lot." Nice save, douche bag. Distract her. "Now, does trouble follow you around or is this just a really, really off day?"

She giggled and shook her head, "I wish I could say it was an off day, but unfortunately you're sitting next to the world's worst coordinated person ever. Everywhere I go, bad luck seems to follow me, too. Sorry." I hated not being able to read her mind. I could save her from other dangers maybe, if I couldn't save her from herself.

She shrugged, and it may have been the cutest thing I've ever seen. I don't know where the devil found her, but she was really doing her job by affecting me.

I have to touch her. No, I need to touch her. I need to feel her.

"Actually, I'm feeling pretty lucky myself right now," I reached over and brushed a lock of hair from her forehead and she sat so still, like she was mesmerized. If that's all it took to stun and numb her, my task would be cake. The monster inside me rejoiced as each strand tickled my fingers.

Her stomach growled angrily which made me grin. She was still human. A stewardess with thoughts swirling about how hot I was--really, I did get tired of the inner thoughts of strangers, most were extremely vapid--dropped off two trays of what smelled like ribeye with a light béarnaise sauce. How the hell was I going to explain this? The attendant leaned over me, baiting me to look at her ass. Needless to say, she was disappointed when

I didn't bite.

Pun intended.

She mumbled something then walked away, finally. I rolled my eyes again when I looked down at my tray. I held up my napkin with, Stacey, 555-588-2935, call me sexy, written on it. Bella snorted, but her eyes flashed. I smirked at her un-amused expression.

"I'm sorry, this is so much more worse than usual. They are really laying it on thick tonight."

"So are you supposed to call her sexy or is she calling you sexy?" She looked down at her plate, concentrating really hard on nothing particular on her plate. Was that a little jealousy I sensed? Her reaction was invigorating to me.

"Ha, a stickler for comma usage. Nice." Beautiful and smart. Devil in a blue dress indeed.

"I was an English major in college. I'm a huge grammar and punctuation nerd," she shoved a piece of bread in her mouth, as if to shut herself up.

"Aren't you going to eat?" she asked after swallowing her nerves. Her eyes danced around my face, delighting themselves in what they saw.

Oh shit, what was I doing? I couldn't hurt her. She was so pure, so sweet. So human.

"I ate before. You're welcome to it, if you'd like. You seem to be enjoying it much more than I probably would." Because I don't like my animals cooked, I like to suck the blood from their still pulsating arteries.

"I might hold you to that, I love meat. Especially when it's like juicy and rare. Like, bleeding rare. It's the best."

If I weren't already as pale as a ghost, I probably would have turned even lighter. Hearing her talk about consuming blood? Someone up there hated me. "That's funny," I bemoaned, hoping she wouldn't notice.

Stop talking. Save her.

I put my earbuds back into their rightful place and leaned back. I felt her giving me a once over, and I stiffened to try and distract her from me.

Stay away, Bella. I beg of you, keep away from me. I will hurt you.

"What are you listening to?" she whispered.

You stupid girl. Can't you see I'm dangerous?

I felt her body move closer to mine, and I couldn't help it. I opened and eyes and looked at her hopeful face. She wanted this as much as I did albeit for different reasons. I held out my iPod and she gasped.

"What's wrong?"

She retrieved her iPod and tilted the screen towards me, her hands shaking.

Of fucking course she would be listening to the same song as me. It was like she was a special made-to-order girl of my dreams.

"Clair de Lune. What are the chances?" I shook my head. I couldn't believe it still.

"Seriously, no one our age knows Debussy," she mused causing me to chuckle out loud.

I grew solemn at the thought of the implication me falling for this girl would entail. Falling for this girl. Who'd have thought it possible for me, vampire, to desire someone in a non-vampiric way? To discover that I could lust for something other than blood was scary and exciting.

"You are right, no one our age." I paused, gathering the courage to tell her what I was thinking. "You're very interesting Bella Swan. Usually time…on planes…moves very slowly for me, but this flight has not been boring, not by a long shot. I'm absolutely fascinated by you. You are devastating to me."

Once I started, I couldn't stop talking. It was a compulsion now that I had come to terms with myself and my feelings. "The way you sigh and talk in your sleep, the way you are too clumsy for your own good, they way you nervously bite at your lip when you ask a question. It's all very endearing."

When she finally started to speak, it was slow and soft like the wind had blown out of her sails, "I'm slightly frightened that you have noticed all those things about me. People who have known me my whole life aren't that perceptive."

"Frightened?"

You should be. I'm the monster your worst nightmares couldn't even dream up.

Maybe she knew more than she let on. For her sake, I hoped she did.

"Frightened," she said this forcefully, and she didn't drop her gaze. This was trouble.

I couldn't go through with this. Not with her. I knew my new mission in life was to be with her, to protect her, to save her. Even if I had to skirt around in the shadows, I would never let anyone hurt her. Especially not me.

So that's it, the predator falls for its prey.

"Maybe you should be," I offered dejectedly. "So, are you going to Sydney for business or pleasure?" I eagerly changed the subject, if I could find out more about her, maybe the feeling of guilt of killing her would be too much.

"A little bit of both, actually." She interrupted my inner dialogue.

"What, some commas need saving from ruthless grammatically poor villains?" I teased.

"No, but that would definitely make things more exciting. I am sort of a writer, but I sort of don't have any options for a job in Seattle. The local alternative newspaper I was working for caved, and I had to move back to my dad's house and take a crappy job as a receptionist at the hospital in our town. My friend is a photojournalist in Sydney, and she was hoping to find me some opportunities there. But, mostly I'm just visiting her, haven't seen her in ages."

"What about you? Are you going to break all the hearts in Sydney when you turn all their women down, too?" She said it with confidence, and even she was surprised.

"Actually I came from a meeting, which is why I am dressed like this, and I am headed to my brother's wedding. He and his fiancee literally live in the outback."

"Wow. What do they do out there?"

"Oh, I don't know, hunt animals or something." Completely true.

What I failed to mention is that they subsist on the blood of animals and if they caught a whiff of you, they'd probably feast on you, too.

"Well, congratulations to your brother."

"Thank you. Well, tell me Miss Bella, are you married?" I had an intense need to know and I hoped I didn't look as excited as I sounded.

"Oh God no," she spat.

I wasn't expecting that harsh of a reaction. "You say that like it is a horrible thing."

"Oh, I know it's not, but it's just not for me…and I'm not sure why I'm telling a stranger this."

"That's okay," I leaned in and whispered, "I won't tell your secret." Her scent was lingering in the air between us and it was slowly driving me into a frenzied panic.

Another flight attendant swooped in and ripped Bella's plate from her hand. That's right, Bitch. Her eyes narrowed in Bella's direction. I almost laughed out loud.

"Wow, that was not very nice," Bella stated with a stung expression.

"Yeah, they don't like you. Because I'm talking to you and not giving them the time of day. Sorry."

"Wow, if trouble follows me, women and some men must follow you everywhere."

"Well, yes, I have to beat them off with a stick sometimes. It all comes with the territory. But Bella, I would much rather hear more about you. Now, tell me where you're from…"

"Phoenix originally. I actually have lived in Forks, Washington for the past ten years though. I think that explains the whole anemic look better," she said dryly, her voice dripping with self-deprecation.

"I rather appreciate your pale skin. It is breathtaking," I know she could feel the longing in my eyes now. "It looks like porcelain…you look utterly breakable." I almost snarled at the thought. I was playing with fire now, but she was a big girl and if she wanted to play close to the flame, then she would deal with getting burned.

I asked her about every minute detail I could think of because when we landed, I would be gone. I would get off that plane, and as fast as my superhuman speed could take me, I would go to Emmett and Rosalie and they would save me from myself. I would deny myself this most delectable meal. I would deny myself the sweetest, aged wine. I would deny myself to spare her life.

She would try to ask about my life, but that didn't matter. I wanted to know about her. Everything about her, so I could hold it in my memory.

She sighed, the etch of frustration evident on her face. I looked at her, attuned to her emotions already even if I couldn't read her thoughts. If only she were a vampire, then maybe we'd have a chance of making it. "You seem frustrated, Bella. Are you getting tired?"

She forced her head to move from side to side, but she could not suppress a huge yawn.

"No, keep talking, I want to know more."

My lips made a grim line. It was over. "Sleep now, Bella. We'll have time."

I almost believed myself.

My eyes never left her face as her eyes fluttered shut. She was amazing. And I know I was in love. For the first time in 115 years, I was in love. And I couldn't have her. What I would do to take a bite of the sweetest forbidden fruit.

God, you are cruel.

I marveled at my new found emotion. I was in love.

But even more than that, I was in trouble. Because I had an undeniable need to protect her, but at the same time I was still a selfish being and I wanted her all to myself…forever.

When I was sure she was asleep, I sniffed her hair, letting the delicious aroma fill my aching nostrils. I leaned in and whispered, "I have never had such a strong connection with anyone in my life and I will not lose that, not even if I have to keep you for myself."


Inspired by: The Unforgiven by Metallica, Creep by Radiohead, There She Goes by the La's, Alone by Heart, Electric Feel by MGMT, Self-Control by Laura Branigan