I was stuck, unable to wake, unable to slip back into sleep.

"Bella? Bella?"

Herbal mixes danced across my tongue as the all-too familiar voice nudged the edge of my consciousness.

"Are you alright? Bella, can you hear me?"

"You're not my Edward. No, you're not…" The single thought willed itself to my lips, and suddenly something shook me out of my state of limbo.

My eyes snapped open, and where immediately captured in molten gold, "Bella…" Edward's eyes smoldered with a strange mix of worry and relief, "Nightmare?"

I slid out from under him, rubbing my eyes, "Yeah… I guess…" I looked back up at him, and gave him a reassuring smile, "Stop giving me that worried look. It doesn't suit you."

He forced a smile, and scooted next to me, wrapping a long arm around my shoulders. He kissed my hair, muttering, "I'm just… concerned, that's all."

"Because my nightmares are definitely going to kill me." I snuggled closer to him, kissing his cheek, "I'm not that accident prone, you know."

His troubled expression faded, and he kissed me back. When we pulled apart, he chuckled, "Well… you managed to get yourself tangled with vampires and werewolves in no time at all. I'd say nearly anything's possible with you."

I gave him a playful shove, standing up and walking across the room to my desk. I suppressed a curse when I saw the bright numbers of my digital clock proclaiming that it was three-twenty-two in the morning. I leaned over my computer, running a hand of the cluster of novels on the shelf behind it. Edward was behind me in a heartbeat, "May I suggest a read?"

"Nope. I've already decided." I pulled out a tattered children's book from the bottom of the stack, brushing the thin layer of dust that collected on the spine.

Edward frowned, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland? I was hoping for something a little more… sophisticated."

"Don't bash the classics, man." I flipped open the cover, eyes quickly flying over the little note on the inside cover.

To Bella,

Have a very happy first birthday, and let this show that the possibilities are endless.

-Your loving parents.

I smiled and began flipping through the old pages, smiling at the little girl swimming in the pool of tears as I settled in my desk chair, or more specifically, Edward's lap.

He reached around and flipped the page again, "I wouldn't really call this a 'classic'."

"It's older than you are."

"That doesn't make it any better." He frowned, "It's a little girl shoved down a hole and being forced to reason with mad people. Hardly a tale for the ages."

I would have retorted, but the lump in my throat stopped me. He's among the mad, Bella. Edward quickly caught on to my unease, "I'm sorry Bella. I didn't mean-"

"No, it's not that. It's just…" I flipped the pages, opening to the big bold words reading The Mad Tea Party. My stomach flipped, "My nightmare…"

Edward looked to the book, and then back to me, "You dreamed of Wonderland?"

I nodded, before adding, "And you… in a way." I flipped the page, my eyes scanning over the familiar words.

"It's alright if you don't want to talk about it." He murmured, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"No, I want to talk about it…" I flipped back a few pages, and began recounting my dream. I started with the field, and then dream-Jasper with his warning. I skimmed over where I wandered aimlessly through the forest, and finally, dream Edward, Mike, and Alice and the fiasco at the tea table.

I shook my head, trying to wave it all off, "But it's fine. Just a dream."

He slid his hands over mine, "You don't make it sound like a dream."

"It's just that… he said that you where Mad…"

Edward guided my hands, closing the book. "Well, in a way, I am."

I leaned back against him, "No you're not."

He chuckled, "Well, I have to be. I'm in love with you, putting you in danger, risking both our lives-"

I cut him off with a gentle kiss, and he gladly submitted. He carried me into bed, where we lay, chatting the rest of the night away. When the sun rose, he slid out the window, only to return two hours later at the door, to Charlie's dismay. I spent the Saturday at the Cullen house, and while the subject of my dream wasn't brought up again, I couldn't help but be reminded of it whenever I saw Edward, Jasper, or Alice. But each time I brushed it off. It was just a dream, after all, nothing to worry Edward much more about.

Right?

A/N: Short Chapter. Sue me. Sorry for the epically long space between updates... I've gotten busier and busier as the summer progresses, and less and less time to write. But still, I plan to keep up with all my fanfics as much as I can. Next chapter, we'll hopefully get a little plot developement, no? :)

Read and review!