Title: Anatomy of a Human

Author: Amethyst Jackson

Rating: M

Summary: Companion to Only Human. Edward's young life is irreversibly altered when a mysterious girl in strange clothing stumbles into his world.

Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters belongs to a whole lot of people, namely Stephenie Meyer and whomever she chooses to share the rights with, but I'm not one of those people. I wish I was, because I could use the cash, but I am making no money off this story or any other derivative work, so there's nothing to sue me for.


Chapter Seven

I woke just before sunrise, and in the dim light, I gazed at Bella beside me. In her sleep, she'd curled up on her side, facing me. Her face was relaxed, much more peaceful than it had been the night before, her lips graced with a tiny smile, eyelids fluttering with dreams of which I hoped I was a part.

I wondered if she knew that she was beautiful. Some young ladies knew, and it showed; they played coy and fluttered their eyelashes and pursed their lips. Bella, though, never put on airs, and I thought perhaps she didn't realize what power she could wield over men in general. Over me in specific.

Would I ever have a moment like this with Bella again? I hoped I would, and I had every intention of securing a future in which I would wake every morning beside this woman, but there were no guarantees. A million things could take Bella away from me, as I'd realized in recent days. A single girl with no family was vulnerable in our world; she needed someone to provide for her, offer her some security. If I couldn't find a way to do that for her, someone else would.

As if she could hear my tormented thoughts, Bella did something wondrous. Still sleeping, she reached out with a delicate hand, gripped my nightshirt just above my heart, and murmured my name in her sleep.

Had I ever heard a lovelier sound? My name from her lips, unconsciously spoken in the innocence of sleep.

With warmth building in my chest and hope swelling in my heart, I relaxed into my pillows and dared to place my arm around her as I settled back to sleep.


When I woke the second time, Bella was gone. I pouted a moment, wishing I'd had the opportunity to see her wake beside me. Then I gave myself a mental kick in the pants and dragged myself out of bed to dress for the day.

Down in the kitchen, I found Mary and my mother working on breakfast. I reached to snag a slice of bacon and received a slap to my hand.

"Edward, I need to scold you before you can eat," Mother said, turning to me with a scowl. "I saw Bella coming out of your bedroom this morning."

I flushed to the tips of my ears. "Mother, I promise you, nothing unseemly happened –"

"I've raised you to be a gentleman," she interrupted with a stern glare. "I'm going to trust you to behave as such. Just remember that she's a young girl with no family to protect her honor, and as her friends, we have a duty to fill that role. If you take advantage of her, Edward, I will tan your hide myself. I brought you up better than that."

Swallowing, I nodded. "Yes, Mother, of course. I would never –"

"I know," she sighed. "But you're a young man, and I remember what it's like to be that age. There are things I did with your father before we married that my parents certainly would not have appreciated."

"Mother!" I cringed.

"Sorry, sorry. Have some bacon now," she said, thrusting the platter at me. "Bella's waiting in the dining room. I've already eaten – and now it seems I have a dress to hem."

With that encounter over, I wandered shell-shocked into the dining room.

"Are you all right?" Bella looked at me with concern. I set the bacon down and dropped into the seat across from her.

"Fine," I swallowed. "How are you this morning?"

"Fine," she echoed with a rosy blush. I decided then not to mention the previous night. I knew better than to embarrass a lady.

"Are you...looking forward to tonight?" I asked. My attempt to disguise the eagerness in my voice was lackluster.

"I am," Bella said. She opened her mouth to continue speaking, but paused when Mary entered with the rest of the breakfast spread. We waited awkwardly for Mary to finish her work and leave. By the time we were loading our plates, Bella seemed to have forgotten whatever she was going to say.

"My mother said she was hemming a dress – did she find something for you to wear?" I ventured.

Bella graced me with a genuine smile. "She did. It's a lovely dress. Your mother is really too generous."

"Not at all," I argued. "You should always have lovely things to wear."

"Oh – um – thank you," she said bashfully.

We ate in silence for a moment. I wracked my brain for something neutral to talk about, but could come up with nothing but baseball – a topic in which Bella had never shown any interest.

"So, Edward." I looked up, and Bella's eyes were focused on her plate. "Your mother, um...she saw me coming out of your room this morning."

I let out a sigh, relieved. "I know."

Her brown eyes flew up to mine. "You do?"

I nodded. "She gave me a very stern lecturing in the kitchen just now. I hope she was easier on you."

"Actually, she told me she trusted us not to do anything inappropriate."

"Oh." If my mother trusted me, she had a funny way of showing it.

"I just hope she doesn't think any less of me," Bella whispered with worry on her brow.

"She doesn't," I promised.


I quickly learned that my expectations for the day were not in line with reality. I'd thought, with the evening to look forward to, and the events of the night before behind us, that I would attain a deeper sense of closeness with Bella.

As it happened, my mother stole her away after lunch to try on the hemmed dress, and she only returned for a brief period of time before my mother was whisking her away to "prepare." I didn't know exactly what female preparations for a gala entailed, but I had serious doubts that it required such a significant amount of time.

For my part, I fidgeted. I tried to read, but couldn't focus. I tried to play piano, but my mind drifted too often. I tried going outside and bouncing a ball off the back of the house, but Mary came out and hollered at me.

The time finally arrived when I felt justified in dressing for the evening. I took care, fastidious, double-checking every button and straightening my bow-tie again and again. Then I applied a large amount of pomade to my hair as I combed it back, feeling that I ought to make a special effort for Bella's sake. She oughtn't be out and about on the arm of someone looking like a ruffian.

Unfortunately, the whole process took much less time than I'd anticipated, and I found myself downstairs, sitting at the piano, still much too distracted to play. I felt that an eternity must have passed before I finally, finally heard footsteps on the stairs.

I whirled around to see Bella entering the room, a vision in a cream silk dress. It fell elegantly over her petite frame, trailing around her ankles, where beaded shoes peeked out. At my gaze, she blushed, even under the rouge on her cheeks, and her painted red lips smiled shyly. Her hair was swept gracefully off her long neck, pinned into a careful formation. Had there been any doubt before, it vanished at the sight of her: I was completely in love with Isabella Swan.

I stood slowly, unable to take my eyes off her. "Very well done, Mother," I murmured, approaching Bella with care, as one might approach a mythical creature that could at any moment disappear. "You're like something from a dream. I wish I could stop time and keep you like this forever."

Bella smiled as if I'd told a joke – did she believe me to be insincere? "You look pretty handsome yourself."

I couldn't help grinning. She thought I was handsome. I reached out for her hand. "Shall we?"

"I guess so," was her response, and I tucked her hand into the crook of my elbow to walk her out to the car. A glance at her face told me she didn't share my elation for the night to come, and her hesitation only seemed to increase when we reached the car.

"Are you that afraid of my driving?" I asked as I handed her into the vehicle.

"No. Well, I do hope you keep the speed reasonable," she hedged with an apprehensive glance at the steering wheel. "But won't your parents need it tonight?"

"No, my parents are hosting dinner at home," I told her. Reluctantly, I let go of her hand, closed the door, and walked around to the driver's side. Now I was a little nervous. I'd been alone with Bella before, of course, but this was different. Settling in the driver's seat, starting the engine, I wondered if I was in fact interesting enough to entertain Bella for a full evening. What if she found me dull? What if I simply was dull?

"So…who are these people?" Bella asked, startling me enough that I jerked the wheel a bit, but she didn't seem to notice my error. "The ones throwing this party, I mean."

"The Benedicts," I told her, which brought to mind the sophisticated couple...and Rebecca. Dash it all. I'd forgotten about her in my eagerness to take Bella somewhere besides the market.

"You don't like them," Bella surmised in reaction to my facial expression, which was undoubtedly one of distress at this moment.

"No, no, they're fine," I sighed, glancing over at Bella and her ever-curious eyes. Should I tell her? Would it appear ungentlemanly? No, I must tell her. "But...well, you may as well be warned now. They have an…overzealous daughter. I tend to do whatever I can to avoid her."

I monitored her reaction carefully. Did she think me a cad, speaking this way about a young lady? Was she...jealous, perhaps? I enjoyed that possibility more than I should. But soon, her thoughtful frown turned to a sly smile.

"So, you decided to take me with you this time as a human shield," she teased.

"No!" I cried, distressed that she should think I'd asked her along for any reason other than to woo her. "Until yesterday I had every intention of staying home, as usual, but I thought it might be pleasant to attend for once with someone whose company I truly enjoy."

In the dark, I couldn't see the blush on her cheeks, but I suspected it was there if her shyly pleased smile was any indication. "Well, still, I'll be prepared to beat the other girls away. Can't leave your virtue unprotected."

I couldn't suppress a laugh at the idea. Bella had no idea how my body betrayed me at her slightest movement or sound. "As much as I appreciate that, you, Miss Swan, are the last person who should be guarding my virtue."

"And why is that?" Oh, she had to ask – but I was glad. I knew I ought to hide my bodily attraction to her, but I very much wanted her to know.

"Because, Bella, you're the one woman I would be very much tempted to throw my virtue away for."

I waited a beat, afraid of her reaction, but when I glanced over, her mouth hung open. Damn. I'd gone too far.

"I'm sorry," I rushed to apologize. "I've offended you, haven't I? I shouldn't have said that. It was inappropriate."

Bella grinned...almost as though she was humoring me. "No, you haven't offended me. Just surprised me, that's all. Maybe your virtue doesn't need as much protecting as I thought."

I laughed with relief just as the Benedicts' driveway came into view. I turned onto the long avenue and peeked at my companion again. "No, Bella, I think you'd better get out the sword and shield," I said, remembering my past experiences at this annual soiree. "My virtue is in definite need of your assistance."

Stalled in the line of cars inching toward the door, I turned to Bella, who gave me an uneasy smile. "I think you'd better remember your promise. Don't let anyone else dance with me."

I hadn't realized she'd extracted that promise in earnest, but how I intended to keep it! I leaned closer, as if to tell her a secret, but mostly just to catch the scent of her hair. "Of course I won't, Bella," I told her. "It's in my best interests to guard your virtue, you know."

Flushed, fighting a smile, she shook her head. "You will be the death of me, Edward Masen."

Hearing her say my name that way, with that look in her eyes, I felt certain this would be a wonderful night.


A/N: I offer the usual apologies for the slow updates, and thank those of you who are still here for your patience. You leave the most wonderful, heartwarming reviews for this story and for dear Humanward, and I'll keep endeavoring to give you more. I know, also, that the chapters are short – but Only Human was on the short side, and I'm matching the chapters of this story with the original chapters.

For those following my other stories, I'll be focusing on updating Madman's Mercy next, and then Bonne Foi. I'm also still working on several pieces which I offered for Fandom Gives Back and other charitable causes.