A short while later, Edward turns as Bella comes down the stairs. He's standing by the window staring out the yard as twilight falls. Within minutes of coming downstairs earlier he learned a new form of torture as he heard her undressing, then turning on the shower and his mind quickly turned to imagining how she looked in there. As soon as his thoughts took that turn, he focused intently on the colors of the sky as dusk fell and worked diligently to keep his thoughts away from Bella.

Now, though, he can loosen the tight rein on his thoughts as he watches her walk gracefully down the steps, dressed comfortably in jeans and a hoodie.

"I can't believe your transformation was completed just today. Your control is extraordinary," he says.

"I literally just hunted with Jasper!" she laughs, but then her face falls. "Wait, how often should I be doing that?"

"You're fine, love. You probably should hunt every day or so for now, just to keep your thirst under control. Generally, we try to hunt every week or ten days, though we can go longer. That's not what I meant though. You seem to have your enhanced abilities under control. It's not uncommon for newborns to need time to acclimate to their speed and strength. The first months after Emmett's transformation included a lot of broken furniture and holes in walls."

"Wow. For months?"

He nods with a grimace.

"I can't promise I won't break anything," she says, looking worried.

"No one's asking you to. In fact, it's sort of expected, so don't feel badly if something happens."

"Okay."

"Would you like to sit?" he asks, gesturing to the sofa.

"Um, sure." She steps past him and sits stiffly on the edge of the cushion. Edward sits at the end of the sofa, giving her space. His anxiety is clear, though, as he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together.

"So, you don't remember anything?" he asks softly.

"I don't. I'm sorry Edward." She plays with her engagement ring on her finger. "You must really love me a lot though!" she jokes, staring at all the diamonds.

He smiles. "More than you can imagine, Bella. Though the ring is an heirloom. It was my mother's."

She stops fidgeting with the ring and looks at him. "I imagine I knew that . . . before."

"Yes. Yes, you did."

"So, can you read my mind now?" She stares almost comically into his eyes.

He laughs. "It doesn't quite work that way, love. I generally don't have to try so intently to read one's thoughts. But yours remain as silent to me as ever."

"Oh." She says, relieved at this news.

"Jasper filled you in our special abilities, then."

"Yes. You can read minds. Well, all but mine, it would appear. Alice can see the future based on someone's decisions. And he's an empath, who can influence emotions."

"That's right. Though I would argue that Carlisle's compassion, Esme's ability to love passionately, Rosalie's tenacity, and Emmett's great strength, are all unusual among our kind. They could be equally qualified as gifts."

Bella chuckles and he looks at her questioningly.

"Sorry. I wasn't laughing at what you said. It's just, when Jasper asked me if I knew about vampires having special talents, I asked if he meant like playing the violin! Seems ridiculous to me now."

"Not so ridiculous. With our ability to learn and our physical dexterity, any of us could become virtuoso musicians if we chose. Rosalie is a talented pianist."

"Really? And what about you, Edward? Are you a musician, too?"

He nods slowly. "I play a few instruments, though piano is my favorite. I like the classics."

"Hmm. Would that be classic rock? Classic blues? Maybe classic country?"

He chuckles. "Not quite, though I do have favorites in each of those categories. I meant classic classical."

"Ah . . . that classic." She pauses a moment. "So, what is your favorite classic classical?"

"My number one would be Clare de Lune."

"Clare de Lune. Clare de Lune. I feel like I should know that. Should I know that?"

"In addition to it being a piece I would play for you, you said your mother used to play it often while you were growing up. It goes like this . . ."

He starts humming and Bella closes her eyes, getting lost in the beautiful tones of his voice.

He stops after a few moments. "Would you like me to play it for you?"

Her eyes fly open, and she looks at him, excited. "Yes."

He stands and holds his hand out to her, leading her to the grand piano in the corner. He sits on the bench as she stands awkwardly beside him.

"You can sit next to me," he offers gently. "You usually do and . . . and I find it quite comforting."

She bites her lip, considering this, then slides gracefully onto the bench beside him. He shoots her a grin and begins playing. Before long, he is lost in the music, closing his eyes as he plays, but never missing a note.

She watches him, taking in his handsome profile. Noting the occasional creases of his brow. The bobbing of is Adam's apple when he swallows. Without realizing it, she's leaning toward him, inhaling deeply.

The music stops, and he freezes, still as a statue.

"I'm so sorry!" she says, quickly leaning back.

"Why did you do that?" he asks softly, looking straight ahead. She wishes she knew him better because it almost looks as if he is in pain.

"I – I'm not sure, except," she huffs, rolling her eyes at herself, "except I really like the way you smell."

She watches the corner of his mouth curl up in a smile and he turns very slowly to face her.

"It's perfectly all right," he says. Slowly, he raises his hand and gently sweeps her hair over her shoulder. Then, watching to gauge her reaction, he leans toward her a bit and inhales deeply.

"I've always loved your scent. Even more so now that you're a vampire," he says softly, before pulling away.

"But don't you –" she stops, confused by what she was thinking.

"Don't I what?"

"I don't know why I was going to ask you this, but don't you miss the scent of my blood?"

Suddenly, he's filled with hope and joy. This, this, is a topic they talked about several times. He can't help but believe that somewhere in her mind she does remember who she is. Who they are. He smiles as he answers.

"It's a worry you had before your transformation. Your blood smelled sweet to all of us, but it was particularly appealing to me. Once in a great while, a vampire will cross paths with a human whose blood is so perfect for them it's virtually irresistible. La tua cantante. It means –"

"Your singer," Bella interrupts, a shiver running down her spine. "I don't know why, but I have awful feelings associated with that phrase. Fear – no, terror." She turns to look at him. "I don't understand."

He hangs his head, shaking it slightly side-to-side. "That's not my proudest moment," he murmurs.

"Tell me?" she urges.

"I was so proud of you, though," he says, looking into her eyes fervently. "You were so brave and courageous in the face of such monstrosity."

"Now you have to tell me!" she demands.

"There was a time when we were separated."

She looks at him quizzically, her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "Okay?"

He huffs. "I'm sorry. I'm being cowardly and not owning up to all my horrible decisions." He stands and starts pacing in front of the piano.

"There was a time when I thought it was too dangerous for you, as a human, to be part of our world. There was a tiny little accident. Something that would be inconsequential in your human life, but Jasper almost killed you because of it. I made the decision – unilaterally, without ever discussing it with you or anyone else. I decided that we had to leave Forks and leave you in order to keep you safe. It was a terrible decision –"

"Terrible?" she interrupts. "It also sounds misogynistic, egotistical – let the big strong man make decisions about the poor, weak woman and what's best for her without asking. Is that really who you are, Edward?"

He cringes at the question, but forges ahead. "I admit that is who I was. Those were some of my biggest flaws. That was pointed out to me in various . . . creative . . . ways by each member of my family. And by you. But you, Bella, you made me a better man. Helped me to give up some control, trust you and others, and enjoy life. I owe you everything, Bella. Indeed, I owe you my life. Please believe me, that's not who I am anymore."

She purses her lips, considering what he's said. "Well, sadly, I don't know if you are or not. You'll just have to prove to me who you are. But continue your story."

"While I may have believed that you would be better off without me, you weren't. It was a very difficult time. Then, Alice had a vision of you, and we believed you had died. I couldn't bear to be in a world without you, so I went to Italy to see the Volturi."

"I feel like I should know that name."

"The Volturi are the ruling family of the vampire world. I intended to break one of their cardinal laws. I was going to reveal myself to humans, right under their noses, so they would have no choice but to end me."

She gasps. "Edward!"

"Alice saw my decision. She was already on her way to Forks to find out what really happened to you. When she found you alive, she begged you to help her stop me. You both flew to Italy, and you stopped me mere moments before I committed the crime. But the Volturi were already involved. You had to come with Alice and me to meet them. One of them, Jane, has a gift where she can torture you just by her thoughts. The pain is . . . indescribable."

"Wait, she did that to you?"

"Yes. And she tried to do that to you, but it didn't work."

"What? Why?"

"We don't know. Carlisle's theory is that whatever keeps your mind silent to me also blocked Jane. Anyway, miraculously, they allowed us to leave."

"Why was that miraculous?"

"Our most important law is that we are not to reveal our true nature to humans. That's why my plan would have resulted in a quick execution. The fact that you, as a human, knew about us, also violated that law. They could have killed all of us. Instead, Aro was intrigued by you. He has a gift similar to mine. He must be touching the person, but when he does, he has access to all the thoughts and memories of that person. When he saw you in my mind, he knew you were my singer. He called you La Tua Cantante. Just seeing you in my mind made him thirsty. For a moment I thought he might try to drink from you, but then it passed. However, he'll want to meet you as a vampire one day."

"And Aro is the one in charge?"

"That's right. Anyway, they let us go and we came back here. Then, I experienced an even bigger miracle: you forgave me. You gave me another chance."

"Oh." She doesn't know how else to respond. Clearly, she must have loved him greatly to risk her life to save his. But she remembers none of it.

"Can you tell me more, about my life from before?"

He smiles, leaning his elbows on the piano. "Of course. What would you like to know?"

"Tell me about my parents."

He nods and starts telling her about Charlie and Renee. They talk throughout the night, Edward answering all her questions and telling her all he knows about family, friends, and their relationship.


So, what do you think?