BELLA POV
Edward and I spent the day in his meadow. When he told me about his sister I felt my heart clench. When he started to cry, it took everything in me not to cry, too. I didn't want him hurting. But I also knew that I had to be the strong one at the moment, and that if I broke down, he would never face his demons.
So I held it in, the way years of pain have taught me to do. I encouraged him to cry; knowing it would make him feel better to release the pain he'd be hiding away all these years. But when he really broke down and started to sob against my shoulder, I couldn't help it. The tears ran down my cheeks as I soothed him. I kept my voice calm and steady, never letting on that there were waterworks going on. When he finally exhausted himself, he looked at me; his eyes red and swollen, and saw that I was crying too. I read the unspoken question in his eyes as he gently wiped away my tears.
"I hate that you're hurting," I admitted quietly, embarrassed. He smiled slightly, making my heart race. He pulled me to him, kissing me deeply, and I responded with equal passion. I wanted to draw his pain from his body to mine, so he wouldn't have to hurt anymore.
So this is what love is all about, I thought to myself as we continued to kiss, the passion growing with every passing second. Edward finally pulled away, leaving us both gasping for air. I felt dazed at the sudden wind on my face, and ashamed to admit that I was extremely turned on by what had just taken place. I snorted and looked at Edward.
"We sure do make a fucked-up pair, don't we?" I asked him, fighting to catch my breath. He laughed lightly.
"Incredibly fucked-up." I smiled and went to kiss him again, this time softly. "Thank you," he whispered, leaning his forehead against mine.
"I love you," I answered, tracing his jaw line lightly with my fingers. He let out a soft moan at my touch, leaning his head into my hand slightly. His eyes started to droop as he fought to stay awake. "Go to sleep," I whispered, pulling his head gently into my lap. I knew how exhausting it was to remember the past, especially when it was painful. He settled his head in my lap as he held onto my hand, falling asleep instantly as I hummed softly to him.
I must have dozed off, because it was suddenly twilight, the air turning colder. I looked down at Edward, still sleeping peacefully, and I hesitated to wake him, but I knew we should get back to the house before it got to be too late and Esme started to worry about us. I took a minute to run my fingers softly along his face, memorizing everything about it. If I had no others memories of Edward, I wanted to remember him just like this: peaceful, happy, and perfect.
I ran my fingers along his cheekbones to his perfect nose and up to his forehead, marveling at the smoothness. My fingers made their way slowly down to his lips, tracing lightly along them. He groaned and moved his hand up unconsciously to swat mine away. I bit back a smile.
"Edward," I whispered, not wanting to scare him. When he didn't respond, I raised my voice. "Edward!" His eyes snapped open and took a minute to focus. When they did, his eyes met mine and he smiled lazily, reaching out to brush my hair off my cheek.
"Hello, love," he said, his voice husky. My spine tingled at his words and a smile lit up my face.
"We should get back to the house before Esme freaks out," I said reluctantly. He nodded slowly.
"I suppose you're right," he agreed, yawning before sitting up and taking me in his arms. "You're cold," he noted, rubbing his hands up and down my arms.
"I'm fine," I argued mildly, not wanting him to worry. He frowned at me, an unruly lock of hair falling into his eyes. "Let's go," I said, pushing the hair out of his eyes and standing up. He followed suit, picking up the blanket and putting it over my shoulders.
"Much better," he sighed in satisfaction, grabbing my hand. I smiled and let him lead me home.
After having dinner with the Cullens, Edward drove me to my house, coming inside briefly to say hello to Charlie and Anna. Though he was still wary, Charlie could see the positive change in me, which led him to thaw slightly towards Edward. Anna became a giggling teenage girl around him, and tonight was no exception. It was pitiful.
I walked him to the door, embracing him as he turned to go. Even though I knew I would see him tomorrow, it was still difficult for me to let him leave. I didn't like being without him. I didn't like the hole in my chest that existed when he wasn't with me. I didn't like feeling lonely and vulnerable to the inevitable nightmares.
He hugged me tightly, pulling back and kissing me chastely on the lips. Whenever we were anywhere near my parents, he would never so much as move a hand below my shoulders. It drove me insane, since I wanted his hands on every part of my body all the time, but I understood why. He didn't want to give Charlie any reason to think he was disrespecting me. And he especially didn't want Charlie to pull out the gun. I chuckled softly as the events of the previous night replayed in my head.
Edward and I were sitting on the sofa, watching a movie (don't ask me which one—I was too focused on Edward's presence to pay attention), when Charlie walked in, shotgun in hand, and proceeded to sit in his recliner and clean the damn thing while watching the movie with us. Edward hadn't showed it outwardly, but I knew he was rattled by Charlie's actions.
Edward's lips on my forehead brought me back to the present. "I'll see you tomorrow, my Bella," he whispered softly. "I love you. Sleep well." I kissed him gently on the lips and allowed him to leave, watching as he loped to his car and drove out of sight. I sighed and shut the door.
I was having another nightmare. This time, Edward had disappeared, and I was frantically trying to find him. But everywhere I turned, there was nothing, only blackness. I fought against it as best I could, but I could get nowhere. Suddenly I heard his voice.
"Bella!" He called to me, despair in his voice. "Bella, help me!" I continued to turn wildly in the darkness, looking for something, anything, that would lead me to him.
Then I saw a dim light. I followed it cautiously, slowly making my way towards the end of it. And when I did, I wished I hadn't.
There lay Edward, his body mangled. Blood was everywhere—on his hands, in his hair, on his clothes. I howled in pain, the sound inhuman even my ears, and he turned to weakly look at me.
"Love," he croaked, holding his hand out to me. I reached for it, but just as our fingers touched, his body dissolved into ash before my eyes. The sobs ripped through me as I searched frantically for him, not believing he could disappear like that.
I was running down the path I had followed to get to him when I felt the strangest shaking sensation. It felt like an earthquake, but when I looked around, the earth wasn't moving. "Bella!" I heard distantly. I looked around the dark tunnel, trying to locate the source of the voice. The shaking intensified. "Bella!" I still could not find the source. "Bella, wake up!" Charlie said, shaking me roughly.
I sat straight up in bed, gasping, as I looked around wildly, my eyes settling on Charlie's pained face. He held the phone in his hand, and he wordlessly passed it to me.
"Hello?" I mumbled, my voice foggy with sleep and distant terror.
"Bella, it's Alice." The voice on the other end was high pitched in panic. "Something's happened to Edward."
Cliffhanger! So what'd you think? Sorry for the delay in updating, but real life is kicking my ass something fierce. Hope you enjoyed! Please review if you have the time!
