Stephanie Meyer owns all of the wonderful Twilight characters. I only own my dirty little mind.

Bella POV

Huh? I couldn't figure out what had just happened. At first I thought Edward was going to kiss me again. He had been looking at me like he was about to pounce on me and instead of feeling afraid, I only felt excitement and anticipation.

Then suddenly, he just turned and ran. I guess I should have felt relieved that he hadn't been screaming while he ran away from me, but it was disconcerting nonetheless. I shrugged to myself and got into my sweats and t-shirt.

As I laid down on the bed, I tried to keep my mind off of Edward and all of the crazy things my body was telling me. I could feel that he wanted me. It was as if every cell in my being knew it and was reaching for it. I had felt attraction before. After all, I was human. I knew Johnny Depp was dreamy and that Robert Pattinson guy was too hot for words. I had even felt a little thrill when I knew that Mike liked me. I had never really felt anything for Mike himself, despite the fact that he was a really nice guy, but knowing that someone had romantic feelings towards me was flattering. But I had never felt such a magnetic pull towards someone like I did to Edward. But then, I wasn't entirely convinced that Edward was human…

That brought me to a whole other set of thoughts and worries. Edward was not normal and neither was anyone in his family. I made a mental list of the things that I knew and the things I merely suspected. I knew that they were all incredibly strong and fast. I knew that at least some of them had special powers. I knew they were all insanely beautiful. They all smelled really good, but maybe they just used a special bodywash. They were all extremely cold to the touch. Clearly, they had some circulation issues. They were also very pale, even more so than I was. Their skin was smooth, but hard. When one of them would carry me or when Edward held me, it was almost like touching a moving statue. I couldn't make sense of it.

My suspicions had more to do with what I felt rather than what I knew. I felt like the people in this family were good, but that they had the capacity to be dangerous. They were like some twisted Justice League. Edward was certainly my hero, and he had displayed superhuman powers. No tights and no cape though. I didn't like the idea of radioactive spiders because, well, spiders creeped me out. And this beautiful mansion certainly didn't look like any batcave I had ever envisioned.

I knew that I was missing something important. Something simple that I had missed would explain everything. I was sure of it.

The crazy meanderings of my mind were slowing down and I closed my eyes and decided to leave it until the morning. It was much more pleasant to think about my kiss with Edward so I thought about that as I drifted off to sleep.

Edward POV

I stayed outside the bedroom until Bella's heart rate slowed and I could be assured that she was sleeping. I opened the door quietly and looked down on her as she slept. She was so beautiful and peaceful. I pulled the covers down just a bit so that I could watch her chest rise and fall with her breaths.

I knew that I had to be careful to not scare her with the strength of my feelings and my attraction to her. I needed her to fall in love with me before she discovered my secret. I had faith that she would love me as intensely as I loved her. Alice had seen it and I had complete faith in the vision.

Humans were so different from us though. It took them time to develop feelings and those were sometimes fickle. I had a feeling that Bella would be different though. She had already shown in a myriad of ways that she was far from a typical human. She truly was meant for me.

As I pondered the ways I would woo Bella, she began to stir. I stepped back, not wanting to frighten her if she woke. Her brow furrowed and she said, "No tights."

I stood still and waited for her to open her eyes, but she didn't. "Don't like spiders," she said. She talked in her sleep!

I moved closer again and waited impatiently to hear more. I hoped that I would get some clue as to how her mind worked since I was unable to hear her thoughts.

"Mmm… Edward," she sighed. I was in her dreams! I was on pins and needles waiting to hear more. What was she thinking as she dreamed of me? "Don't go Edward. Stay."

I was giddy. She wanted to be with me. It took every ounce of control I had to not rip the covers off and hold her to me. I would stay with her forever if she would allow me to. I would probably stay with her forever even without her permission.

"Edward," she spoke again. "Tell me… please. Edward."

What did she want me to tell her? If I could only know what she was thinking. I would give her anything she asked as long as she would stay with me. Did she want to know of my feelings for her? Should I tell her that I love her? Or was she still trying to figure out the secrets my family and I were keeping from her? Why couldn't I just hear her thoughts?

I didn't know how to proceed. I knew that I had to tell her the truth eventually, especially since my greatest dream was to keep her with me for all eternity. But I also knew that the truth could drive her away and I couldn't allow that to happen.

I wanted her to love me enough that she would see past it and stay. But I also knew that I couldn't allow her to leave. There would be nowhere that she could run that I couldn't find her.

It was such a quandary! I wanted to let her ease into her feelings and her life with me. But I also wanted to just take her and make her mine. On some level, she had to know that we were destined for each other. Perhaps I should just force the issue and trust that the end result would remain the same. The predator in me liked that option, but I loved her too much to take away her will.

I wanted her to come to me willingly. I had to be patient. I did feel a little guilty that I was only really giving her the illusion that she had a choice because I knew that no matter what was said and done, I would never let her go. I consoled myself with the knowledge that I had no choice in the matter either. She was my mate.

Bella had quieted and she was sleeping deeply. I continued to watch her through the night and though she spoke a few more times, she hadn't said my name again. I felt myself growing anxious for her to wake so that I could hear my name on her lips again.

I forced myself to focus on other things. I knew that I had to find out about the nomads that had chased her. Alice was certain they would come back for her. I needed to make sure that Bella was protected. My first instinct was to go after them and eliminate the threat to my love, but Alice said they would be able to elude us if we attacked. I hated the thought of just waiting for them to attack. There had to be another way, and if there was, Alice would find it. Waiting was difficult but I knew that Alice would point us in the right direction. She already loved Bella as a sister.

As the sun began to rise, I heard Alice close to the house and I went to meet her.

Alice POV

I had spent most of the night with Jasper. I hated being away from him for too long, but I really wanted to spend the day with Bella. I knew that Edward was coming but I told him to meet me at the house. I wanted to be able to talk with everyone at once.

When I entered, everyone was seated in the dining room, as I knew they would be. "Edward," I said. "Wait until I tell everyone else and then you can yell at me."

He nodded and looked like he was trying to stifle his irritation.

I focused on Carlisle and told them, "I saw them going to Alaska. They are going to come across Kate's scent and track her to the others. They mean them no harm, but they are going to try to find out more about us."

Carlisle looked concerned. "Alice," he began. "Are you certain they are in no danger?"

"No," I replied. "I can't really be certain of a whole lot with these two. They aren't merely creatures of instinct. They are smart and talented. That they were able to evade us that first night shows that. They will look for our weaknesses. I don't know why they have fixated on Bella, but they won't give up and right now, the thought of getting to her is what they are living for right now. They don't mean the Denali clan any harm, but I don't know what they will do when they meet them."

"That's why she wants us to go Carlisle," Edward said.

"That's right," I said. "You won't get there before them, but you might be able to reach them before they leave. I can't see it yet, but I will keep looking. If nothing else, Edward should be there because even if Tanya and the others tell you everything they know, Edward can see so much more. Plus, if you can get close enough to the nomads, Edward will know exactly what is going through their twisted minds."

"Alice," Edward began.

"Edward," I interrupted. "You know I don't want you away from Bella either, but this is how it has to be. I will keep her safe."

"Yeah Edward," said Emmett. "We won't let anything happen to Bella."

Esme nodded, but Rosalie spoke up. "If you are counting on Edward and Carlisle meeting up with the nomads, are you sure they should go alone? Why do the rest of us have to stay and protect Bella if the nomads aren't even going to be here?"

She had been looking at me but Edward answered her. "Rosalie, if there is going to be a fight, it will be where Bella is, and Alice isn't counting on us meeting them. In fact, she thinks it highly unlikely."

Carlisle continued trying to ease Rosalie's mind. "They will have no reason to attack and if we can convince them that it would be in their best interests to leave her alone, we won't have to worry about a confrontation that could get Bella hurt."

Emmett piped up. "I should come with you, just in case you do run into them. I can be very persuasive," he grinned.

"Emmett," Carlisle said. "The point is to keep things from becoming violent."

"How are you going to keep Edward from starting something," Rosalie sneered. "He isn't exactly rational when it comes to this girl. Why are we even doing this? What is she to us?"

"Rosalie," Carlisle said softly. "She is a part of our family now. We will protect her as we would any member of this family."

"Well maybe she shouldn't be a part of this family," Rosalie spat. "She's a human!"

Edward glared at her and with a harsh edge to his voice, said, "She is my mate."

I couldn't stop Rosalie from spewing her venomous thoughts at Edward, but I still tried to diffuse the situation. "Rose," I said. "Bella is going to be one of us. She and Edward belong together and she belongs with us."

Rosalie however wasn't ready to let it go. "Really," she said. "And has anyone bothered to ask the girl how she feels about all of this? She doesn't even know what we are and if she did, she would probably race out of here as fast as she could. At least she would if she were the least bit intelligent."

"Rose," Esme said softly. "Would you really want to deny your brother happiness?"

"This isn't just about him," Rosalie insisted. "This affects us all. We should not be putting our family in danger for a human girl or Edward's creepy fantasies."

"Enough," said Carlisle. "Rosalie, I have made my stance on this clear. She is part of this family now. We will do what we have to in order to protect her. And we will all do our part."

"Jasper is going to stay outside of the house until you are back Edward," I told him. "It's unnecessary, but he knows you will feel better that way. He is going to keep checking on her father as well. I will see them before they come back, but it makes him feel better to be extra vigilant." I couldn't help but smile. My military man.

Edward looked at me and asked, "How much time do we have?"

"You need to leave right away." At his pained expression, I told him, "You will wake her up and say goodbye. It would hurt her feelings if you were to go without telling her. Just remember that the sooner you get there, the sooner you will get back."

Bella POV

I woke up to something cold and smooth on my neck. As I opened my eyes, I realized that Edward was nuzzling my neck. Instantly my body was on edge and I started to tingle all over. His lips moved up to my ear and he softly breathed, "I am so sorry to wake you love, but I didn't want to leave without kissing you goodbye."

That woke me up quickly, and my stomach dropped. "But where are you going?" I asked.

"Carlisle and I need to go see some friends," he said. "We won't be long."

"Who are these friends?" I asked.

"They are a family like mine that live in Alaska," he said.

"Okaaay…" I started. "And what are you trying to avoid telling me?"

At first I thought he wasn't going to answer me, but something in my face must have changed his mind. "Alice saw that the people who attacked you were heading that way…" he began.

"No!" I interrupted. "There is no way you are going after them. I cannot have you or Carlisle getting hurt because of me."

"Bella," he said cajolingly. "We are not going to get hurt. We probably won't even run into them, and if we do, all we are going to do is explain that you are under the protection of our family. There is nothing for you to worry about."

"Really," she said. "You think you can just have a civil conversation with them? Did you forget my encounter with them?"

"Bella," he said with a smile playing about his lips. "Have a little faith in me. I can take care of myself and you quite well. Nothing bad is going to happen. I won't allow it. I fully intend to come back to you. I am not the least bit worried and neither should you be. Honestly, the only reason I have for not wanting to go is that I can't stand to be away from you."

I couldn't deny the thrill that went through me hearing that. Why this incredible man wanted me I would never know, but I couldn't doubt it. Not when he was looking at me like I was the most beautiful thing on the planet. I couldn't help but melt.

"Just hurry back, okay?" I said. "I don't know what is happening between us, but I know it won't feel right when you are away from me." I knew I should be embarrassed about admitting that to him, but I couldn't bring myself to hide anything from him, especially when he was so close and his eyes were looking at me so warmly.

He held me tight and his normally smooth voice was raspy as he said, "Oh Bella, I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear you say that. I will hurry back. Nothing could keep me from you for long."

He leaned down and brushed his lips across mine softly. I couldn't help but gasp and I felt his smile on my lips. He pulled away and whispered, "Carlisle is ready. I have to go now. Sleep my Bella and I will be home before you know it."

He breathed across my face and the sweetness left me wanting more, but I was too dazed to move. With that, he was gone. I was light-headed enough that I began to fall back asleep still feeling the tingling from his kiss.

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