Disclaimer:**All characters belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyers, I just wondered what would have happened if certain circumstances were different!**

**Note to readers: Yes...finally an update! I do apologize for the delay, computer issues and a reformat actually left me without a word processing program or even a way to open my previous files. (Thankfully I did at least have my writing backed up!) I am finally now back on track and am working on the next chapter though, so hopefully inspiration will keep me plugging away with dear Bella and Edward!**

Chapter 10

B.P.O.V.

Despite my fears, the next weeks passed quickly, and I sometimes felt as though I was dreaming. I kept expecting to wake only to find that it had all been a dream, and I found myself constantly amazed at the ways that my life had changed in such a short time. We found that we could gradually extend the length of time that we were away from each other. Our test days for stretching out the distance and time were the weekend mornings, since I always had housework and errands to take care of. During the week, Edward would drive me to school every day, and we would spend every moment we could steal away in hidden corners of the buildings on campus simply holding each other and sharing chaste kisses. Of course, I found myself increasingly frustrated by the fact that he wouldn't allow me to kiss him the way that I wanted to, and I frequently groused about it when I got the chance. He was ever the gentleman, opening doors, carrying my books, pulling out my chair at lunch, and following various other old fashioned edicts. I guess to him it was second nature, considering that those things were the only acceptable form of behavior when he was actually growing up. These were things that were ingrained and that he most definitely had not ever forgotten, even as his other human memories had left him. He seemed oblivious to the odd looks our human classmates, particularly the males, would throw his way when he did these things. We would sit with Alice, Jasper, Angela, Jessica, Eric, and Mike at lunch most often. I assumed this was because of his sister Rosalie and her obvious dislike for me. I could not reconcile her behavior, I had never given her reason not to like me, but Edward just said she would come around eventually and told me to overlook her. Emmett frequently smiled and waved whenever he saw me, even while Rose smacked him on his arm for not paying attention to what she was saying at the moment. I had only been to their house on one occasion since the night that I had been attacked in Port Angeles, and Edward had said Rosalie and Emmett were out hunting on that particular occasion.

Surprisingly, our lunch table conversations were fairly standard teenage fare, primarily with Alice and Jessica talking fashion and gossip, Angela, Edward and myself talking about class assignments, and Mike and Eric offering up idle chatter and rolling their eyes at the girls. Jasper remained quiet the majority of the time, simply sitting beside Alice and amusing himself by directing various moods at the occupants of the tables around us. It was at this point commonplace for any given teenager to be seen practically vibrating because he sent a wave of hyperactivity to them one minute, then practically fall asleep in their tray the next. I found his ability astounding and did occasionally ask him to help me, for example sending me waves of calm right before a daunting exam. For the most part though, he didn't try to manipulate my emotions often and I had all ideas that was because Edward has asked him not to. It was hard enough for him not being able to read my mind, he wanted my emotions to be unhindered so that he could have some clue as to my state of mind. After classes were finished and Edward had driven me home, I would spend a couple of hours tidying up and cooking Charlie's supper, at which point Edward would often come back and eat with us, then he and I would take an hour or so to do homework. Normally after that we would sit in the living room on the couch together, often holding hands with my head lying on his shoulder, halfway watching whatever show my dad had on at the time. On the weekends, occasionally Alice and Jasper would join us to work on projects and such for school, then Jasper and my father would talk about guns and fishing. It seemed that Jasper was quite the weapons expert, particularly antique firearms, although what use a vampire would have had for a gun I couldn't imagine.

Alice had quickly endeared herself to my father, waiting on him hand and foot during the times that she was there. She claimed that it was to give me a break from having to do it, but I honestly think she just enjoyed it.

After our company would leave, I would get my dad prepared for and into bed, then do the same for myself, often coming into my bedroom from the bathroom to find Edward sitting on the side of my bed waiting for me. We would crawl into bed and he would hold me and we would talk for an hour or so until he would announce that it was my bedtime. He would then press play on my MP3 player, which would drift out the beautiful notes of a lullaby that he had composed and recorded just for me. I would snuggle into his arms as he stroked my hair and occasionally kissed my forehead until I fell into a deep sleep. I dare say that I had slept better in these past few weeks than I ever had in my lifetime. I felt a deep sense of peace and love wrapped in his embrace, and often it took quite a bit of effort on his part to wake me up in the mornings for school, even with the alarm going off.

We'd begun calling our nightly talk sessions "Vamp 101" and he would talk to me about the ins and outs of his kind and their lives, with me frequently asking questions. I learned that his family's dietary habits were considered an oddity in the vampire world, and that there was only one other coven such as theirs that subsisted solely on the blood of animals. The Cullens referred to them as The Denali Coven, as they lived in the Denali region of Alaska. They were often also referred to by Edward's family as their cousins. He promised to take me to meet them soon, possibly over the holiday break, but forewarned me that one of the females named Tanya seemed to be quite taken with him and had tried to seduce him on many occasions. While this concerned me a little bit, I believed him when he told me that he had no interest in her whatsoever of a romantic nature. We talked about how the change occurred and all of its unpleasant details, as well as the stories of his family members changes. The only exceptions to this had been Alice and Jasper, as they had been changed and found each other before they found and joined the impromptu little family. Jasper did still struggle with the diet, which I assume was why he seemed to be pained so much of the time at school. Apparently the burn in their throats could be quite intense, and the first year of their lives as a vampire could be extremely difficult due to the bloodlust they experienced. They referred to this time as the "Newborn stage" and the changelings could be counted on to be volatile to say the least, not seeing reason through the haze of the pain their burning throats brought them.

I had only once mentioned to Edward the possibility of becoming one of them myself. He instantly rejected the idea with such vehemence that it took me aback, saying that it was not even a possibility, and told me that he would never agree to such. He wanted me to remain human and live out my life as intended at my birth. I attempted to argue the point that he wouldn't have to treat me like a porcelain doll if I were changed, and that I would be able to stay with him for eternity that way. There was, however, no arguing with him on the subject. I shoved the idea to the back of my mind, intending to ask Alice about it once I had the opportunity. I knew that it made no sense to desire something that would cause me such massive pain and turn me into a creature that would be unruly at best and uncontrollable at worst. The main focus of this desire was that I would be able to remain with Edward indefinitely, unchanging as time went by. As vain as it seemed, I couldn't stand the idea of looking into his devastatingly beautiful face each day, knowing that my own was old and wrinkled, not to mention what other people would think if they happened to see us walking hand in hand. Somewhere in the deepest part of my mind, it did register that I was thinking about being with him indefinitely, and I wondered how I could even think of such at my age. In some ways, it did seem ridiculous, but all I had to do was look into the sculpted perfection of his face, and it all just disappeared as quickly as it had come.

The ragged hole in my chest feeling had only returned in full force once in this time period, due to Edward's absense from school that day. I was dumbfounded when he told me the night before that he and his siblings would not be in school the following day because it was going to be sunny! At the time he simply held me against him and attempted to soothe me as I was on the verge of panic. The confusion didn't help either, although I recalled him telling me that they reacted strangely to the sunlight, he had not ever explained what he meant by this and when I asked again, he vowed to show me the next afternoon when I got home from school. We had went for a walk in the woods, which ended up as a run with me holding onto his back for dear life as we rocketed past enormous trees and uphill until we finally stopped in a small clearing. It seemed as though someone had intentionally removed the trees in the area, because the surrounding trees were formed in an almost perfect circle. It was just big enough however, that in the center was a small area that was not shaded at all from the hazy sun that day. He grabbed my hand, leading me with him to stand in the light, and asked me to cover my eyes just before we stepped into it.

He stepped away from me and I could hear him rustling his clothing, although I couldn't imagine what on earth for. I then felt him near me again, with his hands on both of my shoulders, turning me slightly so that I was where he wanted me. His hands fell and I felt him step away again, saying "Ok, you can move your hands now, just try to remember to breathe please Bella." I slowly removed my hands and was shocked to see what looked like thousands of rays of light shooting off of the skin of his face, neck, chest, and stomach! It was the reflections of the sun's rays causing them and I found myself dumbfounded. It was as if his flesh was made of diamonds cut precisely to create the maximum fire possible, although I doubted seriously if any diamond cut could rival the appearance of his skin at that moment. He scowled at me and began, "Bella, breathe!" I sucked in a sharp breath, realizing he was right and that I had not been moving any air for what seemed like a couple of minutes, although I'm certain that it was not nearly so long. "Sorry! I just….it's like…..I mean…..how?" I finally managed to stutter out the question and he just smiled that devastatingly beautiful crooked smile of his down at me as he moved to re-button his shirt. "No! I mean, ummm…. could you leave it open so I can look please? Just for a minute?" He stepped back, unfastenening the one he had closed and let his arms drop to his sides, allowing me to view him again. I took in as much as I could bear, trying to burn the image into my memory. His adam's apple, the curve of his throat with the silvery crescent shaped scar at his jugular, the solid planes of his chest and abdomen, looking as if he had been chiseled out of the smoothest marble or granite. I remembered the firmness of his embraces, of how I felt as though I was leaning against and being held gently by a warm, smooth, statue. He was not massive by any means, particularly next to someone like Emmett, but he was still taller than I was and could wrap one arm around my waist and carry me. No, he wasn't what I would call muscle bound, he was lean, cut, and graceful. He almost reminded me of a big cat such as a panther or mountain lion, medium sized for its category, yet also powerful and lithe. I wondered if he had ever went head to head with one of them, in the matter of hunting or possibly fighting over prey?

I shook my head slightly and could feel my blush begin as my thoughts once again ran over the lines of his chest and stomach, the faint sprinkling of hair on his chest and the line of it that ran below his navel into his waistband. I looked up at his face again and forced myself to speak, "Well I guess that explains why you guys can't be seen outside on sunny days! It would be a little strange to go around completely covered up when it was, especially in the summer.""Yes." he replied "Carlisle and Esme have an understanding with the school that on those days we hike and camp as a family. They tend not to ask questions, considering Carlisle's status at the hospital. Then again, the fact that the new computer equipment and the majority of the medical supplies in the nursing office and health sciences classroom were a donation from the family probably doesn't hurt matters either! Although we did request that the donations be considered anonymous. We try to do all of our donations to schools, hospitals, and such anonymously or at least request that they be kept so. Esme has donated to many orphanages and children's charities over the years as well. A few have tried to name wings or even whole buildings after her, but she refuses."

He stepped out of the sunlight's dazzling effects and once again began buttoning his shirt, smoothing it into place. He smiled at me and laughed softly, I suppose mostly because I probably still looked like a gaping fish with my mouth hanging open, completely taken with the wonderful creature in front of me, inside and out. He took my hand, turning me back in the direction from which we had come in, until I pulled his hand back towards me and whispered to him. "Do you think we could stay here for just a little while please? It's so quiet here, I feel as though we are in our own world, where nothing can touch us." We sat down in the grass where we were standing, with him pulling me back against his chest in an embrace. I leaned my head back against his shoulder and sighed, simply breathing in his scent, which was clean and sweet. He leaned toward me and placed a kiss on top of my head, breathing in deeply, as if trying to breathe in my scent as well and rested his chin on the top of my head. We sat like this for a while, simply existing together, and I realized that it felt like the most natural thing in the world to me. We belonged in the same space together, Edward and I. I had thought this before, but being in this place with him seemed to cement the thought thoroughly into my head and my heart simultaneously.

He finally spoke after what seemed like ages, "Well love, it seems I recall that a certain young lady who just happens to be sitting with me right now has a birthday in a couple of days. What would you like to do to celebrate? My dear sister Alice seems to be under the impression that a party is in order, although I tried to convince her that I didn't think you would want one. You will only turn 18 once, love, we should make it special, although I don't want to make you uncomfortable at all." I thought about what he said for a moment, coming out of my haze, jumping slightly when I realized he was serious, Alice wanted to throw a PARTY? "Oh NO, please no, I'm begging you Edward! Please don't let her do that! I hate parties, even moreso when they are supposed to be for me! I would like to see your family, but I mostly just want to have a quiet day and spend time with you and my father." He smiled that devastating grin of his, replying "I thought that might be the case, although Alice had intended on having your father there for it. I will simply tell her no, unequivocally out of the question!" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, his phone chimed, indicating that he had a call. He answered the phone and I could hear Alice's voice ringing through the air between us as he held it out to prevent damage to his sensitive ears. Holy Crow, that girl was loud! "Edward you have to convince her! I won't take no for an answer! I already have the meal planned out and the food and decorations have already been purchased, so HAH! Not to mention that Charlie thought it was a wonderful idea and is very excited about coming to our house for it! Oh Bella, please reconsider! Charlie is looking forward to getting to go somewhere that isn't a doctor's office or rehabilitation center! Emmett even put a ramp up the side of the front porch today so that it would be more easily accessible for your dad." I could almost see the smirk on the devious little pixie's face, knowing she would win by using Charlie against me. Of course she knew, she is psychic after all Bella, I thought to myself . I rolled my eyes and sighed deeply, why did I have the feeling I was going to regret this? I nodded my head at him, conceding, saying "Ok, fine Alice, but I warn you, I do NOT want any presents! Period, End of Story!" I could hear her clapping her hands in her excitement through the phone, and could imagine her practically jumping up and down as she did so. She laughed her tinkling of bells laugh and simply said "Hmmm, we shall see about that one!" and I heard the phone click as she hung up before I had the chance to argue with her last statement.

Edward shut the phone with a sigh, shaking his head at his beloved sister's exuberance. "I'm sure I can talk her out of it when I get home, don't worry about it love." I thought for a moment and said, "I don't think it would do any good, but it's ok, I will suffer through it for Charlie's sake, since he apparently is so excited about it. I knew he was acting a little strange after she left yesterday afternoon, I guess now I know why. He has been asking me what I wanted to do for a couple of weeks now I guess and I kept putting him off. I guess it is only fair considering he doesn't normally get to see me since I have normally been with my mom for my birthday in the past few years." He smiled down into my face and replied, "Well , I'm glad that he will get to be with you for it this year, I just don't want you to be unhappy and feel coerced into the situation." I leaned my head back against him again and sighed, turning my face up towards his once more. "I will be fine, as long as I have you there, and my father, I will be wonderful. I'm actually surprised my mom hasn't mentioned anything about it over the phone. Then again, she knows how I feel about parties, so we usually just have a nice dinner and a dessert of some sort at home along with a movie. Oh! I just thought of it, please ask Alice to make sure the food is acceptable for my father to have, considering." I could feel him shaking as he laughed at the last part of my statement. He wrapped his arms around me and leaned down near my ear to whisper, "No worries my love, Alice had our father to approve the entire menu before she decided on it."

We soon after got up and headed back to my house where I got the table ready for dinner and finished the details to go with the meal in the crock pot I had prepared. We ate and I got my dad situated to watch the game. I was about to ask him what Billy and Jacob had been up to lately when the phone rang and it was Billy. When Charlie got off the phone he said that Billy & Jake were coming over since the pregame had just begun and they had a little time. I went to make sure they had plenty of suitable snacks and such and was leaning over into the fridge when I felt Edward's hand on my lower back. Being preoccupied with my task, it startled me and I slammed my head upward onto the shelf above and felt something sharp cut into the back of my head. It was the metal clip on the thermometer that was attached to that shelf, and I had hit it hard enough to break the skin. Geez I was such a clutz!

Suddenly the metallic scent of my own blood hit me and I reached to feel around and investigate the damage. I pulled my hand back to inspect it and found a good deal of blood on it. Suddenly my mind snapped to attention and I looked up at Edward, only to find him across the room, as far away from me as he could be and still be in the kitchen. I noted that his eyes had shifted to pitch black and that he seemed to be holding his breath, so I ran over to the sink and snatched up a towel, pressing it to the wound and nodded at him towards the door nearby. "Go, get outside and get some fresh air, I can deal with this. I just need to get it to stop bleeding and clean this mess up on the thermometer and where I bumped the shelf and some stuff fell over. I will call you when I'm done...Go, I'm fine, really!" I heard the door shut and turned back around to the fridge, surveying the damage. It wasn't so bad really, so I ran some hot water in the sink and mixed in some bleach, tossing the thermometer in with one hand while holding the towel to my wound still with the other. It was starting to sting slightly, and I was also getting a very slight headache to go along with it, so I grabbed the Tylenol and popped a couple in my mouth. What I didn't think through, however, was popping my head back in the usual manner to swallow them, and when I did so I got a sharp pain from my wound down the back of my neck that made me extremely dizzy. Suddenly the room seemed to swirl around me and I sagged towards the counter, reaching out to grab it but missing and managed to crack my head once again, this time on the edge of the counter on my forehead. I felt hands grasping me right before I would have hit the floor, then lifting me and carrying me away from the scent of the bleach. Thankfully it was now masking the scent of my blood. I heard my father's sharp intake of breath and him saying "What on earth happened? What's wrong with her?" and Edward telling him that I had hit and cut my head while in the refrigerator. I felt him lowering me onto the sofa and opened my eyes, struggling to sit up and put the towel back to the wound on my head. The movement did not agree with my head however, and the room began swimming around me again. I opened my mouth to exclaim at the sharp pain but the spinning accelerated and suddenly everything went black.

I think I vaguely awoke for a few seconds at one point, but felt movement underneath me and was confused, then the blackness took over again. When I finally came to again, I heard soft voices murmuring from what sounded like far away, however when I finally forced my eyes to open and focus, I found Edward on my right and his father to my left. The room was somewhat dim, and I began to realize that I was in Carlisle's study in the Cullen home. I reached up to find the wound, but my hand was stopped and I felt warm water. Edward had grabbed my hand and was rinsing it in a large bowl of warm water with soap to clean the dried blood from my skin. Good grief, why was my head pounding so? How on earth had I gotten here? Why had I blacked out? I looked at him quizzically and he cocked his head to the side slightly as if listening, his eyes becoming large and round, his mouth dropping open. Apparently Carlisle noted his change in demeanor instantly and said "Son, what's wrong? What's going on?" Edward whispered in a tone I could barely make out, "She's confused, she doesn't know why her head is pounding, how she got here or why she blacked out...Carlisle, I can hear her thoughts now!" Upon hearing this, my mind switched into high gear and began racing for the few seconds it could before I blacked out and there was once again silence.

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