Author's Note: Please Read!
I'd like to take a minute to thank all of my wonderful reader for being patient with me. I know that it has been a long while since I updated and everyone has been very kind in their reviews and PMs.
I want to especially thank SnappleApple450 for all of her help. She has held me up and listened to me wallow in my problems and helped me see that everything will work out fine.
Thanks Jennifer, you are a true friend and I owe you so much. This chapter is for you!
I own nothing but this storyline, my Pilates mat and a new appreciation for my dearest friends Ben and Jerry.
I was fully expecting Emmett to pounce on me with jokes about Bella and the sun as soon as I entered the house but he was unusually quiet tonight. He merely looked up and nodded in greeting and returned to the game that he and Jasper were playing on the Xbox360.
Both of their thoughts consisting only of strategic moves as they tried to annihilate each others characters. I politely declined an invitation to play from Jasper and asked where the rest of the family were. I may have gotten lucky and Alice hadn't spoken with anyone about my embarrassing moment today. According to Jasper's thoughts Alice, Rosalie and Esme had been out for most of he evening and Carlisle was still at work. I smiled thinking that Alice had kept her mouth shut for once as I sat down at my piano. My fingers guided themselves of the keys playing a medley of the compositions that I had written.
I let my mind drift back to the events of this afternoon. Bella and I had declared ourselves to each other and I had shown her who I really am. She had tried to protect me in the most adorable way and I will never forget the way it felt to hold her as I ran. It was the most exhilarating run I had ever experienced.
"Edward, did you hear me son?" Carlisle's voice interrupted my thoughts. I was so engrossed in my day dreaming that I hadn't even heard him come in. I paused my fingers over the keys and started to turn to ask him to repeat his question but Emmett began screaming for help as he lunged for me and threw me to the ground and deftly rolled me under the piano pinning me to the ground there.
"Don't worry Edward. I will protect you. As soon as the coast is clear I want you to grab Carlisle's jacket and cover yourself, then run for your room as fast as you can." he yelled.
'Emmett," I growled
"No Edward, I know what you're going to say but don't worry about me I will be fine save yourself." He whispered as he covered my mouth with his hand.
"Cloud" Jasper called from the couch and Emmett snatched Carlisle's jacket that was folded across his arm and threw it over my head and then pushed me towards the stairs.
"Run Edward, run!" he shouted from under my piano.
I ripped the jacket off of my head and spun around to face him.
"Very mature, Emmett." I seethed glaring at him.
"And you" I said turning my glare to Jasper, "I expected more from you."
I stomped my way to my room ignoring Carlisle asking what was wrong and the thoughts of amusement and remorse from my brothers. I lay on my couch listening to music waiting until it was time to go and see my love again.
I heard the girls come home but I made no move to acknowledge them even as I heard Alice explaining to Carlisle what had happened with Bella and subsequently Emmett.
I blocked out their thoughts and concentrated on the music floating around the room. It felt like moments later that Alice was knocking on my door.
"Edward, I have been calling you in my thoughts for over an hour. Bella is already asleep. She tried to stay awake until you got there but she couldn't make it."
I looked at my watch, surprised that it was already half past one in the morning.
"No need to thank me, just tell Bella I said hi" Alice called as she took off back down the stairs. I jumped from my window and took off towards Bella's house. I briefly wondered why it is that I never actually passed on Alice's greetings to Bella and came to the conclusion that I just didn't want to share my time with Bella in even the smallest increments. even if it was just a small greeting from my favorite sister.
Her breathing was even and her heart rate slow when I crawled in her window indicating that she was indeed asleep. She stirred a little when I took a step towards the bead and jolted up into a sitting position as I slowly lowered myself onto the foot of her bed.
She sat wide-eyed and looked scared out of her mind.
I worried that it was me that she was scared of but then my mind registered the fact that it was too dark to see who was in her room.
"Bella, relax; it's only me." I whispered in my most soothing voice and she instantly relaxed.
She laid back down moving over slightly to make room for me to join her. I lay down next to her and she scooted as close as she could to me molding herself to my side leaving no space in between us. Wrapping an arm around her waist, I nestled my face into her hair, taking in her scent. She inhaled deeply seeming to do the same. I smiled to myself relishing in this tender moment. She sighed; contentedly it sounded like, and tried to pull me to closer to her.
"Bella," I whispered in her ear softly, "I love you."
She moved on to her side resting an arm over mine. Lacing my fingers through hers, I squeezed her hand before gently rubbing it with the pad of my thumb.
"I love you too, Edward," she breathed.
I held her closer and tighter. I couldn't get close enough to my angel. Softly she kissed my cheek before settling back in her comfortable position next to me. I closed my eyes in happy splendor. If this wasn't heaven, then it was pretty darn close. I could feel my breathing slowing down its rhythm; I felt as if I was falling asleep after a while. But then Bella spoke.
"you know Edward, I have never felt this way about anyone before and I just wanted you to know that you are the only one I will ever love no matter how long I live." she whispered. I felt as if this conversation had a point that I was missing but I would never pass up an opportunity to tell Bella how I felt about her.
"You know, Bella, I've never felt this way about anyone before either," I softly spoke. "I'd give anything to be human again just so I could go through life with you as we should."
She snuggled impossibly closer into me, I held her as tightly as I dared.
I sighed contentedly then she broke the silence.
"I know," she simply answered matching my earlier volume, "because that's how I feel about becoming . . . one of you."
I froze instantly. I wasn't sure how to respond to that. I knew that Alice had seen this put I had assumed that I would have more time to prepare a defense.
"Bella," My voice pleaded raspy, but she cut me off by turning over to face me.
"Edward," she said matching my tone once more, "you always say you want to know what I'm thinking, so I'm telling you that's exactly how I feel. I can't help it or excuse it. It just is," she paused for a moment searching her mind for a way to make me see her point I guess, while searching my eyes for something. She must have found what she was looking for because her lips curled up into a small smile.
"And as terrifying as that may seem or be for you, you feel the exact same way as I do."
I stared back into her eyes for a moment, trying to arrange my thoughts. I exhaled heavily after a moment, releasing a breath that I didn't even realize I was holding. I closed my eyes for a moment to break her piercing gaze, so that I could think clearly, before opening them again.
"That may be," I agreed "but how can you possibly know that this is what you want?" I asked seriously.
She smiled slightly before answering.
"Because," she began, "I want you mind, heart, body and soul." she whispered sweetly.
"Bella, I have no soul," I said sadly.
"Yes you do," she quickly replied staring into my eyes, "I see it every time I look into your eyes. You have a beautiful, loving soul."
I sighed and looked her straight in the eye speaking the words that I felt would send her running and screaming from me.
"Vampires are soulless monsters Bella, and even if I had one it would be as black as night. I have killed people in the past Bella; remember what I told you earlier."
"Edward Cullen," she whisper yelled at me as she sat up again, "Vampires are absolutely not soulless. Do you honestly believe Carlisle or Esme have no soul?" she pause waiting for my answer but continued on as I just looked at her in awe wondering if she realized that she just asked the question that plagued my thoughts often. Were people as compassionate and loving as my adopted parents even capable of being without a soul? I started to contemplate this as I had done many times before but Bella's voice brought me back to the present.
"And I don't care if you killed people in the past. They were horrible, horrible creatures and deserved worse than you gave them. Besides, everyone is entitled to a second chance."
She was breathing heavily by the end of her little rant.
"You are remarkable, you know that?" I asked smiling.
"Well," she said with a toying smile, "I may be, but you're extraordinary."
I smiled that lop-sided smile that I had noticed made her heart skip a beat and she melted back into my side immediately.
"Can we talk about this later love? You need your sleep," I whispered before drawing her in for a kiss. My cold hard lips gently brushed against her warm soft ones, quickly changing tempo as I felt her heart rate pulsing faster awakening my body.
Her soft warm hands softly stroked my back as she held me close. She eventually entangled both of her hands in my hair holding my head to hers as much as she could. My fingers, already curled in her hair, quickly undid themselves and skirted down her spine. I stopped after a moment realizing that this was going too far. I held her and let her cool down in my arms as I rested my chin on her shoulder.
Feeling high off her kiss and holding her close, I knew I never wanted this moment to end. I closed my eyes, soaking in this feeling hoping I would continue to have nights like this for the rest of my existence. I realized in this moment just how much I would enjoy Bella being with me for eternity. I felt her shift after a while trying to make herself comfortable. But then, just as she was about to drift off to sleep once more, she called to me.
"Edward?"
"Yes, Bella?" I breathed in her ear. She shuddered at the effect of my lips being that close to her.
She fluttered her eyes open looking around to find me. I was lying on my back, with my hands behind my head on the pillow. Slowly she inched even closer to me, resting her head on my cool marble chest. Gently I reached up and began to stroke her hair, playing with a strand every now and then. I could hear her breathing steadily and knew she felt as content as I did but I was growing impatient for her to tell me what was on her mind.
A silvery pool of moonlight quietly crept through the window and spilled across the wooden floor and onto the foot of the bed. I stared at it, reminding me somewhat of Bella's creamy skin. I was beginning to grow anxious, wondering what brought her back from the edge of sleep and ad her calling my name.
I quietly asked, "What are thinking of right now?"
Smiling shyly, she rubbed her cheek into my shirt burrowing herself into my chest before answering. "How much I love the moonlight."
I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as I thought about the fact that we were sharing the same train of thought.
"Yes, the moonlight is rather becoming." I whispered looking at the angel in my arms.
"Yes," she agreed, "like you.
Like me? How did she come to that conclusion? I couldn't stop myself before I was asking her the question floating around in my head.
"How so?" She blushed and looked down at the moonlight streaming in from her window and flowing onto her bed.
"Well, it's silvery and shimmers like your skin in the sun, and it's cool and peaceful and lightens the dark like you do to me. That and it dazzles and enchants people too."
I nodded my head slowly, taking in her words and processing them. Feeling another smile coming on, I held her close and smiled drinking in her scent, this tender moment, everything that made this night seem magical and so very real. The way she regarded me was completely ludicrous but I could understand her line of thinking and was beyond flattered that my angel loved my so much.
"Well," I murmured after a bit, "I must admit I never thought of it that way before." I tenderly kissed the top of her head before continuing. "But, I think I'll enjoy a full moon more now."
"Why's that?" the question left her lips instantly.
"Because it will remind me of you and this quiet night we shared."
I smiled as I raised my head to look at her. She stopped looking at the silvery pool of moonshine to stare back at me. She smiled at me before I inched closer to her face and softly kissed her lips. Returning the gesture, she kissed me back before I had to rein myself in and break away. I leaned back into her and sweetly gracing her forehead with another kiss.
"Now, my love, you need sleep."
She yawned and nodded and drifted off in my arms to hopefully have peaceful dreams.
A/N: It feels so good to be back. I hope to have another update for you guys by Monday. The was just a little filler and some fluff to thank you all for your love!