Author's Note: Thank you SOO much for all the reviews. I've already got 133, and for only 9 chapters!! Wow. My biggest story If Only (it was a Lost one) was 50 chapters, and it only got 251 reviews!! So I've got more than half already for this story!! I'm so excited, I would love to get more. So please review!! Oh, and I've just realised - the last chapter was labelled 'Chapter 9: The Vampires' at the top, but that was wrong it should have been 'Sunshine'. This one is The Vampires, I'll correct that soon. A lot of people have asked me to do Edward's POV again, so I have happily obliged. I like writing him.

Chapter 10: The Vampires

I was getting better at this. It just takes practice I guess, like I used to practice resisting her blood. For instance, a couple of days ago I never could have resisted her if I'd seen her like this, in the shower - the water running from her perfect curves, the steam making her skin blush a perfect pink. Especially not if I was touching her, like this, my hands fisted in her hair, my lips pressed against her warm, soft ones.

No, I was definitely getting better.

I kissed her until I felt the last of the soap wash from my hands, and looked up to see the water from her hair running clear. I couldn't be bothered to turn her around this time; I was enjoying myself too much. I grabbed the conditioner bottle from above her head, and she smiled at me as I put some in my hand. I must admit, I was having more difficulty at this point that when I was kissing her - I had my eyes open now, and I could see her. All of her. It was different now, to in the dark of my bedroom last night...

I had to pull myself away from that memory - it took some effort - and return to the present, where I was again washing her hair. It was long, and smooth beneath my hands, running through my fingers like wet silk. She sighed in contentment and placed her head on my chest and I closed my eyes, just enjoying the moment.

I thought about what she had said last night and an involuntary smile leapt to my face. She had said she wanted to marry me - that she wanted to marry me. I still couldn't believe that this perfect, beautiful creature could want me. It doesn't even seem to bother her that I eat live animals, that I've killed people. I'm a monster.

I can't wait for her to become my wife, but I know what she wants; what she expects from me after that. She wants immortality; she wants forever with me. I want that too, possibly even more than her. To think that I would finally have someone to spend the rest of my long existence with...she doesn't even understand how much that means to me. What it was like for me, before her. Long, meaningless days. Empty because I had no one, and full of despair because I was convinced I never would. I would do anything, anything at all to become human for her, so that we could spend a normal life together. I want her forever - but I don't know how I can live with myself after taking away her soul. Taking away her chance at children, at growing old, at death. What if twenty years from now she decides that was what she wanted after all? And what is she resents me for that, for taking away everything...I couldn't live with that, if even the slightest part of her was unhappy about it. Sometimes I just want her not to love me, so that she could be human and live and just be...Bella. Though I was sure I could not live through that, I would rather die than do anything that could ever make her unhappy, whether it be now or in a century.

The conditioner had all washed out of her hair now and we just stood under the warm water, holding each other. I would never have moved from this position if I didn't have to - the most precious thing in existence, my entire world, was in my arms. Why would I ever want to be anywhere else?

But I knew that, as always, life would get in the way. Carlisle wanted us all together when the strangers arrived. Not that Bella was ever in any danger, but just to be absolutely sure. My arms tightened a little around her at the thought of her ever being hurt, as if I could hold her close and never let anyone else ever touch her. It broke my heart that I would have to hurt her, that I would have to deliberately inflict three days of agony on her. They would be here in about half an hour, according to Alice.

Reluctantly I turned off the water and Bella looked up at me, startled. I bent my head to kiss her again - I was unable to resist. We stepped out of the shower, both of us unwilling to leave. I handed her a towel and looked away, not sure how much more of her I could manage today. I decided not to try my control right now and turned around to dry myself. When I turned back she had the towel around herself and was drying her hair with another. Smiling, I took it from her and gently dried her hair, in about a quarter of the time it would have taken her. I kissed her again - hard as it was to resist her body, I could never resist her lips.

I brought her clothes into the bathroom and then left again, leaving her privacy to change. It only took me a matter of seconds, and then I sat on the bed and waited for her to come out.

I thought about what it would be like to have Bella as a vampire. Cold, hard stone - one of us. With no heartbeat; I would miss that. And that blush of hers that I loved. And her scent, warm and comforting - I would miss that too.

But I know that, despite myself, I wouldn't mind her being a vampire at all. All the extra time we'd have, not having to bother with sleep or food (daily anyway). And eternity together, that would be nice. And though I felt slightly bad for thinking it, I could finally be rough with her. I wouldn't have to constantly treat her like a piece of fragile glass. I could make love to her, as hard as I wanted, anyway I wanted, without having to worry about breaking her. That would be nice too...

I snapped out of a particular daydream (I had started doing that since I met Bella) of being in our meadow with the vampire Bella by the real one entering the room. I had a feeling that if I was human I might have blushed then, ashamed of what I was thinking. Not that she could have read my thoughts anyway, but I have a feeling she might have guessed.

She came and sat down on my lap and rested her head on my shoulder. It still overwhelmed me sometimes, though I was used to it now - the scent of her blood. I felt the familiar gnawing in my stomach, the tightness that suddenly clamped around my throat and then venom flowing to my mouth. I had to suppress these feelings every day, even though the thought of...eating Bella made me feel sick; my body still refused to think so.

Another thing about her being a vampire I would like - the freedom. The freedom to hold her, and smell her, and not be filled with the insane desire to kill her. The torment my body went through every day, being denied her blood, would abate. Yes, I would like that a lot.

I buried my head in her wet hair, desperately searching for that smell that made everything else seem to dissapear. Ah...there it was. Bella. I would know her scent anywhere; I could pick her out from a crowd of a million people. As much as her blood excited me, the scent of her skin and her hair was enough to calm me, at least enough so that I could be comfortable.

She tilted her head back, expectant, and obligingly I kissed her. Her lips were as warm and sweet as always and I lay back down on the bed, her lying on my chest, my lips never leaving hers. When she kissed me like that I couldn't concentrate on holding myself up anymore. For all her talk of me 'dazzling' her, she dazzled me pretty effortlessly.

It took every ounce of strength in my body to push her gently away from me. We should go downstairs now, she needed breakfast, and they would be here soon enough. I scooped her up in my arms and set her on her feet, pulling myself up as I did so. She dropped her lower lip at me slightly in dissaproval, her brow pulling together and scowling at me. She looked cute like that.

"Breakfast time for the human."

"I want you for breakfast." That took me by surprise. I actually laughed out loud and pulled her in close to me, amused. She tried to kiss me again but I placed my fingers on her lips.

"That's not funny Bella." I said, even though it so obviously was. She was smiling now too.

"I'm serious. I need you more than I need food."

I swept my arm under her knees and she landed in my arms, cradled against my chest.

"I'd like to see you try to eat me Bella."

I was joking, but I saw her eyes glint mischeviously before she pressed her lips to my neck. I felt her teeth push gently on my rock hard skin and laughed again.

"Please Bella, be sensible. Carlisle's not a dentist too."

And then her tongue flicked out and licked my skin. I paused on my way to the door, halted by the sudden shiver of pleasure that small sensation rocked my body with. Her tongue was so warm...wet. She continued to lick my neck, sucking slightly, and I had to shut my eyes and concentrate on keeping every part of my body under control. And she was making it very difficult.

I gripped her chin tightly with one hand and pulled her face away so I could look into her eyes. She was smiling playfully, her eyes twinkling and a smirk tugging on her lips.

"You taste nice."

I couldn't stop the millions of thoughts that flooded to my head then, not all of them quite so chaste. I tried to ignore them and concentrate on taking her downstairs. She was making this extremely difficult for me. I now had to fight not only the urge to drink her blood but to throw her down on the floor and rip her clothes off.

Sighing I carried her out the door in my arms and then set her down, shutting my bedroom door behind me. She pouted once more and then turned to go downstairs and I followed her. Jasper and Alice were in the kitchen, and I listened in on their thoughts as Bella ate the pancakes Alice her made her.

Alice was thinking about our guests. According to her visions they should be here in another ten minutes...had it really gone that fast? I'd lost track of time since our shower this morning. It took me a minute to understand what Jasper was thinking.

You and Bella both look pretty wet this morning...and I only heard the shower turn on once.

I looked over in his direction and he met my eyes.

Giving in?

I gritted my teeth and shook my head slightly, not enough that Bella would see but enough that Jasper got the message.

Are you sure? There were some interesting emotions coming from you two last night...and the sexual tension between you right now is killing me.

My hands tightened on the table and I had to force back the growl in my throat. I can only imagine how Bella would react if she knew that Jasper knew what happened last night.

I guess you're finally growing up. Good - about time. Females are a wonderful thing Edward, it's a shame it's taken you so long to realise it. All that time, wasted...

He was smirking. Smug jerk. I had to fight the urge to go and punch him, but thought better of it. Alice looked up then, her eyes flicking between my hands clamped on the table and Jasper's knowing grin. And then she smiled too.

Oh no. Not Alice as well. How long until Emmett found out? And then he surely wouldn't be quiet about it. I began to think about all the remarks I was going to get from him, and Bella...she would be horrified if she knew that they knew...that they all knew.

I watched Bella get up and wash up her plate, my mind still churning over what I'd just found out. That Jasper and Alice knew...I couldn't be sure that Alice wouldn't ask Bella about it. It's the sort of thing she might do, if she felt inclined to. I was debating whether or not to have a word to them about not telling anyone when I was distracted by a sound in the forest, maybe a couple of miles away. My eyes flickered to Alice's and what I saw there instantly confirmed it.

In an instant I was by Bella's side, my arm wrapped around her waist and my ears alert for the sound of their approach.

They were here - the vampires.

Please review! I have a plan for some ahem steamy situations in a chapter or so, the tension is killing me! But I'm afraid plot is necessary, otherwise it winds up as endless smut. Which isn't necessarily bad, but it's not where I want this story to go. Any suggestions on what the vampires are here for? I'm open to ideas.