As promised, here's chapter 10. This one is about the night they both spend together. By the way, I've decided to continue with the whole saga. I hope that's good news for all my readers.

Ch. 10- Mind Over Matter- BPOV

I was in control, I was sure of it. Edward's need for me to have faith in myself gave me confidence. I continued to lean in, until the very tips of my lips brushed lightly against his supple warm ones. I pressed a little harder to his lips until our lips were moving with each other, his honey-scented breath enveloping me and his taste like an explosion in my mouth, so much better than any blood I had ever tasted. I could hear his pulse hammering and feel his skin becoming warmer.

Our lips only parted for a second at a time, and each time he caught his breath. He was breathing heavily now. Suddenly, he gasped in pleasure and his arms wound around my waist. I embraced him back fiercely. Moving without thinking, I knotted my fingers into his hair and he pulled me closer. His mouth was warm and inviting. He parted his lips, breathing heavier. His scent rushed through me and the monster inside me clawed up my throat, suddenly changing everything.

I clenched my teeth and then I froze. He didn't let go, he continued to clutch me to him. I didn't want to let go, I wanted to bring myself closer to him. I had never felt these feelings before. I couldn't let this continue. 'NO MISTAKES', I yelled at myself. My hands were still wrapped around his face, and I slowly, but forcefully, pushed Edward away. How could he have such a hold on me? He opened his eyes then, breathing heavily, and realization dawned on him.

"Oops," he breathed. "I would say that's an understatement," I replied, my own voice shaking. Gently, Edward tried to move away from me and, reluctantly, I let him. I concentrated on taking deep breaths, reminding myself of the reason for the necessity of control. Just as I calmed down, I heard my phone ring. Frowning, I opened the door of the car and retrieved it from my jacket. Flipping it open, I was surprised to see the name. "What is it, Alice?" I asked. "I hope you enjoyed your afternoon, dear sister, which I know you did," she said airily and I suppressed a groan at the thought that she would have seen what just transpired between Edward and me. Alice ignored me. "But Phil will be returning home soon and I think you should have your boyfriend home before that." "Thanks, Ali," I sighed and shut the phone.

Edward had followed me into the car and I explained what Alice had said. He sighed as well. "I suppose I should get back then. Mom won't come home till much later, but Phil is really early."

I parked the car around the block instead of in front of the house. Edward looked at me inquiringly. "Phil is already home. I can hear his thoughts. He's worried about you." "I'll tell him I went for a walk," Edward mused. I nodded in agreement. He looked at me in worry. "Are you leaving?" he asked. "Do you want me to stay?" he nodded, a sparkle coming back in his eyes, and I smiled. "Go inside," I instructed. "I will be there, don't worry." Still wary of my words, Edward got out and ran inside the house. As soon as he was out of sight, I sent a quick message to Alice to come and get the car, undid my hair so it hung down my shoulders in my usual style, then dashed out and, in a minute, I found myself in the darkness of Edward's bedroom. Downstairs, I could hear Phil's thoughts and his spoken conversation with his nephew.

"So, you got all your homework done then?" "Yeah," Edward lied cheerily. 'Why is he in such a good mood? Did he meet someone? He looks really keyed up.' Phil was watching Edward carefully, as he ate his dinner at breakneck speed. 'He'd better not be planning to sneak out at night. Maybe I should lock his door just in case. I'll have to talk to Lizzie tomorrow.' "Your mother is spending the night at the Blacks," he spoke carefully. "I'll be going back there tomorrow, early in the morning too." "No problem," Edward agreed. He quickly washed his plate. "Goodnight, Phil." "'Night, Edward."

I listened carefully as Edward ran into the bathroom and took a quick shower. His hair damp, he closed the door of his bedroom and crossed over to the open window on tiptoes. "Bella?" he whispered loudly into the darkness, not having spotted me in the dark corner of the room. I went over to his bed and leaned casually against the headboard, all without a sound. "Yes, Edward?" I asked. He whirled around in shock, his hand flying up to his chest. "You're here," he said as he sat down opposite me.

I didn't answer; just smiled in response. Very slowly, his hand came up caress my face. I closed my eyes and reveled in the ecstasy of his scent, while he studied my features the way I had his in the meadow. "Will you ever tell me how old you are?" he wondered. Entranced by the feel of his warm, soft touch on my face, I answered without thinking, "I was born in Chicago in 1901. Carlisle found me in a hospital in the summer of 1918. I was just seventeen and dying of Spanish influenza." Edward gasped. His fingers froze on my face for a second, before he leaned forward and touched his forehead to mine. "What about the others?" he asked, curiosity in his voice. "Esme… fell from a cliff," I edited just a bit. "Carlisle found her in a morgue, though her heart had still been beating. After that, when we were in Appalachia, he found Emmett, while hunting. He was being mauled by a bear and Carlisle brought him home to save him. I did not realize until much later, that Carlisle had hoped Emmett would become for me what Esme was to him."

I felt Edward tense, his fingers tightening over my temples, and I hurried to quell his doubt. "But Em was never more than a brother to me. He brought out a part of me that I had forgotten was there, made me laugh and became a perfect part of our family." Edward shifted slightly and I opened my eyes to look at him. I could not tell how visible I was to his weaker eyesight in the darkness, but I could see every facet of his face as clearly as if in the sun. He didn't make any sign to stop, so I went on. "We were in Rochester. One evening, Emmett had just been out for a walk, when he came across Rosalie. She had been badly injured and was lying in the streets, bleeding." Again, I edited, because Rosalie and Esme's stories were not mine to tell. "He picked her up and brought her back to the house, begging Carlisle to change her. Only now am I able to appreciate just how difficult that short journey of half an hour must have been." I turned my head slightly and breathed in at his wrist, his pulse picking up beneath my nose.

"But he made it, didn't he?" Edward asked, his voice sounding breathless. I hid a smile at the effect I knew I was having on him. "Yes, something in the way she looked at him gave him the will to do it." I hated not touching him myself, so I lifted my arms and locked them around Edward's neck, resting my head on his shoulder. In return, he held me tightly around my waist, burying his nose in my hair. "They've been together ever since. Sometimes, they live separately from us as a couple. I suppose, in a few years, we will all be invited to their marriage again, for the 52nd time." Knowing Rosalie's love for grandeur, I chuckled, breathing into his ear.

Abruptly, Edward pulled away. I withdrew my hands and we stared at each other, both of us trying to read the other's mind. My jaw clenched as I took in Edward's wide eyes. "Did I do something wrong?" I finally asked. "No," he whispered back. "But you're driving me nuts." I smirked then. "Well, that is good to know." "Isn't my scent bothering you anymore?" He asked incredulously. I leaned forward again to whisper in his ear, "Mind over matter." Just as Edward rolled his eyes, Phil's thoughts, which I had been ignoring, suddenly intruded into my head. Quickly, taking care to control my strength, I pushed Edward back on the pillows, threw the covers on him and retreated into the corner of the room, just as Phil opened the door to check whether Edward was asleep.

Edward seemed to have caught on and was feigning sleep quite well. Phil watched him for some time, then, convinced, he shut the door and retreated to his own bedroom. Immediately, I flitted to Edward's side and lay beside him. "You're quite a good actor. You can definitely consider that as a career option," I whispered. He shivered as my cold breath hit the skin of his neck. "Could you go on about Jasper and Alice, please?" he begged. I smiled.

"Jasper and Alice are two very rare creatures. Both grew a conscience and acted accordingly. Jasper had belonged to another, very different kind of family. When he could no longer bear to live that way, he escaped, trying to find a new meaning to life. Alice, on the other hand, has no recollection of her human life, her creator, or of her change. But when she woke, she found that she saw visions of what was to come. It isn't very accurate always, though. The future's not set in stone. She saw visions of Jasper, her to-be mate, and waited for him. After she found him, she had visions of Carlisle and us, and journeyed to find us."

Edward stayed quiet for some time. "Does everyone in your family have special abilities like this?" I shook my head. "No, only some vampires have gifts above and beyond the norm for our kind. The general theory is that our defining human traits are enhanced by the change. I must have always been good at reading people. Alice must have had some kind of sixth sense. Jasper had been very charismatic in his last life. Now, he can feel and affect the emotions of anyone present in the room." "And the others?" Edward asked. "Carlisle brought his compassion; Esme, her ability to love with an unmatched passion, as a wife, a lover, or our mother; Emmett, his massive strength; and Rosalie, her tenacity."

Both of us lay quite for some time. Then Edward broke the silence. "One last question. You said, Emmett and Rosalie might get married. So, is that marriage the same for vampires as it is for humans? And after?" I smiled and nodded. "Yes, the marriage is just the same. So is the after-part, except everything is a lot more intense because of our heightened senses." Edward blushed. I could feel the increased heat and smell his blood concentrated is his face. "Why are you blushing?" I enquired. "Well, I- I w-was…" he stuttered. "I was wondering about you and me, someday."

I didn't answer for some time. With a flash, I remembered the ring on my left hand in one of the visions Alice had seen. But that was impossible, unless… no, I would not allow that. "That's not going to happen, Edward," I said quietly. "Why?" he frowned. "Would it be too hard for you, if I were that close?" I shrugged helplessly. "That, and because, quite simply, I'm too strong. I could very easily kill you, Edward. It wouldn't require any effort." He did not argue the point, but his question had sparked a curiosity in me. "I am curious though," I began, echoing his statement from a few days before. "Have you ever…?" "God no," Edward interrupted. "I never let it go that far." "But you have been in relationships before?" I pressed. I could feel Edward's growing discomfort. "Yes, a few. But, the farthest I ever went was just a kiss."

I pondered this for some time. "Okay, then. And before you ask, you are my first time for everything." Edward smiled in the darkness, satisfied with my words, and I continued. "You should go to sleep now." Edward hummed in response and tightened his hold on my waist. I began softly singing the lullaby I had composed for him. Within minutes, Edward had fallen asleep. And then the talking began.

I was in the middle of listening to Edward's highly entertaining dream argument with his mother, when Rosalie appeared at the window. 'I've got a change of clothes for you. You can change in the forest if you want. I'll keep watch here.' I gently unraveled myself from Edward's arms and went to the window. "Thanks, Rose," I whispered, as I took the clothes from her. She smiled at me and I leapt out the window.

I changed fast, even for a vampire, and within minutes, I was back in my slice of heaven. Rose was still standing where I had left her, trying to get accustomed to his scent, while listening to Edward's ramblings with growing amusement. 'Alice says you're going to bring him over, to introduce him to the family?' I sat down on the rocking chair, for fear of waking him if I lay down beside him, and nodded. "If Edward doesn't mind, then yes, I would like to."

Edward groaned as he rolled over on his back and sat up, his eyes squeezed shut against the dim light filtering in through the window. "You know, your hair looks even worse in the morning, a bit like a bird's nest. But I like it," I quipped. Edward's eyes shot open and he gaped at me, as I stood over his bed, looking down at him. "You stayed!" he exclaimed and he pulled me down on his lap and hugged me tightly, as I returned it carefully. He drew back, saying, "Just give me a minute to be human." I stepped away from him and waited as he disappeared into the bathroom.

Ten minutes passed before he came back out. He pulled me into his arms as soon as he came in and for a long time we stood there in the middle of his room. "Phil?" he asked, his voice muffled by my hair. "He left for the reservation." He pulled back slightly and fingered the sleeve of my fresh shirt, frowning. "You changed?" his voice was accusing. I shrugged. "I couldn't leave in the clothes I had come in, could I? What would the neighbors assume?" He rolled his eyes and I changed tack.

"Don't worry, I didn't miss anything much." He frowned. "What do you mean?" I grinned slyly up at him and mock whispered, "You talk in your sleep." 'And I spent every night here listening to you say my name again and again,' I added mentally. But there was no need for him to know that. He groaned. "What did I say last night?" My smile widened with pure happiness. "You said you love me," I whispered. It had undoubtedly been the highlight of my night when he'd said those three small words in connection to my name. His gaze softened. "That's true," he agreed. "I do love you." I hugged him tighter in response.

"You didn't seem very heavy just now. Is that normal?" he suddenly asked. Now I rolled my eyes. "Yes, it's quite normal. Our weight remains more or less the same after the change. I had already lost quite a bit of my weight because of the illness." He considered this and a mischievous glint came in his eyes. "Well, that means I can do this."

I squealed as, without warning, he scooped me up in his arms and began walking down the stairs. "Careful on the way down," I cautioned, even as I laughed and looped my arms around his neck. He set me down at the kitchen table. I watched as he quickly put together a bowl of cereal for himself and began spooning it into his mouth. He caught the grimace on my face as I watched him and playfully waved the spoon at me. "Want a taste?" he asked. I shook my head frantically and he snorted.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" he asked. "Well," I said slowly. "What would you say to meeting my family?" He froze for a second, swallowed, then said, "If that's okay with them, why not?" "Oh, they're quite eager to meet you," I promised. "Do they know that I know?" he inquired. I nodded. "Remember everything I told you yesterday? Keeping secrets in our family isn't exactly feasible because of me, Alice and Jasper."

He nodded. "I guess I should introduce you to my mom and Phil, too," he sighed. "Oh, I already know Phil. He's really nice, one of my favorite humans in fact," I replied cheerily. He shook his head in mock exasperation. "Mom is going to be beside herself, once she finds out I'm dating a brunette." I laughed at his martyred expression. "Well, that is good. I wouldn't want her to have a restraining order put on me, because I'm around too much."

"Will you really be around?" he asked quietly. I smiled. "As long as you want me," I promised. "I'll always want you; forever," he warned. I didn't answer, but stared at him for a long time. Finally, I spoke. "Go and get dressed. I will just wait here for you."

We'll be meeting the rest of the Cullens next chapter. Please read and review.