We were left in the reception area with Gianna. Before leaving, he warned, "Do not leave until dark." I nodded and he left without another word. I listened as he hurried back to the main room, and tuned him out once he reached his meal. I turned my head back towards Bella and Alice and listened. Alice stood silently beside Bella. She imagined her reunion with Jasper once we arrived home. With a cringe, I moved away from her overwhelming love. Instead, I looked down to Bella. She stood, still slightly shivering, whether from fear or being cold I was not sure. She stared at her fingers and pulled in straight, even, labored breaths. Her heart seemed impossibly fast. I panicked.

"Are you all right?" I asked, reaching for the small of her back. I remembered that we were no longer together, and therefore I did not have the privilege of such contact. I forced my hand back down to my side and looked up to Alice.

"You'd better make her sit before she falls." She suggested, wary. "She's going to pieces." Bella looked about frantically, and sucked in one hard, probably painful gasp. She sobbed uncontrollably at my side. I shushed her, trying to calm her.

"I think she's having hysterics." Alice guessed. "Maybe you should slap her." I looked to her with a quick, terrified glance. She couldn't be serious. How hard should I? Wait, that's ridiculous...

"Shh, Bella, shh." I pulled her towards the far wall and sat her on a bench by it. "It's all right, you're safe, it's all right." I promised. Whether that was a lie was beyond me. I sat beside her and pulled her onto my lap, tucking the wool cloak around her. I frantically tried to figure out why exactly she was reacting like this. The pressure of the situation? Having been so close to that many vampires? I remembered that when she was mad, she always cried. Was she disgusted to be this close to me?

"All those people." She sobbed. I almost laughed. Figures, Bella would always think of others. There was surely a never ending pool of greatness within her. It was only right that I shouldn't get her. I didn't deserve her kindness.

"I know."

She sucked in a large sob. "It's so horrible."

I sighed. "Yes, it is. I wish you hadn't had to see that." She quieted slightly and rested her head on my chest. It was in that moment, that I was the most happy I'd been for a very, very long time. Having her here with me, even in the worst of places ever, I was content. She was mine for the moment, and I wasn't ready to give her up. I couldn't. But I would make myself. For her, I would do anything.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Gianna asked soothingly from over my shoulder. I'd give you anything, I thought. I nearly hissed at her close proximity. She was mine to have, to hold, to soothe, and I didn't want her near.

"No," I answered, unattached. I couldn't understand how she was so comfortable that close to me...

"Does she know what's going on her?" Bella asked, her voice think from her heavy sobs.

"Yes." I admitted. "She knows everything."

"Does she know they're going to kill her someday?" Damn her. She always had the good- bad- questions.

I searched the receptionist's mind closely for the answer. "She knows it's a possibility." I looked again, surprised. "She's hoping they'll decide to keep her." Bella flushed.

"She wants to be one of them?" She hissed. I nodded. My eyes locked hers, trying to unlock her thoughts. "How can she want that? How can she watch those people file through to that hideous room and want to be part of that?" My expression was torn. I wanted to laugh. For as long as I'd known her, I'd wanted a normal response from her, and finally I was getting it. But it stung inside me. Sure, she was calling their acts displeasing, but she must think the same way about mine. It hurt to know that once she'd once loved, she now hated in the pit of my stomach. I kept quiet for a moment.

"Oh, Edward," She sobbed. I awkwardly rubbed her back, as if comfort there meant complete silence.

"What's wrong?" I asked, terrified. She paused for just a moment, but still enough to drive me insane. She wrapped her arms around my neck quickly and I went rigid. I pulled in one small, careful breath through my nose, tasting the air. Her scent assaulted my senses, but I concentrated and relaxed my stature. I felt her small arms hold tight against my body, and I paused, confused. Didn't she hate me? Wasn't she disgusted with my utter being? Wasn't she ready to leave me and go back to the life I'd left her with all those months ago?

"Is it really sick for me to be happy right now?" I listened closely to the honey-sweet flow of her voice passing her lips. She wavered slightly, but it only added more delectability to her human nature. I slowly calculated the words and stopped, confused once again. Was I dreaming? Was all of this really a dream, and I really was dead? I didn't care. Whatever this was, I was with my Bella, and I wasn't ready to give it up. I grabbed onto her upper back tighter and pulled her against me. I squeezed her, making sure to not kill her, of course.

"I know exactly what you mean. But we have lots of reasons to be happy." I started with the most true. "For one, we're alive." I felt her smile form against my shoulder.

"Yes," She agreed. "That's a good one." I paused for a moment, deciding whether or not the next was appropriate.

"And together." I forced out in a full breath. Unfortunately, she merely nodded. Surely she did not think this was something to be happy about. "And with any luck, we'll still be alive tomorrow." I cursed the words the minute they escaped my mouth. I should not reveal the uncertainty that flooded my mind.

"Hopefully," She answered in a small voice. A smooth voice escaped from beside us, and I almost jumped when suddenly I realized it was Alice.

"The outlook is quite good." She paused and looked again. "I'll see Jasper in less than twenty-four hours." I cringed internally. Then that meant there was less than twenty-four hours left of my time with Bella. I stared at her, committing her eyes to my memory again. If I had any help in it, they would be the only things I would see for the rest of my sad existence. Alice pushed into my mind again and showed me a few of her visions. She showed me with Bella, in our meadow. Me with Bella at school. If it existed, we were there together. I stopped to make myself believe those were visions from the past, and built up a stronger guard, keeping her from barging in again. I lifted my hand slowly and traced the dark, unsightly bags beneath Bella's eyes. I burned inside, seeing how much it brought her closer to looking like one of my own kind.

"You look so tired." I nearly gasped. I prayed that she wouldn't recognize my feelings.

"And you look thirsty." She accused. I paused to gauge my thirst. For starters, she was here and not dead, and I barely felt the burn in my throat.

"It's nothing." I brushed over it, pleading with my eyes for her to not worry.

"Are you sure?" She asked, pained. "I could sit with Alice." Her suggestion burned inside me, but I could tell she didn't want to move either. How much her eyes revealed to me.

"Don't be ridiculous." I scoffed. "I've never been in better control of that side of my nature than now." I admitted with a deep exhale. Bella turned slightly in my lap. She sat now, still facing me, but her body positioned more facing the other way. Alice spoke up, wondering about flights, whether I wanted to drive or should she, petty things that I wished could wait 'til later. I continued staring at Bella, through conversation and changes in subject, making sure that I didn't miss any bit of the perfection that glowed about her so wonderfully. I hoped, in all of my being, that she was doing the same, but forgot immediately- the pain bubbling up inside of me to a point that I almost doubled over. I made the movement look more like crossing my legs and uncrossing them, and continued the conversation.

At one point, Alice decided that decisions would be made faster without myself, and opted to look through the future for what we should do. Her mind grew quiet for a moment, and then she spoke.

"What was all that talk about singers?" Alice asked, confused.

"La tua cantante," I thought, my mind soaking up the words and bathing in them, pleased.

"Yes, that," She agreed. Bella sat straighter, listening as well.

I shrugged, still trying to make light of the whole conversation, though talking about Bella's blood set off painful fireworks within me. "They have a name for someone who smells the way Bella," Her name was sweet on my lips, my tongue, my body. "does to me. They call her my singer- because her blood sings for me." Alice laughed. I saw no humor. But she let it go, moving to other subjects such as what we planned to do when we got back. Though I stayed intact for my part of the conversation, I plotted what was going to happen. When we left Bella, would I go back with my family? Would I try finding Victoria again? No and again, I would think Bella's name or someone else would, or even just because, I would kiss her slightly. Her wonderful heart beat faster upon my touch as it had so long ago, and I dreamed that she would feel the way I felt for her now.

In the midst of our conversation, I heard footsteps approaching. I unconsciously tightened my grasp around Bella and braced for whoever was coming. I opened my mind again and heard Alec's thoughts.

"You're free to leave now," He told us calmly. "We ask that you don't linger in the city." I scoffed silently. Would they really expect us to stay? See the sights of the city that almost held our deaths? I answered coolly.

"That won't be a problem." I promised. He smiled and left as we stood. Gianna drifted to our side.

"Follow the right hallway around the corner to the first set of elevators. The lobby is two floors down, and exits to the street. Goodbye, now." I heard Gianna's thoughts as she watched us leave. She contemplated following us to make sure we left in the manner that she had described us to. I gave Alice a look saying, Do your 'thang', and watched contentedly as Alice shot the girl a menacing look. All thoughts of her plan vanished and I listened to her footsteps carefully as she turned and walked back to sit at her desk. We walked out of the massive place, and my hearing was confirmed by my sight. As we had heard below, the celebration in the streets of the city was still moving swiftly. The bright shade of red was still littered about the city, but with the disappearance of the sun, went with it the bright look of the color. Now, it was ominous and dark, leaving internal points to ponder when seeing it.

As we walked down the cobblestone paths, the street lights flickered on, as if for only us. I was grateful for them, for Bella would now be able to see. I nodded slightly when Alice bounded off to grab us a ride and a few supplies. It seemed immediate when we entered into the more populated part of the city. People were every, crowding the streets with black cloaks similar to the one I donned now. I caught sight of a piece of plastic positioned in a large groups of people's mouths. With a longer glance, I recognized little plastic teeth, the canines longer to mimic the stereo-typical vampire's teeth.

"Ridiculous," I shook my head, disgusted once I saw Bella staring at them too. She seemed to agree, but stayed quiet. She leaned forward and looked away from me, out to the empty streets.

"Where's Alice?" She hissed, voice panicked.

"She went to retrieve your bags from where she stashed them this morning." She seemed to fight back a smile, for reasons I was unaware of. She was silent for a moment, but her heart pick up quickly.

"She's stealing a car too, isn't she?" The way she noticed things so quickly was still hard to grasp.

I couldn't help but smile. "Not till we're outside." Surely, we wouldn't be doing anything involving crime while we could still be caught and taken down so quickly. I didn't put it past them to send a small party to watch us out of hearing distance. I was snapped out of my trance as I heard Bella's footfalls slow. I looked down at her, and nearly gasped at how she looked. Though not ugly or unsightly, she was obviously overspent. Her hair was ruffled slightly, and her clothes were worn and wrinkled. Her arms hung uselessly at her sides as we walked, and her feet seemed to barely leave the ground to take a step. I carefully repositioned my arm from where it was around her waist, to a little higher to support more of her weight. I panicked, noticing she seemed slightly lighter than she was before I'd left. Had she dieted? I doubted that- dieting was the last thing she needed. Had she developed an eating disorder? I wasn't ready to discuss the matter, so I pushed it away. Another problem for another time. As we passed the city lines- under a large archway- a violent shutter ripped through her torso. I panicked for her core temperature, and hurried to the car.

I set her inside and scooted in next to her, careful not to touch her too closely. Alice already had the heater on, and I thought to thank her later.

"I'm sorry," Alice said quietly. "There wasn't much to choose from." I looked to the interior of the car, and decided it was some type of sports car.

"It's fine, Alice." A smile broke through my lips. "They can't all be 911 Turbos." I almost laughed as she recalled the car, certainly a beautiful car, and I knew how passionately she loved that car...

She sighed. "I may have to acquire one of those legally. It was fabulous."

"I'll get you one for Christmas." I promised. She pressed harder on the gas pedal and turned back to smile at me, sheer excitement playing in her eyes. Bella's pulse quickened, and Alice took it as a reason to turn back around.

"Yellow." She told me playfully. I sat in the middle, and Bella scooted closer and snuggled herself closer to me, under the cloak and safe in my arms. I watched her through the rear view mirror which Alice had positioned correctly for me, and I watched as she fought to stay awake.

"You can sleep now, Bella. It's over."

She swallowed deeply and answered defensively. "I don't want to sleep. I'm not tired." She looked up to me and her eyes caught mine, locking them from ever wanting to close- too afraid I'd miss something if I merely blinked. I leaned my head down and planted a light peck on the sweet skin beneath her ear.

"Try." I whispered, simply. She shook her head in defiance. My lips pressed together in a tight, hard line. Still Bella.

"You're just as stubborn." I sighed. And truthfully, I loved every bit of it. She slipped slightly on the darker roads, but the sleep never won. She stayed completely awake on the ride to the airport, and even the flight from Florence to Rome. Once the flight attendant on the flight from Rome to Atlanta passed, Bella waved her down once I was about to shoo her away.

"Yes dear, what would you like?" I looked at her questioningly and she ignored me.

"Uhm, a Coke please." I kept my mouth shut despite the awe as she completely disregarded my care. She took a sip, and I was done.

"Bella," I nearly whined. I pictured her usual reaction to caffeine, and counted how many hours without sleep she would get out of it.

"I don't want to sleep." She repeated. "If I close my eyes now, I'll see things I don't want to see. I'll have nightmares." My heart burst into pain filled flames. Had I done this to her? I scoffed at myself. Why do I always expect it to be because of me? Surely it was from the ordeal in Volterra or something like that. I didn't argue after that.

We merely sat in each other's presence. I held her close to me, soaking up her being while I had her near. Her body burned beneath mine, a sickeningly desirable feeling. I fought the urge for some time, but after a while, I couldn't stop myself from stroking her face lightly under my fingertips. I thought back to our first day sitting together at lunch.

My stomach twisted into tightly bound knots. I shut off my mind when my family's thoughts started distracting me. The doors to the cafeteria kept opening and I would look up, hopeful, only to see another human face I'd seen a million times before. At one point, those who came in started carrying her sweet, succulent scent. My eyes were glued to those double doors, awaiting her presence. Suddenly, they opened again and she stepped in. I tuned out all other sounds, but the beat of her heart stayed strong. It beat wildly and out of beat, and I wondered why it was doing that. The question didn't make it to my head before it was broken apart by the smell of her blood. I gripped the table and breathed deeply, getting used to the smell.

I watched her eyes as they scanned the cafeteria, stopping immediately at the table my family sat at. She seemed to frown, but turned before I could study her closer. I sat still, disappointed when I noticed she only bought a lemonade. Didn't humans need to eat more than that? I would have to start paying more attention if I was going to spend any time with her. My mind screamed at me with that statement. What was I doing? Why did this human interest me so much? I kept my eyes on her as she walked to her usual table and sat next to Jessica Stanley. I fought to keep from baring my teeth at her when she looked at me. Her thoughts were hateful, wondering why I was so interested in Bella. I tried not to laugh.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you again." She giggled to Bella. "I wonder why he's sitting alone today." I watched carefully as Bella's heart rate sped up and her head move up, following Stanley's gaze. I smiled shyly at her and when she met my eyes, I lifted my hand and bent my finger towards my body seductively, motioning for her to sit with me. She stared, as if waiting for the cameras to come out and for everyone to laugh at her. I winked for more effect, and her heart stopped for a second.

"Does he mean you?" Jessica asked, disgusted.

"Maybe he needs help with his Biology homework." She whispered. "Um, I'd better go see what he wants." She stood fluidly and walked to me, Jessica's eyes following her the whole way. When she stopped behind the chair opposite me, I took a deep breath, her smell stunning me.

"Why don't you sit with me today?" I forced out, smiling innocently. She sat and stared at me, still expecting the cameras.

"This is different." She said. Her breath fanned about my face and engulfed me in my own personal heaven- or hell. I thought out my words, and spoke them to her slowly.

"Well..." My words came out rushed, complicating the idea of 'slow'. "I decided as long as I was going to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly." She said nothing, confusion flooding her eyes.

Her soft, fragile fingertips yanked me out of my daydream. I smiled to myself, and found my lips against her hair, then her forehead. I felt her pulse beneath each and wondered greedily what it would feel like above a major artery. I fought, but found my lips now against her wrists, feeling the blood rush beneath them. I frowned the whole time after that, as she fought with all her might to stay awake, and succeeded. Alice saw my worry, and didn't help. She hasn't slept since the night before we left. It's been a few days. I frowned deeper, but tried to push it out of my head. No matter how much I detested her lack of sleep, my selfishness begged me to let her stay awake, to get as much time with her as possible before she asked me to leave. Once we arrived at the Sea-Tac airport, we heard the party that waited for us. Bella was surprised and caught completely off guard with it. I saw every one of them immediately, all scolding me for doing what I had done. Jasper approached us first, and his eyes didn't leave Alice's. The met each other half way and held hands silently, lost in each other's eyes. I shut them out, both giving them privacy and their love gave me pain in places I couldn't describe. How lucky they were, for their love to be so uncomplicated. We walked to Carlisle and Esme, who stood privately off to the side. Esme rushed to Bella and hugged her, but I did not let her go. I heard Esme whisper in her ear.

"Thank you so much." She let go of Bella then and embraced me. Her frame shook slightly with light sobs.

She recovered quickly enough to scold me. "You will never put me through that again." The growl was evident in the back of her throat. I grinned, half playful and half embarrassed.

"Sorry, Mom." The casual name felt sweet on my tongue. I looked from Esme back to Bella and saw her talking with Carlisle.

"Thank you, Bella. We owe you." He told her proudly. Bella seemed embarrassed.

"Hardly." She seemed out of it, and I remembered her lack of sleep. Esme noticed too.

"She's dead on her feet." Esme scolded me. "Let's get her home." My stomach twisted with the thought of giving her up. Carlisle lead the way, and Esme helped me support Bella more inconspicuously. I heard Alice and Jasper a few yards behind us, still engulfed in each other. I heard Rosalie and Emmett by the car and stiffened, wondering what was to come between Rosalie and I. Esme noticed.

"Don't," She whispered. "She feels awful."

"She should." I told her in my normal voice. How could I forgive her so easily for making me think that the love of my life was dead?

"It's nit her fault." Bella choked out. The sleep deprivation was surely getting to her.

"Let her make amends." Esme suggested. "We'll ride with Alice and Jasper." We rounded a corner and I saw her standing by the car.

I was confused when Bella begged, "Please, Edward." I had thought they weren't on good terms, but sighed, giving in anyway. Esme let go of Bella with one hard look in my direction and I pulled her to the car. Emmett drove, giving Rosalie full attention to talk to us. I pulled Bella into the back and she settled her head against my chest, her lids falling closed immediately.

"Edward," Rosalie tried. I wasn't in a mood to talk.

"I know." I muttered simply. She sighed in defeat.

"Bella?" Rosalie whispered. Bella's eyes shot opened and met her eyes.

"Yes, Rosalie?" I couldn't understand why she was being so polite.

"I'm so care sorry, Bella. I feel wretched about every part of this, and so grateful that you were brave enough to go save my brother after what I did. Please say you'll forgive me." She was partly talking to Bella, and partly to me. I brushed her off, pretending not to notice.

"Of course, Rosalie. It's not your fault at all. I'm the one who jumped off the damn cliff." I was shocked when she cursed. She rarely cursed. "Of course I forgive you." Her words were barely legible, but we kept up easily. I heard Emmett start to chuckle.

"It doesn't count until she's conscious, Rose." He joked.

"I'm conscious." Bella protested. Her words were still nearly illegible.

"Let her sleep," I begged. They nodded and turned back forward. I held her while she slept and picked her up easily once we reached her house, carrying her to the door. Charlie saw the headlights shining on the front of the house, and peaked his head out the curtains before running out to meet us, clearly worried.

"Bella!" He yelled.

Bella tried to answer, he voice still hard to understand. "Charlie." She mumbled sleepily. I tried to get her to go back to sleep. She was so close, that if I could get her to her bed she would be out immediately. "Shh, it's okay; you're home and safe. Just sleep." Charlie had reached us now, and began scolding.

"I can't believe you have the nerve to show your face here." He yelled at me.

"Stop it, Dad." Bella begged, but her words were lost to Charlie in his rage.

"What's wrong with her?" He yelled, worried.

"She's just very tired, Charlie." I promised. "Please let her rest."

"Don't you tell me what to do! Give her to me. Get your hands off her!" I was getting angry now, but kept my voice even. I held out my arms for him to take her, but Bella noticed and grabbed hold of my jacket and stayed there, despite Charlie's pulling.

"Cut it out, Dad." She said. She pulled open her eyes. "Be mad at me."

"You bet I will be. Get inside." He ordered her.

"'Kay. Let me down." She asked me with a sigh. I set her down despite my better judgment and followed directly behind her like a worried mother after her small child. Sure enough, before she reached the door, her upper body went careening towards the pavement. I grabbed her and tugged her back up into my arms.

"Just let me get her upstairs." I ordered, my voice hard. "Then I'll leave." My heart broke a little.

"No," Bella protested in a panic.

I leaned to her ear and whispered, "I won't be far." I ignored Charlie and carried her to her room. She clung to my clothing, and I gently pulled her away from me and set her on her bed. I pulled the covers out from under her and covered her up, guarding her from the cold air. I paused to watch her sleep for a moment, and then walked out of her room, pulling the door shut behind me. Charlie met me at the bottom of the stairs and yelled at me the whole way off the property.

"Don't you ever come around here again. You're not wanted here anymore. If you ever come onto my property, I'll, I'll... you don't want to know what I'll do. And if you ever come through this door again, I won't pause for a single second before shooting you. Do you hear me, boy?" I nodded.

"Yes, sir." I said dryly and climbed into the car behind Rosalie.

"Well that went well." Emmett joked. I scowled at him and he pulled out of the driveway. He dropped me off a few miles from Bella's house and I ran back, climbing into a tree across the street from her house. I listened as Charlie walked about the house for a few minutes, sat to watch TV, and then decided it was too late now and stalked off to bed. I listened for his snoring, and climbed back into her window as I had so long ago. I took a seat in the rocking chair and sat silently, watching her sleep once again.

A/N: All right, so here you go! Another chapter! I had to update now, because I have work tonight and I won't be able to work on it then... though depending on how tired I am, I may or may not start the next chapter tonight after it. I'll get home some time around midnight most likely, so I'll base my update upon how many reviews you guys get in until then. Mind you, I'm on east coast time, so, what ever.

I liked this chapter. I got to do a flashback from Twilight, which I LOVED. I don't want to write the whole damn thing in Edward's POV, but you'll probably see me do short little flashbacks like that in all of my EPOV stories. So... let me know what you think. Still, I don't want to hear about typos. You've been great about that so far, so I give you props.

And now, I have to go start making dinner, so, I hope y'all enjoyed it!

Thanks!

-dsmldejection

PS: OH! I almost forgot. I feel like I really need to mention this, someone told me in a review recently that they thought I'd been growing as a writer. I really, really appreciated that and I was touched. I don't know if that's true, but it's really kind of you to say so... Thanks!