Disclaimer:The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. All other characters, settings, lyrics, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise or automotive company. The original content, ideas and intellectual property of this story are owned by Virginia May, May 2010. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 10:

"Me & You"

Several minutes later we were once again sluggishly making our way south on the interstate. If Bella didn't have a preference for where she'd like to have dinner tonight, I had planned to continue in this direction and then take her on a more scenic route home. Preferably one less crowded and at least a little more fun to drive as Bella was not comfortable with traveling at high speeds. I wondered if she'd ever trust me enough to run with me. Would she prefer the freedom like I did if there were no other vehicles around to collide with?

Of course, none of that mattered if I had injured her beyond her capacity to forgive. It was like torture sitting next to her without a clue in the world as to whether or not she would forgive me. I only knew that in confessing my adoration for her I had upset her. Both times. Telling her that nobody on earth had ever affected me the way she did had been met with tears. Telling her that I'd fallen in love with her had been met with distrust and anger.

However, telling her I would take her home had not been received too well either. I was perpetually confused.

Eventually, I worked up the courage to ask Bella for some guidance on where to take her to eat.

"Bella? In the spirit of not guessing your wishes, could you tell me where you would like to eat this evening? We're halfway to Tacoma, but I can turn around if you know somewhere in Seattle that you prefer."

"I'm not sure. Somewhere with outdoor seating for you maybe, but other than that…" She shrugged. "I don't really care as long as I don't have to eat fish."

"You don't like fish?" I asked, treading carefully but wanting to keep her speaking to me.

"I do, actually. But… my dad is an avid sportsman and fishing is his favorite pastime. He's very good at it too. So, we ate a lot of fish when I lived in Forks," she explained.

"So you'll eat it. But it's not your favorite," I surmised.

"Yeah."

"I can relate to that. What is your favorite?" I asked.

"Italian, I guess," she shrugged. "My tastes change a lot. Except for dessert."

"You have a favorite dessert?"

"Um, yeah. Since I was a kid. I'm not huge on sweets, but I love strawberry shortcake."

I smiled at her revelation. Her preference was perfect was for her. She still smelled to me of strawberries mixed with freesia. Though I noticed that today the strawberry fragrance was not as strong as it had once been. There were other scents, plant extracts like cherry bark, lavender, and chamomile, which reminded me of the organic shampoos that my sisters and Esme used. I assumed that she'd changed her shampoo, but the change couldn't eclipse her natural scent entirely.

Bella caught me smiling when she tuned to look at me while finishing her thought. "I'm a big snob about it though. My gran used to make it with real whipped cream and homemade shortcakes that she made from scratch, not the store bought junk."

"In that case, perhaps we should stick with finding an Italian restaurant rather than go searching for something that will never live up to your memories or expectations." I had been talking about her grandmother's shortcake, but realized that the words could have been applied to the situation between Bella and I.

"That's always a danger, isn't it?" She was staring down at her lap and I wasn't sure if she was speaking to me, or to herself.

"So, Italian?" I asked, hoping to distract her from whatever she was thinking about.

"That will be fine."

"Alright. I'll find someplace."

"Oh, wait," Bella said suddenly. "You have the built-in Navigation System in this thing. We can use that to find whatever's close by."

"I've never had to use it before. Care to give me a tutorial?" I asked, eager to be back in her good graces again.

"Well, I'm no expert. I know about part numbers and labor codes for these things, but I think it's pretty easy," she said, perking up a little.

She immediately went to work finding a restaurant nearby that sounded pleasing to her. She found three and then demanded that I call ahead to find out if they had heated patio seating. Bella's insistence that I be comfortable while we were out blew me away, figuratively speaking. Her kind and selfless nature was one of the things that impressed me most about her when she was younger, but seeing it now in the way she was concerned for me despite everything else I'd put her through tonight was overwhelming. Bella truly was an amazing creature.

When we arrived at the restaurant that she'd chosen, we had to wait several minutes for them to finish turning on all of the patio heaters for Bella per my request. They had a few tables set up on the deck but only one heater running, a standard practice unless there were actually people requesting to be seated outside. I was a bit irritated that they hadn't prepared considering how we called ahead, but by the time Bella returned from using the facilities and checking her cell phone for messages, our table was ready and the deck warmed.

"Is everything alright?" I asked Bella, noticing the pink hue that colored her pale complexion once we were sitting down. Not that she didn't routinely flush, but this seemed like something more.

Bella waived a hand dismissively and huffed. "Yeah, it's nothing. Just an overbearing watchdog who called about eight times while we were stopped on the side of the road before."

"Embry?" I asked to confirm he was whom she meant by watchdog.

"Yes," she sighed.

"And he knows you're with me?"

"Oh, no. Gosh, no. Although he did assume that I was with you when I didn't answer. Actually, it was more like he accused you of abducting me. He said he was about to send out a search party."

I laughed with little humor. "Well, it's a good thing you thought to check your messages then."

Bella shook her head. "I guess. I know he means well, and I completely get why he's freaking out, but honestly he has no right to intervene in my life anymore. I'm a grown woman and I've been very clear with all of them about this baby-sitter crap. They can't protect me from everything that goes bump in the night, and I don't want them to. What happens, happens."

Whathappens,happens?

"God, Bella. Don't say things like that. I cannot bear the thought of anything bad happening to you. Please? Please let those who love you look out for you," I begged. There was a deeper message in my words, one I could only hope Bella would accept in time.

"Ugh… Not you too," she said, exasperated.

I wasn't at all happy to have to equate my care and concern for her with that of a pack of overgrown guard dogs, but if it helped her understand how much I loved her then I would just have to find a way to deal with it.

"Yes, me too."

Bella's hand shook as she lifted her glass of ice water and I watched her cheeks flood with color again. She never took her eyes off of me while she drank, only lowering them when she lowered her glass. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

"Can we curb the heavy conversation for the rest of the night? I'm not sure how much more baring of souls I can take and even though I told Embry I was at the library and I'd be there really late, if I'm not back by midnight he may come looking for me."

I smiled at her nervous but sensible request. "Of course," I said to appease her. "But... Do you think he'll give you any trouble when he figures out that you were lying?" My question was worded casually, but my concern was much more serious. I couldn't risk placing Bella in any danger, even the wrath of a sworn protector.

"Umm... What makes you assume that he would-"

"He'll be able to detect my scent. When you go home tonight, it will be in your hair, on your clothes."

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that."

I smiled at her. "That's why I'm bringing it up. I don't really know Embry well enough to predict how he would react. It seems that you two are close."

She swallowed loudly. "Yeah. We are. He's a good friend. I think, out of anyone... he should understand that I needed to do this. That I needed to talk to you about what happened all those years ago."

"Why do think he'll understand versus the others?" I asked, probably stepping into heavy conversation now.

"We just get each other, I guess. He gives me more credit than the rest of them, usually. He doesn't see me as the perpetual victim." She looked away, uncomfortable.

I wanted to explore what she meant by that. I wanted her to open up to me about her attack, and how she dealt with it after. I wanted to know how there was still a healthy, strong woman sitting in front of me after something like that. If Embry was part of the reason, I would be eternally grateful to him. Instead of pushing her, I changed the subject.

I noticed the server approaching the table at that moment. It was the perfect way to give Bella something else to think about. "We should order your meal now. You must be hungry."

"Oh. I forgot to look at the menu. Am I ordering for both of us?" she asked with a slightly amused smile.

"Get what you like, Bella. We can share," I said, winking at her just as the waitress came to the table. Bella laughed.

The waitress's thoughts as she approached were somewhat inappropriate and unappreciated, but it was easy not to glorify them by paying attention to her. In fact, I was unable to give attention to anything except Bella. A few minutes later, meals ordered and drinks on the table, we were rid of any interruptions for the time being.

"Are you warm enough?" I asked, knowing that we were outside and she was likely to get chilled as the temperature dropped.

"Yes, thank you. And thank you for bringing me to dinner. I know I was somewhat ill-tempered earlier."

"Hey," I said, smiling gently at her. "No heavy conversation, remember?"

Bella laughed and shook her head. "Right. I knew that."

"You do have a bit of a temper though, don't you?" I said with humor.

"Yes. As do you, if I recall," she answered smiling and blushing.

That blush was going to be the end of me.

"May I ask you a question?" I inquired, wondering if she would be in the mood to talk more now.

It took her a moment to consent. She sat watching me, her head tilted to one side, before nodding her assent.

"Why did you stay in Washington after high school? I seem to recall you didn't care for the cold or the rain."

Bella nodded emphatically. "You're right, I didn't. At first. It took some getting used to I guess." She shrugged. "Anyway, I couldn't leave. Charlie, that's my dad, he needed someone around. I also made friends… sort of. And my mom was still following her husband around when I finished high school, so there was little sense in going anywhere to be closer to her because it wouldn't have been permanent."

"Did you think about going back to Arizona?" I asked, knowing it was where she'd grown up.

"Yeah, I did. But I would have been an out of state student at the time, and tuition was astronomically expensive. Even with financial aid it was more than I could afford. So I stayed in Washington and went to a state school. U Dubb was where a lot of the kids from Forks were going, and I got more scholarship money there than anywhere else. So, here I am. Go Huskies!" She cheered lightly and gestured to her jacket.

I smiled at her mock enthusiasm. She was trying to make the best of her situation, even if it wasn't what she really wanted. I hadn't had to concern myself with financial worries any of the times I'd attended university. I wondered what sort of education she would have pursued had the money been available to her. I was about to ask when she voiced her own question.

"What about you? Where did you really go after you left the halls of Forks High behind?" she asked.

I chuckled. "Alaska. But only for a few months. I stayed with some friends there."

"Vampire friends, or human friends?" she asked.

"I don't have human friends Bella," I said, grinning at her.

"Oh." She looked down at the table.

"You're my one exception," I added.

"We're friends?" she asked, sounding suddenly shy.

"Yes, of course. If you'll have me," I answered, now feeling just as unsure of myself.

"I'd like that," she said, smiling but still looking down at the table.

Her dinner arrived, along with what appeared to be mine, as she'd ordered two entrees to maintain pretenses. She was insistent that it was rude for me to allow her to eat alone, but was also adorably unashamed to admit she really wanted to try them both. While she picked at her mushroom ravioli, I told her about Alaska and how my family had met in the middle for hunting trips in Canada during those last months of the school year. When she decided to switch entrees and try the chicken piccata, I took the opportunity to ask her another question.

"I was impressed with how well you handled Embry's anger this afternoon, Bella. You should have been running away, but you seemed to be quite capable of calming him down. Have you ever actually seen him in his wolf form?" I knew I was pushing her, but hoped we might discuss it.

Unfortunately, Bella stiffened and put her fork down.

"Yes, I have. But I don't want talk about that right now if that's okay," she said.

"Of course, my apologies. You can understand my curiosity I hope. You were very brave today."

"I wasn't brave. I was just being responsible. Anyway, tell me… Where did you go after you left Alaska? Did your family join you then?" Bella picked up her fork and took a bite of food, effectively putting the burden of conversation back on me.

I wasn't eager to relive most of those months after our family left Forks. They hadn't been pleasant for any involved. I hated to think that they had apparently been much the same for Bella. However, for her sake I recounted the story of how I'd left Alaska behind for Europe while my family moved on to the East Coast. My only thoughts at the time had been of escape, and Carlisle had many friends in Europe who were happy to provide me with a place to stay when hotels or rented countryside homes were not always reliable or appropriate.

I spent a considerable amount of time in Germany where I sought out a centuries-old vampire who once composed for Prussian royalty and was renowned the world over during his human life for his skill as a concert musician**. I told Bella how he had been a student of the clavichord, an instrument pre-dating the piano, and had literally written the book on finger technique for keyboard players. I was very fortunate that such a master had retained his skill and passion for music after becoming an immortal. In fact, in an effort to stem boredom, the old master had been the genius behind many of the twentieth century's most moving film scores. Of course he was never able to take proper credit for them, but Bella seemed to find this bit of trivia fascinating.

"So you really do play the piano? That wasn't just a part of the boarding school cover story?" Bella asked when I ended my tale.

"No. I do play. It's one thing I truly enjoy in this life," I answered.

"I can tell." Her expression was pensive, genuinely thoughtful, as she regarded me.

"How did you hear about the piano?" I asked, honestly curious. I was excited to share this part of myself with Bella, but I wondered how she'd known that it was the piano specifically. I was glad that she'd remembered either way. Especially since she'd known from the outset that the excuse given for my departure from Forks was all a lie

"Um, that would be Alice again."

"Alice told you?" I asked. How had my sister managed to keep all of this from me?

"I decided to confront your family about your departure that same week I went to First Beach. It felt like they were watching me anyway, like they were waiting for me to ask or something. So, I figured… what the heck? Anyway, the day I finally worked up the nerve to approach them at lunch, Alice was waiting for me when I got to school."

"Did you by any chance find that a little strange?" I had to ask. Bella picked up on everything else, had she noticed what a huge coincidence her encounter with my sister was?

"I did at first. But… then I figured she was just really observant. It wasn't like everyone in school hadn't noticed my foul mood or the fact that it began around the time you left. I thought she was trying to be nice, that's all."

"She probably was. I know she was somewhat taken with you. She never approved of my choice to leave."

Bella raised an eyebrow and went back to her meal, lifting another small bite to her lips.

I was absolutely mesmerized with the way she wrapped them around the hard, unyielding metal with such confidence. It had never occurred to me before that humans plunged sharp prongs into their fragile mouths nearly every time they ate. How had I been oblivious to the fact that my vampire siblings and I were surrounded every day by a cafeteria full of humans stabbing metal objects into their mouths?

"Tell me more about the piano, Edward. I feel silly eating while you just watch."

I apologized and then decided to share with her the embarrassing reason why I was staring at her. She laughed wholeheartedly and told me I had a point. However, according to her, most forks were quite blunt and she even offered to stab me in the hand if I cared to find out for myself. Knowing it would only obliterate the fork, I declined and instead spoke more about my musical interests and how long I'd been playing. Her eyes widened and she dropped her fork onto her plate when I told her that I'd only picked up the piano again in the 1930's.

"I forgot to ask you that!" she said suddenly.

"What?"

"How old you are! I forgot to ask," she said. Her face was alight with interest. She looked like the proverbial child on Christmas morning. Was there any end to the bizarre reactions she was capable of? Did she have normal human instincts at all?

"Are you sure you want to know? What if it upsets you?"

"Are you over ten-thousand years old or something?" she asked, teasing.

"No," I chuckled.

She shook her head. "Then, I'm fine. Please?"

How could I say no to that?

"Technically, I'm seventeen," I answered. "In actuality, I was born in Chicago in 1901."

She smiled. "Wow. That's not as old as I may have feared. But still... you have seen an entire century pass with your own eyes. That's kind of cool."

"Is it?" I asked, not understanding her reaction.

"Yeah, it is." She smiled and took a drink of her cola before pushing her plate away. "I'm a literature major, but history quickly became like a second pastime. It helps me so much to have a context to put things in when I'm trying to study them. I've had to learn for the most part about the Romantic Period for my studies, but I also have an interest in the remarkably different periods of the twentieth century. It's fascinating to me how much the world changed in just the eighty seven years before I was born. You can see the enormity of it all in literature or history books. But to have seen it for yourself…"

There was a far off look in Bella's eyes and a particularly endearing quality to the way she spoke of her scholarly interests. For a moment it was like she mentally checked out and then suddenly remembered where she was and what she was saying.

"Oh my gosh, I didn't mean anything by that."

"I know." I chuckled. "It's quite alright. I must say I'm relieved to find that we have similar thoughts on the subject. I too believe history and literature go hand in hand," I said. "You must like to read then if you're a literature major?"

"Um, yeah. I do. I always have. You?"

"I read more than I care to. It passes the time, but I have my favorites."

"We'll have to compare notes sometime," she offered.

"I'd like that."

Bella stretched a little and I asked her if she felt like eating anymore before the evening turned even cooler than it already had.

"Oh, no," she sighed. "I couldn't possibly eat another bite, as tempting as it is. It was really good."

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it."

I noticed her hand sitting on the table top near mine. The contrast between our skin tones was not as great as I had imagined, though it could have been the moonlight making them more similar than dissimilar. I tensed, momentarily remembering the vision that Alice had seen years ago now: My Bella, but as an immortal.

"I'd love to have the recipe for the chicken piccata. It was incredible," she commented, completely unaware of my internal musings.

Bella must have followed my gaze when I didn't respond right away and was now staring at our hands as well. She stretched her fingers towards mine. Out of habit more than anything, I pulled my hand back and immediately regretted it. Would she have touched me again? The thrill of her hand in mine was not dimmed by the passage of time. Not in the slightest. I actually hadn't stopped reliving it all night. I wanted to feel her skin against mine again.

But stupidly I'd managed to offend Bella. Looking up I saw the pain of rejection flickering in her eyes. She put on a brave smile for me before reaching for her drink as a diversion, but there were tears in the corner of her eyes.

I couldn't handle seeing her so injured by my knee-jerk reaction. I lifted my hand and moved it across the table towards her. She eyed me curiously and stared at me for a moment.

"I'm not used to being real around people, Bella. I've been projecting an illusion for so long that I don't know how to just turn off the defense mechanisms. It's a horrible excuse for acting like a brute, but I am working on it. I'm quite sure it would be very easy for me to be myself with you… if you'll give me the chance."

Bella never answered out loud. Instead, she moved her plate to the side and took my extended hand. She lifted it with both of hers and tried to pull my arm towards her. I helped her, as she wouldn't have been able to move me without my assistance. Before I knew it Bella was cradling my hand in her palm, tracing each finger, feeling the smooth edges of my nails, running her forefinger over the lines etched into my stone skin. She turned my hand over and I let out a shaky breath, catching her attention.

"Do you mind?" she asked, blushing slightly.

I shook my head, thinking myself incapable of speech at the moment. I found my voice eventually, just as she closed her small hands around mine, encasing it between them. "You have no idea how that feels," I whispered.

Bella hummed in thought and pressed her hands together, the pressure barely registering, but the heat scorching all the way up my arm. That amazing electric spark followed right behind.

"I feel that," she said.

"Do you?"

Bella sighed. "I do."

Her tone was almost mournful, confusing me. She withdrew her hands with a frown, giving my hand back with a gentle squeeze. Her parting touch elicited another series of sensations that traveled from my fingertips through the rest of my body. Though it was pleasant, her mood concerned me too much to really enjoy it.

Not wanting to push her about her distress, I instead signaled our waitress who had been trying not to watch our exchange from inside. She had wanted to check on us but thought better than to interrupt what looked to her to be a very intimate moment. I appreciated her insight tremendously. Despite her earlier thoughts about me, she turned out to be nice enough. Her initial lust had been replaced by reverent admiration of the way I treated Bella. She wanted that sort of relationship for herself, but not so much as to ignore my obvious infatuation with the lady at my side. Or the fact that I was more than a little intimidating.

When I asked about getting the recipe for Bella's entrée, the woman was only too happy to oblige, much to Bella's dismay. She made a fuss, saying the gesture was both unnecessary and embarrassing.

I made arrangements for the bill including a hefty tip, before our waitress left to see about the recipe. She almost fainted when she finally looked at the crisp bills I'd handed her and was even more determined to meet my small demand. I smiled and shook off a laugh.

Moments later the waitress was back with the lead chef, who was also the owner of the establishment. He was only too happy to provide the recipe for Bella as long as we swore we didn't have plans to use or sell it for monetary gain. Bella assured him she was only curious as to how she could replicate his technique at home, but in the end a little more persuasion was in order.

"You really shouldn't do that to people, you know?" Bella said after the chef had gone.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Bella smiled indulgently. "Dazzle them. It really isn't fair."

"I dazzle people?"

"Yes. Even men apparently," she giggled. Her light laughter was intoxicating.

"Do I dazzle you?" I asked.

Bella looked down at a spot on the table cloth as though it were capable of hypnotizing her.

"Maybe…" she said, biting her lip almost roughly.

"Maybe?"

"Yeah," she said, her cheeks pink.

"That's nice to hear."

"Well, don't think too much of it." She frowned.

"No? And why is that?" I asked.

"Because I know too much. I know that you're more than just a pretty face."

"Now I'm pretty?" I asked, chuckling.

"Oh, God," she moaned in embarrassment, throwing her hands up and covering her face as she hung her head. A muffled cry came from her inside her make-shift mask. "Kill me now, please."

Hearing those very serious words so casually thrown about bothered me tremendously. I stood silently and walked to the other side of the table, kneeling before her and putting a finger under her chin to lift her head oh so gently. She gasped in surprise and her hands fell from her face.

"Bella... Not now. Not ever. Your life is my whole universe."

She stared into my eyes, her own brown orbs impossibly wide, not even breathing for the stretch of ten heart beats. I was beginning to panic at my decision to take the conversation from light to serious when she blinked and exhaled a rush of air and barely whispered words.

"Ifallelseperished,andheremained,Ishouldstillcontinuetobe;andifallelseremained,andhewereannihilated,theuniversewouldturntoamightystranger…'"

"Bronte?" I asked when she stayed silent once again, failing to explain her choice of words.

"I... Oh. Wow."

"Bella? What is it?"

"It's just that... The universe doesn't make any sense without… you… in my life."

"Oh, Bella…"

I placed my hands reverently on either side of her face and for the first time since I'd known her, trusted myself enough to move closer. Her declaration alone strengthened the love I felt for her and bound the monster far beneath it. If hearing her speak my name in her dreams awakened my heart, hearing her speak these words stirred whatever remained of my soul- lost as it was.

Bella leaned towards me, eyes dancing, and then lowered her forehead to mine. "I tried. I really did. I tried so hard to forget. I wanted to forget. To make the world normal again. To feel… this… somewhere else." She placed a hand over where my hand covered her cheek.

"I just couldn't…" She shook her head. "I couldn't."

I stroked her cheeks with my thumbs, wiping the tears that spilled over. "I know."

"I thought I was crazy. Maybe I still am…" she whispered.

"I know, love."

I'd thought so too. What vampire falls in love with a human? With a human whose blood calls to him like no other on earth?

Bella's eyes fluttered closed as a soft smile graced her warm, red lips. I felt an immense urge to press my own cold, hard mouth to them just to see what they felt like. Would that strange electricity that we both felt between us be there too? Would it be even stronger?

Deciding that it was insanity to pursue that thought any further, I stood and abruptly allowed my hands to fall from Bella's face. She snapped her gaze to mine looking confused and a little hurt. I smiled to reassure her and extended my hand.

"Shall we go?"

"Where are we going?"

"Does it matter?" I asked. "As long as we go together?"

Bella smiled. "No. No, I guess it doesn't."

The light Bella brought into my world flooded through my long dead heart like the Nile flooded Egypt. It was new life blooming in a place where there was once only barren sand. It was the sun to my blackest of midnights. It was hope to replace the despair. It was everything. She was everything, and she cared for me too.

Bella really didn't care where we went after we left the restaurant so we ended up doing as she originally asked and took a drive.

After ensuring that she didn't suffer from motion sickness, I devised a route in my head that would wind a path over less traveled byways and back to Seattle. I ended up driving until Bella was finally too fatigued to really carry on a conversation any longer. We'd discussed our tastes in music, books, film and television- or rather our mutual lack of interest in either of the latter two topics. It was truly staggering to me the sheer amount we had in common.

I'd only touched on one subject all night that seemed to strain the conversation at all. When Bella realized for herself just how much her interests were like my own she joked that her father had been right about her being far too mature for her age. She revealed that he'd often said she'd never been a normal teenage girl. Those words bothered me at first, but when she explained, I could see it was the truth. Bella wasn't normal. She was phenomenal.

She touched a little on how she'd avoided normal "girl" things like gossip, and shopping, and dances. Instead she took an interest in fixing up old cars during her senior year of high school. She'd even spent homecoming weekend searching for used parts at a junkyard in Olympia rather than attending the dance or other festivities.

It was when I questioned Bella about her interest in cars, and who she'd gone to the scrapyards with, that she'd bristled and changed the subject. She didn't want to talk about it tonight. She promised to tell me at some point, but said she hadn't wanted to ruin our evening. Of course, the fact that she assumed that her answers would put a shadow over out time together worried me far more than I let her know. I concluded that her reticence to discuss the topic had to do something with Embry or the rest of the wolf pack. I'd only just discovered that they had a history, but I hated that Bella felt she had to walk on proverbial eggshells because of that. I wondered what she was thinking about right now.

She cleared her throat a little after a moment of strained silence, and looked at me.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I just... we've said a lot of things tonight already. It's just a lot to process."

"I understand. There's no rush."

Truthfully, I wasn't sure what else to say to her. Not only did my brain process things a thousand times faster than Bella's more limited human synapses, but I'd had a few years to deal with how I felt about her. She seemed to only just be discovering her own emotions. Even now she struggled to put them into words.

"I do want to be your friend. But... you're a vampire. And I'm just... average. So, I guess I'm struggling to wrap my head around why you'd even bother with me. I mean, I know what you said before." She paused and looked at me with significance. She meant when I'd confessed my love for her. "But still... I have to wonder if there's even room for me in your world. Or... if you'd ever want to be a part of my very plain, very boring one."

"Bella. There is nothing plain, or boring, or even average about you. I find you absolutely fascinating. It would be an honor if you wanted mein your life. And, as for whether or not there is room for you in mine, well... Not only is mine a very lonely existence, but I think we've proven tonight how similar our interests are. You'll fit right in."

"What about your family?"

"They'll love you."

"Oh, right. I can just see Rosalie and I picking out curtains together and everything."

I laughed openly at her wit. "My sister's shortcomings aside, they really will adore you."

She seemed unsure but nodded silently. Eventually, Bella reclined her seat backwards and I assured her it was okay that she rest while I drove back to Seattle. Having discovered that we shared a fondness for Debussy during our earlier conversation, I put on Suite Bergamasque. It always relaxed me and I hoped it would do the same for her. I was pleased when Bella's breathing evened out and she fell into a light slumber only three minutes into the Prelude. She rolled to her side so that she was facing me when the opening chords of the third movement, Claire de Lune, filled the car with its melancholy sweetness.

"One of my favorites," she said without opening her eyes.

"Mine too," I answered, staring down at her. The soft smile on her rose-colored lips and her nearly translucent skin set against such long dark hair made her look like an angel. I didn't think I could love her any more than I did in that instant, yet when she sighed contentedly and put her hand out in a silent request for my own, I felt a rush of emotion that I thought might cripple me.

As Bella intertwined our fingers and brought them to rest against her heart, I was filled with an awareness of so many things that I thought I'd never feel, so much that I'd never known I was lacking. It crashed over me as a storm beats upon the shore. There was destruction and there was cleansing, it was the loss of what had been, in order to make way for what was to become.

Bella had changed me and was changing me still.

I didn't know whether to be terrified or to be thrilled by what the future held with this angel by my side. But if I could have, just for tonight, I would have stopped time and kept us in this one perfect moment forever.

Author's Notes:

Many thanks to Essay33 for beta'ing this chapter. It will be her last and I am truly thankful that she hung in there with me this long! Thanks also to Farawaymomo for sticking with me as well and always being honest!

** The maestro vampire mentioned in this chapter is loosely based on C.P.E. Bach (1714-1788), who was a real composer and court musician to Frederick II of Prussia. He did, in fact, write a book on keyboarding technique that became the standard of the time. I have no idea how he really died, nor do I think he was reincarnated as John Williams. ;-)) Just having fun!