disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer (what an amazing author/woman for creating such a perfect world). I use dialogue from her outtakes and from the actual novels. It is her ideas, with a twist of my own thoughts behind the complex character of Edward Cullen..sigh..

Previously in Edward's POV:

"If you could have anything in the world, anything at all, what would it be?"

"You," Bella replied without thinking.

I shook my head impatiently. "Something you don't already have."

"I would want… Carlisle not to have to do it. I would want you to change me."

This was good. I could definitely work this to my advantage. Also, I was thrilled that we both wanted the same thing.

"What would you be willing to trade for that?" I asked her.

"Anything."

I smiled faintly, and then pursed my lips. "Five years?"

Her face twisted into an expression somewhere between chagrin and horror.

"You said anything," I reminded her.

"Yes, but… you'll use the time to find a way out of it. I have to strike while the iron is hot. Besides, it's just too dangerous to be human—for me, at least. So, anything but that."

I frowned. "Three years?"

"No!"

"Isn't it worth anyrhing to you at all?"

"Six months?"

I rolled my eyes. "Not good enough."

"One year, then," she said. "That's my limit."

"At least give me two."

"No way. Nineteen I'll do. But I'm not going anywhere near twenty. If you're staying in your teens forever, then so am I."

I thought for a minute. "All right. Forget time limits. If you want me to be the one—then you'll just have to meet one condition."

"Condition?" Her voice went flat. "What condition?"

"Marry me first."

11. Discussions

She stared at me, waiting as if I was going to take it back. But I wasn't. I wanted this more than anything. "Okay. What's the punch line?" she spoke sarcastically.

I sighed. Of course, Bella would say something like that. I only expected it. She was raised to scorn marriage at an early age. "You're wounding my ego, Bella. I just proposed to you, and you think it's a joke."

"Edward, please be serious."

"I am one hundred percent serious." I gazed at her with the most serious face I had pulled off in years.

"Oh, c'mon," she said. "I'm only eighteen."

"Well, I'm nearly a hundred and ten. It's time I settled down."

"Look, marriage isn't exactly that high on my list of priorities, you know? It was sort of the kiss of death for Renee and Charlie."

"Interesting choice of words."

"You know what I mean."

I inhaled deeply. Was she afraid to have to be stuck with me forever? Did she think she would change her mind later on? "Please don't tell me that you're afraid of the commitment."

"That's not it exactly," she hedged. "I'm… afraid of Renee. She has some really intense opinions on getting married before you're thirty."

"Because she'd rather you became one of the eternal damned than get married." I laughed.

"You think you're joking."

"Bella, if you compare the level of commitment between a marital union as opposed to bartering your soul in exchange for an eternity as a vampire…" I shook my head. "If you're not brave enough to marry me, then—"

"Well," I interrupted. "What if I did? What if I told you to take me to Vegas now? Would I be a vampire in three days?"

I smiled. There was no way she was serious. My angel was a terrible liar. "Sure. I'll get my car."

"Dammit," Bella muttered. "I'll give you eighteen months."

"No deal," I said, grinning. "I like this condition."

"Fine. I'll have Carlisle do it when I graduate."

"If that's what you really want." I shrugged. I knew she wouldn't be able to resist, knowing that I was willing to do it myself.

"You're impossible," she groaned. "A monster."

I chuckled. "Is that why you won't marry me?"

Bella groaned again. This was exactly what I needed. Time and being able to have Bella forever. Proof that she was mine and no one else's.

I tried dazzling her into it. I knew she wouldn't be able to resist. My eyes smoldered into hers, as I leaned closer. "Please, Bella?"

Her breathing stopped for a moment. I knew it had worked. She snapped out of it and shook her head quickly. I wondered if this was an answer or an attempt to clear her mind.

"Would this have gone better if I d had time to get a ring?" I asked.

"No! No rings!" she shouted, loud enough to wake Charlie. I heard his snores stop, and his footsteps quietly walked across his room.

"Now you've done it," I whispered.

"Oops."

"Charlie's getting up; I'd better leave," I spoke quietly. I definitely did not want to leave. Especially now. There was so much to discuss!

Her heart stopped beating. I looked at Bella's expression, and decided that it would be better if I stayed—for the both of us. "Would it be childish of me to hide in your closet, then?"

"No," she whispered eagerly. "Stay. Please."

I smiled and disappeared into her closet. I positioned myself in a way so I could see through the crack of the door.

"Morning, Dad," Bella spoke as her door cracked open.

"Oh, hey, Bella. I didn't know you were awake."

"Yeah. I've just been waiting for you to wake up so I could take a shower." Bella started to get up.

"Hold on," Charlie said, flipping the light on. "Let's talk for a minute first."

Bella grimaced. I wished I could go over there and comfort her, but then Charlie would have found out about our nights together.

"You know you're in trouble," Charlie declared. He was still very angry about the incident. In his thoughts, he was cursing me out, which I deserved after putting Bella through all of that pain.

"Yeah, I know."

"I just about went crazy these last three days. I come home from Harry's funeral, and you're gone. Jacob could only tell me that you'd run off with Alice Cullen, and that he thought you were in trouble. You didn't leave me a number, and you didn't call. I didn't know where you were or when—or if—you were coming back. Do you have any idea how… how…" He couldn't finish the sentence. He sucked in a sharp breath and moved on. "Can you give me one reason why I shouldn't ship you off to Jacksonville this second?"

I flinched. No. Not now. Don't send her away from me.

Her eyes narrowed. She sat up, pulling the quilt around her. "Because I won't go."

"Now just one minute, young lady—"

"Look, Dad, I accept complete responsibility for my actions, and you have the right to ground me for as long as you want. I will also do all the chores and laundry and dishes until you think I've learned my lesson. And I guess you're within your rights if you want to kick me out, too—but that won't make me to go to Florida."

His face turned bright red. He took a few deep breaths before he answered. "Would you like to explain where you've been?"

Oh, crap. Bella and I did not decide on a story yet to excuse ourselves from the trip. "There was… an emergency," she explained.

He raised his eyebrows.

"I don't know what to tell you, Dad. It was mostly a misunderstanding. He said, she said. It got out of hand."

He waited silently. He expected much more out of his daughter.

"See, Alice told Rosalie about me jumping off the cliff…" Well that was a major mistake on Bella's part. Charlie had no idea about the cliff.

"I guess I didn't tell you about that," she choked out. "It was nothing. Just messing around, swimming with Jake. Anyway, Rosalie told Edward, and he was upset. She sort of accidentally made it sound like I was trying to kill myself or something. He wouldn't answer his phone, so Alice dragged me to… L.A., to explain in person." She shrugged as if it was no big deal.

Charlie's anger turned to concern. He was frozen as he continued the discussion. "Were you trying to kill yourself, Bella?"

"No, of course not. Just having fun with Jake. Cliff diving. The La Push kids do it all the time. Like I said, nothing."

I was definitely not allowing Bella to hang out with these "La Push kids" again. They were a source of trouble to my danger magnet of an angel.

Then Charlie's face heated up—from frozen to hot with fury—as he thought of me again. "What's it to Edward Cullen anyway?" he barked. "All this time, he's just left you dangling without a word—"

Bella interrupted him again. "Another misunderstanding."

His face flushed again. "So is he back then?"

"I'm not sure what the exact plan is. I think they all are."

He shook his head, the vein in his forehead pulsing. "I want you to stay away from him, Bella. I don't trust him. He's rotten for you. I won't let him mess you up like that again."

"Fine," she said curtly. I flinched. What, after that previous discussion of marriage and transformation, Bella had changed her mind on me?

Charlie rocked back onto his heels. "Oh." He scrambled for a second, exhaling loudly in surprise. "I thought you were going to be difficult."

"I am." Bella stared straight into his eyes. "I meant, 'Fine, I'll move out." I exhaled. I clearly misinterpreted her. But at the same time, I became more stressed. I did not want to cause Bella to fight with her father.

His eyes bulged; his face turned puce.

"Dad, I don't want to move out," she said in a softer tone. "I love you. I know you're worried, but you need to trust me on this. And you're going to have to ease up on Edward if you want me to stay. Do you want me to live here or not?"

"That's not fair, Bella. You know I want you to stay."

"Then be nice to Edward, because he's going to be where I am." She said with confidence.

"Not under my roof," Charlie stormed.

She sighed. "Look, I'm not going to give you any more ultimatums tonight—or I guess it's this morning. Just think about it for a few days, okay? But keep in mind that Edward and I are sort of a package deal."

"Bella—"

"Think it over," she insisted. "And while you're doing that, could you give me some privacy? I really need a shower."

Charlie's face was a strange shade of purple, but he left, slamming the door behind him. I heard him stomp furiously down the stairs. Even Bella could probably hear him.

Bella threw off her quilt, but I was already there, sitting in the rocking chair.

"Sorry about that," she whispered.

"It's not as if I don't deserve far worse," I murmured. "Don't start anything with Charlie over me, please."

"Don't worry about it," she breathed as she gathered up her bathroom things and a set of clean clothes. "I will start exactly as much as is necessary, and no more than that. Or are you trying to tell me I have nowhere to go?"

"You'd move in with a house full of vampires?"

"That's probably the safest place for someone like me. Besides…" She grinned. "If Charlie kicks me out, then there's no need for a graduation deadline, is there?"

My jaw tightened. Why did she have to bring that up again? "So eager for eternal damnation," I muttered under my breath, positive that Bella could hear me still.

"You know you don't really believe that."

"Oh, don't I?" I fumed.

"No. You don't."

I glowered at her and started to speak, but she cut me off.

"If you really believed that you'd lost your soul, then when I found you in Volterra, you would have realized immediately what was happening, instead of thinking we were both dead together. But you didn't—you said 'Amazing. Carlisle was right,'" she reminded me, triumphant and smug. "There's hope in you, after all."

I was speechless. She was right. Bella was extremely observant, which was not any help for me.

"So let's both just be hopeful, all right?" she suggested. "Not that it matters. If you stay, I don't need heaven."

I got up slowly, and came to put my hands on her face. I stared into her eyes. "Forever," I vowed. I would never leave her again, as long as she wanted me. Then, if she did outgrow me, it would be a different story.

"That's all I'm asking for," she said, and stretched up on her toes so that our lips came together.