AN: This chapter was going to be a lot longer, but I decided to make this chapter into two… and then an epi and we might be done… oh dear. Okay, poem one is called How Do I love Thee and off the top of my head it's by Elizabeth Barret Browning… I think only one poem made it into this one… thanks to my freakin' awesome beta Little Wicked who is still trying to convince me that commas are my friends.

Last Time on Sundown

He kissed my forehead, before speaking, "I won't ever have to leave your side again, Bella. I promise you that. Tell me where to go and I'll follow. Tell me to jump and I will. I just want to make you happy," his face was centimeters away from mine and I could no longer ignore the sweet smell of him.

"Can you just be kissing me?"

He smiled, my favorite one, "You don't have to ask me to do that," and he kissed me.

Sundown; Chapter 11

Yes. Forever.

Waking up in Edward's arms and knowing he was going to stay there was just as nice as I thought would be. Not having to get up quickly and get ready for school was nice too.

"I have some school work lined up for you today," leave it to Edward to ruin a perfect moment with his good intentions, "Math and English today, Spanish and science tomorrow," I sighed against his chest, trying desperately to get my point across. I really didn't want to have to leave his arms just yet, or perhaps never, if the option was up for grabs. "You have to finish school, Bella."

But I had the rest of eternity to do that. "Do I have to do it just now?" I racked my brain for excuses to stay with Edward and not do school work, "Don't we have to go grocery shopping?"

Edward let out a laugh and smiled at me, "Yes, we do. Go get washed up and we can go, then you must work on something," he kissed me, too briefly, and let me go. I slipped out of the bed, not quite as gracefully as I would have liked. But in my defense, the floor was awfully far down. "Without hurting yourself, dear," I turned around to immaturely stick my tongue out at him but he took me off guard, he was already sitting on the deck with a book in his hand.

I turned back around and looked down at myself, I was in pajamas. I couldn't remember ever being awake enough the night before to change or do anything besides sleep in Edward's arms. How did I end up in my sleepwear? I looked back at Edward but he continued to read and I didn't say anything.

The bathroom, just like the rest of the house, was wonderful, making my shower even more enjoyable. It was hard to convince my self to leave the room, but my grumbling stomach continued to beg. Picking out one of the more conservative outfits Alice had put together was hard, but I settled on khaki shorts and a shirt in Edward's favorite blue.

"Are you ready to go?" I leaned out the door and looked at Edward, model-esque on the chair with his book.

He looked up and smiled at me and quickly got up. Then he was at my side before I realized he had left the chair. "Bella, you shouldn't tempt me like this," I looked up at him, curious.

"What do you mean?"

"For being so smart," he whispered into my face, his cool breath mingling with mine. "You can be so clueless."

I bent my face down. No matter how much I truly did enjoy being dazzled by Edward; I didn't want to start the morning with a fainting spell. Being dazzled by Edward was probably better than any drugs I would ever be able to get a hold of. Going without his dazzlement would be strange.

I couldn't resist asking, "Will you still dazzle me like that when I'm a vampire?"

I had expected Edward to tense up at the mention of me being a vampire, but he didn't seem the least bit phased by it. Wonders never cease, I suppose. "I don't know, Bella. Maybe," he took me in his arms and held be there, resting his chin on top of mine, "Your senses are multiplied, so maybe I could still dazzle you," he paused and I could tell he was smiling, "But I would hope that is not the only reason you are with me, Bella."

I laid my head down on his chest and sighed, "Oh, it's not the only reason. 'How do I love thee, let me count the ways . . .'"

Edward smiled and continued on, "'I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach, when feeling out of sight for the ends of Being and ideal Grace.'"

"'I love thee to the level of every day's most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.'"

"'I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise."

"'I love thee with a passion put to use in my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith."

I paused until I remembered the ending, "'I love thee with a love I seemed to lose with my lost saints — I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life! — and, if God choose," I paused again to emphasize the ending. "I shall but love thee better after death.'"

I stood in Edward's arms. I wasn't sure what to do. I was certain, however, that Edward had taken the ending the same way I had. I took a breath and looked up at Edward's face. He was so far away.

"Edward?" he looked down at me, almost startled by the break of silence, "Do you think other vampires and humans have fallen in love?"

"Maybe. Rosalie says she fell in love with Emmett when she first saw him. Humans fall in love with vampires all the time – or they think they are in love. Humans don't really know what love is. Humans have to spend seventy years with someone and then they are done," he beginning to talk very fast, "Vampires, they spend forever together."

"Is that why you don't want to turn me?" I began carefully, "Are you not sure I really love you? Or that you really love me?" I had pulled away, scared of his reaction and his answer. I truly loved Edward with all my heart. Could he not see that? Was that the reason I was not a vampire right now? Was I the one who was causing my grief, and not Edward's selfish notions?

But, Edward not loving me – that would make some sense.

"Oh, God no, Bella. Never that." His face looked aghast, shocked by my accusation. "With what I've put you through, with the trouble I've caused you, I'm deeply surprised that you have not left me to have a normal life with someone like Mike or Tyler," he walked towards me and I was sandwiched between the bed and Edward, my face held in his hands, his eyes penetrating mine. I was locked in.

"You want to spend every day with me, every moment with me, I may not be able to read your mind, but I can see how much you care, how much you love me. I can feel every emotion with my soul, with every fiber of my being. I think it's very much what Jasper must feel. When I'm around you, it's like nothing I've ever felt before.

"And Bella, you don't ever need to ask whether I love you or not. It's not of question. I will love you as long as the moon comes after the sun, as long as the world continues to spin on its axis and as long as God allows me on this earth. And after I am gone, I will still love you," his lips brushed against mine, "I will always love you," his breath was sweet as always. Staying in place and behaving was difficult. My hands moved themselves to his chest, gripping his shirt so gravity didn't work against me.

&

Edward, refusing to let me take the bus into town, had decided we would walk down to the grocery store. Although my mother and I had done that when I was little, my only memory of it was the misery of walking back with all of the grocery bags in hand. That was another plus of the vampire-human relationship. The vampire was able to carry most of the grocery bags by himself.

Walking back we had played another game of twenty questions, "Favorite food?" I fired to Edward.

"Bella," Edward obviously didn't get what I meant.

"When you were human, I mean."

"Oh. God, I barely remember," he sighed and continued to walk. When I became a vampire, would I forget these first sweet days with Edward? I suppose over time it wouldn't matter, our memories would accumulate. But the first time in the meadow, the dinner where I had figured it all out- those were things I wanted to remember.

Before I gave him the chance to answer I told him my worries. Would everything eventually dissipate from my memory?

"I don't know, Bella." He sighed. "That's a good question. I hope that you are able to remember certain things, but I can't promise anything."

Of course.

"I don't remember too much of my human life. I don't remember the time I spent in the hospital."

"Is that why you don't to change me? Because you don't want me to forget?"

"Bella," he sounded exasperated, "Oh, I guess that's part of it. But I've explained it to you," he had stopped walking and was looking at me now, "Can we just drop this topic for today? Please."

"Yeah," I knew it was petty of me to keep bugging him about it; he would change me once I agreed to marry him. Although, I had yet to bring up the fact that I wanted to be changed before I was married to him. And we continued our walk home in silence.

Once the groceries were put away I sat down at the desk in between the two computers and began to work on some of the papers Edward had set up for me. The math was all review. I was still so behind since my little trip to Volterra. The English assignments were a little different, I had complained to Edward many times that the English course in Forks was too simple and that they should offer AP classes, or at the very least some sort of Honor class. Edward had taken this complaint seriously and had, once again, taken initiative to make things just a little harder for me.

"Thanks," my sarcastic tone was evident and Edward took my meaning.

&

The days passed by slowly, we hadn't left the house except to pick up more groceries, such as milk and bread. I had asked Edward about this. It was my first time in Chicago, the windy city, and I was not able to see the sites.

"Victoria seems to be getting braver. She attacked you in the middle of city. Who's to say she won't do it again?" Edward got off from the couch where we were both reading.

"She attacked your car, Edward. I wasn't even hurt. Not one scratch on me . . . well, none caused by her. If I could fall more gracefully out of a car, I wouldn't have gotten hurt at all," he could tell I was hinting at changing me, "Besides, next time you'll be there with me."

His eyes were getting darker, "There won't be a next time, Bella. I'll make sure of that."

"Yes there will, Edward," I could feel my throat getting tighter and the tears welling up in my eyes, "Until you change me and I can really defend myself she will always come after me. And you will always have to be there right next to me to protect me."

"And I'm willing to do that," I could tell that he wanted the conversation to end. And it was true. It really wasn't fair of me to continually bring up the topic of him changing me when he never brought up his marriage proposal.

I felt terrible now, but it was so hard to let the guilt get to me when I wanted this so much. But of course Edward wanted the wedding just as much as I wanted to be changed. He was just so much stronger than me.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, still curled up on the couch, feeling small in the presence of his anger. He didn't say anything, just stared out the window, "I think I'm gonna go to bed, night," I slowly walked up the stairs, uselessly grasping the wall to keep balance.

"I'll be up there in a minute," A human minute or vampire minute? Despite the anger that filled the air I laughed, we sounded like an old married couple.

I was fully relaxed in my pajamas when Edward came upstairs, "Edward?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"Yes."

"Yes, what?"

"Yes. I'll marry you. I – I want to be your wife. Forever," these words were really coming out of my mouth. Edward turned around from the bookshelf, faster than I had ever seen him move. He had the biggest grin on his face, my favorite crooked smile. I blinked and he was next to me on the bed, kissing my face: my cheeks, my eyelids, my nose, my ears, my mouth.

His hands skimmed down my sides, I was lying down on the bed again. My arms were wrapped around him, holding him as close to me as possible. This kiss was different from the rest. I felt the emotion and love in it. There was no fear of losing me; I was his forever now.

And that felt really good.