A/N: Since I haven't said it for a while, I'll repeat: I do not own any of these characters beside Callie, and I don't own Twilight either. Unfortunately.

Please read and review...if any of you were confused about why Edward was sad in the last chapter, all will be revealed very shortly (i.e. here). Enjoy! And please review... xxx :)

Chapter 11

My head slipped down onto Edward's shoulder, his arms cradling me as he ran. The smoothness of the journey lulled me towards sleep, my eyelids heavier, it seemed, than they had ever been before.

But still I resisted sleep. There was an odd ache in my chest, a queer mixture of fear and anxiety that reminded me of something. It struck me like a slap to the face as Edward came to an abrupt halt in front of the Cullens' house what that something was.

When Edward had been gone – the aching hole in my chest. I felt sick.

I didn't say a word as Edward set me down inside the house, following him silently upstairs. As soon as he closed the door of his room behind us, though, he turned to me with those glorious golden eyes filled with worry. "Bella, what's the matter?" he asked, concern clear in his voice. "Are you all right?"

I leant my head against his smooth marble chest, slipping my arms around him and holding on tightly as though that would make the hole go away. He held on to me, burying his face into my hair, and we stood like that for what seemed a very long time.

"What's the matter, love?" he asked again at last, drawing back slightly. "You need to sleep, Bella. You haven't had enough rest." He touched my cheek, brushing one cold thumb beneath my eyes. "You're so pale."

"I guess so. I'm tired. And I'm worried about Callie, I hope she'll be okay..."

Edward took my face between his hands, fingers cool against my cheeks. "Bella. She'll be fine, Esme went with her. Billy Black's there, the pack will look after her. Nothing will happen to her, Bella."

"It's not that. I mean, yes I'm worried about her, but that's not..." I pushed at my hair with one hand, frustrated. "This isn't coming out right."

His eyes fixed on mine, filled with concern, Edward closed his fingers over my hand and brought it to his lips. "Tell me, love."

"Edward...you'd tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?"

He grew very still. "I don't understand, Bella. Of course I would." He pressed his lips to my knuckles. "Of course I would, Bella."

"Then why were you sad earlier?" Confusion, realization and grief flickered across his face in quick succession, only to be replaced with a careful blankness. He opened his mouth to reply, but I cut him off. "Edward. Don't say it's nothing."

He closed his mouth.

"It hurts, Edward!" I burst out at last. "Thinking that something's making you sad...that I've done something, I don't know..."

His arms were around me, stroking my hair as he drew me closer, whispering softly in my ear. "Bella, my love, don't. It doesn't matter. Bella, I love you." He pressed his lips to my neck, the chill of his touch soothing and electrifying at the same time. "Bella. I'm fine. We're fine."

Despite my fatigue and the intoxicating closeness of Edward's presence, I clung stubbornly to my point. "There was something wrong, Edward."

"Bella, really, I –" I stepped back, stood with hands on hips and cocked my head to one side. "That's not fair," he complained teasingly. I didn't say anything, and his face sobered. "All right, Bella. It's just...with Callie. You..." He shrugged, suddenly looking so helpless that my heart melted for him.

"Edward, it's all right." I rested my cheek against his chest, breathed in his sweet, heady scent.

"No." His cool fingers skimmed up my cheek and into my hair, so I reached up to cover his hand with my own as his beautiful gold eyes stared into mine. "No, Bella, it's not fair. Being with me...with Callie, you were amazing. Like...you'd be such a wonderful mother," he managed at last in a rush. I stared at him, speechless, as he hurried on, "I just wish..."

"I don't want children. I want you." Even as I said it, the memory of the two black-haired children – my children, Jacob's children – I'd imagined once crossed my mind, and I flushed guiltily, held onto Edward more tightly. It was true. I wanted him.

He smiled sadly. "I just wish they didn't have to be mutually exclusive, love."

"It doesn't matter. I don't need to be a mother, Edward. But I'm going to be your wife." I held up my hand so that the ring glinted. "Remember? That's everything, Edward. It's everything."

A smile twitched at his lips, my favourite lop-sided smile that couldn't help but pull at the corners of my own mouth. He brought my hand to his lips, kissed my palm. "How could I forget? I love you, Bella."

"Good." I couldn't stop the cry of surprise that escaped me as he lifted me into his arms, carried me to the bed.

"Now go to sleep, Bella. It's nearly three in the morning." Without hesitation I lay down beside him, curling my body to his cold form, pillowed my head on his shoulder, and fell asleep with his scent swirling around me and into my dreams as he murmured my lullaby.

xox

Waking up at the Cullens' was always odd. No matter what time I came down – with Edward – there were none of the normal morning preparations, none of the usual smells and sounds of people getting up. They were already up, eternally awake, so to have me appearing, tousled and sleepy-eyed in their midst, was something they were entirely unused to. They fell into routine well enough, though, with Emmett – as ever – taking the big-brother-let's-tease-Bella role that I'd missed growing up as an only child. Lucky me.

This morning was no exception. "It's the bed monster!" he cried as soon as he saw me.

I glared. Sleeping too long, even more than not getting enough sleep, wasn't exactly conducive to a good mood, and I'd slept nearly eleven hours. "Very funny," I retorted. "Didn't you say you were going to be out today? Anywhere?"

He shrugged. "And miss an opportunity to tease you? Don't be ridiculous, Bella."

"Leave her alone, Emmett." Alice wandered through from the kitchen, carrying a mug of something steaming hot. "I got this for you, Bella. I hope it's all right." I took it gratefully, smiling my thanks as she turned to her brother, nodded.

"Sure," he replied to her unspoken question. "We'll be going soon. Bella, I'm going to have to go hunting again," he told me. "I won't go far...will you be all right?"

I nodded, ignoring the pang at the thought of being separated from him. "Sure. You've got to hunt. Besides, Charlie'd flip if he knew you were here too." I yawned. "When are you going?"

"No time like the present." I hadn't heard Jasper enter. "You ready, Edward, Emmett?"

"I'll see you later, Bella," Edward murmured as he lowered his lips to my forehead. "Take care."

"Sure, sure. Will do."

"Love you, Bella," he called back.

"'Love you, Bella,'" Emmett mimicked. Alice laughed a fraction of a second before I heard a solid thud from the direction of the door.

"He should have known that was going to happen," she chuckled. "I did."

I started to smile, but yawned again instead. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Going back to your house, where Angela is going to call about mid-afternoon-ish," she informed me. "Then afterwards I guess we're going to head on over to La Push, because I can't actually see what's going on." She made a face.

"We –" I gaped. "You as well? La Push?"

Alice laughed at my amazement. "We sorted all the details out last night, after you were asleep. Sam's graciously permitting us –" she couldn't quite help the scorn in her voice, "– to visit Callie at Billy's on the condition some of the pack are there too. And as long as nobody else is there, like Charlie."

"Charlie." I spun to face her, feeling the horror written in my expression. "Charlie! Alice, the house –"

"It's all right," she assured me calmly. "It's all sorted. Carlisle and I went over when you were asleep and cleaned up. Emily was there too."

"Emily...?" I felt like an idiot repeating everything she was saying, but my brain didn't seem quite capable of forming its own thoughts yet.

"She insisted on coming to help. Which was good, actually, because the stink of that place..." Alice wrinkled her nose. "And we had Sam standing guard, which didn't help, and some more of the pack patrolling outside. You should be so glad you can't smell what it's like in there."

I was unbelievably touched. "Alice, that was so sweet of you. You shouldn't have done it."

"Oh no? You think Charlie'd flip at knowing you'd stayed over here with Edward. How do you think he'd react if he got home to find blood everywhere?"

"Umm..." I couldn't really argue with that. But still, Alice and Carlisle clearing up blood? The thought made me shudder. "Thanks, Alice. And Emily too. Do you think I could drop by her house later to say thanks?"

"Of course." She cocked her head to one side. "We'd better get going if you want to be back at your house in time to catch Angela."

Of course, with Alice at the wheel – even in my truck, which she had graciously consented to drive having given me no choice – we were back home in practically no time at all, my fingers still aching from clinging onto the edge of the seat. "You're going to have to get used to this, Bella," Alice complained laughingly. "It's not like we'd crash, or anything."

"I'll have plenty of time to get used to it," I insisted stubbornly. "Just not yet. And while I'm still human, I don't want to get a ticket. From my dad, by the way, which wouldn't exactly be good since he's already not terribly happy with the whole wedding thing." I sighed, and sympathized. Alice had already flitted ahead to open the door – we really should find a better place to put that key – so I stepped through the doorway after her.

And gasped.

The room was clean, spotlessly so, far cleaner than I had ever seen it before in my life. I wandered through it, awestruck and utterly speechless. Every surface sparkled, the furniture bright as though brand-new. I had a sudden suspicion. "Wow. Alice, did you – ?"

She shook her head so that her black hair danced. "No. Well, not exactly." She sighed. "All right, a little bit. I had to get a couple of new cushions, because they were so stained. But that's it, just about. I think."

"Alice," I began to object, "it's great and all, but you can't –" But her face was blank, eyes expressionless. What was she seeing?

The girl shook her head, eyes refocusing on me, and there was a note of resigned amusement in her topaz eyes. "Change of plan, Bella. I think Callie's on her way over here now."

A sudden rapping on the front door had me jumping up, startled. Alice smiled sweetly.

"Angela's here, Bella."

I groaned. Great.

A/N: Same as last chapter, please review with any questions/comments/suggestions so I can make it better... Also please go check out my newly updated 'Edward's Poem'...now has four whole sections (different poems) and it would be really nice if you could review that too...? Love me xxx