"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think".- Christopher Robin to Pooh

Edward Cullen POV

Bella started to come to and I realized that I was truly scared.

"Edward, you're crushing me." she said breathlessly.

My eyes sprang open and I hovered over her and stared intently.

"Are you ok? I caught you before you hit your head." I rambled on, "What happened? I saw you get out of your car and then you just froze. Then you were fainting."

She giggled and looked at me as I rose from the bed. Bella sat up slowly and after a few minutes, stood up.

"I'm hungry. What do you want to do for dinner?" she asked as she waltzed out of the room.

I stared after her; she was completely ignoring the fact that something had happened. She'd been doing this a lot lately.

I'd find her completely spaced out, and then when she's come to she wouldn't even realize that anything had happened. And she wouldn't talk about it.

"Bella, we're going to my parents for dinner tonight, remember?" I asked as I wandered out to the kitchen.

"Oh, right. I forgot." She said quickly. "I better go take a shower."

I walked over to her before she could flee again. I backed her up against the counter and laid my palms on top of the granite on either side of her.

"Bella…what did you see?" I asked. She wouldn't look me in the eyes and I knew then that she was worried.

"She's so angry and bitter, Edward." Bella sobbed out. "She's upset because she can see us and how happy we are. Its...it's like she's jealous."

I stood there holding Bella as she cried; stroking her hair and trying to convince her that we would be ok and figure this out.

"What if we don't? Do you think she's going, to like, haunt us forever?" Bella asked with a small smile. I could tell that she was joking, but there was a hint of seriousness in her voice.

"I don't know…but whatever happens, we'll get through it together. Ok?" I said as I cupped her chin and brought her lips to mine.

I hoisted her up on the counter and leaned forward to rest my forehead on her chest. Bella moved ran her hands through my hair, lightly running her nails over my scalp.

I sighed and I could feel the sound reverberate through her body.

I ran my finger tips just under the hem of her shirt; I ran my fingers inward to meet at her belly button, I felt that wonderful quiver of her muscles under them.

"Bella, please," I begged in a whisper. "Please." I moved my left hand to her waistband and moved my right down further along her abdomen, on top of her pants, until it rested right below her pubic bone. I could feel her heat already through the fabric. She tugged on my hair and fidgeted on the counter. "Please."

She lifted her hips off the counter and I hooked my thumbs into her waistband, inching it down her hips a few inches until her black lace panties were revealed in stark contrast to the creamy white skin of her thighs.

Looking straight into my eyes, Bella pulled her shirt up over her head and threw it to the floor, shaking her head to make her hair fall back into place. The matching black lace bra accentuated the perfect curves of her breasts and I could see her nipples peaked under it.

I didn't know how we were going to figure things out, but in this moment…she was the only thing on my mind.

"Where?" she asked as I pushed her pants the rest of the way down her legs. As I did, I placed kisses on her thighs and belly. She grabbed my shirt, commanding me to remove it. I complied.

"Here." I unbuttoned and unzipped my pants and quickly pulled them off, along with my boxers and reached up to pull Bella's panties down. She read my mind and unhooked her bra. Both pieces piled up on the floor under us.

Bella reached down between us to stroke my cock, and I had to hold my breath to keep from coming then and there at the feeling of her warm hand on me.

I was suddenly grateful that I hadn't installed high counters as I slid into Bella. She purred my name like a cat and gripped my shoulders.

"I love you." I whispered as I slid in and out of her.

Bella wrapped her arms around my neck and brought her lips to mine. Before she kissed me I heard her reply; "I love you Edward. Always."

We made love there on my kitchen counter, and when we were spent I carried her to our bed and loved her again.

"Dad…I need to talk to you." I said as I helped my father clean up after dinner.

He looked over his shoulder at me and I saw his blue eyes twinkling. He turned back to the sink and rinsed his hands off.

"What is it son?" he asked as he grabbed a dish towel and dried his hands.

I was putting soap in the dishwasher and felt myself tense up. I suddenly wasn't sure I could talk to my dad about this.

"Edward?" my dad called to me. I met his gaze and he nodded. I watched as he peeked out the kitchen door to check on my mother and Bella. I heard Bella's laughter lifting and my mother chuckling along with her.

"I think we can step outside." He said as he turned off the kitchen lights and went to the backdoor.

I stepped out before him and sucked in a huge breath of sea air. All my life, nothing has compared to that smell for me. I've loved it since I was a child.

"Do you think we're doing the right thing?" I asked my father seriously. "Starting this business and trying to figure out this…mystery" I added using air quotes. I suddenly felt like I was in a bad Scooby Doo episode.

My dad looked at me for a long moment before responding.

"Since when did you turn into the guy that backed down from a challenge? And since when is the Inn your responsibility?" he retorted.

I understood what he was saying, but I was hurt that he phrased it that way.

"Dad, I don't think that's fair. If it's important to Bella, it's important to me…to all of us." I replied.

"Of course it is, Son. I just don't want you to lose sight of what is truly important." He said as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Family and friends; being able to believe in yourself and knowing that you always put your best effort forward." He said.

I nodded my head. I was feeling so many things right now. Trepidation about Bella succeeding, finding out what really happened so many years ago, maintaining the relationship we had.

"What's really on your mind, Edward?" my dad asked me quietly.

I turned away from him to look out into the trees. I knew the answer, but a part of me wasn't ready to let myself go there just yet.

"A lot of things." I answered simply.

He never responded, and after a few minutes I heard his footsteps on the deck and the sound of the back door opening and closing softly.

I remained outside for a few more minutes before finally venturing back inside.

I followed the sound of my parents voices mixed with Bella's and found them in the front sitting room.

Bella looked up and locked eyes with me as I came in.

"Edward, do you remember the time we decided we should be cliff divers?" she asked, amused.

I smiled and nodded. Bella and my mother continued laughing, but I found myself not being able to jump into the conversation. I watched as my father smiled and listened and wondered where this melancholy feeling was coming from.

"Edward?" I heard my name being called, and as I pulled myself back to reality I couldn't tell who was speaking to me.

"I'm sorry. I must have spaced out. What were you saying?" I asked, trying to cover up my ignorance of the situation.

My mother stared at me for a moment before responding.

"I was just wondering what you thought of this business with the diary and whatnot." She smiled at me.

I knew my mother too well. She asked in such an offhand manner, but she was so curious I could almost see her bursting at the seams.

"Well, I think we have all the pieces, we just can't seem to put it all together." I said as I moved to the armchair that was being occupied by Bella, and perched on the arm.

"We have the diary. I think that's by far the biggest piece to this puzzle. We all know the 'legend', and we've all heard the stories. I don't really understand why we're still seeing Anabelle." I pushed up off the arm of the chair and moved to the window.

"I really wish she'd stop attacking Bella, and give us some kind of clue, so we can be done with this and she can rest in peace."

"Bella, you didn't tell me you had another encounter with the ghost!" My mother all but cried out.

I turned just in time to see Bella's face go bright red and to watch her cringe.

"It really wasn't that big of a deal…" she said as her eyes moved towards me and I could swear I saw my own death in them.

"I'm fine. I didn't want to tell you and worry you." She said finally.

"I'm sorry, Bells. I'm just getting so frustrated. It's like when you a jigsaw puzzle and you have it almost finished and you find out that you didn't get one single piece." I exclaimed.

Bella stood and walked over to me; laying her hands on my shoulders.

"I know what you're saying…I think we have all the pieces, but we're too close to all of it to make any sense of it." She said calmly and almost reassuringly.

"Edward, you and Bella are smart. I know you'll figure it out." My father said. He looked at me in a way that told me he wasn't just referring to the diary.

"Edward, we should go. It's getting late." Bella said as her hand found mine and our fingers laced together.

We said goodbye to my parents and headed home. We were both quiet on the short drive; both of us feeling so stressed.

The Inn was almost finished, but wouldn't be ready to open until after Alice and Jasper's wedding. Desperately wanting to figure out what the story is behind the diary and how to stop these hauntings.

I know that Bella sees it as a mystery, and it's a part of her family history, but I was starting to get really annoyed with all these appearances. Especially when it causes my Bella to faint…well, I was getting sick of it.