Bella's POV

Time.

The more it passes, I've noticed, the more unperturbed I become.

But this unperturbed state of mine is not unconditional. It is at its peak when I am in no place but Forks, with no one but my family and at no time but twilight. The time where a vampire feels at least some hope in the future before the sun sets and dusk reaches its end.

I do not have to wait for twilight, though, to be hopeful, to be at ease, to be in love.

I do not have to wait for twilight to see the most beautiful thing I have seen in my existence – for it is already in front of my eyes.

I do not have to wait for twilight to know that any life beside the one I lead now just wouldn't suffice.

Time.

Tomorrow would come eventually, I knew. Eventually, I would have to run back home – and running home would not be the slightest bit difficult for me considering Edward would be waiting for me when I got back. But life awaited; my baby girl awaited; dawn awaited. But for now, I sat here on the ridge of the Hoh Forest, watching as the sun dipped into the horizon.

The clouds were few tonight, and I was grateful for that. Everyone needed a sunset once in awhile, especially someone from Forks who saw sun so rarely. My back was pressed up against a tree trunk as I listened to the branches above me rustle. At least forty feet over my head was Emmett, playfully rummaging in the trees.

Jasper sat beside me with eyes closed, a satisfied smile on his face; I could tell that he had been bloodthirsty the past couple of days. All the mixed scents of werewolf in the house must have piqued his senses, which only meant that he had to test himself even more vehemently.

"What are you thinking about?" I had to ask.

"Honestly?" He grinned. When I nodded, he continued, "Alice. Our anniversary is coming up."

Alice and Jasper's relationship was definitely something to admire – no two people could know each other better than they could. It was as if they could read each other's minds, know each other's every emotion, feel what the other felt, love what the other loved.

I was about to continue, but I heard a giant tree topple over in the distance. It was probably Esme and Rosalie, I guess. They were still off deep in the woodlands. We had been lucky in our hunt, and we had come across an entire herd of elk. Even Emmett couldn't be disappointed. The herd we found was a pack of runners and there were enough of them to keep us busy. Esme and her "adopted" daughter, along with our newest distractions, the newborns, were still off fetching the last of the strays – only a handful had gotten away from our wrath, but they were far from safe. Emmett had gone off with them to help; he had just returned moments ago, jumping into the oak tree that towered above me to get a view of strays' carnage.

His booming laugh bounced off the trees, "Look at 'em squirm!"

Jasper opened his eyes and looked up into the leaves, a smile curving across his face. "I'm surprised you left before the massacre. Sounds like fun."

I continued to stare out into the sun as a giant crush shook the earth beside me. I was not alarmed. I knew that it was only Emmett jumping out of the tree. I only reacted to him when his muscular arms wrapped around me, lifting me from my seated position to about three feet off the ground.

"I consider this a day well spent," He mused once he put me back down. "Don't you, Bella?"

I shrugged, pressing my back against the tree and sliding down to sit on the forest floor again. "I wish Edward could have come along."

Emmett rolled his eyes, leaning against the tree but snapping back up when he felt it was about to tip over. "He must be exhausted. I thought he would've run out to meet up with us, but since he hasn't I can only assume he's still locked up in Carlisle's study. How do you suppose he's doing, Jazz?"

"Either its hell or its bearable," Jasper replied.

"Emotions?" My eyes fell over to him.

Jasper paused to concentrate. "Right now, he seems pretty calm. So does Jacob. They seem to be getting along nicely."

"That's something I'm definitely glad to here," I exhaled, my eyes again retreating to the horizon.

"You should have forced them into a blood-crusted room years ago," Emmett chuckled.

"I didn't force him," I shook my head. "Jacob wanted Edward to be with him and what was Edward supposed to say? No? Just because he's a werewolf doesn't mean Edward is intent on being as discourteous as possible to him. I'm actually proud of the both of them. The never spend time together if I'm not there; maybe they'll become good friends …"

"Alright, Bella," Jasper interrupted with a laugh as he closed his eyelids gently again. "We get it." I hadn't noticed I'd been rambling.

"She has reason to be enthusiastic, Jazz," Emmett teased. "Her husband and her best friend are interacting. She must be practically jumping for joy inside."

"That's partially accurate," I muttered under my breath. I looked down at my shirt, noticing a slight dash of crimson blood neckline; I tried to rub it out.

Jasper murmured indirectly, "I noticed you're getting better. You might have to work on your lunge, but your bite is marvelous."

"Thanks," I rolled my eyes. "I try my best."

"Bella!" An animated voice called out.

We all looked up to see the rest of the group only inches away. Esme and Rosalie were farther back, whispering amongst themselves silently. By the way Rosalie glanced at the newborns, I could only guess that they were the topic of their conversation. Blair was rubbing some blood out of her hair, her wrinkled cheeks still an effect of her permanent disgust. When we'd come upon the elk, she was thoroughly repulsed by the thought of getting near the beasts, let alone biting them.

Matt had been more than eager to see some blood, however. He dashed ahead of us, nabbing the closest elk to where we'd been crouched. He'd done well, much to our surprise, but in consequence he had frightened away the rest of the group. Nonetheless, it wasn't much effort at all to capture the scattered elk and suck them dry. Out of a group of about sixty elks, Emmett and Jasper raced to see who could get more, Rosalie and I drank until we had our fill, and Esme courteously devoted her time to helping Matt and Blair, who were still adjusting to the idea of hook, bite and inhale.

Naturally, Matt had been the one who had called me so keenly. I say 'naturally' because ever since he and his sister had arrived in Forks, he'd hung off my every word and followed my every move like some kind of lovesick puppy.

He was standing before us in a flash. "How do you think I did?"He asked.

I looked up at him, exhaling, "You did well for your first time, I guess."

Matt hid the fact that he was secretly thrilled by my answer, even though all of us noticed. He tried to remain composed, "Maybe next time you could give me a few pointers."

"Maybe next time," Emmett growled. "Her husband will be with us."

I glanced up at Emmett, grateful for his impulsive reflex to protect his sister-in-law but also disappointed in his impulsive reflex to vituperate Matt. It was a reflex I'd grown accustomed to; Edward was the same way.

"Right," Matt nodded, skillfully ignoring Emmett's harsh tone. "Edward's been playing the vampire game longer so maybe he could help me out more."

Emmett looked away.

"Esme," I stood and was at her side straight away. Jasper and Emmett thought nothing of my swiftness, but Matt was so stunned by the fact that one minute I was there and the next I wasn't, that he did a double take. He looked a little dizzy. "Can we go home now?"

Rosalie slipped away from Esme's side and went over to the others.

Esme grinned cordially. "You can run ahead if you'd like. I know you want to see Edward."

I glanced back at the boys. Emmett was already embracing Rosalie, Jasper waved his hand carelessly to serve what seemed to be a listless goodbye, and Matt looked down at the floor, kicking over a stone with his foot. Blair stood by her brother, only her eyes were discretely peaking over at Emmett and Rosalie, obviously intrigued by their intimacy.

I turned back to Esme. "Thank you," I exhaled pleadingly, candidly impatient to return to Edward.

Running off into the forest, my thoughts raced. Of course, I wanted more than anything to see Edward. But I knew that what I really wanted was to talk to him. I was curious. And for good reason. He had never been locked up with Jacob so long ever. I wanted to know. What did they talk about? What was it like? Was it difficult? Was it tedious? Was it easy? Was it beneficial?

In spite of myself, my curiosity overtook the desire for my husband.

Something I never thought I would consider was the fact that something – even if it was something that involved Edward (which most likely it had to) – could surpass my longing to see Edward's face, to hear his voice, to savor the undivided attention he so generously graced me with. You'd think I'd be used to being with my husband every day, used to waking every morning and hearing his nectarous voice greet me. He didn't even have to speak to mystify me; his very being amazed me.

My head were too clouded by the thought of Edward, that I ran face first into a tree.

I didn't feel pain. Just embarrassment. Even though no one was there to witness my idiotic feat, I looked down to hide my humiliated smile as the tree toppled over and rammed into the one beside it. At least five trees fell like dominos, crashing to the ground with a deafening boom. I waited for the echo to subside, for there to be complete silence, before I exhaled deeply.

"Even with all the grace in the world, you are still clumsy," A voice behind me made me jump. I turned to see Edward leaning against the trunk of a tree with arms crossed across his chest. "It's remarkable, really."

"Edward," I murmured under my breath, instantly relieved. I had lied. My curiosity paled compared to the sight of Edward's face.

I ran forward, jumping on to him as if it had been years since I'd last seen him. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he held me up by the lower back. He chuckled as he kissed me, amused by my desperateness. I amused myself I lot of the time too. My dependency on my husband was not only beyond help but also crazed. The passion that stood forefront in my soul was irrepressible – there was nothing I could ever try to do to push such a feeling away.

He pulled away, much to my disappointment. "I'm not going anywhere, you know." He smirked, flashing that crooked smile that set my dead heart aflame.

"I know," I breathed. "But it feels like you've been gone too long." And then the curiosity resurfaced. "How was it with Jacob?"

I bit my lip, bracing myself for the answer.

He looked up, racking his brain either for the right word or for an answer that I would approve of. "Pleasant."

I winced. "Are you being sarcastic?"

"Not at all," He shook his head, wrapping his arms tighter around me. "I feel like it was … a crucial turning point in our friendship. I learned a lot about him I never knew even though he didn't speak at all."

"He didn't speak?"

"He couldn't."

"And what did you learn?"

"That he's willing to listen to me."

I looked deep into his eyes, knowing that he was telling me the complete truth. "I'm glad," I nodded.

"As am I," He agreed, leaning forward and resting his forehead against mine.

He exhaled deeply, his saccharine breath coursing through my every pore and gliding down my veins as if to replace the blood that should be there. He could be my blood. Because, whether it was blood pumping through my veins or Edward, either could easily keep me alive, keep me breathing. Edward was my reason for breathing … and that was all there was to it.

"How did you know where to find me?" I wondered, just to get him talking.

"I didn't," he shook his head. "I heard Jasper. He must have been talking to you because he was thinking your conversation. You seemed to have finished hunting and to be just sitting so I ran out to meet you … but then I heard the trees fall …." He stopped, feeling the rest was self-explanatory.

"Without my klutziness, you would have ran right past me."

"That's right," He nodded. There was a long pause before he leaned forward to kiss me again. I sighed contentedly, knowing that fate destined for me to be in these arms. Disappointing me again, he pulled away to ask me, "May I ask what you were thinking? …" – he laughed here – "I mean, when you ran into that tree."

"Hmm," I answered honestly. "You."

He paused for a long while, looking down and then back up again. His black eyes searched my ocher ones and I couldn't help but wish I was the one that read his mind right now. What could he be thinking? I'm practically unhealthy for Bella – so much that I'm making her lose her bearings or maybe he thought, Same old Bella. Not aware of the world around her. Or perhaps it was along the lines of How helpless.

He chuckled, and I knew he was about to speak. I waited for his words, as if to prove I was as good enough mind reader as I attempted to believe. "I love you, Bella." He said the one thing I could have never predicted.

I smiled. "Really?" I know I was being selfish – I only said that to get him to say it again.

"Of course," He nodded, his lips leaning in to graze mine. "You're all I'll ever need."

If I had a heartbeat, it would be hastening.

For the sake of speaking (even though I knew there was no sake), I surmised, "Things are finally falling into place."

And at that statement, his eyes fell away from mine to the forest floor. "Not exactly."

I grew worried. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing directly," He replied. "Nothing now."

My eyebrows furrowed.

He elaborated for me, "The Volturi are getting closer. I can feel it. They're planning and they … they will never stop."

"Edward …" I leaned in again to kiss him, to get his mind off things.

He refused my attempts and turned away, letting me down out of his grasp. "I can't stand it, Bella. I can't stand it."

I watched him press his weight against the tree he'd been leaning against before.

"Stand what?" I wondered.

"The qualm," He answered. "The vacillation. The burning reminder that I could have put a stop to Aro's vulgar games long ago if I hadn't been so … incompetent. I could've killed her but I didn't … and I …." His voice trailed away into the darkening sky.

I shook my head, looking down at the ground and then back up at him. "And do remember why you let her go?"

"Because I was brainless," He answered instinctively.

"No," I countered. I paused before continuing, "Because I made you."

His eyes flashed to mine.

"Edward, I knew that if you killed Jane you would feel nothing but guilt later," I told him. "If you had killed Jane like you had wanted to that night, it would only come back to kill you later. I didn't want you to do it, because I knew it would only make you more distressed than you needed to be … but I never thought that you would stump me like that …"

He was silent for a long while. Finally, a smile formed. "Stump you?"

"Instead of preventing the guilt, I only made your remorse worse," I noted. "I should've figured before that wouldn't have been guilt about killing Jane, but yet about not killing her."

Edward stepped forward, reaching for my hand. I gave it to him. "Oh, but, no matter what you may think, Mrs. Cullen, I do not stump you. You stump me."

My eyebrow rose. "How?"

"Your daughter was in utter peril," He explained. "Your best friend was distraught. And yet, you thought of nothing but me. You thought of nothing but how I felt … and that is truly extraordinary."

I was silent, but then I laughed. "Hmm, well, it seems to me that I'm smarter than you give me credit for."

He pulled me closer. "I never said you weren't smart. And I think that one day you'll realize …" He stopped, a certain playfulness in his tone.

When he didn't respond for a long time, I grew impatient. "What?"

His smile partially faded and he grew serious. "Do you realize that I am absolutely helpless without you?"

I said nothing, but my thoughts were far from silent. Edward? Helpless? The two were spheres that would not, could not and should not touch.

"If not for you," He sighed, lifting his hand to caress my cheek. "I would have never had the strength to go on, I would have never had the strength to kill James or Victoria, I would have never had the strength to kill Jane. I indisputably would have been so bored with this life that life would seem no longer livable … if I was even living it in the first place."

"But …" I shook my head. "If not for me, you wouldn't have had to fight James or Victoria or Jane."

He paused to consider that, even though something in his eyes told me that he had already known I would respond that way. Finally, he said, "Yes. But James and Victoria still would have come. I still would have known them. Jane would still be out there, and I am positive it wouldn't have been long before she crossed my family's path for a check in."

He exhaled.

"The only difference is," He told me, his voice clear and crisp among the forest's moist air. "A life without you, would be a life without me."

And that was all I would ever need to live off of for the rest of my life.