Ah…you hate me…you really hate me. Yes…I left it there. I know I suck. But you love me for it.

And look…an early update!

Melanie just loves this story…she wants to give it a big freaking hug and never let it go. And I feel the same way about her.

Ready for E and B to meet?

Bella could only stare as he moved closer to her. His hair blew around his shoulders and her fingers itched to reach out and touch it, to see if was as soft as it looked. She noticed his fingers were balled into fists at his side as if he too were fighting the urge to touch her. Her hands wrapped around her belly, unconsciously protecting the tiny passenger inside. His eyes flew down and locked on her arms and she could see the tender expression that crossed his face. His mouth opened and closed several times before he just gave up and reached for her, holding tightly to her shoulders as he looked down at her.

Edward could feel her. After so many decades of nothing, of feeling neither pain nor pleasure, he could feel the delicate bones beneath her skin. He could feel the fine tremor that snaked through her muscles. He wanted to feel all of her.

"Bella." He whispered and she gasped, one of her hands coming up to stifle a sob.

"It's you…it's really you." She breathed, staring up at him through damp eyes.

"It is I. And you…you are real? This is real?" He asked as he dropped one hand and let it hover over her belly. Bella grabbed his hand and pressed it tightly to the gentle swell, hearing his indrawn breath and loving the way his expression melted into one of awe.

"It is real. It wasn't a dream was it? Somehow it was you at that party wasn't it?" She cried, feeling the frozen dread in her stomach start to thaw.

"Somehow…somehow it was. You…the magic inside of you has brought me back." He whispered as he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly as she sobbed.

*()*()*

Esme and Alice just sat and stared.

There was a dead man sitting at their kitchen table.

"So," Esme said, proud that her voice only waivered slightly. "Where have you been for the last two hundred years?"

"I have traveled all over the world. I lived in a tunnel in Cairo, in the woods of Belize, under a snow embankment in Greenland. And now I've taken up residence in a cave just a few miles away from here." He said as he held tightly to Bella's hand. They were sitting as closely as they could get with her hand clasped between his in his lap. Bella's gaunt face was radiant as she looked up at him.

"What does this mean?" Alice whispered, hating the abject jealousy churning in her gut. Edward turned his emerald stare to her and cocked his head to the side as if he could see her anger.

"Tis not Bella's fault…your misery." He said softly and Alice gasped and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I never said it was." She retorted, but the edge to her words belied the truth.

"Alice…you know how badly I feel about what's happening. I would do anything to change it." Bella choked out…tears wet on her cheeks.

Alice looked over at Bella but then her eyes strayed to their hands that were joined in his lap and pushed away from the table, leaving them there without a backwards glance. Esme watched her only child walk away before she turned back to them with a sigh.

"I'm sorry…this is hard for everyone. Do you have any idea what happens now?"

Bella and Edward just looked at each other.

They had a few ideas.

*()*()*

She sat on the bed as he stood with his back against the closed door of her bedroom.

Her dark eyes raked over him from head to toe and he could not help but moan as he watched her lick her lips.

"Will you sit?" She asked as she patted the space next to her.

He swallowed hard as his feet moved forward.

His back was ramrod straight as he sat on the soft mattress.

He looked down at his hands and noticed they were shaking.

His deeply drawn breath did nothing to stop the tremors.

"Edward." She whispered and he looked over at her.

She was so beautiful.

Her cheeks flushed pink and he realized he must have spoken aloud.

"I did not love her as I love you." He said, needing her to know that although he had thought Elizabeth was his soul mate; his feelings for Bella far exceeded anything he had ever felt before or ever would again.

She smiled at him and let out a relieved breath.

"I hated being jealous of my own relative." She sighed quietly and he could not help but be amazed at her beauty.

"You are so pale and thin my love, what is the cause of this?" He asked, reaching for her arm and pushing up her sleeve so he could see the blue tint to her skin and the frailness of her limbs.

"I don't know. I'm eating everything in sight, but I just can't seem to put on any weight. I have read through all of my ancestor's journals and Esme went through hers, but there is no mention of this happening before." She said as she pulled her arm away and covered it back up, ashamed.

Did he think she was trying to hurt herself?

Or their child?

"Bella, love, could Elizabeth possibly be causing this?" He asked as he ran his fingers through her hair, reveling in the heavy weight.

At her silence he sat forward and looked at her.

She had gone deathly still.

"Bella?"

She turned and looked at him, her eyes wide and frightened.

"She's doing this…she must be."

*()*()*

"Bella, here…try this." Esme said as she handed Bella a jar of basil. They were standing around the work table in the basement, gathering objects that might help to keep Elizabeth from hurting Bella any further. Black and green tourmaline and amethyst were already on the table as were jars of sage, basil, chrysanthemum flowers and fennel. Edward sat at the foot of the stairs and watched as the women worked together to try and stop whatever Elizabeth had done, before it was too late.

Bella was fading fast. She only seemed to be able to work for a few minutes before she needed to sit down and rest. Edward came behind her and held her while she sat and watched Esme and Alice work. He held her hand and pushed her hair over her shoulder, his lips constantly moving across her smooth skin. She turned her head and pushed her face into his neck and breathed him in. It still felt like a dream…having him with her.

"Bella…I think we're ready." Esme said and Bella got up with a grimace and walked into the other room where Alice and Esme had set up the altar. She looked down at the objects and candles on the wooden surface and just hoped that it would work.

Spirit doing evil's will

I bind you now, stop with your ills.

You cause me harm and cause me foul

But you underestimate my power.

With the will of three times three

I bind you now…

So mote it be.

*()*()*

His hands were clasped tightly in his lap as he sat on the steps.

The candlelight from the other room flickered off the stone walls.

He had sensed the power in his girl when he held her and now he was seeing it in action.

She looked strong and sure as she stood in front of the altar, her hands spread wide.

Her voice carried to him and he added his own prayers to the Gods and Goddesses that they might strengthen her spell.

They needed to do something to stop Elizabeth's evil deeds against Bella.

Because he could see her fading away right in front of his eyes.

So…Elizabeth is such a jealous bitch…

Will it work?

See you hopefully on Saturday.