I woke up for the last time when it was still dark outside. I was exhausted from having sleep that was not in the least bit restful and the constant terror and trauma of a nightmare I couldn't even remember. I had shot up to a sitting position, my mouth still open from a scream, shaking all over. I could hardly see for a moment, and then Edward came into focus along with the rest of the room in the dim light.

"Hush now, Bella, you're safe," Edward said softly as I panted, wiping fresh tears from my eyes. I didn't say anything just looked at him. He stared back at me and I didn't know what to say to him.

"What did you dream of?" he whispered as if he was afraid to wake up his family.

"I don't remember," I told him, frustrated that my dreams were so quickly forgotten even when the clearly terrorized me.

"You should go back to sleep," Edward told me. I shook my head.

"I cant. I don't want to have that dream again."

"You don't even know what it was," he reminded me.

"But I remember this," I said, motioning to myself, the cold sweat, the way my breathing was still hitched. He looked at me and then reached his pale fingers to my face, touching me slowly, cooling my hot skin. I closed my eyes as his hands passed over my face and neck, my shoulders slowly, holding them for a moment before releasing me. My skin was cooled but strangely on fire. My heart was shaking in my chest, mimicking the way my body was shaking. I sighed.

"I suppose now would be as good a time as any to tell you that we are leaving, most likely tonight to go back to the place we have been staying," Edward said, when I finally opened my eyes. He was staring out a window wistfully.

"So soon?" I asked, paying more attention to the sharp relief in which the light showed Edward's face than the words I was speaking. He nodded, still not looking at me, but I didn't mind. Getting to look at him and not feel like I was obligated to look away was a nice privilege. I remembered taking hours just staring at each other, memorizing the other's face. Now I could hardly look at him for more than a minute or so without feeling like I was being impolite.

"We have been staying a few hours run north of here," Edward explained, turning back to me. His eyes met mine and smiled a bit, letting me know he was aware I had been staring at him. I blushed horribly and buried my face in my hands. Edward's cold fingers pried mine apart, relinquishing my face from its hiding place.

"Please don't do that," he requested, his fingers not yet disentangled from mine. I swallowed hard. Edward smiled.

"Don't do what?" I asked.

"Hide."

There was a momentary pause then, like the whole word was on hold. For a second, things felt like they always had with Edward. His fingers were entwined with mine, his eyes staring at me, sitting close to me. The only difference now was that we were not sitting in a meadow. Edward stared down at my hands, fragile looking things in his. He held them like they were sacrosanct. He brought each one to his face, bringing it close to his eyes so he could inspect them carefully. He brought my wrist to his face as well, inhaling the scent there, I could only guess. He shuddered when he did, but with eyes closed he remained perfectly polite, never once seeming out of control.

"Your scent is stronger when you first wake up," he told me, finally opening his eyes and lowering both our hands, not yet letting me go.

"Is that a good or a bad thing? I asked. He smiled.

"It is a good thing. I like the way you smell," he explained. I laughed quietly.

"Yes, I am sure my morning breath is charming."

This time Edward laughed and shook his head.

"You do not have morning breath. You smell like flowers. It's very distinct and very sweet. You're lucky I adjusted quickly and learned to control myself. If I hadn't, our first meeting might have been disastrous."

"That sounds ominous," I joked. Edward shook his head.

"Its easy to joke about it because nothing bad happened. You have no idea how hard it was to resist."

"Is it getting any easier?"

"In some ways. Being around you almost constantly makes the impact of your scent each time I inhale not quite so potent. If I am already immersed in the smell of you, it's easier not to be taken by surprise by it. But you don't smell any less good just because I am inhaling the scent all the time. You still smell incredible, and I am still young. I think, however, I will be able to suffer your scent if you can be patient with me," he said.

"I can try," I said with a slight smile. Edward and I talked for a while in his room. It wasn't as though we could not have gone to find the rest of his family, but we made a silent agreement to wait.

I hadn't talked so much in years. I almost forgot what it was like to speak so much, but Edward was insistent that I tell him absolutely everything about me, without leaving out a single detail. I answered each and every one of his questions as he asked them, and he seemed completely fascinated by my answers. Of course I could not ask him the same endless stream of questions, but when it came down to it, I was sure I knew more about his past than he did. Unless Carlisle had filled him in on the details of his life before his change, I had more knowledge of his life than Edward himself.

I was surprised he never asked me about it. I thought he would want to know about his past and so I could only assume Carlisle had already told him about it. But when I asked him, I was surprised by his answer.

"I don't know much about my past, and to be honest, I don't want to know. The things I do know are enough to make me understand, I don't need the details. It isn't important," he told me.

"What do you know?" I asked him.

"My parents died when I was young, Carlisle took me in and they have been my family ever since. And of course, I met you," he said with a smile. I smiled too, biting my lip slightly. There was so much more I could tell him, but if he didn't want to know, it wasn't important.

"There is something I would like to know, Bella, but it is more about your past than mine," he murmured after a few moments. I nodded.

"Why do you love me?" he asked. I looked up at him, confused.

"I only ask because I don't remember you falling in love with me, obviously, and you held on to that so…forcefully. You still love me after all this time and even though it's presenting you with so many obstacles. I want to understand what I ever did to earn that kind of passion and loyalty."

"You rescued me," I replied. "I was headed for an arranged marriage and a life I didn't want, with no choices and nothing to live for. And then there you were, perfect as you are, like you were waiting for me. You gave me a place to go where I didn't have to pretend to be anything but me. You told me I would always just be Bella to you. And of course that was where it started. I needed an escape and you were my knight in shining armor, ready to give me just that. And then I fell in love with you. You were what I wanted. I snuck out of my house each and every night to see you, to spend time with you. And you came to see me without fail.

"You gave me love, Edward. You cared about who I was, you were so loving and funny and protective…I couldn't have asked for more. I was safe and loved with you. I never felt alone with you, I never felt trapped or scared. You made everything better. And then you died. I went through three years of denial, trying to convince myself that you would come back and when you did it would be like it was before. And even though it isn't…we loved each other, Edward, that kind of disgusting fairy tale love they tell people about. How could I not fight for that, hold on to that, be passionate and loyal to that?"

Edward stared at me. I realized that the words I had just said were quite intense, and might not be exactly what he wanted to hear. I hadn't been able to tell him how much I loved him or why thus far because I didn't know if he needed another reminder of the things he didn't remember. But when he had asked my answer had just come pouring from my mouth without any sort of filter.

"What if I can't give you that again?" he asked in a whisper. I only smiled gently. I reached my hand to his glorious face, it was truly a sin to touch it with mortal hands, but I could not resist.

"Once was more than enough, Edward. I can't ask for a miracle more than one time in my life," I replied. He frowned and took my hand from his face and looked at it again like he had earlier.

"You should not settle for anything less than what you deserve," he told me, lifting his eyes from my hand to my face.

"And what is that?"

"The exact kind of love you spoke of. Why should you settle for me if someone else could love you like that and I cant?"

"Who says you cant?"

"I physically cant, Bella, you know this."

"And I already told you that the physical portion of our relationship, while something I…enjoyed, isn't what made me love you, and wasn't what made me hold on to you through the years. I already told you what made you so special to me, and it certainly wasn't because we made love," I told him. His eyes widened that I was so blunt, but he nodded nonetheless.

"but I want you to be happy now, as well. I dont want your memories to be all you have," he said slowly.

His words hit me with such force. I wasn't prepared for them. It took a moment for me to wrap my mind aroud them. He wasn't going to love me back. He was telling me now that he didn't think he could love me again. He didn't want me to be unhappy because he couldn't love me. I felt my stomach contract and my lungs freeze with a gasp of air still inside them. I blinked rapidly, trying to rid my eyes of tears I already knew were coming. The man I loved, the man I had waited years for, the man I was ready to leave my entire life for—however mediocre that life may have been—had just informed me that my love would never be returned. He couldn't. Of course it made sense. He wasn't human anymore and I was. We were too different now. I had never really understood why Edward loved me back when we were on an even playing field, his being a vampire only made things more difficult, if not impossible.

I pulled my hands from his and rose from the bed, almost falling over when my feet hit the ground. I heard Edward's inquiring voice calling my name as I walked out of the room quickly. I didn't answer. I couldn't speak. I went to the bathroom and shut the door behind me, falling to my knees a moment after.

Edward knocked on the door and asked to come in. I didn't reply. I didn't know what I could do if I was looking at him in that moment. How do you beg someone you love to love you back? How do you convince them that even if they don't remember, they loved you once? I wouldn't be able to see his face without some pitiful display. I didn't want to seem pathetic, even though that was how I felt. I still loved him more than anything else on earth, but he couldn't love me. And of course I couldn't force him.

I had no shame when it came to Edward. I would gladly beg him for hours if I thought it would make any sort of difference. But he was obstinate, and always had been. Once his mind was made up he was unlikely to change it.

"Bella, let me explain," Edward said slowly from the other side of the door. He would not open it if I did not give him permission.

"Edward, I don't think―"

"Please," he begged. The urgency in his voice, the obvious desperation was the only thing that gave me pause. When I didn't argue any further he opened the door a crack, and then a little more. He slipped inside the tiny room with me and sat on his knees across from me without a word. With motions that were less cautious than most, he wiped the stray tears on my face away.

"I know what you think my words meant. But Bella, be reasonable, how could I ever refuse you?"

"But you don't―"

"You told me you could be patient with me, has that changed?"

"No, but―"

"Then you and I have nothing to worry about. What I was trying to tell you before was that I cannot promise you that I will love you the same way as before, neither can I put any sort of timeline on it. I cannot promise you I will love you tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after. I don't want you to be sitting here with your memories, with them being the only thing you have in the way of love. It's not fair to you to sit and remember while I am trying to begin again.

"I have your love, Bella, for which I thank you a thousand times over. It's the sweetest thing a man could have, and I assure you I don't feel worthy of it. But you are gracious and give me your love even still. I don't want you to feel alone while I am finding a way to give you mine."

We stared at each other. The sun was just coming up and the dim light was reaching into the tiny room we were sitting in. I looked briefly out the window beside us, to where the sun was beginning to rise. There were no clouds in the sky today, as there were almost every other day. It was warm here, but mostly cloud covered.

"I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions," I muttered with chagrin.

"I'm sorry things have to be this way," he returned. I opened my mouth, to make some light of how ridiculous I was being when the sun finally rose far enough to shine through the window.

Edward's skin sparkled. The sun hit it and he absolutely shone. My breath stopped as I stared at him in absolute awe. He was a beautiful creature in any light, but when the sun touched his skin, it was like he was covered in diamond dust. His forehead creased in confusion for a moment, and then he looked down at himself and noticing the sparkle, laughed.

"Ah yes, I was wondering if I would ever get to show you this," he remarked slowly.

"May I…" I trailed off, unable to complete my question as I stared at him.

"Of course," Edward answered. He took my hand in his and placed it on his cheek, smiling as he did so. He didn't feel any different, his skin just as cool and smooth as it ever was. He simply sparkled like he was himself a jewel.

"How?" I asked. Edward shrugged; at least I assumed that was what he did. I could see a movement, but my eyes were glues securely to his face.

"Another wonderful vampire mystery I suppose," he drawled. As rude as it might have been, I continued to stare at him for a few minutes. I was fascinated with this new thing I had learned about him. Even though I knew him better than he likely knew himself, as far as the facts went, I was glad that he could still surprise me.

"Forgive me?" he asked after a while.

"For what?"

"For upsetting you."

"Oh Edward, I could never be angry with you. Even when I thought you were telling me you couldn't love me, I would still do anything for you," I assured him. He smiled sadly, as though this news both heartened and hurt him. I knew that feeling. To know someone cared so deeply for you that they would do anything they could for you, even put themselves in harms way, was a wonderful and terrifying feeling. How strange it was that now Edward's and my positions were switched.

"Promise me something," Edward requested.

"Anything."

"Always be the woman you are right now," he whispered.

"You want me to remain tired and tear streaked and sitting on a bathroom floor?" I joked.

"I want you to remain passionate and lovely and caring," he said seriously.

"That's a lot to ask," I said, trying to ignore the way his gaze was making me feel, the speeding up of my heart, the quickness of my breathing.

"For me?" he asked.

"Anything for you," I told him, unable to control the response. Edward smiled slowly. As he did the sun was hidden behind a cloud, ending the sparkle to his skin. Not that it made him any less godlike, really.

After that Edward helped me up off the floor. I changed into real clothes. I went down with him and ate the breakfast Esme prepared for me, which was as always far too much but delicious. We spent the day getting ready to leave. Alice had apparently taken the majority of my new things and brought them to their new home the night before while I was sleeping and waking from nightmares. The rest of them only filled a small bag, which I could easily carry with me as we ran.

That was the only thing I was afraid of. Edward had explained it to me years before. He had run with his family before, riding on one of their backs. It wasn't that I didn't trust them to bring me there safely; I didn't trust my own body not to panic and react in an unsavory manner. Edward assured me that I would be just fine and it would be over before I knew it. I tried to argue that it would be hours before it was over. But he countered me with the fact that what was a few hours run for them, would take over a day to get to any other way. I sighed and accepted that I was not getting out of it.

Night eventually fell. Esme made me dinner, which I ate hurriedly, trying not to think of what I was about to do. When I was done Edward glanced at me with a smile.

"Bella, try not to look quite so pale and horrified. Just close your eyes and you wont even realize what is happening," he promised. But when the time came to leave, I felt my stomach drop.

"Come on now, Bella. You're riding with me," Emmett said. I glanced over at Edward with a questioning look.

"I'm sorry, Bella, but I don't think I would be able to keep in control with you that close to me for such a long time. I wish I could, but it's too dangerous. And Emmett, I swear if you think about her naked once during this whole trip I will slaughter you when we get to Tanya's," Edward growled.

Edward had explained to me during the day that they had been staying with another 'family' much like theirs, a coven of vampires that didn't feed on human blood. There were five of them there, four women and one male. Carlisle had met that coven years ago, and they had stayed in contact over the years, remaining like an extended family. Carlisle had brought Edward there during his change because of how secluded the house was from anything else. He had finished his change there and lived there ever since, adjusting to the lifestyle.

He had not said much else about the family that lived there, only that I would meet them soon and I shouldn't be afraid. I trusted him, and so I took his words at their value. There was nothing to be afraid of. They were other 'vegetarian' vampires, as Edward called them. If I was comfortable with his family, why would I not be comfortable with that one?

So I sighed and walked over to Emmett, who unceremoniously pulled me up on to his back and began running along with his family. I shut my eyes tight, just as Edward had suggested, and tightened my grip round Emmett to keep from falling off, not that I thought he would let me go. As strange as it was, running was a smooth ride. Emmett didn't jostle me too much, and so improbable as it seemed, I fell asleep on the way there. The rhythm of running was soothing and I was just so tired. I had a last minute thought about how I hoped I wouldn't fall over while sleeping, but other than that I could not muster any thoughts to keep me awake.

When I awoke I was no longer being held up by Emmett, my arms in a strangle hold around his neck. I was lying on a bed of some sort, my limbs tangled within themselves. I woke with a groan, trying to untangle myself, which only resulted with me falling on the floor beside the bed. I heard someone trying not to laugh.

"Shut up, Edward," I growled. I heard him laugh harder. Then he picked me up from the floor, setting me on my feet, as I had not been able to do on my own. I brushed myself off and looked up at Edward with a glare. He smirked at me and I sighed. I couldn't be angry with him, even if he had been laughing at me. That smile was just too charming.

He cocked his head to the side and then rolled his eyes.

"They want to meet you," he told me. I sighed but gestured for him to lead the way. He took my hand and led me down a long hallway. There were paintings and tapestries on the walls, all ornate and beautiful. I glanced at them quickly as we walked together.

When we arrived to a large open room I was astonished at its contents. There were walls and walls of books, all shapes and sizes. There was a large piano on the left side of the giant library, gleaming there upon the marble floors. It was an unbelievably beautiful room. I could only imagine that it was indicative of the rest of the house.

But before I had much time to inspect the room, figures, foreign but with features I was all too familiar with, stepped toward me. The first was a dark haired beauty, her midnight hair tied back in a single braid. She was gorgeous. It took my breath away just looking at her. Following in short step behind were two other women, one of them a beautiful woman with perfect flaxen hair hanging down her back, the other with auburn hair pinned up away from her face. They were beautiful.

"So this is the little siren that has been calling to our Edward," the blond woman mused. I smiled halfheartedly, but said nothing.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella," the black haired woman said with a smile. "My name is Tanya. These are my sisters, Kate," she gestured toward the blond, "and Irina," she finished, gesturing to the other woman.

"Its nice to meet you," I said pleasantly, trying to keep the shake from my voice. It was easy to be intimidated by Rosalie—her beauty was astounding. But these three women together was like gathering creatures created for the sole purpose of being beautiful.

"Where are Carmen and Eleazar?" Edward asked to no one in particular.

"They needed to hunt before they met Bella, you understand," Irina said with a quick, apologetic smile to me. I nodded.

"So tell us, Bella, we've all been awfully curious, was Edward a good lover?" Kate asked. Edward growled, narrowing his eyes at her. I felt myself blush crimson.

"Well we have," Kate defended, "seeing as none of us could manage to seduce you, I thought I would ask the only woman who ever has."

I blanched. These women, these goddesses had tried to seduce Edward? And he had turned them away? It made me feel pale in comparison at the thought, but also angry. I couldn't lay claim to Edward the way I used to, but I still felt a sense of possession over him. He was mine, he had been for over three years, and as far as I was concerned, he always would be.

"Don't worry, little one," Tanya said, shooting a glance past me, to Edward, "Edward is never anything but a perfect gentleman. You have nothing to be worried about."

I too glanced at Edward, who looked increasingly uncomfortable.

"You never told me there were hoards of women competing for your affections," I said to him. He looked down at me.

"Not hoards, just three. Not that it really mattered anyway, by the time I was sane enough to even think about things like that I was becoming more obsessed with the idea of you everyday."

"Obsessed?"

"He didn't tell you? The poor boy could hardly think straight when he wasn't thinking about you. You could tell when he was going through his memories of you because of that strange look he got on his face. After Carlisle told him who you really were he was damn determined to find you again, even though it was months before he could go," Irina explained. I quirked my eyebrow at Edward, who rolled his eyes and said nothing, confirming Irina's story.

"Like I said, nothing to worry about," Tanya reminded me. I looked again at Edward, who was not looking at me, and admired him once more for the perfect man he was. Even when he didn't know who I was, he was still too focused on finding out than on three women that could give him things I couldn't. It was typical Edward to be so focused on one thing that he couldn't concentrate on anything else, it made me smile to know I was the thing he could not be distracted from.

"Oh! I nearly forgot, we have something for you," Kate exclaimed. The other two sisters smiled in remembrance and before I knew what was happening, Tanya, Irina and Kate we sweeping me away to some unknown local. Of course if it was dangerous in any way, Edward would have known about it and saved me. As it was he was grinning just as the sisters were.

I looked over my shoulder at him as I was taken away, his hands in his pockets, watching me go. He smiled as I disappeared through the doors. While we walked, the sisters were chatting idly.

"Really, though, Bella, I am curious," Kate said as we walked. She smiled at me and I blushed again.

"What do you think?" I asked, looking at her.

"Spectacular?" she asked. I smiled wide. The sisters cackled wildly and I shook my head. Edward would likely scold me for telling them that later, but for the moment, I didn't mind.

I was too happy to be worried. The nightmares that had plagued me the night before, the disastrous misunderstandings we had this morning—none of it seemed to matter. I felt like I was right where I belonged, even if that was with three insanely gorgeous vampire women who were curious as to how Edward was as a lover. I had come to the conclusion that I was better off just running with what I was given than trying to stop and understand it all. There would be time for that later. It was best if I accepted reality than if I tried to change things. If that meant that my reality was for the moment the man I loved needed time to love me back, he could have all the time he wanted. I could wait for him. If that meant that I lived with a strange sense of happiness and foreboding in my stomach, I would do that as well.

I assured myself that things would work out right in the end, even if it took a long time and there were hard things to deal with along the way.

That was perhaps because I did not know what lay ahead of us.

I love being ominous. hope you guys are enjoying part two so far, and I hope you liked this chapter. oh and thanks for the reviews you guys! I love hearing what you think about the chapters! its an authors best motivation. you guys are pretty fantastic! thanks again, hope to get somthing out soon, maybe tomorrow or Tuesday