Disclaimer:

All characters from the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We hold no rights to them otherwise. DARN!

A/N:

First of all, thank you for your patience. I thought I would have had more time before leaving for Forks…should have known better. It is a beautiful place with the rain forests and La Push beach areas!! Wow, I highly recommend you take a visit if at all possible. Can you believe it was actually sunny while we were in Forks? So of course that makes it hard to find any vampires! That bites!!

Since two days after my return I have been fighting a cold. LOL That's the kind of luck I have….but I am feeling better now. : )

Secondly, thank you again for all of your wonderful reviews and encouraging comments! You all are great!!

Thirdly, I am not making you wait a moment longer….read on!

Previously:

"As long as I am in your life, you will never be alone." I told her.

I stared into her beautiful brown eyes as my lips met hers. I kissed her softly at first until she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled her mouth tighter against mine.

"Ouch," she whimpered quietly.

"Bella my love, we are going to be here for a while. Let's get your head fixed up and then see what's around here to help us get more comfortable." I carefully set her down so her feet could touch the floor.

BPOV

I wrapped my arms around Edward's waist and stayed tight against him. He put one arm around my shoulder and used the other hand to feel for anything in front of us. We made our way out of the back room and into the shop.

"Check by the front counter." I told him. "There are cabinets there, maybe there's a first aid kit or something."

"Good idea, we will look there first." He said moving us slowly in that direction. "We really need to find a flashlight or candle."

Strong winds were pounding the outside of the shop and rattling the walls. I clutched myself so close against Edward he will probably have an imprint of my body on his.

When we reached the counter we both looked through the cabinet beneath to find anything that would be helpful. My fingers found something we could use for sure. I found the switch and I press it hoping the batteries were good. Bright light illuminated the inside of the cabinet.

"Bella, you found a flashlight!" Edward smiled at me. "Keep holding it inside the cabinet. Hey, there's a first aid kit!" He opened the kit and was pleased at how stocked it was with supplies.

"Good thing Carlisle was a doctor. It looks like Esme has everything you could ever need in there." I commented then lay my head against his shoulder. "Is there anything for a headache by chance?"

"Actually there is. Let's grab what we need and then we can get you fixed up." Edward looked through the shelves again then reached in to grab something. "Here are some matches. Do you see any candles?"

"There is a display of candles on the shelf by the wall. We can use one of those." I suggested.

"Great, you stay here and shine the light in the direction I need to go and I will get the candles." He said jumping to his feet.

I shone the light toward the wall where I knew the display to be and then watched Edward quickly move across the shop. He was fast and his movements so smooth I was fascinated by watching him. His shirt was completely wet and clung to his body making his muscles visible through the light colored fabric.

"Um, Bella…" He said with a little laugh.

"Oh...sorry!" I giggled to myself. I didn't realize I was shining the light on him instead of where he needed to go. I got a bit distracted.

"Here they are." He said. "I am grabbing us some clean sweatpants and hoodies too. Keep track of this so I can repay Esme later."

"Edward I really don't think Esme is going to mind." I told him trembling at the sound of thunder outside. "Please hurry ba..."

My sentence was cut off by the sound of my scream. Something big and heavy smashed against the front of the shop knocking four wall shelves and all their contents to the floor. I jumped to the side to avoid being hit and the flashlight flew from my hand and turned off.

"Bella! Are you okay? Talk to me!" Edward's voice was panicked and I could hear him searching his way in the dark to find me.

"It's okay, I'm okay…damn it! Where is that flashlight?" Frustration was causing me to become stubborn. I crawled around the floor searching with my hands to find the light. Why was I such a klutz? How hard is it to just hold on to something as simple and as important as the only source of light we had? Lightning flashed over head and lit up the shop through the skylight for a brief moment.

"I see it!" I yelled, catching a glimpse of the silver handle under the edge of a display shelf. I dove towards it quickly and felt my fingers wrap around it just as everything went black once more. I stood up quickly, too quickly and felt myself losing balance. "Oh…" I fell against the shelf and ended up back on the floor. Edward swiftly made his way to my side.

"Bella," He breathed as he pulled me into his arms. "You didn't hurt yourself again did you?"

"No, I think I'm okay. I suppose I should have warned you a little better about how klutzy I can be." I sighed.

"Oh, silly Bella. Your clumsiness is part of what attracts me to you." He grinned, placed a kiss on my nose and then shook his head. "It's just a good thing I got here when I did. Now let's get this stuff in the back room."

We gathered up the supplies we needed and Edward lit our way with the flashlight. It was a lot easier to move around when we could see where we were going. The wind and rain sounded like fists pounding on the outside walls. The air had cooled tremendously and seeped in through any cracks it could find. I began to shiver. Edward grabbed a couple blankets off the storage shelf and laid one out on the floor setting the other two on top of it. I lit two candles and placed them near us.

"You have to get out of those wet clothes Edward." I told him. His arms had goosebumps and his lips quivered slightly.

"You're still bleeding a little bit. I have to get you fixed up first Bella, and then I will worry about it. Please don't move! I will be right back." He instructed.

He grabbed the flashlight and finding a bucket near the wall, he made his way through the doorway into the shop. Sitting on the blanket I brought my knees up close and wrapped my arms around them. I lay my forehead atop my arms and tried to focus on making my headache go away. It wasn't very long before Edward returned carrying the bucket and another armful of supplies.

"What else did you find?" I asked watching water slosh out of the top of the bucket as he set it down. "How did you get water?"

"There is quite a bit of it outside incase you haven't noticed." He smiled at me. His clothes once again soaking wet. He was careful not to sit on the blanket. In fact, he moved quite a ways away from it.

"Oh Edward, you mean you actually went outside!" I stared at him in shock.

"I was right outside the door. I didn't need to go any further. Now Bella, come here to me." He held his hand out. I placed my hand against my head as I crawled slowly over to him. He set the flashlight on a nearby shelf so it shone on us and once I was in front of him, he placed his hands gently on each side of my face. "We have to clean you up a bit so I can bandage your head. I am sorry the water is going to be cold, but we don't have much of a choice." His beautiful, calm eyes stared into mine. I could almost forget the raging storm around us. "I am going to rinse out your hair for you okay?"

I nodded back at him in response and let him guide me toward the bucket. Edward knelt behind me as I bent forward letting my hair dangle into the water. His one arm wrapped securely around me, he used the other hand to dip a coffee mug into the water. I felt him press tightly against my back to hold me still. He paused a moment before he poured the ice cold water over my hair. He was anticipating my reaction and I did not disappoint. I jumped at the feel of the ice cold water pouring over my head and a shriek escaped my lips.

"Baby I'm sorry, I know its cold." He apologized. The side of his face pressed up against mine as he continued to hold onto me.

"It's….o…kay." I chattered. "Just get…it…done."

I watched as the water running off my hair dripped red into the bucket. Edward never loosened his grip on me. He continued to pour cups of water over my hair. I could feel my head beginning to numb from the cold water. It even made it feel somewhat better. Or it may have just been the feeling of knowing Edward was taking care of me and I was going to be okay. I could feel his body pressed up against my back. The wetness of his clothes was seeping through to my own. Even though my body was trembling on the outside, I was feeling quite warm on the inside.

"I rinsed your hair out the best I could." He said pulling me back into his lap and wrapping a towel carefully around my head. I just couldn't stop shaking. His hands carefully dried my hair with the towel and he turned me around to look at the cut on my head. "It is not deep. That is good. Head wounds tend to bleed a lot, even if they are small."

Edward pulled the first aid kit close to his side and went to work. He handed some Tylenol to me with a water bottle and waited for me to take them. I then stared at his intent face and focused on the feel of his hands as he bandaged me up. He was so careful, so caring. I didn't even realize he had finished until I felt his hand cup my chin and tilt my face up toward his. I closed my eyes feeling his breath against my cheek as his lips brushed down my jaw and to my mouth. He kissed me very softly not wanting to hurt me. My hands went immediately around his neck and pulled his lips back to mine. I was much more intense when I kissed him back. I wanted him to know that I was okay and how glad I was to have him with me. I felt him lift me up in his arms as he stood up and walked over to the blankets. His lips never left mine as he carefully let my legs down so I could stand. His hands rested on my hips and pulled me into him. We stood this way kissing and holding each other until a loud clap up thunder made us both jump.

"Oh my gosh! Isn't this stupid hurricane done yet?" I complained. I didn't enjoy being brought back to reality.

"It shouldn't be much longer until the eye is over us. Then we can get back to the house before it all starts again." He explained. "Bella, we need to get out of these wet clothes."

I felt him tremble slightly in my arms.

"Okay sure…here you go" I handed him a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. He was trying to pull his wet shirt off but it was giving him a bit of trouble as it clung to his body. "Let me help you."

I reached up and helped him pull his shirt off, over his head. As I helped pull a dry hoodie over his shoulders I let my fingers trail down his chest. His muscles flexed beneath my cold hands. He stood still as I undid the button and zipper on his pants and then he helped me pull them down off of his legs so he could slip on the dry sweatpants.

"Wow, this is much better than those wet clothes." He murmured as he reached forward to grab the bottom of my shirt.

I placed my hands on top of his and helped him pull my shirt off. With a grin he pulled the dry hoodie over my head and trailed his fingers down my bare sides as he pulled it over me. I wrinkled my eyebrows at him as a grin spread across my lips. He then helped me pull off my damp jeans and held me steady as I put on the dry sweats. We sat down next to each other on the blanket.

"This does feel a lot better." I said as I snuggled up against him. There was nothing better than the feel of his arms around me. "Thank you Edward. Thank you for taking care of me."

"Thank you for letting me." He said as he lay back on the blanket and pulled me up against his chest. His hand found one of the other blankets and pulled it up to cover us both together. "Is your head feeling any better?"

"It feels much better." I answered. "The rain and wind seem to be calming a bit."

"It won't be much longer, maybe another hour or so. Try to get some rest." His fingers stroked my neck and my back calming me.

I must have fallen asleep because I opened my eyes when I heard Edward softly repeating my name in my ear. Bella…Bella my love…

"Hmm?" I mumbled.

"The eye of the storm is over us. We can head back to the house. Everyone will be worried and want to know we are okay." He said.

"Did I fall asleep? I'm sorry Edward. It was so warm in your arms. I felt so safe." I nestled my head against his shoulder and kissed his neck.

"You were tired Bella. You needed some rest so I let you sleep." He said. "It is definitely nice and warm up against you and I don't want to get up but, we need to get out of here now while we have the chance or it will be too late."

Edward stood up wrapping a blanket around himself and pulling me up next to him so we would both be covered together.

"Oh, the flashlight!" I remembered. I grabbed it quickly and moved back into the blanket with Edward as we headed for the front door.

He turned the handle slowly then carefully opened the door. Everything was so quiet outside. No wind, no rain and nothing but a clear night sky above us. It was so strange. We put the lock securely onto the front of the store and turned to make our way back to the house. Branches, rocks, and various amounts of debris littered the sidewalks and street. We moved quickly making our way around everything. Before we knew it we were walking the last block to the house.

EMPOV

"Emmett, quit pacing, you're making me nervous!" Rose grumbled from just inside the house.

"I can't help it Rosie. What if Edward didn't make it to the shop? How do we know they are okay if Carlisle won't let me go check?" I growled as I paced back and forth on the front porch.

"Emmett, if they weren't okay I would know it." Alice snapped at him.

"Oh really, you would know it. And exactly how would you know it huh?" I snapped back at her. "You trying to tell me you have some kind of telepathy or something crazy like that?"

"I just know. I get feelings sometimes. I can't explain it." She became frustrated.

"Leave her alone man, we know you're worried. We all are." Jasper put his arm around Alice in a protective way. "Maybe you should go out back and help Carlisle."

Carlisle had gone outside just after the eye of the hurricane moved over our area. The generator had stopped working about an hour ago and he was determined to get it going again.

"Yeah, maybe I should." I sighed in defeat. "It is hard to see out here in the dark anyway.

Just as I was turning to go back into the house, I saw a light flicker from down the street. It had to be from a flashlight or something and it was getting closer as I watched. A big bulky figure was headed our way. It was too dark to tell who it might be.

"Hello? Edward? Is that you?" I yelled down the block.

"Emmett, it's me. I have Bella." I heard Edward's voice in the dark. He did it. Bells was safe.

I jumped off the porch and ran full speed to reach them. It would have been wise to be careful where I was running and what was in my way. In the pitch dark it was hard to see so I wasn't surprised when something slippery took my footing and sent my legs sliding out from under me.

"Holy shi….umph!" I hit the ground hard.

"Emm are you okay?" Edward and Bella were now standing over me. They were wrapped together tight in a blanket and shining a flashlight down on me.

"Hey, sea monster. That's a nice look for you." Bella giggled at me. Edward started laughing with her. As I looked down at myself I noticed I was covered in seaweed.

"Eww, gross man. Someone help me up." I whined. Edward helped me to my feet and then pulled Bella back into his arms when he was finished. I noticed his protectiveness right away. I shook all the seaweed off of myself and we walked back up to the house together. Everyone was gathered on the porch as we walked up. They all gave Bella and Edward hugs and told them how happy they were that they were safe as we moved into the candlelit house. Carlisle checked the cut on Bella's head and told Edward what a wonderful job he did of fixing her up. Edward beamed at Bella and stayed right next to her side.

"Okay everyone, we are going to need to move over to the motel down the street. That generator is not going to budge and they have two large generators down there. It will be much more comfortable at the motel." He said.

"Won't it be full?" Rosalie asked. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Jack and his family are there and he was able to radio to me a bit ago that if we needed to go there, they had three rooms available and plenty of food to go around. Most of the tourists left the island before the storm hit." Carlisle told us.

"Let's go everyone. As much fun as it is to sit with candlelight, on the media room floor, I think you would rather be in beds with some electricity from a generator." Esme encouraged us.

We gathered up anything we would need and climbed into the van together after locking up the house. Carlisle maneuvered the roads perfectly and we were soon at the motel.

A/N:

I bet some of you were expecting Bella and Edward to get a lot more cozy at the shop. In a damp, cold, storage room………nah! It needs to be somewhere nicer than that guys! LOL

Those darn generators! Sometimes they decide not to work at the worst times. I guess that means they will have to tough out the other half of the hurricane in a motel…in comfortable beds. What could possibly be exciting about that?? Hmmm……..

We will have to wait until next weekend….

I will be watching for your reviews in the mean time and as always- pardon any errors : )