OK, I'VE FINALY DECIDED TO UPDATE. I THINK I'M SUFFERING FROM WRITER'S BLOCK BECAUSE I CAN'T SEEM TO GET MY IDEAS OUT RIGHT. IF THIS CHAPTER ISN'T AS GOOD AS THE OTHER ONES, I'M SORRY. BUT PLEASE STILL READ AND ENJOY!

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING.

Edward and Bella finally escaped into Edward's room after 4 days of non-stop family time. As soon as they were alone, Edward pulled Bella to him and inhaled her scent. "Are you ok?" Bella asked quietly, stroking his hair.

"My head throbs." Edward whimpered into Bella's hair.

Bella led Edward to the bed and let him curl up around her, his face pressed against her neck and his arms wound tightly around her back and waist. "I'm sorry, darling. I forgot about your gift. We never have to worry about it around me." Bella smiled.

Edward stilled. He hadn't told Bella that he couldn't read minds anymore. Would she finally realize that he was ruined beyond repair? Edward feared that Bella would leave. She would go back to wherever she came from and Edward would be left to succumb into depression once again. With those thoughts clouding his mind, he started trembling in her arms.

Bella frowned in surprise at Edward's reaction to her words. Silently, she pulled him closer to her and moved her hair so it formed a protective curtain around Edward. When he finally stopped trembling, Bella pulled back. Edward looked up at Bella with haunted, yet loving eyes. Bella leaned down and kissed him; trying to fill him up with love.

"Why are you so scared, my darling? I'm here, with you. This is where I belong and where I will be forever. Tell me everything, love. Let me fight away your fears." Bella's eyes became fierce as she said her last sentence. She wanted to help him, heal him, make him realize how wonderful he truly was.

Edward bit his lip hard, his teeth slicing the stone flesh. "Bella…" He started. He didn't want to tell her more of his faults but his body responded to Bella's request without his mind's consent. "I…I can't read minds anymore…" He whispered. Then he looked down, not wanting to see the shock and disgust on Bella's face.

Bella gently tilted his chin up. She smiled at him gently. "It's ok, Edward. It's ok, love. Not everyone can be superman all the time." She kissed him softly, letting him know that his gift didn't matter. "Edward, will you play the piano for me? I want to hear my lullaby…" Bella asked Edward quietly, attempting to distract him.

It had the opposite effect. Edward's body tensed up and he began shaking again. "I can't, Bella. I'm sorry, I can't." He buried his face in her neck again and started crying.

Bella suppressed a sigh and pulled back. Edward let her, his eyes were downcast but whenever he'd glance up to make sure she was still there, Bella would see his eyes burn with sorrow, depression, and failure. Bella wanted to rip her hair out. How was she supposed to heal him when she didn't know anything about psychology?

"Edward. You can do it. Play for me. I want you to." Bella finally said. She hoped that if she was firm with him, she could help him; kind of like how she had gotten him out of his dreamscape.

Edward looked up at Bella and swallowed hard. Why did she have to force him to show her all of his weaknesses? Did she want to expose him to the world? If she left him now, Edward was sure he'd find a way to tear his own painful, aching, sensitive heart out of his body and shred it for all the pain it caused.

Edward slowly pulled himself out of Bella's arms and stood on shaky legs. Bella came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I love you." She whispered. "You can do this, I promise." Bella's eyes were clear and Edward knew she thought she was saying the truth.

Edward stayed silent but wrapped his arms around her as well. No matter what Bella did to him, Edward would never be able to let her go.

JPOV

Jasper bathed in the happy mood of everyone in the family. It was a very nice change that he could really get used to. Although Edward and Bella had gone to Edward's room a couple of hours ago, the family stayed in the living room and talked and laughed together.

Moments later, Edward and Bella came down the stairs. Everyone looked at them in surprise; they'd expected the pair to be alone longer. Bella smiled at everyone briefly but Edward's face held a drawn, haunted look. The tension between the two was almost palpable.

Bella led Edward to the piano and sat next to him. Edward's hands trembled as he raised them to the keys. Jasper felt hot white anger pierce through him as he saw what was going on. Bella was forcing Edward to play for her. Jasper had no doubt that Bella knew the extent of damage done to Edward when she was gone. Why in the world would she abuse him like this?

Jasper began to take an angry step towards Bella but Alice held him back. "Just wait." She whispered in his ear. Alice didn't look happy about what was going on either, but her trust in Bella made her a pushover. Jasper let Alice hold him back but he didn't stop glowering at Bella.

Edward pressed a few keys at first and the sound that came out was terrible. All wrong. Edward cringed and began to shy away. Bella put a hand on his thigh and made him stay where he was. Without glancing back at anyone, Bella slid into Edward's lap. She positioned his hands over the keys and then placed her hands on top of his. Bella moved Edward's hands over the keys she wanted him to play and then pressed down on his fingers so they would touch the keys. Very slowly and carefully, she walked Edward's fingers over a simple song.

Jasper watched in awe as Bella slowly built Edward up. They spent the rest of the day and all of the night playing beginner pieces that Bella knew. At dawn, Edward's playing had somehow gotten better. It didn't sound bad anymore.

"Play Beethoven for me." Bella said at dawn and slid off Edward's lap.

"Which one?" Edward asked turning to her, as though no one else existed.

"Surprise me." Bella smiled and pecked Edward's lips.

Edward froze in surprise and then relaxed a little. He began to play a piece but then his fingers started playing on their own accord. He turned his head and stared deep into Bella's eyes as he played. The music was soft and sweet yet overwhelmingly sad and anguished. When Edward was done, he slumped in his seat, as if the music had taken his energy away from him.

Bella gently pulled Edward down so that his head rested in her lap and his body was curled up on the bench. She stroked his hair with one hand and used the other to play her own piece on the piano. Bella's song was way less complex and emotional compared to Edward's, but she still managed to find a way to express her own difficulties and hopes.

Edward sat up and enveloped Bella in his arms. He buried his face in her hair and his shoulders began to shake gently. Jasper looked away. It felt so wrong being here. This was about Edward and Bella and Jasper felt as though he was intruding. He silently grabbed Alice and pulled them upstairs. The rest of the family took their lead and disappeared from the living room as well.

*2 years later*

Bella had permanently moved into the Cullen's house and the atmosphere was a lot lighter than it had been a few of years ago. Edward was still dependent on Bella but he had found a way to balance his need for Bella and the desires of the rest of the family. When they were all together, Edward learned how to speak again and smile. They still hadn't heard him laugh though Bella claimed that he did at times. Bella healed Edward so much that even his mind reading started coming back to him.

"Bella, wanna go shopping?" Alice asked, poking her head into Edward's room as the couple savored a rare moment alone.

Edward and Bella were reclining on Edward's couch with their mouths firmly attached. "Jeez, guys. Don't you do anything else when you're together? You're just as bad and Rosalie and Emmett were." Alice complained as she sauntered into the room and sat on the floor.

"I beg to differ. We haven't broken a single piece of furniture and have yet to use your room as an area to act out our deepest, darkest fantasies." Edward pulled away from Bella and smirked at her.

"Eww! That is sooo gross! If you ever do that, I will toss you out of the window!" Alice pretended to vomit.

Bella laughed and then turned to Edward. She placed a hand on his cheek and closed her eyes. Alice watched closely as Bella took a deep breath. All of a sudden, Alice could see snippets of Bella's future. As suddenly as the visions had started, they soon ended. "What was that?" Alice gasped.

Bella smiled and helped Alice up. "That was me practicing lowering my shield." She said calmly.

"That was weird. I swear, Bella, you're like an unsolvable puzzle." Jasper said from the doorway. "You're emotions make no sense."

Bella laughed quietly. "If I was so predictable, your life would be boring, Jasper. And Alice, I'm sorry, but I'm can't go shopping with you. I'm going hunting with Edward." She leaned over and gave Alice a hug to show there were no hard feelings.

Alice pouted and then sighed. "Whatever. I know that you and Edward plan to secretly do dirty things in the forest. I saw that." Alice tapped her head mischievously.

"Oh, yes. Hunting is soooo filthy. Eating deer is the epitome of sin." Bella snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yes. Hunting is." Alice snickered.

Edward sighed. "Alice. Please don't fill my head with such dirty thoughts and images. If I wished to indulge myself in colorful sexual activities, I assure you that it would not be next to a dead deer."

Jasper laughed. "Alice, honey, leave poor Edward's alone. I don't think he and Bella have crossed that boundary yet. Besides, didn't you say we had to go shopping?"

At the Jasper's "s" word, Alice suddenly hopped up. "Oh, yes! Let's go, Jasper!" She squealed and dragged him to the car.

Jasper turned back to look at Edward and Bella one last time. He saw them leaning on one another and Bella's boundaries dropped slowly. For some reason, after that, Edward's eyes closed and his body seemed to slump against the couch a little. He almost looked like he was sleeping but from his slight body movements, he was obviously awake.

Jasper pondered about what they were doing as he drove Alice to the mall. As soon as he had parked his car, a realization hit him. Edward and Bella were communicating with one another through their respective gifts. Bella let her shield down so Edward could read her thoughts and Edward let Bella take him to a semi-conscious state so she would also hear his.

THIS WAS A LOT SHORTER THAT MY OTHER CHAPTERS. I'M SO SORRY. PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. REVIEWS HELP ME GET OVER MY WRITER'S BLOCK. (IT GIVES ME IDEAS AND MOTIVATIONS, TOO) THANKS FOR READING!