A/N: Hey guys! I just realized that next week will be the FINAL chapter for Fallen! O_o I'm so glad that I have finally finished up this book and I am hard at work on Book Three which will be revealed in next week's update. I think I am going to go back to having only one chapter released per week since I am not further along in the third book than I hoped to be at this point! No worries though, I will try my best to stick to the every Thursday chapter upload! I at least have the whole book laid out, I just need to carve out some time to write it! So far I am in up to chapter 4 so that will give me a month to catch up!

So for this week we have chapter 24 and 25, next week will be chapter 26 (the "finale" so to speak) And as a bonus I will be adding the prologue to book three in this story! I hope you guys have enjoyed this series so far and are looking forward to what we have planned!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters represented, they belong to their respective owners. I only claim the adapted plot lines!

Chapter 24: Fathers

March 20, 2008

Bella POV

It seemed like my five months were flying by faster than I had anticipated.

I spent a lot of my time with Edward, more than I probably should have, but I would spend as much time as I could, knowing how unpredictable my life was at this point.

Sam and Dean surprised us with a visit over Christmas. I felt it was more Dean's idea than Sam's because he wanted to spend time with the three of us together before his deal came due.

Sam bought me a new cd for my collection and Dean got me a keychain with a smaller version of the Impala dangling from it. I ended up getting the both a new knife from the Newton's outdoor supply store. I didn't bring up anything about Edward, and they didn't ask. Charlie surprised me by not saying about him either. He was still under the impression that Edward and I were still friends. With it being Christmas break, and with his help I had passed biology, we couldn't really pretend to study anymore.

Over the break, we did things like normal couples would. Alice and Jasper would come with us every now and then, but Rosalie and Emmett never would. I tried not to let that bother me and after all these months it really didn't. Most of the time that I had spent over at the Cullen house Rosalie was nowhere to be found. She may have been in her room upstairs, I never really went as far as the living room, not wanting to intrude.

"What if we went to my house to study today instead?" Edward offered as he walked with me back to his car one afternoon after school.

"Sure." I smiled. Edward held open my door, shutting it quickly and was instantly over at driver's side door getting in. That was something I still wasn't used to, the speed and agility he had as a vampire. Whenever we were with his family or alone he would let his human façade slip and he seemed to relax more. I'm not saying that it was a bad thing, it is just a lot to take in.

He pulled out of the parking lot. "Rosalie is leaving to go hunting with Esme and Emmett anyway."

"Oh really?" I smiled, unable to keep the blush from appearing. "You're inviting a girl inside with no supervising adults? My, what will the neighbors think Mr. Cullen?"

He snorted and kissed me gently on the cheek before pulling on my pony tail lightly.

When he pulled into the driveway I saw that it didn't look like anyone was at home. "Jasper and Alice are upstairs, they will stay to themselves. Carlisle is in his office, but he will be leaving for the hospital soon." He said after he took off his coat and took mine from me.

"Oh." I replied, taking more time to examine the interior. I hadn't looked at it much the few times I had been here. Rosalie and Jasper really didn't seem to like me much, so I tried not to cause any disruptions between the family. It didn't seem to bother Edward to stay at my house often but, I knew he wasn't completely comfortable being there all the time.

For the most part, Rosalie avoided me completely. Jasper had to tolerate my presence due to Alice and me being friends, but it was always so hard to tell with him whether he liked me or not.

The whole first floor was almost one big open space. The living room was off to the left of the door, a staircase was to the right. Beyond the living room was the dining room dominated by a large oak table surrounded by eight matching chairs and rounding out the first floor was a small kitchen. I wondered why they would even need the last two rooms, but I guessed that it was mostly for keeping up appearances.

"I'm guessing you're still looking for the piles of skulls and coffins?" He joked playfully. "I don't even think we have cobwebs, how very disappointing this must be for you."

I rolled my eyes made no comment. When I looked back at the staircase, wondering what rooms were upstairs, I saw a large grand piano that dominated the large platform at the opening of the stairs. "Is that one of the instruments that you play?"

"Yes." He smiled as he led me over to the glossy piano. "Won't you sit down?" He patted the bench beside him and I smiled as I sat beside him. "What song would you like to request?"

"Uhh…" I looked down and frowned. "I'm not sure, I don't really have many favorite piano songs."

A stray hair had fallen from my pony tail and he reached out to tuck it behind my ear. "Why don't I play you one of my own compositions then?"

I nodded and watched as his hands extended towards the keys, the song started off softly and reminded me more of a lullaby. It continued to build until the sound filled the room completely. The melody brought tears to my eyes and I wiped them away. He leaned in and I felt his lips brush over my cheek until he reached my ear. "You inspired this one."

No one had ever given me a song, I had to admit that it was a little unusual, but it was the sweetest gift I had ever received. I turned so we were facing each other, and I closed the space between us as I kissed him gently. His fingers never wavered as he continued to play as I kissed him I didn't even want to push him for more, afraid to ruin the moment. I placed my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, listening to the song until it drifted to a close, the last note sounding bleak and unfinished.

"Thank you." I whispered, afraid I would ruin the calm that he had created with his piano. "I love it."

"As I love you." He kissed the top of my head.

I wanted to say the words back to him, but they got caught in my throat. I couldn't make myself say it back. I knew I liked him more than just a simple attraction, but I also knew my track record. With him being a vampire and me being a hunter I knew there were only a few possibilities on how this relationship would end and just like the song he had composed for me, I knew it would end on a bleak and uncertain note. I tended not to dwell on that too much, just trying to enjoy the moment I guess. But it was at times like this that I couldn't keep it off my mind. He didn't seem as if he was expecting it from me, but I still wanted to give it to him. I just couldn't force the words out.

He took my hand and stood up, kissing my knuckles briefly before helping me up. "Would you like to see the rest of the house?"

I nodded and followed him up the staircase. I paused at the collage of graduation tassels and laughed a little.

"Yes, it is kind of silly." Edward shrugged a little. "Esme likes to celebrate all of our matriculations."

"You've all graduated this many times?" I stared at them all.

"Some were within the same year." Edward shrugged as he paused only briefly to regard them before continuing up the stairs. "This is Carlisle and Esme's rooms on the left. Esme has her creative space, and this is Carlisle's office and-"

I guessed at that point he realized that I wasn't following him anymore. I had stopped to stare at the large cross that stood across from Carlisle's office. The aging wood seeming to stand out against the shiny new paneling. "Why is this here?"

He came back to me and smirked a little. "It is a little funny isn't it? Carlisle's father was an Anglican priest in the English countryside."

"From a preacher's kid to a vampire?" I wondered with a small smile. "How in the world did that happen?"

"I oversaw the raids on all the wicked creatures that plagued our world." I turned to see Carlisle leaning against the door jamb of his office. "I guess you could call me a hunter of the 17th century, or maybe it was closer to the 18th. Time wasn't marked as clearly back then as it is today."

"Wow…." I smiled in awe, I had a new-found respect for the patriarch of this family.

"My father was in charge, but then when he fell ill, I had to step up and take my place. But I couldn't see the wickedness in simple human beings like my father could. I became better at it and actually found a coven that was hiding out in the catacombs."

I was so caught up in the story that I hadn't noticed Edward leading me into Carlisle's office and helping me to sit in one of the comfy chairs.

"When my team and I caught up to the vampire we were tracking he turned and attacked us. I lost good men that day. When I was the only one left the vampire turned on me, but he couldn't finish me off. Either he was satiated from killing the others or he took pity on me, we will never know I suppose. He took off and left me in the street to die. I managed to crawl into a deserted building and hid myself among the rubbish to avoid being seen. I waited for death to come but three days passed, and I still hand not died. The pain was unbearable but eventually it stopped, and I knew what I had become. I couldn't go back to my father. I knew what would happen, so I just disappeared."

"Amazing…." I breathed out in wonder. "And then you found Edward?"

"A very long time after that." Carlisle corrected me.

"He's over 300 years old Bella." Edward spoke up. "I'm not that old remember."

"I was so disgusted with the creature I had become that I had tried various ways to end my life." Carlisle continued his story, his face not betraying his emotions. "Nothing seemed to work though, I had taken to starving myself, hoping to waste away. It was in that moment that I found a solution to my aversion to taking human life. I was hiding out in a forest somewhere in the country side when I came across a small heard of deer. I was so wild with thirst that I attacked them and began to drink their blood. Once I had sedated my thirst and could think properly I had a moment of clarity. I could survive without killing humans."

"That's amazing… I'm sorry you had to suffer through all of that though." I frowned, Carlisle was a good person, I could tell. I couldn't really fault him for the innocent people he may or may not have killed while trying to find that 'moment of clarity' but he had made the best of a bad situation. I couldn't say that I would have done any differently if I was in his shoes.

"I made my decisions Bella. I can't turn back on them now." He smiled briefly before he went back to his work. "It was a long time ago anyway and I am happy with where I am now, I may not have ever got here if I hadn't chosen this path."

I nodded, and Carlisle smiled again as he stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm expected at the hospital. I'm sure Edward can answer any other questions you might have."

"Yeah, thanks." I stood up and we all walked out of his office. I noticed that the wall we had come in from had paintings dotting the wall from the floor to the ceiling. Edward had explained them to me one afternoon while we were studying biology and other things, mostly the other things to be completely honest. But it was something marvelous to see in person, each one represented a part of his life that he didn't want to forget.

Edward pointed out more rooms on the second floor, but I hadn't paid them much attention, I was still thinking about Carlisle's story and looked to Edward. If Carlisle had ever deviated once, it may have been that he would have never found Edward in that hospital dying and I would never had met him. My heart clenched at the thought and he turned to tell me what the next room was on the tour.

"What is it Bella?" He asked quietly as he reached for my face, cupping it lightly and tilting my face towards his.

"It's just, I know Carlisle went through a lot of pain… but if he hadn't… you may not be here right now…." I whispered back.

Edward closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine. "If I had known you were waiting for me in the future, I would have found a way."

I nodded, and I stretched up on my toes to kiss his slightly parted lips. I breathed in the cool scent and opened my eyes to find him staring at me and I lost myself within their golden depths.

"Would you like to see my room?" He whispered against my lips.

"Yeah." My ever-present blush dotting my cheeks again as I stepped back a little.

He didn't let me get far as he put his hand on my lower back and guided me into the only room on the top floor. I looked around the room and noticed that one wall was completely dominated by a massive collection of CD's and a sound system that looked like it belonged in a recording studio. Black curtains were hung on the rest of the walls and a golden carpet covered the floor. There was no bed, I sighed but I saw a nice inviting couch sitting in front of the floor to ceiling windows. I realized at this point that the back of the house must have been entirely made of glass.

"Let me guess the carpet and curtains are for better acoustics?" I asked as I walked over to the CD collection.

"Mum-huh." Came his distracted reply from somewhere behind me.

"You have so much music… I bet you've listened to them all right?" I turned back to him with a smile, it fell when I saw him still lingering by the door watching me with a poorly disguised apprehensive look in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

He seemed to register my question and rearranged his facial features into one of being caught staring. "It's nothing."

"You're still waiting for the running and screaming part, right?" His eyes tightened a little and he nodded. I smiled in victory. During one of our study sessions he had confessed that I was taking everything so much better than he had anticipated. Though considering my background, he should've known better. He was different than any other vampire I had met, not just in appearances but also in actions. After today's meeting with Carlisle I could understand why. I tried not to laugh as I decided to play with him a little, bravery kicking in. "You know, you aren't as scary as you make yourself out to be. I'm hardly frightened at all. I expected more of a challenge from the 'most dangerous predator'."

His eyes widened with surprise, then it morphed into a mischievous grin. "Oh, you've done it now…." His smile turned into a playful snarl as he knelt into a hunting crouch.

"You wouldn't dare…." I backed up and in the blink of an eye he had lunged forward, scooped me up into his arms and he had slammed into the couch holding me recklessly close. My heart was hammering in my chest as I struggled to move but his unrelenting hold on my limbs prevented me from getting away. I glared up at him, thinking he was pushing it a little too far.

But he gave me a lopsided smile, perfectly in control. "You were saying?"

"You are the most terrifying thing I have ever seen." I smirked breathlessly. "And also, an ass…."

"Why Miss Winchester." He gasped as he pretended to be shocked. "Wherever did you get such a dirty mouth?"

"Can you let go of me please?" I ignored his question. "This isn't very comfortable…."

He chuckled and let me sit up, but he cradled me in his lap, which I didn't mind.

He leaned in and trailed cool kisses from the base of my neck up to my ear. "What do you think of the house?"

"It's beautiful like I said when I first came here." I closed my eyes, by breath hitched as he kissed me at the corner of my jaw, slowly moving towards my lips.

"I'm glad you like it." His voice came out deep and husky. "I was worried you wouldn't."

"I am kinda disappointed though…." I fought back a grin as I looked around the room.

He pulled back a little and frowned as his eyes followed the same path as mine. "Why?"

I smirked as I kissed his nose. "No bed…."

I heard a growl build up in his throat in frustration. "I like my couch thank you very much."

"I like it too." I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. My eyes widened as someone knocked on the door softly.

"Come in Alice." Edward straighter slightly but held me close as I tried to move to sit beside him. He bit his lip to keep from laughing as I struggled harder and finally gave up in a huff.

Alice poked her head in the door and eyed her brother warily. "You wouldn't be having my best friend for a snack, would you?"

"In fact, I was Alice. Though, I don't think I have any to spare." Edward replied easily, pulling me closer and nuzzling my neck.

Alice laughed, I was afraid after I made her go to Waylon's boat that she would be mad at me like Jasper was. But the next day she road with us to school and even hugged me before she went off for her first class. Edward had told me that the experience was 'very cathartic' for her to help explain her past, even if it didn't explain everything. It helped her to see her creator was much like Carlisle in that he wanted to protect her from this James guy.

Alice stuck out her tongue at Edward playfully. "I was just coming in here to remind you two love birds that it's gonna be sunny this weekend, starting tomorrow."

Edward sighed, and I felt his head thump against my shoulder.

"Thanks for the wet blanket Alice." I laughed a little at his reaction and smiled at his sister. She nodded after returning my smile with a blinding smile of her own and she closed the door.

I knew he always stayed out of school during sunny days, I had assumed it was because they couldn't be out during the day. But if that were true then he wouldn't be out right now. I hadn't really asked, and he didn't offer an explanation. Besides, I had more important things to worry about than why vampires couldn't go out in the sunshine.

It really didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Sometimes I did need a break from my distraction to focus on the real world for a little while. I mean, the pile of laundry in the corner of my room was getting ridiculous at this point….

Even though we had got the name of the vampire killing these people he had made no other attempts to contact us. Maybe it was just like Emmett said, he was a drifter that caught Alice's scent and decided to torture her a little bit before leaving town. It seemed plausible since Alice's journey started somewhere in Mississippi and nomads rarely stayed in one place. I hoped that was the case because I was tired of chasing him all over Forks. I kinda hated the opportunity to wipe out another evil monster from the world but all I could hope for now is that some other hunter would cross paths with him and finish him off.

"I'm going to miss you tomorrow." I sighed as I took his hand in mine, bringing it up to my lips to kiss each of his knuckles.

"I hate the sun…." He mumbled against my shoulder sounding very much like a spoiled child.

I huffed in amusement. "No, you don't."

"It keeps me from seeing you." He reminded me defiantly.

"Does sunlight hurt you?" I couldn't remember if the vampires I had come across had been affected by sunlight or not.

"Not necessarily. But I have to stay out of the public eye during sunny days. There's a reason why we tend to say in rainy climates." He set me down on the sofa and walked over to the windows.

"Why do you have to stay away from the sunlight if it doesn't hurt you?" I frowned as he offered no other explanation.

His facial expression mirrored mine as he turned back to me. "It's better if I show you."

"Tomorrow?" I asked hopefully.

His eyebrow raised slightly as he smiled. "You still have class tomorrow."

"I can always call in sick." I stood up and faked a cough. "Carlisle can write me a sick note."

"That might not be the best idea. You know everyone will think you're with me if you don't go."

I didn't really care what anyone thought. I only went to school to appease Charlie anyway. But he was right, if they all suspected I was with him and something were to happen to me the Cullen's would be the first suspects. I didn't want Rosalie to have any more reasons to hate me. I nodded and looked down at the floor.

He had once told me that I was his own personal brand of heroin, but here lately I felt like more of the addict. I really missed him hard when he was away, whether it be the sunny days, weekend hunting trips, or even me sleeping. His shoes entered my field of vision and his hand reached out to tilt my head up to meet his sad expression.

"If you can suffer for 8 hours of school, I will be waiting for you at your house. And I promise that I will take you to a special place I like to go tomorrow morning. Do we have a deal?" He offered.

"You drive a hard bargain Mr. Cullen." I smiled, putting out my hand to shake on our deal. He grabbed it and pulled me towards him catching me before I could hit him, and he kissed me hard. I smiled as he sealed the deal with a kiss.

When he drove me home I saw that Charlie was home, Edward noticed too.

"You should really tell him about me Bella." Edward reminded me for the 50th time as he held the door open for me. Edward had wanted me to tell Charlie, he didn't want the Sheriff to put a restraining order out on him. I knew that the age thing would come up and I would have to tell Charlie the truth. I was just worried how he would react to it. "Or are you ashamed to call me your boyfriend."

"I'm more worried about the other part." I sighed as I pulled my bookbag out of the back seat. It made me feel like I had to hide Edward from Charlie, but it wasn't as if I could just come out and say: 'Hey Charlie, so I have decided to date Edward Cullen. Oh? He's only 17? Actually Charlie, he's older than you because he's a vampire. That's not a problem is it?'

Yeah, that would go over well.

"If he loves you, then it shouldn't matter right?" He pulled me against him and pinned me between the car and his rock-solid body. "I'm sure it will be a shock to him at first, but if you explain it, I'm sure he will be fine. You can even tell him that we are hunting the vampire to protect Forks from it."

"I don't know Edward." I bit my lip and looked down. "Can you help me out here? What is he thinking about?" I felt like I was neglecting him recently, but he didn't seem to mind. He was happy that I had found a 'friend'. I tried not to grimace every time he said that.

Edward concentrated on Charlie's thoughts and looked back at me with a small smile. "He knows you are hiding something from him, but he also knows that you would tell him if it was something serious. He just wants you to be happy Bella." He leaned in, lips inches from mine. "Are you not happy with me?"

I nodded, closing the space between us and wrapped my arms around his waist, underneath his jacket. When he held me like this, I felt like I could conquer anything, I felt invisible.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning." He smiled, brushing the hair away from my forehead to kiss it lightly.

"You don't want to come inside for this train wreck of a conversation?" I laughed a little, I had no idea how Charlie would react, but Edward was right, I shouldn't have to hide our relationship from Charlie.

"I think it would sound better coming from you." Edward replied, letting me go regrettably. "You can call me if he wants to talk to me."

I nodded and leaned in one more time to kiss him on the cheek and I ran for the door. "Charlie, I'm home." I announced my arrival as I opened the door.

"Hey kid, I've missed you lately." He came down the hall and smiled at me. "How was school?"

"Extremely long and boring…." I sighed dramatically, hoping Edward could hear that from wherever he was hiding upstairs.

"Yeah, I remember those days." He turned back towards the kitchen.

"Like a hundred years ago?" I smirked.

"Ha ha…." He deadpanned, "Keep it up and I won't give you any brisket."

Our conversation, it seemed, had picked up right where we left off. It was as if it hadn't been a few weeks that we had been able to sit down and talk like this. Charlie had his obligations to the police force, and I had mine to school and my case. But at the end of the day, at least I had Edward. I hated that Charlie was all alone in the world. He didn't seem to mind it though. I washed the dishes and he put them up. We talked a little about our jobs, he told me about going to the elementary school for career day reminding me of how 'cute' I was back then. Then it came time for me to address the Edward situation.

"Hey Charlie…." I hesitated, he was sitting in his favorite arm chair to watch the baseball game recap. I had just handed him a beer, now was as good of a time as ever. "I have something I have to tell you."

"Shoot kid." He turned away from the TV to look at me.

"There's no easy way to say this but… I'm dating Edward." I squeezed my eyes shut, fearing I had unleashed the Beast Mode: dad edition.

I opened my eyes back up when I heard Charlie snort. "You don't think I knew that? Sheila Newton and my receptionist Betty Harp are the town gossip's."

My eyes widened. "What? How long have you known?"

"Since you shot Mike down for the dance."

"And you never told me?" My cheeks burned with embarrassment as I realized I had been sneaking around for about two months now for no reason.

"I figured you would tell me when you were ready. I didn't wanna be a pushy helicopter parent." He shrugged and turned his attention back to the game.

"There's something that I'm pretty sure Sheila and Betty don't know about Edward. About all the Cullen's actually." I took a deep breath. "They're all vampires Charlie."

Charlie looked at me with narrowed eyes. My heart dropped into my stomach and I suddenly. felt sick. I'm pretty sure this is how criminals felt when they were being interrogated by the Sheriff. "So that's what they are huh? I had my suspicions about them, but I had never acted on them because I had a feeling about them. I knew they were good people. Dr. Cullen has been a real asset to this community, he's very talented and could probably go to any hospital he wanted to, but he chose to stay here. All the kids are good too, never had any problems with them. That's better than I can say about most of the kids in this town that their families have been here since the founding of the town."

I sat dumbfounded at his little speech. Seriously, what was I worried about?

"Come on kid, I may be a cop now, but I'm still a hunter." He laughed at my expression. "I check everyone out when a stranger cross into my town."

"Why didn't you ever investigate them or anything?" I finally asked.

Charlie shrugged, taking a sip of his beer. "I didn't have a reason too. They kept to themselves mostly, and no one died due to blood loss until recently. I assume they know about it and took care of it. That's why the killings have stopped."

"They think it was just a nomad passing through. They never reached out to contact the Cullen's." This conversation was turning out better than I had hoped. "So, you're okay with everything? With them being vampires, and with Edward and I dating?"

"As long as they don't kill any innocent people, I'm good with it. I have no problem with people who are just wanting to be left alone." He turned back to me with a serious expression. "But if he ever tries anything with you, there's no place that he can hid that I won't find him and kill him."

I was shocked, to which he died laughing. I rolled my eyes and kissed him on the cheek, telling him goodnight.

I headed up the stairs, yawning and rubbing my eyes. I was apparently more tired than I realized, I didn't bother with changing clothes and I flopped straight into bed.

"Well, that went over better than I expected." I heard Edward chuckle.

"Yes, you could have told me that he knew already…." I growled into the pillow, then added. "Jerk."

"I am not." He rubbed my shoulder trying to get back in my good graces. "And to be fair, I didn't know he had any suspicions about my family. It's kind of nice that he trusts my family. If every hunter was like you and Charlie, I think more of us 'inhumans' would be more receptive to them."

"But why did we have to sneak around if he knew?" I turned to look up at him, the moonlight casting half of his face in shadow.

"I kind of liked sneaking around." He chuckled as he pulled me closer. "Doesn't that add to the tension, the excitement of almost getting caught in a forbidden love?"

"I guess you're right." I buried my face in his shoulder, breathing in his scent. "I mean the tension caused by you trying not to kill me isn't enough." I tried laughing it off, but he stiffened at my words.

"That's no joke Bella." He pushed me away lightly and swiftly turned to sit with his back to me.

I bit my lip, hoping I hadn't ruined the night. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way." I reached out and touched his back, he made no move to acknowledge the touch. I got up on my knees and grabbed him from behind, my hands roaming from his stomach up to his shoulders, wrapping my hands around them tightly as I kissed his neck. "Please don't be mad." I whispered in his ear.

He leaned into my embrace, turning slightly, my breath caught at the intensity of his eyes as they held me captive. "I should go, you need your sleep."

"Don't leave…." Every night he would formally say good night after our study sessions and he would always kiss me by the door. And every night I would secretly want him to stay. Eventually he had agreed to sneak back into my room after Charlie was asleep and we would spend a few hours together until we would reach the point we were at now when he would leave so that I could sleep.

He stood up, I bit my lip fearing that he would leave. But his throat bob up as he leaned in and searched my face. He must have found what he was looking for because he tilted his head to kiss me, taking my breath away. "I have to admit that it's getting harder and harder to go home every night." He admitted. Cradling my face in his hands, voice dropping lower. "Do you really want me to stay?"

Instead of replying, I pulled him closer, resting my head against his chest. "There's something you should know first."

"Don't be afraid to say it." He gave me an encouraging smile.

"I have nightmares, some of them are really bad." I pulled him closer. "They're just so vivid. It's hard to believe what's real and what isn't."

"I'm very real." He rubbed my back and pulled me against his tall frame.

"You're pretty convincing in a nightmare too." I whispered, wincing at the memory of his secondary fangs descending. "I just wanted to let you know what to expect. Maybe I'll be too tired to dream up anything too terrible."

"Don't you think you should change clothes first?" He gestured to my outfit.

"I probably should take a shower too…." I mused to myself. "May I have a human minute?"

Edward's teeth shown bright in the darkness as he smiled and released me. I got up and grabbed my bathroom bag and a fresh pair of pajamas. I showered quickly and wrapped my wet hair in a towel. Getting dressed in the small space was a challenge but I couldn't really do it in my room…. So, I had to sit on the toilet to get my fuzzy rubber duckie bottoms on and pulled a matching long sleeve blue top over my head. When I left the bathroom, I went halfway down the stairs to tell Charlie goodnight, he was still in the living room watching a baseball game. I smiled softly as I returned to my room.