AN: New readers are finding this story through your Favorite Story Lists. So if you like this chapter and you haven't already put Blue Moon on your Favorites list, I would appreciate you doing so. There are thousands of stories on this site, and that's the easiest way to spread the word. Thanks for all your support and reviews, I really appreciate it.

This chapter has a lot going on in it, so trust me and just keep reading. It's still Saturday afternoon, and Edward and Bella are in the parking lot, concluding their discussion of her safety.


Chapter 28: Blood, Love, and Rhetoric

"Edward, why didn't Alice see that creep and warn us about him?" I asked as I was being held snugly against Edward's chest, still inside the SUV in the parking lot of the museum in Golden Gate Park.

"I have been thinking about that," he said as he played with a loose strand of my hair, winding and unwinding it around one of his long, slender fingers. "When we talked to her this morning, he had not seen you, so she couldn't have known. Then you refused to see him as a threat—"

"I'm sorry," I interrupted him before he could point out any more of my deficiencies. I sat up a bit and continued, "When you first told me about him I just figured I was going to be with you the whole time so it didn't make any difference. I knew you weren't going to let him do anything to me. Then he disappeared and by the time we got to the gift shop I was so busy trying to figure out how to surprise you, I just forgot all about him."

Disapproval was all over his handsome face.

"I won't make that mistake again, Edward. I've learned my lesson," I tried to reassure him.

"I certainly hope so; I know I've learned a lesson as well," he said humbly, and he kissed my forehead. "Alice may have finally had a vision just as I found you, and by then, there was no point in calling me about it. I told her to let us have some privacy this weekend, and she seems to be respecting that request."

"I guess we should be happy about that," I said, thinking of the recent passionate kisses we'd just shared; Alice didn't need to see that, although I was quite pleased with the progress we were making. I didn't set out to deliberately endanger my life, but if that kiss was the response Edward was going to have when I did, at least that made it worthwhile. My body was still humming with a tingling feeling that ran from my head to my toes. "What's the next stop on our whirlwind tour?"

"Is there any place special you would like to go?"

"Let me think for a minute." I moved my hands from around his neck and ran them down the smooth planes of his chest. He let go of me, taking my hand as I leaned back in my seat.

"We've already seen the Embarcadero and the museum; I know Union Square has the big department stores, but I'm not really interested in shopping. I'm sure you know San Francisco better than I do. What do you suggest?"

"Would you like to catch a matinee at the American Conservatory Theater?"

"What's playing there?"

"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead," he replied.

"Oh, I love that play. Do you think we can get tickets?" I asked excitedly.

"They're holding a pair at the box office," he said smoothly, as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

I barely had time to be surprised before he navigated through the traffic around Union Square and pulled into a large parking structure, driving up to the second floor to find a vacant space. He reached into the back seat and picked up the black cashmere sweater coat and suggested I put it on before we walked to the theater.

Alice must have had a ball choosing these clothes, I thought as he helped me into the coat. They were much more stylish than anything hanging in my closet. The coat had a shawl collar and the sleeves came just below my elbow; I found a pair of black leather gloves in the pocket.

We walked a short distance to the theater and a chill wind made me glad to have the coat. I put on the gloves, too, and Edward put his arm around my shoulder to make sure I didn't fall on the uneven pavement.

"It got cold all of a sudden, didn't it?" I rubbed my gloved hands together.

"You know what Mark Twain said," Edward remarked. I must have looked clueless because he continued, "The coldest winter I ever spent was one summer in San Francisco."

He picked up the tickets at the box office and we were ushered to aisle seats in the fifth row just minutes before the curtain went up. Edward took a seat and held the chair on the aisle for me. I sat down and took my gloves off, putting them back in the coat pockets. He picked up my right hand and lightly kissed it before lacing his fingers in mine.

Tom Stoppard was my favorite living playwright, and I had seen the play when I lived in Phoenix. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two boyhood friends of Hamlet's who have been called to court by the new King to determine why Hamlet is acting so strangely. The dark comedy is actually Hamlet told from the point of view of these two minor characters. The two spend most of their time trying to work out the key questions in life: where did we come from and why are we here? In one wonderful moment, Rosencrantz consulted the Cliff Notes version of Hamlet to find his lines.

The two are not only unable to control their own lives, they do not even begin to understand what is happening to them. They struggle with the questions of fate and chance, and that made me think about all the strange twists and turns my life had taken since I moved to Forks.

At one point, the Player said: "Give us this day our daily mask," and I immediately thought of Edward, and how he always wore a mask when around humans. Well, all humans except for me. How tiring that must be. No wonder he appreciated the ability to be himself around me. I guessed I would know what that was like soon enough.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern decide to put on a play and they are told they can do plays of the "blood, love, and rhetoric school." At that point, Edward let go of my hand and put his arm around my shoulder, drawing me a bit closer to him. The actor went on, saying, "I can do you blood and love without the rhetoric, and I can do you blood and rhetoric with the love, and I can do you all three concurrent or consecutive, but I can't do you love and rhetoric with the blood. Blood is compulsory—they're all blood, you see."

I glanced up at Edward and he smiled at me, his strong, white teeth gleaming in the reflected light from the stage. The fact that I was watching a play about characters caught up in a destiny not of their own creation, unable to die, condemned to repeat the same life over and over, with blood being an essential component, while sitting next to a vampire, was not lost on me. I suddenly saw Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as vampires, and that put the play in a whole different light.

Guildenstern made a remark in Act II that reminded me of the Dali paintings we had just viewed. He says, "A Chinaman of the T'ang Dynasty, and, by which definition, a philosopher, dreamed he was a butterfly. From that moment he was never quite sure that he was not a butterfly dreaming it was a Chinese philosopher. Envy him in his two-fold security." That made me wonder about how I often thought Edward was just someone I had dreamed up; he was too perfect to be real. Was I living a dream or was my reality made up of mythological creatures?

During intermission Edward escorted me to the Ladies Room and again stood guard outside the door. When I came out he asked me how I was enjoying the play.

"I love all the intricate, rapid-fire word play. Sometimes it reminds me of that Abbott and Costello routine, Who's on first?"

He nodded, smiling. "It is the finest theater of the absurd. Stoppard is a genius. The play debuted in 1967 and Alice and I quite enjoyed it back then. It's too difficult for Jasper to go to the theater, but he has seen the film version at home and liked it very much."

Then a horrible thought occurred to me. "Edward, isn't it hard for you to be in a theater like this with all these people? I mean, hearing all their thoughts?" It would be just like him to put himself through an ordeal like that just to please me. "Can you enjoy the play at all? Should we leave now?"

"Bella, I am enjoying the play because I can tell you are enjoying it. I am also playing a little game. I am familiar with the play, so I have been concentrating on reading the minds of the actors. I am doing a good job of tuning out the audience and just focusing on the people on stage. It is quite amusing."

"Why, what are they thinking about?"

"Rosencrantz is primarily thinking about what he's going to have for dinner tonight and Guildenstern is annoyed because he wasn't nominated for a Tony Award this year."

"How can they think things like that and still say all their lines correctly?"

"Well, they certainly aren't method actors, are they? The human mind works in mysterious ways," he said enigmatically.

"You probably know that better than anyone," I replied as he ushered us back to our seats.

In the third act, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern sense their inevitable deaths are close at hand. Yet none of this dampened our ability to laugh heartily at them. One of the last lines of the play suggests that these two characters have played out their drama many times before and will keep doing so into eternity. Right at the end they say, "We'll know better next time," and they are not executed as we are led to believe they will be, they simply vanish.

Sitting in the darkened theater with Edward I couldn't help but draw parallels between the existential themes in the play and the philosophical struggles Edward had with being a vampire. His was an existence I was literally dying to become a part of, and I began to wonder if this whole trip wasn't designed to discourage me from that inevitability.

I had been shocked when I saw his portrait from 1940 at the museum, and now he had brought me to a play where the characters are trapped in an existence they can't escape from, wearing masks and condemned to live the same life over and over. What was he trying to tell me? Did he still think I would choose to remain human? He had to know that wasn't possible. Was he just trying to give me a glimpse into my future?

Whatever his reasons, I was lost in thought as we walked out of the theater, arm in arm. We had only taken a few steps when an elderly man in shabby, dirty clothing came lurching out of a small alleyway on my right, coughing loudly.

Before I knew what was happening Edward had grabbed me, held my head against his chest and whisked me off my feet. He started jogging down the sidewalk and turned right at the corner, the route back to the garage where we had left the car. I clutched the lapels of his black leather jacket and wondered what had possessed him. When he reached the middle of the block he sat me down and gave me a moment to regain my balance.

"Edward, what was that about? Why did you pick me up and run down the street like that?" I demanded, as soon I got my bearings.

"The man who lunged out of that alley, coughing, had tuberculosis. It's quite rampant among the homeless here in the city. I wanted to get you away from him as quickly as possible. It would be just my luck to bring you here for a fun weekend and expose you to tuberculosis," he concluded disparagingly, his eyes looking troubled.

I thought about the Spanish flu that was responsible for his perpetual 17-year old condition. "It would be my luck, too, Edward. I understand; but if anything like this happens again, I would appreciate a little notice before you sweep me off my feet. I thought we were being chased by townsfolk with pitchforks or something," I said, trying to provoke a smile.

"Silly Bella, I would not run away from a few pitchforks," he said confidently, his topaz eyes twinkling as he took my hand and started toward the garage. He smiled and said, "I have another surprise planned for you."

"You know I don't like surprises," I said reflexively.

"Well, you seem pretty happy with them so far," he observed.

I thought this over for a moment and then said, "Yes, you're on a winning streak with the surprises this weekend, but don't get used to it." That comment made him laugh and I beamed at him in return.

On the road again he glided smoothly through the downtown traffic and as we drove a short distance I noticed that the scenery looked familiar. We had returned to the tree-lined avenues of Golden Gate Park. Edward slid in a parking space that appeared as if by magic, and came around to open my door before I had the seat belt unbuckled.

"That creepy guy isn't still hanging around the Park, is he?" I asked, looking around nervously. Edward had seriously put the fear into me this morning and I vowed to be much more aware when I was out in public.

"No, he fled the park as fast as he could; he is seriously mentally ill, though. His mind was a horrible place to be; I think he has a condition called toxic brain syndrome. I tried not to listen to his thoughts… they were so chaotic and disjointed. You do not need to worry, I intend to make sure he doesn't harm anyone else."

"What are you going to do, Edward?" I quickly inquired, worried he was going to go after this guy as soon as I was asleep tonight.

"I was monitoring his thoughts the entire time we were in the museum, until he stepped outside to smoke. I was able to ascertain his name and his neighborhood. I have already contacted Jasper and filled him in; he is hiring a private detective to follow him around the clock until he tries something like that again, which probably will be fairly soon," he said, gently rubbing circles on my back.

"When did you talk to Jasper?"

"While you were in the Ladies Room at the theater. I am sure the surveillance has already begun; it won't be long before he is caught."

"What will happen then?"

"He will be arrested and it won't be his first offense. We will make sure he is prosecuted; he will probably end up in an institution. I cannot in good conscience just ignore a degenerate like that; after what he thought about doing to you, I do not want to see some other innocent young girl find herself in that situation."

I shivered and he wrapped his arm tighter around me. "Edward, you are an angel. At first I was afraid you were going to try to go after him yourself, but this is a much better idea."

"I'm far from being an angel, but I am glad you approve, Bella. I'm not leaving you to chase after vermin. I can hire someone to do that but watching over you is my job," he said, somewhat possessively.

Well, I couldn't complain about that, I didn't want him out of my sight either.

"Could you use a little refreshment, Bella?" he inquired as he helped me out of the SUV.

"What did you have in mind?"

He led me past a grouping of maples through a large set of wooden gates into the Japanese Garden. "Oh, this is beautiful, Edward," I exclaimed as the vista opened up before us. I opened my purse and took out the camera. I started taking pictures in every direction.

A large pond on the left held lily pads and lotus flowers, and I could see large orange and white koi fish swimming lazily. They were graceful and elegant as they swam, leaving a wake as they flicked their tails in the water. I took several pictures of them, finding them fascinating. I was moved to comment, "I'm surprised Esme has never put in a koi pond. They are so beautiful. Look at the patterns they make in the water. I think it would be great fun to watch them for hours."

"Maybe in our new home you could help Esme put in a Japanese garden with a koi pond," Edward suggested.

I looked up at him and found he had not been watching the fish, he had been watching me. "Our new home?" We had not actually discussed where we were going to live after the wedding.

"Well, we cannot stay where we are too much longer," he said, with a somewhat sad note in his velvet voice.

I decided to stay in the moment and returning my gaze to the koi I said, "I can't decide if I like the white one with the orange spot or the bright yellow one."

"We can get one of every color and then you won't have to choose."

"I don't want to be spoiled, Edward. It's not natural."

"It is natural for me to want to spoil you," he immediately responded.

That was hard to argue about, it did seem to come naturally to him, but he had to see that it was a mistake; that I didn't want to be spoiled.

"You could be creating a monster," I carefully suggested.

"Never. You deserve to be spoiled, and by someone who knows how."

"And that's you?"

"Of course, who else?" He looked slightly worried.

"I think you have me confused with Rosalie."

"That's impossible. You are nothing like her," he stated with complete confidence.

"Well I could be if you spoil me. I could get used to it, and take it for granted, and become demanding. Would you like to see that happen?"

"No, but you would never be that way. You don't have it in you."

"I don't have it in me to change my attitude about things? Oh, but I do. Look at this ring," I said, holding up my left hand. "I love this ring now, and I don't ever want to take it off. Did you notice how I flashed it at that salesgirl in the museum shop? It worked, too. She finally took her eyes away from you and told me I was a lucky girl. I already knew that, but if you spoil me with too many presents I could change. Think about that."

I watched as he ran his free hand through his already wind blown hair; he was magnificent. Not for the first time did I wonder how this handsome, brilliant, kind man fell in love with me. I gazed into his eyes and I could see he was thinking about what I said, processing different scenarios. He finally spoke. "What if we just got a nice selection of koi instead of one in every color?"

"That sounds much better," I said, trying not to let too much satisfaction creep into my voice. I was very pleased that he had considered my words and seen my point. We were making progress. I decided to do something I thought would make him happy. I handed him the camera and said, "Could you take a picture of the two of us with the koi pond in the background?"

"I would love to," he said as he put his arm around me and held the camera out in front of us.

After taking several pictures he gave me the camera again and we walked along the edge of the pond. Then we followed a path that wound through a small grove of maple trees and we didn't find the need to talk as we became absorbed in the peace and tranquility of the garden. Edward kept his arm around my waist and every few minutes he would lean in and give me a soft, sweet kiss that said more than any words could.

I couldn't help but think about all the kisses we had exchanged today and how happy I was that he could let his guard down and share more of his feelings with me than ever before. My doubts about his feelings for me had been eased with his words and actions this morning in the woods. I could tell he had been honest with me, and he was treating me as more of an equal, even though I was still the fragile human. I had messed up badly at the museum, ignoring his warnings, but he didn't seem to be holding that against me now, as he paused our stroll and kissed me again.

I knew my limits were still in place though, as his venom-coated teeth were strong and sharp enough to cut through steel if he wanted them to. Yet he was so gentle with me, and so protective. I had to admit, after being saved from a bobcat and a madman in one day, he had a right to be worried about me. I longed to be strong enough to protect him one day; he meant everything to me and the idea of losing him was simply unacceptable.

After meandering through the ethereal green sanctuary, I noticed on the right sat an elegantly simple Japanese teahouse. Edward was guiding me there, up a few steps, and since we were the only ones there, we easily chose a table with a view of the lovely garden spread out below us.

We sat down on a bench next to each other and Edward ordered tea for two. Almost instantly a woman in a colorful kimono brought a pot of tea, two cups, and a plate of assorted cookies and crackers.

"This feels like we're actually in Japan," I said, taking a bite out of an almond cookie. "Of course I've never been there, but it feels like what I imagine Japan would be like. Have you been there, Edward?"

He draped his arm around my shoulder and said, "Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember; and I remember more than I have seen. Yes, I've been to Japan several times, but only for brief visits. Alice likes the shopping in Tokyo," he explained. "Some of the gardens are like this one. I thought you would like it."

I sipped my hot tea and looked over the garden with its Moon Bridge and beautiful cherry tree branches standing out starkly against the late afternoon dark gray sky. There were very few people on the winding path and it was almost like we had the whole place to ourselves. We were the only two people seated in the teahouse.

I picked up the camera and took some pictures of the beauty surrounding us. I handed the camera to Edward and he instantly turned it on me. I shut my eyes, saying sarcastically, "You are getting some great photos of me; now stop it. I only want pictures of the two of us together."

I opened my eyes to see him smiling at me. I snuggled into his shoulder and he held his arm out, taking a picture of the two of us. Then he put the camera in his jacket pocket.

"This is very relaxing. So peaceful in the middle of the city," I marveled. I reached for a fortune cookie and glanced at Edward. He was watching me with a hint of a smile on his perfect lips.

I smiled and broke the cookie in half, pulling out the fortune. I read aloud: "You're a complex person and you can't be expected to process things the way that other, simpler types do."

"That could explain why I can't read your mind," Edward said, as if he had just made a scientific discovery.

"Now it's your turn; choose a cookie," I instructed him.

He picked one up and cracked it open dexterously with one hand. "Luckily, you have a multi-track mind that will let you ponder one thing while monitoring the other," he recited.

"You made that up," I accused. "It doesn't really say that, does it? Let me see it," I demanded.

He handed it to me and I saw that it was exactly as he read it. I looked up at him and had to laugh. "That's amazing. How many things are you pondering right now?" I asked.

"Just one. You. I'm always wondering what you're thinking," he replied.

"I'm thinking I'm the lucky one, to be here with you," I said, resting my head on his shoulder. He stroked my hair and kissed the top of my head.

"Did you know this is where the fortune cookie was invented?" he asked.

"Get out! You're kidding; here?" I said, surprised.

"Over a hundred years ago this garden used to belong to one family, before they turned it over to the city, but they never stopped taking care of the garden, and one of the garden's designers, Makoto, invented the fortune cookie here," he explained.

"That's so cool." Was there anything he didn't know? Well, he didn't know what I was thinking most of the time, I thought with relief. Maybe this would be a good time to share some of the thoughts I had been having as we were walking through the garden. "I've been thinking about our argument this morning in the woods and how it turned out to be a good thing; I'm amazed because I didn't think it would end so well."

"I would be fascinated to know what precipitated our little contretemps if you would care to enlighten me."

"Well, you should know, you started it," I retorted.

"How did I start it?" He sounded mystified.

"When you were kissing me, which was incredible by the way, you told me how much you enjoyed all my human qualities. My blush, my heartbeat, my warmth, my scent and I just got frightened that when I no longer had those qualities you wouldn't want me anymore."

"Bella, I do love all those things about you; how could I not? But you will still be the most alluring, beguiling creature I have ever encountered when you no longer blush."

"You can't tell me you're going to enjoy looking into my blood red eyes for a year," I challenged, finally dragging the last skeleton out of my soon-to-be vampire closet.

"Oh yes I can," he insisted.

I looked at him in disbelief.

"You will be even more beautiful then because every time I look into your eyes I will be reminded of how much you love me, of how much you sacrificed to be with me. I swear Bella, I will never give you a reason to doubt my love for you."

I had never thought of it like that. I would be a constant visual reminder of the choice I made in order to be with him.

"Besides, Bella, I do not love you just for the way you look, although you know I think you are beautiful. I love you because you are the only person I can truly be myself with… and you accept me exactly as I am. To me that means more than you could ever know."

He was wrong, I did know. "You accept me exactly as I am, too, Edward. Believe me, I know I'm not perfect and I've done things that hurt you and you always forgive me. You have a very big heart," I said, placing my hand on the middle of his chest, and wishing for his sake I could feel it beating there.

He placed his hand on top of mine and said, "Do you know the story about the man who went in search of a Zen master to debate the merits of Zen?"

"No, I don't think I'm familiar with that one," I smiled.

"Well, when he found one, the Zen master poured him a cup of tea, and purposely kept pouring so the tea ran over the cup and spilled onto the table. The man was startled and asked him what he was doing. The Zen master replied, 'You are like this cup, too full of your own opinions to receive anything else.'"

I picked up my teacup and took a sip.

He continued, "When you empty yourself of all your opinions, beliefs, fears, hopes, resentments and desires for just one moment, just let them all go, you empty your cup. Some call this emptiness nirvana -- attained by years of meditation."

"Must you really empty yourself of everything to achieve nirvana?" I asked skeptically, setting my teacup down on the table.

"All I can say from personal experience is that when you empty yourself of everything you are left empty. I cannot recommend it. I would suggest there's another path to attain a state of bliss: an eternity with you," he said gracefully.

I blushed and he brought my hand up to his lips and kissed my wrist. Then he took both my hands and held them in his. He suddenly looked very serious and I felt my heart skip a beat and I immediately began to worry.

"The Japanese have a saying: a man is whatever room he is in."

A frown slightly creased my brow. I looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to complete his thought.

"Right now, Edward Anthony Masen is in this room. You make me feel like I'm 17 again. Like I never had influenza, like I never met Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Bella," he paused, and then continued huskily, "you make me feel human again." His voice almost broke on the last word. He released my hands and his strong arms circled around me.

"Oh, Edward," I said his name like it was something sacred. I held onto him tightly, pressing myself against him as he buried his head in my neck. I placed gentle kisses on his cool alabaster neck and ran my fingers through his hair, stroking the back of his head. He had told me this before, but I never got tired of hearing it. I knew to him it was the greatest compliment he could give me.

After existing for so many years with no one special person to love; it hurt me to think about him like that. I wanted to do everything I could to make his life easier, and so far I thought I had brought so many complications to it, but I also made him feel human.

As much as I trusted him, I could feel him trusting me, too. He was revealing more of himself to me than he ever had before. I remembered the first day in our meadow, when he stepped out into the sunlight. He had taken a giant leap of faith that day, trusting me with his secret, a young girl he hardly knew.

Inside he must have felt the same connection I felt. I already would have gone anywhere with him, done anything he asked of me. It wasn't logical, but neither was faith, neither was love.

This feeling was so powerful. He made me feel loved and protected, and I made him feel human, vulnerable. We were like two sides of the same coin. I wondered if this was part of why he didn't want me to change, or why he didn't want to change me.

If I made him feel human, it was because I was human, and once I was no longer human, would his feelings for me change? Would my feelings for him change? Would we both have regrets? Was my changing a mistake?

How could that be a mistake? I wanted to be with him forever, and my remaining human was a rather large impediment to that. Also there was a small matter of the Volturi knowing that I knew about them and either I was going to have to become one of their kind or die.

There really weren't any other options on the table, despite what Edward might think, and there was always the chance that some rogue vampire was going to come after me again, or that I could just simply be hit by a car. I was, after all, a well-known danger magnet. Even today I had somehow managed to entice a bobcat into attacking me, merely by wandering into his territory and then there was the horrible blonde guy at the museum. How had I ever managed to go on a field trip before Edward came along? So much for a relaxing weekend.

I didn't want to continue aging while he remained 17, either. A few years didn't matter, but no way was I going to wait around until I was 28. I loved him and he loved me and we wanted to be together forever. I had to join him, in marriage, and in his way of 'life.'

I was feeling so many emotions I could barely speak. "You make me want to stay in this teahouse forever, Edward."

"It is a place of tranquility, but we can't stay here forever," he said lightly.

"But Edward Anthony Masen is here," I objected.

"From now on Edward Anthony Masen will always be wherever you are," he assured me.

"That's good to know, because I love him so much." I was filled with joy, amazed that I could make a coherent sentence. I felt like I was floating.

"You have brought meaning to my life, Bella. When I look into your beautiful brown eyes I see my future. When I touch your gentle hands I feel the power you have over me. When I kiss your lips I feel alive. I never knew what I was missing until I met you, and I never want to be without you," he said, his voice raw with emotion and he tightened his already firm grip on me.

"You never will be, if I have anything to do with it," I affirmed, searching for his lips and finding them ready to receive my passionate kiss.

He pulled away first and I made a small noise of protest. Edward stroked my cheek with the back of his hand, seeking to calm my excitement. "I know we're the only ones here, Bella, but we are still in a public place," he said quietly.

"Sometimes you are so old fashioned," I teased.

"What are you talking about? I'm just a teenager; a teenager in love," he insisted.

I had to laugh at that. That must be what we appeared to be to anyone who saw us; a happy young couple in love on a cloudy summer day. If they only knew, I thought to myself.

"I love to hear you laugh, Bella. It's the happiest sound. You bring me so much joy, just by your mere presence. You are a true blessing; you are the light that brought me out of the darkness. I can never thank you enough, I can never love you enough, but I will spend the rest of eternity trying."

When he said things like that it made my heart beat like drum. I could barely speak.

"I always want to be by your side, Edward. It always makes me happy to be with you."

He looked so pleased by my simple words. He was always beautiful, but when he smiled my heart melted. I must have looked as weak as I felt because he sprang into nurturing mode.

"How about a cookie, cookie?" he suggested, gesturing at the plate of fortune cookies in front of us. "Look, there are two left. Choose one," he instructed.

I picked the one closest to him and he picked up the other one.

Edward cracked his open, read it to himself and said to me, "What does yours say?"

I looked at him quizzically but cracked my cookie open and read the fortune. I frowned and looked at him. "What does yours say?"

"You are going to marry the girl sitting next to you."

I gasped. "Mine says: Never let him go." I shivered.

We both put our fortunes down on the table and looked at them. Then we looked at each other.

"Did you plan this, Edward?"

"No, honestly, I am as surprised as you are." He sounded sincere.

"Somehow this makes me feel like we should get married as soon as possible."

"If I had known this is all it takes I would have taken you out for Chinese food a long time ago," he said with amusement.

I frowned at him. 'Never let him go.' I didn't need a cookie to tell me that, but it seemed like a sign, a warning. I was so afraid of losing him.

"What's wrong, Bella?"

"I just… " I didn't want him to know how insecure I was. "I'm just looking forward to the day when we can be together forever."

"And that makes you frown?"

"The waiting makes me frown. I feel like we're so close and I'm just impatient."

"I completely understand that," he said sympathetically.

I gathered up all our fortunes and put them in my purse, in the little zipper compartment. "Alice will squeal when she sees these."

"Are you ready to catch a cable car?"

"Oh yes, we must do that," I agreed. He paid the bill and guided me back to the car. In a few minutes we were near the Wharf and the cable car turnaround as another magic parking space opened up. The mind reading thing really came in handy in a big city with limited parking.

Edward took my hand and we strolled towards the cable car. "I want to ride in the front," I said, full of anticipation.

"Then ride in the front you shall," he promised, leading me in that direction. We boarded the car and I planted myself next to the front window. He sat down beside me and took my hand. "You should put your gloves on," he advised. "The wind off the Bay blows very cold when the cable car speeds down a hill."

It was late afternoon, still overcast and cool. Inky black clouds danced across the sky, threatening rain. The driver stepped onto the cable car and started ringing the bell in a lively, rhythmic pattern. He released the brake and we were off, climbing the first hill.

Edward slipped his arm around my shoulder and I leaned against him. It was like being on a large-scale roller coaster, whizzing past rows of Victorian houses and hanging on tightly when the car shuddered around a corner. It didn't reach anything near the speeds Edward pushed his Volvo to, but somehow the hills and valleys made it very exciting.

Edward pulled the camera out of his pocket and took several pictures of the colorful houses as we tore past them. He turned the camera on me a got a few pictures of me pressed against the front window as we rounded a corner. I stuck my tongue out at him and he got a picture of that, too. Stupid, inhumanly quick photographer.

As the cable car paused at the top of the last hill Edward leaned down and said urgently, "Angela Webber is here."

"What? Where?" I asked, startled.

"She and Ben are waiting to catch this cable car, there at the turnaround," he said, pointing out two small figures in the distance, at the head of a short line.

"They're going to see us," I said, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt. No one was supposed to know we were here.

"Angela won't give us away; besides, I doubt that she and Ben are supposed to be here, either," he said with more than a hint of mischief in his voice.

Suddenly the bizarre coincidence of running into Angela and Ben here seemed hysterically funny. I began to giggle and then laugh. Edward watched me with concern for a moment before he smiled broadly and joined in my hilarity, throwing his head back and laughing, too. Seeing him so happy pushed me completely over the edge, and we held each other as the sound of our laughter washed over us. Then I clutched my sides, gasping, and tried calm down as the cable car began its downhill path.

I looked at him and saw reassurance in his face. "Don't worry, it will be all right," he said, smiling and rubbing his cool hand up and down my arm. I relaxed at his touch. If he said it would be okay, I trusted him. He kissed my forehead and then the tip of my nose before capturing my lips in a kiss that ended all too quickly.

Angela and Ben were engrossed in conversation as the cable car approach and at first they didn't see us. The car came to a full stop and we stood up. Edward gracefully stepped down to the street and I heard Angela's sharp intake of breath. He put his hands on my waist and lowered me to stand next to him, as we turned to face the other couple, who like us, were so far from Forks.


AN: I'm curious to know what you thought about this chapter, so please review and let me know. I can't take credit for the fortune cookies that said, "You will marry the girl next to you" and "Never let him go." That actually happened to friends of mine on their first date in San Francisco. It was sort of a blind date, arranged by a mutual friend, and after spending the day in Golden Gate Park they fell in love. At dinner in Chinatown they got those fortune cookies and they are still married today. Strange but true. The quotes from the play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead are the property of Tom Stoppard and no copyright infringement is intended.

I'm off to upload some pictures of the Japanese Garden and if you want to take a look at them, the link to my Photo Album is on my Profile Page, along with links to other things mentioned in this story.

My beta, Ranma15177, has three great stories going right now, and you all should be reading and reviewing them. There is a link to her on my Favorite Stories list, and she's recently added new chapters to Conversations with Emmett and Making A Home. Her action/adventure fic, Escaping Sol, is a real thrill ride. If you aren't already on board, I urge you to scamper over there and check it out.

I'd like to express gratitude to my other beta, not done baking, a wonderful writer herself, for the valuable contributions she has made to this story.

If you choose to put me on Author Alert you will get an email every time I put any new story online, even it it isn't a part of Blue Moon. I will have some one shots and outtakes that go along with this story but are not chapters, so if you want to get notices about them, put me on Author Alert. Thanks.