I dried myself off swiftly and dressed myself in the jeans and green shirt I’d picked out the day before. I returned to the bedroom to find Edward sitting on my bed, a strange look on his face.

‘Edward?’

He looked up, strange expression still fixed on his face.

‘Bella – I - ’ he broke off, looking confused, and then his face twisted suddenly as his body snapped forward. ‘Hup-shht. Eshh! Eshchhh!’ He stifled three rapid...sneezes?...in his sleeve, and looked up, blinking quickly. ‘I do apologise.’

I stared at him. ‘Are you okay?’ I asked.

His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, but he still looked confused himself. ‘I’m fine, Bella, please don’t worry yourself about me.’

I bit my lip, but nodded and turned away, trying to forget my concern. ‘What are we doing today?’ I asked.

‘Whatever you want,’ he said, but soon his face contorted again – ‘Chhshhh! Excuse me.’ He looked frustrated.

‘Is that normal?’ I asked, now unavoidably worried.

‘Is what normal?’ he asked innocently, sounding unconcerned – but you could never really tell, he had such good control over his expressions. Soon, however, his unfathomable expression twisted again: ‘Heschuh!’

‘That,’ I replied. ‘The…sneezing.’

Carlisle looked at me with concern, but before I could come up with a way to reveal my deception without annoying Edward, we were both distracted by a sharp intake of breath from Edward as he raised a hand to his face.

‘Please excuse me, I think I’m going to…heh…eschew! Epchew! Hesschew!’

‘Bless,’ I said quietly.

‘Thank you,’ he said politely, but his mouth was tight. Carlisle was staring at him.

‘…Edward?’ he questioned.

‘It’s nothing,’ he said.

‘No, it’s something,’ Carlisle replied. ‘When did this start?’

‘This morning,’ I blurted. ‘He looked tired, and he sneezed a few times, and when I was sitting against him just now he felt warm.’

Edward glared at me, and turned to face his father’s concern. ‘I’m fine,’ he tried to say, but Carlisle was too busy putting a hand to his son’s forehead. He hissed in surprise.

‘No,’ replied Edward, before he was interrupted by a series of sneezes. ‘Heschuh! Epchew! Huh…eschew! Excuse me. No, I mean…physically. Like almost…’ he lowered his voice so that I barely caught the word, and I doubted that I was meant to hear it at all: ‘weak.’

There was a long silence now, broken only by Edward’s quick inhaled breath, before: Huh…hep-CHEW!

He cleared his throat, keeping a carefully smooth expression. ‘Excuse me.’

Without really focussing, Carlisle reached into his pocked and pulled out a clean, white handkerchief, which he handed to his son. Silently, I marvelled at the chivalry of a vampire who knew (well, had known) he couldn’t get sick, carrying around a clean hanky for presumably three hundred years.

Looking quietly embarrassed, Edward accepted the cloth, muffling a new series of sneezes into it: Heshhh! Mpshhh! Eshhh-EW!

He closed his eyes and leant against the back of the couch, and Carlisle shot me a worried glance.

‘Carlisle, I’m fine,’ said Edward quietly, obviously responding to something his father had thought.

‘Of course you are,’ nodded Carlisle absently, but even I could see his mind ticking over furiously. Edward opened his eyes suddenly, staring at him.

‘Bella, please,’ he started, his normally velvet voice sounding cracked and dry.

‘Edward, don’t shelter me. Please,’ I begged him, but he shook his head.

‘You don’t understand. I – I have to…’

‘Have to what?’

‘I - ’ And his face twisted again: Heh-ESSHH! ETCHHH! ‘Excuse me. I have to…keep you safe. I can’t…I can’t…I couldn’t bear to lose you, love,’ he said. ‘You have to understand that.’

I shook my head fiercely. ‘Edward, you’re not going to lose me. But you have to let me in. You have to let me help you.’

I looked into his face and saw him struggling with something, a valiant effort that he seemed to be loosing.

‘Edward, if you need to sneeze, just do,’ I said quietly, ignoring the embarrassment he would feel at my seeing his “weakness”.

He continued to struggle silently, but eventually the itch must have won, because he burst forward on the couch as I leapt aside. He raised Carlisle’s hanky to his face just in time: HESSSHH! KKESSCCHH!! Mmppph! Mmmpsshhh! EkkCHOO! They were getting wetter and harsher by the minute, and I struggled to keep the worry off my face.

‘Bless you.’

‘Thank you,’ he replied, ever the gentleman. With a sigh, he lay back on the couch. I brushed his hair from his face again, feeling strangely maternal. After a minute, Edward opened his eyes to look at me.

Carlisle opened his mouth to respond, but quickly changed course as the odd expression returned to his face. He fumbled in his pocket, withdrawing a fresh hanky, just in time to catch a violent sneeze that bent him at the waist. HUH-SSHHHOO!

He sniffed quietly as he straightened, looking taken aback. Edward and I stared at him, both knowing (despite one of us not being a mind-reader) exactly what he as thinking.

'Don't pick up those disgusting things,' he said, and pulled himself to a sitting position. He stood up and I watched his face turn grey.

'Edward!'

I caught him just as he fell backwards, knees bending involuntarily under him. Struggling with his weight, I lay him back on the bed, where he took a minute to recover before crawling back under the sheets, still shivering with cold.

'Edward,' I reprimanded, tucking the sheets around him again, carefully. 'What have I told you? Stay. In. Bed. Let me look after you. You've told me that so many times before, when I've been sick – why is it so hard to obey your own instructions?'

His lips twitched in an exhausted smile and he lay back obediently as I fluffed the pillow behind his head.

'Bella, Edward's right,' said Carlisle from across the room, his voice cracked and sore. 'We couldn't ask you to pick up our dirty, used handkerchiefs...'

I nodded, accepting that their life-long chivalry was going to be hard to break. 'But you're not asking. I'm just doing.' And against the protests of the two bed-ridden vampires, I scooped up the pile of germ-covered hankies I couldn't get sick from and headed off to the laundry with a smile on my face.

Suddenly, Edward scrubbed at his nose roughly and reached quickly to fumble in his pocket for another hanky. His sneezes were getting much too wet and strong to cover with his hands or arms as he'd done before.

Frustrated, I looked down at my empty hand and remembered the pile of hankies I'd just washed, but uselessly left sitting upstairs, outside Jasper's room. When I looked up, Edward was still hunting around him, looking for a clean hankie, seeming unable to find one. 'Huh...' he breathed desperately, eyes widening. 'Huh...heh...Bella, I...have to...huh...sn...snuh...snuh...' He sucked in a breath and scrubbed frantically at his twitching nose.

I looked around and found the tissue box the Cullens had kept in the kitchen, previously for display purposes only. I brought it back and held it out to Edward, and he reached out to take one but not fast enough for his tickling and itching nose, which exploded before he had a chance to cover it.

'HAAAAAREEEEEEESSSHHHHOOOOO!!' sneezed Edward, totally uncontrolled and uncovered, pitching himself forward and unintentionally spraying all over my outstretched arm. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to apologise, but his nose had other ideas and he only just managed to twist aside before sneezing desperately into the bedcover.

'HESSHHOOO! HESSSHHHHH! HESSSHHHH! HESSHHOOO! Huh...hehh...SHOO! Huh...Bel...Bel...BellASHHOO! Bella, I'm so so...HACHOO!'

From there, the fit seemed to take him over as he sneezed sneeze after powerful sneeze into the bedsheet, desperately and helplessly. Eventually, it tapered off and he snagged multiple tissues from the box, folded them into a thick sheet and blew his nose forcefully.

Finally, he looked up at me, eyes full of shame. 'Bella, I'm so very, very sorry,' he apologised, refusing to meet my eyes, and I had the feeling he was apologising for more than just sneezing on me.

I came back into the room expecting to find both vampires asleep, but instead found Edward sitting up, a hand to his face, a desperate pre-sneeze expression on his face.

'Edward?' I asked.

'Bella, I -' he managed, before his breath hitched again and his eyes fluttered shut. He hadn't even managed to pick up a handkerchief and I suspected he'd lost the energy to bother.

'I...huh...huhhhh...HAEEESSSHOOO! HESSSHOOO!' The first two were totally uncovered, too forceful and quick for him to bring his hands to the right place. 'HESSSHHH! ESSSHHHH! ESSHHHEEEW!' he sneezed repeatedly, desperately attempting to muffle them with his hands, which couldn't contain the force of his sneezes. Instead, he directed them into the crook of his arm, burying his face there as: 'ESSSHHH! ESSSHHHH! MMMSSSSHHHH! Huhhhh...EEEESSSSSHHHHHHH!!'

He sat like that, frozen for a minute, as though expecting more, but eventually raised his head. My forehead creased in concern; he looked awful, his nose red, dark purple circles under his eyes, hair messy and unkempt...and yet somehow, still hopelessly attractive. I smiled at the thought.

'Esme?' I asked.

She frowned at me, thinking. 'Actually, now that you mention it, my throat's been very sore recently in a...' she glanced up at me cautiously, 'in a...non-thirsty way. And my noses itches. It feels almost as though I might...might...'

She looked up, her face caught in a distant expression. 'Might...huhhh...ITCHEW! ISSHH!'

'Oh, goodness!' she exclaimed, then glanced at Rosalie. 'Oh, Rose, I'm so sorry – I shouldn't be near you - '

Rosalie smiled at her mother. 'Don't worry about it, Esme – like I said, I've undoubtedly caught the stupid thing from Emmett already.'

'Nevertheless, until we know...' began Esme, but Rosalie stopped her, holding up a hand.

Her perfect features tensed and contorted, waiting for something... 'TCHEW! TCHEW!' she sneezed, delicate sounding sneezes that still bent her at the waist as she pitched forward. 'Well, there you go,' she finished, sighing.

I bent over to kiss the top of his head and as I did, some of my long hair brushed against the bottom of his tickly nose very, very lightly and he gasped.

'Bella - ' he managed, before his breath started to hitch. 'Huhhh...' he breathed slowly. His red-tipped nose was twitching frantically, his mouth hanging open. He turned his head away from me. 'Huhhhhh...uhhhh...huuuuhhhhh...'

I was almost, almost tempted to yell something that would scare the sneeze away, just to see the look on his face, but I knew he was tired and feeling sick and I hardly wanted to make it worse.

'Huhhhhhh...HHHAAAAAAEEEEESSSSCHHHHOOOOOOOOO!!' he sneezed, snapping over in two, catching the sneeze in his two cupped hands, but only barely.

He had less than two seconds' relief to catch a breath before his tickly nose took control again. 'HASSHHOO! ESSHHOOO! EESSSCHHH! EESSSCCHH!! Huhhh-ESSCCHOO! ESCHOO! CHHH! CHHH!' He caught the series of sneezes in the crook of his arm, bending violently at the waist. They came in rapid succession and he seemed to have no control whatsoever.

'ESSHHH! ESSHHH! ESSHHOOO! HAAAESSHH! ESSHHH!' He gasped in a deep breath. 'ESSHH! ESSHHH! ESSSHH! Huhhh...HAAAESSSHH! HAAESHHOO!'

I stared at him in disbelief as he sneezed, seemingly unable to rid his nose of the powerful tickle. 'ESSHHH! ESHHH! Bell...Bell...BellASSHHH! Bella, can you...tis...ti...TISSSHHHOO! ESHHOO! ESSSHH!'

Wordlessly, I handed him a thick white handkerchief from a neat pile by his bed. Still sneezing uncontrollably, he reached out his left hand blindly while continuing to try to catch his sneezes with his right arm. I placed the hanky into his hand.

'ESSHHH! ESSHHH! Tha...Tha...ESSHOO! Thank...ESSSHHHOO! AAAESHHOO!' He pulled the hanky up to his face, trying to stop sneezing long enough to blow his nose, but he couldn't stop his breath hitching. 'Huhhhh...huhhhhhh...aaahhhh...huhhhhhESSSHHHHOOOOOOOO!' He sneezed violently into the material, seamlessly blending the movement with a very wet nose blow.

With slightly more control, he refolded the hanky and blew his nose, hard, until it sounded as though he had cleared most of the congestion. He looked up at me tiredly over the top of the material and lowered it slowly.

Suddenly, he stiffened and tried to pull away. I couldn't untangle my arms fast enough, though, and his face contorted desperately. 'HEESSHHH! HEESSSSHH!!' he sneezed strongly over his shoulder, harsh and desperate. I'd untangled myself by now, and sat a short distance away from him, waiting. He turned back to face me.

'I'm sorry, Bella,' he apologised. I opened my mouth to tell him not to be stupid when suddenly, out of nowhere, he snapped over again. 'HAAEEESSSH!!' he sneezed openly and desperately, some of the spray reaching my lap. He looked up at me in horror.

I must have dropped off to sleep, too, because I woke up a few hours later to the sounds of hitched and desperate breaths...

I opened my eyes and felt Edward jerk away from me and turn to the side, hands cupped quickly over his nose: ESSSHHHH! ESSHHHH! ESSSHHHEEWWW! - violent sneezes that wracked his entire body, sounding wet and full of congestion. I reached over to the bench and pressed a handkerchief into his hands.

He barely had time to nod his thanks before another sneeze caught him by surprise – HEEEHHESSSCHHHEW! - spraying only half-covered in the air, powerful and wet. I watched him bury his nose into the handkerchief I'd handed him and blow thickly until he could breathe again.

I was right – his face immediately shifted to show his frustration. 'Looking after me,' he finished, and I nodded hesitantly. He took in a deep breath to calm himself, though I knew he was inwardly furious with himself. 'Bella, you musn't...huhh...musn't let yourself...huhh...huhhahhh...' He reached up a hand to scrub at his nose, intent on finishing his admonition. 'You musn't let any...thhh.uhh...thing get in the w...ahhh...ex-huhh...excuse me,' he managed quickly, before turning his head to the side once again: 'Huhhh-ESSHHHOOO! ESSHHHOOO! Ahhh...hahhh...SHOO! ESSSHHHHOOO! HEESSSHHOOO!'

His eyes still fluttered, waiting for another sneeze, but after a while he decided it wasn't going to come and looked back to me. 'Ex-AHHEESSSHOOO!' he sneezed, this one taking him by surprise, right in the middle of speaking. His hands raised like lighting to cover, but didn't quite make it and the spray misted lightly onto my shoulder.

'Excuse me, I'm so sorry,' he apologised.

'It's fine – bless you,' I said softly.

The others laughed with him, forgetting their concern. Edward still looked a little unsettled, but he quickly forgot the thought as his face twisted again.

'Edward?' I asked, concerned.

He scrubbed at his nose, breath hitching against his control. 'Iii...itches...' he managed to breathe, before surrendering to a violent sneezing fit that seemed totally out of his control.

'Haahh...HAEESSHH!! ESSHH! ESSSSHH! ESSHHEEW! Huh...hih...ITCHEW! ITTCCHH! ISSHH! Huhh...Hnnggsshh! Nnnnggssshhh! ESSSHHEW! ESSHHEW!'

He was doubled over, sneezing and sneezing into an increasingly wet handkerchief. The fit seemed to be tapering off, very slowly...

'Huhh...ESSHHHEW! ESSHHEWW! ESSHHCHHH! ISSHH! ISSHH! Huh-ITCHEW! Huhh...Bella...hand...handk...plea...ahhh...ESSSHHHEEW!' I passed him another handkerchief, pressing in into his hands as he continued to sneeze, muffling them now into the crook of his elbow. He managed to blow his nose quickly in between sneezes, though his breath kept hitching desperately.

'Huh...huh...ahhh...huhaahhh...ESSSSSSSCCHHHHHEEEWWW!' he sneezed violently, blowing strongly into the handkerchief straight after. After a moment, he straightened, bleary-eyed. I pulled him into an embrace, stroking his hair and looking up at Carlisle worriedly.

Carlisle was looking down at his son with pity, shaking his head sympathetically. I winced, realising that fits like this were exactly what Carlisle had expected...and that there were probably hours, if not days, of this left to come.

I felt his body stiffen and sighed as he breathed in desperate, quick breaths. 'Huh...ahh...' I watched him fumble to pick up a handkerchief, obviously lacking the energy to even properly lift his arm. 'HAESHHOO! ESHHEEW!' he muffled into the crook of his arm. 'ESSHHEW!'

On impulse, I reached down to grab a handkerchief myself and folded it across his nose. He had time to blink open his eyes and send me a grateful look before they fluttered shut again... 'ESSHHEW! ESSHHEEW! Huh...AESSHHOO!'

The sneezes were stronger than I'd expected, jerking him forcefully forward. I winced, knowing how little energy he had to spare. 'ESSHEEEW!' he sneezed violently.

'Blow,' I instructed, and he complied willingly, wetness soaking the cloth I was holding. I tossed it into the pile and reached for another one.

'Id's okay,' he told me tiredly. 'I cad...'

I shook my head, already folding the new cloth over his cold, marble nose. 'I've got it, Edward. Don't worry about it.'

He smiled gently before pitching forward in a new series of sneezes that rocked his entire body. 'HAESSHOO! ESSHHHEWW! Huh...ahh...ASSHHOO!'

I sighed again, stroking his hair with my left hand as my right held the handkerchief firmly to his face as he sneezed again and again. This had been going for hours, and he was so tired...I wondered how long he still had to go.

'HAEESSHOO! ESSHHEEW! Huh...ahh...CHEW! ESCHEW! ETCHOO! ISHHH! ISSHH! Huhh...ISSHEW! ITCHEW!'

It went on like that for hours, and I could feel his strength draining as the sneezing continuing, seemingly unstoppable. But finally, around seven that evening, he managed to stop for a little bit, raising his eyes to my face.

'Bella,' he whispered slowly. 'I think id's...huh...fa...fadig...huh...ESSHHHEW! Id doesed...tickle...as...buch...ESSHHEEW!'

I raised my eyebrows slightly, almost unwilling to believe this could be ending...expecting fate to come past and trip us up again.

'ESSHHEEW! Huh...HAESSHOO! ITCHEW! ISSHHH! ESHHH! ESSHHEEW! Huh...Ahhh...ESSHHEEEW! ESSHH! ESSSHH! Huh...ahhh...huhhhhhahhhh...ESSSSSHHHHHHHEEEEEWWW!' The last sneeze was so strong he snapped in two, and I barely managed to keep the handkerchief pressed to his face. I quickly reached for a new one, folding it again over his poor, battered nose.

'Blow,' I instructed for the thousandth time that day. He blew his nose forcefully, twice, emptying it of mucus as best he could. I tossed the crumpled handkerchief on the pile and looked down at him to ask him how he felt...but his face was smooth, already asleep.

I smiled gently; he had been so exhausted, and if he was asleep now...I barely dared to believe it...this might be the end Carlisle had mentioned, insane as it sounded.

'Carlisle?' I called gently, knowing he would hear me.

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We ran through the woods back toward home at a speed I'd never been at before, he must have felt hurried for some reason. I nuzzled my face into the back of his neck. He laughed at little at my move. We were moving along fine untill he stopped.

"Bella, could you get down for a second?" He whispered just barely loud enough for me to hear.

I scrambled off before he could ask again. I had a rough idea of what was coming.

He sniffled a little, then leaned against a tree, hiding his face from me. He sniffled once more and a few seconds later his breathing began to hitch. "heh... heh...," then stood straight again. "False alarm, I'm sorry." He gave me a reassuring smile, but I could see it was strained.

"Go ahead, Edward, your going to have to later anyway," I said, walking over to him and stroking his face again. His breathing began to hitch again.

"Heh.. heh.. hehCHOO!" He paused. "I'm fine, lets go." He sounded slightly irritated.

"Bless you, again," I said, climbing back on his back.

We took off through the woods. The trees whistling past, a branch brushing his leg, it bent despite its thickness. The green blur thinned as we reached the edge and climbed back into the jeep, that had loaned us for the day. I kissed him while he strapped me in, being careful to avoid his nose, not wanting to spark another sneeze on his part. He sighed and kissed me back, more forcefully but ever so carefully. I threw myslef against the seatbelt, kising him, running my fingers through his hair, not wanting to pull back to breathe as my head swam from lack of air. Edward stopped kissing me and sighed.

"Breathe, love," he chuckled. I noticed even through a still hazy mind that his nose twitched swiftly. "hehCHOO! HehCHOO!" He sneezed hard, covering his nose.

"Hxxgh-Choo!" I sneezed, stifled, but uncovered. Bella blinked, she had been staring at me, at the moment, when I sneezed.

"Bless you, love." She said. "I guess I'm gonna half to get used to that, huh?" She asked, laughing. I nodded and set my eyes back onto the road.

Edward looked at the boxes and sighed, already knowing what they meant. He finished dressing and joined the other members of the family downstairs. Halfway down the staircase, he felt it. A slight twinge in the back of his nose. He waited. There was no use trying to stifle, anyone in the house would hear him anyway. He held onto the railing.

"Hat-CHOO"

From the next room, Carlisle and Esme looked up in Edward's direction. Edward stood in the doorway, sniffling as quietly as possible.

"Feeling alright?" Said Carlisle in his usual passive tone.

"I'm f-fine... ha-CHoo! Hat-CHOO!"

Carlisle and Esme watched as their son was thrown forward by the force of his sneezing. Edward took hold of the door frame to brace himself.

"It's just something in the air... ha-HatCHOO!"

"I see that." Said Esme, already at Edward's side. She handed him a handkerchief. Edward gently rubbed his nose and put the cloth in his pocket. He sighed.

Edward held up a hand to pause the question. He whipped out the handkerchief and quickly covered his nose and mouth.

"Heh...haa...ah Hatchoo! HatCHooah!... ha-HatCHOO!"

He stepped away from Carlisle and Bella, hoping his outburst would be ignored. Unfortunately, the tickle would not subside and poor Edward could barely catch a breath.

"Hat-CHoo! Ha-HatCHOO!...HaCHOO! HatCHOO!"

Bella and Carlisle could only watch as each sneeze shook Edward's sturdy frame. As they grew more powerful, he began to bend forward under their force.

"Hat-CHOO!"

The tickle withdrew for a moment. Edward tried to make a coherent sentence.

"It only started thi.. this morning-" His voice wavered, going up slightly in pitch.

"huh..AtCHOO! Hat-CHoo!"

This was the worst kind of mortification. Not only was he unable to hold himself steady or speak properly, all this had to happen in front of Bella. Edward tried his best to repair his

decorum. He uncovered his mouth just enough to speak.

"I really do apologize-...huh..Hat-CHoo!" He quickly replace the handkerchief in time to catch another bout of sneezes.

Bella's face held a mixture of concern and pity. Edward picked up thoughts of the same nature coming from his father. Bella moved to stand next to Edward.

"Don't be silly. You can't control it."

Edward knew only too well the truth of that statement. He would have answered her, but for the inevitable. His hand hovered in front of his face, hoping desperately to fight the incessant

tickle away.

"Heh... ha..hah...heh, heh- Ha-HatCHoo! HaCHOO! Hat-CHooah!"

It would indeed be a long afternoon. Edward's sneezing had seemed to worsen since that morning. Nevertheless, Edward was determined to remain a gentleman, however helpless.

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BELLA

“I missed you.” He said softly as he gently kissed me neck several times. This gave me a warm feeling and momentarily distracted me from the task of holding back my sneeze. Because of this lapse in control, the sneeze grew full blown. It was too strong to hold back so, as quickly as I could, I pushed one of Edward’s shoulders away so I could sneeze to the side, without getting him.

“Eptchoo!” I rubbed my nose with my index finger to coax out the other sneeze, “Heh…hetchoo!”

“Bless you.” Edward said. There wasn’t much worry behind it , thank goodness. It’s not like he hadn’t seen me sneeze before, even though I didn’t sneeze much. He just happened to be around 95 percent of the time. Not that I had any complaints whatsoever.

I pushed Edward once again. This time, I caught a glimpse of his furrowed eyebrow and I violently sneezed in my elbow to the right. “He-Achoo!” I sniffled, “heptchoo!”

As casually as I could, I rolled onto my back again and managed to make contact with Edward’s probing gaze. I plastered a smile on my face and tried to play off my extra sneezing with a statement, “Now where were we?” I reached for his lips again. I noticed a vagure glint of desire in Edward’s eyes before he shook it off an gently pushed me away.

“Bless you.” He said.

I sighed, which came out sounding like a wheeze, “But I—“

Edward cut me off by covering my mouth with his hand. My nose decided in that moment to tickle and tease and to my horror, I unleashed the sneeze into Edward’s palm, “Ha-mmph!”

I gasped a blushed scarlet. “Oh, Edward! I’m sorry, that was so gross.I’m so sorry.”

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on the forehead. I sighed in contentment. Our kisses didn’t usually last long but he could hold me in his arms for hours. Suddenly my breath hitched because of a persistant sneeze. Edward noticed right away and reached behind him rapidly for a tissue on top of my dresser. He placed it on my nose right as the sneeze escaped, “Heptchoo!” He began to pull the tissue away, thinking I was done, but my nose protested. I snagged the hand that was still holding the tissue and sneezed into it again, “Ha-mmph!”

Edward waited a moment. “Good?”

I nodded, cheeks hot.

He threw the tissue away in the closest trash can and turned back to me and kissed me on my cheek. “Bless you, my love.” He murmured.

My thoughts were interrupted by another sneeze. I wasn’t even bothering to hold them back anymore. “Ha-essh! Ha-eptcho!” I sneezed freely into my cupped hands. Edward kissed my forehead and murmured a “bless you” against my forehead.

I sniffled, “Thank you.”

He ran his fingers through my hair, soothing me a bit. “You take tylenol?”

I nodded, coughing a little with my mouth clothed. My head pounded. The tylenol obviously didn’t help much.

“Doesn’t seem like it helped much.”

So perceptive. “Not really.”

“Do you have anything else?”

I shook my head, “It’s okay. Eptchoo!” I sneezed onto the back of my hand.

He studied my face, “Are you sure? I could quickly run ou—“

“No!” I cleared my throat and stabled my voice again, “No, it’s fine.” I really didn’t want him to leave again.

Edward allowed me to stay there, stroking my hair, until he felt the wiggle of my nose. He grabbed for a tissue just as I pulled back and sneezed into the tissue forcefully , “ETCHOO!” Edward waited, knowing another one was coming, “Eh…hih….hih…HETCHOO!”

He tossed the tissue into the trash. “Bless, my love. Now, could you please get back in the comforter, before I go mad?”

I sniffled and nodded, as I noticed my entire body had been shaking.

Before I knew it, I was snuggled in my down comforter, Edward’s arms around the comforter. He placed my forehead against his neck, knowing it soothed me. Even when sick, Edward made me feel content.

I felt another tickle in my nose. Edward face was too close to mine for me to let it out so I stifled, “Hm-Choo! Hm-Choo! Ugh, sorry.”

He gave me another kiss. “No need to apologize. Bless you. You shouldn’t hold them in like that. It’s not healthy.”

I nodded, “I didn’t want to sneeze on you.”

“I’d rather you sneeze on me than hold them in and hurt yourself. You know I can’t get sick.”

I blushed. “Habit.”

He rubbed my back a few times, trying his best to soothe me. I could sense his worry. To make things worse, I had to sneeze. I rubbed my nose furiously, trying to rid of the sneeze but my mission failed. “Heptchoo! *sniff* Heptchoo!”

“Bless, love.”

Edward must not have wanted me to sit up for too long so he lay me down, my arms still around his neck. He positioned me underneath him, holding the majority of his body weight up but still having his body pressed against me. My skin was too hot for this to be uncomfortable.

Edward loosened my arms so he could look at my face. He then pushed his fingers through my hair. “If you won’t let me take you to Carlisle, I need to give you some medicine then. Okay?”

My nose wiggled and Edward saw this, along with my widened eyes. Before I could even think, Edward’s hand shot up over my mouth and I couldn’t hold the sneeze back any longer, “Etchoo! Heh…heh…” It was stuck.

Edward raise his eyebrow, questioningly. Once he registered my problem he gently blew his cool breath in my nostrils. This triggered the sneeze’s release automatically. “He-Atchoo!”

I sniffled as Edward wiped his hand and kissed me on the forehead.

I was about to open my mouth to argue but I buried my face in my tissue instead and unleashed an absurd amount of sneezes. “Essh! Essh! Heptchoo! Etchoo! Choo! Ah-achoo!”

“Bless you.” I turned towards the doorway to see Edward leaning against it. His face blank as he held the spoon that flew out of my hand earlier.

Edward stepped forward. “You’re mad.” I said in a smile voice, looking down at the ground. Bad idea. This made my runny nose more noticeable. I sniffled.

He stood in front of me for a moment then lifted my chin. “I’m only mad that you’re not in bed.” It seemed like he meant it. He continued, “You’re shaking, your nose is running, your pulse is racing, and you’re sneezing more. That means bed.”

I nodded and wen’t on my tiptoes to kiss him. He gently kissed me back. He then scooped me up in his arms. He didn’t run to my room, probably knowing my head wouldn’t be able to take it.

“Etchoo!” I sneezed into my hands as he walked me over to my bed.

“Bless you.” He said as he lay me down. I looked up at him as he whipped out a plastic bag filled with medicine. Must be especially from Carlisle.

“Eshoo!” I sneezed forefully into my cupped hands as I bent over to pick up my boots out of the closet.

“Bless you, Bella.”

But I wasn’t finished yet. The persistent tickle returned, stronger than ever, “Eshoo! Heh-heh HESHOO! EPTCHOO! *sniff* Essh! Arrishoo!” They were all different but held the same force, bending me at the waist every time, my hair flying in my face. I didn’t even notice Edward at my side rubbing my back again. I stood upright, my hand over my nose and face him.

“Could you—Essh! Could you get me a tissue?”

He nodded and quickly grabbed one from my bed and handed it to me. I nodded my thanks and blew my nose. After I threw the tissue in the trash, Edward wrapped me in his arms, kissing the top of my head. I sniffled against his chest. He spoke into my hair, “I hate seeing you suffer like this. If there was anything I could do to make you better in an instant, I would do it.”

Edward nodded and he glanced at me. I was busy fighting off another sneeze. He must have noticed my pre-sneeze expression and he handed me a tissue with his amused crooked smile. “Essh! Esshoo! ESHOO!”

I groaned and placed my head on Edward’s shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me and kissed my forehead murmuring a bless you.

I nodded, still keeping my eyes closed. I felt a tickle in the back of my nose. I rubbed it against the back of the couch but the leather scent triggered my sneeze. My breathing hitched as I cupped my hands over my nose and let it out, “Choo!” It was a bit more subdued and feminie compared to my other sneezes which was good because it wasn’t as gross and it didn’t hurt my head from the force.

He kissed my cheek and murmured a ‘bless you.’

He chuckled at my act. “I may be a little warmer but nothing you will notice, Bella. I’m still far more cold than you.”

Suddenly, he reached behind him and grabbed a tissue. I was about to take it from him, thinking he was handing it to me but then I noticed his facial expression. He was going to sneeze again.

“ESHOO!” He had a very loud sneeze but nothing to startle me. “Excuse me,” he said and smiled in my direction.

“Bless you, Edward.” I was still in awe. “Edward, I’m sorry. If I had known I could get you sick I wouldn’t have let you near me.”

stroked his bronze hair out of his eyes. He smiled and leaned forward to kiss me but when he was an inch from my lips, his breathing hitched. I only had one moment to scan his face. His eyelids were fluttering and his mouth hung open. He immediately turned and sneezed into the crook of his arm, “ESHOO!” he remained there, his nose buried in his arm, his eyes closed, before he took another deep breath and erupted another sneeze, “HEPTCHOO!” He sniffled and turned back to me. “Forgive me,” he murmured.

I shook my head at him, “Don’t do that,” I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck and comfortingly stroked his hair.

He sniffled, “Do what? Does my sneezing bother you?” He sounded a bit worried.

I couldn’t help but giggle at his idiocy. “No, silly. I don’t want you to apologize everytime you sneeze. Bless you, by the way.”

Unfortunately, my nose felt otherwise. I clamped my hands over my nose and mouth to subside the incoming sneeze so I didn’t wake Edward. I succeeded for a solid minute before the sneeze was too much to handle. I let it out, trying to stifle it. It was too strong so it just sounded like a harsh, awkward sneeze. “Ach-ssh!”

Of course, this jolted Edward awake. He blinked a few times. His expression was confused. I felt so terrible. He looked so bewildered and put off he couldn’t even find words. I tried to help him out.

“Edward, you were sleeping,” I said.

His gaze narrowed as I said that. “I was…sleeping?”

I could only nod. His voice sounded so congested.

He pulled himself together a bit. “I felt tired earlier but I had no idea it’d be tired enough to lead me to a slumber.”

Suddenly his breath hitched and he muffled a sneeze into his sweatshirt sleeve, “HESHOO!”

I touched his cheek, his face still buried in his sleeve. His eyes fluttered again and his breath hitched. I waited for the next to sneeze to come, and he did the same. After a moment, he took a deep breath and then relaxed. He dropped his hand and wound it around my waist. “Guess it didn’t want to come out.”

“Bless you,” I told him kissing his chin.

“Thank you,” he responded with a sniffle.

At first I thought he was talking in his sleep but then I noticed the corner of his mouth kicked up a bit, to make a half smile. I smiled too and placed my head on his pillow, right next to his face. He kept his eyes closed. I lifted my hand to stroke his cheek and he smiled yet again before his nose twitched. He placed his index finger underneath his nose and pressed up. I knew he was doing this to not ruin our moment. He stifled a sneeze against his finger then rested his head back on the pillow.

“Bless, Edward,” I whispered.

I suddenly saw nose twitch again. I caught his hand before he could lift it. He finally opened his eyes. “Bella…,” his voice was breathy and he tried to fight the sneeze of his own.

“You didn’t let me stifle, I wont let you stifle.”

He glared at me, “F-fine. I won’t…huh….heh… c-can I…heh-have my hand back?”

“Nope. I don’t trust you.”

His gaze narrowed even more before he turned his head into the pillow and let out a loud, “HECKSHOO! HARSHOO! ESHOO!,” he groaned into the pillow before he rolled onto his back.

I felt terrible. He was miserable and it was because of me. I sighed and crawled on top of him, resting my chin on my arms so I could stare him in the eye. He stared back and sniffled audibly.

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I felt a tingling in the back of my nose. It felt dry, and scratchy. I looked out the window, so that Edward wouldnt notice that anything was wrong. As if I could keep something from him. The tickle grew, and I shoved a finger under my nose. No luck, it got stronger. Crap. I took a deep breath in and tried to stifle a sneeze into my hands, "hxt-nggg!"

Edward pulled over in front of Charlie's house, and turned toward me. "Bless. You ok Bella?"

I blushed, "Yeah, never better." As soon as I finished my sentence Edward was on the other side of the car with the door open, hand ready to escort me out. "Good." He smiled, walking me up the steps.

We got outside the door, under the roof. I sniffed, and coughed into my elbow. Edward shot a worried glance at me, and then to the window, where you could see Charlie sitting on the couch watching a game on tv. "He knows we're back." He said a matter of factly.

"ach-tchoo!" I sneezed freely over my shoulder. Crap. I had no warning that time.

"Bless you, Bella." Edward took a piece of my wet hair and tucked it behind my ears. "I wish I could hear what you're thinking, so I could tell if you are ok or not." He kissed my nose, and suddenly there was no air in my lungs. I kissed him back, more forcefully, before he shook his head and pulled back. "Behave,'' He warned, "I'll be back after Charlie goes to sleep." And he was gone.

I grabbed on to the doorknob to regain my ground before I walked in and saw Charlie. I coughed into my hand, and smoothed my hair out of my face. Sniffling, I turned the doorknob and went inside.

I walked upstairs and took a warm shower before Edward would be coming back. I stepped in the shower, and turned it up at hot as it would go, but I was still cold. My nose was beginning to run, and I shoved my face under the shower head to warm it. I felt a tickle growing in my nose, and before I knew what was going on, I had my hand in front of my mouth and I sneezed. Again. I turned off the shower and got out, dripping wet, colder than I was before. I walked over and blew my nose into a tissue, got ready for bed, and headed to my room.

Naturally, Edward was spread out on my bed, waiting for my arrival. He smiled at the sight of me, awakening the butterflies in my stomach, and reached out for me. I got on my bed, and buried myself deep in his cold embrace. His skin made me feel even colder still, but warm at the same time.

And there it was. That damn tickle again. It was burning. I took a sharp breath in and let out "heehchhh" into Edward's chest, muffling the sound so Charlie wouldn't get so concerned.

"Bless you." Edward pulled back, and put his hand under my chin, lifting it up so I had no choice but to look into those heart melting eyes of his. "Are you alright? You look kinda beat."

I nodded and sniffed. "Yeah I'm..." I sniffled and took a quick breath in. In a half of a second Edward was gone and back with a tissue in my face. Yay vampire boyfriends. They can get tissues faster than the speed of sound. "Thanks." I blew my nose.

"HEHCHOO!" Another unexpected sneeze. And another tissue in my face. Good thing, too. I was getting embarrassed with my constant sneezing and sniffling around Edward, who was perfect.

"Bless you." He sighed and rolled over on his stomach, "what's up with you?"

"Oh, nothing." I coughed into my shoulder.

"Liar." He kissed my nose. Damnit.

I felt the air being sucked out of my lungs. The butterflies started doing all sorts of stunts in my stomach, and I was soon pushing myself against him, wanting more.

He pulled back.

"You feel warm, Bella."

I laughed, throwing myself into a coughing fit. When I got myself back together, I explained, "I would feel warm to you no matter what. Your skin is ice cold, of course I'm going to feel warm." I felt my nose tickle, and I squinted my eyes and held my breath. I couldn't sneeze if I wasn't breathing. I couldn't take it anymore, and I let out a "Hachoo!!!" In a matter of a half a second, Edward's hand shot out in front of my face and covered my sneeze. I sprayed all over his hand. I blushed and put my own hand to my mouth, muttering "I'm sorry I'm sorry" through my fingers.

He took my hand away from my mouth and kissed my forehead. I sniffled and coughed into my hand.

"I think it's time that you go to bed." He traced his fingertips over my neck, and leaned in a smelled it. This never made me nervous. No, he was a vampire, but I was never scared.

I sneezed. "Ettchhhh!" I tried to stifle it into my bedsheets, but it didn't really work all that well.

"Bless you." Edward lifted the covers off of my head and crawled into bed next to me. "You look like death."

I groaned. "Thanks."

He laughed his velvet laugh and brushed the hair from my eyes. He knew how to relax me and put me to sleep, I'll give him that.

I cuddled up and sneezed into his chest. "Hachoo!!!" I rubbed my nose. My head hurt, and my eyes were starting to water. Who gets sick in the summer?

"Bless." Edward pulled my in closer to his chest, so I couldn't get away from him. I felt my nose tickle again, I tried to get away. I've sneezed on him enough. I tried breathing fast, but it only made it worse. I sneezed. "Ahchoo!" I did it again, and he held me tighter. It felt good. He kissed my hair, and I fell asleep almost instantly.

I put my head down on the table and groaned. I could feel Edward's eyes glaring into my back, filled with concern no doubt, but I was too tired to lift my head up and return his gaze. I felt my nose tickle. I breathed slowly this time, knowing that faster breathing does no good. But I sneezed anyway. I cupped my hand over my mouth and flung my head up, letting out a "HACHOO!" before sniffling and slamming my head back down into my arms.

"Bless you darling." I could hear swift movements, and within a few seconds I felt a tap on my shoulder.

Edward chuckled again. "Come on." He shoved the tissue into my face. I had no choice. I blew my nose forcefully into the tissue with a wet gurgly noise. "Good." Edward chucked the tissue over his shoulder and it landed into the garbage. Of course.

A few moments later, he set a steaming cup of tea in front of me. I looked warm, and very appealing. I slid it closer to me, letting the steam come into my nostrils. Almost instantly I could breathe again, but with my wonderful luck, it make my nose tickle again. I blew across the top of it, and slowly took a sip. The warmth of the tea felt good going down my throat, and I was so grateful to have Edward there with me. I turned my head to the side and sneezed. "Heh-choo. Heh-choo!"

Edward rubbed my shoulders. "Bless you, bless you. Wow Bella, are you ok?"

I had to sneeze. Badly. So far, I was doing a good job keeping it under control and out of my mind.

Edward grabbed my hand, "You have to sneeze." He stated a matter of factly.

I sniffed, "I thought you...you can't read my mind...heh...heh..." It was coming.

Edward laughed, "I can't. I don't have to. I can tell by the look on your face."

"HEHCHOO!" I turned and sneezed straight into his chest. "Sorry! I really need to stop doing that." I grabbed a tissue out of the tissue box that Edward had conveniently placed in the middle of the dining table and gave my nose a good blow.

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I shrugged but refused to say anything, as I felt a tickle slowly building. I closed my eyes and brought my hands to cover my nose and mouth.

"Bella?"

"Huh?" I asked through my hands.

"Are you... okay?" I could tell his driving had slowed a bit as he looked over at me.

Nodding, I answered. "Uh-huh." Turning towards the window (to shield my humanness from Edward), I took a deep breath. "HetCHEW!"

"Oh. Bless you."

"Sorry," I squeaked, trying to ready myself for another. "Heh... HitCHEW!"

"Bless you, Bella."

"Thanks..." I clumsily leaned forward in defeat, resting my head on my arms on the dashboard. I was starting to feel a little dizzy with all of the heat. Not to mention, my sneezing. Without looking, I reached over and started to roll the window down. The sudden cool air caused me to shiver once more.

"Are you too hot?" Edward asked, pressing his slender fingers to my cheek.. There was a hint of worry and confusion in his voice. "You feel warm."

I nodded, "I'm fine, I think. And I'm always warm to you," I reminded him. But another taunting tingle hit my nose.

I brought my head up a bit and plastered my hands back to my face as I had before. My breathing got heavier and on the release, my sneeze was so forceful that it bounced my forehead into the dashboard. "Hih... Hih... HitSHOO!"

"Oh, Bella." He made a quick movement, reaching out his arm to brace me. "Bless you."

"Ouch... ugggh," I moaned, rubbing my forehead, and pressed myself back against the seat. My nose was still tickling.

As if to answer, I felt my breathing begin to hitch. I pressed my hands to cover my face. "Hih... HitCHEW!"

"Bless you," Edward whispered.

After a few minutes of thick silence, I spoke through my hands which were still covering my nose and mouth. I had to work at controlling my voice to keep it from cracking with emotion. "I'm not mad at you, Edward." I shook my head against my pillow. "I'm not."

"Well, are you feeling alright?"

I nodded, another sneeze beginning to surface. "Huh... Huh... Hh'CHOO!" It caused me to lurch forward, my bed gently squeaking beneath us.

"Bless you."

Sniffling, I grabbed a tissue from my nightstand and blew my nose. I filled two tissues with a gurgling mess and dropped them onto the floor. I shuddered at how sick it sounded, at how human it was.

"Bella, it's okay." He ran his fingers through the back of my wet hair causing me to shiver. "Sneezing is normal. Everyone does it."

Out of nowhere, his cool, sweet breath tickled my nose. I quickly turned away from him, my breath accelerating, and pressed my hands to my face. "HapSHOO!" I took a deep breath and again slightly lurched forward, "HupSHOOO!"

"Bless you," he smiled towards me, grabbing a few tissues and handing them to me. As soon as I emptied my nose, I dropped back down to my pillows behind me. Edward followed.

I wanted so much to kiss him, but his breath tickled my nose once more. I quickly lifted my head and drew my pillow from underneath me and held it over my face. I'm surprised Edward didn't think I was trying to suffocate myself.

"HuhCHEW!" Surprised at how strong they were getting, I groaned and lifted the pillow so that I could inhale deeply. Then into the pillow again. "Heh'CHEW!"

After a second, Edward lifted the pillow. "Is it my turn to ask something?" he questioned. He twisted the drawstring of my hoodie around his finger.

"Anything." I hated how congested I sounded.

"Why do you turn away from me when you sneeze?" His voice was calm and curious.

I hesitated for a split second before my nose started to tingle. "Wha- What do you mean?" I whispered, trying to distract him (or myself, I couldn't tell). I pushed myself up onto my elbows and turned toward the nightstand. Not able to cover my mouth, I aimed towards the floor. "HehCHOO!" A deep breath. "HuhCHOO!"

Edward chuckled. "That," he answered. "You did it again."

I sniffled and sighed, my throat feeling scratchy. I laid my head back on the pillow and waited a few seconds.

"I don't want you to see me sneeze."

"Edward . . . Hhh . . ."

He brought his face close, his eyes worried at the sound of his name. I don't think he realized I had to sneeze. I cupped my left hand around his right cheek and quickly shook my head at him. "No . . . " my breathy voice trailed off as I buried my face into my legs which were still pulled into my chest. I quickly put my free arm around me to shield any chance of Edward seeing me.

I inhaled as deeply as I could. "Hh-hih... HiitChOO! HehtCHoo."

"Bless you, Bella," Edward whispered. He removed my hand from his cheek and kissed the top of it.

I drew my head up from my knees and started rubbing my itchy eyes. "Sorry." I looked down at my gray sweatpants and saw a few splatters. I smudged them with my other hand.

I threw my legs off the side of the bed, my back to Edward, and sneezed again. "HehtCHew!" It caused me to hitch forward, almost sliding me right into the floor. Edward blessed me before I could even finish sneezing and pulled me backwards to him.

He kissed the top of my head and wrapped his arms all the way around my waist, his chest cradling my back.

"Did I start you sneezing again?" His voice was low.

I shrugged, rubbed my eyes, and started to reach for a tissue from the nightstand, but found myself not able to move in Edward's stone arms. "I just, I don't want Charlie to hear me. He has more important things to worry about."

A sudden but deep tickle set in my nose once more. My eyes burned for relief and my breathing picked up dramatically. I couldn't reach the tissues and I would've rather died than sneeze on Edward. I brought my sweatshirt sleeves up to my nose and mouth and barely had time to take a breath.

"HihShoo, hihSHeew!" Edward quietly blessed me after each sneeze and started reaching for the box of tissues before I had finished. I inhaled with the rest of the energy I had and one last time, "HehCHOO!" into my sleeve. The force of this one sent me harder into his chest.

I could feel his iron arms wrapped around me, pressing into my stomach. As my breath started hitching, his arms rose and fell with my breathing.

Scrambling to beat my sneeze, I wrapped my arms around his to try to pry his arms off of me. Why didn't he understand that I felt absolutely disgusting when I sneezed around him? And there he was. Doing nothing but encouraging my sneeziness.

"Hh . . . HhhEdward . . . ." I groaned his name still trying to free myself.

"Yes, love?" His sweet scent suddenly whipped around my face and sent my breath to it's peak.

"Hehh . . . hetCHOO!" I lurched forward, bending at the waist. Just as quickly, another surfaced. "HitCHOO!" The release eased my irritation.

"Bless you," he purred into my ear as soon as I was standing upright again.

I sniffled. "Sorry, thanks. Uh . . . ."

A shiver ran down my spine. "Do you have a . . . "

“—I’m fine,” I called out from my little shelter of arms and legs. A tickle situated deep in my nose and set me on edge. My breathing picked up and I could feel my hot breath forming warm splotches on my jeans.

“But you’re—”

“Please,” I pleaded in a tryingly peaceful but insistent tone. “I said I’m fine, I promise.” Pulling my legs and arms tighter around me, I tried to stop my breathing from hitching, but the pressure in my nose was too much. My breath peaked. “hehCHOO, hiitChOO!” My second sneeze led into a deep coughing fit, and I heard Edward bless me. More pressure built, then “hitSHOO! Huh . . . hh,” I inhaled, “hitchew! ”

“Bless you. Bella,” Edward’s voice was urgent. “You’re bleeding.”

I sat on the granite table. He grabbed a bottle of peroxide and a few rolls of gauze from the shelf and started cleaning the scratches on my hand and face. The subtle scent of acid made my nose tingle, but I suppressed my breathing as much as I could until Dr. Cullen returned to his shelf for a box of band-aids. My eyes watering, I brought my hands up to cover my nose and mouth before I couldn’t hold it in any longer. “hihCHEW! hhiSHOO!”

“Ah," Dr. Cullen furrowed his brow. "Bless you.”

His ice hand lingered at the side of my neck as he brushed my hair away. My breathing started to waver, and I couldn’t tell which felt more urgent. The tickle in my nose or Edward’s thrilling touch at my collarbone. My breath hitched, but hung in the air. “hh . . . huh . . .” I controlled my breathing for a moment more, but immediately lost it, “hitchew, hhehtchew!” I flinched at the feel of my own spit on my locked arm.

Without seeming to have even noticed my sneezes, Edward brought his fierce lips to the tender spot under my ear and gently kissed me. Then further down my neck, and another, leaving a trail of frozen kisses. Then, like nothing had happened, he leaned back up and released my arms.

“Did he go alone?” I asked, clearing my throat and sniffling. A deep tickle situated itself in my nose. Reaching over to the nightstand, I grabbed three tissues trying to be as nonchalant as I could.

“No, he wasn’t alone,” she said, carefully watching me. “Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett went, as well.”

The tingle set in even deeper. I was a nervous wreck as I felt Alice studying me, her eyes piercing me through. Pushing myself up to a sitting position like hers, I stared at a spot in front of me on the comforter, trying to ready myself. Before long, the sneezes surfaced and I pressed the tissues to my face as hard as I could to muffle the sound. “hitChmm, hehtCHmn!”

Looking up from my tissues, I found Alice still staring, her eyebrows arched in curiosity and her mouth hanging slightly open.

I felt another tickle in the same nostril, but this one emerged much quicker. “hhs— suhorry,” I tried to say, bringing the wet tissues back up. “ehSHew, hehSHuu!”

“Oh my gosh." She waited to see if I was done. After a few seconds of silence, she finally spoke. "Blesses, Bella.”

My breathing quickened as the tickle built, but I didn’t want to stop inhaling his scent. Closing my eyes, I knew I was going to have to conceal this from Edward. I had just told him I was feeling better. If he heard me sneeze, he would know something was up.

I brought my right hand up, pinching my nose shut and hoped that the pressure would disappear. After a minute, I released it, but still felt the tickle. Taking a subtle but deep breath in, I stifled the first sneeze, feeling it strong in my stomach and chest. Another breath in and then the second. Yes, I thought, I got these two past Edward. Somehow, I had stifled them silently.

“Bless you, bless you,” Edward whispered into the top of my hair, his tone soft. He rubbed my back in continuous circles. “Are you sure you’re feeling better?”

Still maintaining proximity, my breath started to hitch with exigency. My nose obviously couldn’t have chosen a worse time to act up. I tried to control my shallow breaths, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold the sneeziness in this time. Finally uncoiling my limbs from him, I turned away at the last moment, planting my hands beside me on the mattress to absorb the force. My hair was hanging over my shoulder, so I ducked my chin into my chest. “heehtCHEW!” Trying to finish my point, I continued. “See, thhhehre’s ah huh, hehiSHUU!” I cleared my throbbing throat.

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As I listened to her steady, if congested breathing, I assumed she’d fallen asleep again. However, suddenly, her breathing began to become uneven and she raised her head and turned away from me. “Bella?” I said, concerned. All I got in return was her shoulders trembling slightly as she continued to face away from me. “Bella,” I said again, trying to get her to turn round and face me, but she struggled away from me, sitting up now so I could see her profile. Her eyelids were fluttering, her nose was quivering and her mouth was slightly open, her lips trembling. Her breath hitched and suddenly I understood what was happening. I knew I should hand her the tissue box from the nightstand but suddenly I was paralysed, waiting for the inevitable. “Heh… heh… heh… HuhESCHOO!” Bella sneezed, her head snapping forward, covering her face with a curtain of hair.

All I could do was stare, transfixed, as she raised her head and turned towards me, blushing. “Edward can y…you ha…heh… heh… hand me a ti… ti… heh.. Heh…hehESCHOOO! HESCHOOO!” She sneezed twice into her sleeve, trying to hide behind her hair, obviously mortified. “Edward?” she said uncertainly.

I was dragged back to consciousness by the sound of my name. I jumped up at once and handed her the tissues. “I’m so sorry Bella! I don’t know what came over me there. That was very impolite of me to ignore your request.”

“It’s ok,” she said hoarsely, trying to blow her nose quietly, still looking embarrassed. “Are you alright?” I asked, gently stroking her arm. “Fine,” she said, although it came out more like “Fide”. She blushed and didn’t meet my eyes. I cupped her chin in my hand and asked gently, “What’s wrong?” She sighed and looked down. “It’s just embarrassing doing something so gross in front of you,” she said quietly, rubbing her nose.

I wanted to tell her how her sneeze had really made me feel but I didn’t know if I could put it into words. Instead I put my arms round her and held her tightly. “Nothing you do is ever gross to me, my love. It’s just a cold, I had those all the time when I was human.” Bella groaned into my shirt and said “yeah, when did you last sneeze, like a hundred years ago?” I hadn’t ever really thought about it, but I supposed she was right. But my immune system had been weak as a human and I still recalled the misery she was undoubtedly feeling. I kissed the top of her head and started moving down to her ear and neck, when I felt her stiffen and push against my chest. I loosened my hold on her and saw that she had that pre-sneeze expression on her face along with a slight hint of panic. “Ed…edwa… heh… heh….” she struggled to hold back the sneeze and break free from my arms which were still round her.

I knew what I was supposed to do. I should have let her go and handed her the tissues. But from the moment I saw her sneeze the first time, something had erupted inside me and I couldn’t help myself. I had to watch her face as it contorted as the sneeze came to fruition, feel her body tremble and hear her breath hitch as she struggled to keep it at bay. “Ed…edwar…heh…heh!” she gasped, fighting harder now although I could see she was losing the battle.

I couldn’t help it. I lost all control and pulled her to me, kissing her fiercely, urgently. “Huh…?” I heard her gasp with shock and surprise as I refused to let go. It seemed to have worked, her breath was no longer hitching and she seemed to be surrendering to my kiss. I inhaled her beautiful, mouthwatering scent and pressed myself harder against her. She moaned softly, her lips moving on mine lovingly and desperately. However, suddenly she pulled away, and with no time to try and break free, she sneezed forcefully, directly onto my chest. “Heh…hehESCHOOO! HEASCHOOO!! Huh… huh… huhASCHOO!”

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As we stand there, he draws a sharp gasp. My first instinct is to ask, “What is it?” but one glance up at his face gives me my answer.

His eyes are half-closed, his mouth open and expectant. The darkened rims of his nostrils are shivering with irritation, the handkerchief hovering a few inches away. He turns as far away from me as he can, keeping one hand around my back. I lower my arms to his waist, feeling his chest tremble and hitch as it builds.

The first one he squelches into the cloth, “hUH-p’MPHkxgt!” It’s much more powerful than he must have anticipated, ripping through him with such force that I can feel his rock-hard muscles cramp from the strain. He raises his head a fraction, and I catch a glimpse of him winding up for another, marble lips parted and trembling. His eyes look watery, his breath coming in desperate pants as a violent "Hh-NGXSCHT!” rips through his sinuses.

I am beginning to doubt the truth of his note: Feeling better…

“Edward,” I murmur softly, squeezing his arm. “It’s okay. You can let go.”

He tosses a tortured glance my way, lower lip quivering, nostrils still wide, begging for relief. He turns, shielding me from the full force of it, and releases a furious fit into the cloth. “ihh-HIIshh! Eh-IIshh! Heh-IISSCCHhh!” I keep close to him, feeling his entire body ripple with each wet, helpless release. “ehhHH??... eh-IXXSSH! IHH-SSSHH!” He stops for a moment, head thrown back, frozen in place. I wait, knowing another tickle must be working its way out, and sure enough: “eEhhh!… Uuh… huhhh… HAH!...EKGSSCHuu! Uuh-NNCHSSHuu!”

He sighs, shoulders slumping wearily. I step away while he blows, the watery gurgle indicative of thick, viscous congestion.

He snuffles thickly, nostrils widening in an attempt to bring in air. The sound declares without question that he is not successful. He struggles to sit up, and I stack some pillows behind him and help him settle back.

He opens his mouth to reply, “He…” then gets caught off guard with a cold-induced tickle. His nose wrinkles, granite-hard knuckles coming up to scrub furiously at it, trying to get at the burning itch within. Two short gasps escape, his shoulders bouncing with the sudden “Hah-hah!...” He gains control for a brief second, doggedly continuing, “He went to thuhh… ehh??” and loses it. He tries a different approach, bringing his handkerchief up to try and blow out the prickling sensation. “SHshshsh-huh-MPPSHHuu!” Instead, blowing himself right into a sneeze. And once the first one escapes, he can’t seem to stop.

“Ehh-KMMPHT! Ehh-KKSHOO! AHH-SHuu!...” he pulls the cloth away, moving it around looking for a drier spot, trying to hold back until he finds it. His upper lip is curled into a sneer, his eyes fluttering and nose wrinkling and shivering. He’s not going to make it. “iihh…ih-ih Eehh-TTSHOO! Ugh, God…” he aims at his shoulder, not quite getting the handkerchief up in time. He tries to blow, his eyes closed as the crawling prickle tortures him, but can only sneeze. “Shshsh…EHH-GGSHUU! kiiiSHHuu!” he pinches his nose closed, trying to stop the fit. “He-xMPTT! H’XXT! N’gsshXGGT!” his eyes are watering, a thin trickle of silver squeezing out between his closed lids.

“Ugh!!” he snaps, shaking his head and losing patience with himself. “Edough!” His speech is so thick and congested I can hardly understand him. “Carlisle wedt to the hospital for a bag of blood. Hubad blood will cure this… thig… ad Carlisle is the odly ode with edough…hahhh… codtrol to drigk… iihhh… iihhh…it… Heh’iihhKKSSHu!” This last sneeze sends him into a coughing fit, the handkerchief pressed to his lips as his chest rattles and heaves.

He struggles to sit up, and I help, noticing that he wrinkles his nose and blinks. For half a second, I think he must have smelled something odd, but then realize he’s going to sneeze.

Sure enough, "Hehh-..! Hh.. Heh'ESCCCHHTT!!" He turns at the last moment to catch it under the crook of his arm. I snatch several tissues out of the box, thrusting them into his hand as another ragged “Hhn’EKTSCHU!” burst forth. Edward groans, pressing the wad of tissues to his running nose as his breath hitches. “Heh.. IHptsh!... Suhh...s-sorry...I...iishhuh! hh’IPTSCHU!” he gasps, nose still twitching, the squirming tickle rolling through his tortured sinuses, pricking and burning until the sneeze comes, a blessed relief when they finally barrel through him.

I watch as his brow wrinkles, noticing for the first time how his eyebrows draw together just as his head snaps forward with the violent “h'ESHHuh!” He always rears his head back, mouth falling open and nostrils flaring hypnotically as he drags in enough air to fuel the impending sneeze, before snapping forward with the inevitable “Hh’YISSHuu!” He gasps deeply, “Hiiih . . .!” But this one backs down, leaving him blinking dazedly and still looking incredibly sneezy.

He takes advantage of the lull to blow his nose thickly, “SXNSHGSXNSG-iih’SHHuu!!” blowing himself into another sneeze.

I grab another handful of white squares, taking his wrist gently and pressing them into his free hand as he gears up for another round. “Hh’ettchst!... ihh… ihhHHH… hhp’IPTSCHuu! Uuuuuggghhh….” he groans, looking more exhausted and pitiful than I ever could have imagined a fearsome, lethal vampire could look. His nose is chapped, cheeks pale with the effort, and his eyes are watery. His upper lip curls back, and the tip of his tongue hangs suspended between his sharp, glittering teeth.

“You okay?” I ask, my own brow furrowed with concern.

He nods wearily. “Ode… ode bore…” he pants, bringing one long finger up to rub around the rim of his left nostril, which pulsates in a spellbinding rhythm.

“Huh’hUTSHuu!” he barely catches it in the paper, shredding it with the force.

“Bless you,” I murmur, noticing how his sneezes have more time between them, each shuddering through him with ferocious intensity. He is gearing up for another, but seems so drained, so exhausted that he can’t even keep his eyes open, let alone bring his hand up to contain the explosion.

Without even realizing it, I find one of his clean handkerchiefs folded across my palm, my hand placed strategically cupping his mouth to catch another weak “Haah-TCHSHuu!” that seems to come up from his toes.

“Blow,” I instruct, holding the cloth there while he takes a deep, wheezing breath, pushing it out through his stuffed-up nose: “SSNGHSNGGHSHH.”

The fluid tumbles over itself on its way out of his swollen and irritated sinuses, warm, wet.

“Better?” I ask.

He opens his mouth to answer, but nothing comes out. He suddenly gets a faraway look of intense concentration, which I immediately recognize as another fast-approaching sneeze. I witness his brows meet and his nostrils begin flaring. His upper lip curls oh-so-slowly as the tickle tortures him, seeming to wind its way from one nostril to the other, leaving him sitting there helpless as he waits for it to force its way out.

It doesn’t take long.

He snaps up another wad of tissues, rocking forward with a vicious “Hah-chISSSHh! Oh... Huh... Sorry, I... huh... Huh-uh...Huh-CHIshuu!!” he blows his nose again, chucking the tissues in the wastebasket with a grunt of frustration.

I sit on the bed, pulling her suddenly into my lap, smiling at her shocked expression. “I feel fine,” I purr, resting my cheek against the top of her head. She feels slight in my arms, like a baby bird, and glowing with warmth. Her warmth fascinates me: I can’t get enough of it. I revel in the feeling of her in my arms, closing my eyes and eliciting a deep, unreserved sigh of contentment.

My nose chooses that precise moment to betray me.

The sensitive membranes vibrate briskly with the desire to expel the germs that tickle them, involuntarily causing me to gasp as the urge gathers strength. I pull away from her and fumble in my pocket for a handkerchief, glimpsing her worried expression through my squinting eyes. I try to reassure her:

"Hang on... gotta... iih… sneeze... ,” I sniffle thickly, dense congestion suddenly flooding my sinuses with surprising speed. "Godda be ha... HAhh... big wod..." My eyes squelched shut as I am catapulted forward with a throaty, "huh’HKSCHHuu!!" a light spray shooting out from my lips like a geyser.

Thankfully, I have snapped the handkerchief up from my pocket just in time, preventing any embarrassing mess. I blow my nose, thankful when that single sneeze – violent and wrenching as it had been – satisfies the tickle for the moment. It is still there, light and teasing as it has been every moment of the past day, but not intensifying into another ridiculous fit.