Hello!

A quick note before the chapter begins... I will be the first to admit that I am by no means a published or official author. I'm just an average human tryin' to make their way through life. As such, I would like to take a moment to point out a very human mistake I made with the last chapter which is simply—I gave in to feelings of self-doubt.

Due a few well-meaning (and greatly appreciated!) PMs, I wrote a scene between these characters (who I have grown quite fond of) that, as lovely reviewer pointed out, did not match what I had been depicting. Given the forgiving nature of fanfiction sites (wherein chapters can be revised, edited, or completely removed), I have decided to remove this particular scene from the last chapter and re-work it for later use.

To the reviewers who sent me those private messages—thank you so much for taking a vested interest in this story. This Author's Note is not in any way intended to call you out or blame you for what I published. Rather, I am using this note to admit that I succumbed to the pressure of others and published something that I was neither proud of nor felt confident about.

If you already read the previous chapter and found it out of place or off-putting—I'm with you. If you read the previous chapter and loved it—yay! You can keep what you read in your memory and/or let it guide you as we continue with our story. But I am going to be diligent about staying true to these characters and watching them grow, which will be a slow-burning process.

Thank you to everyone who is following and reading—especially those of you who take the time to review and critique. This is a fun pastime for me and I hope, despite this small snafu, you continue to follow it with me.

Thank you for taking the time to read and have a wonderful New Year!

When we approached Charlie's house, I frowned upon noticing that Charlie's car was not in the driveway. Edward had noticed this, too. "Didn't he say he was going to be here when you returned?"

"Yeah… You heard that?"

Edward shrugged in a way that said: Super-sonic hearing, remember? I ignored this. "Yes, he did. Something must have come up at the station. I'll text him." I reached into my pocket for my cell phone and then groaned upon realizing that I had left it on the loveseat in Edward's sitting room. "Damn it."

"What?" Edward asked, moving closer to me across the seat, as if he was checking to see if I had injured myself.

"I forgot my cell phone at your house."

"Oh. I'll go run and get it."

I waved my fingers at Edward and was about to tell him to simply bring it school tomorrow when I realized that he had unbuckled himself and exited the car. I followed suit. "Uh, what exactly are you doing?"

Edward looked at me as if the answer was obvious. He gestured vaguely in a direction that I assumed must have been the location of his house and said, "I'm going to run and get it."

I was confused. "You mean you're literally going to run?"

Edward nodded.

"With your feet?"

Edward laughed. "Like I said—I'm fast."

I curved my lips downward and, after a moments' pondering, casually said, "Okay then, yeah, that would be wonderful."

"Do you have another way to contact someone if there is an emergency?" Edward inquired, glancing between me and Charlie's house.

"We have a landline," I confirmed. This seemed to appease Edward, as he locked his car, tucked his keys into his pocket and then started jogging away in the direction he had indicated earlier. "Okay then," I whispered to the empty air around me, a bit in shock that Edward was literally going to jog dozens of miles, likely in a matter of minutes, simply to retrieve my forgotten cell phone. I smiled, shaking my head as I entered the house. I set my keys on the dining room table and noticed a handwritten note from Charlie.

There's been another animal attack—this time in town—and I'm needed to help with the investigation. Might be an all-nighter. Lock all the doors as soon as you get done reading this and keep your phone close by. Call if you need anything. Love you, Bells.

I smiled at the ending—I had always been fond of Charlie's pet name for me—and set the note back on the table. I was overcome with the sudden urge to yawn and glanced at the watch on my wrist. How was it almost ten o'clock already? Had I really spent that much time at the Cullens'?

With no frame of reference for how long it would take Edward to return with my cell phone, I resigned myself to get ready for bed and see what happened next. I padded up the stairs to the bedroom and changed into my favorite pair of pajama pants and a tank top. After brushing my teeth and pulling my hair into a ponytail, I padded back down the stairs and wrapped myself in a blanket, settling into the couch. I found the remote and clicked on the TV, surfing the channels for anything interesting. Eventually, I settled upon a National Geographic documentary about baby owls. Not my usual fare, but it seemed better than nothing. About three minutes after venturing into the adorable and oddly dangerous world of baby owls, there was a knock at the door.

I abandoned the blanket on the couch and hurried over to the front door, opening it. Standing before me was a very wet and exhilarated-looking Edward. I glanced behind him and noticed it was sprinkling gently. For a moment, we sized each other up, with Edward noting my pajama get-up, and me working very hard to tear my eyes away from the way his light blue dress shirt clung mercilessly to the contoured dips and curves of his chest.

"Well hello," I greeted, trying to hold back a smile.

"Hi," he replied, extending a hand towards me. I glanced down and noticed he was holding my cell phone.

"Ah. Almost forgot about that," I playfully lied, lifting the phone from his palm and tucking into the waistband of my pajama pants. "Thank you."

Edward nodded and then ran a hand through his bronze hair, shaking loose a few droplets of rainwater.

I gazed at him and then offered, "Would you care to come in a watch a boring, drawn out documentary about baby owls?"

Edward quirked a brow. "Naturally."

I smiled and then pulled the door open a bit more, gesturing for him to enter into the small foyer. I shut the door and then placed my hands on my hips, studying him. "I'll throw your clothes in the dryer and grab you some of Charlie's things to wear," I concluded with a nod.

Edward smiled appreciatively and I directed him to the one and only bathroom in the house. As he disrobed, I rooted through Charlie's things, trying to find a pair of pants and a t-shirt that would not be too loose on Edward's skinny body. Eventually, I found some clothes that I was fairly certain Charlie had not worn since his college days and left them outside the bathroom door. "You can throw your clothes in the dryer when you're done," I called loudly through the door, momentarily forgetting that Edward likely would have been able to hear me whisper if he wanted to.

I returned downstairs to the couch and waited for Edward to return. Upon hearing the dryer click on, I turned around and grinned, working very hard to stifle chortles of laughter. Edward was swimming in Charlie's clothes and had to use both hands to keep the pants up. "You look amazing," I said, gesturing that Edward was to take a seat next to me on the couch. I gathered up the blanket I had discarded earlier, holding it in my arms.

Shaking his head, Edward took a seat next to me and shot me an annoyed look. "I actually think your clothes would have fit better," he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Blanket?" I offered teasingly, settling again into the well-worn couch cushions.

"No, thank you."

"Suit yourself." I wrapped the blanket around my body and then turned the volume up on the documentary. "Do you not ever get cold?" I asked. "Or hot?"

Edward shook his head. "Not really, no. Our bodies regulate really well."

I pursed my lips. "Interesting."

I could see Edward glance at me out of the corner of his eye. He looked as if he was going to say something, but then thought better of it. We both fixed our eyes to the television, wincing in tandem as one of the baby owls was nearly snatched up by a rival bird. "Does it bother you to kill animals?" I asked suddenly, hoping this would not be another one of those questions that offended Edward.

He took a breath and sighed. I smiled to myself. "It used to," he said, crossing his arms and leaning back into the couch. "But at some point, you realize the alternative is much, much worse. You get used it."

"That makes sense. I know that, instinctually speaking, I would also hunt animals if I needed to eat. I suppose that was a silly question." I shrugged and nestled myself further into the blanket.

"Not really. You're curious; it's natural. Besides, I don't mind."

This was a lie and I knew it, but I decided to let it slide.

"What if Charlie returns early?" Edward asked, eyes fixed to the TV screen; he seemed far too invested in the relatively pointless documentary.

"You're the one with the mind-reading capabilities," I countered. "Not my job."

Edward chuckled, the sound just an exhale of breath through his nose. "Fair point. I'm on watch duty, then."

We continued to watch the documentary, with me occasionally interjecting to ask invasive questions and Edward politely, if not reluctantly, answering each one. By the time the documentary was drawing to a close, I was exhausted. I stretched my arms in the air with a yawn and then turned to Edward, whose gaze was still fixed on the television. In the dimmed light, with the bouncing glow from the television screen, I studied his striking features. "What are we, Edward Cullen?" I asked suddenly.

He turned to me, his expression perplexed. "How do you mean?"

"I mean where is this going? What's the end-goal? Do we just continue on like this—hanging out, exchanging questions and answers, watching shitty nature documentaries—until I'm old and frail and you're not?"

Something about this seemed to puzzle Edward. "Is that how you imagine yourself?" he asked gently. "Old and frail?"

"Well, yeah," I said, confused as to why this was the part of my comment Edward had chosen to pick up on. "What other option is there?" Edward stared at me and I understood. "You mean… become like you?"

Edward pressed his lips together and his expression hardened, but there was still a bit of confusion dancing his eyes. I was thoroughly confused at this point.

"Isn't that what you want?" Edward murmured, his golden eyes burning into my own.

"No," I said quietly, shaking my head. "Not at all. Not to be rude, but living forever sounds…" I trailed away, electing to choose my words carefully. "Living forever sounds incredibly lonely. Trust me, I know; I've read Tuck Everlasting." Edward's expression softened just slightly, and I continued. "Am I curious about the mechanics of it—about your day-to-day life? Absolutely. Who wouldn't be? But I can't imagine living it. I would have to watch everyone I love grow old and pass away in front of me; I could never have children; I'd have to give up my life as I know it. I don't want that. I don't want to live forever. Our lives are meant to have an end date. It makes everything that comes before meaningful and worthwhile." I quirked my lip, chewing the inside with my teeth. "My heart breaks for you because—unlike your siblings—I'm not entirely convinced that you were suited for a life of immortality. Everyone else in your family, they wear it well—proudly. But you…? I sense there's something deeper there."

Edward's expression was misty—a strange combination of appreciation, confusion, relief, and… another emotion I couldn't quite place.

I stared blankly at him and waited for him to say something. Instead, he simply continued to stare at me, his expression devastatingly difficult to read. Finally, voice barely a murmur, he said, "I don't know what we are right now. But what I do know is that our paths have been inextricably linked. And I don't think we could get rid of each other, even if we tried."

I liked this answer. It seemed to capture our current situation accurately. "So," I said with a bit of a drawl, "does this mean that you are prepared and willing to accept the responsibilities of being stuck with me, Edward Cullen? Because it only seems fair to warn you now that I have some conditions."

"Oh?" Edward queried, playing along. "Do tell."

"Well, for starters, I will insist on driving us everywhere in my shitty clunker of a truck."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Manageable."

"In my old age, having won numerous Nobel Prizes for my contributions to scientific research, I will demand that you accompany me everywhere, serving as my trophy wife."

"Obviously."

"And lastly—you are not ever allowed to wear Charlie's clothes again."

Edward pursed his lips, holding back a smile. "I think I can make that work."

"Excellent." I pressed my lips together in a smile and then scooted slightly closer to Edward's seated form. "Well, our dryer is about 15 years old, so I doubt your clothes are dry yet… Want to watch another shitty documentary?"

Edward shook his head and smiled. "Always."