Chapter 8

The drive was quick; I did not even have much time to grasp the idea that we even left the school. Before I knew it, Edward turned down a long drive way and squealed to a stop in front of a giant house tucked way back in the woods. I put my head back onto the head rest, trying to get the rest of me to catch up with the speed that it took us to get us from point A to point B. I turned to look to my left and saw that Edward was not in the driver's seat. I cocked my head to the side trying to remember ever hearing the open and close. Shrugging I opened my door and stepped out into the bright open meadow that surrounded the house. I could see the small rays of sun trying to break through the clouds and bounce off of the windows.

I shut the door quietly and just stood there, not knowing what I was really to be doing. I took a heavy breath and then walked toward the steps and sat down. I was amazed at how tired I was becoming. At my last doctor's appointment, Megan said that the baby was doing very well and that everything was looking good. I was still shocked at how she was able to measure my stomach with a tape ruler and determined that the baby was well.

At the thought of the baby, I reached down and rubbed my belly. Five months down with four or so months left. There was still so much to do. Charlie has been great at trying to help me, but I wanted to do as much as I could on my own. I knew it was going to be tough, but something kept telling me that everything would be alright.

I closed my eyes and let the sun begin to shine onto my face; it felt wonderful, surreal almost. A town that very rarely sees the sun and here I was enjoying it in front of a gorgeous house. A gush of wind blew my hair around my eyes and when I reached up to move the strands I was shocked to see Edward staring intently at me.

"Are you hungry?" he asked looking at me and then down to where my hand was resting on my stomach.

I shook my head, but my lower half had a mind of its own as a rumbling noise came from it. Edward nodded his head and then walked up the steps and into the house. I stood up stiffly, not sure if I was to follow. I took hold of the rail and climbed the rest of the way up, pushing open the slightly a jarred door. I stood in a stunned silence at its splendor.

The far wall was nothing but a wall of glass that over looked the back yard. You could see the sun high in the air and casting rays and shadows on the Olympia mountain range. I looked over to my left and saw a white grand piano sitting on a raised hard wood platform. Then there was the grand staircase. If I closed my eyes, I could almost sense seeing someone like Scarlett O'Hare walking down it. Or maybe it was Edward's drop-dead gorgeous sister in a red Southern bell dress. Either way, it wasn't me that I saw walking down the stairs gracefully. Falling down would be more likely,

As I looked around, I realized that a place like this did not belong in the small town of Forks. Maybe one of the coastal island towns such as Bainbridge or San Juan, but not here, not in Forks. Then there was the other outcast that didn't belong, me. I very easily saw myself as the pile of shit on the white Persian rugs. I am the person that could stand out in a "What doesn't belong" picture.

I reached up and wiped a tear from my eye before it could fall. Who was I fooling? I needed to get out of here, as much as I would like to have answers and as much as I would like to get to know Edward better, this picture perfect family and the picture perfect house, it wasn't for me. They obviously had money. Me, I saw myself as Aladdin before he found the Genie. I started to think how grateful that I did not see this place last night, when it was dark.

Just as I placed my hand on the door knob, I could feel the icy cold breath on my neck. I turned and when I did my lips were just millimeters always from Edward's you could not even put a feather between us.

Kiss me, I thought, show me that this is just a dream. But even if it was, did I really want to wake up?

Edward stood up immediately and handed me a plate with a sandwich on it. "Were you going to leave?"

I took the plate and then followed him into the sitting room and took a seat on one of the many white sofas. I shrugged my shoulders taking a bite. I was thankful for the sandwich, if anything it would occupy my mouth for a moment. After I swallowed, I realized that Edward was still waiting for an answer.

"I don't belong here," I said quietly.

"It is I, who doesn't belong."

I looked up at him, trying to understand his word who speaks like that anymore? "But this is your home."

Edward looked around for a moment and nodded his head. "Yes, but I don't belong here. I never really knew where I belonged, at least before…"

"Before what?"

Edward shot his head up and looked right at me. "I believe you were going to tell me what happened in your dream."

I smiled, two can play this game. "And I thought you were going to explain why we left school."

Edward shrugged, "Fair enough. I can't be out in the sun and I heard it was going to be a beautiful day."

My brows creased together. "Do you some kind of illness or something?"

Edward chuckled silently. "No, nothing like that. Back to your dream."

I took another bite of my sandwich. "You bit me." I looked up to see Edward's eyes go dark, but his face seemed to be masked in a perfect composed expression. "Now, why would you do something like that?"

"I'm more interested in your theories."

I sighed. "You're just going to laugh."

"Try me," Edward said standing up and walking closer to me. My eyes were mesmerized at how slow he moved, how silent his steps were.

I swallowed hard. "I ruled out radioactive spiders and you running around in spandex tights saving people."

Edward sat down right next to me tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "What else is there? I want to hear you say it."

I looked straight ahead, my heart beginning to race at how close he was to me. I could smell his breath, I could hear…

"Your heart," my eyes widened at what I realized. "My heart is beating at extreme speeds, but yours isn't."

Edward backed up just slightly with a devilish grin on his face. "My heart hasn't beaten in a very long time."

"How long is a very long time?"

"Close to a hundred years."

I stood up suddenly. "I think it is time for me to leave."

"You're scared?"

I turned and looked at him trying to figure out if that was the real reason for leaving. The gold eyes, the cold skin, the lack of a heart beat. Everything in my core was telling me that I should try and run, but I did not want to run out the door, but run closer to the danger. I wanted to feel safe, protected, for once I wanted to be able to open up and share my deep, dark secrets. Granted my secrets were nothing compared to his. At this realization I backed up against the wall and slid down until I was sitting on the floor. I was tired of running; I was tired of constantly being afraid and looking over my shoulder. But most of all I was tired of not knowing what tomorrow would hold for me. To be able to see into the future and know that my baby and I will make it. That I would beat the odds that have been stacked up against me. That I would one day meet my own Prince Charming. For some reason as I looked up I could see Edward being my Prince Charming and I his Cinderella.

Shhh, Bella, be very still, this won't hurt.

I shook my head at the memory. "You're not the scariest person that I have seen, nor am I afraid of you."

Edward didn't move from his spot.

Bella, if you tell anyone, I will kill you. I closed my eyes as I watched Dean climb off of me and slap me in the face. My head turned automatically as if the blow was happening right then and not in a memory.

"Bella," Edward said standing up from the sofa. With a blink of an eye he was knelling down in front of me. "I know that you are pregnant, besides from seeing the sonogram picture, I can hear the baby's heartbeat. I have known since you sat by me in that first day of biology. But what I don't understand is what you are running from. I won't hurt you, the monster inside of me may want to, but I couldn't live with myself if I did."

I looked up at him. "You want me," I said quietly. "But in your eyes, you want me in more than one way."

I could tell the words that left my mouth hit Edward hard; I bit down on my lip before I continued. "You and your family, all of you are vampires aren't you?"

Edward nodded his head slowly and has he did so, I could feel a brick being lifted off of my shoulders. I closed my eyes as I took this in.

"But you're different?" I said not sure if it was even a question. "You are around humans, which mean either you have very good control or all the myths of vampires drinking blood are not true."

"My family feeds off of animal blood but of course there are those that are not like my family that very much enjoys human blood."

"The sun, will you burn?"

Edward laughed. "No, the sun doesn't hurt us."

I looked around at all the brightness in the home and realized that it was nothing like how I saw a vampire's lira. "So your coffins must be upstairs. Or you hang upside down from the attic rafters?"

"Myths. We don't sleep."

I smiled at that. "What I would give to not close my eyes and sleep again, that seems like a blessing."

Edward jumped to his feet and picked me up off the ground. "Don't you ever say that, this life is far from a blessing, it is a curse. To never be able to go out in the sun, to never enjoy simple pleasures such as chocolate and to never be able to dream again."

I tensed in his strong hold and slowly he put me down. "Dreams are not what they are cracked up to be. Believe me."

I managed to get away from the wall and began to walk around looking at the rest of the down stairs. I looked over my shoulder and saw that Edward still has not moved, but was watching my every move. "So, Edward, if you think dreams are a blessing, what is it that you would dream about?"

I walked into the kitchen, shocked to see a chef quality kitchen in house full of vampires. I reached up and let my fingers graze along the stainless steel pots and pans that hung over the stainless steel island stove.

"You."

I jumped slightly and my heart began to race, but I quickly tried to quiet it down. I turned and again our lips were so close. It took every muscle in my arm to not reach up and touch his face, to run my hands through his messy bronze hair. But instead, I leaned back and placed my hands on the cold marble countertop.

"Me?" I squeaked.

"I can't explain it, Bella, but I'm drawn to you and not just your blood. There's something about you. I feel that I have been waiting my whole life for you. My dead heart began to beat that first day, when at the same time I thought you were the devil reincarnated, sent to destroy me. A silly human girl, I thought, was going to be the death of me."

I was backed up against a rock, literally. I didn't know what to say. I knew what I wanted to do, but was I ready for that. Was he?

"There you are bro?" a booming voice said from the outside of the kitchen door. "Look at you skipping out on class before the sun decided to shine."

I turned my head to look at the burly man with dark hair and golden eyes. He caught my eye as well and smiled.

"Hey look guys, Edward brought home dinner!"

Edward turned and spread his legs and arms around me, his back pressing me farther into the counter. A low growl escaped his lips, much like a lion protecting his prey. My eyes widened at what he was doing.

"Emmett," Edward said. "Bella is not dinner!"

Emmett held his hands in the air. "Just kidding."

Edward relaxed his stance just slightly as the rest of his siblings came into the room. I already knew who they were; everyone in Forks knew who they were.

"Hi, Bella," Alice said coming up to me. "I am glad that you are doing well." I watched as her eyes glazed over just slightly. "OHHH, we need to plan a shopping trip, and very soon."

"Excuse me?"

"You know for the baby," Alice said leaning toward me and whispering, but I had the strange feeling that the whispering was for dramatic effect.

"Hi," a blond girl said stepping in front of Alice. "I never introduced myself. I'm Rosalie. If you ever want to talk, let me know, I have been through a similar circumstance like what happened to you last night. Except mine didn't end as well as yours did. No Knight and Shining armor to my rescue."

"Anyways," Edward said and I could tell that he wanted the subject changed. "That one that so rudely interrupted us is Emmett, and Jasper is the one standing by the door."

I looked over to him and raised my hand to wave, but by the time I did, he was already gone.

Edward lowered his head to my ear, his icy breath sending chills down my spine. "He has the hardest time around humans; he is relatively new to our lifestyle. But everyday he does better."

"Yea, for me?" I said.

Alice's eyes did that strange glazing thing. "Carlisle and Esme will be back from their hunting trip in four minutes and nineteen seconds."

Edward just nodded. "I can already hear them; they are just over the range."

I looked back and forth between him and his sister. "Wait a minute. What do you mean you can hear them? And how does she know the exact second they will be home?"

"Opps," Alice said. "I guess we came home too soon. Edward?"

"Well, some vampires have unique gifts, or powers. It is believed that whatever our strongest quality was as a human, we brought that quality with us, but intensified. Alice can see the future."

My eyes widened at the idea.

"But," Alice started. "I can only see how a decision is played out. For instance, I saw you…"

"Alice!!" Edward hissed.

Alice crossed her arms over her chest and glared right back at Edward, even with her short statue, she looked menacing. "She's going to find out soon enough."

"What about me?" I asked putting a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Edward, what does Alice see about my future, I need to know, that has been the one thing that has been on my mind since I made the decision to come…" my voice trailed at the final part of what I just said: decision. "You saw that I was coming?"

Alice looked to Edward and then to me, she nodded her head. "I saw a teenage girl coming into Edward's life who would change Edward in more ways than any of us ever could. I saw Edward has choosing this same girl to be his…"

"Alice that's enough for today," Edward turned to block my view from Alice. "Like I was saying, Jasper has the gift of empathy; he can control emotions, while I can read minds."

My eyes grew open again at all the thoughts that have been wandering through my head since the first day. I put my hand to my mouth realizing that he already knew my secrets, he knew about the rape and the pregnancy. My fears in how I was going to raise the baby, my nightmares. Edward has seen it all.

"I need to go," I said ducking under his arm.

"Bella?" Edward called after me.

"Wait, Edward," I could hear Alice say from the kitchen. "Give her two minutes and then go find her. She's ready."

Ready? What was I ready for? I opened the front door and stood next to the stupid shiny Volvo, wishing now that I denied his request for a ride to school. I grabbed my backpack from the front seat and put it over my shoulder. I was not even sure where we were in comparison to home, but starting with the driveway was my best option. I made it until the end when I could feel arms wrap around my waist and get pulled up onto his back.

We were running at speeds that are not even considered to be real. After a few minutes we stopped and Edward put me down on the ground. As I stood, looking around to figure out where Edward dumped me, I was surprised to see a meadow full of sunlight. The array of spring flowers just beginning to blossom. I walked into the middle of the meadow and reached down to pick a small pink flower and inhaled the scent.

"Alice says you're ready," Edward said from behind me.

I stood up and looked around but all I could see was the woods and shadows. "You would know. You are the one that can read my thoughts?"

"No, I can't," Edward said and I could hear a hint of regret. "I can't read you, Bella."

I let out a breath of air that I did not even know that I was holding. "Come out, Edward."

Edward stepped out slowly from the shadows that he was hiding in and I watched as his skin came to life like a giant crystal. As he stood there in the sun, his skin sparkled like a thousand facet diamond. I realized then that he was beyond my wildest dreams. At the same time, I realized that I found what I was looking for. Just like I think he knew all along what he was looking for. We were both diamonds in the rough.

"You are so beautiful," I said more to myself.

Edward's lips turned up just slightly. "Not as beautiful as you."

I could feel my checks burn as the blood boiled up. Edward walked into the clearing with his shirt unbuttoned and reached out to touch my cheek. I pressed my heated skin into his palm and relished in his cool touch. He took hold of my hand and walked me to the middle of the meadow. He took off his shirt and placed it on the ground for me to sit on and then very gently he placed his hands on my shoulders to get me to lie.

"Lie very still," he said quietly.

I swallowed, but did not move a muscle as he lifted up my shirt and exposed my baby bump. He looked at my stomach as it moved up and down with each breath. Very slowly he lowered his head onto the baby, with his eyes locked with mine, I watched as he listened.

"Your heart and the baby's almost beats in unison," Edward said quietly and then turned to rub his nose along my stretched skin. "Already smells like you."

Edward placed his head back on my stomach to continue to listen; I reached up on instinct and ran my fingers through his hair. Now, this is how being pregnant was meant to be. I was to find love and have a baby with the person I love. Not the other way around.

"You and your baby," Edward said quietly. "I vow to always protect you. The two of you are my life. You don't need to ever be afraid or worry again, Bella, you can trust me."

"What exactly has Alice seen about my future?"

Edward looked up for just a moment and smiled. "She saw this."

I could feel hot tears begin to fall from my eyes and my lips begin to tremble. I took a deep breath. "It was a Halloween and Homecoming party…."

A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and I am so excited that no one has written me off!! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, I enjoyed writing it. Lucky for all of you, you did not need to wait for very long. I think I have got my groove on!!

I am also beta'ing two stories, so if you are looking for more to read go check out:

Kimberly128 – Have a Little Faith – all vampires, cannon pairing

Foreverafreak89 – Buy One get Five – all human, cannon pairing