AN: As is always the case, these characters do not belong to me but to Stephenie Meyer. Hope this meets with you approval. Once again, I wish to thank my beta who is a great help in editing my chapters.

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Family – Edward

I knew Carlisle and Esme would be able to convince Bella that even though she was human she was still a part of our family. I didn't want her to feel like an outsider just because Rose refused to accept her. Besides, it wasn't Rose's call as to who was and wasn't in our family; that was up to Carlisle and Esme to decide.

As I pulled up to the house, I saw Carlisle and Esme standing on the porch. At first, I thought they knew I was coming, but their thoughts told me they'd come out to see who was driving up toward the house.

Carlisle's first words to me were, "Are you leading Bella astray by skipping school with her?" I wasn't sure if Bella heard that or not since he said it fast and soft, but after looking over at her I wasn't sure. She had a frown on her face, and I couldn't interpret what it meant.

I swiftly left the car and moved to Bella's side to open the door and helped her out. Bella smiled shyly at Carlisle and Esme. I wondered if she felt guilty about skipping school, although I was the one who whisked her away.

"We need to talk," I said as Bella and I approached Carlisle and Esme. I looked down and saw Bella blush.

"About?" Carlisle asked.

"Family," I replied.

"First," Esme held out her hand to Bella, "Let's make Bella comfortable." Esme always considered Bella's physical needs first; it was part of her caring personality.

With a smile, Bella took Esme's outstretched hand and replied, "Thank you."

As Esme lead Bella into the living room, I quickly explained to Carlisle what happened between Rose and Bella at lunch. I also included the part about Emmett kissing Bella even though it was awkward. Carlisle smiled as I mentioned the parking lot event and inquired, "And did you get upset?"

I admitted, "At first, but then I saw that it wasn't anything serious, no more than him kissing Alice at times."

"Good. I wouldn't want to take both of you to task for losing your tempers over something trivial." With that, we joined Esme and Bella in the living room.

I sat beside Bella, took her hand in mine, and started, "I thought it would be helpful if you shared your views about Bella's place in our family."

Carlisle was seated beside Esme. He smiled at her and then looked at Bella. "Esme and I have talked about this and we want you to know that we consider you a part of our family. To us it doesn't matter if you're human or not, what matters is who you are, and in our eyes, you're as much a daughter to us as Alice and Rose."

Bella blushed a deep shade of red. I remembered her saying she thought I was trying to humiliate her when I made her blush; I hoped she didn't feel that way about Carlisle's comment. I carefully squeezed her hand a little for encouragement and smiled into her eyes as she looked briefly at me and then at Carlisle and Esme.

"That's very kind of you," Bella replied softly, "But not everyone feels that way. I don't want to intrude on your family. I never meant to intrude. All I've wanted for months now is to be with Edward."

Carlisle came over and sat beside Bella. "Esme and I both know how you feel about Edward, and we know how Edward feels about you. That fact aside, we still want you to be a part of our family. Of course, the decision is yours. You don't have to include yourself in our family. You're free to choose. I know you have a human family of your own and we're not trying to take you away from them, but we would really enjoy being your adopted family and having you as an adopted daughter."

Esme smiled at Bella and added, "I feel like you're my daughter already. Having you accept us as family is very special for us. We've never had a close attachment with a human before, but you're a very special person, and we're proud to accept you into our family. Of course, as Carlisle said, if you're uncomfortable with that idea and don't want us as a family, I can understand that also."

I saw tears running down Bella's face, but I knew they were tears of happiness not sorrow because of the glow in her eyes and the beaming smile on her lips. "I . . . I very much want to be a part of your family." She hesitated and looked at me, and then continued, "I would like to be a real member of your family, but since Edward has no intentions of changing me, yet," she looked at me again, "I'd be happy to be an ephemeral daughter for as long as you'll allow me to be." Bella peeked over at me probably to gauge my reaction to her statement.

I wanted to laugh, but refrained. I knew she was trying to find a subtle way to suggest I should make this a permanent arrangement. If she only knew, I was fighting myself on that very issue. I wanted her forever in my life, just as much as she wanted to be there, but I couldn't bring myself to damn her to our non-life existence. She just didn't know what it really meant to exist as we existed. I couldn't bring myself to be mad at her because all I really wanted at that moment was for her to feel like she was a member of our family.

"Bella," Carlisle said as he took a hold of her hand, "Never doubt the fact that everyone in this room already feels that you're a real member of this family. You'll always be welcome in my home, and we'll always look out for you." And then Carlisle leaned over and softly whispered in her ear, but I could still hear him, "And I too wish Edward would make this permanent." Then, as I was about to reply, he shot me a quick glance that made me stop.

Bella, however, did reply, "Thank you. I appreciate your support and acceptance. I just wish everyone else in the family felt the same way."

Esme smiled. "Bella, even in natural families, sibling rivalry exists. Think of Rose's rejection as just that. Older children sometimes resent the addition of younger children, but eventually they get over it."

Bella smiled at Esme's comment. "Let's just hope that she does get over it."

"Believe it or not Bella, Emmett is your biggest supporter on the Rose front. He has tried valiantly to help Rose see that you're not a threat to us or our way of life, and he constantly reminds her that everyone else in the family has accepted you as one of us." Esme added.

"Maybe that's part of why she's upset. Maybe Emmett talks about me too much and she thinks I'm a rival, although how anyone as beautiful as Rosalie could ever perceive me as a rival is beyond my scope of imagination." Bella commented

My greatest hope for Bella was that one day she'd see what a beautiful person she really was, not just on the outside but on the inside as well. Rose shredded her feelings, but Bella was more concerned about Rose than about herself. Her self-sacrifice was one of the beautiful traits I loved about her, although, it was also the one trait that sometimes catapulted her into danger like when she was willing to sacrifice herself for her mother. The thought of James brought a frown to my brow and Bella noticed it. As she did, I changed it to a smile so she wouldn't think I was frowning at her.

Esme rose from the sofa, walked over to Bella, leaned down and said, "Welcome to the family, my dear." Then kissed her cheek, at which Bella blushed.

"Now, to give you an excuse for ditching class," Carlisle looked pointedly at Edward, "Bring Bella up to my office and let me look at her leg. And, Edward, let Bella walk up the stairs." Carlisle added with emphasis.

I never walked that slowly upstairs before. It was even slower than when I first brought Bella over to meet my family. I was tempted to seize Bella in my arms and run up the stairs, but I knew if we arrived too soon, Carlisle would know I'd disobeyed his order, for it was an order he gave. So, I patiently followed Bella's slow trod.

I followed behind her just in case she tripped, and we were about half way up when I heard her chuckle. "What's so funny?" I asked.

Bella laughed more before composing herself and replying, "This must be very tedious for you."

"In what way?"

"You love speed, but now you're walking at a snails pace because of me." Bella stopped and turned around. "If it helps, you can run ahead. You don't have to wait for me."

She smiled down on me with the rays of the afternoon sun shining down on her; as a result, she looked like she was glowing, and the sight took my breath away. I was temporarily speechless.

"I'm sorry Edward." She looked down crestfallen.

"Bella, I'm not upset with you." I said very softly, still amazed at how beautiful she looked as she was bathed in warm golden sunbeams. "It's just that right now you look like you're glowing. You look like a heavenly creature. It's amazing." I took a few steps toward her until we were standing on the same step.

She laughed. "Edward, I'm not heavenly."

"To me you are. Pure, innocent, and truly remarkable, and I'm a monster who lusts after you blood, body, and soul. I'm not good enough for you." How could I ever feel like I deserved this angel standing before me?

"Edward," the smile vanished from her face. "You're not a monster. Don't ever say that again. As for being pure and innocent, well, has it ever occurred to you that I might be lusting after you as much as you're lusting after me? Remember, I'm only human and I have natural human desires." She reached out and touched my face.

"Do you really?" Could she really feel that way about me? I wanted it, but I hadn't allowed myself to accept she could feel that way about me.

"Why don't you run up and down the steps a few times so you don't become frustrated with my slow movements?" She ran her hand down my cheek and smiled. "Or at least walk down, then up and open the door, by that time I may reach the top of the stairs."

I couldn't help but laugh; Bella could make some strange comments at times, and she was very adroit about quickly changing topics, but I took her advice and first walked, at a human pace, down the stairs and then up again. As I reached the door of Carlisle's office, I noticed Bella managed to make it to the top step, but just then, I saw her teeter on the landing and fall backwards. In less than two seconds, I was behind her and caught her before she could fell backwards down the stairs.

"Bella, are you trying to shorten your life intentionally?"

Bella had a stunned expression. It took her a few moments to catch her breath and compose herself. "Remember what you said about the sun making me look heavenly a few minutes ago?" She asked softly.

"Of course, and I meant it."

"What if it was an omen of my impending doom, and you thwarted death once again?" Her voice was not light or teasing, but serious.

Could she really believe this? I set her upright on the hall landing and then held her close as I carefully lead her down the hall. "You can't really believe that." I stated emphatically.

"I have given death a lot of thought since Phoenix, Edward. I don't think you were ever meant to save my life. Maybe change it, but not save it. This is only another example of fate attempting to take what no longer belongs to me." She looked up at me with the most serious expression I'd ever seen on her face.

I was startled by the fact that she meant what she said. She definitely believed her life was ending, or should've ended if I hadn't interfered. "Don't say that Bella. You have so much life ahead of you; don't give up on it."

"I haven't given up on life, Edward; it has given up on me." She turned the knob on Carlisle's office door and walked in.

"Bella, have a seat on this stool. I'll just give you a quick check-up to make sure everything is okay." Carlisle pointed to the stool and I lifted Bella onto it.

First, he took off her shoe and examined her foot. "Have you had anymore cramping since this morning?"

"No," she replied, then looked at me and said, "I thought you said it was normal?"

I just smiled and shrugged my shoulders.

Carlisle looked up at her, then at me, and explained, "It's normal only when someone carries you around too much and does not let you exercise the leg enough."

"Oh, I see." Bella replied.

"I think your leg is doing fine." He picked up his stethoscope. "This is going to be a little cold."

"Like Edward's touch." She volunteered with a chuckle and blush.

I laughed and noticed a slight smile on Carlisle's face.

As he was checking her heart rate, I ran my finger down her arm. Carlisle looked up instantly at me. "Do that again and I'll ask you to leave," he warned. I took a step away from Bella so her heart rate wouldn't race again.

After checking her heart, he next checked her lungs; I knew he wanted to make sure no congestion was building up. He hiked her shirt up slightly in the back and said, "Take a deep breath." I just smiled as I looked on. "And again." He stepped away from Bella, looked at her and then at me with a serious expression.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked.

Then Carlisle smiled. "Nothing. You're doing fine; just make sure you do some walking every day, but don't over due it."

I had to ask. "What was the serious look for?"

"The rest of the family just came in. I think we all need to sit down for a family talk." He put the stethoscope away and walked toward the door, then turned around. "That does include you Bella. You're part of the family now."

"Oh, yeah. I'll be there as fast as I can." She replied as she carefully got off the stool.

Carlisle looked over at me and with a smile said, "You can carry her this time," and then left.

Bella hobbled over to me. "Wasn't that rather redundant?"

"What?"

"The stethoscope. He can hear my heart just as well as you, why bother using the stethoscope."

Where did these questions come from? And was she always so observant? "Habit." I informed her. "He wouldn't want to accidentally check a patient's heart without one."

"I see," she replied thoughtfully and then gave a little laugh.

"You heard Carlisle; let's not be late," I grinned as I scooped her up in my arms. I was going to enjoy this trip. "And after the family meeting, you and I are going to talk about what you just said on the stairs." Then I rushed down the stairs with her, placed her carefully on the sofa, and sat down beside her.

Alice and Jasper were seated beside Bella, and Emmett, Rose, and Esme sat on the sofa facing us.

Carlisle started right in. "As head of this family, I will make this news crystal clear; Bella is now a member of this family. Esme and I have invited her to become a member and she has accepted." Carlisle paused and looked around at everyone in the room. "Now, it has come to my attention that someone in this family objects to our newest member, but I want everyone to know she deserves all the same consideration as any other family member, and," he turned toward Emmett, "even though I want you to make her feel like a part of the family, let's keep the kissing to a minimum. Okay?"

Emmett nodded slightly, but smiled over at Bella and me. "In my defense, it was brotherly," he laughed playfully. Then under his breath, he added, "But it was fun."

Rose responded by jabbing him in the ribs with her elbow, at which Emmett's smile broadened and he leaned over and kissed her.

"Despite that fact," Carlisle replied to Emmett, "Let's avoid embarrassing Bella in public, or starting family rows." The last was directed toward Rose.

I watched both their faces as I listened to their thoughts.

Rose's was predictable. There'd better be no more affectionate demonstrations if he knows what's good for him, and she's lucky I only yelled at her.

I wonder what would happen if . . . oops, sorry Edward. Emmett must have noticed the look on my face. If he weren't careful, Rose and I would both do more than yell at him.

Carlisle regained my attention by asking, "Are there any questions? Good. I'll be in my study if anyone needs to talk to me," at which he looked pointedly at Rose, "and if anyone has any objections, I'd better hear them first before anyone else. Is that understood?" He looked around at everyone for confirmation.

I noticed everyone but Rose nodding in agreement. I didn't need to hear their thoughts to know Bella was accepted by most of the family, but Rosalie's thoughts were not agreeable. I stared at her knowing she was the one who needed to be confronted by Carlisle without the rest of us being present.

As Carlisle left, he motioned to Rose to follow him; Rose sneered at me as she got up and flounced quickly upstairs.

Alice leaned over and hugged Bella. "Welcome to the family. I for one have considered you a member since Edward saved you in the parking lot. In fact, it was right after that incident that I saw you as part of our family. Remember Jazz, I told you about it." She turned and looked at Jasper.

Jasper grinned. "Yes, I remember. I also remember that I was not too pleased." He looked at Bella. "It was nothing personal, Bella. It was just hard to know how I would react to being that close to you." He looked at Alice and smiled. "Alice has used this as a way to help me become more desensitized to the scent of human blood."

Bella smiled. "And has it helped?"

"With yours it has, and to some extent with others, but there are times when it's still hard." He hung his head and thought, like when I'm hungry. Then he quickly looked up at me and knew I had caught that thought and muttered, "Sorry."

Bella reached out and briefly touched his hand. "I try to stay away when I notice you're hungry." She then looked around at everyone present. "I truly don't want to make my presence uncomfortable for any of you."

"Anyway," Jasper added, "Welcome to the family, and I do mean that."

Jasper and Alice then rose and ascended the stairs.

Emmett walked over, leaned down, and gently kissed Bella's cheek. "I for one am glad to have you as a kid sister. You make me laugh, and don't worry about Rose. She'll come around eventually."

"Thank you." Bella blushed.

Her blush interested me. Was she blushing because of Emmett's comments or his kiss? Did Emmett have an affect on her as I did? I was uncomfortable with the last thought; I could very easily find myself jealous of Emmett, especially if his kiss was the cause of her blush and if his thoughts continued to wander back to that earlier kiss as they had a moment ago.

"I think I'll go have another talk with Rose." Emmett was turning to leave.

Bella delayed him by laying her hand on his, "Please Emmett, don't say anything to Rosalie about me. Find something else pleasant to talk about."

How did Bella know what Emmett had planned to talk about with Rose? I began to wonder if Bella read minds but was keeping it from me.

"Like what?" Emmett turned and asked.

"How about your wedding?"

Emmett beamed and grasped Bella's hand and kissed it. "I like that idea. Thanks Bella," and Emmett swiftly ran upstairs.

I wasn't sure if I was comfortable with how often Emmett had put his lips on Bella's skin today. Jealousy was one of those new emotions that I discovered when Bella entered my life. I would have to talk to Emmett about it later.

"Bella, I think you make an excellent addition to the family. I'm sorry if this sounds trite, but you're like a breath of fresh air." Esme walked over and kissed Bella on the cheek, and then she too went off to another part of the house.

"I would say you have made quite an impression on everyone." I smiled and wrapped my arms around her.

"Except Rosalie."

"Well, you can't win everyone over in a day," I chuckled.

"But I've been around for more than a day." Her tone was downhearted. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's talk about something more cheerful. Cheer me up, Edward."

"Anything you ask," I replied before I brushed my lips against hers and then ran kisses down her face and onto her neck. I was glad Carlisle was in his office because he wouldn't like what I was doing to Bella's heart rate. When I finished with her neck, I worked my way back up to her lips and exhaled just as my lips reached hers. I heard her moan slightly before she pushed away from me. I looked carefully at her face for fear I'd hurt her, but I saw a slight smile on her lips.

"A moments pause, please. I need to breathe," she whispered.

"How about we continue this upstairs?" I murmured.

"I don't think I can walk that far."

"Easily remedied." I gently picked her up and carried her to my bedroom door. "By the way, can you read minds?"

She'd kept her eyes closed, but they flew open at my question. "What?"

"Your comment to Emmett about not talking to Rose about you. How did you know that was what he was going to do?" I was still curious about that.

"It was the look on his face. Edward, did you really think I could read his mind?" She was looking into my eyes with a surprised expression.

"Well, yes. It was what he was thinking, so I knew what his intentions were, and it surprised me when you seemed to know them too."

Bella chuckled. "That'll be the day, me reading minds, it's laughable." She continued to laugh as I carried her into the room and deposited her on the sofa.

"And another thing; what did you mean when you said life has given up on you?" I sat down beside her.

She turned and faced me. "Just that. I've encountered death numerous times since moving to Forks more than ever before in my life. I had a lot of time to think while in the hospital, especially when you weren't around." She ran her fingers around my lips and across my cheek.

I felt myself being lost again in her eyes. Nobody had expressive eyes like Bella's. They had so much depth to them; they were deep and dark and I found it easy to fall into them and lose myself without realizing it was happening.

"All these near death incidents made me examine my life. In the past, I had a lot of minor accidents and a fair number of serious ones, but none of them were as near to death as the ones I've experienced since I came to Forks," she continued.

"You see . . ." I began, but Bella put her finger on my lips so I couldn't finish my comment.

"Let me finish. I've thought about this a lot, and I've finally come up with a theory."

I couldn't help but groan, "Not another theory."

Bella chuckled, "Yes, but this one is about me, not you. You see, I theorized that all this time fate has kept me alive so I could meet you, but once I met you, fate was ready to take me, one way or another." She stared deeply into my eyes, causing me to become more lost in their depths.

I found myself wanting to reach out and touch her inner most soul as I fell deeper into her expressive eyes.

I didn't want to accept her theory so I replied, "No." There was no way I could even begin to imagine going on without Bella.

"Think about it Edward. Why would so many fatal events happen to a person unless it was their time to die? Nobody, in the natural course of their life, has as many accidents as I; at least nobody normal, and let's face it, I don't seem to be normal. If I were, you'd be able to read my mind. I'm beginning to think there is a reason behind that fact as well, but I haven't completely decided if I'm right or not. And it isn't dangerous for me to be around you; despite what you think, that is not where the danger comes from."

"Are you sure you can't read my mind?" I was curious to know how she knew what I was going to say when she stopped me.

"No, I can't read you mind, but I can read you. You keep telling me how dangerous it is for me to around you, so it just made sense that when I was talking about danger you would connect it to yourself."

"Bella, how does your mind function? I thought you had decided to tell me everything you were thinking and now I find you're thinking more than you're sharing." I needed to comprehend what was going on in her head in order to understand what she was telling me. I was discovering Bella was much more complicated then I'd ever imagined. Maybe that was why her eyes were so deep, and why it was so easy to lose myself in them. I wanted to drag my eyes away from her, but she had me locked; I couldn't resist gazing deeply into them.

"I did say that, but many of my thoughts are incomplete. They kind of flitter around forming vague ideas but take time and consideration to form complete comprehensive thoughts. Some need extensive contemplation before they even begin to develop into a coherent idea and then more study and consideration before they begin to progress into a shareable thought." Her brows furrowed and a frown spread across her face. "It's hard to share those disjointed images and ideas because I don't know where they're leading or if they're leading anywhere. Maybe that's why you can't read my mind because most of what I'm thinking hasn't really formed yet."

"You must have some fully formed and developed thoughts, or you wouldn't be talking to me right now, and some of those thoughts must be simple and clear enough that I should be able to read them," I chuckled.

"Edward," Bella's heart and pulse raced, and I watched the blush rise up from her neck. "There are some things too embarrassing to tell even you."

That admission sounded very interesting. What could she be thinking that madee her blush like that? Maybe, I thought, if I breathe on her a little I can dazzle her into revealing the cause of her blush. I decided it was worth a try, so I leaned in and exhaled slightly.

"That's unfair," she began and then I saw her eyes go blank and shut, and all the blood drained out of her face.

"Bella? Bella, are you okay?" Maybe it wasn't a good idea to breathe on her, at least not so soon after having prolonged our eye contact. She warned me that my eyes dazzled her, just as her eyes dazzled me at times.

She moaned a little which relieved my worry. "You really shouldn't do that," she whispered. "It is so unfair."

I made a mental note that too much dazzle made Bella faint. I would have to be more careful in the future. Then I realized, she hadn't answered my question. "Bella," I enquired, keeping my voice soft and low, "What caused you to blush?"

"You."

"What do you mean?" Had I missed something?

"You," she answered again.

"I still don't understand."

"If you think about it, it should come to you. Now, I either need to call Charlie or you need to take me home."

"I'll take you home. You need to eat supper." I'd just realized she missed lunch because of the scene with Rose, but I still couldn't figure out why I would make her blush. Well, that wasn't totally true. I was always saying or doing something to make her blush, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, but this time I couldn't recall doing anything that would bring about a blush in her.

"Will you help me with Trig afterwards?" She was changing the topic on me.

It was times like these when it was extremely frustrating not to be able to read her mind. I would have to think about her conversation later.

"Of course, but first I have something for you." I got up, pulled her off the sofa, and led her toward the closet. "Now stand here and close your eyes until I tell you to open them."

"Edward, you know I don't like surprises, and you'd better not have another gift for me."

Before coming out the closet, I looked to make sure her eyes were closed. I walked over to her and instructed her to hold out her arms. Once they were out, I placed my next floral gift into her waiting arms. "You can open them now."

Bella looked down at the flowers and her mouth opened into a perfect circle. "Oh," she breathed out. "Edward, they're beautiful."

"And they smell like you," I added.

"Freesia?"

"Yes."

She held the bouquet of three dozen long stemmed flowers near her nose and inhaled. "They're lovely. Do I really smell like this to you?"

"Actually, even better, but I was right, you do smell like freesia." I walked up to her, leaned toward her neck, inhaled, and affirmed, "Yes, you definitely smell better."

"They're beautiful Edward. Thank you."

"What, no reprimand for buying you another gift," I laughed.

"No. You've given me something more special than you might have imagined. I always wondered how I smelt to you. Now I have an idea. That's very special to me. You're very special to me." She put her hand on my cheek and softly kissed my lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The touch of her lips sent a tingling sensation through my body. "Would you like to leave them here or take them home?" The flowers mingling with her natural scent intensified her aroma in the air.

"I'll take them home. I know just where to put them." She smiled at me and I took her arm and led her downstairs to the car.

As I helped her into the car, she said, "Thank you Edward, for everything."

"You're welcome." Then I got in the car and asked, "What do you consider everything?"

"The flowers, not getting upset about Emmett's kiss, bringing me here to talk with Carlisle and Esme, and loving me." She looked down at the flowers, but I saw a smile playing across her lips.

I reached over and tipped her face up towards me, "The easiest part is loving you." Then I kissed her before driving her home.

When we reached her house, I rushed around the car to open her door and help her out of the car. Then we walked slowly up to her door.

I had her fix dinner before we sat down with her homework. I figured if she ate before her dad got home, then I had an excuse for not eating with them. I could just say Bella and I ate earlier. While she fixed dinner, I placed her flowers in a vase and placed the vase on the dresser in her room.

During the math homework, I was able to discover a little more about how Bella's mind worked. Some problems she just didn't understand and others she knew the answers to without working out the solution on paper. After I helped her with the problems she couldn't solve on her own and we reached a solution, she would then work the problem backwards. She claimed it helped her understand the process a little more. She would sometimes perform that same backward process with problems she knew the answers to. I'd never seen anyone who approached math in such an illogical manner. At least it was illogical to me, but to Bella it seemed to make a lot of sense. I had to admit, she was right about the fact that her brain functioned differently than others.

Charlie came home rather late. It surprised me that he didn't call to check on Bella earlier to make sure she was home. When Bella first returned home from Phoenix, Charlie kept a closer watch on her, but I felt he'd been slipping a little lately. She still had a curfew, and I knew I would be ushered out the door at ten o'clock, but for Charlie to come home late without calling to see if Bella was home or not that, I felt, was a little too lax on his part.

After helping Bella with her Trig, we took some time to study for the Biology test Mr. Banner was giving us Thursday. It was ten o'clock when we finished and Charlie was right there to see me to the door. As he ushered me out, I saw Bella heading upstairs.

I realized it would take Bella a little while before she was ready for bed, so I drove home and took the time to wrap the present I'd purchased for her in Port Angeles that morning. I knew she would like it and even though it was a little expensive, once she saw it she would keep it.

I reached Bella's house in plenty of time to turn back the covers on her bed and fluff her pillows. When she walked into the room, I was already laying on her bed with my shoes off. She looked so delicious, and the mixture of her clean natural scent and the flowers in the room heightened my awareness of her.

"You're absolutely gorgeous." I proclaimed.

Bella turned and frowned at me. "My hair is wet, my attire leaves a lot to be desired, I have a cast on my leg, and you think I'm gorgeous. You need your eyes examined."

I laughed softly because it wouldn't do for Bella's father to hear a male voice coming from her room. "I'm not looking at your attire or cast, I'm looking at your face which at this moment is radiant. However, now that you mention it, you could use some new pajamas especially since you had to cut the leg on that pair of sweats."

"Well, they may not look nice," she admitted as she sat down beside me, "but they do keep me warm at night."

"Unfortunately, I don't warm your bed for you," I admitted. "In fact, I probably make it colder for you at night."

"Believe me, you warm up my bed more than you realize." Bella confessed as she blushed. Then she put her hand over her mouth and added, "Oops that slipped out." She turned and looked at me still blushing, "Let's forget I said that."

"Let's not. Maybe you could explain what you mean." I wondered if that unexpected admission had anything to do with the conversation from early about her thoughts and me making her blush, and since I didn't radiate any body heat, how could I warm up her bed.

Then it dawned on me, it wasn't anything I really did but the fact that I was laying here and she found me as physically attractive as I found her. Was Bella really stimulated by me the same way I was stimulated by her? Was she sharing some of the same emotional responses and thoughts that I was having? I decided there was only one way to find out, since I knew she wouldn't just tell me.

I looked closely at Bella and saw her blush a deep red. I also noticed she wasn't answering my last question.

I sat up, reached out and pulled her closer so she could nestle against my chest. "Since you aren't answering my question, let me make a guess at what you meant."

"No, don't," she murmured into my chest.

I felt the vibrations of her moving lips against my skin and I enjoyed the sensation. "Bella, is this contact as hard for you as it is for me?"

She instantly looked up at me and searched my eyes for my meaning.

"Not in a bad way, but in a good way. I love your touch, and I love touching you, but sometimes my emotions . . . well, lets just say, sometimes they're hard to keep under control." I looked into her eyes for a response to what I'd just admitted.

A look of understanding filled her eyes. "Really?" There was a hint of doubt in her voice.

"Would I lie to you, Bella? I once told you that my human emotions were being reawakened by you; despite what I am, I'm still a man. Yes, Bella, you do arouse feelings I've never experienced before, and sometimes I find them very hard to control."

"Edward, those are the thoughts that are fully formed in my mind," and she blushed even more, "The ones I didn't want to share because I thought you might get upset with me for having them. They are hard to control, and I've had no experience with them before. Maybe that's what makes them harder to control, because I don't know what to do with them. You've made it obvious I can't react to them, so I have to keep pushing them away, but I'm afraid one day, in a moment of weakness, they'll take over and then I'll do something that'll drive you away from me forever. I can't lose you Edward." A single tear ran down Bella's cheek.

"Well, it's nice to know this is something we'll be able to struggle through together." I held her tighter to me and kissed her forehead. "I do have one more small gift for you."

"No, Edward," she interrupted, but I held my fingers to her lips so she would listen to what I had to say.

"Just wait before you protest. I found this while I was helping Emmett select a ring for Rosalie, and it called out to me. So before you turn it down please look at it." I pulled the package from my pocket and handed it to her.

"Okay, but you know how I feel about you spending money on me. Don't get me wrong, I really love the flowers, but you were in a jewelry store, and I know Rosalie's tastes run high."

I gave her a quizzical look. How did she know about Rosalie's tastes?

"Alice told me," she supplied. Then she took the package and carefully unwrapped it. She held the red box gingerly in her hand.

"It won't bite," I encouraged.

She hesitantly opened the box and slowly lifted out the necklace I bought her, but I couldn't read the expression on her face. At first I thought she was angry, then surprised, and then sad. I needed to know what she was thinking. "Bella, don't you like it?"

"Like it. Edward, it's beautiful. It's you," she looked at me. "Well not exactly you, but it reminds me of you."

She held the necklace up to the light and her eyes began to shine. When I saw the lion with the topaz eyes hanging on the chain, I just knew I had to buy it for her. I knew she liked the gift when she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. "I take it, you'll keep it?"

"Oh, Edward. It's beautiful. He has your eyes. What's he made of?'

"Onyx. It would've been better if there'd have been a lamb on the chain with him. Remember the day we were in the meadow?"

"How could I forget? It was the day my dream came true."

"What dream?"

"The one where you told me you liked me. When I realized you weren't going to tell me to get out of your life forever, I was the happiest person in the world. It became even better when you told me you loved me."

"Oh, Bella. How could I have told you to leave? I was afraid you would be the one who would run from me and never want to see me again. By that time I was so in love with you that I couldn't leave, but I'd promised myself that if you left, I would let you go."

"I'll never leave you. It would hurt too much," Bella said as she got up from the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"To put this on the dresser. I'll wear it tomorrow, but not now, I might damage it in my sleep, or it might damage me. He has sharp points and I'd don't want to risk any injuries." After she laid it in the dresser, she switched off the light and joined me in the bed.

"So, it was a good choice?" I asked with a smile.

"Yes, it was a very good choice. I'll keep it. Thank you." Then she nestled down next to me and drifted off to sleep as I hummed her lullaby.

Bella slept soundly that night and the rest of the week.

As I thought she would, she wore her new necklace everyday to school.

School was more pleasant for me knowing that I had lunch and biology with Bella, and if I got bored during the course of the school day, I could always listen in on the one-sided conversations Bella had with other students. Jessica was nicer to her now that she felt she had Mike and she knew Bella was only interested in me. I concurred with Jessica's second belief; Bella was only interested in me. As for Mike, he still harbored a belief that Bella would become bored with me, or that I would become bored with her and we would break up. He was biding his time waiting to pick up the broken pieces. There were a few times when I was tempted to break him into a few pieces, but I resisted. I discovered that jealousy was an extremely strong emotion, almost as strong as the love I felt for Bella.

During lunch Thursday, while I was quizzing Bella one more time for the Biology test, she looked up at me and asked, "When are you leaving?"

I couldn't believe she asked that. My mouth must have dropped open and I could only imagine what my expression must have been because Bella just chuckled.

"To go hunting," she supplied. "I noticed your eyes getting darker. I figured it must be about that time." She just grinned.

"Oh, well the family is planning on a trip tomorrow. I was going to talk to you about it tonight." It would be so much easier if I could hear Bella's thoughts, then I would know where these odd questions came from.

The smile disappeared from her lips. "Will you be gone all weekend?"

"No, we'll be back sometime Sunday morning, and as soon as we're back, I'll be over. It will be a long two days, and I'll miss you."

"I'll be in pain until you return. I know this is necessary, but every time you're gone, I feel like a part of me is ripped away, and I hurt until that part is returned." She was looking down at her hands.

I knew the feeling. That's how I felt whenever I had to leave her for an extended amount of time, but I had to feed my thirst so it wouldn't turn on Bella. I put my fingers under her chin and tipped her face up until I was looking in her moist eyes. "I'll miss you too." I then reached out and touched the lion hanging around her neck. "At least he can keep you company while I'm gone," I said hoping to lighten both our moods.

"It won't be the same, but every time I look at him, I'll think about you, and Sunday is not forever."

I could see she was also trying to cheer up both of us. "Come on, we don't want to be late for our test." I helped Bella up, dumped her tray, and walked her to class.

That evening we spent some quiet time alone. Charlie had to work late again, so Bella left him a plate of food to heat up and a note that said she had turned in for the evening. I warned her that he would still look in on her, and I was right. Around eleven o'clock he quietly opened her door to make sure she was actually in bed asleep. He internally reprimanded himself for not trusting her, but decided that all fathers probably felt that way about their daughters. Just before Bella fell asleep, I reminded her that I wouldn't be there in the morning when she woke up.

At five in the morning, I left; I knew my family would be waiting for me so we could leave. As I reached the house, I checked with Alice one more time about Bella's safety. Upon my request her thoughts were instantly clear, Not again; I hadn't thought I'd asked about Bella that often, but then I realized I probably had, but I couldn't help it. I had to be sure Bella would be all right while we were gone. Alice's response was like the rest; Bella would be fine while we were gone.

If I had thought Friday was long, I felt Saturday was even longer. I was restless to return to Bella. Even Esme, who had more patience than anyone else in the family, was becoming tired of my mood.

"Edward," she told me Saturday afternoon, "This would be easier on all of us if you'd just change her. Then she could come along and we wouldn't have to put up with your moping."

I was startled by her comment. Esme didn't usually scold unless she felt it was necessary. That's when I knew my mood was affecting everyone. "I'm sorry, Esme. I'll try not to be so gloomy. It just hurts so much to be away from her, and the anxiety I feel about her safety is tearing me apart," I confessed.

"Has it ever occurred to you that these feelings will be even worse if you lose Bella, whether from a natural death or because one of you finally walks away from this unfulfilled relationship?"

She didn't stay for an answer, she just walked away, but her words stayed and haunted me for the rest of the day.

I was never so happy for a new day to begin, as I was when Sunday morning arrived. I refrained from rushing everyone to leave, but I was in the SUV as early as I dared waiting for everyone else to get in. Even though Carlisle drove fast, I felt as though we were moving at a snail's pace. I wanted to encourage him to drive faster. It was even harder to stay in the SUV until we arrived home. I knew Carlisle would be upset if I jumped out at the edge of town so I could run to Bella's house.

I would've left immediately except for the screech Alice let out as she reached the front door. I thought she'd seen something terrible, but then I noticed two vases of flowers next to the front door.

I heard Alice telling Esme it was from Bella

Then Esme picked up the other vase and read the attached card, "Happy Mother's Day from Bella. That was really sweet of her," she said.

I felt very proud of Bella. She had given Esme a very special gift and I rushed over to her house to let her know how very special that bouquet was to Esme. I noticed Chief Swan's cruiser was gone, so I went in the front door, and dashed up the stairs. Even before I opened her door, I knew something was wrong. I couldn't smell her; at least her scent wasn't as strong as when she was in her room. I discovered her room empty and her bed made. Bella didn't often make her bed; I did.

I became concerned. Had she gone out with her dad? She knew I was coming home this morning, why wouldn't she be waiting for me. I realized that was a very self-centered thought. Just because I was this anxious to see her didn't mean she felt the same way. But then I argued she should feel the same way.

I wandered around to see if maybe she was somewhere else in house. Maybe she'd hurt herself and was lying on the floor injured. I thought of the kitchen. As I walked in, I noticed dirty dishes on the table, as though Bella and her dad had left in a hurry. It was unlike Bella to leave dirty dishes lying around.

I paused to think about what I knew. Bella had left dirty dishes in the kitchen, and her bed was made – maybe not slept in. Sometime yesterday, Bella had gone over to our house to leave the flowers, but Bella couldn't drive and her truck was still in the driveway. So who took Bella over to the house and when and most importantly, where was Bella?

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