Author's Note: I wanted to provide a disclaimer that this is not the last chapter. The ending of this chapter would be a sweet ending to the story but there is a lot more to do and say. Never fear – more is on the way!

And please feel free to search for and join my FB group "Canon Twilight Fanfic" if you're so inclined.

Bella felt a sudden chill when her window was slid open unexpectedly during the night. For most people, this would be something to cause panic, but she was used to vampires sneaking in her window. She was delighted when Edward's hair appeared and he hopped into her room, immediately appearing beside her in the bed.

Something was off. It wasn't right. His eyes were black and haunted. His expression was one of extreme sorrow and regret. He grabbed her for a passionate kiss that she, for once, ended too soon, concerned, and desperate to know what happened and why he looked this way.

"You didn't hunt." she said. He frowned and looked down for a moment before returning his eyes to her face, eagerly kissing her again. She normally loved Edward's attentions but was consumed by guilt. He was suffering because of her. Starving. It wasn't right. He also wasn't talking and that was concerning. Silence meant he was angry…usually with her. What went wrong? Was he preparing to do something reckless?

"You can't do this. You need to eat." she insisted.

"I need you."

"You have me. Take care of yourself, though. Why didn't you hunt? You were gone so long. I know you're thirsty. You need blood."

"I need you." he repeated, her heart breaking from his pain and her guilt. Why was he always suffering because of her?

Bella awoke with a jump and a racing heart. The room was spinning and took a minute to come into focus. Breathing was difficult. Everything was tense. It was still dark. It was 4am.

Her hands were shaking as they reached for her phone and unplugged it from where it was charging on the nightstand. Tears slid from her eyes as she weighed a need to talk to him against a hesitancy to bother him if he were out having fun with his family. She decided a casual text would be alright. Her fingers typed and erased the message at least five times, trying to not cause his panic, but finally, sent: Are you enjoying your feast? At least that would tell her that he was eating properly.

He replied immediately. It's four in the morning, Bella. Are you alright?

Just woke up for a human minute. she fibbed, still guilty for bothering him during the alone time away with his father and brothers. I'm back in bed now.

The phone lit up then and she answered it quickly before it could wake Charlie. "Well, I'm just sitting here listening to bugs chirping in the woods. I would much rather hear your lovely voice if you're awake." he said in a low, quiet tone that made her heart race in a much different way. Everything was alright. She could breathe almost normally again at the sound of him on the phone. He wasn't upset. He sounded content and relaxed.

"Why did everyone leave you alone?"

"I outran them and scaled a small cliff out of sight. I needed a few minutes to myself."

"Are you alright?"

"They are chaos…and I miss you."

"I miss you too." she said. "I had a nightmare, actually."

"I thought so. You're a terrible liar."

"How is needing a human minute a terrible lie? I do that pretty often, you know."

"Yes, but you generally don't tell me over text. Your text was too detailed to be true."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm fine now. Just needed to hear that you're alright."

"The nightmare was about me?"

"Yeah. I was afraid you weren't enjoying yourself."

"You had a nightmare because you thought I wasn't having a good time?" he repeated.

"Yeah. I was scared you'd miss me all weekend and not actually hunt."

"At least you finally accept how loved you are. You know me so well. I have hunted. I promise."

She blushed softly and smiled against the phone. "How is the hunting?"

"Decent. It's nice to have a little variety in my diet. Although I might start hunting brothers if they keep goofing off as they have been." he chuckled quietly and she suspected that they might be in hearing range.

"Are they annoying you that much?"

"Mostly annoying all of the local wildlife and making endless innuendos at my expense. You know, the usual."

She giggled a little, wiping a tear of relief that had escaped her eye. "And Carlisle?"

"Is just fine, except he just grins at them and lets them be. He thinks their nonsense is good for me."

"Their nonsense is good for both of us sometimes, but I really miss you. When will you be home?"

"As soon as I can possibly convince them to leave tomorrow. I miss you so much."

"I spent a few hours at your house today. We decided how to do my hair for the wedding and picked a theme. Alice swears I've already picked the dress too and started drawing it from her vision."

"Is that so?"

"It is. I would rather tell you about it in person. I want to see what you really think."

"About your dress?"

"No, that's a surprise. But the theme. Rosalie is going to do my hair."

"Rosalie?" he asked in slight disbelief.

"She came to check on me yesterday. And helped me work on drawing with some of the supplies you got me. And she took me back home with her for a few hours where we all did some shopping-"

He was delighted to hear the family looking after Bella and even happier that the gifted drawing supplies had gotten some use, however, her exact wording wasn't lost on him. "You all did some shopping?"

"We did."

"I'm glad to hear that." he said, the smile evident in his voice.

"You sound so happy about me spending your money."

"I am."

"I got some things for the cabin."

"I can't wait to see them."

She yawned. "I can't wait to see you."

He laughed. "The feeling is mutual. Get some rest. I'll be home before you know it."

"You better be." she muttered, quickly ending the call, and almost instantly falling asleep. She was worn out and feeling much better after hearing his voice and that her nightmare wasn't true. He was safe and well-fed.

Edward wasn't there yet when she woke. Bella took her time getting ready to face the day, spending a few hours lying in bed before the growling of her stomach could no longer be ignored. There was a note on the table from Charlie letting her know that he would be spending the day on the reservation. She made a quick breakfast and went back to the warm bed with her book. Edward's absence was noticed and felt in her very soul, yet she was content. Warm and loved. Amused by the book.

She closed her eyes for a moment to reflect on a scene detailed in the book, trying to visualize it. Something cold softly caressed her cheek. She smiled and looked up into his golden eyes, immediately feeling the small trace of anxiety leave her body.

"It's about time you got here." she smiled.

"I know. I took the first flight home this morning. The others were still running wild." he grinned, happiness reflected even in his sparkling eyes.

"The others including Carlisle?"

"Including Carlisle."

She held up the edge of the blankets in invitation and he was happy to climb in and wrap his arms around her, dramatically inhaling the scent of her neck before placing a kiss there. "I can't wait to never be without you again."

"Same." she giggled as he playfully nipped at her neck with his lips covering his sharp teeth so she wouldn't be hurt.

"It's not fair that you're so appetizing."

"There are other parts of me you can taste." she said teasingly, immediately becoming mortified as she realized what she said and what he likely heard it as. Her face flushed. "I didn't mean it like that! Oops! Wow. That was not at all what I meant. Uhh-"

He laughed. "There are, indeed, other parts of you I should be tasting." he agreed, pressing his lips to hers, silencing any further embarrassment. "I missed you so much." he whispered between kisses. His hands couldn't stop running through her hair and gently pulling her as close as possible to him. His need for her had only increased in the time apart. He only regretfully pulled away when the urge to grab her and run to their cabin was too much to handle. "How was your weekend?"

"Are you alright?"

"Why do you ask?"

"It sounds like you were struggling to ask me that. Is my scent bothering you after the days away? Should I scoot back?"

"Don't you dare." he answered with a brief kiss. "You are exactly where I want you."

She sighed happily and opened her mind to him, showing him the events of the weekend as well as her love and how his speaking in that low tone affected her.

"It's taking a lot of self-restraint to not run with you to our cabin right now." he admitted.

"You should. I wouldn't mind. In fact, I would the complete opposite of mind."

"I know. I want to talk to you about your weekend though. And tell you what I've been thinking about as I was hunting. Perhaps we can convince your dad to let you stay the night with me since I've been away so long."

She flushed and caressed his cheek. He smiled and leaned into her touch.

"I'm sure we can. I'm just so happy you're here." she said.

"Me too. Right where I belong." he smiled.

"So, what were you thinking about while you were hunting?"

"You." he answered, grinning at her blush before he continued. "How I want to give you everything you've ever dreamed of. That I should have realized as soon as we met how stubborn you are and that there was no changing your mind. That even though this isn't the lifestyle I would have chosen for myself, you do have a choice and it's wrong of me to assume you wouldn't be alright living with it if it's your own decision."

"More than alright."

"I know. I've also been thinking about your dad. What if we just tell him that I'm different but don't say exactly how or why? And that if-when, we get married and we move away, you'll be different too but you'll still be Bella."

"You don't think he'll demand to know the details?"

"We can explain the risk without telling him the exact terminology and differences."

"You don't believe he would try to find out on his own?"

"No." he said softly. "Not if we say it right. Alice says it will work."

"And the Quileutes?"

"Carlisle is going to let them know, once we're safely moved away, that I have found my mate and get permission to change her. If they refuse, we won't be able to return to Forks, but if they don't…"

"Forever." she smiled. "Either way. I get you forever."

"It really isn't about the speed or the strength or anything but me for you, is it?"

"No. It's you. It has always been you."

"I get that now. I tried to imagine how I would feel if we had switched places-"

She giggled; her mind open to him showing that she knew if he were in her body the first thing he would do is look down his shirt at his own breasts. He laughed and looked away from her, so embarrassed she swore she saw a faint blush that wasn't possible.

"-I'm not saying you're wrong but do behave." His eyes were twinkling and he couldn't suppress a grin. "I'm trying to be serious here. I'm confessing my love to you. My understanding. My blessing of your choice to be with me fully and completely."

She smiled up at him, finding it hard to fight the urge to lean up for a fiery kiss. He heard the desire in her thoughts and his chest swelled with happiness.

Edward continued. "If I were in your shoes, I would do anything possible to secure forever with you. A few months apart, even a few hours apart, was too much. I wouldn't care what I would have to do or become as long as I could have you…and not hurt anyone innocent. Knowing that you can make this choice and not make the same mistakes I did…that you would have myself and my…our…entire family's support and assistance to make sure no innocent lives are harmed and that you have everything you could possibly want or need including trying to stay in touch with your father and some of your friends if you wanted…I get it now.

I understand why you've fought so hard for me. Why this is the choice you've made. I also understand more fully exactly what I did by leaving you. You asked me not to apologize anymore and though I want to, I won't. But I will promise to love you more than anything every single day for the rest of forever." He leaned his face down towards hers and their lips connected in a flurry of passion and desire. She was crying and he wiped her tears away gently.

"You get it now."

"I do."

"I love you."

"And I love you."

"You're all I've ever wanted. Everything. You can hear it in my mind."

"I do." he said with a blissful smile.

"Well, almost everything."

He laughed then, understanding her love and feelings as well as the desire and what it meant for her.

"Are you still going to insist on waiting for the wedding?" she asked, smiling up at him through tears of joy.

"No, let's go home." he said, picking her up and carrying her through the house as she wondered exactly what he meant by 'no.' She wished she had worded her question more clearly. "You'll see." he added in a low voice. He carried her downstairs and wrote a note for Charlie that she would be spending the evening with Alice and Edward and could be reached at the Cullen's phone number, which he added above his signature, as well as a reminder of Bella's cell phone number if needed.

Once the note was secure, he took off running through the trees with her in his arms smiling up at him. "How did I ever get so lucky?" he asked. "What could I possibly have done to deserve you? You have no idea what you do to me. How you've changed me. With you, everything in the world has more beauty. Colors are brighter. Music is more touching. I feel love and happiness and things I never imagined that I would and it's because of you."

"And you."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not a miracle cure. You did a lot of work on your own too. You've dealt with a lot and worked through so much."

"Because of you."

"For me, perhaps. But you got better because you wanted to."

"For you then." he agreed. "I'm here now. In person. Are you going to tell me about the theme for our wedding? You're making quite an assumption that I will simply go along with whatever you suggest."

"You will." she said smugly, showing him in her thoughts as much of her theme ideas as possible without thinking about Alice's sketch of the dress.

"Are you sure? You don't have to do that just for me."

"I want to. It will be beautiful and unique and a part of both of us." And it's one less thing you have to miss out on from before…when you were human. The wedding you always should have had.

"I shouldn't have had it just yet. I had to wait for you. The idea is lovely. If you're happy with it, of course I am. I can't imagine what you're going to look like dressed all in white and heading down that aisle towards me. Though I hate the idea of parting with you for even another night while you get ready for me."

"Me too." she said with a grin, her thoughts showing how much her mind had changed towards the idea and concept of marriage. Marrying Edward was everything she wanted now…almost.

"I won't make us wait any longer. You're right. I thought about it so much the first night we spent at the cabin. I've lived too much of my long life based on what others have said I should do or be or believe. It's taken a lot of thinking to figure out what's really mine and not ingrained in me from the thoughts and desires of others. I've lived with so much fear. This anxiety. Believed too many things without question. You said once that you couldn't see how I love you because you're still finding yourself and figuring out what you like. Well…me too. We're figuring things out together. But nothing, absolutely nothing, will change the type of person you and I are in our own hearts and minds. And no matter what your hobbies or desires or tastes in music, I will still love you for you."

Her thoughts began to softly repeat the lyrics to the inappropriate song Emmett sang as he ran her to their cabin that first night.

Edward raised his eyebrow. "Although now I see that I should be sure to have someone draft a prenup that singing of that song might be grounds for immediate divorce."

"Too late!" she giggled. "You said absolutely nothing would change your mind."

"And you took that as a challenge?"

"It seems fun."

"You and Emmett are going to kill me after you're changed."

"Is now really the best time to be thinking about Emmett?" she asked mischievously.

"Of all the songs you could pick to think about, why did it have to be that one?"

"I know you secretly love it."

"I do not!" he shouted, flustered but then amused when he saw her face. He laughed and tried to look at her sternly, but she saw the grin breaking through his attempted frown. "Going to kill me." he repeated quietly.

"Or make you loosen up and have some fun."

"I'll show you fun." he teased. He stopped then, not at their cabin but a small clearing not totally unlike their meadow. "I want to talk before we get to the cabin. There are things we need to discuss, preferably in an environment that doesn't concentrate your smell and make you so completely irresistible."

"You find me resistible now?"

"Not by much." he said in a low voice, his eyes dark.

"What's up?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

"Don't be afraid." he whispered, kissing her cheek as he sat down with her sideways in his lap. "Just some details. Nothing scary."

"Nothing scarier than you, you mean?"

"Now you get it." he grinned. "What I've been trying to tell you all along." He ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I want you, Bella. More than I've ever wanted anything in my life. Exactly in the way that you're thinking." he agreed in response to her thoughts wondering if he meant what she imagined with that tone and expression. "But I don't want to hurt you. I am a lot stronger than you. And we mustn't forget that my teeth are venomous and that I still have the potential to go into a frenzy if you get hurt. We can't let that happen."

"My blood doesn't bother you like it used to."

"That's true. I am very much in control of that part of me and well-fed. Your life isn't at risk. But your body…" She was breathing quickly, excited about the meaning behind his words. He continued, "You know to stay away from my teeth and I know not to bite you. I won't bite you. I'm no longer concerned about that.

I am concerned about my strength. Would you be amenable to some…precautions?"

"Such as?"

He laughed a bit nervously, in happy disbelief over what they were discussing. "First of all, your promise to try to leave your thoughts open to me if you can, or if not, to tell me the instant something hurts. I know you'll be reluctant because you won't want me to stop but I need you to tell me. I can't live with myself if I harm you, even if only a scratch or bruise."

"I promise." she agreed after a moment of reflection.

"If I take my hands away from you or step away for a minute, I need you to know that it's not because of anything you've done or might do. It's me, regaining control."

"Alright."

"I'd like to check with Alice beforehand now that our minds are made up, just so I know if anything is going to-" The phone in his pocket chirped. She giggled. "Never mind that one then."

"I'm seriously growing concerned about the number of times she's seen me naked."

"Me too." he agreed with a nervous laugh. "I'm going to go very slowly so I can get used to the sensations and to you without harming you."

"I'll get to enjoy you for longer." she smiled, not at all protesting.

"If I have to get up immediately afterwards, it's not because I don't want to snuggle. It's because-"

"I know." she re-assured him. "There's no pressure, Edward. I know you love me." she said, holding his face in one of her hands and smiling at him, love and desire flowing through her eyes and her mind to him. "I want you because I love you and because I know you love me. I'm not pressuring you if you don't want to-"

"I do."

"I just want to be close to you in whatever way possible. When we're together…it feels so amazing. Like nothing is or could possibly be wrong. And it's not because it feels great when you touch me, because it does, but because for us it's an expression of love. I would never want this if I didn't love you so much."

"Me neither." he agreed.

"But I do love you more than anything and I want to experience this with you. It means so much to me that you're trying to make this happen for us and that you're being careful but not letting these anxieties run your life anymore like mine have my life until recently. If you were to say that you don't want to, I wouldn't be upset with you or love you any less. You know that, right?"

"I do. But I do want you. I've thought about it long and hard-" She giggled and blushed at the innuendo he didn't intend to make. He raised his face to the sky and gazed at the clouds above to not look at her and crack up laughing. He couldn't fight the smile on his face though.

"As I was saying…" he cleared his throat unnecessarily just to hear her sweet giggle again, pretending to be embarrassed. "I won't regret this. I've given it too much thought. Those outdated beliefs…they weren't mine. I don't want to wait another minute for you. I've got you here. With me. You love me. You want me. Just as I love and want you. Let's go home to our cabin and enjoy each other. It's the most natural thing in the world. It was wrong of me to have ever fought against it so hard. I see that now."

"You did what you thought was best. You were trying to protect me. It means more than I admitted to myself at first that you fought so hard to protect me and even my virtue when I made it clear I didn't care. You love me more than I ever thought it possible that anyone would."

"And I always will." he promised. "Now, let's go home. I've waited an awfully long time for you." He stood up then and took off running again towards their cabin, both of them excited to see what the day had in store for them. He could have sung and leapt through the treetops just from the happiness in her thoughts, but instead he carefully cradled her to his chest and smiled, losing himself in her happiness, and his own in return.