HUZZAH! I'M STILL NOT DEAD!

I'm super-duper-ooper-schmooper sorry I haven't been getting back to y'all recently... like at all. I've been working on school six days a week, from like 8 AM to 8 PM. It's been hectic and extremely long days. I haven't been able to fit much writing in there.

That being said, I haven't given up on everyone yet! Sorry for taking so long to publish the next chapter for these stories, I'll work on them as I find the time, but no promises on when they're coming out!

I see some writers on this website who have constant upload schedules, and I always feel SO jealous. Anyways, I'll write as I can find the time, so please try and stay patient with me!

Sorry!

-DragonHighElder

Chapter Three: Energyyyyyzzzzzzzzz

Time: Twilight (No, not a joke. It actually is twilight-time-of-day)

Day # of potion: 0 (same day as he drank the potion)

Later that day, it was clear to all of us that Edward was beginning to slow down a little, in everything he did. I mean, as vampires we all moved faster than he currently could ANYWAYS (something Emmett took no shame in teasing him about, despite my objections), but even at human paces he was beginning to slow down.

Being the most recent human of our family and the wife of the man in question, it naturally fell to me to check and see if anything was wrong. Just to make sure. And I was happy to do it, make no mistake.

I walked up to Edward as he sat down on the couch. His expression seemed to droop a little, but brightened as I neared. As true a gentleman as there was, he stood up until I sat down next to him.

"Edward, are you feeling alright? Nothing's wrong, is there?"

"Well, I'm not sure," he said, frowning a little in concentration. "I mean, I feel kinda lightheaded, and sluggish. It's been well over a century since I felt sluggish, but—and my eyes sting a little whenever I blink—"

I took a closer look at his (still gorgeous) face to see if I could detect what was wrong. As soon as I looked, though, I instantly knew what was wrong. I laughed aloud.

"Edward, you're just tired," I laugh, and I can see a sleepy smile cross his face, as he giggles too. He looks almost drunk on fatigue, a sensation I still remember clearly as a human. "C'mon, let's go home."

Edward nodded, and stood up, walking somewhat slowly to the door. I followed him patiently, all the way to the front yard. I was surprised when I saw Edward's cheeks burn a little with a light blush. It was a little foreign to see the red hues on Edward's skin, but an interesting experience.

"Edward, what's the matter?" I asked.

"Nothing, just trying to figure out how to cross the river," he said, nonchalantly. The blush refused to leave his cheeks.

"Same as always," I said, walking over. "I'll help you get over it."

"It's not very gentlemanly to ask a lady to carry him," Edward said, the blush getting darker.

I laughed again. That's what this was about? Of course, I should've seen it coming from before. "Edward, its fine. If you want to hike all the way back to our house, we can, but it's less than a minute if you'll let me help you. Besides, I already told you. There's nothing I'd rather do with this small piece of my forever than help you through this. And that's going to require me to occasionally step in when you need help doing things like this."

Edward nodded, still blushing as I picked him up easily and cleared the river in one bound, making sure not to overdo it for Edward's frailer human senses. We hit the ground easily and I began running. I hadn't gone more than a hundred feet when I saw Edward's eyes were still open.

"Edward, you're going to get motion-sick if you keep watching—" I began, but Edward shook his head.

"I've been a vampire much longer than you have. I don't mind the blurs. It's kind of beautiful, in its own way," Edward said.

"Well…" I said, sighing. "…okay, I guess so. But if you start feeling queasy, you have to close your eyes."

Edward nodded as we raced along, me being very careful not to expose him to any threat in the vicinity. We made it to our house, and I realized with a chuckle that after two years of living in our house, our bed was actually about to be used for its intended purpose for the first time.

It also occurred to me that we had no sheets or blankets currently on the bed. Was there more in the closet? Probably not, we wouldn't have really had any need for them…

"Edward, you get ready for bed, I'll be back in a short minute," I said, putting him down outside our house.

"What's the matter? Do you need help?" he asked, turning to face me.

"No, just thought you might like a blanket tonight. Go ahead, I'll be right back."

I turned and darted off through the forest again towards the Cullens. Despite the fact that vampires couldn't really feel temperature quite like humans did, we had to have some blankets at one of our houses. Even if it was only because it had come with the furniture Esme had bought.

Esme and Carlisle were more than happy to help, handing me a few sheets and comforters for the autumnal weather approaching our way tonight. The sheets smelled like rose honey and lilac, Edward's vampire smell. The golden sheets in my hand were suddenly familiar to me, as I remembered where I had seen them before. The bed Edward had put in his room for me while I was yet human. I wondered if this was their intent when they handed these sheets to me, as I rocketed back through the forest with my warm cargo.

Edward was still getting ready for bed as I came into the house, readying the bed for him. The sheets slid smoothly over the mattress, and the thick comforters were plush and warm, at least to human senses. To mine they were rough and felt somewhat like rucksack. Though in my clearer memories, I could vaguely recall how in my time as human, I thought the sheets were soft.

Edward came into the bedroom, and he looked… bleary-eyed. It was really a somewhat frightening experience to see him look so unfocused and ruffled, and not just for me.

"I feel like I'm slowly wilting away," Edward said. "Is that normal?"

"Yes, it's just being tired," I said, reassuring him and partially myself as well. "Here, come and lay down."

I walked him over to the bed, and he sat down. His eyes were drooping a little, obviously tired.

It was more than slightly awkward as for the very first time since I'd known him, I watched Edward slowly drifting off. My mating instincts, along with everything I had prior known about Edward, were screaming and running around at DEFCON 1. Everything about the idea of Edward falling into unconsciousness screamed out that it was wrong and bad to my mind. But I kept a calm façade as I watched Edward slowly slip away.

You can be sure I didn't budge a single inch that night from my position as I sat next to him. I constantly was watching to make sure that I could continually hear the wet thumping of his heart, and that each next rise and fall of his chest was indeed coming.

These things, his heartbeat and his breathing, were foreign to me as well. But I managed to take these, at least, in stride.

The bed was constantly heating during the night. I could feel the change in temperature, roughly thirty-ish degrees, as Edward slept soundly.

I began to panic at first, wondering whether or not he was burning up under all the quilts and blankets, or whether this was a normal thing for him. He didn't look like he was sweating. In fact, he looked very comfortably warm, wrapped up in the blankets.

It was also an interesting experience to firsthand see the effects sleep had on Edward. His whole body seemed to be granted a reinvigorated glow to his skin's hue and softness.

The sun began to rise behind me, but I still didn't move. I was almost glad enough that this long night would be over, and that I would be sure that Edward would wake up again.

It was right at the very end of this long and suspenseful night for me that Edward began to… change.

I watched as his expression, from peacefully relaxed a moment ago, turned into something like a sour anxiousness.

Instantly I was on high alert. What was going on? Was it all going to be alright? Did I need to do something? Was he going to be okay?

His breathing spiked, too. More forced than before. Was he choking on something? Oh sweet heavens, on the first night he had of sleeping again, too. What was going on?

With a quick gasp, his eyes fluttered open, squinting in the early-morning light. A small piece of my brain registered this and sighed in relief. Another small portion tried calming down the majority of my brain, which was still on overload wondering if something was wrong with Edward. An itsy-bitsy portion of my brain recognized that the way he scrunched up his face when he squinted was kinda cute…

"Edward!" I said, pretty much 'fluttering' over him as he rubbed his eyes, "Is something wrong? What's wrong? Can I help?"

"No, just… must've had a bad dream, Bella," he said, patting my arm reassuringly. "It's alright, love, I'm just fine."

He could clearly see the concern and worry in my eyes, and I was kind of shocked how easily I had forgotten; Edward was at least a century older than me. Not only that, but he was also there when I had been the one having the bad dreams. He probably knew more about how I was feeling now than anybody else.

I took a deep breath, as always I wouldn't need it, but it did wonders for calming down, as I think I may have said before. I nodded.

"Right," I said shakily. "I should've known that."

Edward laughs. "It's amazing to be the calm one in the relationship, even still," he chuckled, and I flinched to punch him playfully before realizing I very well could break his arm that way. And maybe the rest of his ribcage as well.

I folded my hands on my lap instead.

"Feel up for some breakfast, or just wanna lay in bed for a little bit?" I asked, carefully judging his reaction to see what he thought of the two ideas.

"Let's just… lay here for a while longer," he said, taking a deep inhale of the room's morning air. "These covers are nice and warm."

I smiled and nodded, laying down next to him on top of the covers, so I didn't chill him as I laid next to him.

I chuckled as I reviewed my actions over the course of the night; I was being silly and I knew it. But still… I couldn't help feeling this way.

And for perhaps the first time, I could truly understand what Edward had felt when I was the human of the equation; he had been right. Humans are extremely breakable. I felt like I was handling a vase made not out of glass, but bubbles. At the same time, I knew my vampire abilities would be able to handle it and more. But now it was my duty to be the guardian of my mate.

I was the guardian vampire to my angelic mate.

And I was completely fine with that.