If I was human I knew I would have been exhausted. It had been a trying day, to say the least. Alice ran out to the jeep and jumped in before the house came into view. Her hands kept flitting around Jasper's face. She brushed the hair off his forehead, traced an eyebrow with a finger, and finally held his face between her hands before their lips met. I averted my eyes and my prying thoughts. It was unfathomable how I managed to last as long as I had without Bella.

I was the last one to step inside the house. I walked across the room and sat at the piano. I watched as everyone went about their business, Jasper went upstairs to change and was accompanied by Alice, Carlisle disappeared into his office where he met with Esme; Rosalie and Emmett were still shut up inside their room, leaving me alone. After staring at the piano keys for a moment, my hands lifted on their own accord and my fingers flew over the keys as I played the song that I composed for Bella. The notes rang through the open, empty room.

I would have given anything to hum it into her ear instead of playing it to myself. Frustrated, I lifted my hands off and pulled the cover over the keys. I couldn't leave until we discussed what we were going to do about the man. I walked to the couch and waited for everyone to join me, Alice and Jasper arrived first.

I felt my eyes narrow at Jasper as he approached. I no longer had to be the supporting family member now that he had Alice. Sure I still cared for his well-being but I felt the need to remind him of the possible consequences to his actions.

"If that man decides to report us..." I left the threat up to his imagination to handle.

"But he hasn't yet, Edward!" Alice piped up happily, "I've got nil!"

"Which is good for the sake of your husband!"

"Look," Alice said seriously, "I don't appreciate all the threats towards Jazz. There shouldn't be any, considering that I've had no visions about the man posing any threat to us."

I crossed my arms and leaned back into the couch.

"Edward," she leaned towards me, "don't worry."

"That's easy for you to say," I growled, "you can take him with you if we have to leave."

She exhaled and shook her head, reclining back into Jasper.

"I think I've seen him before though." I said, realization setting in.

"From where?" Alice leaned forward, as did Jasper.

"What's his name?" Jasper asked, "We can keep a closer eye on him if we know his name."

I shook my head, "I don't know his name. I merely recognized him." I was frustrated. This should have occurred to me much sooner, even though our initial encounter had been very brief. There was no doubt that he was the same man that ran down Bella in Port Angeles last spring. The thoughts had the same rancid feeling as they filled my mind.

"I saw him in Port Angeles if that helps at all."

"It sure narrows our search." Alice's eyes were lit with hope.

"Even if we do find him," I said warily, "what could we do?"

"Scare him witless?" Jasper said with a mischievous smile on his face. Alice promptly elbowed him in the chest.

"I think we've already accomplished that," I said, glaring at him, "Meaning you've already accomplished that."

Alice lifted herself off Jasper's lap to intercept my glare and said, "We could find out more about him."

"What would that do?" I asked skeptically.

"We could find out how reliable a source he really is, because if he's not then maybe no one would take him seriously."

"He might not have even believed what he saw." Esme said excitedly. We all looked over to Esme and Carlisle who had been sitting silently on the couch during our conversation.

"I think that maybe that's a little too optimistic, dear," Carlisle replied.

"It doesn't hurt to have a little optimism," Esme answered lightly.

"No, I suppose it doesn't," Carlisle laughed and took Esme's hand in his, "But don't forget we have to find this man first." Carlisle reminded us unnecessarily.

I felt a smile tug at my lips. This was going to be easy. All we had to do was follow his scent, and if it was strong enough it could lead us straight to his house.

"Everyone should plan on making a trip to Port Angeles tomorrow." Carlisle said. "We'll work out the details in the morning."

The moment everything was settled, I ran out the door and under the trees.

The air was cool but humid, but how did the weather affect me? It didn't, not really. The moment I stepped outside, the subtle sounds of the night engulfed me. The mosquitoes were the unceasing background noise. Their buzzing was underlying every other nocturnal sound.

I abandoned the cover of the trees and ran alongside the road and against the traffic. Each car seared through the quiet sounds of the night. I wasn't worried about someone seeing me; the driver's tired eyes wouldn't be able to catch a shadow moving on its own. Plus, even if they did they'd probably just shake their heads and glance askance at their caffeinated drink sloshing in their cup-holder, as if that had something to do with it.

I didn't know why I felt the need to run with the road. I was taking unnecessary risks, but the cars were the only things that offered a challenge. But each time a car passed me I was disappointed at how little the wake of air provided any resistance. I ran through each wave of air easily and the cars continued down the road. Nearing my destination, I ran across the narrow road and back into the forest.

I approached Bella's house from the back. My footsteps were silent as I walked around to the front. I smiled when I saw that the light in Bella's room was on. The yellow of the artificial light could be seen through the lacy curtains. I scaled the wall quickly, opened the window, and lifted myself into her room. I made a point of clicking the window when I closed it, so my presence was known.

Bella spun around, "Edward!" she called out a little too loudly. I noticed she had a hand behind her back.

I pressed a finger over my lips. "Surprise," I whispered.

She mimicked me with her free hand.

"What do you have there?" I asked with my hands folded behind my back. I craned my neck to look around her.

She took a step backwards, "Nothing."

"You're not going to show me?" I raised my eyebrows.

"It's just that," she cleared her throat, "it's kind of embarrassing."

"You shouldn't be embarrassed." I sat down on the edge of her bed.

A blush was playing across her face. She looked lovely. "I know," she said, giving me a small smile.

"So," I patted the bed, "are you going to show me?"

"I suppose I could," she walked over and sat next to me. "You're not allowed to laugh though."

"I won't," I promised with all the sincerity I could muster. Though I could barely keep a smile hidden as I responded to her request. Bella must have noticed this too, because she rolled her eyes as she pulled a black book from behind her back.

She hastily shoved it into my hands. "Look at it now before I change my mind."

I looked over at her as I stroked the smooth cover. She was hiding her face in her hands, as if she was bracing for a collision.

"Bella," I whispered. I shifted myself so that I was facing her. I rested the palms of my hands on the backs of her hands. It never ceased to daunt me how small and fragile everything about her seemed. I moved my lips to her ear, "I won't look at it if you're so against it." Slowly and gently, I pulled down her hands so they were no longer veiling her face.

She opened her eyes slowly. I watched as her pupils adjusted to the light. First getting too large and swallowing too much light, and then shrinking slightly to allow a more suitable amount in. Her eyes fell into mine without any hesitation, and I heard her breath catch.

It was flattering how I could affect her in such a way, though she did very much the same thing to me. I knew I only made it worse by smiling. Her heart rate jumped, it seemed to not only to be pumping the blood inside her, but the very atmosphere of the room. It was electric. It was contagious. I broke the spell by pulling my eyes away. I moved them down onto the book still sitting in my lap.

She sighed and picked up the book. "Here, I'll just show them to you." I smiled when I saw that her hand was over her heart in a futile attempt to smother its erratic drumming.

She had just begun flicking through the pages when I pulled her into my lap. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her against me. I could already feel her heat seeping through my clothes. I rested my chin on her shoulder and watched as she turned each page. When she reached the middle, I noticed that each sketch was of a similar subject. A grin pulled at my lips against all good reason. Bella must have felt my cheeks rise against her neck, because she snapped the book shut.

"You said you wouldn't laugh!" she pouted and folded her arms across her chest.

"I didn't laugh," I said, nuzzling her neck.

Bella tilted her head into my touch, "You were going to."

I pressed my lips to the curve of her neck. "I would have done no such thing."

"But only because I stopped you." She lifted a hand to my cheek, warming my skin.

I smiled into her neck, "My hero."

"That's not patronizing." She meant it to be a harsh remark, but the breathlessness of her voice sold her out.

"Well now, let's get a good look at those pictures."

"And we were having such a nice time," she groaned. "Why were you so late today?"

"Don't try and change the subject on me. I want to see what kind of art I inspire."

"Rudimentary art," she laughed weakly. "They don't do you justice."

I really did want to see her drawings. "Just show me one then. The one you like best."

Bella moved from my lap and sat in the middle of her bed, legs folded under her. I flopped onto my back and looked up at her. She stared at me for one long moment before dropping her gaze to the sketch book sitting in her lap. She glanced at me through her eyelashes before tilting the book up so I couldn't see its pages. She was completely oblivious to how entrancing I found her.

She kept flipping between two pages in indecision. Finally, she picked one and pressed the open book to her chest. I pulled myself up and sat across from her.

"I call it… Edward" she said, lifting the book from her chest and turning it around so I could see her work.

"A very apt name," I said, leaning closer. It did... resemble me, I suppose. Though I was pretty sure my nose didn't hang over my top lip.

"Given the fact that you've only had seventeen years to hone in on this skill," I grinned, "I'll forgive you."

Bella snapped shut the book and stuck her tongue out at me.

"I didn't laugh." I moved closer to her, "You have to give me that."

"Fine," she said, sounding discouraged against her will. She turned away from me.

I closed my eyes, I resolved to apologize to her the moment I opened them. After a few long moments, I lifted my eyelids and saw that Bella was staring at me with her head tilted to the side. I lifted a corner of my mouth in a somber smile, "I'm sorry Bella."

This seemed to strike her funny, because she lifted a hand to her mouth trying to drown out the hysterical giggles.

I felt myself frown, "What?"

She didn't answer; all she did was crawl across the bed and into my arms.

"What's so funny?"

She sighed, causing the laughter to retreat, "It's almost disgusting how perfect you are."

"Almost?"

She nodded into my chest.

"I don't understand," I looked up at the ceiling, "I thought I'd upset you."

"But you apologized in record time."

"That makes up for everything?"

"Yeah."

I rested my cheek on top of her head, "That's good to know."

"Will you tell me why you were late now?" She said, running a finger up and down my chest.

I squeezed my eyes closed, and reflected on the abysmal hunting trip. "There were some... complications."

"Like what?"

"Why do you ask?" I looked down at her.

"I heard Alice on the phone before she took me home."

"Oh."

"No one got killed," she leaned her head back to look at me, "did they?"

"No," I said, staring straight ahead.

Bella sighed with relief, "That's good."

"Yes, it is rather fortunate."

We sat in the middle of the bed for a long while. The artificial light above us was humming, it was about to give out. Bella was curled up against my chest. I noticed when her breathing pattern change and each breath got deeper. I was losing her to sleep.

"Bella?" I whispered, stroking her hair.

"Hmm?" she answered sleepily.

"I want to tell you before you go to sleep," she shifted in my arms, "I'm going to be out tomorrow."

"Be fast," she said, her tongue sounded heavy in her mouth.

"And you be safe."

I felt her head move up and down slightly through the fabric of my shirt. I suppose that was as good as any answer.

Carefully, I shrugged her off my chest. My hand cupped the back of her head and the other wrapped around her waist as I lowered her slowly onto her back. I slid off the bed quickly and turned out the lights.

I stood at the edge of her bed committing this moment to memory. She was a vision. The moon's light lit her face, making it glow. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, and her hand rested in a loose fist on her pillow. Her lips were parted slightly and strands of her dark hair fell into her face. I knew I could never sleep, but it was relaxing to watch Bella's soft body rising and falling with each breath.

After a while, I removed the book from Bella's arms and shifted its weight from one hand to the other. I smiled as I went over to her desk and picked up the only pencil gracing its surface. I held it loosely in my hand and knelt down at the side of Bella's bed. I could have drawn her with my eyes closed, but this gave me an excuse to look at her.

I sketched a few simple lines and worked from there. Though the sketch was still vague and needed shading, I knew I had already captured her features. I finished the drawing quickly. I was on the verge of closing the book, but before I did I wrote a little memo for Bella on the edge of the drawing, a grin pulling at my lips the entire time.

You look beautiful when you're sleeping.

Love, Edward

I knew she would find it completely infuriating. This was the main reason that I wrote anything at all. I closed the book silently and set it on the nightstand. I slid next to her on the bed, and gently brushed the hair out of her face. She stirred slightly under my touch. Her eyes fluttered without actually opening and her lips twitched into a small smile. I rolled over onto my back and felt the mattress move as Bella inched closer to me. She curled up against my side and used my arm as a pillow.

I moved a pillow under her head, knowing that she'd be sore in the morning if she used my arm as a headrest for long. I kissed her forehead once before I left her alone with her dreams.