Disclaimer: I dont own anything but the plot

Chapter 16 The meadow

Edward POV

My body was rigid. I had stopped fighting them now, but had also told them not to let me go. I wasn't sure what I would do if I was set free. No one said anything. At least not out loud. I tried to block their thoughts, but it was difficult. "Bella is safe. Alice will bring her here. Bella is safe. Alice will bring her here." I repeated the words in my head like a mantra to keep calm enough to stay still, and also to try to drown out the others.

I didn't know how long we were in this position. It felt like an eternity. Then, finally, I heard the sound of her footsteps. I had subconsciously committed them to memory. My eyes flew open, I didn't even realize that I had closed them. Carlisle and Rose looked towards the sound too. There she was, whole and safe. She was running, holding Luke in her arms.

"Oh my God. Edward!" She put Luke down when she saw me, then ran towards me. The others let me go then and I sprang up, meeting her in the middle, wrapped my arms around her and buried my face in her hair. I felt her arms come around me and she held me close. Her scent and the feeling of her safe in my arms finally did what the others couldn't. It calmed my anxiety and the rage in my chest. I was vaguely aware of Alice ushering the others back inside. Esme holding Luke's hand.

"Bella." I finally managed to get out. My voice was low and rough from shouting earlier. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

"No. No, of course not. You didn't really think I would let him, did you?"

I laughed without humor. "No I guess not. You're anything but a pushover."

"Damn right." She whispered softly.

I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with her wonderful, floral scent. After a moment I pulled back slightly, but kept my arms around her. I looked her deep in the eyes. We had gone hunting with Alice and Carlisle yesterday, so they were the brightest of that golden amber I loved. "Please tell me you're really okay." I pleaded.

"I'm really okay. I'm completely fine, he barely touched me."

I looked down at her shirt, where Alice had seen him grab her. The blue shirt was torn and I could see the strap of her white bra. My body started shaking and I felt the rage flare to life in my chest.

"He touched you." I gritted out through clenched teeth. "He had his hands on you."

"Edward, calm down."

"Calm down? Your shirt is ripped."

She looked down. Apparently she hadn't noticed. "Oh. I guess that happened when they tore us apart."

I stood. I don't know when we had fallen to our knees, but it didn't matter. I stalked towards the treeline.

"Wow, wow, wow. Hold on a second. Where do you think you are going?" I could hear her walking after me. I was a little surprised that I wasn't running yet, but I realized that I was very reluctant to leave her just yet.

"To rip that worm's hands off his arms." I growled.

"No you're not." I ignored her.

"Don't you dare ignore me Edward." She was tugging at my arm to make me stop walking.

"I will never forgive you if you do this." That made me stop dead in my tracks and she bumped into my back. "She will never forgive you if you hurt him." Esme's words echoed in my head. I turned slowly to face her. I was breathing hard and I wasn't sure what she saw in my expression.

She placed both her hands on my cheeks and gave me a stern look. "If you do this, you will only cause more problems for everyone. I understand why you want to. I wanted to rip him apart myself. But he is currently in the custody of the police. They will punish him accordingly."

I didn't answer. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't find any words.

"Take me somewhere."

"What? Where?"

"I don't know. Don't you have a place you like to go? Somewhere to escape to when you need breathing room?"

I did actually have a place like that. A place none of my family ever came to. They knew not to disturb me there. But I wouldn't mind taking her to see it. I just couldn't figure out why she wanted to go anywhere right now.

"Why?"

"Because I need to blow off some steam and I think you do too. So run with me Edward. Run with me and take me somewhere. Anywhere away from this town right now. Please?"

I couldn't say no to her. Not even if I wanted to. It hit me that I didn't want to say no to her. Not because I wanted to be alone with her, although I really did, but because she had done it again. My rage was fading away. She had calmed me again.

I laid my hands over hers, closed my eyes and took a breath. "Ok." My eyes opened. She was smiling. I felt my knees go weak. How was she doing this to me? I had never been this out of control. I had never felt such a whirlwind of emotions. "Come on." I held on to her hand as I led her through the forest.

She was right. Running did make me feel slightly better. We arrived in my private meadow after a couple of minutes. We stood in the middle of it, my back was facing her. What was I supposed to do now?

"What is this place?" She asked in a soft voice.

"It's my private meadow." A breath. "Well not private in the way that I own it, but to use your words, it's the place I escape to. The only place where I can usually have silence."

"It's lovely. How did you find it?" She stood by my side now, looking out over the field. It was a shame it wasn't in full bloom yet. I would very much like her to see it when it does.

"I found it 74 years ago. The first time we moved here. I was just running through the forest one day and… Here it was. Just waiting for someone to appreciate it."

"It was lucky then."

I looked at her profile. "What was?"

She turned to me. "The meadow. It was lucky that you found it. Who better to appreciate such a beautiful and peaceful place?"

One side of my mouth turned upwards. A small, but genuine smile. Her face lit up with that smile I loved so much.

"There's that smile I love."

Shock at her words took the smile away.

"No, don't take it away again. Give it back, please. Come on, pretty please?"

Her hands were folded in front of her, and again I couldn't have denied her if I wanted to. The smile returned stronger this time.

"There it is." She placed the tips of her fingers at the corner of my mouth and looked at my lips. After a few seconds she returned her gaze to mine. "Thank you, Edward."

I got the feeling that she was thanking me for more than just my smile. I placed my own hand on her cheek. My eyes strayed to her lips for just a second before they found her eyes again.

"Bella?"

"Yes?"

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you…. But I don't know how."

"Take your time then. You don't have to rush through it."

I mentally called myself a coward about 20 times before I had found enough courage.

I swallowed. "I uhm.." "Stupid that's not a sentence." She just waited patiently for me to continue. "I … I love you, Isabella Swan." Her eyes widened and she gasped softly. Now that I had opened the door, it shot wide open and everything just poured out. "I love you, with all my heart. My frozen, dead heart, that somehow feels like it's beating again. I know that's impossible, but there's a warmth in my chest, a fire where my heart is, that burns so bright whenever I'm near you. I love you and I don't want to ever be away from you."

I think she might have stopped breathing. She just stared at me.

"Bella? Did you hear me?" I was a little worried that she had zoned out.

Her nod was infinitesimal. I waited for a beat but she didn't say anything. I could practically see the gears turning in her head.

"I don't think it has ever been so frustrating not to be able to hear your mind. Please tell me what you're thinking."

"I … I don't know how." Her voice was so low and soft, a human would not have been able to hear her.

"Take your time then." I told her.

She smiled a little. Then her hand moved to the back of my neck, I let her pull me down a bit and she placed her forehead to mine and closed her eyes. Then I heard her mind. She didn't speak, just showed me all of her feelings. I closed my eyes too. She showed me how handsome and beautiful she found me. Not just my appearance but my personality, my voice, my actions. She admired my protectiveness of my family and of her and especially of Luke. She more than appreciated my help and efforts in keeping them safe. She was in awe of my person, just like I was of her. She showed me a recent memory of a search on the internet. She had been wondering about my upbringing and had started researching for it. Then she had found an article that described the stages of courtship and she realized what I was doing, but didn't dare believe it. She was afraid to be wrong and have her heart broken. Then she showed me how she had felt at my confession. The shock, disbelief, joy and somehow still denial. Even now, she couldn't really believe that what I had said was true. Her emotions were all over the place, but one stood out clearly to me. She loved me too. She has for a while now, but haven't had the courage to say anything.

"I love you too, Edward." I opened my eyes and found her looking at me. She had broken the connection again. She looked as though she would be crying had her eyes allowed it.

I bent down and kissed her softly. She gasped into my mouth and kissed me back. My hand on her cheek moved to the back of her head, and the other came around her to rest on her lower back. I pulled her body as close as I could to mine. Her own arms wrapped around my neck and she too pulled to get closer. It was as though there was a magnetic pull, drawing us together. Even with our lips interlocked, I couldn't get close enough. The taste of her gave me a feeling of being high. I was flying so high I couldn't see the ground. I felt Bella's body fall a bit and I held her up. She was still kissing me, but her knees seem to have grown weak. I lowered us to sit on the grass and pulled her onto my lap. We were lost in the motions and the feel of each other.

When we finally broke apart we were both panting. Smiling and eyes shining.

"I love you Edward."

"I love you too, Bella." A giggle and a chuckle left us.

We stayed in the meadow until daybreak. Whispering secrets to each other. Kissing. Telling stories. Laughing. Kissing. Pointing out the stars as we lay on our backs looking up. And then some more kissing.

I felt Giddy like a little kid. I couldn't stop smiling and reveling in the fact that she felt the same as me. For there was no doubt that she did. She had literally poured all her feelings into my head. I couldn't do the same, so I spent a lot of the time telling her out loud instead. She too, seemed unable to stop smiling. On the way back to the house, we didn't run. We walked at a normal pace. One I have always found agonizingly slow, but with Bella by my side, I didn't mind in the least. It somehow even felt too fast. I didn't want this night to end. Curse the morning for coming so quickly.

But then my heart became warm again. For I realized that we would have many more nights like this. If she would allow me to, I would spend every night and day, for the rest of my eternal existence, by her side.

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