A/N: Well, I think you guys are liking the story! Thank you so much for your kind reviews and reads, my friends. We get further into the story here. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 8: Beginning

Edward

I was on edge the entire day when Bella was on the reservation. Alice had been trying to check her future, but we realized that the reservation was a total blank to her. Her and Mother had to calm my panic quickly because I had made up my mind to break the treaty just to make sure she was ok causing my future to disappeared. After a couple hours, they decided to go hunt – so that they could talk about me, I knew – so I was left alone in the house.

I was wandering around the house, desperate for a distraction, when I heard Carlisle's car in the driveway. He had been working at the hospital and was coming home from his shift. Since the rest of the family had left to get a break from the "Edward-drama show" as Alice put it, I was almost happy to hear him.

"Good morning, Edward," Carlisle said, walking into the house. He set his bag down next to the door, and hesitated, looking at me carefully. "Are you all right?"

I ran my hand through my hair, considering carefully my next words. Carlisle knew what it was like to have found his mate and not be able to be with her right away. Sheepishly, I realized that I was the majority of the problem there. "Carlisle, I... can we talk?"

"Of course. What can I do for you, son?"

I immediately tramped down the frustration at him using that word. Mother used it, and over the years he had caught on to it also. I let myself breathe, listening to his thoughts. There was nothing malicious at all.

"I fear I owe you an apology," I started, pushing against the wall I was leaning against, walking toward him. "I didn't know what it felt like to want to be with someone this much and not be able to. Our situations are different, but it's the same feeling I imagine. I want to say that I'm sorry for making you feel this way."

Carlisle's mind went blank as he registered my words. He shifted a little, taking a step closer to me. "Let's go for a run?"

I nodded, following him out the front door. He lost his doctor's jacket at the front door, and took off running once he was outside. I was faster than him, but I didn't push myself to pass. I simply followed, joining him so we were running side by side.

"I never wanted to push you to understand what I went through in the early years, Edward," he said quietly. "But I'm glad you now realize. I never meant to hurt you; but, hopefully, now you understand that it chooses you sometimes."

"Yeah, I'm beginning to get that." I huffed a laugh. "I don't know what to do or how to handle this. I can't go see her, hell she doesn't even know! Alice can't see her on the reservation, either, which is agitating me more."

"After you were both changed, and your mother told me that she couldn't make the choice to be with me yet, I was devastated. It was really hard to pull back and try to just build a life for the three of us." He stopped running when we were surrounded by forest, some ways away from the house.

"I'm only now realizing how hard that must have been for you."

Carlisle smiled at me. "Are we calling a truce finally?"

I looked into the eyes of the man who I had borderline hated for the entirety of my vampire life. And finally, I saw him for who he was. A hundred years later, I finally got him. He had been a lonely man who was desperate for companionship. He had made a choice to end – or, really, to save – my and my Mother's lives, but that was the last selfish choice he had made. He loved his family, and he was happier than I ever remember him being.

"Carlisle, I've never thanked you. For choosing to save my life, and my Mother's." I held out my hand to him as he grasped it with shock written all over his face. "Thank you for loving my Mother enough to save us both. And thank you for giving me the chance to find what I always wanted."

Bella

We got back from La Push just after dinner time, so it was already dark. Meeting, or seeing again in some cases, the people on the reservation had been fun. Jacob Black and I had taken a walk by the water, and I found him to be a fun kid. He was nice and funny, but altogether way too happy of a person for me. I was still sulking thinking about everything that had happened the last couple days since I had made it to Charlie's.

But it was what he had said about Dr. Cullen that had really piqued my interest. The abnormally beautiful family had some rumors circling around them apparently. Jacob had joked and called them 'cold ones', which was a very strange way to describe anyone. Remembering back, though, I thought about how cold Edward's hand had been in mine when we had decided to become friends.

I unlocked my cell and started googling. Cold ones mostly brought up beer ads and a YouTube channel that had just started. However, I found one webpage that talked about cold ones as being a descriptor for the undead.

Laughing at myself, I clicked away from the webpage and locked my phone again. What a crazy scenario I was building in my head. Jacob had been joking with me, right? Talking about legends of wolves and cold ones, hating each other as a natural instinct.

I went to bed that night circulating the crazy thoughts. I slept better that night, though my dreams were mixed up and crazy. I imagined Jacob turning into a wolf and him running to attack Edward, a cold, fang-sporting man in a beautiful meadow. I woke up with Edward's name in my mouth – and that was just the first time I had dreamt about him. He would be a frequent visitor from then on.

Sunday was unusually sunny for Forks. I made my way outside to the backyard, determined to enjoy the little sunlight that was available. I put a blanket on the grass and sat down, readying myself to read. Unfortunately, I couldn't focus on the book in my hand. My thoughts kept going back to my dream, and what Jacob had said the day before.

My thoughts about Edward were confused. He was definitely the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life, but that couldn't control everything. I knew that my time in Forks was limited, did I really want to get involved with anyone here? I knew that a week ago my answer would have been no, but that was before I had even seen him. Hell, I'd only been here for a few days. Not even a full week yet.

Frustrated, I slammed my book closed. Why couldn't I stop thinking about him? My phone beeping pulled me away from the inner monologue. Glancing down, I noticed that I had a text from an unknown number.

Unknown: Hello Bella. Just wanted to say hi to my newest friend.

Who the hell? I responded quickly, asking who this was, before setting my phone down. I went back to mulling over the situation, and the stupid dream. When the phone beeped again, I had almost forgotten about the previous text.

Unknown: My apologies. This is Edward Mason. I got your number from your father earlier today.

Edward had gotten my cell number from Charlie? Why? For some reason this caused me to smile, but I quickly squashed that. He was working his way into my brain, I could tell. That wasn't ok. My eyes glazed over as I stared at my phone and his text, for a minute. Maybe it was ok? I quickly added his number into my phone.

Me: Oh, ok. Sorry, I didn't know. Hello Edward. How are you today?

He responded almost immediately. Edward: I am well, thank you. What are you up to today?

Me: Enjoying the sunlight while it lasts. LOL. You?

Edward: Just watching TV with my siblings.

Me: Why on earth would you stay inside and watch TV when outside is so pretty right now? I laughed; he was definitely strange. The fact that Forks had about two sunny days a year should make him want to take advantage of it.

Edward: What if I prefer the cloudy/rainy Forks over the overly bright/sunny one?

Me: Tell me you are joking LOL

Edward: I'm joking, Bella. My siblings and I are actually out hiking. We are just resting for a few moments.

Me: And your phone has reception out in the wilderness? Impressive cell service, Mason.

When he didn't respond right away, I decided to pick up my book. I stared at the pages but didn't read any of it. For some reason the fact that Edward had gone to the length of getting my cell number from Charlie just so he could text me made me happy. There was something in that thought that made my stomach erupt into butterflies. He had gone out of his way to get in touch with me. A smile played on my face as my phone beeped again.

Edward: When you live in the middle of nowhere, it becomes important to have excellent cell service Miss Swan.

I laughed out loud at that. Me: LMAO, hilarious, sir. Enjoy hiking.

I laughed again, locking my phone. Instead of picking the book back up, I decided to just stare into the woods. My brain was going hard in many directions and I acknowledged that I wasn't really focused on the book anyway. Edward was definitely taking this whole friend thing seriously. So, I thought again to myself, maybe that was ok? Maybe it was fine to have a friend after all?

Edward

I put my phone down and shifted a little in the tree overlooking her backyard. She was smiling staring off into the forest the opposite direction from where I was hiding. The simple interaction had me smiling also, hoping that we were just one step closer to truly being friends now. I desperately wanted to talk to her in person, but the weather was working against me.

The night before had been torture for me, though, listening to her dreams. Or, rather, listening to her talk in her sleep while she dreamt. When she said my name in a hushed voice, I was immediately hard. Once again, my seventeen-year-old brain beat the vampire monster back and took over. Her voice caused my blood to boil, bringing me to an almost fever pitch – which I hadn't actually thought possible.

As I thought about her, I wanted desperately to relieve myself, as I had had to do the previous night, but it felt wrong to do that just outside her window. I wanted to be with her; I wanted to feel her skin when she blushed. The temperature inside my body was rising quickly, but I had to stop it. Once again, I knew I would be blushing if it was possible, but I really couldn't do anything about it. The simple fact was that no matter how hard her blood called to me, her body and her mind – everything I knew of her already – called to me even more.

I listened to her conversations with her parents; I heard what she said to others at school. She was an inherently kind person, scared of making any connections in a town she knew she would only be in temporarily. The conversation with her father regarding the settlement her stepdad had gotten was sad, but sweet. She was happy for them, though she knew that made her aspirations to move home in a couple years much harder. It was clear to me that she loved with her whole heart, even if that brought her sadness.

She had excellent taste in books, based on what she had brought outside with her. She was currently reading an Agatha Christie novel, a classic. A teenage girl who chose Agatha Christie over something more modern? Amazing.

Through the next week I made a point to talk to her more. I walked her into school every day, chatted as much as we could in biology, and then walked her to her truck after. We were becoming friends, but I knew there was definitely something more. By Friday of that week, I asked if she wanted to hang out. She blushed when I asked, and nodded. That blush was going to kill me, I was sure of it.

It wasn't the vampire in me that wanted to see the blush. The leftover teenage hormones did. I had successfully, once again, beaten back the monster in favor of something else; something new that I couldn't avoid. I had to see her more; I had to talk to her more. I needed her in my life, more so than anything else.

We made plans for me to pick her up on Saturday morning. She said that her dad would be gone for the day fishing, so I could come over as early as I wanted. Before I could overthink anything, I sought out Carlisle for some advice.

"How can I be around her so consistently without causing any problems?" I asked him, sitting down at the chair in his office at home. He and I were already well on our way to becoming friends, but the real reason I approached him now was because of how good he was at controlling himself around humans. Better than any of the rest of us, anyway.

"You have already been desensitizing yourself around her, yes? By walking with her, talking to her, sitting with her in class. Being alone together won't enhance that by too much. Keep the window rolled down in your car so you are letting in fresh air – especially if you feel your control wavering." He stood up, grabbing his jacket, about to head in to work. "Just remember who she is to you, son. You can control yourself because you want that more than you want anything else. I believe in you. I know you can do this."

"Thank you, Carlisle," I whispered as he walked around the side of his desk.

He placed his hand on my shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Edward. Not many of our kind are able to resist the mere smell of human blood. But, their singer? Almost impossible."

I lowered my eyes. "I love her, Carlisle. I physically can't hurt her."

"I know, son. That's why I'm so proud of you."

When I walked outside to my car, my Mother and Alice were leaning against it, smiling at me. I walked into my Mother's embrace, hugging her fiercely. She ran her hands through my messy hair, trying to straighten it. We both knew that was a lost effort.

"You can do this, dear. Alice has already seen."

"Do I want to see? Or should I be surprised?" I snorted, leaning into her hand on my cheek. Alice's mind flashed to Bella and I in a meadow, me with my head in her lap and her running her hands through my hair while I stared up at her. A smile played on both of our faces.

I smiled at my mother and then over to Alice, who's face mirrored mine. "You see, dear? All is well. No more worrying about resisting her." She winked at me. "At least, in that way."

I smirked at her. "Mother, don't contribute to the delinquency of a minor."

She laughed, kissing me on the cheek. "You are hardly a minor, dear. You are over a century old." Her face became serious. "Just be cautious and remember what Carlisle said to you. You can do this, because you want it more than your very nature. She is important, dear, and I want that future for you."

Alice hugged me next. "And please hurry up with this whole thing. I can't wait to meet her!"

Rose and Emmett came out of the house at that point, followed closely by Jasper. My brothers were both grinning, while Rose was just smirking at me in a knowing fashion, as if everything that was about to happen was all a preconceived inevitability. Once again, I marveled at how much my mother had been able to do with her; she was so different from the spoiled brat she had been when I met her.

I half waved at them, kissing my mother on the cheek, and dove into my car. The next few hours would seal her fate. Was she with me for eternity, as Alice and Mother predicted, or would I lose control and end her life? Anger built up in my system as I started my car; I couldn't lose her. Not when I was this close to the life Mother had seen for me. I felt a wave of calm wash over me, and I glanced gratefully at Jasper. He smiled and waved at me.

The other concern, of course, was the fact that they were both so sure that she would be a vampire one day. The absolute horror of that revelation was really just hitting me. Until I had gotten to know here it was a mere passing thought; now I was terrified about her being sucked into this life. I knew I loved her, and I knew I would want to spend forever with her... but that didn't mean I wanted to doom her to this life.

By the time I got to her house, which was really only minutes, I was almost a nervous wreck. Being alone with her was going to feel so much different than just simply walking in the hallways of Forks High with her. But I could do this, right? That's what everyone kept telling me.

I knocked on her door, patiently waiting. I heard her shuffling inside – maybe grabbing a jacket? – before walking to the door and opening it. Her scent hit me like a truck ramming into me, but instead of fighting the monster, I accepted it. I inhaled sharply, letting her distinct flavor wash over me. I invited it instead of fearing it. I had it under control.

"Good morning, Bella," I said, smiling down at her. She smiled back. "You look lovely."

She glanced down at her jeans and sweater, blushing. I fought a different monster down at that. "Uh, thanks. So, where are we going?" She closed the door behind us, locking it with her key.

"I thought maybe we could do a little hiking today."

She glanced at me, biting her lip in a nervous fashion. "I don't know if you know this about me, but I'm not exactly coordinated. Hiking with me could result in more injury than fun."

I pursed my lips together, trying not to laugh. "I promise to keep you safe."

She grumbled 'we'll see' but continued to my car anyway. I opened the door for her, to which she raised an eyebrow at, before getting in and closing it behind her. I walked at the best human rate I could around the side, and got in, starting the car and speeding off toward our destination.

"I wasn't sure why you asked me out today; it's supposed to be cloudy all day. I hope it doesn't rain on us," she mused, looking out the window.

Alice had assured me that no rain would fall today, so I didn't share her concern. However, not wanting to give too much away, I said, "I hope so, too. I did bring a couple extra jackets for us, though, just in case." They were sitting in my trunk next to the picnic basket Mother had packed. She had reminded me that humans have to eat more regularly than vampires, so I had to make sure I brought food with me.

We got to the hiking trail in record time. The clouds were still thick overhead, so I knew I was safe for the moment. I took out the basket of food, and the jackets, holding one up to Bella. She took it and slung it over her arm, not ready to put it on yet.

We walked to the entrance of the forest and she looked curiously into the thickness, before glancing back at me. "You expect me to be able to hike this? I can't even see!"

This time I couldn't hold my laughter. "I promised to keep you safe. Come on, scaredy-cat. Let's go."

Well, she hadn't lied about her lack of coordination. Through the next couple hours, I watched her like a hawk, terrified that she would fall and blood would be spilled. I knew that I had fought the monster down, but in reality, I wasn't sure what would happen if her blood was actually out in the open. The blush was hard enough to ignore. I grabbed her more times than I could count to make sure she didn't fall. She apologized every time, and every time I told her not to worry about it. Though, she did, as she continued to walk as carefully as she could.

We made it to the meadow around lunch time for her. I grabbed the blanket out of the basket, spreading it in a small clearing of brush. It was an amazing time of year to be in this meadow, as we were surrounded by green weeds and colorful flowers. Bella had a beautiful backdrop as she sat down, nestled in-between the vibrant colors. I couldn't take my eyes off of her, though. The rest of it be damned – she was the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen.

"Do you and your family hike often?" she asked, taking a sandwich that I held out to her.

"As much as we can," I answered honestly. "We enjoy being outdoors."

She looked at me curiously. "Then why would you choose to live here? It rains more often than anything else. Wouldn't you want to be surrounded by better hiking options?"

I leaned back on my elbows and regarded her with a smirk. "Why do you suppose that hiking in the rain isn't fun? Why does it have to be sunny in order to hike?"

She smiled back at me. "Maybe that's my preference." She glanced down at her food, taking another bite. "Maybe I'm just trying to figure you out."

I raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to figure out? Just ask me; I'll be honest." Within reason, I added in my head.

"I don't know; it just seems strange. The first day I met you, you were angry at me-"

"Because I was sick." I added, cutting in.

She rolled her eyes. "Right, because you were sick. Then, you track my dad down and get my cell number off of him. Then you start walking me to and from class." She glanced up at me, her face curious. "I'm just trying to figure you out."

"You said that. But you also said that we could be friends. Aren't those the actions of someone trying to befriend a certain beautiful brunette who is new to town?" I asked, teasing her. Ah, the blush was back.

"But I guess what I'm trying to figure out is why?" Her voice was small, like she was afraid of my answer.

I leaned forward, closing the distance between us a little. I inhaled again, her smell scorching me all the way down. I closed my eyes and won against the monster again. "I'm trying to get to know you better."

"Is that all?"

"What else could it be?"

She blushed again. Damn that woman. She was going to kill me. "I don't know."

I shifted a little closer to her, placing my hand on hers. The sandwich dropped into her lap as she held my hand. "Why wouldn't I want to get to know you? You are fun and funny; and the most beautiful person I've ever seen in my life."

She huffed out a laugh, not raising her eyes to mine. "When you live with siblings like yours, I don't understand how you can say that."

"Well, first, they are my siblings so they definitely don't count. But second, you don't see yourself clearly. You are so beautiful that you continue to suck the breath right out of me." Her eyes met mine then, and I could see that my words had affected her. She shifted a little closer to me, and was leaning forward. I stared at her lips for a moment, before I pushed myself back, shoving myself to the far edge of the blanket at much greater than human speed.

By the time she registered that I was gone, I was already better. A clean breath of fresh air filled my lungs, and I started to scoot back. "I'm sorry, that was terribly rude of me."

"What happened? Did I scare you?" She bit her lip again. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. You just said that wonderful thing and... I don't know." She looked down again.

I heard Alice and Mother in my head again from earlier that day, telling me how important she was. I had chosen this; chosen her. I calmed my nerves and brought my hand to her chin, raising it so she was looking right at me. Without any hesitation, I leaned in and pressed my lips lightly to hers.

And then she attacked. Sandwich all but forgotten, she launched herself at me, winding both arms around my shoulders. She pressed her lips against me, harder, and shifted so she was in my lap. I froze for a moment, overwhelmed by emotions. Fear and hunger coursed through my body. I resisted the urge to fight her, to run away from her and clear my mind. My inner teenager took over, grabbing her and pulling her to me. I kissed her again, and again...running my hands up and down her back as I basked in the unique flavor of Bella.

Finally, I knew I would need to let her breathe, so I let go. I pushed back and rested my forehead against hers. Bella's breath was coming out a little ragged, and I found that I enjoyed that immensely. Knowing that I had made her react that way made my cold heart almost beat again.

"Wow," she said, breathless.

I smirked, leaning back so I could look at her. "See? I'm just getting to know you."

She smiled back, but didn't get off my lap. Her arms were still wound around me, and her fingers idly played with the hair at the back of my neck. "So, I'm not boring or anything."

I laughed, throwing my head back. "You are the exact opposite of boring, Bella." I leaned in, kissing her lightly. This time, she kissed lightly too rather than attacking me. Not that I had minded it before. I leaned back, looking into the chocolate eyes I loved. "But you need to eat. Finish your sandwich. We can, um, get to know each other after you eat."

She smiled and pushed off of my lap, finding the almost forgotten sandwich on the blanket. She crossed her legs, in a similar fashion to what I had seen in my mother's mind, and resumed eating. I leaned back, laying down on the blanket, my head in her lap.

"Um, I'm going to have a hard time eating with you right under my mouth. I may make you all crummy." She laughed, running her hands through my hair.

I smiled back up at her. "I'll take my chances."

A/N: So, progress between Carlisle and Edward, and some definite moves in the right direction for Edward and Bella.

Couple things of note in this chapter. They have only known each other for about a week and a half at this point. In my story there is not months of not talking to each other, the van incident or a lot of the interactions (The Port Angeles event doesn't happen, because Bella doesn't get close enough to Jessica and Angela for them to invite her, right?). So far, nothing has said to Bella that Edward is extraordinary in anyway, so other than what she got from Jake, she has no reason to think of him as anything other than human.

Also, in case you were all waiting for the classic love triangle between Edward, Jake and Bella – not in my story. Sorry, folks. Hope that's not a deal breaker. It's not my favorite part of the original books, having never truly been a fan of Jake. And for my story, it simply wasn't necessary at all. In fact, you'll see that Jake is not in it much – on purpose.

Anyway, I hope you are all still enjoying the story! More to come soon! And thanks again to my two betas: my fantastic sister and my buddy zombified419! I appreciate everything you guys have done to help!