I awoke because my shoulder was tingling and my nose was cold. When I opened my eyes I realised that my nose was tucked into the crook of Edward's bare arm, explaining the coldness, and I was laying awkwardly on my arm. I sighed, and rotated as carefully as I could, still banging my cast off of things. I heard an indistinguishable murmur.

"Huh?" I asked into his shirt. The chest beneath me shook with laughter, and a phone screen appeared in front of my face. I blinked a few times before reading the text.

Good morning. Did you sleep well? You seem cold.

"My nose is cold." I admitted. "I think I slept well. My shoulder is a little tingly."

His fingers flashed in a blur as he typed more.

Charlie left already. Would you like me to start breakfast?

"Yeah I guess." I yawned. "Just something small though." I started to sit up, and stretched a little. I was definitely stiff from yesterday's hike. Edward stroked my hair, gently, smiling at me, and then disappeared. I decided to hit the shower, and get dressed in comfy clothes for my cleaning day. When I got downstairs I was greeted to a cheesy omelette.

"I'm definitely going to get fat."

"You're the most beautiful thing in my world." Edward responded. "And always will be."

I ate most of the omelette, while Edward watched me in fascination.

"I still think you should be more adventurous with your food." I said, revisiting our last night's conversation.

"I don't think blood would sautee well. I'm willing to give it a go if you're up for it." Edward said, his eyes darkening and his mouth twisting into a chilling smirk. My heart skipped a beat.

"Go ahead." I dared, raising my eyebrow at him. Edward's eyes were unmovingly focused on my face, and his breathing had stopped. I paused too. The tension in the air could have been cut with a knife. Edward was the first to break, surprisingly.

"On an unrelated note, I am at your disposal today. I've decided to be your personal servant."

I took the bait, as that was awfully intriging.

"What? Why?"

"You said you were doing a cleaning day today. I'm at your disposal."

An image of Edward in a pink apron and yellow gloves flashed through my mind. As comical as it was, it also seemed really wrong.

"Um, I don't really need any help," I started, but was halted by Edward appearing at my side.

"Please Bella. Don't insult my intelligence, or my willingness to assist. I want to help, I can speed things up immensely while also providing eye candy."

I scrunched up my nose. It would be nice to have more of the day to relax.

"What can I start with?" He asked. "Laundry?"

"Oh no. There's no way you're rifling through my dirty clothing. That's my job." I dismissed instantly.

"Vacuuming then?" he offered.

I sighed. He would be ridiculously persistent. "Fine."

Edward immediately disappeared. "But only that!" I yelled after him. I ran upstairs after him, grabbing my laundry, bed sheets, and the bathroom towels, and shoving them into a ridiculously over-filled basket. I was about to haul it downstairs when it disappeared.

"Motherfu-" I began, but was interrupted by a reappearance of Edward and a quick chaste kiss, before he disappeared again. I went to the washer, and thankfully he had left the basket by the machine. I sorted through it all and put the first load in. I started to head upstairs again, only to be surprised by Edward appearing in front of me. He was winding the wire on the vaccuum.

"Done this floor?" I asked.

"Done the house." He responded, smiling. "Our chores day at our house is more of a chores hour."

"Jeeeeez." I shook my head. "And you think being a vampire is a bad thing."

Edward's face fell again.

"It isn't as glamorous at it appears."

"Well other than diet, and a stupid lack of sleep you haven't pushed me away yet." I smiled, pausing on the stairs.

"The guilt, the thirst, the soul-stealing existence, the lack of sun light, territoriality and brutality as overriding instincts, the inability to live anywhere for an extended period, the inability to have children, or raise families…" he trailed off, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Territoriality and brutality? Your family is hardly leaking that out of every orifice." I pointed out. "And there are humans who spend their entire lives hopping around between houses. I'm one of them, in case you hadn't noticed."

"And a family Bella?" he asked, his eyes blazing with an intensity I had never seen before.

Now it was my turn for a bitter laugh. "I have enough of a family, I've been looking after Renee and Charlie since I was three."

"Jokes aside Bella." Edward said quickly, almost before I was finished. His eyes were filled with sadness. "I can never give you a family Bella. Perhaps you're too young to want that yet…"

Did he not know? Did he not know the full extent of just how messed up my body had been?

"Edward I had to come to terms with the inability to have children a long time ago."

This stopped him for a moment, his eyebrows meeting in a frown.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"You really haven't looked through my medical file? Even though you have access to your father's head, and he was reading my file in the hospital?" I asked, bemused. It was almost mind-boggling to think about. Edward looked, if anything, more confused. His mouth opened and closed once, before his frown deepened.

"My car accident," I began. "My femur snapped when the car rolled. And the force, I mean…" I paused to take a deep breath. "My splintered femur ended up puncturing into my uterus and through one of my ovaries. It was easier for them to do a hysterectomy than to try and sew everything back together with all the other internal issues I had going on."

My voice felt quiet. I certainly couldn't hear it, but I wondered if it was the embarrassed blossom of blood pounding in my ears. "At sixteen I was forced to come to the realisation that I would never have children."

Edward approached me slowly, holding his hand out towards mine. I linked figers with him, watching my hand.

"If anything, I was expecting to be the bearer of bad news in a relationship one day. The fact that we can't have children is sort of a massive relief." I kept looking at my pale fingers, entwined with his paler ones. "So that's everything I guess. I have no more secrets. That's all."

Edward's hand moved toward my face, bringing mine with him. He pressed my palm against my cheek, and I forced my eyes to meet his.

"Thank you for telling me."

"I'm kind of glad that we're on even footing in some respects. We can't read each other's minds, we both can't have children. It almost makes up for the whole speed, strength, super-hearing thing." I smiled kindly at him.

"Hardly."

"Well, regardless. Are you done the whole list of chores I had set aside?" I asked.

"There was a list?" he looked confused.

"Not this week, but I figured since you stalk me so well, you'd know the drill."

"Very funny." He signed, and kissed me.