Chapter 6

AN: As promised, I've added a Lana POV. I hope you like it.

LPOV

After such an intense evening, it was nice to wake up the next morning to the wonderful scents of breakfast, along with my mother's soothing voice as she chatted lively on the phone. I'm not sure how old I was at the time, but I remember a time when she actually used to sing to me as I slept every night.

There was a time in my early childhood that I was completely obsessed with The Little Mermaid cartoon movie. I wanted to be a mermaid princess just like Ariel, and I thought that her voice was the most beautiful thing that I had ever heard. When my mother sang to me back then, I was thankful that her song of choice was, "Part of your world" which was and still remains my absolute favorite.

Her voice comforted me whenever I was frightened or sad, and I truly missed those times. It saddened me greatly that her singing to me seemed to stop abruptly. What's truly odd was that I'd never heard her sing any other time other than at bedtime. The most she did was hum along to music on the radio, but I swear her voice was nothing like it once was.

I began to think that perhaps similar to other human children, that I had imagined it all. However, the feel of her hand stroking my hair wasn't something that I would ever forget. Thankfully, she still does that absentmindedly whenever my head's was in her lap.

I'm very aware that I'm a great big dork for still enjoying things like this at my age, but I guess some things will never change. I hopped out of bed, kicked my feet into Road Runner house-slippers, pun intended and sped down the stairs to the kitchen. I stopped directly behind my mother who was standing in front of the opened refrigerator door.

"Good morning, mom," I said as I stretched my head around to kiss her cheek. My mother absolutely hated it when I used my speed, especially when I snuck up on her. As always her reaction was priceless. She screeched in terror, and the pitcher of orange juice that she was holding went airborne. Luckily along with my speed came agility. I was able to catch the pitcher mid-air and not spill a drop on the floor, all while suppressing my laughter.

"Lana! I've asked you repeatedly not to do that! You almost gave me a heart attack," she said while holding her chest and breathing hard.

"I'm sorry mom, but I couldn't resist. Besides, you'd think that you'd be used to me after all these years," I said with a grin.

"I suppose so," she said with a sigh, "Breakfast will be done in ten minutes." Considering the sounds that were emanating from my stomach, I didn't think I could wait that long for her to finish. So I decided to make myself some toast to hold me over until everything was ready.

When came to meal time, I truly felt badly for my parents. Their grocery bill must have quadrupled since the day that they found me. I can eat the amount of two average humans combined. There's rarely a time that I'm not hungry, and after smelling the fuck-awesome food that my mom was preparing, I was absolutely ravenous. I seem to have a much higher metabolism than the average human, something of which my parents learned early on.

The cool thing about my powers was the fact that toasters were unnecessary. I simply placed the bread between my palms, took a deep breath, and lightly focused heat on each side of the bread. It was done within seconds. I was just about to spread butter my toast, when I looked up and noticed that my father was staring at me from the doorway of the kitchen with a smirk on his face.

"I guess this isn't something most people see every day," I said with a laugh.

"Huh, I do," he said as he walked over to me. "You know sweetheart, the way your skin glows and the color of your eyes turn when you do that looks pretty scary. I'm still not used to it."

My parents have always told me that my eyes change color whenever I use that ability; red like fire as if I were some sort of supernatural monster. Perhaps I really was.

"But you still loooove me," I sang.

"I sure do, demon eyes and all," he said as he kissed the top of my head and stole my toast out of my hand at the same time.

"Ouch!" He shouted as he immediately dropped the toast onto the table.

"Hmm, that's what you get for stealing," I said with a giggle.

"Well, it's not considered stealing when you were the one who bought it in the first place," he said. He carefully picked up the toast up and smoothed butter on it, while I prepared another piece for myself.

As I ate, I glanced casually around the room, and out of the corner of my eye I realized that both of my parents kept glancing at each other mouthing things with worried expressions. They both had the good sense to avoid whispering in front of me because of my exceptional hearing. As a matter of fact, they have never had a private conversation even a few miles away from me, due to the fact that I could pick out their voices in an instant.

I could find out what was going on here another way, but I decided against it. I promised my parents that I would never use it, and I've tried very hard to keep that promise. However, no matter what I did, I was often forced to on many occasions. As I thought about it, I should have known that something was up. My mother hasn't made a breakfast this size in a quite some time, and it's all of my favorite breakfast foods. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, homemade hash browns, and freshly squeezed orange juice. Hmm…Shady shit was a foot; that was for certain.

The question was whether or not I wait it out, and let them come to me; or try to get the truth out of them right then. I decided to wait because I'm the first to admit that I was greedy as fuck, and I would hate for all of this good food to go to waste with a spoiled appetite.

Aren't I just the most considerate daughter?

My father and I helped my mom place the food on the table. Once everything was set, we all dug in and it was heaven, pure and simple. After practically double fisting my breakfast, the table looked like was practically empty of food, courtesy of yours truly. My dad cleared his throat and reached for my mother's hand which rested on top of the table.

Oh fuck! The taking of the hand for moral support usually meant that this was major, and buttering me up with breakfast made it even worse.

I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest. They gave each other a nervous glance, and I raised an eyebrow at them so that they knew I was waiting for them to say whatever it was they wanted to say. My father took another deep breath and released it.

"Lana, we want to talk to you about Edward and his family," he said in a very serious tone.

"Okay," I said gesturing with my hand for them to proceed.

"Your reaction last night when we questioned you about him, has us a little concerned and we thought that it would be best to clear the air," he said looking me straight in the eye.

"I can respect that. What do you guys want to know exactly?" I was getting very nervous. I really hoped that they wouldn't pester me about Edward's abilities. I would either have to flat out refuse to answer; which would cause a huge scene, or lie. Neither option was appealing.

"I guess what we were the most curious about, was how long you two have been dating?" My dad asked. He looked as if he was on the verge of throwing up.

I sat in stunned silence for a moment as I attempted to get this bullshit straight in my mind before I could respond. They thought that Edward and I were together? Not just friends? My eyes slowly widened and before I knew it I was overcome with hysterical laughter as my parents looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

I threw my head back and let the merriment take me. I tried to calm myself but I just couldn't accomplish the task as I considered the ridiculousness of their questioning.

I just couldn't believe it. Not that there was anything wrong with Edward by any means. He was quite possibly the hottest guy I've ever seen. However, he was the hottest married guy I've ever seen; the keyword being married which made this beautiful creature completely off limits.

"You…think…that….Ed-ward…is….my…B-Boyfriend?" I said between chuckles. My mother glared at me while my father's expression was the complete opposite.

"Oh, thank fucking Christ!" My dad exclaimed as he leaned back in his chair, and wiped the sweat that had been forming from his forehead.

"Jeremy! Language! It's bad enough that because of you, our daughter has picked up your horrible cursing habit!" My mother exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, honey," dad said sheepishly. My mother then turned her gaze back in my direction.

"Lana, be serious for a moment please and answer the question."

"Mary, I think the answer is obvious. Her reaction says it all," my dad said happily. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before responding.

"Mom, Edward and I are just friends, nothing more. As a matter of fact, he is madly in love with his wife, Bella who is the light of his life. What gave you the impression that he and I were an item?" My parent's looked at each other with wide eyes while shrugging their shoulders before my Dad responded.

"Well, I saw you hug him inside of their house, which is something you've never done outside of this house, but the look on your face when we even suggested even the slightest thing negative in his regard, made it clear that he means something to you. You were angrier with us than I've ever seen before, and we just assumed that there was more to your relationship with him than friendship," my dad said.

"We didn't know that he was married of course, Lana. He's just starting college after all. They must have gotten married right after their high school graduation just like me and your father," my mother said wistfully.

Young? Bella perhaps, but I wonder how they would react if they knew how old Edward really was. He could be their great, great, great grandparent.

"I won't deny that he does mean a lot to me, but only as a friend. You should see the way he looks at Bella, it's like she is his life force."

I realized at that moment that I would probably never be able to have anything like that with anyone, being the Ice Queen that I was. As if sensing my despair, my mother moved to the chair next to me and pulled me to her.

"Lana honey, we've been over this. You're a beautiful young woman, and you'll find what you're looking for one day, you'll see," she said.

"That's the problem, mom, I'm not looking for anything. Even if it were physically possible, I feel nothing in that regard. I haven't met one person who I can honestly say that I've wanted try with. I think we need to face the fact that it might be in my DNA to be this way."

"I don't believe that for a second. You just haven't found the right person yet, that's all," she said.

"No, I don't think so. I'll always be alone mom and I might as well start accepting that."

"Don't think so negatively, anything is possible. Just promise me that when the time comes that you do have feelings for someone, you won't let the physical restrictions get in the way of you trying?" My mother asked while looking into my eyes.

"Fine, I promise, but remember this conversation if I end up accidentally killing them," I said smiling at her slightly. She hit my arm playfully and winced in pain before moving back to her seat.

"Yeah, see what I mean?" I asked as I gestured to her hand.

"Well, that's the first part of what we wanted to talk to you about. We also wanted you to know that we did hear everything you said last night about how little we know about the Cullen's. You were right. We shouldn't have automatically judged them, especially when we know nothing about them. So, we wondered if it was okay with you if we invite them over for dinner tonight," dad said as he watched me intently.

Fuck! If the Cullen's come here and don't eat anything, my parents are going to be offended, and they may even become a little suspicious. I can't just say no either, because they'll know that I'm hiding something.

"Uhhh, I would need to speak with Edward about this first of course, and let you know if they are available. It is last minute and I'm sure on a Saturday, they may already have plans," I said nervously.

"Well, be sure to ask them about it as soon as possible, so that your mother and I can get to the store to get what we need. We'll clear the table and do the dishes; maybe you should call him now if it's not too early and ask him about it."

Too early, huh? There's no such thing as too early for a Cullen.

"Sure thing, Dad," I said. I stood up from the table and sped upstairs to my room and closed the door behind me locking it.

I went over to my night stand and picked up my cell phone to call Edward, but then I decided that I preferred to talk to him in person instead. I needed to get out of here for a little while anyway.

I tossed my phone on my bed and went into my bathroom to get cleaned up. After my shower, I got dressed and pulled my hair into a high ponytail which was hard being that I have so much fucking hair. I've broken many ponytail holders trying to achieve this style.

I grabbed my purse and jogged at a normal speed downstairs and went into the kitchen. They were both at the sink doing the dishes chatting happily. My dad washed while my mother rinsed and dried.

"Mom, Dad, I thought it might be a better idea if I go over to the Cullen's house and ask them in person. I want them to see that I'm alright, you know, especially after the way dad practically ordered me out of their house yesterday. They probably think that I was beaten the moment that I got home," I said hamming it up with a sad face that I knew would break my mother's heart. True to form, my mother looked over at my father in anger.

"Please tell me that you didn't make a spectacle of yourself in front of people that we don't know, Jeremy?" She asked while staring him down.

"You already went to their door looking as if you went three rounds with Freddy Krueger, then you decide to embarrass yourself and our daughter even more on top of it by being rude!?" He shrank back a bit under her stare which made me smile.

My father was a manly-man and yet he's fearful of upsetting my mother in the slightest. I thought about his appearance last night and I giggled, earning a glare from my father.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," he mumbled and my mother raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, how did you expect me to react knowing that our daughter was sneaking around doing God's knows what, Mary?"

"Like an adult with manners and not a raging bull!" It felt really good to get a little payback for the embarrassment that he caused me last night and my mother was the right one to give it to him.

"Lana, I think a face to face invitation is a great idea considering the circumstances. Go ahead and please apologize for me for your father's behavior and appearance last night. Let them know that NOTHING like this will ever happen again. While you're gone I think your father and I are going to have a long and lengthy conversation about decorum," my mother said narrowing her eyes while he looked down in shame; but not before shooting me another dirty look. I smirked at him and I was tempted to give him a Dr. Evil laugh, but I refrained. If I did that, I'd be in trouble like he was.

"Okay mom. I'll call you shortly and let you know if tonight's a go or not. I'm not driving so call if you need me and I'll be home in a flash. Bye!"

Once I was out of the front door, I looked around as a precaution. We didn't have any neighbors, but you can never be too careful. I decided not to run today, I would use my other means of transportation this time.

I crouched down slightly and blasted off into the sky. I would be at the Cullen's house in a matter of minutes this way, but flying for me was so exhilarating that even if for a few minutes, my need for the speed would be sated.

EPOV

Bella and I sat close together on the bench in front of my piano. Every so often, I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye as she watched my fingers gliding across the keys. Bella met my gaze as if I'd called her name, and I looked away with a slight smile.

Being with her showed me beyond question how empty my existence was before her. As I slowly drifted my piece to a close, I morphed it into her lullaby. She looked at me with such love and adoration in her eyes that I felt like my heart would melt then and there if it were possible. I still found it difficult to believe how fortunate I was. We were both worlds apart yet somehow fated for one another.

I was brought out of my thoughts by a huge crash in the front yard that shook the entire house. Bella and I stared knowingly look at each other when we picked up the familiar scent of the obvious cause.

We stood from the bench and walked to the front door hand in hand. When I opened the door, Lana was standing on the porch with by far the largest, goofiest, grin I've ever seen on her face. Her hair was in a ponytail, yet I could see all of the loose strands framing her face.

"Let me guess…You flew here didn't you?"

"How did you guess that?"

"First and foremost, your landing almost broke my house. Second, your hair is all over the place, and third you are smiling like a kid in a candy store. Speed used to be the only thing to cause that type of excitement for me, until of course I found other pursuits that were vastly more thrilling," I said as I looked over at Bella who graced me with a sexy smile.

"Oh God, please don't mount her in front of me! My innocent eyes wouldn't be able to bear it." Lana said as she covered her face in mock terror.

"I can't make any promises," I said, never moving my eyes from Bella's. I was never this forward in front of others before. It was clear that we both had some much needed husband and wife time coming our way very, very soon. I finally tore my eyes away from Bella, and looked over at Lana. Her face was flushed red with embarrassment and I was instantly contrite.

"My apologies, sometimes I simply can't help myself. Anyway, since you seem to be a lot like me when it comes to speed, I assume the thrill is the same for you as it once was for me." Lana was still blushing profusely as she chuckled lightly and shook her head.

"Are you sure I've only known you for a little over a month?" I stepped aside to let her into the house when I heard footsteps like a stampede barreling down the stairs.

Before I could react, Emmett had swept Lana up like a child by her waist and hoisted her into the air over his head. He spun her around and around as she laughed joyously at his greeting. Surprisingly, she seemed just as happy to see him as he was her, because when he sat her back on her feet, she jumped up and gave him a big hug around his neck before giving him a kiss on the cheek. When he finally released her, her hair looked even worse than it had after flying over here, but her large smile remained.

I shook my head at my brother and we all walked into the living room where Jasper was sitting on the couch in front of the television, smirking because he'd seen Emmett's over the top display of affection. Carlisle was at the hospital until this evening, and Alice, Rosalie, and Esme were out shopping. We all sat around for a little while and Lana suddenly seemed a little far away in her thoughts. I decided to question her.

"Lana, is everything alright? You seem a little distracted." She looked at me and took a deep breath.

"I'm fine Edward, really. I just need to ask you something which is why I stopped by." She suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

"Ask away," I said.

"My parents would like to invite you all over for dinner tonight at our house. I don't know what to tell them considering your dietary needs will not be on any menu my mother and father would be comfortable with providing."

I smiled to myself as I pictured Lana's mother with a raw steak hanging from a stick trying to lure a bear for Emmett to have for dinner; or her father running for his life trying to lure a lion for me. That would be very comical if I do say so myself.

"I realize that you guys can't stand the sight of food and my mother will probably be offended if you are all sitting around not eating anything. This is a fucking disaster." She said while burying her head in hands.

"Lana…" I gave her a stern look while Jasper and Emmett chuckled. She slowly looked up at me.

"I'm sorry, Edward I can't help it. Cursing for me is inbred," she said lowering her head like a child. What was I going to do with this child and her filthy language? You'd never think that someone so lovely would express herself in such a vulgar manor. I'd never tell her this, but I did find it a bit humorous. It's something that's uniquely part of who she was.

"So what, Eddie, are you her father now? Geez, lighten up," Emmett said. My eyes narrowed at him and I gave him a low growl and I could see Lana's eyes widen in fear slightly. It scared the living daylights out of her the first time she heard it.

"What am I going to do you guys? My mother asked me to call her soon to let her know if you guys can make it. I'm sure Rosalie would love spending an evening with my family," she said rolling her eyes and plopping back on the couch next to Jasper.

"Maybe you should let them know that we already have dinner plans, and perhaps they could just come here for a casual visit once we return," Bella said speaking for the first time. I could tell that she wasn't totally comfortable with Lana yet, but I adored her more than I thought was possible for at least trying.

"Bella, that's a great idea! I think that might work better all the way around. Give me a second to pitch the idea to them," Lana said. She jumped up and grabbed her phone and walked into the next room.

This young girl has definitely grown up around nothing but humans. She left the room to make a call in privacy without even realizing we would still hear everything. We all looked at each other and chuckled. Apparently we all had the same thought.

"Well look at it this way, she's had to blend in her entire life and after a while it becomes second nature," Jasper said with a smile. Lana came back into the room a few minutes later.

"I heard you all in here laughing at me and I don't think it's very funny at all!" Lana said putting her hands on her hips. I could tell by the tilt of her mouth she was trying hard not to laugh herself.

"I can't help the fact that I've been taught to drink the human Kool-Aid for so long that act like them without thought," she said laughing at this point.

"Whatever you say Lana," Jasper said with a chuckle. "I see your conversation with them went well."

"Yeah, surprisingly they were actually perfectly fine with it. I don't think that my mother minds not having to cook a big meal considering the huge breakfast she made for me this morning, which reminds me of something. You guys will not believe what they thought about me and Edward," Lana said with humor in her voice.

"So they finally hit you with the whole, 'how long have you and Edward been a couple', talk?" Emmett asked snickering.

"YOU GUYS KNEW ABOUT THAT AND DIDN'T TELL ME!" Lana screeched.

"You're surprised?" Jasper asked incredulously. "Alice is psychic and Edward can read minds. She might not see you but she definitely sees your parents and Edward knew what they suspected yesterday," Jasper said while joining Emmett hysterics.

I could tell by the look on Lana's face that she didn't know whether to laugh, or be mortified that we all knew about her parents thinking her and I were a couple.

Bella shifted uncomfortably next to me. I could tell from the first moment that I informed her of Lana's parent's suspicions, that she was not happy about it; although she never really said anything about it. I'll admit that I care for Lana very deeply considering we've only known each other a short length of time, but as a friend or even a sister. We've endured intense circumstances and that situation bonded us. I began to consider that maybe this was how Bella felt about Jacob.

I couldn't include his feelings into this scenario, because he mistook her friendship for more which was not this situation at all. Lana's voice brought me out of my inner musings.

"You could have at least warned me, Edward so that I was prepared to deal with it. I laughed so hard that I almost lost consciousness when my parents brought this up. You should have seen how nervous my mother was and how nauseated my father was thinking that his daughter had found her first boyfriend." Lana dropped to the floor to sit Indian style while leaning forward in laughter.

Her personality was completely different now that she's comfortable with everyone, with the exception of Rosalie but that didn't really count in my opinion being that she's difficult to get along with period.

"Well, your reaction I'm sure was quite comical, and why deny your parents a genuine response from you by telling you in advance," I said with a smile.

"Whatever, you little creep. What time would you like us here tonight?"

"Would 8:00 p.m. work for you? The entire family will be home by then."

"Perfect! Then 8:00 it is. Well, it's been fun you guys, but I've got to get home. I've got a little studying to do. You know, first college experience and all," Lana said sarcastically.

"Let me walk you out," I said standing up from the couch and kissing Bella on top of her head.

"See you guys later tonight, for what promises to be a very awkward evening," Lana said on her way to the door. I made it to the door before her and opened it letting her out as we walked onto the porch. I could tell that she was still troubled about something.

"Try not to worry about tonight. We've done this all before and we know how to put on quite a show, so there should be no problem."

"I know that, I've experienced it firsthand, but that's not what's bothering me right now." Lana stopped and turned to look at me. "Is Bella ever going to be okay with us being friends? I can't help but feel uncomfortable whenever she sees us together."

"You noticed her demeanor in there too I see? I apologize for that, I plan on speaking with her and putting any issues she has with regard to our friendship to rest once and for all."

"I guess I could try more to befriend her so that she sees that I'm not a threat. I'll admit I've kind of been avoiding her because I hoped things would work themselves out as she gets to know me," Lana said looking down.

"Everything will be alright, you'll see," I said. Lana may say that Bella's comfort level was her only concern, but her eyes say something else.

"What else is going on with you today, Lana? And please don't tell me it's nothing because we both know that's not true."

"Do you really have to know me so well so quickly? I'm really starting to think that you can really read my mind."

"Honestly Lana, I did once."

"What?" Lana said in surprise.

"When your father came to our door last night, in that moment I could hear everything that you were thinking, and when you calmed yourself it was shut off."

"I don't understand how this is possible."

"Neither do I, it could have been a weird fluke. However most of the time it is becoming simpler to read your body language and expressions. Now, back onto our original subject. Let's walk a bit so that the others won't hear us." I turned to lead her away from the house, but Lana surprised me. She grabbed my hand and pulled it over her shoulder dragging me against her side. In seconds we were airborne.

We took off into the sky like a rocket, soaring through the air over the forest surrounding my home. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences I've ever had, much more exciting than running being so high above ground. Emmett would absolutely love this! Watching the excitement and freedom on Lana's face made me smile.

She seemed so happy not having to hide who she was. Once we got to a fairly secluded location, Lana tossed me into the air, and I showed off a bit by flipping a few times before landing softly on my feet like a cat. However, her landing was by no means as graceful.

It was in that moment that I understood why there was a loud crash before I picked up her scent earlier. She hit the ground hard causing a small crater in the earth as I stared at her with a disbelieving smile.

"Sorry, I don't fly often enough to be able to work on a gentler landing. So, what did you think?" She was practicing bouncing with excitement. "I've only ever flown with my father one time and he had a panic attack mid-air, so you're the only other person I've share this with." I saw her glow fade a bit before my eyes and it reminded me of the subject at hand.

"It was one of the most exciting things I've ever experienced. Our eyes are extremely sharp and we see everything, but seeing it from above made me appreciate how beautiful it is here. Thank you for sharing that with me," I said while walking over to a grassy area and sitting down. I patted the grass in front of me so that Lana would join me. She walked over and sat down Indian style.

"This morning when I told my parents that we were just friends, I started telling them about you and Bella and the love you have for one another. I guess it got me to thinking about things and I just wish that I was normal sometimes."

"I'm not really sure I'm following you here. What does not being normal, have to do with the subject of love?" I asked in confusion.

"It's hard for me to explain this so please bear with me," Lana said as she took a deep breath. "I don't feel things the way others do." My eyes narrowed in confusion and Lana sighed in frustration.

"I mean feelings of a romantic nature. I-I don't have any. I've never felt anything other than mutual respect for the opposite sex."

"Never?" I was unable to fully believe what I was hearing. I thought that Bella and I were the rare few who felt that way.

"No, never. I mean, I'm aware of them and I find them attractive, but that's where it ends. I feel absolutely nothing more. I know that you probably think that I'm a freak," she said looking down.

"No, it's quite the contrary. I felt the same way until I found Bella. No one else ever interested me enough to hold my attention, and my family thought that it was very odd."

"Really?" She asked looking at me with wide eyes.

"Yes," I said. I could see the relief she felt all over her face and I smiled.

"It's not unusual for my kind to be loners, although there are some who can go from vampire to vampire or human to human until they find their mate, but I was not one of them."

"So, maybe I'm not as abnormal as I thought. I just find myself wishing that I had the type of companionship that I'm surrounded by sometimes. The only time it becomes an issue is when I'm around my parents or other couples. Other times, I don't even think about it."

"I can relate. I was content with my life and lived it to the fullest in my mind. It wasn't until I saw that clumsy, fragile little human; my Bella, that everything changed," I said smiling at the memory. The sun peaked through the clouds at that moment, lighting up the small area where we were seated, and I heard Lana gasp.

"What the fuck, Edward! Your skin!" I looked at her and could see the light reflect off of my skin onto her face like a prism.

"What you see is the reason why my kind doesn't go out publicly in the sun light. People will know without doubt that we're different. Imagine if someone saw me walking down the street like this," I said. Lana continued to stare at me and as if mesmerized, she reached out and touched my face.

"Don't take this the wrong way Edward, but you are kind of beautiful," she said as she gazed at me. I smiled at her and closed my eyes. I wished that I could appreciate my appearance as other did but with this supposed beauty came a horrid reality.

"It's not beautiful, Lana, it's all for the purpose of luring in unsuspecting prey, nothing more." I hadn't felt the sun in such a long time and I knew that it would be gone soon, so I wanted to enjoy it. I thought about the first time that Bella saw me in the sunlight in our meadow, and Lana's reaction was similar her hers. Well, not entirely similar.

I felt her fingers ghosting over my eyelids and nose. Surprisingly, it wasn't unpleasant nor did it feel inappropriate. I could tell that she was just curious.

"It's like your whole body is bedazzled or something," she said and I roared with laughter which made her jump. Lana joined me in laughter but never took her eyes off of my face. The sun finally disappeared behind the clouds again and the sky darkened.

"That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Bella didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of resisting you, did she?"

"I wouldn't know Lana. This aspect of me is not at all something that I'm proud of. It's a camouflage; the skin of the ultimate killer. You have no idea how many times I used it, how many people I've sent to their graves to satisfy my thirst."

"Was it hard for you dealing with the thirst in the beginning?" Lana asked.

"Yes it was. Because of it, I left Carlisle for a time so that I could feed without the guilt of disappointing him. To justify my actions, I chose only the vilest, most villainess individuals," I said then raised my forefinger to my temple.

"With my gift, I could hear the thoughts of my prey. You have no idea how sick and twisted some of those people were, the harm they'd caused so many others. I used to think I was doing the world a favor by ridding them of these creatures, but honestly I was no better than they were."

"The guilt you are feeling right now, shows me that you weren't like those people at all. Did they once have any guilt over what they were doing?"

"Some did, it was like an addiction to them, while others felt nothing at all. It doesn't matter. I was still a killer just like they were nothing more."

"And maybe technically you were," Lana said. "You killed yet at the same time, you saved countless others and in the end you were able to stop what you were doing."

"But didn't they deserve the same opportunity to realize what they were doing and change?"

"Perhaps, when you put it that way, but how many more people would have had to suffer for that lesson to be learned?"

"I see your point, but I suppose I will never know the answer to that question." Lana leaned forward and looked intently into my face.

"Have you always been this fucking self-loathsome?" I laughed loudly in response. She was very good at distracting me from unpleasant things.

"Have you?" I responded sarcastically.

"Touché," she said with a smile. Having had enough of her distractions, I finally dove back into our conversation.

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself to feel something that's not there. When the time comes, you'll know it."

"I hope so. I guess between you, your family, and my parents it's made me feel a little singled out."

"I did too, but understand that true love is worth the wait. Don't think about it, it will come when it's meant to."

"You mean if it's meant to."

"No, I mean when. Stop trying to twist my words around." I said as I pushed her shoulder.

"Emotional connections aren't the only problem I have, Edward."

"What more is there?"

"Physically, I don't think it's possible. I really shouldn't be talking about this," she said looking away as if she was ashamed.

"Lana, you know that you can talk to me about anything."

"Yes, but I can't even talk to my mother about this, how can I discuss it with you?"

"Well, I'm your friend, not your mother or your father, so maybe if you try it won't be as hard," I said, unknowingly digging myself deeper.

"Attraction and chemistry is one thing, but physically there would be barriers, limitations," she said looking down. I began to think that I was missing key element of what she was saying. At that moment, she looked at my confused expression and took a deep breath.

"Obviously, I'm not making myself clear so I'm going to just say it because I can't talk to my parents about this without them freaking out."

"Aright."

"I'm a virgin, Edward. I don't think that it's possible for a human to change that particular situation for me. My skin feels like theirs to the touch, but it's impenetrable, so I don't think it's possible for me to physically love one of them," she said.

If I were still human, I would have been ten shades of red right now. Thank goodness that human trait was gone forever! Otherwise she would have been humiliated by my reaction. It took courage for her to talk to me about this, so it's my responsibility as her elder to help her as much as I could and not make her any more uncomfortable than she already was.

In my time, we didn't really discuss things like this. The subject was taboo and we all knew to avoid it at all costs unless it was absolutely necessary. This would be hard, but I will do my best to be here for her.

"I'm so sorry that you feel like this situation is hopeless, but it's not as impossible as you believe. Surely you realize that a human is not your only option anymore."

"What do you mean? I've never met anyone else like me before. I'm the only one I think," she said.

"I'm not talking about your kind Lana, I'm talking about mine," I said and her eyes widened when she realized what I was saying.

"A vampire? You think that I could actually become involved with a vampire? From what you've told me, most of them aren't like your family; they hunt humans. Do you think that would work?" She stared at me oddly. Who knew what went on in that mind of hers?

"That's not something I can answer, but just know that our bodies are just as sturdy as yours, and I'm sure that a relationship with one of us in your case might be the lesser of two evils."

"Hmm…maybe you have a point there." She muttered, looking at me with an inquisitive stare which left no feature of my face unobserved.

"Well, I could definitely do a whole hell of a lot worst and before I knew your kind really existed, I never considered I had an option." Lana's eyes widened and she laughed happily.

"Oh my God! I really do have another option! Fuck! I can't believe I didn't think about this before." Once again I was completely thrown off that such a beautiful young girl had such a filthy mouth. We couldn't be more opposite yet to me it still somehow made sense that we were friends.

"Apparently, Lana, even with one whose language is as colorful as yours is, there is always hope." I said sarcastically. Lana narrowed her eyes and smacked my arm.

"In all seriousness, I didn't believe I had anything to hope for until I met Bella and she opened up my world and since then, everything's only gotten better. I say this because although you might not think it's possible, I wouldn't necessarily count a human out as a possible mate. Keep in mind that Bella was human when we met and fell in love and I was for the most part, successful.

"You are a wonderful woman and ten times more good than I could ever be, so I know there is something good coming your way because no one deserves it more. If I found happiness and the love of my existence, I know you will have it too," I said while stroking her hand.

I looked into her eyes and I saw there were tears that were threatening to fall, but she blinked them away and for the first time I saw hope within them. She looked so joyous at that moment that it took my breath away.

She used my hands to pull herself to me and gave me a tight hug. I laughed and hugged her back. I was thrilled that I was able to make her feel optimistic about the future. I never dreamed that I would be able to help instill hope in anyone, and now I've help my good friend and I couldn't be happier.

AN: And there you have it. Things will heat up in the next chapter a bit. It's just a warning.