Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters; they are all Stephenie Meyer's.

Chapter 7

Edward's Point Of View

I came back to the scene. The one I'd vowed never to return to again. I listened to Charlie watching the television. She had followed my story. I sneaked round, easily, to the back of the house and stared up at her window. I could hear the dull sound of a CD player – even though she was listening to it through headphones. Her breathing was uneven, so I knew she was still awake. I'd pushed the boundaries enough for tonight – but decided to keep going.

She deserved an explanation at the very least. With one fluent step, my feet came off the ground and I landed outside her window. She tapped quietly with a pencil on the top of a notepad which rested on her knees. She was sitting crossed-legged on her bed. Her hair was wet and she was wearing tatty pyjamas but she still looked incredibly, impossibly beautiful. Sucking up enough confidence I lightly knocked on the window. She looked straight at me, then hopped to her feet – the notepad dropping to the floor beside her. Her hands tugged at the window and lifted it up so there was nothing but a cool night's breeze between our faces.

"May I come in?" I asked out of politeness – I would give her the opportunity to say no and turn me away. Hoping she did, so that would at least make this simpler, I held my breath.

"Sure, of course." She stepped willingly aside, she was trembling a little from the cold air and I suspected my presence too. After tonight, not much would surprise her – even me appearing at her window.

"Bella," just saying her name made me smile. Bella blushed and tried to hide the fact that her top had a few holes where her flesh could be seen. I bent down in a quick move and swooped up the notepad – she had written a few words on one of the pages.

Cold

Pale

Clear skin

Golden eyes – which change colour

Fast

Inhumanly beautiful

She was mortified and tried to grab it, I gave it up readily – but I had already seen it. On her arm lay a shallow scratch and I immediately reached for her elbow to see it more clearly. She gasped when I touched her and I leant forward in a movement to rescue her, until I realised that it was me she needed rescuing from.

"What happened?" It appeared to be minor, but still… Something or someone had left a mark on my Bella. Except she wasn't my Bella – she was just Bella and I had become on overprotective idiot.

"Nothing" She covered the cut up with her hand and shuffled about a bit nervously.

"If you want to know, I'll tell you" I finally gave in "But please understand that no-one must know. No-one. It has to be between us only. I need you to know how serious this is." I glanced up at her from under my eyelashes "Promise me."

"I swear on my life." She sat down on her bed – a smart move for what I had to say would probably knock her to the ground. She waited patiently, expectantly eagerly. Then after what to her probably seemed like hours, she bit her lip in realisation.

"You're not…human…are you?" I was shocked at how much she knew, too observational, she was too curious. I knew better than anybody that her curiosity would eventually be the death of her – especially if I was involved.

I didn't trust myself at all around her. Bella's mind was shut off to me. I was too curious about her to divert her attention away from me.

I shook my head, she gasped and clapped her hand to her mouth and she closed her eyes.

"Bella, I'm dangerous. That's why I can't be around you. That's why I have to leave." She looked up then rose so that she was standing precariously close to me.

"I know." How could she know? Who told her? Why is she still here instead of shoving me out of the room and screaming for help?

"I know that you're not…like everybody else." I breathed a sigh of relief. She seemed to be struggling with the right words.

"I don't care though. What you…are." She was so calm and collected and I was standing here nearly tearing my hair out. She didn't care? This girl was going to be the death of me.

"Bella, you should care, this isn't…" I stopped. What I was going to say suddenly didn't seem appropriate.

"I should go" I stammered. She reached out a hand to touch my face.

"You're so cold" she stated. I closed my eyes and put my hand on top of hers to pry it away, but instead I rested mine on her warm skin and relaxed. This was the most contact I'd ever had with a warm-blooded creature that I wasn't about to kill. Although that could be too easily changed. This was not right, but it was so good. Her heart beat slowed and I leant into her neck slightly to breathe in her natural perfume. Maybe Alice was right. However the moment of serenity was taken away from me all too soon.

"Your father is coming." I pulled away from her and she blinked in surprise.

"My father?" She murmured as if she'd fallen into another world where she didn't know who he was.

"Charlie!" Bella hissed and jumped into her bed. I dived back out of the window – how many times would I have to do this today?

He came in and turned off the small light beside her bed and bent over to kiss her forehead. He left quietly closing the door behind him, but stumbling slightly on the way. So that's where she gets her clumsiness from. Everything about her fascinated me in a way that it shouldn't. Once I was sure he was gone, I climbed back into Bella's room. This time I took a place on her bed. She opened her eyes and sat up. Her face spread into a grin. This was getting easier to be around her – in a brave move I ran my hand through her still damp hair – wrapping a single curl around my index finger. She moved towards me and put her temple on my chest. I took my hand away from her hair but found that where my icy skin had held her hair it had frozen a little. In the moonlight that poured through the window, the thin icicle glinted daintily.

"Sorry" I whispered in her ear.

"Don't be" she responded fearlessly into my shirt. Maybe I could stay here in Forks – try to be normal. Exist alongside hr for a while until it was time to let her go. But no matter if I only stayed for a few months it would postpone her life. Or I wouldn't be able to leave. A soft, delicate hand fell into mine and she smiled at me. She couldn't walk away. And neither could I.

Her heartbeat and breathing I listened to all night. I would have listened to that sound for ever if I could have. Bella was too fragile in her sleep. She was too exposed to all the terrible things that could happen. That would eventually happen. Humans were just waiting for the end. It was the only certainty in life. Death. It pained me to think that such a beautiful creature would one day not exist. She would be only a memory and soon memories would die out too and there would be nothing left. I couldn't let her life end prematurely. I wouldn't let that happen. I promised myself that I would not let anything bad happen to her. Ever.

Author's Note

Sorry for the week's wait, I've written a little more but still need to type it up. I think it's moving a little quick, there's a lot more I want to write but Bella and Edward's relationship needs to be fully formed. Hope you like this chapter; if you feel like writing me a short review, I would be ever so grateful!

Happy New Year! (coolbeaniostwilightrules7)