Shoutout: sw1m4l1fe and Alessandakatrina for their reviews on the last chapter. You guys really make me smile. sw1m4l1fe for being my awesome beta, especially on this chapter, which i finished writing at like, 5 in the morning, so there were quite a few mistakes. and a special thanks needs to out to Josh Groban and his gorgeous, gorgeous songs which helped me reach the level of sappiness i felt i needed for some parts of this chapter. haha

Disclaimer: Plain and simple, don't own Twilight. Or NASCAR or ESPN or Scrabble. Soudns random, but i managed to mention them in the chapter.

Chapter Two (Edward's POV)

I don't think I'd ever been as happy in my life-well, existence- as I was now.

Victoria had finally been defeated, the Volturi were no longer a concern, and my soul reason for being had finally agreed to marry me.

It took some convincing, yes, but Bella- beautiful, sweet, stubborn Bella-will soon be my wife. I never thought I would ever find anyone who I felt as strongly for as I did her. Living in the family that I did, I was exposed to irrevocable love every moment. After all, I lived with Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett, and most of all, Carlisle and Esme. They were all the quintessential models for true love. Sometimes, I felt like the outcast in my own home. They were living the happy, couplely life and I was stuck on the sidelines.

Until about two years ago.

Then she waltzed, or maybe fell would be more appropriate for her, into my life and changed me forever. Bella became my sun and my moon. She became my day and my night. She became my north, south, east and west. She became my… everything.

Sure, there were a few minor incidences along the way: killer vampires, jealous werewolves, and me, thirsting for her blood. But what normal couple didn't have their problems? The point is…we persevered, as true love always does in the end.

Things couldn't have been more perfect.

"Bella, love, are you here?" I called, coming out of my bedroom, glancing at my watch. It was past four in the afternoon. She should have been at my house hours before.

A small voice drifted upstairs. "I'm in the living room."

I came downstairs and turned left into in the living room where I found her sandwiched on the couch in between my two brothers, Emmett and Jasper. It was quite a sight to see. My little Bella looked as if the couch was swallowing her sitting next to the two of them. Big, burly, Emmett was on Bella's left and while Jasper, on her right, was nowhere near as overpowering as Emmett, but he would still put many pro athletes to shame.

And while the sight of them surprised me, it didn't shock me nearly as much as what they were doing in the living room.

I looked at the three of them for a moment before speaking. "Are you watching…sports?" I asked, not bothering to mask the confusion in my voice. Bella has a strong aversion to anything even remotely athletic so this came as quite a surprise to me.

"Emmett and Jasper have a bet," Bella answered, looking up at me with pitiful eyes while the other two kept their attention on the screen.

I raised one eyebrow, amused. "Which is…?"

"Whether or not I can last through the whole thing."

I was confused. Granted, it was common knowledge that Bella had zero interest in sports, but I thought it was a stupid bet. How hard was it to sit on a couch for a couple of hours?

"Don't you do it all the time with Charlie?" I asked, knowing full well that she, indeed, does.

"Baseball, yes," she said. Her voice sounded tired. "That I'm used to and can handle. It's at least fairly interesting."

She paused. "Sometimes," she added as an afterthought, looking off to the side. Then she looked back to me. "But this is NASCAR. I mean, seriously? Watching a car go round and round in a circle for 17 hours is torture. I'd rather watch paint dry."

I laughed. That made more sense. Car racing was something only a select few can watch. Leave it to my brothers to torture poor Bella with something they enjoy and make a bet out. "Which one of you delinquents bet that she couldn't do it?" I asked, still smiling.

Finally, Emmett pried his eyes away from the race. "I did," he answered, shooting Bella a cocky smirk before he turned it on me.

Jasper, noticing the look Emmett gave Bella, glanced up at me as well. "I didn't want to take the bet at first. I wasn't sure if she could do it," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Then, he put his arm around her. "But I know Bella's tougher than she looks. I believe in her," he said, pulling her into his hard chest for a one-armed hug.

Bella's tired expression was immediately replaced by one of excitement. Her eyes lit up and a huge smile appeared on her lips. "Thanks, Jasper!" she exclaimed, genuinely appreciative.

I leaned on the threshold of the room. "What are the stakes?" I asked.

"A thousand dollars," was Emmett's casual reply, as if the money was nothing.

"How many laps are left?"

Emmett had to look back at the TV to answer my question. He squinted his eyes, scrutinizing the screen. Suddenly, his eyes got wide. "Wait! That can't be right!" he exclaimed, jumping up from the couch. He threw his hands behind his head a let out a heavy sigh. "There's no way there's only three laps left!" he exclaimed incredulously.

"Really?!" Bella squealed, excited. She seemed very proud of herself.

In less than a blink of an eye, Emmett had moved from standing near one end of the couch to the other, nearest to Jasper. He stood directly in front of him, bending over so that he was face-to-face with his brother. "What did you do?" he asked accusingly. "I knew I shouldn't have looked away from the screen!"

Jasper ran a hand through his mop of curly blonde hair, a sly grin playing on his lips. "Sorry, Emmett, I know I'm incredibly talented, but speeding up time is not, in fact, one of my gifts. You lost fair and square. Looks like you owe me some cash."

Mumbling incoherently, Emmett straightened up and dug into his back pocket for his wallet and fished out a handful of money. After counting out ten 100 dollar bills, he handed them over to Jasper with a scowl on his face. It wasn't the loss of the money that upset him; it was practically chump change to him. He just doesn't like to lose, period. It always deflates his ego a bit, though that never seems to last for long.

Jasper took five of the bills and put them in his pocket. He kept the other five in his hand and held it out to Bella. "Want half, Bells? It doesn't seem right to keep it all to myself. You shouldn't have had to sit through this and not benefit too."

"Thank you, but don't worry about it, Jasper," she said appreciatively. I knew she was grateful to Jasper for offering. Besides Rosalie, Jasper is the one family member who has had some trouble adjusting to Bella in our lives. It was nice that he was at least making an effort.

Bella shifted her gaze from Jasper to Emmett. "It's rewarding enough to see Emmett lose," she said, the corner of her eyes crinkling from impending laughter.

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Thanks a lot," he said sarcastically even though he knew Bella was kidding.

It was time for me to intervene. "If it is all right with the two of you, I'm now going to steal Bella away," I said, stepping away from my spot in the doorway to go over to the couch and grab Bella's hand. Effortlessly, I pulled her into a standing position and kept her fingers intertwined with mine as I stood waiting for their answers, even though they didn't really matter.

Jasper grinned at us. "Of course."

"Knock yourself out," Emmett mumbled, still grumpy as he refocused his eyes on the TV which was now broadcasting post-race interviews.

"Have fun, boys," I said laughingly, glancing over my shoulder at my brothers as I led my love away.

With Bella's small, warm hand in mine, I led her into the kitchen that we never use and we each took at seat at the bar stools that surrounded the island counter.

I reached up and tucked a small strand of hair that had gotten loose from her unruly ponytail behind her ear. "I haven't seen you all day." She had been working at the Newton's sporting goods store in the morning and before I realized she had come back, Emmett and Jasper stole her and held her captive.

She grabbed my arm that was still next to her face and I allowed her to pull me close. "I know," she whispered softly, placing a gentle kiss on my cold lips.

"I missed you," I said smiling at her.

She blushed, a rush of red suddenly flooding her usually pale cheeks. I was going to miss that once I helped her make the transformation into a vampire. "I was only gone a few hours, Edward."

"A few hours too long if you ask me."

She looked at me, her mouth open as she was about to reply. However, in an instant, her face became deathly white and her eyes, dazed.

"Bella, are you all right?" I asked worriedly, chilled to my bones over the sudden and complete change in her demeanor.

She stared at me for a moment before shaking her head, trying to refocus. "Your eyes, they're changing. They're…darkening," she said carefully as if she was trying desperately to choose the correct words. "They've gone from caramel to dark brown."

"Oh, Edward, now they're black," she said, throwing a hand over her mouth in surprise. "Blacker than I've ever seen them."

As soon as she said those words, my throat immediately became excruciatingly dry. It was unbearable. And suddenly, I felt myself beginning to lose control. My breathing became heavier and my mind began to spin. Then I looked at Bella like I hadn't looked at her in two years: like l wanted nothing more than to taste her blood.

Springing from the stool, I quickly placed myself in the corner of the kitchen, facing the wall so my back was to Bella. I gripped the countertop so tightly that the already pale skin of my knuckles turned even whiter. I took a few deep breaths, trying to regain control, but nothing was working. I had never experienced a thirst this powerful.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked, her voice quivering. I turned my head slightly so that I could peer over my shoulder at her. She slid off her own stool and started to take a step toward me.

I held up my hand, signaling her to stop. She froze in her place. "Emmett!"I called as loud as I could while my teeth were clenched together-another effort to try and control myself.

"What do you want?" Emmett's booming voice answered me. He sounded annoyed. "ESPN is showing the Midwestern Scrabble Championship."

Had it been a different situation, I would have laughed out loud at his pathetic excuse. But things being the way they were, I couldn't pause. "Emmett, I would really appreciate it if you come in here now." I said sharply, hoping that he couldn't ignore the desperate tone that was present in my voice.

By this point, I was shaking, still trying, and failing, to get a grip. "Edward, what's wrong?" Bella asked. I had turned back around so I could no longer see her, but I could tell that she was crying.

"Whoa," Emmett had appeared in the kitchen. "What's going on?" he asked seriously.

I suddenly realized that the deep breaths I was taking to try and control myself were having the opposite effect. I kept getting whiffs of Bella's scent. I had to hold my breath for a moment before I could answer him. "I need you to stand between Bella and me."

"Why?" he asked, sounding confused.

"You're really scaring me," Bella said, her voice still shaking.

If Emmett waited one more second, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to resist my urge any longer. "Just do it," I commanded in a low, guttural growl.

Once I heard him move across the kitchen to stand in the middle, I felt I could safely turn around and face them.

Seeing Bella's tearstained face made me pause for a moment. What was I doing? I was better than this.

Bella looked at me with sad, pleading eyes. "Please tell me what's going on."

"Yeah, man. You're acting like a crazy person," Emmett added, cautiously trying to lighten the mood while still being aware of my instability.

I cast my eyes toward the floor. "Or a vampire," I said sarcastically. Even at a time like this, I could appreciate the irony.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Bella asked, looking back and forth from me to Emmett for some sort of an explanation, not only to my statement, but to the entire situation.

With Emmett acting as a blockade, I began to calm down. There was no way he would let me anywhere near Bella in my condition. I was certain she would be safe.

"I'm sorry, Bella," I said softly. "It's just that all of a sudden this incredible urge came over me. I'm…thirsty."

"Is that all?" she asked, letting out a long sigh of relief. "Go hunt."

Now that I had regained control, I couldn't help but smile slightly. Of course she would accept my outburst as something as simple as the fact that I needed to go hunt. Well, to some extent, she was right. But we weren't just talking simple deer here.

Seriousness quickly returned to my eyes. "No, you didn't let me finish," I said to Bella carefully. "I needed Emmett between us because I'm thirsty...and your blood has never smelled sweeter to me. Not even when we first met."

It used to surprise me how, whenever I told Bella something about being a vampire, she never got scared. There were only a few occasions when I could see terror in her eyes. This was one of them. "But…but I thought you've learned to control that," she said, subconsciously taking a step backward, toward the door.

"I have. But I don't think I've ever been this thirsty," I answered her honestly.

Her jaw dropped. "Oh, my God," she said, looking as if she were about to hyperventilate.

My heart ached at the sight of her so terrified of me. I wanted nothing more than to go over to her and gather her up in my arms and never let her go. I never truly believed that I would hurt her; I just had to take precautions just in case. I remained in the corner of the kitchen.

"I don't mean to scare you, Bella. I will control myself, I promise. But I need to leave to hunt. Now."

She took some deep breaths. I could practically see her brain turning, trying to process what I had said. "Okay, okay," she said, shaking her head, deciding she was going to be accepting of the situation. "When you will come back?"

I thought for a moment. "It's hard to say. It normally takes a weekend to satisfy a normal thirst, but one this intense…I may need to be gone longer."

Emmett, who had been silent during Bella and I's exchange, spoke up. "Do you want some company?" he asked, looking at me with more than just normal brotherly worry. He knew something strange was going on.

"Thank you, Emmett, but no." I had to politely decline for reasons even I couldn't explain. "I feel like this is something I should do by myself."

I turned my attention to Bella. She was biting her lip and looking at me guardedly. "I'll be all right, love," I told her, truly believing it myself. "I sometimes get strange urges to hunt. They're not normally this bad, but something must have triggered it."

Bella just stared at me, clearly indicating that she didn't believe me, despite the composure in my voice.

I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "Everything's fine. I promise. You know I would tell you if it weren't." This was the truth. After all that we've been through together, there's nothing that I felt I had to hide from her anymore.

"Go do whatever you need to do," she said, putting on a brave face. "I'll be fine here. I'm sure Jasper could use my help conning more money out of Emmett."

"Hey!" Emmett exclaimed defensively, giving her a light swat on the shoulder.

I felt a surge of relief. She had made a joke. This meant that she believed what I was telling her and that it would all be okay.

I stood there, trying to decided how would be the best way to leave. Bella was blocking my exit. I felt I had control, but I didn't want to have to face the temptation. I opted for the large window over the stove. "Have fun, Bella," I said, crouching on the windowsill, about to leave. "You'll never leave my mind while I'm away."

She held up her index finger and pointed it at her head. "And you won't leave mine," she said, the corners of her lips upturning ever so slightly.

We would be okay. I just knew it.

I ducked my head outside, ready to go, Bella's voice stopped me. "Edward?" she asked quietly.

"Yes?" I asked, turning my head so I could see her.

She gave me a sad smile. "I love you."

If my heart was still beating, it would surely stop every time she said those three simple words to me. I knew I would never tire of hearing them. Whenever they passed from her lips, it was almost as if everything else in the world just stopped, as if there were no one else alive-just the two of us.

"Love you too, Bella."

It was almost as if we were invincible.