Hey guys. Thanks to those who reviewed for me! I hope you liked the preview ;). Here's chapter eleven. It's super long! I had a lot to say. Enjoy!

-a.

I sighed as he dropped my hand just before we came into view of the flickering campfire. He chuckled as he walked back to where he had been sitting beside Marlee. I followed suit and sat beside Jacob.

He bent down to whisper in my ear softly, "Am I done acting now?

I turned and grinned wickedly at him. "Yes. I got the reaction I was going for."

He looked at me curiously, but didn't push it further.

The rest of the evening was difficult. My body was itching to fling itself across the sandy beach and into Tyler's arms, but I figured that would not be the best idea. I had to content myself with learning the planes of his face, the arch of his neck, the muscles rippling through his arms and back. I tried not to stare, I really did. Every so often his eyes would flicker to mine, and he would grin before turning back to the conversation he was having.

After an immeasurable amount of time, I saw Henry stand out of the corner of my eye. He stretched and told the group it was time to head out. My eyes brightened. Finally.

Tyler and I helped pack the tables and lunch supplies into the back of Henry's truck. I slipped my large jacket back on so I could hug everyone goodbye and all but sprinted to Tyler's tiny BMW.

I waited beside it as Jacob walked toward me. "Well, Sam will be happy. No one died."

I laughed, "Thank you, Jacob. Truly. I appreciate this more than anything."

He smiled and hugged me. His giant arms swallowed me whole. "Anytime, Luce."

I heard a growl from behind me, and I giggled quietly, escaping from Jacob's embrace. I grinned at Tyler's wary expression. He wrapped his arms around me, and I tucked my head under his chin. I fit perfectly. I turned and said goodbye to Jacob, ignoring the patronizing look in his eyes.

He left quickly, taking off into the surrounding trees. I shifted in Tyler's arms, turning to face him. I pressed my lips to the tender skin just under his jaw, and he tightened his arms before releasing me. I frowned, unfufilled, and he grinned, his positive mood returning. "Not now."

I pouted as I climbed into the car. He glanced at me as he began driving towards the road, and I heard him chuckle softly. He slid his hand into mine, twining our fingers together. I felt my face soften as he pressed my hand to his lips gently, holding my eyes.

I was silent for the remainder of the car ride, content with his hand in mine. He pulled up to the giant white house and sighed softly, "This should be interesting."

I winced, "I wonder what they'll say when they find out."

He looked at me with an expression I couldn't recognize on his face. "I have a feeling they've known for longer than we have."

My brows furrowed, and he whipped around to the passenger side to open my door and take my hand. He opened the door cautiously.

Rosalie was passing through the living room. She turned to glance at us, noticed our hands intertwined, and rolled her eyes. "Took you long enough," she muttered. My jaw dropped, and Tyler smirked at my expression.

Alice came bouncing into the room, shrieking, "Yes! I told you, Lucy! I told you it would all work out!" Her enthusiasm was shocking, but I was so happy to see it. "You two are perfect together! I saw it all! Do you remember, Lucy? Remember when you two first saw each other?"

I gasped. That was what she had seen? When she collapsed? "And you didn't tell me?" I shouted.

She smirked. "It still happened, didn't it?"

I rolled my eyes. Tyler's silken voice brought my attention back to him. "Lucy, I want to show you something. Something I have never shown anyone."

I looked at him curiously, and he smiled. "I used to live here, you know. I hated it." He shook his head, grinning as he remembered. "There was one place, though, that I was happy."

Alice gasped, and her eyes went blank. I shifted the wind support her weight, but she didn't need it. Her eyes snapped open. "Oh, Tyler, it's perfect!" she cooed. "Beautiful! How have we never found this place?" she wondered softly.

He shrugged, "I hid it well."

He took my hand and led me to the back door. He turned to face me, smirking, and I was again struck by the beauty of his face, his eyes. "Think you can keep up?"

I raised an eyebrow. He grinned and took off into the trees. I quickly caught up, and he laughed and ran faster. The wind was spinning and racing with us, soaring where I could not.

He eventually slowed and stopped in front of a giant cliff face. It extended high above our heads, but I was sure I could jump it if I needed to. He grinned at me, "We're here."

I looked around. The place was virtually uninteresting. I turned and tried to infuse my voice with enthusiasm, "Wow!"

He laughed out loud and pulled me to his chest. "You are a terrible actress, you know."

I grimaced. He pulled away and walked over to a particularly dense patch of trees. He pushed the branches aside and stepped through, disappearing. I quickly followed, not wanting to be separated from him.

In front of us was a small pool of water. Its dark black color suggested it was deeper than it appeared. Tyler turned to me. I frowned, "Are we going swimming?"

He chuckled softly, "Yep."

He pulled off his shirt, and I felt my jaw drop. He was stunning. Absolutely flawless. The muscles of his back rippled as he moved, and as he glanced at me I glimpsed his perfectly defined chest. He laughed at my expression and slid out of his jeans. He was left in boring blue boxer shorts which might as well have been a swim suit.

My eyebrows shot up as he dove into the tiny pool and out of sight. I blinked, stunned, and looked down at my attire. I decided the jeans had to go. They looked extremely expensive. I pulled them off, and looked down into the dark water. There were no bubbles from Tyler's breath. I guess I wasn't surprised, we didn't need to breathe.

I deliberated, then shrugged. "What the hell," I muttered, and dove.

The water was heavenly against my skin. Silky and cool. I closed my eyes and let myself sink happily. I let out a muffled shriek as I felt something grab my waist and opened my eyes to see Tyler's perfect eyes inches from mine. He grinned and took my hand, pulling me deeper.

As we reached the soft carpet of moss on the floor I noticed that stone wall I had seen earlier extended down into this pool. I ran my hand over it, trying not to step on a fallen tree trunk. Tyler slid his arms inside the back of my shirt and around my waist, lifting me away from the wall. He pressed his lips to my neck, and I leaned into his arms. He released me gently, and then bent to the rotten log. He shifted it to the side with ease, and my eyes widened.

Behind the fallen tree was a hole in the stone. Tyler bent and wedged his body through the hole, and I eagerly followed suit. The narrow hole opened into a tunnel wide enough for both of us to swim beside each other with plenty of room. I saw a dim light above us, and my curiosity claimed me. I kicked swiftly, propelling my body up. My face broke the surface, and I gasped.

We were in a cave. It was quite large, and the walls were smooth. I pulled my body out of the water and stood captivated by the stone room.

There were crystals glistening in the smooth walls and jagged carved ceiling. As I moved the reflection of the water glinted and shined off the facets in the smooth gems.

I sighed, "It's beautiful."

I heard Tyler's soft voice behind me, "I used to think so." I turned to face him and saw him smiling slightly. "But now, with you here, it is nothing."

His words warmed my very soul. I couldn't help but sympathize as I took in his soaked figure. They were not so beautiful with him here to light my world.

I stepped closer, and then stopped dead as I saw some of the sadness I remembered in his eyes. "Tyler, what's wrong?" my voice was tense.

He grimaced, "It's what I brought you here for. I have something to tell you." He looked away, his eyes roaming over the ceiling.

"When I was human, I had a sister named Virginia. She was a year younger than me. Our parents weren't exactly ideal."

His eyes met mine again, and his voice grew cold. "My father was abusive. He beat us: me, my sister, and my mother. My mother blamed his anger on us, telling us we were disappointments. Through this my sister and I grew very close. All through my childhood, I could do nothing to stop him from hurting her. I was too weak." His fist slammed against the stone wall beside him, leaving a impression of his fist.

"On my seventeenth birthday, my father was in a particularly foul mood, and I decided it was time for this violence to stop. He raised his hand to her, and I hit the back of his head with a kitchen chair. He was unconscious at best, and the last thing I heard I as I left my house was my mother's terrified screaming."

I could feel the shock and horror playing across my face. He grimaced and continued.

"I snuck back through my bedroom window that night once I was certain they were asleep. I took all my hard earned cash, some clothes, and a suitcase, and left." He sighed. "That year was rough. We used my money to buy a tiny one bedroom apartment and worked constantly to pay the rent, using only cash so our family could not find us. We managed well enough for a while, but then Virginia got sick."

His face fell, and he slid down the wall behind him until he was sitting, resting his head against the cool stone. I went to sit beside him, laying my head on his chest so I could hear the rumble of his voice. I felt his agony deep within my soul. He stroked my hair and began to speak again, "I thought it was just a cold at first. You know, coughing, sneezing. But it never got better. If anything it got worse. One day it was so bad I decided to take her to the doctor. I ended up having to carry her. She was that weak. The doctor told me she had pneumonia. There was nothing I could do for her. I had no money, no insurance. He gave us samples of what he could, but she just kept getting worse." His voice broke, and he squeezed his eyes shut. I reached up and placed my hand on his neck gently, wishing there was more I could do to sooth his pain. He looked down at me, and in his eyes was all the sadness I had seen and more. He pulled me close. "She died September 19th, 1961. Two days before my eighteenth birthday."

I lifted my head from his chest. "Oh, Tyler, I'm so sorry." I ached for him, wishing I could share his burdens.

He looked away from my eyes, pressing his lips together. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled my body up until I was in his lap, my head tucked under his chin. He wrapped his arms around my tiny body, pressing his cheek to my hair.

He wasn't finished. "I was a ghost without her. The one person I had ever truly loved. I loved her more than myself, Lucy. She was who I lived to protect. I existed to support her."

He paused, and his voice was thick with emotion when he spoke again, "For days I laid in the apartment, not eating or sleeping. Eventually I left, just roaming the streets. I remember tripping, falling onto wet concrete, but not having the strength to stand. I don't know how long I laid like that. Eventually I felt someone pick me up. He was so strong I couldn't even move his arms."

I shivered. I knew exactly what he meant. He squeezed me tighter subconsciously. "I barely felt him bite me, but next thing I knew he was gone. I was back to lying on the floor. I could see another man fighting him, eventually succeeding. He was at my side in an instant, and that was when I met Liam. He stayed by my side through the burning agony." He looked down. "I'm sure you remember it." I nodded. "I was a shell of a person without Virginia. For years."

I couldn't believe it. My beautiful, perfect Tyler had to endure life's ultimate hardships. Who was I to have ever been angry or frustrated with him? I dropped my eyes.

He suddenly grabbed my shoulders and spun my body until I was on my back pressed against the stone floor. He put his hands on either side of my head, and bent his face close to mine. I was lost in his deep black eyes as my body quickly reacted to his change of mood. "You asked me why a wanted to hate you." I nodded, focusing on keeping my hands off of his bare sculpted chest. "Well here it is. I loved my sister very much. She was the only thing I could have loved in my life. Her death destroyed me, and I vowed never to love again, knowing all things loved are lost."

His eyes glowed and he bent even closer to me. I could feel the electricity pulsing through us with his body mere inches from mine. His voice dropped to a growl, "Then you walk into my life, and everything about you is perfect, flawless, beautiful." He kissed the sensitive skin just below my ear, sliding his lips along my jaw until they brushed mine. I trembled with the effort to remain still. "I knew I couldn't stay away from you, but I tried. I tried to hate you, to make you hate me." I felt him smile against my lips, and I whimpered softly. His smile widened, "But I couldn't do it. As much as I hate that it's true, I am falling in love with you, Lucy."

And with that I could wait no longer, my arms flew around his neck, my legs around his waist. My lips attacked his, and he groaned, a guttural sound in the base of his chest. My lips parted and his tongue twined with mine, the electricity sending sparks up my spine. He left a trail of fire as his lips slid down my neck, halting only momentarily at the sopping scrap of silver fabric covering my torso. He ripped it cleanly off my body, and lifted his head to see my eyes.

I was burning. I was literally consumed by flames of desire and need as I moaned and pulled my face to his. I needed him more than anything in the world, and I felt his chuckle roll deep in his chest and through my body as we sank to the cool stone floor of heaven.

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-a.