Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They all belong to the amazingly talented Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 7: A Peek Into The Past

Unlike yesterday morning when I woke up feeling well-rested, I felt very groggy today. It had taken me forever to fall asleep, and when I did finally get to sleep, I had tossed and turned quite a bit. But I didn't care—I had Edward on my mind.

I hopped out of bed, eager to get downstairs and see him. Though we hadn't actually agreed on a specific time to talk, I was still hoping to spend time with him this morning. But as I was putting on my robe, I wondered if perhaps we should have come up with a certain time to meet, because I had no idea what to expect. Would he just randomly appear at some point? Would he be waiting for me downstairs right now? There were a number of possibilities, but when I exited my room, I realized that there was no need to worry. He was leaning against the wall in the hallway, waiting for me.

He looked perfect, of course. I wished that I could look that great in the morning. Then again, he was inhuman. It seemed only natural that he be inhumanly beautiful.

I broke into a huge grin as I walked over to him. In turn, he flashed me his breathtaking crooked smile.

"Good morning, Bella. Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning, Edward. Actually no, I didn't sleep that great. I was woken up in the middle of the night by this noise coming from downstairs," I teased.

He stifled a laugh and played along. "Wow, I'm sorry to hear that. What was the noise?"

"Hmm, I think it was the piano."

"The piano? Well, I at least hope you were treated to a good show as opposed to a ludicrous composition comprised of little time and thought."

I had to smile at his formality. "Yes, I was. Thank you for your concern."

"My pleasure."

We both stared at each other for a moment, then broke into fits of laughter.

"Oh Edward—a 'ludicrous composition?'"

He let out a snort. "Hey, it very well could have been."

"But it wasn't. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard."

The laughter faded off of our faces and we gazed at each other intensely. My stomach, however, had other plans. After about a minute, it growled loudly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bella. You need to eat."

"Edward, really—it's ok." If he was the cause of my missing breakfast, I didn't mind at all.

"No, no," he insisted. "Go downstairs and eat your breakfast. We can talk after you eat and get dressed."

NO! Breakfast could wait! "Are you sure? I mean, it's not like breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Dinner, perhaps, but not breakfast. Lunch is even more important than breakfast. Probably because…"

"Oh, Bella," he interrupted, "You're stalling aren't you?"

My shoulders slumped, defeated. "Is it that obvious?"

He laughed softly. "Oh, just a little bit. But if it's any consolation, I want to keep talking to you as well. Think about it, though," he said, walking towards me, "If you eat now, we have the whole rest of the day to get to know each other."

Yes! "That sounds nice," I said blissfully.

"Well, it's settled then. You go have breakfast and get ready, and I'll be waiting for you in the living room."

"Do you promise?"

"Yes, Bella—I promise," he said in earnest. Then, ever so slowly, he brought his hand up towards my face. I stood frozen in place, unsure of how this would feel. It's not like I'd ever experienced anything like this before, let alone with a ghost. But when his hand lightly touched the side of my face, the entire world disappeared, leaving just the two of us to bask in this moment. I was almost expecting that his hand would have gone through my cheek, but it was as if an invisible force field was preventing that from happening. Though I couldn't physically feel his touch, what did happen was far more sensational. It felt like an electrical current was running through my entire body, not just where he touched. With that came a feeling of complete safety and ease. I had nothing to fear around Edward. After a moment, he slowly took his hand away and looked at me with cautious eyes.

"Was that ok, Bella?"

I felt like I was floating. "Yes, Edward. It was more than ok."

He looked pleased with himself. "Good," he said, flashing me his trademark smile. I'll see you in a little while."

I walked towards the stairs to go down and eat. And as I put my hand on the banister, I glanced behind me to see if he was still there. He was not. Wow, that was quick. I chuckled softly then made my way to the kitchen.

I ate my cereal as fast as I could, then ran to my room to change. I stood in front of my closet, agonizing over what to wear. After about five minutes of getting nowhere, I finally just settled for a tank top and jeans. Less than a minute later, I flew downstairs and into the living room. I expected to see him at the piano or on the couch, but he was nowhere to be found. Puzzled, I looked in the dining room and the kitchen—not there either. I made my way back to the living room and decided to wait for him. Suddenly, I felt that electrifying sensation—just as I had before when he touched my face.

"Boo," he whispered into my ear from behind me.

I let out a shriek and whirled around. He was doubled over, laughing hysterically. I was at a loss for words, so I simply glared at him.

"You should have seen your face," he choked out.

"That was not funny. You scared me!"

He smirked. "Oh, now I scare you?"

"Edward," I began, but the amusement that covered his face broke through my concentration and I started to laugh, too. It was impossible to stay angry at him.

"So," Edward said after our laughter finally died down, "Shall we?" He gestured to the couch.

"Ok," I said eagerly.

We sat down in comfortable silence for a minute. I was trying to figure out where to begin; there was so much I wanted to talk about with him. I decided to start with what I was most curious about.

"Edward, I was wondering—when did you, um, how…"

"How did I die," he finished.

My face flushed. "Well, yeah. And I hope you don't mind me asking."

His smile was comforting. "I don't mind at all, Bella," he assured me. "Feel free to ask me whatever you'd like."

I took a deep breath. "Ok, well, yes—how did you die?"

"Well, I think it would be best if I started at the beginning." He paused for a moment, then began.

"I was born on June 20, 1901. My parents were Edward Sr. and Elizabeth, two of the most wonderful people in the world." He smiled and a look of admiration came into his eyes. "I was an only child, so of course, I got all the attention." He winked at me. "We lived a comfortable lifestyle, but even so, I was never overly spoiled. My parents taught me that if I wanted something, it would be more worthwhile if I worked for it myself. I wouldn't get anywhere if I simply sat and twiddled my thumbs. It was actually my father who preached that most often. He was a self-made man who became a very prominent figure in the local business community."

"Wow, good for him," I said, impressed.

"Yes, I know. I was very proud of him."

"And your mom," I asked.

"My mother was one of the most compassionate and loving people I'd ever known. She made taking care of our family and our house her top priority. I always knew—at the end of the day—that if I lost everything else, I would still have her love." His voice broke on that last word.

My eyes welled up with tears. "Oh Edward, that's wonderful."

He nodded sadly at me then stared down at his lap. I guessed that this was where his story would take its tragic turn.

"It was the summer of 1918 when the Spanish influenza hit Chicago. I was seventeen. We'd had some outbreaks before, but nothing of this magnitude. Just days after the first person caught the illness, hundreds were dead." He took a deep breath. "My father was the first in our family to come down with it. My mother and I did everything possible to ease his suffering, but it was to no avail. His fever got worse, and in about four days, he was dead." His voice was trembling, and it sounded as though it was taking all of his strength to finish. I moved closer to him and lightly placed my hands on his. Though I felt that sensational jolt of electricity running through me again, I couldn't possibly enjoy it when Edward was in so much pain.

He continued. "My mother got sick a couple of days after my father died. I had a bad feeling that would happen. After all, we'd been exposed to him for days. I felt absolutely numb. I could stand losing one parent, and now there was the likelihood that I would lose the other one, too. By the time I got sick, remember feeling incredibly angry—angry at this disease for killing thousands of innocent people, angry that my family was completely wiped out, angry at myself and wishing that I could have done more to help my parents…"

"But Edward, you did everything you could. I know you wouldn't have done anything less than your best." By now, I was crying. "This disease was just so powerful. It was pretty much unbeatable. So please don't blame yourself for what happened to your parents."

He looked at me and slowly nodded. "But most of all, I was angry that I couldn't live out my life. I was dying at seventeen for God's sake! There was so much that I wouldn't be able to experience—going off to college, getting a decent job, taking a wife, having children. It would all be over."

"I know, Edward. I would feel exactly the same way."

He paused, and a livid glint came into his eyes. "And if that wasn't enough, apparently I'm destined to walk the earth forever. Forever being forced to endure an eternity of solitude. Forever a witness to the life I was never allowed to live. Forever on the outside looking in." He closed his eyes and tried to collect himself. Then, he spoke quietly. "I only wanted—if I couldn't live—to be able to pass into the next life and see my parents again. And yet, here I am, and I don't know why."

"Edward, look at me." He opened his eyes. "You were obviously meant to stay on earth for a reason. You'll figure out why—I just know it." I brought my hand up to touch his cheek. "And besides, you're not alone anymore. I'm here."

He looked at me, smiled, and took my free hand in both of his. "Yes, thank God for that."

Ok, so what did you guys think of Edward's story? It totally made me cry when I read it over! And I wanted to try and clear up any confusion any of you may have had about the Bella-Edward touching thing…because I definitely still find it a little confusing! She can't physically feel his skin on hers. But she feels some kind of force field that surrounds his body so that she can't go through him. She also feels a tingling electrical current when they do touch…it sounds pretty amazing :-) I hope this kind of helps. Anyways, I'll probably update on Sunday if I can finish my next chapter in time—which I'm really pushing myself to do. Please don't expect an update then, though. Expect next Thursday, but do check on Sunday evening just to be sure! Knowing me and my determination, I'll probably have it finished so I can publish this weekend. Read and review please!