Title: You Found Me

Full Summary: Edward Masen has lived the life of a nomadic vampire, travelling with James and Victoria since he awoke as an immortal. His ability to read minds has had the unusual side effect of making him a vampire with a conscience. Despite the ridicule from his coven mates, he's confident he's making the best of his existence and doing what's morally right... until he stumbles upon a brown-eyed girl reading in a meadow in Forks. As he attempts to befriend her and learns more about the sleepy town of Forks, Edward finds there's a lot more to being a vampire than he ever thought possible.

Pairings: Canon

Rating: M, for language and future sexing.

Chapter: Nine; Conflict

POV: Edward

AN: I'm much happier with this chapter than the last, so maybe I'm settling into my post-holiday groove. But Edward tends to be chattier than Bella, overthinking everything the way he does, so maybe he suits my more wordy style better. Hope you all enjoy. Thanks for the faves, the alerts and especially the reviews. Also thanks to Jana, who has infinite patience with my insecurities. She deserves a medal. I don't thank her enough, but it's because of her that y'all are even reading this.

If you like it (or even if you don't) leave a review won't you? I try to reply to them all, and it makes me happy, and I much prefer that to being unhappy. My scowl isn't nearly as pretty as Edward's. Neither is my smile for that matter, but hey, everyone looks better when they smile, right?

xx

The sun was shining brightly.

In ordinary circumstances that line would be the perfect introduction to the perfect fairytale. Not in my case.

The sun exposed me for what I was, a predator of the worst variety. Well, perhaps not the worst… there was a special little seat in hell reserved for sadistic fucks like James, I was sure. I knew, as far as vampires went, I was one of the most humane. I did what I could to be a decent person, even if it wasn't enough.

Two weeks ago if anyone asked me what it wasn't enough for, I would have said for the salvation of my soul. Now, I had a completely different reason I wasn't enough. One with big, innocent brown eyes.

It was funny how in the space of two measly weeks – a mere moment in the span of my existence – Bella had become my best friend and the center of my universe. She didn't even know it. How would she? She had no idea how the concepts of love and time were different for me.

I had never felt so alienated from James and Victoria in my life. They had always been like annoying siblings, insufferable and infuriating to the last threads of my sanity. We'd never been like the goofy but loving families on television sitcoms, but we were connected because we were in this life together. I couldn't imagine leaving them but living with them was like living in a pit of non-venomous snakes; you knew you'd survive the experience but after a while you got sick of being bitten.

So here I sat, straddling a branch in a tree overlooking the meadow I'd spent more time in than was healthy, even for a vampire, staring up at the midday sun.

If I were to jump to the right, I could go back to James and Victoria, the family I had known for nearly nine decades. It was the safe choice. My heart would remain intact, if slightly embittered. There was no uncertainty as to what kind of life I would be living. I'd lived it. I could continue to slog through indifferently.

Then there was the option to jump left. Taking a left would push me to lay myself on the line in a way I hadn't hadn't since I was seventeen. I would be laid bare in an innocent little meadow, exposed by sunshine of all things.

In contrast to the predictable life with James and Victoria, I would have to put myself out there, stringing the rest of my existence on fragile hopes and dreams. The survival of those hopes and dreams would rest in the hands of a brown-eyed girl, who would have to take a chance on a man she'd known all of two days. So she thought I was beautiful, but then, so did most of the female population. I didn't even have the benefit of knowing what she was thinking about me.

It was hopeless.

I wasn't sure if she was ready to know. It had only been two days since she had met me. The insignificant parts I had allowed her, anyway.

It was obvious she suspected something about me wasn't normal… I doubted that she questioned if everyone she met was a demigod or an angel. I had to admit it was a bit of an emotional ego boost that she assumed the supernatural aura I radiated was a positive thing. I wondered if thoughts of vampires had ever crossed her mind.

She might think I was inherently good now, but if she found out otherwise, would she care to stay and get to know me? I wasn't sure I was willing to risk it.

But I also really wanted her to know, to get that hurdle out of the way. I didn't want to avoid her whenever the sun came out, even as rarely as it did in Forks. In the short span of human life, any moment wasted was a tragedy. There was no point in prolonging the inevitable. I might as well get my heart broken now as opposed to falling deeper and getting it broken then.

It was all in the timing. Was two days enough time to cultivate an unbreakable bond? For me, yes. For her, I wasn't so sure. But would two weeks be enough? Two months? Two years? There was no way to know.

I would wait forever, but would it be better for her, for the possibility of us, if I told her the truth now? Or when I got to know her better, built up her trust in me, only to admit I had been lying by omission all along? I had always been patient, even for a vampire, but making this decision had me climbing walls.

Stupid fucking time and its complexities. There was never enough of it and simultaneously far too much. There was always enough to allow my overwrought mind to think through every last detail in fucking technicolor, yet never enough for me to come to a concrete decision as to what the fuck I should do.

It was already well past three. She'd be here any minute. It all came down to time, again.

Making a split-second decision, I jumped. My skin refracted the light unnaturally as I settled into the grass to wait.

xx

It's difficult to pretend you don't notice the passing of time when you're a vampire.

I wished I was oblivious to the fact that twenty-one minutes and eighteen seconds had passed since I had sprawled in the grass but I wasn't.

My eyes were closed but I could see the flashing of light as the sun playfully danced off the backs of my eyelids.

I wished my thoughts were as amiable as the rays of sun seemed to be. The use of thoughts, as in plural, was generous. I was only thinking one thing: Please, Bella.

What exactly I was asking her for, I wasn't sure. I didn't want to delve any deeper into my own train of thought than absolutely necessary. My thoughts would no doubt scare me. I was no stranger to thoughts, mine or anyone else's. It was ironic how mine seemed to frighten me more than even those of the scum I made into dinner.

When I had been waiting twenty-two minutes exactly, I could take the emptiness of the meadow no longer. As a vampire, patience was supposed to be my strong suit. Decades passed me by like hours passed by in the scope of human life. They meant little relative to eternity. Waiting for an answer you knew would either make or break your existence slowed down time impossibly.

My pleading with an invisible Bella was useless.

Please, Bella, come failed me.

So had please, Bella, I need to see you.

Please, Bella, don't hate me remained unanswered indefinitely.

I had never been one to pray, but I found myself praying that please, Bella, be okay would be answered. This was the one question I was unable to wait for the answer to any longer. Not knowing if I had done something to alienate her was painful, but not knowing if she was okay was worse.

I opened my eyes slowly, focusing on the traitorous sun. The sun that forced my hand unnecessarily, making me confront myself and my fears all for naught. I knew what I wanted now, I supposed. Too bad what I wanted didn't appear to want me back.

I wondered what I had done to scare her off, because if I allowed myself to think that she was hurt, or worse, I wouldn't be able function.

I sniffed at the air, easily catching a faint whiff of Bella. Her scent had been dampened by the elements, but it was unmistakably her. It hadn't rained in over twenty-four hours, as the annoyingly cheery sun hanging overhead reminded me. Wind and time were not enough to erase the potency of her scent. I wondered if even the rain could do it. She was engrained in the little meadow.

She had tread the path leading to it so many times, even before I'd ever been a consideration, that her essence seemed embedded into it, somehow. Feeling like pond scum, but resigned to what I needed to do, I followed it.

The sun arced across the sky, following me merrily, twinkling off my face. Was it so much to ask for the usual drear of the climate around here?

I was well aware I was being a melancholy, broody asshole, mentally bitching out the sun for, well, shining, but I felt betrayed. Forks was grey most of the time.

I moved effortlessly through the underbrush, avoiding Bella's pitiful, overgrown path on the off chance that she was on her way… not that I was hopeful or anything optimistic like that.

I found the quaint little two-storey where she lived with Chief Swan, never crossing paths with her. The Chief's thoughts were blessedly absent from the building, so he likely was as well. Bella's were also, but that meant nothing.

With feline grace I slithered up to the house. On the off chance that a human capable of evading my abilities was looking my way – I could only think of one – I was outside of what I assumed to be Bella's bedroom window, based on the permeating scent, in less time than it would take to blink.

Feeling like a complete cad, I peered in the window. Even though I was half expecting it, the sight of her sitting at her desk, casually reading a book, triggered a stab of hurt. I forced myself to be comforted by the fact that she was clearly perfectly healthy and not slighted by the fact she had chosen to avoid me.

She was reading Heart of Darkness, staring at the pages with determined eyes. Her pupils trailed along the lines of text with the quick, sure eyes of a practiced reader. I watched, fascinated to see studious Bella at work. I wondered if it was purely an accident, that she was so involved in her book that she simply forgot. It stung a little that she could forget, but at least that was preferable to her realizing that she was fed up with my evasive, lying ass.

Watching her immersed in her daily little rituals was captivating. I knew I was no better than a stalker, stooping even lower than when I'd invaded her privacy in the meadow. At least then I could pretend it was an accident that she stumbled into the same meadow that I just so happened to be waiting on the outskirts of. There was no denying that I had followed her here, scaling the side of her home with the sole purpose of watching her in her private space.

She was still reading, but her eyes were clouded over, like she was imagining something not contained within the pages of her book. I wished I could see what passage she was reading. I had the vaguely familiar feeling that I had read the text in my own school days. I had no memory of it, just an eerie feeling of déjà vu. It didn't seem like the kind of book one would get lost in. A historical novella didn't seem like Bella's usual fantasy fodder, either. I was more curious than ever what was written on those pages that could captivate her so fully.

Seeming to mentally berate herself for her daydream, she returned to mechanically scanning the pages, before eventually succumbing to her thoughtful haze once again. This process was repeated several times. I watched intently, a dying man gulping down water.

I was quite partial to her determined face. Her forehead would pucker slightly, and she'd bite her full bottom lip. Her eyes would pretend to be hard and focused on their task, but their warmth would refuse to let them be as cold and indifferent as they liked to think they were. It was something like watching a kitten playing catch the yarn. A really cute, fluffy white kitten.

The dreamy smiles were almost as nice. I liked to imagine those were my smiles; the ones that she'd bestow upon me when she saw me waiting for her in the meadow. They weren't quite the same, though.

Even her angry face was cute. I was graced by the presence of that one when, apparently frustrated with something, she threw her book on her desk, glaring at it like it had committed an unmentionable crime. It was like that cute, fluffy white kitten was pretending it was a lion.

She stared down the book hatefully for a few moments before abruptly standing up and shoving her little feet into a pair of hiking boots.

"Hiking boots?" a voice in the back of my head keened gleefully, "What could she possibly need those for?"

There was only one thing I could think of.

I raced back to the forest's edge, reaching it in less than a hundredth of a second. I did not want to be caught hanging from her windowsill.

That wouldn't be polite at all.

My sneaking suspicion that she was coming to the meadow, albeit forty minutes late, was proven correct by the thump of her boots descending the stairs, shortly followed by the slam of the back screen door. My dead heart thumped unevenly in my throat, clogging it with happiness, anger, confusion and an array of other undecipherable emotions.

Then she appeared, like a beautiful mirage, clumsily stomping her way towards the path leading to the meadow.

I swung myself up into a tree and stealthier than any ninja known to man, followed her as she made her way to the meadow. I was careful to keep my distance. Based on conversations we'd had, I had realized she was perceptive enough to realize my proximity to her, and I didn't want to risk her knowing I was there.

I had fully prepared myself to follow her into the clearing and into the sun. Once I reached the edge of the protective foliage, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to do it.

My stomach clenched painfully as I watched her sit in the meadow from afar, her foot tapping impatiently. She hadn't wanted to see me earlier.

She'd needed a break from me and my shit.

There was no way that she was going to accept me as a sparkling, undead freak of nature. I had been foolish to think I could tell her after two measly days spent together. So foolish. Worse, I'd been willing to put her safety on the line to fulfill my own idiotic desires. Who knew what wrath the Volturi would inflict upon her if she were to learn my secret before she was ready to hear it.

I'd have to bide my time and build up her faith in me before I even considered showing her my reality again.

Sighing, resigned to another afternoon of pathetic stalking, I slumped down against the trunk of the tree I was standing in.

It was worse now that I knew she was more than just a pretty face and a pair of transcendent brown eyes.

xx

I was in no mood for James' shit when I returned to the cabin that night. Unfortunately, James was still in his pain-in-the-ass phase, though I was beginning to wonder if ninety years really constituted as a phase.

"Eddie! Long time, no see! You're like a ghost around here." His tone was conversational but there was something about it that set me on edge.

I knew from experience that ignoring him wouldn't get me anywhere. So I opted for a minimal, non-response.

"I've been busy," I muttered, stalking past him to my room. The door had barely clicked behind me before it was pried opened again, James peeping at me from the doorjamb.

"Yes?" I said tersely, treading the line between polite and annoyed. "What can I help you with?" It took some effort but I was able to force down the urge to growl at him.

"Look, I know we don't get along and shit and we sure as fuck don't talk about whatever the fuck is going on in our lives, but you've been especially punk-assed lately. What's your problem, dude?"

"Don't you ever get sick of fighting, James?" I asked wearily, not sure why I was bothering to bring it up. It could only spell trouble.

"I don't know what you're talking about, bro. Fighting who?"

"Me. Victoria. The pups. Anyone. You seem to enjoy it."

"We're vampires, dude. Fighting is what we're built for. We're the world's most dangerous and unstoppable predator. Why would I get sick of something that I excel at?"

"Because–" it's draining. It makes your soul feel like it's dying as, little by little, each fight wears your spirit down until you can't remember how to be happy. I didn't say any of that. He wouldn't understand. "Nevermind."

James rolled his eyes. "I can see the cogs spinning. Save yourself some fucking time and stop overthinking dumb shit." After a too long pause, he added, unnecessarily, "You need to hunt. Your eyes are almost fucking black."

"My eyes are always darker than yours," I explained patiently, though James already knew. "My diet means I eat less than you and Vic do."

"I know the kids at school say anorexia is cool, but you look like shit." He raised an eyebrow at me, as if I should be impressed by his great wit. "What the fuck have you been doing every afternoon if you haven't been off eating bad guys?"

I gave him a half-cocked smile, knowing that was his idea of looking out for me. It was nice to know he could at least expend that minimal effort.

"It's been quiet lately."

"And that's why eating with a conscience sucks ass. If you've ever eaten a chick on a diet, you'd know they taste like shit, because they feel like shit."

"You know I don't go near women–"

"Have you ever considered that maybe that's your problem?" He interrupted. "Maybe your tortured little soul would give it a fucking rest if you actually gave it what your body wants."

"Thanks for the advice, James," I deadpanned. "As much as it rivals Dr. Phil's in helpfulness, I think I can figure my own shit out."

He shrugged, as if to say "suit yourself, you annoying pansy ass motherfucker" and headed cheerily out the door. I could hear Victoria beckoning him from two rooms over.

I sighed again, feeling more conflicted than ever. James had been almost bearable today. If this was going to be a new status quo, I could almost imagine not being miserable for the rest of my existence. Almost.

xx

Doubt is a strange thing.

For almost forty-eight hours I'd been unable to settle on what I was going to say or do when I next saw Bella. I would think I had settled on a decision, and then I'd turn around and something would scream at me that I was making the wrong choice.

Watching her approach me in our meadow, the two of us wearing matching grins, I still wasn't sure what the right thing to do was.

The moment she leaped into my lap, though, I just knew. It was like a light switch had gone off in my brain. It didn't matter what I said or did, because everything would be okay. It just would. It might have seemed simple and optimistic, but I suppose she brought out something positive in me.

It wasn't as difficult being close to her as I had expected. I had been steeling myself for this moment for weeks, working up the courage to touch her. I'd slipped, carelessly touching her arm the night the wolves had came. I had promised myself I wouldn't, under any circumstances, touch her again until she knew.

She had taken that decision out of my hands by making the first move. Without the warning of her thoughts I'd had no time to react and no choice but to acquiesce to her will. My body had stiffened involuntarily on first contact, prepared to fight against my instincts, but it was only too easy to forget the danger I presented to her and just revel in the closeness. Her hair, soft and fragrant, teased my chin… so close to my mouth, yet hunger was the furthest thing from my mind. All I had to think about was the affection inherent in the act of hugging and my long dead heart swelled. She was safe with me. She was happy with me.

Holding her just felt so perfect, so right, that I knew everything would work out for the best. I cradled her gently as we talked, careful not to use excessive force. I was hypersensitive to her every expression. The barest hint of discomfort was unacceptable.

The feel of her delicate skin and rhythmic heart as we traded dialogue was intoxicating. Even the pure, innocent silence of her thoughts was comforting. It was still frustrating beyond belief to not know what was going on in her mind, but it was preferable to the empty hum of energy exerted by James and Victoria's minds as they intentionally blocked me.

I spoke without really hearing my own words. All my attention was focused on the girl in my arms and her sweet voice.

Her falling asleep in my arms easily ranked as the best moment of my existence. It wasn't even a contest. The elation of my number two moment, the first time I had saved a woman from the clutches of a would-be murderer, three hours after awaking as a vampire, paled in comparison.

I wondered idly why she was so tired that she would fall asleep in the middle of the day. Was she not getting enough sleep? I made a mental note to remind her she needed eight hours a night.

Time passed quickly as she slept comfortably against my chest. I sat as still as a stone carving for the entire four hours that she slept, not wanting to jostle her. She clearly needed rest, and I enjoyed being with her. I would have given anything I owned to be able to see her dreams, but I let myself be content with her mere presence.

Eventually the sun set brilliantly behind the clouds, an array of red and purple shooting across the sky. I hardly noticed. I'd seen thousands of sunsets; I'd only ever seen Bella sleep once. The sight rivaled the beauty of the setting sun, anyway. It wasn't something I'd tire of any time soon. Watching her little nose twitch, her fist unconsciously twist a handful of my shirt, her cute snores… I could do it forever, and I would, if I had my say.

When the sun was on the cusp of extinguishing completely, I knew I could prolong waking her no longer.

I shook her arm gently, whispering into her hair. "Bella?"

She nuzzled against my chest, stubbornly refusing to wake. I received a few nonsensical murmurs. My nonexistent pulse skipped a beat when, clear as day, she said my name.

I nodded, a smile stretching across my face. "Yes. I'm Edward."

"Edward?" she mumbled again, slightly more coherent than before. She blinked a few times before focusing on me. Almost immediately she evaporated into a huge yawn. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"You fell asleep," I explained needlessly, still holding her in my lap, wrapped in the blanket. She was no longer resting against me, but facing me instead. I supported most of her weight, as she drooped sleepily.

"I see that," she managed through another yawn. "How long was I out? Oh god, Edward, it's almost dark! Why didn't you wake me up? I wasted all of our time together. And tomorrow's Saturday," she said sadly.

"Saturday?" I asked stupidly. I hadn't given a thought to the day of the week and wasn't sure why Saturday was important to her. I flashed through my memories of time with her. She definitely hadn't said anything to me about Saturday.

"We won't see each other," she explained, her downcast eyes tilted away from mine. I didn't like that. I tilted her chin back up.

"Do you have something planned?" I asked anxiously. I didn't like the thought of not seeing her again. My experience yesterday was still far too fresh in my mind.

"No… but–"

"But nothing," I interrupted her worrying. "If you're free, so am I. I'll see you tomorrow. At ten?" I wondered hopefully. If she didn't have school all day, there was no harm in trying…

Her responding smile was brilliant. "Ten," she repeated, clutching her blanket tighter around her to ward off the cooling temperature.

"Edward?"

He voice was hesitant, so I gave her my most charming smile, encouraging her. When she didn't, I asked, "Yes?"

She blushed furiously. "I forgot what I was going to say."

I shrugged, looking warily at the darkening forest around us.

Bella should be frightened, being here with me at night. She should be repelled, knowing innately that I wasn't safe. During the light hours I could pass myself off using my vampiric charms. In the darkness they didn't see a beautiful stranger, they only sensed an intimidating predator. Bella didn't even bat an eyelash, clinging to me like I was her lifeline. I wondered if she had any survival instincts at all.

"Do you mind if I walk you home? It's dark now. You've never left after sunset. I don't want to worry that you've got lost or hurt yourself in the dark and I know I will unless I see you home safely."

I tried to sound like I wasn't begging and piled on my injured puppy dog face for good measure. "Please?"

She giggled, her cheeks slightly pink. I wanted to reach out and touch one to see if it felt as warm as it looked. "Edward, I'd love it if you'd walk me home."

I hesitated. Should I lead the way? I didn't want her to think I didn't need directions to her house. That wouldn't help with not giving the impression I was a crazed stalker. But I also didn't want her to feel like she had to be the one to face the unknown dangers lurking in the dark. I settled on asking her to lead the way under the guise of being gentlemanly. I'd be able to see and avoid any problems ahead. My eyesight in the dark was equal to or better than during daylight hours.

Bella smiled, hesitantly reaching out for my hand, boldly leading me down the darkening path without fear. She didn't even flinch at my icy skin.

If I thought my stellar night vision would prevent any issues, I was wrong.

We'd been walking less than a minute and already Bella had tripped over a tree root, a fallen branch, and some slippery, waterlogged leaves. If it weren't for my steadying hand, she probably wouldn't have been able to recover from the last almost-tumble.

I understood it was dark and the path was overgrown, but this was getting ridiculous.

"Bella?" I asked, breaking the companionable silence we'd formed. "I give amazing piggybacks… or so I've been told, in case you happened to be interested?"

She looked at me scornfully. "Thanks, but I can walk just fine, Edwaaarrrrd!" My name was elongated as she stumbled forward for the fourth time. "Erm, maybe a piggyback would be cool." She flushed and I stifled the urge to laugh.

I lowered myself so she could climb on my back. I tried not to think about her soft, warm little body wrapped around me as her legs hooked around my waist, instead concentrating on getting her home safely.

She laid her cheek on my back, the warmth immediately burning through my shirt. "Sorry for being ungrateful. I'm not used to people wanting to take care of me. I don't want you to think I'm weak and can't do anything by myself."

"I'd never think that, Bella. I know you're strong. I know you can do things for yourself. I want to be there for you. Never take my offering help as a sign of your weakness. It's mine."

I could feel her face contort into a frown against my back. "How is it yours?"

"I can't seem to stay away from you. I shouldn't want to be around you all the time like I do. I'm not good for you."

Her grasp on me tightened. "You're too hard on yourself, Edward. Being with you… it feels right, like we were meant to be… friends. Don't you believe some things were fated to be? I mean, I know I said that I think we choose our own destiny, but some things just can't be completely accidental, like me meeting you in the meadow. What were the chances? If there are a hundred trillion different universes out there, each one with a different me based on choices I've made… in how many of them would I get to meet you? What are the chances of me making all the right choices to find myself in that meadow just as you made all the right choices to be there too? It's one in an infinite amount. How lucky I am to be the one who gets to live in this universe, out of a hundred trillion or more?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "You think too hard, little one. We could have met any number of ways. Forks is a small town. On another note, I don't know if I'd classify my presence in your life as lucky for you."

"But we didn't," she countered stubbornly. "And who's to say we'd have the same kind of relationship if we'd met any other way? Who's even to say that you'd live in Forks in any other universe?"

I shrugged, unable to come up with a counter-argument. For once in my existence, I had nothing to say. All because of a fragile human girl. "You're right," I said simply.

"And it was luck," she said quietly. If it weren't for my improved hearing, I doubt I would have heard.

"Hey," she exclaimed, as the forest thinned and her house came into view. "How the heck are we here already? It took us less than two minutes!"

I shrugged, trying not to look guilty. I'd been so focused on her – her words and her body wrapped around mine – that I hadn't even given a thought to controlling my speed. I hadn't run by any means, but I'd certainly moved faster than any normal human was capable of on such rough terrain. I was glad that the dark had masked my lack of forethought. There wasn't even the light of the moon under the cover of the forest, thankfully. Seeing trees whiz by her head probably wouldn't be good for not scaring her off.

"I'm fast."

She eyed me suspiciously. "Really fast. You were carrying me on your back, yet you cut my usual time down my three quarters."

I shifted, uncomfortable under her gaze. I was used to standing completely still, often for hours on end, but she made me made me restless. The pools of brown had some magical power over me. "I used to run track. I still have my medals. I should show you sometime."

She grinned. "I'd love to see them."

I gently lowered her to the ground. "Besides," I couldn't help but add teasingly, "you're not the most adept at walking."

She glared at me for a moment, aiming to elbow me, but I ducked out the way before she could, not wanting her to have another bruise because of me.

I gestured to the back door reluctantly. "You should go. Chief Swan is probably worried."

She nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

I returned the nod, turning to leave, but she called out before I could get far. "Wait! Do you maybe want to come in for some hot chocolate or something? Your hands…"

I smiled sadly. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. The Chief would ask questions."

I knew this was true. I could hear his muddled thoughts radiating from the house. They weren't as silent as Bella's, but it was clear bits and pieces were missing. He sounded like an improperly tuned radio. I could hear parts of the "concerned father" speech he was rehearsing for when she returned. He was trying not to think about the possibly of her not returning.

She frowned stubbornly. "So? He's my father, not my keeper. He knows I have friends."

"Bella…"

"Okay, fine," she said shortly. Her tone softening marginally, she added, "See you tomorrow at ten."

I watched her go into the house silently, my feet cemented to the grass. I couldn't leave. I didn't want to leave. Sighing at my own foolishness, I waited until the heated discussion, Bella defending her absence to a frazzled Charlie, went silent. His thoughts calmed to a relieved but weary hum. Her footsteps thudded quietly as she retreated to her room. Once I heard her bedroom door close behind her, I silently made my way up the tree outside her bedroom window. Were I human, the climb would have been difficult, but not impossible.

Tentatively, not sure if she was still upset with me, I rapped on the window with a finger. It sounded like a pebble hitting the glass.

The drapes were flung open, an expression that looked a cross between furious and weary on her face. It immediately evaporated into a smile when she saw me.

She flung open the window, poking her head out. "Edward!"

"I figured this way, what your father doesn't know won't hurt him," I explained simply.

She nodded. "Yeah… I wasn't looking forward to telling Charlie. I was prepared to, though, if it meant you'd stay."

I smiled. "I know. I wanted to save you the trouble. I should have warned you what I was planning."

She shrugged, but I could tell she was pleased. She gestured for me to enter, looking around her room sheepishly as if she were embarrassed of its contents.

"Wait a second…" she drawled, an unreadable expression making its way onto her face. "How did you know this room was mine?"

Oh shit. I hadn't even considered how I would explain that. Telling her it smelled like her would be creepy, even I knew that.

I shrugged sheepishly, stepping into the room. It smelled even more overwhelmingly of her on the inside. I knew for certain I was certifiably crazy when I had to fight the urge to lick one of the walls on the off chance it tasted like her, too.

"Something tells me that Charlie doesn't have purple curtains."