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 sexing.

Chapter: Thirty-four; Lost

POV: Bella

AN: Yes, this is an update, not a hallucination. I apologize for the delay, but the summer has been busy. The good news is it's almost over and I hope to resume a more regular posting schedule ;)

As always I love hearing your response and I hope you enjoy :)

xx

I snuggled against Edward, only half of my attention on the movie flashing across the screen in the darkened room. Even all the trappings of the Cullens' state of the art home theatre weren't enough to capture my attention, which was floating somewhere off in the vicinity of dreamland. I was too awake to sleep but relaxed enough, curled up with Edward, that my mind found itself wandering without permission.

Thanksgiving was less than a week away. It had been a long time since I had looked forward to the holiday. Sure, I was always aware that there was plenty I had to be thankful for, but the holiday had never been met with much fanfare when it was just my Mom and I. Renee had never been one for cooking, so the responsibility of the thanksgiving spread, small though it was, had always fallen to me. Since it had only ever been the two of us, I had never ventured to create anything all that much more grand than our everyday fare. I'd usually roast the smallest turkey I could find and call it a day. The situation hadn't changed much last year, the only difference being Charlie, rather than Renee, sat across the table.

This year, though food would still be a minor part of the celebrations – as was the case when one spent the majority of their time with a coven of vampires – I was looking forward to spending the holiday with Edward and the surrogate family that had formed around him. Maybe I could even convince them to throw a little thanksgiving soiree to include Charlie. I was pretty sure Alice would be the first on board.

Edward ran his fingers through my hair, reading my stillness as discontent. "Are you all right?"

I lifted my face from his lap, offering a smile. Even in the dim room he would be able to see my face as clearly as if we were lying in the sun. "I'm perfect," I told him in complete earnestness. I had never felt better.

Edward grinned but the happy expression was quick to vacate, bemusement-lined irritation replacing it. I didn't have to see any more to know Emmett was up to something. I had become pretty competent at reading Edward's moods and that look always meant one thing: Emmett.

"Hold that thought," Edward muttered, reluctantly muting the stereo system and looking to the doorway expectantly.

Sure enough, a moment later, Emmett strolled into the room as if he owned it, flicking on every light, even the lamp on the side table, as if to create as much of a disruption as possible to announce his arrival.

I could certainly see how he and Rosalie continued to butt heads. They were more alike than either of them would probably ever admit.

I blinked up in the newly relit room, willing my eyes to adjust to the brightness. Giving up, I ducked my head into Edward's lap, squinting at Emmett through half-lidded eyes.

"Sorry about that, B," Emmett apologized, plopping himself on the couch, just missing squashing my feet. The springs groaned under the force of his weight. "But bad Thanksgiving movies can wait. I have a problem and Steve Martin cannot help me."

"Really?" Edward drawled, tightening his arm around me and pulling me closer into his side, as though I could shield him from Emmett. "And your first thought was to come bother us? You know Emmett, as thoughtful as that is, we do have lives beyond solving your problems. You should try Alice. She loves meddling in other people's lives. I'm surprised she's stayed out of it so far."

Emmett snorted. "Yeah, right. Did you not have time to say your three million 'I love yous' yet today? Or has the hourly googly eyes quota gone unmet?" He twisted his face humorously. "Trust me, this is more important. And Rosalie's gone hunting, so I kinda need to talk to you now."

"What is it, Emmett?" I cut over Edward, stopping him from interjecting with some snide comment.

The two of them could go on for days if I didn't step in. I knew this from experience. They brought out the worst in one another. It was their way of declaring friendship.

Emmett seemed genuinely relieved I was willing to hear him out, despite the sarcasm.

"I apologized to Rosalie like you said I should. She wasn't very receptive." He shook his head, mystified that his apology hadn't been accepted with open arms.

Edward chuckled, intercepting something I wasn't privy to from Emmett's head.

"If you said it like that, consider yourself lucky that she didn't decapitate you. I cannot believe you ever made fun of my lack of experience with women. I may not have had much experience but at least I had common sense."

I giggled, too. I didn't need to know exactly what they were talking about; Edward's chuckles were contagious, especially in the face of Emmett's bewildered indignation.

"But I still said it," Emmett reasoned optimistically, looking to me for support. "That has to count for something right?"

Edward shook his head, his crooked smirk a mile wide. "Wrong. So very wrong. They got into another argument yesterday, because Emmett left a wet towel in the sink," he explained to me, barely able to get the words out through his amusement. "And Emmett decided that would be a good time to tell her he was sorry." He might have been enjoying Emmett's distress just a little too much.

"That doesn't sound so bad," I countered sympathetically. "He still apologized, right? That's a good start. It's definitely salvageable."

"See?" Emmett gloated.

"That's not worst part," Edward continued. "Instead of waiting until she calmed down, he yelled at her to stop screaming at him – and this is a direct quote – 'I'm sorry for leaving and everything, okay! Now can I please get a moment's peace?'"

Emmett cringed, but was quick to defend himself. "Okay, that sounds bad. But what am I supposed to do? She won't let me talk to her unless she's yelling at me. It was my only chance!"

Edward rolled his eyes. "This might sound crazy, but you could have tried not yelling back. Have you considered that when she starts yelling you could remain calm and talk to her rationally?"

"She was cussing me out over a fucking towel in a sink in the damn bathroom," Emmett snapped. "Towels belong in the fucking bathroom, dude. The chick is not rational, so excuse me for not thinking that she would be very receptive."

"Okay," Edward conceded, "I'll grant you that. Rosalie is difficult. But you are going to have to be the bigger person. You caused the damage to your relationship by leaving. Therefore making things right falls to you. You do not get to be the wounded party."

"She told me she wished she had killed me when she had the chance!" Emmett griped. "And you're telling me I'm not the wounded party?"

"She said that because she was hurt," I reasoned. "People lash out when they're hurt. Look, we're not saying she's perfect. Obviously she hasn't been very fair to you at times, but if you want to make amends, you're going to have to be the one to extend the olive branch. And, to be honest, your efforts so far have been pretty pathetic."

"I'm so glad I came to you two for help," Emmett grumbled. "I thought you guys were all about spreading the love."

"Stop whining and go tell Rosalie you're sorry nicely," I said, shoving his knee, as if the physical shove could give him the mental push he so desperately needed. Of course, he didn't budge an inch. "I cannot believe that you're more than ninety years old and you've never learned how to say 'I'm sorry' without pissing people off."

Emmett grinned impishly. "I don't usually have to apologize to women. I just tell them they're welcome. It's all been very straight-forward."

I rolled my eyes. "I take that back. I understand completely. You're a pig."

xx

Three days later, something rather extraordinary happened.

Rosalie smiled at Emmett. At the very least, it was a twitch that could have been read as a smile. If you were quick enough to spot it.

It began with Alice inviting Rosalie to go shopping. (Which made me wonder whether Alice was staying out of Emmett and Rosalie's relationship, as Edward seemed to believe. It appeared to me she was just a lot more subtle than her family gave her credit for.)

According to Alice, she had seen "the cutest, most perfect fall dress in the entire world," on a stranger unwittingly cast as an extra in one of her visions. The sight had inspired her to hunt down the dress. "Hunt" was a frighteningly accurate description; the fervency she showed for finding the garment was rather terrifying. Rosalie took it in stride, agreeing to the excursion, as long she got to drive.

"We're taking my BMW," she declared. "It's just warm enough today that we can drive with the top down without drawing attention. The bad kind, anyway." She jingled the car keys knowingly.

"Sure thing," Alice agreed. She turned to me. "Do you want to come with us? We can make a day of it? It'll be fun."

I shook my head, not interested in the least. A day of chasing Alice and Rosalie around Seattle in search of the holy grail of dresses ranked somewhere on my list of the top ten activities I hoped never to experience. I was just as content spending the day curled up at home with Edward and a book.

Alice frowned, disappointed by my lack of enthusiasm.

"I'm with Bella on this one," Emmett chimed in. "I mean, I don't get it. What's the appeal of spending hours searching for a perfect dress you're only going to discard when it's out of style next season? Save yourself some time and buy what you need online like normal people in this day and age."

"We wouldn't expect you to understand this, Emmett," Rosalie said coolly, "but girls like clothes that actually fit. If something arrives two sizes too big and hideously unlike its online image, we won't shrug it off and wear it anyway."

Emmett shrugged nonchalantly, leaning against the counter, the picture of disinterest. "You would look hot in anything. Oversized paper bags included. So, no, you're right, I don't understand the big deal."

And that was when it happened. Rosalie smiled at him, shiny white teeth and all. It was striking how pretty she really was when the sourness was removed from her expression.

It was so quick that I might not have believed what I had witnessed, if I hadn't turned to Edward – who was nearby, busying himself tending to a pan of fried eggs and only half paying attention to the rest of us – to see if he had seen what I had seen.

He nodded ever so slightly and bit his lip, a signal for me to keep quiet, until Rosalie and Alice had vacated.

Alice allowed Rosalie and Emmett their moment, however brief, before tugging on her sister's hand and dragging her out the door. The rumble of Rosalie's car pulling down the drive soon followed.

Edward's eye caught mine as he handed me a fork and we both grinned, waiting for Emmett, who was still leaning against the other side of the kitchen island with a dopey smile on his face, to speak up.

Edward slipped the eggs he had been cooking onto my plate, looking quite pleased with himself. Since I had told him his eggs were delicious the morning after we had first made love, he had made a habit of making me eggs for breakfast every morning. He was a culinary master when it came to any variation of cooking eggs. It was so sweet that I didn't have the heart to tell him I was getting sick of eggs.

My eyes met Edward's again and we both giggled.

"Okay, you two, what the hell is so funny?" Emmett demanded, the humongous grin slipping from his face as he took in our badly disguised smirks.

Edward shrugged innocently, the action so exaggerated it only made the situation worse. "Whatever do you mean, Emmett? Nothing at all is humorous in this situation."

I muffled a chuckle at Edward's poor acting. Emmett glared at us both. "It's not funny, alright? I'm finally making some progress."

"You're right." I nudged Edward who had seated himself on the barstool next to me, willing him to play nice, but unable to resist one last jab of my own. "Because you've always been so supportive of us and all."

"I have!" Emmett insisted. "Who was the one encouraging Eddie to get it on with you? Me! You should be thanking me. So what's with the crankiness? Has he not been doing it right? I'm the one who should be cranky. Do you have any idea how long it's been for me? Try years!"

Edward made a face. "Did we need to know that? I know this might be a foreign concept, but some people like to keep parts of their lives private."

Emmett scoffed, ignoring him. "I'm not saying I waited around decades saving myself or anything, but single female vampires who want to hook up and aren't looking for a mate are few and far between. Trust me."

I paused mid-chew, surprised to hear that Emmett had been purposely evading commitment. "You don't want to find a mate? Because if you're trying to win Rosalie over only to use and discard her like that…" I trailed off, not wanting to have to point out how disgusting that behaviour would be. It wasn't something I would have previously thought him capable of if he hadn't brought it up.

Emmett's shoulders hunched inward making him seem a fraction of his massive height. His downturned eyes turned bashful.

"It's not like that. When I first met Rosalie, I had no clue what the fuck I wanted. I had just learned I was a fucking vampire. I could do anything I wanted without any effort at all. I didn't think I needed anyone. And I definitely didn't think that some blonde chick, even if she was hot as fuck, was going to stick in my mind. Everything fades, right? But if there's one thing I can say about vampire memories, it's that they never fade. Not the slightest. And no one I met compared to her. I wasn't about to lead anyone on and Rosalie wasn't an option then. It seemed harmless if I found someone who was on the same page as me."

"I'm sorry, Emmett," I said after a beat of silence that stretched a moment too long. I glanced at Edward who seemed similarly caught off guard. "We didn't know."

"Emmett, if you told Rosalie what you just told us," Edward said seriously, "you wouldn't be able to fight her off with a steel pole."

Emmett smirked, straightening up, looking much more like the Emmett I was accustomed to. "Oh, Edward. Still so naive. Rosalie is welcome to my steel pole anytime she likes."

Edward scrunched his face in disgust. "You're utterly hopeless. It's like you're allergic to saying the right thing at the right time. That is precisely why Rosalie is always furious with you. And who could blame her?"

Emmett beamed, his chest puffed with pride. "It's all a part of my charm. It's what makes me so loveable. Rosalie won't be able to keep her cool forever."

He paused a beat. "So… Anyone up for Xbox?"

xx

It felt safe to say that vampires were extremely competitive when it came to videogames. Perhaps safe was not the most apt word. Watching Emmett and Edward face off, it was one of few times I could actually see the dangerous side they claimed to have hidden within.

The cute little animated figures whizzed around the screen like someone had spiked their drinks with speed. Vampire hands frantically controlled their movements, to the point where they were a blur, as Edward and Emmett pushed to outdo one another. The console didn't seem to be able to move fast enough to their liking, more than one muttered curse suggested.

"At least reading my next move is fucking useless to you, cheater," Emmett spat, smug that the slowness of the game negated Edward's one clear advantage.

Even Edward, who never cursed in front of me, gritted his teeth and spat the occasional expletive at Emmett, his expression fiery with the desire to win. I pitied the side of Emmett's head, which took the brunt of Edward's glares. Singeing seemed imminent.

Emmett wasn't nearly so restrained, letting his foul temper spew out of his mouth. At one point, he was so caught up in smashing his little joystick in an attempt to beat down Edward's little animated soldier that he snapped the fragile piece of plastic clean off the controller.

Shrugging coolly, he opened a nearby cabinet, retrieving a brand-new controller from a stack of dozens. Apparently it was a common issue in a household full of vampires too caught up in the heat of digital battle to recognize their own strength.

When Jasper and Esme returned from hunting not ten minutes later, they joined in the chaos, facing off with Edward and Emmett in pairs of two.

It was quite a hilarious sight to behold, the ever maternal Esme egging on Edward, who had the misfortune – or perhaps it was fortune – of being paired with her. She could talk trash with the boys like nobody's business.

I wondered what Carlisle would think if he had been present. The sight of his usually sweet, mild-tempered wife cursing at the television screen might just have started his heart beating again. Then again, after decades together, he probably was fully aware of all of her idiosyncrasies. I wondered if he found it endearing or kinda hot… because watching Edward get all riled up was kind of riling me up a little bit too.

I snuggled back into his chest, settling into the perfect spot between his crossed legs that seemed to have been made just to fit me. Earlier, he had tried to teach me how to "kick Emmett's ass," but I had given up all hope of that quickly, once it became apparent my slow human reflexes were no match for Emmett's superior vampire ones. So I settled in to enjoy the show and Edward's arms wrapped haphazardly around me as he wrestled with the controller resting against my knees.

It was dizzying to watch Edward's fingers flying across the rainbow coloured buttons and joysticks. And strangely sexy, when I was reminded of what those fingers felt like on me. Edward groaned, his fingers grinding to a halt as the little character I had determined to be his flew off the screen. I nearly groaned at the abrupt halt, too.

He passed the black controller to me, gesturing for me to try again. "When Emmett and Jasper band together, it's always like this," he complained. "The brawn and the brains of a well-greased military operation. It's unfair."

I shrugged and picked up the device, pressing the buttons as I had been instructed to, choosing Emmett's burly character – that bore a strange resemblance to the man himself – as my target.

Emmett snorted gleefully. "Raw, unadulterated skill is not unfair, Masen, you wuss. Man up and fight back. You're not going to leave us to fight a couple of girls, are you? At least give us a little challenge."

To his great dismay, his character followed the same off-screen arc that Edward's had just taken.

Emmett's roar of indignation echoed around the room. "What the fuck!"

Esme cackled. "Perhaps you should pay less attention to the trash talk and more to the game play, McCarty." She winked at me. "Bella just knocked your ass out while you were chitchatting."

"Damn it," Emmett grumbled, returning to mashing the controls with a new vengeance. "It's the quiet ones you gotta look out for. I said it before, I'll say it again, you landed yourself a firecracker, Ed."

Edward's arms tightened around my waist. "You don't need to tell me twice."

The proud look he shot at me almost cost me what little control I'd managed to attain after knocking Emmett out. Esme was playing a fierce defensive line, making it possible for me to get in a few powerful shots. Meanwhile, Edward played the backseat like champ, whispering key combos in my ear for maximum power in each strike. Our team effort combined with Esme's powerhouse defense made a force to be reckoned with.

"Jazz, we gotta step this up!" Emmett hustled. "You know Mama C and Rosie are brutal, but it looks like they've got a new recruit in Baby B. It's game on!"

Esme winked again, and Edward stroked my back encouragingly. It might have been a strange time to feel a sense of belonging but I felt like I fit with the impossibly beautiful, impossibly graceful creatures that surrounded me.

"Maybe if you'd stop playing like such an idiot there wouldn't be a problem!" Jasper groaned at Emmett. "You're moving out of formation. They're hitting us through the cracks."

"Dude, she hit me first! I had to retaliate! And you expect me to stay in a neat little lineup?"

"If you want to win, yes!" Jasper fiddled with the joystick on his controller at a frenetic pace, fighting to recover the ground Emmett's showboating had cost them.

"Dude, I hate to be the one to tell you you're behind the times, but the whole line up for battle thing died out with the civil war. There's a new thing in town. Remind me to introduce you to guerilla warfare!"

"It's not about lining up," Jasper growled obstinately. "It's about going into battle with a modicum of strategy! Flying in balls out is begging to have them blown off!"

The argument was sent home resoundingly as Emmett's character ricocheted the screen once more, thanks to a swift kick dealt by Esme.

She chuckled darkly at Emmett's growled curse. "The two of you act like you ever had a chance. Need I remind you of last week's shut down? Thank goodness you boys don't have tears to cry any longer or you'd be getting my carpets all wet."

"Are they dry sobbing again, Esme?" a dry, feminine voice called from behind us.

Rosalie was standing behind us, her arm crossed in amusement.

The girls were back from their excursion, loaded down with bags that appeared to weigh no more than a feather in their arms, despite of the mountainous pile of them.

I had gotten so involved in the high-energy atmosphere with the boys and Esme I hadn't even noticed that more than four hours had passed. Even Carlisle was due home from the hospital soon.

"We didn't find the dress," Alice pouted, "But we did get some cool stuff." She dropped one of the bags in Jasper's lap with a saucy wink.

He peeked in it, emerging with a smile on his face. "Tonight," he mouthed at her.

Rosalie set her bags down on the nearest flat space and sauntered into the room, seating herself in the only free space… a spot on the couch next to Emmett. She grinned cockily at him over her shoulder. Emmett didn't seem to care what her intentions were, he beamed back at her as if she had just promised him the sun. I had a feeling he was just happy that she wasn't irate over something he had done, for once.

"Fancy a rematch?" Rosalie drawled, naturally seductive. "I'll take the human. Call it a handicap."

"What makes you think I need a handicap? You got lucky last week. I'll take Bella and I'll still win," Emmett boasted.

I eyed them both dispassionately. "I may not have super hearing, but I do still have ears, you know. And as nice as it is that you're arguing over who gets stuck with me, I think I'll sit this one out." I handed the controller to Edward, but he shook his head, discreetly eyeing Alice and handing it back to me.

Alice plopped herself on the floor next to Jasper, curling her legs beneath herself gracefully. "Trust me, you'll have fun, Bella. Emmett's going to love having you on his team."

They were up to something. I just wasn't sure what it was, yet.

Rosalie smirked. "Okay, then it's settled. Emmett and Bella versus me and..." She paused, glancing around the room, fixing each of the remaining vampires with a discerning stare. "Esme."

The others murmured their approval. Esme's skills were well tested, apparently.

"I hate to be a drag, Emmett," I input, "but I hope you don't mind losing."

Emmett rolled his eyes and gave me a strong pat on the back that was probably meant to be reassuring but nearly sent me through the floor instead. "You and Esme were kicking some serious ass just now."

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but that was all Esme and she's your opponent, now."

Emmett shrugged, flashing a cheerful smile at me. "If we lose, no biggie, right? I mean it's just a game. Edward will still love you, won't you Edward?"

Edward shrugged playfully. "I don't know… how badly are you planning on losing?"

xx

True to Alice's word, Emmett sincerely seemed to enjoy playing with me.

As it turned out, he was much better as a defender than an offender. The change in his playing style was drastic. Responsible for my safety as well as his own, he took fewer risks and afforded me plenty of opportunity to use the more complex key combinations. He was just as effective, maybe more so, than Esme had been. The big oaf might have had an absolute disregard for his own safety – real or perceived – but when it came to protecting someone he felt needed the security, me, as it turned out, he was impervious.

Rosalie seemed surprised that Emmett and I were holding our own, gritting her teeth and pushing the game to the limits of its capabilities; the poor blonde girl she had chosen spun and twisted around the screen looking more like the Tasmanian devil than the warrior princess she was purported to be.

Rosalie's need to move faster than the console would allow frustrated her, manifesting in some bad plays, or so Edward said. (If not for the fact that the animations were intended for human eyes, I would have been completely in the dark.) I was just plugging along trying not to make Emmett look too bad. According to Edward's running commentary, Rosalie had made the mistake of attempting to hit Emmett because she was upset he had gained the upper hand. As a result, Emmett had been prepared for her misplaced aggression and she was met with an impenetrable wall. (That particular slice of commentary had earned Edward an especially nasty side eye from Rosalie.)

It didn't take long for Esme to follow suit and fall into the downward spiral Rosalie had started. Within a minute, Esme's character was eliminated, leaving Rosalie to defend herself against both Emmett and I.

Esme smiled around the room, the epitome of casual innocence. "Oops, I slipped."

It didn't take a genius to figure out she had thrown the game.

I was as spatially unaware as they came; I knew a thing or two about slipping. And Esme had done no such thing. As if the fact I had yet to see a vampire slip on anything, virtual or otherwise, wasn't enough, the serene smile on her face gave her away. I had been around the family often enough to know Esme was passionate in competition and a loss was not an event to be taken lightly.

Rosalie threw down her controller in frustration, leaving a rather sizable dent in the coffee table, as she met the same fate as her adopted mother. Colourful letters danced across the screen declaring 'King Emmett' and 'Emmett Jr.' – both Emmett's choices – the winners.

Emmett whooped, holding out a hand for me to slap. I did so gingerly, aware there was potential for me to break my wrist.

"You're a good luck charm, girl," he praised, grinning from ear to ear as he turned to Rosalie. Smug had nothing on the look he shot her. "Rosie? Got something you want to say to me?"

Rosalie pursed her lips, her delicate features arranged into an acidic pout. "Not particularly." The undercurrent of admiration that softened her eyes hinted she wasn't as appalled as she pretended to be.

Emmett scooted closer to her, closing the distance between them on the couch. "Aww, come on, don't be like that. Bella and I won fair and square. Admit it, I am the master. You bow down to my almightiness."

Rosalie sniffed, her eyes suddenly hard, all admiration sapped from them. "The only thing mighty about you is your ego." She stood nimbly. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting out of here before Emmett's head explodes."

She disappeared out the back window a moment later, only a blur of blonde hair and dark clothing visible.

Everyone turned to face Emmett at the same time, directing an assortment of amused smirks and confounded smiles at him.

He stared at us all, astounded. "What?"

Edward was the first to respond. "What do you think?" He held up his hand to stop Emmett from interrupting. "Wait, now. Don't answer too quickly. Take a little time to think about it."

Emmett paused, mulling over his options. "Do you think I should go after her?" he asked, his voice just shy of timid. His obliviousness was actually kind of adorable.

Taking in the nodding heads all around, he stood, determination in his step. "Okay. Okay, yeah, I can do that." He nodded several times, psyching himself up. He glanced back at us for further direction.

"Just go!" Alice grumbled, rolling her eyes good-naturedly, "And think before you even think about talking!"

Edward curled an arm around my waist as we watched Emmett heed Alice's command.

"What is the likelihood of him improving the situation, do you think?" Edward asked once Emmett had disappeared into the forest.

"Fifty/fifty?" I proposed.

Edward chuckled. "For his sake, let's hope his odds are that good."

xx

We didn't linger long after Emmett and Rosalie left.

Carlisle returned home shortly afterward, bringing with him awkward patches of silence that the rest of the family overcompensated for.

Edward had become genuinely friendly with most of the Cullens. Even his relationship with Rosalie had improved. He was making quicker progress than Emmett, anyway. When he was forced to spend time with Carlisle, however, it became apparent that Edward still hadn't completely forgotten Carlisle keeping him in the dark about the circumstances regarding his transformation.

I wanted to be sympathetic to Edward's position. I understood that his change was a transformative event for him – literally and metaphorically – and that the rewriting of that formative event had shaken him. But at the same time, it had happened nearly a century ago. Carlisle was a good man with good intentions, and Edward knew that as well as I did. My vampire was just a little too stubborn for his own good.

He would come around eventually, I knew. He was slow to trust, but when he did, he trusted fully, as his one time destructive dynamic with James and Victoria had proven. Even though he wasn't in the dark when it came to their flaws, he had continued to defend their place in his life until they had posed a threat too large to ignore.

Just as he had eventually recognized that James and Victoria were not the kind of influences he needed, he would recognize that Carlisle was exactly the kind of person he wanted on his side.

Edward was uncharacteristically distracted from the conversations going on around him. He was fidgety, playing with strands of my hair and offered short, to the point answers only when someone spoke to him directly.

I cupped his cheek in my hand, imploring him to meet my eyes. He did so easily, the pure undiluted trust in them, squeezing my heart. He was so capable of trust when he allowed himself to be.

"Are you okay? You've been really quiet."

He nodded, the smooth skin of his cheek nuzzling my palm. "I'm fine. Would it be okay with you if we leave soon?"

"We can leave now, if you'd like."

His answer came in the form of him hauling me to my feet not half a second after I'd extended the offer.

"You can spend the night at the cottage if you'd like," Carlisle offered kindly, having overheard; in this house eavesdropping was practically expected. "If you need to make arrangements with the Chief, I'm sure Alice will be more than willing to provide an alibi."

Alice gave us a surreptitious wink.

My cheeks turned hot, remembering the last time she had had to cover for me, the night I had spent with Edward at the very same cottage. Every person in this house was well aware of what had happened that night. At times it was embarrassing but I couldn't deny I appreciated the way they offered their whole-hearted support, never questioning my maturity or ability to make those decisions for myself.

Edward cracked a sincere smile at the offer. "Thank you Carlisle, we would appreciate that."

I tightened my grip on him, silently commending him for making the effort. They might never have the easy relationship that he had with Emmett but it was a start.

Carlisle beamed, clapping Edward on the back in brotherly way. "Anytime. It's yours whenever you need it. We will always have a place for you and Bella."

xx

Though it was still early, the skies were already darkening and there was a definite chill in the air. Edward had insisted on bundling me up in a blanket before we left, his hypochondriac tendencies still in full force when it came to my wellbeing. I didn't mind so much. As much as I enjoyed teasing him about it, there was that girly part of me that enjoyed feeling cherished. I had yet to get so much as a cold this season, so he might have been on to something.

It was exhilarating clutching on to Edward as he ran through the forest, the low sun shining warmth onto the changing leaves all around us. The rainbow of fall colours was something I had never really experienced in Phoenix. The trees just didn't change the way they did here. It was still plenty green, yes, but there was a healthy splash of oranges, reds and golds.

Out of nowhere, Edward stopped dead in his tracks. The force of the sudden stop knocked the wind out of me as I was smushed up against his back. It was enough to startle me out of my appreciation of the landscape.

"Edward?"

He was deadly silent for a moment. It was enough to scare me. I'd only seem him clam up on very few occasions and it was never a good thing. The last time, it had been because he had smelled James nearby.

I gripped his shoulders, slightly terrified, until I followed his gaze. Not twenty yards in front of us was the cottage. Leaning against the wood siding, tangled in a pile of limbs, were Rosalie and Emmett, kissing with such ferocity that I wondered briefly if they were hurting one another. Their pleasured moans wiped away that notion.

Edward held a finger up to his smirking lips, reminding me that one wrong noise and they would be alerted to our presence. Though I wasn't sure that was quite true. They seemed lost in themselves. They hadn't heard us yet, after all. Edward was a quiet runner but we had hardly been inconspicuous.

Quietly, Edward backed away, intending to give the pair their space. As much as Edward enjoyed teasing Emmett, he had a soft spot for romance – though I was hard pressed to call what Emmett and Rosalie were doing romantic – and he wasn't about to destroy their moment.

My body had other plans.

I felt the telltale tickle in my nose. I tried to stop it, squeezing my eyes shut, but it was no use. The sneeze exploded from me like a shot.

Emmett and Rosalie twisted in our direction, seeking out the source of interruption. I wiggled my fingers at them in a sarcastic wave, annoyed with myself. At the sight of me and Edward standing a mere twenty yards away, they disentangled themselves so quickly it verged on laughable; they were little more than a blur of feigned nonchalance.

Edward snorted, probably amused with me as much as the situation. I buried my face in his neck, hiding from the magenta colour I could feel rising up my neck.

"Hello, Emmett, Rosalie," Edward greeted cheerfully, letting me slide down his back to stand next to him. "Fancy running into the two of you out here. How are you this fine evening?"

Emmett cut his eyes at him. "Cut the crap, Edward. Were you spying on us?" He glanced sideways at Rosalie, who was standing rigidly, holding herself away from him.

Edward shot him an appalled glare. "Contrary to what you might believe, I do have better things to do than stalk you and Rosalie. If I was going to spy on you, do you really think I would bring along my girlfriend?"

"We were just on our way to the cottage. Carlisle said we could stay," I added helpfully. "And then we saw you and Rosalie and you were…" I gestured abstractly. "Well, you know the rest."

"Look," Rosalie's cold voice cut through the clearing. She stared off into the trees, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. "It's done now. There's no point in talking about it. I'd appreciate it if we could all forget this happened. Please." The note of pleading was unambiguous, and frankly, unnerving, coming from Rosalie.

Emmett stared at the ground helplessly, his massive shoulders hunched. My stomach twisted for him. He looked miserable. I didn't blame him. It was my fault, really. If only I hadn't shattered their little moment, maybe it would have found a better conclusion.

Edward shot Emmett a loaded look. "The two of you probably need to talk," he suggested. "It's getting kind of late, and it's a school night. I should probably take Bella home, anyway."

I felt a twinge of disappointment that we wouldn't be able to stay at the cottage, but fought it down, reminding myself that they needed the privacy more. Edward and I were already sickeningly happy, if you were to believe our friends (I thought we were just the right amount of happy). Emmett and Rosalie deserved a chance to find the same.

Neither Emmett nor Rosalie said anything in response, maintaining their stiff, awkward distance from one another. Edward took their silence as confirmation, scooping me up as though I weighed nothing and whisking me away before either of them could find their voices.

When we were a safe distance away, Edward grinned teasingly at me. "That went well."

I grumbled, wrapping my arms around his neck to steady myself. "Emmett was finally getting somewhere with Rosalie, and then I came along and destroyed it."

"You didn't," Edward reassured. "They got caught up in a moment today. Rosalie likes that Emmett challenges her. She has always been turned on by the fact that he doesn't just roll over and obey… but she's still questioning whether she can trust him. If it wasn't you, it would have been something else that put on the brakes. They've come a long way, but they still have issues to work through."

I hummed, my guilt only partially satiated. "I hope they figure it out soon. Rosalie needs someone like Emmett, even if she doesn't know it yet. He might be a pain in the ass, but they're going to be good for one another, I just know it."

"They will. Alice will make certain of it. You saw the way she and Esme were quietly maneuvering Rosalie and Emmett together today. They're less subtle than they think."

"Sure. If you're a mind reader, no one is ever subtle." I scratched my nails through the short hairs on the back of his neck, letting him know I was playing with him.

It seemed to have a different effect than intended, not that I minded much.

He growled lowly, the purring sound I loved so much rumbling in his chest. "Bella, you're playing with fire. If you keep doing that…" He left the threat empty, but it was promise enough.

"I'm looking forward to it," I whispered.

My skin tingled, desperate to have him alone in my small twin. I would have preferred the king sized bed I had gotten used to curling up in at the Cullen's but I wasn't picky. The quaint two-story I called home was closer and just within view thanks to Edward's voracious need for speed.

I frowned at the sight of my father's police cruiser in the driveway.

Edward led me up the front steps, ignoring my facetious suggestion that we make use of my bedroom window instead.

Charlie didn't so much as blink when I walked in with Edward. He was in the kitchen making himself a sandwich, which he paused making just long enough to greet us and ask a few cursory questions about how school was progressing.

He had become accustomed to the idea that we operated as a pair now. Of course, he remained blissfully unaware that Edward spent each night in my bed, but that was probably just as well for the good mental health of all parties involved.

He was friendly with Edward… as friendly as Charlie ever was, anyway. I was pretty sure that friendliness hinged on the belief that Edward and I maintained a relatively chaste relationship. I was more than content to let him live in ignorance.

One parent being privy to the details of my romantic life was more than enough. Ever since her lecture on the advantages of birth control, Renee had it in her head that Edward and I, young and horny wandering souls that we were, were in dire need of advice and direction, which she offered freely. I was just waiting for the day I received a couriered copy of the Kama Sutra post marked from Florida. That one would be hard to explain to Charlie.

Unlike Renee, Charlie was quick to turn his head the other way. He shrugged off my hasty excusal, his focus already shifting back to the television as I led Edward upstairs, walking a little more quickly than was polite.

I closed the door to my room behind us, flopping face-first onto my bed with a groan. I tried to forget that we were supposed to be spending the night alone in the Cullen cottage.

Edward settled himself next to me, kissing the back of my head.

"What's wrong?"

"Charlie," I said, as though the one word explained everything.

Edward grinned, a mischievous little boy with a dangerous edge. "I can be quiet if you can."

I sat up so suddenly I felt light-headed. That was the last thing I had expected to hear from Edward. He was usually so conscious of appropriateness and respecting my father's home. With the man himself just downstairs, there was no way he had just spoken those words to me.

Sometimes I would start to think I had a pretty good grasp of what went on in Edward's head, or at the very least, in tiny little niches of it, and then he would go and say something like that and shock the hell out of me. For all his grumbling that he couldn't get a read on me, he was the real enigma in this relationship.

His eyes met my doubtful ones and he shrugged, curling a stand of my hair around his finger, toying with me.

"What? I told you if you kept torturing me, there were going to be consequences. Did you think I would renege? You should know by now, Bella, I'm a man of my word."

The seductive edge to his voice weaved around me. Coupled with the purposefully sensuous way he was twirling my hair, I could almost feel the haze of lust settling around us. I turned so I could straddle myself on his lap, ignoring the creeping dizzy-drunk sensation.

"I hoped not. But I know how you feel about Charlie's house, Charlie's rules. I don't think he would like you defiling his only daughter very much. Under his roof, no less."

Edward trailed a series of feather-light kisses along my throat, his eyes darkening in the predatory way they always did just before we came together. No longer butterscotch, they were a dark topaz. I loved that his little tells, the ones that told me he wanted me just as much as I wanted him, were becoming increasingly familiar to me.

"What can I say? I'm a rebel. You bring it out in me. It's really all your fault for being so damn…" He paused, skimming a finger down my arm, raising a trail of goosebumps. "…magnificent." His tongue scraping the skin just below my ear punctuated his statement. The tingling sensation of his venom made my head spin.

I shivered, clutching the distressed leather of his jacket in fisted hands and forcing my breathing to remain steady.

"Laying it on a little thick, aren't you? You already have me, you know," I breathed, trying to remember how to form words properly, but not really caring if I could, so long as he didn't stop. I wrapped myself tighter around him, pressing our bodies together greedily.

His lips met mine, curling into a smile through our kiss. "I tell it like I see it," he whispered, his tongue finding mine in languid strokes.

"Charmer," I managed to retort through the welcome assault.

His chuckle rolled through our bodies at every point of contact. "You know you like it."

I hummed in agreement. There was no debating that point. "Do you know what I'd like more?" I pushed at his shoulders, encouraging him to lay back on the bed. He did so without comment, pulling me down on top of him.

"I think I could guess." To illustrate that he was well aware of the turn my thoughts had taken, his hands found the zip on my hoodie, pulling it down. The garment found a new home on the floor a moment later.

His cool lips traced the exposed flesh along the neckline of my thin tank top. I quivered as his mouth found its way along my cleavage, tantalizingly close to where I wanted it. Not caring if it was presumptuous, I grabbed the hem and pulled it over my head unceremoniously, my bra following a moment later.

The flurry of activity was matched by Edward pulling off his jacket and sweater in a blur of undone zippers and buttons.

We pressed our naked skin together, each muffling sighs, awareness that we were not alone in the house colouring our actions, though certainly not enough to stop. We had been beyond that point since the moment Edward had asked me if I could be quiet.

More relaxed kisses followed as the pile of clothing on the hardwood grew.

I marveled at the effortless dynamic we had developed in only a couple short weeks. It seemed like only yesterday I had been pleading with Edward to push himself just a little further. Now that that boundary had been breached, there was no putting the beast unleashed back into the box. We were both aware of how good we felt together.

Even Edward's fierce protective streak was not enough to overshadow the craving we had for each other now. I was immensely proud of him for having the courage to trust himself. I knew it was more difficult for him to let go of that little bit of control than he let on, but I was greedy, I would take as much as he was willing to offer.

He rolled us over, carefully, so we didn't tumble off the narrow mattress and held himself over me.

Edward preferred for me to be on top, because it was easier for him to moderate his strength. He might have loosened up some but he was still deathly afraid of hurting me, even if only unintentionally. I relished the times that he took the lead because it didn't happen often. I savoured the feel of his weight pinning me to the mattress and the cool relief of his skin against the burning temperature of mine.

"Okay?" he murmured shakily into my shoulder, ever considerate of my needs, as he pushed to join our bodies.

I would have thought that the way my hips were rising to meet his, gratuitously seeking friction, would have been affirmation enough. I hummed my appreciation, anyway, the ability to articulate caught up in the jumble that made up my brain function when he was inside of me.

It wasn't until his mouth was on mine, absorbing my gratified noises that I was making that I realized I was making them at all. The stray thought that Charlie could have heard was swallowed by the satisfaction of how good it felt.

As always, Edward's control far outweighed my own. His low, husky sighs and groans were quiet but definitely no less sexy. The quiet mantra of my name on his lips was almost better than the act itself. Almost. Knowing that I could make him, someone I once thought had to be related to the gods, feel that way was a pleasure in and of itself. I treasured knowing that I was the only one who ever would, because he had chosen me as his mate.

The primitive term had never sounded so sexy.

He clutched me tighter to him, burying his face in the pillows next to my head. I knew he was close. He always cuddled me when he was wanting, needing, to be wrapped up in me during the final moments before his orgasm hit. He was holding off, though, waiting for me.

He always disliked going first. The part of him that wanted to protect and pamper me needed to bring on my pleasure before he sought his own. Calling on every modicum of willpower I possessed, I staved off my own orgasm.

I dragged my nails up his back and through his hair roughly, my teeth meeting the skin on his neck that I knew from past experience made him groan and his toes curl.

He buckled under the unexpected sensations, his weight pressing even more fully into me as he was given no choice but to surrender. His hips continued to move instinctively against mine as he rode out the final surges of pleasure. That was all it took for me to follow, chasing after him into bliss.

When every ounce of pleasure had been sapped from our bodies, Edward rolled us so that he was underneath me, my body half-sprawled against his chest. It was surprisingly comfortable. I pressed my cheek against his chest, his coolness a relief to my flushed skin. I inhaled deeply. I loved the way he smelled after we had been intimate.

"That was amazing," he hummed, without so much as a hint of breathlessness. "Even if you did pull out all the dirty tricks in the end, there."

"You liked it… even dirty," I pointed out smugly. Next to him I sounded like I had just finished running a marathon. I felt surprisingly rejuvenated, however.

"Of course I did," he assured, kissing the top my head. "It was you. How could I not?"

"Well, get used to it. I have a few tricks up my sleeve yet, dirty and otherwise."

He laughed. "I don't doubt it. We should probably get dressed. Charlie is absorbed in SportsCenter for now, but there's no telling how long that will last."

"Until he falls asleep in his recliner, probably," I said dryly, but heeded the advice anyway, reaching into my dresser to secure a loose t-shirt and a pair of lounge shorts.

As soon as the clothes were on, I returned to his side, snuggling against him. He had finished dressing in the blink of an eye. It was really kind of unfair how little time I was afforded to ogle him naked and bent over while he pulled up a pair of boxers.

"I'm not really tired." I was relaxed and boneless but not in the mood to sleep. "Will you read to me?" I suggested.

Edward's reading voice was probably among the best things in the universe. Morgan Freeman would be out on the curb if the world caught wind of Edward's voice wrapped around The Complete Sonnets.

He nodded, plucking one of his mother's first editions from my bookshelves. I glanced approvingly at the embossed title. It was impossible to go wrong with the Brontë sisters.

I snuggled into the cool sheets, eyes closed and perfectly content, waiting for Edward's soothing voice to fill the room.

The sound of a cloth dampened ping forced them open.

Edward was holding a old key, that appeared to have fallen from the book.

"What's it a key for?" I asked, curiously running a fingertip across the worn brass.

Edward frowned at the piece of metal, turning it in his hands. "It looks like the key to our house. It must have been my mother's copy. Though why she would have stored it in a copy of Wuthering Heights… I have not the fainted idea."

"The one in Chicago?"

He nodded, pointing to the engraving on the key. "The very one. 2013 Lincoln Park."

"You lived near Lincoln Park? I don't know much about Chicago, but even I've heard of Lincoln Park."

He shrugged modestly. "Close, yes. My father was a lawyer and both my parents came from well-off families. We lived in a nice neighborhood. It wasn't the best but it was a pleasant place to grow up. We'll have to visit the old Masen house some time. It's been decades since I've visited properly but I'm sure it's still standing."

I giggled, imagining Edward as a little boy, running around playing with other children in the park. Windblown bronze hair and pink cheeks invaded my thoughts. He must have been adorable then, young and human.

"Sometimes it's easy to forget you've been around for so long. I wish I had known you then. I bet you were the cutest thing. You've seen my baby pictures, it only seems fair…"

He twined his fingers with mine. "I'm quite happy with the way things turned out, though, so I'll count my blessings." He pressed the key into my hand. "But I'll tell you what, someday we can go back and I'll show you the whole two pictures my mother had of me."

"Deal." I tucked the key into the drawer of my nightstand for safekeeping. I had every intention of holding him to that promise. "2013 Lincoln Park," I reiterated. His birthdate and mine. I wondered if fate was trying to tell us something.

Edward opened the book once again, tucking me into the crook of his arm.

I must have been more tired than I thought. The ebb and flow of his voice had me asleep within minutes.

When I woke up, the other side of the bed, if it even be called that, was empty. I didn't need to reach out to know he wasn't there. The tiny twin didn't allow for that much distance.

My first thought was that he had gone hunting but the brightly shining sun put that theory to rest. Edward always hunted in the dark of night while I slept. He was there when I woke in the morning. Always.

The shrill ringing of my phone pulled me from my pondering.

Edward.

I didn't bother to check the call display before answering.

"Bella?"

Disappointment flared at the sound of Alice's voice.

"Where are you guys? It's nearly ten. You missed first period."

I glanced at the bright green numbers on my nightstand, which assured me it was indeed well past the start of the school day. A curl of worry rose in my stomach. Edward always woke me up in time for school. Where was he?

"Edward's not with you?" I asked Alice a bit more brashly than I intended. "Is he with the others?"

"No. We thought he was with you. We haven't seen him since last night."

"No," The single syllable trembled unsteadily as full fledged panic began to overtake me. "He's not here. He's gone."