(A/N) Yay!!! I broke 100 reviews!!! Thank you!!! You guys are awesome!!! Okie, I tried to make this chapter a fluff one...but, as always, I'm always really nervous about fluff (even if I like to read fluff). See how I do. My writer's block is temporarily relieved. It was the strongest when I was in the middle of this chapter, since I didn't really know how to put to words what I see in my mind. You see...I write stories by playing a movie in my mind and trying to describe the movie...but there's certain times when the movie has glitches and I no longer hear what the characters were saying. Let's hope there's not that many glitches...:)

Disclaimer: The more I write these, the more annoying they become. I wanted one to account for all of the chapters, but then I've forgotten my idea and didn't mention it in my first disclaimer...so I have to make sure it stays consistant. I don't own Twilight nor am I Mrs. Meyer...I'm not married, and hope I won't be until at least 10 years from now (when I shall be about 25-ish).

Chapter 13

Later that night, after dinner, Edward slipped me a scrap of paper with the words "Meet me in the West Tower" in the most elegant script I had ever seen. The West Tower was quite easy to find; it was an astronomy tower, and its entrance was just a few halls down from my room. Even at night, the corridors glowed with the unearthly light that shined brightly and released no smoke. The entire castle was dark – it made me feel cold somehow, and I was glad I had decided to take a cloak with me.

The entrance to the tower was narrow, leading to a spiraling metal staircase that seemed to never end. By the 19th step, I was both dizzy and panting. Why did the stairs have to be so high? Or better, why am I so short? Yet, I continued on, some unseen force pulling me, dragging me to laboriously climb those steps.

Finally, I reached the top, managing to trip on the last step. Edward caught me, of course, and I was saved from another damaging fall. I blushed at how clumsy I was even if I couldn't help it.

"Nice to know that you like grand entrances," he teased, chuckling.

"That was not a grand entrance, mister," I said with a hint of humor in my voice. "Hello to you, too."

"Aw, don't be so sour," he answered, leading me into the room. I felt almost like Rapunzel then, just meeting her prince for the first time – up in a tower.

"If you want a taste of sour, go get some vinegar," I grumbled. I felt his eyes on me, observing me closely. I blushed.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? Can you believe it? He asks 'what's wrong'!!" I burst out, knowing I was getting hysterical. "At first you say you're dangerous. I said I knew that you're a vampire, and you stop talking to me for a day. Then you said you're going to answer questions, and the first thing I heard from you was a tease!" I knew I had no right to burst out like that. I didn't know what had gotten to me.

I felt his cool hands on my shoulder, drawing me into a hug. I hadn't even realized I was crying until he wiped my tears away with his cold thumbs. "Don't cry," he said with such remorse in his voice that it surprised me.

I sniffed. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what happened." I looked up into his eyes; our gazes locked, and we stared at each other.

He was the first to break it. "What do you want to know?"

"What's it like being a vampire? Do vampires have special abilities? Are the myths true? Do you sleep in coffins? Do you burn in the sun? Do you have fangs? What about turning into a bat? Can you do that? –" He suddenly stopped the flow of questions with his finger. His eyes twinkled with emotion, his lips curled into his crooked smile that always made my heart beat faster.

"One at a time, dear. Even I can't remember that many questions in one try," he said, amused. My heart sped up at the sound of 'dear'. He grinned, as if he could hear it, too, causing me to blush and look away.

"Not much of the myths are true. We don't turn into a bat," he chuckled, as if laughing at an inside joke. "We can't sleep. Coffins won't help –"

"At all?" I interrupted.

"We can't sleep, period," he said seriously. "And do I look as if I have fangs to you?" He grinned at me, showing me his teeth. I peered closely, but saw no signs of fangs. He laughed at my reaction. I barely resisted the urge to stick out my tongue at him. "As to the sun…we don't burn, but…something else happens."

"Does it hurt?" He shook his head no. "Could I see then?"

He nodded. "Maybe someday," he murmured, his eyes smoldering my thoughts to mush – worse than mush; more like a blob of half-melted cow fat – more liquid than substance.

I became quiet then, lost in my own thoughts. I didn't know how long the silence lasted, though I did know that Edward was pacing back and forth – parading his impatience in front of me.

"Well?" he finally asked, as if he had used up the last of his patience.

I looked up. "Well what?"

"Aren't you going to ask the most important question of them all?"

"What important question?"

"Aren't you going to ask about my diet? Don't you want to know if I drank blood?" His face was composed and serious, almost pleading

"Oh. That," I said numbly. He laughed.

"You are amazing." He flashed a smile before his face turned all serious again. "We call ourselves vegetarians, an inside joke. We denied ourselves human blood for too long to count; we survived on animals instead. It makes our eyes the golden color that you see. Human drinkers have red irises." I had a feeling he was being as blatant as possible to get it over with. He was watching my every move, every expression, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

I only nodded, now finally understanding a bit. I looked around the small tower room with its lonely window and high pointy ceiling, taking in the small desk in the corner with an old stool, the worn carpet, the cold stone walls illuminated by the mysterious lighting system, and the old once-luxurious-looking chairs that lined the opposite wall. There was a tall telescope standing by the window.

I walked there, tripping on the worn carpet when Edward caught me again. He spun me around, tilting my chin up with his left hand so that our eyes locked. My breathing hitched, my heart pounded in an unsteady rhythm, my cheeks felt warm with my blush. "Aren't you going to run away?" he asked, his sweet breath blowing into my face.

I shook my head, my eyes staring deep into the golden pools. I did not want to leave. It was then that I realized I loved him. I've always had feelings for him – since the first moment we met I've had feelings for him. I no longer remembered what those were, but I knew that I loved him, and nothing was going to keep me from living the rest of my days with the one I loved.

He leaned in closer, hesitating as if he was nervous, as though testing if he was ready. Then he kissed me softly on my lips. My heart hammered, and I felt my face get even warmer. I leaned into the kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck, trying to not go too far for fear that he would disappear, but failing quite miserably. A few seconds passed, but it felt as if an eternity was gone. He broke away first, immediately turning into unresponsive stone. He even seemed to have stopped breathing.

"Give me a moment," he whispered with difficulty. His eyes were closed, but I had a feeling that if they were open, they would be charcoal black. I was puzzled. When he finally relaxed, he realized my expression. "Just because I deny myself human blood doesn't mean I am immune to its lure."

He then proceeded to show me the astronomy tower, even letting me look out from the telescope. I saw thousands of stars winking at me – some were bright discs while others were just a pinpoint of light. We gave our own names for the different constellations – mine in Italian and his in German. Before I knew it, it was midnight with Vienna's clock tower striking the coming of the new day. I yawned. The clock tower also told me that I was tired.

Edward picked me up, cradling me close to his chest as he descended the spiraling stairs, through the halls and corridors, and into my room. I would not have known that he was moving if not there was a constant disturbance of air brushing my now-tangled hair. As I felt my back touch the soft bed, I sighed in contentment. I rolled onto my side as I felt the blankets settle on top of me. I heard Edward whisper a good night before I fell into a deep sleep, the facts I just learned swirling in my head.

I'm really sorry for those who want Edward to know Bella's secret. I haven't found the right time yet. But, just take it from me: he does know a little bit about the secret, but he just haven't put two and two together yet...his mind hadn't yet "clicked"...lol...there'll be a time in the future when it will...just not yet ;)

I hope you enjoyed my fluff (where there is some). Please review! They give me encouragement and help me think better. And...it's spring break...I'm hoping to be able to have more time to write. I'm still with my deal at the beginning of the story: more reviews means I'll try harder to update faster...does that count as a bribe? lol...Anyways...review, please? With a cherry on top???