A/N: Thank you guys so much for the thoughtful and encouraging reviews. You guys have been with me the whole story. You know who you are ;) Love ya! Enjoy…

Bella:

Again my day went by in a slow blur. My dreams and thoughts once again filled with thoughts of
Edward and the mysteries that surrounded him.

Whenever my thoughts drifted to the night to come my heart rate would embarrassingly quicken. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so excited about something.

He kept his word and came that night. Not a minute late. We ended up spending hours talking about random things and each other, learning everything about each other from our favorite style of music to hobbies. He loved to play the piano, Beethoven was one of his favorites.

Sometimes he would leave just when the sky was beginning to lighten. We always seemed to lose track of time. I couldn't remember the last time I had gotten more than four hours of sleep and I honestly couldn't be happier. I had never been this happy before.

This went on for the next few weeks. Edward would come to visit me each night at the exact same time and we would continue our conversations. Sometimes I would be a little late coming up to my room and be pleasantly surprised to find him there waiting for me. There was nothing I looked forward to more.

It was so easy to get lost in the silky velvet tones that was his voice, his eyes dancing with joy through our conversations. He would always be a bit hesitant and closed off in the beginning and always as the night went on, he would open up to me and physically loosen up.

I opened up to him more than I ever had anyone. I told him my fears, dreams, dislikes and joys. I'd even told him about my Mother Renee leaving my father and I when I was only a baby. It just felt so right with him. I had never felt so comfortable with anyone as I did with Edward, not even with my father.

I knew there were things he still kept from me, there were a lot of things, but with each night he came to my room, I could feel myself falling more and more in love with him. The mysteries surrounding Edward Masen seemed to grow each night also, along with my fascination with him. I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever know him completely. Would he ever really let me in? Would he ever ask to court me?

It was these thoughts I was having lying in bed waiting for Edward, that he found me. I sat up grinning as I watched him climb into my window, on time as usual. His lips formed into my favorite crooked grin that always sent my heart racing.

My eyes drifted up to his, and the words left my lips before I even had time to process them. "You're eyes are the color of butterscotch candy" I commented. I'd told Edward that those were my favorite as a child. My father used to take me to get them all the time.

I had noticed that Edward's eyes had seemed to be changing color lately and tonight it was even more striking and noticeable. They seemed to literally shine, this golden butterscotch color. They were...beautiful.

At my comment the smile immediately dropped from his face and he sighed sadly.

"Bella, you know I can't-"he begin, but I cut him off before he could finish.

"I know, I know….you can't tell me" I'd known that was coming because it wasn't the first time since our nightly conversations that I had brought up a 'forbidden topic' according to Edward. He hadn't exactly put it that way, but that's how I saw it.

He gave me a small smile that didn't reach his eyes and came over to the bed and sat beside me.

I couldn't help but smile despite myself, just happy to have him here.

Edward:

These past few weeks had been the most blissful weeks of my existence. All of my nights had been spent with the amazing delicate wonder that was Isabella Marie Swan, and my days were filled with thoughts of her.

The more I'd grown to know her the more I'd wanted to know, and crave her company. She was truly fascinating. Each expression, and reaction she had were precious picture memories that I would hold on to and cherish forever. They would get me through the darker times that were sure to come when I had to let her go.

As much as I tried to deny and fight it, my feelings for her were growing. Each night I was more desperate to see her than the last. I existed for the look she gives me when I first come to her, her eyes bright with joy and her lips drawn into the most glorious smile…and for me.

We talked about any and every thing; she would always surprise me and make me laugh at the things she would say. Her mind was so fascinating. She didn't think and feel like so many others I'd come across, though her mind was still silent to me, she was such an open book with her expressive eyes, blush and open expressions. There was still no mind I wanted to read more but I could no longer bring myself to care that I couldn't read her mind. She would always tell me when I wanted to know what she was thinking, even when there were times I could tell she'd rather not.

She was so open to me. It made me feel guilty that I could never be the same with her. It haunted me. I couldn't blame her for her curiosity, it was natural, but it was also painful. She was so receptive and observant. Of course she had noticed the change in my eyes.

I had been hunting animals ever since meeting her, the longing was still there, but I no longer had the desire to hunt humans. I knew it didn't make me less of a monster but I wasn't willing to continue to act like one now that Bella had become a presence in my world.

Even more than human blood, I longed to show Bella my world, to show her what I truly was and find out if she would truly accept me and look at me with the same expression she was now, but my fear of seeing her disgust and fear of me was greater. I was a coward, hiding under the pretense that I was withholding the truth of my nature from her for her own good, but in reality I was selfish and starving to be near her.

"You're awfully quiet tonight" she teased softly, her cheeks coloring under my unwavering gaze. She bit her lip , which I had come to know was an adorably nervous habit of hers. Oh how I wished I could kiss those lips, I knew it was something she wanted too. I would catch her eyes falling to my own lips and she would think I didn't notice. I did and it was pure agony to not to be able to give in to both our desires. I had no right to kiss her, and I would never defile her in such a way.

I could tell she was bothered by something as I studied her and I could feel myself frowning as I tried to figure out why, and it dawned on me, she was worried she had upset me with the comment about my eyes. 'Silly adorable girl', I thought with a smile.

"I am" I finally answered, responding to her last statement, teasingly. I sighed and carefully laid back on her tiny bed my hands folded behind my head, next to her sitting form. I tried not to embarrass her by smiling or worse laughing as her heart rate picked up double time and begin beating at a rate that was almost alarming. It wasn't possible for her to have a heart attack was it?

I was just about to ask if she was okay when she shocked me more than I ever thought possible. If my own dead heart was still beating I was certain it would be beating as fast as her own right now, if not faster. She laid down, resting her head on my cold chest, her small hand placed over my un-beating heart.

Neither of us said anything, only our breathing filling the silence of her room, I didn't move, still frozen in my stunned silence, my mind reeling, knowing I should move that this was improper. But I couldn't. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had such intimate human contact and that was because I never had. I'd never laid with a woman this way.

It felt surreal, the warmth from her small fragile body seeping into my own, and warming my still heart. It took everything to prevent myself from wrapping my arms around her, and hugging her close, that would be going too far.

"Bella" I breathed her name softly, the smell of her filling all of my senses. Her hair smelled of sweet…strawberries?

I wasn't sure if I had spoken aloud, and if she had heard me until she looked up at me, a small smile on her lips, her hair brushing my lips and chin. I couldn't find words, she was a vision.

We just stared at each other. Surprisingly she was the first to break the silence.

"I really don't see how you find the time to sleep. You must sleep in the day" she said laying her head back against my chest, snuggling closer, her little hand clutching the material of my shirt. I heard and felt her inhale my own scent as I had slickly did to her myself on so many occasions. There was something so intimate and magical about her doing it though.

"Not exactly" I smiled responding to her. This caused her to sit up some, as she propped herself up on my chest and look down at me. My breath hitched as I tried to control the strong impulse to kiss her. Her lips were ever so close to mine. It would just take me to close the merest of distance between our lips.

What was wrong with me?

"You know…you could stay the night if you want" she mumbled so fast and hushed I wasn't sure if I had heard her correctly.

"What?" I asked dumbly, nearly stumbling over the word. Had she just asked that?

She was blushing so furiously, now as she hesitated before repeating her question.

"Bella you know I can't do that, I said sitting up and bringing her to sit up fully also. "It's not proper nor traditional".

"What about our relationship has been proper or traditional since the beginning? I don't see how it matters" she huffed, clearly irritated with my response.

'Our relationship' I mused. I wouldn't admit it because it would just make her angrier, but her anger was quite adorable. Again I felt the urge to kiss her as I looked at her adorable pouted lips.

I sighed "I know…" I agreed quietly. I knew it wrong and improper for me to come see her every night and that I was being a hypocrite, but this was different and way too intimate. Of course there is nothing I wanted more than to watch her sleep in my arms all night, but how could I handle that without wanting more, without wanting her forever.

She wasn't speaking now, clearly still upset with me.

"Bella, what is tomorrow?" I asked my tone nonchalant and curious. She frowned at my question before her expression turned confused as she answered me uncertainly.

"Saturday?" she answered.

"It's going to be overcast tomorrow" I mused aloud.

"O...kay?" she responded, not following me at all. I couldn't help the smirk that formed.

"Isabella Swan will you do me the honor of accompanying me on a date at noon tomorrow? I will introduce myself to your father and ask his permission as well of course" I said the last part with comical reverence, to a very stunned and speechless Bella.

When she continued to just gawk at me with her mouth open and not saying anything I couldn't help but call her name, to see if she was okay, and hadn't gone into shock literally.

"Y-yes of-of course" she stuttered, still bewildered. I couldn't help the huge grin that broke across my face upon her agreeing to go on a date with me. I felt like a silly teenager again, about to go on his first date, which in all honesty I was.

"Wonderful, I will see you then?" I asked her smiling at her extreme blush. She nodded her response, clearly not ready to try speaking again.

I gently and carefully took her warm hand and mine, pressing my lips to it with feather lightness, using hardly any pressure at all, very aware of how delicate she truly was, as I felt her delicate skin give slightly beneath my lips.

"Goodnight Isabella" I murmured softly, before leaving her room through the window. As I ran back home my mind was still reeling over all that I had done tonight.

Tomorrow I had an actual date with Isabella Swan. This would be….interesting.

A/N: So what do you guys think? Reviews make the heart grow fonder ;)