Author's note: To the people who have reviewed. *bows down and kisses feet* Thankyou. And to the person who asked what Jacob did to Bella, I haven't actually divulged details, gosh, even Edward doesn't know. Those will come to the forefront soon, you will find out, in other words. Stay tuned :)

I had had dreams before.

Tonnes of them. Scary ones, too.

Terrifyingly vivid nightmares. But—nothing, nothing compared to this.

I sat bolt upright, screaming at the top of my lungs. Why was I screaming?

I glanced around me, my breathing and heart beat was erratic. What the hell is wrong with me?

Why had that dream been so horrifying? Maybe I was developing Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

I gulped loudly, trying to gather my bearings. "Oh, god." I sighed. I slumped back onto the couch, resting my head. I was shivering and my face felt hot. I wiped under my eyes with cold fingers. I was crying. What a disturbing experience. I had been so gut-wrenchingly scared that I woke up screaming and crying at the top of my lungs.

I clenched my fists and shook them out, they were cramped. I had been clawing and grabbing at the sofa. I shook my head, no wanting to think about the dream too much. But what was most perplexing, when I thought about it—was that dream wouldn't be scary to any normal person.

I placed a shaking hand to my chest, and as suspected, my heart was thumping a hundred miles an hour.

I hear it in my ears. I stood up, still shaky, but not the screaming mess I was a moment ago. I had problems.

I dredged through my memory of it. Apart from the wolf transforming into Jacob—which should have been frightening enough, but apparently not to me—there was nothing else.

I shuddered, hoping this wasn't a recurring nightmare. I would have to get a prescription for some sleeping pills. I didn't know how successful I might be, seeing as I would need Charlie there with me. Asking Charlie to get me pills wasn't conducive to not telling him the reason for needing them. I flicked that thought into the trash.

As long as I didn't have any sugar or caffeine before bed I should be okay. I prayed I would be.

To take my mind off it, I started Charlie's dinner—lasagne. I brooded silently over the pasta sauce as it simmered in the pot on the stove. I was still shaken up about it, not able to shake the feeling of unease it brought, the dream, that is. I was a wreck. I had felt so light and at least a little cheery when I had gotten home.

Thanks to Edward. He was so great for being there for me today. Mulling over Edward made me feel better.

I smiled inwardly, and shook my head at myself.

I sighed and turned the stove off.

***

That nightmare—dream was getting on my nerves.

It hadn't repeated itself like I was afraid it might, instead it stayed locked and festering at the farthest corner of my mind.

It was like a nagging sibling. It was annoying the hell out of me. I needed to decipher it. Why was it so important to me?

Why couldn't I just get on with my life and forget about it? It was like having the melody of a familiar song in your head, yet you're unable to place a name to it. I felt like hitting something. My frustration was starting to show—Charlie certainly noticed. It was on Friday night.

I was cooking dinner when my finger brushed the searing hot frying pan. I gasped and swore at the top of my lungs.

Charlie came running in, only to find me crying on the floor. "Bella? What's wrong?" he asked, kneeling down. "Stupid pan," I grumbled.

Charlie blinked and chuckled. "Come on, sweetheart." He said, grabbing my arm and helping me up. I was clenching and unclenching my fists, staring off into the distance, seeing nothing. "Honey, is there something wrong?" "Huh?" I mumbled, focussing on Charlie who was standing at the fridge, getting a cold pack for me.

"You seem very pre-occupied lately. That's all." I shrugged it off. "Nah. Just school is getting a little... It's nothing." I sighed and stood up.

"Here," he said, handing me the cold pack wrapped in a wash cloth. "Thanks, Dad." I murmured, smiling. He cleared his throat and shuffled back into the lounge room. He never was the one for emotional displays. I grimaced and got back to cooking, still grumbling about wolves and hot pans.

If I was worried about Edward's reaction to my secret, I needn't have worried at all. He was perfectly the same as always, spare the odd death glare at people. I just brushed it off, he wasn't a people person. That was fine with me. So he wasn't a people person? At least he was a person person.

Meaning he was willing to tolerate one person in his life—namely me. I was euphoric, he actually preferred my company to everyone else's. He didn't broach on the subject at all. He was giving me time and space to let me tell him whatever I felt like telling him. He was so patient and understanding.

I sat with him every day. I had received a few curious and incredulous stares from Angela and Alice, so I had to explain to them that I was helping Edward fit in.

Angela had smiled approvingly; Alice had grudgingly accepted my excuse. But that was Alice, she despised being out of the loop. I was snapped out of staring at Edward as he listened to his IPod, his foot tapping against the table leg, when Mike came strutting toward me. I glanced at Edward, he was looking him up and down with narrowed eyes.

I bit my lip. "Hey, Bella." He smirked. I rolled my eyes. "Hey," I murmured, paying more attention to Edward than him. I shifted in my seat, slightly uncomfortable under his gaze. "Mind if I sit with you guys?" Yes, I thought. I watched Edward's face. It flashed with a foreign emotion. He was probably thinking the same thing as me.

Then his expression flattened, he motioned with his hands to sit. I think he meant at the seat furthest away from both of us, but instead he took the closest to me.

I cringed internally, keeping a fake smile plastered on my face. Edward saw right through it, of course. I flinched when Mike's hand landed on my leg.

He didn't seem to notice anymore, he must be doing it without noticing. I felt like prying each finger off, breaking them or at least crushing them in a vice.

I peeked at Edward, his eyes were dark—scary. I blinked, shocked. He was so intimidating, so...threatening. I could see the muscles in his jaw tense like he was angry. He stood up then, walking over to Mike, who's hand hadn't left it's place on my knee. He towered over him, I hadn't realised how tall he was. He looked so sinister.

I glanced, wide-eyed between the two, growing more anxious when Mike stood up to match Edward's stance.

Of course, it was a wasted effort, Edward standing almost a foot above him. I almost piped in to tell them to settle down, but I couldn't make my voice work.

They stood there, staring each other down, I swear I saw Edward's hand twitch. "Bella?" he asked in a soft, normal, velvety voice. "Do you want to come to the library with me?" he said, his voice the same tone, harmless aside from a faint tinge of menace. I stared at him, he was staring at Mike, who was standing in between us.

I was still sitting, I thought everybody in the room has their eyes on their confrontation, but it looked like no-one seemed to notice. "Yeah," I finally choked out, nervously standing up from my seat and walking to Edward's side, an unconscious display of who's side I would chose in a fight.

"I need help with my English assignment anyway. Come on," I said, tugging at Edward. He relaxed, glared at Mike a little more before turning around and walking with me. I lead him out into the halls. He glanced back over his shoulder, his eyes still completely dark. They usually seemed to change colour with his moods. Of course, they would only change shades of greens, not actual colours, like the buttery ochre in my dream. Ugh, that dream.

My eyes focussed on his clenched fists, he seemed angry—really angry.

"Are you—are you okay?" I asked, surprised. He looked down into my eyes, I raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

"I hate Newton." He stated. I burst out in a fit of laughter. "You know what? So do I." I told him, not afraid of admitting it.

Mike was friends with everyone, if I said it out loud, they'd be insulted and angry at me. His eyes sparkled and I got lost in them...again. Those eyes. Sigh. What was it?

What was it that was so compelling about Edward? I felt like the answer was on the tip of my tongue. And then...he smiled.

A real smile. Not a ghost of one, something utterly genuine and un-planned. It reached his eyes, lighting his entire face up. I thought I might pass out. That smile, those eyes.

That smile.

Edward smiled—at me.

I made him smile.

I made him really smile.

I felt my memories of that dream flood back through my mind.

I had been terrified in the cafeteria.

I knew all too well that Edward could definitely take care of himself, probably with his eyes closed.

But that didn't smother my anxiety, my fear of him getting hurt, of closing off again. Of disappearing.

I was attached to him, it had happened so fast, so unexpectedly. I gulped. Edward was what my head revolved around. He consumed every thought I had.

He invaded my dreams. He held the most important part of my conscious life. The choking terror of him disappearing, it finally made sense. It made sense all along.

I was trying to decipher it, that it had some deep and cryptic meaning. When the explanation to my fear was so clear, so simple. The realisation slapped me across the face. I just hadn't seen it sooner.

I love you.

:D HEHEHE yay! I know right? Finally. God, she is a little daft, isn't she? *sigh* Anyways, hope you enjoyed this one. Will try to update again within a few hours. We shall find out some more details of what happened to Bella later on. Umm, they might have a romantic clinch...very awkward coz they're both crazy for eachother. So, that should be fun. Uh, tell me what you think. :)