Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from Twilight!

Edward was lying in bed after the exhausting yet oh sosatisfyingactivities he'd indulged in with Leah. He realized that he probably should have left since staying the night was dangerous, but he couldn't seem to leave the bed; partially because he didn't want too. With his lover in his arms, he felt perfectly at peace. He wished that they could just stay that way forever, without the constant fear of someone finding out and telling Sam the truth looming over their heads.

The mind-reader realized they would eventually have to talk about the future and where they wanted to be in ten years. He wasn't sure about Leah, but one thing he knew for sure was that he didn't want to be there. Edward wanted to live as normal a life as possible with her. Maybe they could get a small cottage away from civilization since people tended to stare at her wings and he knew how much that bothered her. It would only be a bonus that he wouldn't have to hear the tedious thoughts of the thousands of people he'd be forced to be around on a day-to-day basis. Yes, a house away from the rest of the world sounded wonderful. Maybe in a few years time, they could even start a family of their own.

Leah, who had been watching her boyfriend as he lost himself in his thoughts, decided it was time to knock him back into reality. "What are you thinking about so hard?"

Blinking a few times to clear his head, Edward smiled at her and continued to stroke her wings gently. "This may sound corny, but it's the truth; I was thinking about you and our future together. Where do you see us in ten years, or even five?"

She shrugged because truthfully it wasn't something she thought about very often. "I'm not sure. I don't like to think about the future because you never know what'll happen. I tend to live in the here-and-now, because at least then I have some control over what happens in my life. I'm not saying that I don't want a future with you, I'm just saying that I don't want to jinx it by talking about it."

"You're afraid that, if you say it out loud, then it won't come true," Edward stated, knowing exactly how she felt. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, Leah. I won't be angry at anything you're feeling or thinking, if you do decide to tell me. I'll admit that I think about the future quite a bit. I never thought that I would have a future with anyone, and then I met you and it all changed. You are my future."

"You shouldn't say stuff like that," Leah scolded, though the smile on her face told her boyfriend that the comment had made her happy. "Every single time someone says something like that, they end up dead or missing and I couldn't handle it if the same thing happened to you. I'm not really good at expressing my emotions, but I'm going to try. I love you Edward. I love you so much that it consumes me. Whenever you look at me, my heart stops for a fraction of a second. When you speak, I'm completely drawn into what you're saying, no matter the topic. I have never felt this way about anyone before and it terrifies me. I never knew that it was possible to love someone as much as I love you."

A brilliant smile lit up his features. "I feel the same way about you, Leah. I cannot imagine my life without you in it, now that I have you. You're all I think about; the very idea of losing you kills me. If something were to happen to you, it wouldn't be long before I found a way to follow you."

The winged woman set the palm of her hand against his cheek. "I wouldn't want you to do that, and I know that, if it were the other way around, you wouldn't want me to do it, either. Nothing is going to happen to me, but if it does, I want you to promise me that you'll live your life to the fullest. Promise me that you'll do whatever it takes to get away from this place. I've seen too many people wither and die, and you deserve better."

"So do you," he replied, letting his gaze travel the length of her face. "We both deserve better than this place and we should have it. I swear to you, no matter what I must do to ensure it happens; I will make sure that we have the future we both deserve. I'll give you anything you ask for."

Leah felt her bottom lip quiver when she heard the emotion behind his words. "I know you will, and sometimes that scares me. You would do anything for me, even if it put your own life in danger. I think that scares me more than the fact that I would do the same thing for you. Right now, though, I don't want to focus on what may or may not happen in the future. Can we just focus on the here and now?"

"I think we can do that," Edward answered, pressing his lips to hers.

They both knew that eventually they would have to talk about the future, but it didn't have to happen right away. There was no need to rush anything when they were having a perfect moment together. It was best to enjoy the time they had, since they never knew how long it would last.

TBC