July 3, 1956

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

I cracked one eye open. Sunlight shone through the window and bounced off Edward's skin like diamonds. Surely he was the envy of the sun; no star looked that good in the morning.

It took a moment for me to adjust, but then the night came rushing back to me. Every perfect second of it. My cheeks warmed. "Hi."

"You aren't normally this slow in the morning," he commented, nuzzling along my collarbone. "Tired?"

"My nights aren't normally like that," I grinned, tugging at his shirt. Obediently he lifted his head for a deep kiss.

Inwardly, I thanked the 1962 Edward for the knowledge we would be in this room for days. Then I realized something.

"Hey, wait a minute. You changed!"

He tilted his head. "Someone had to go get your breakfast."

"What about room service?" I asked playfully as he set the tray in front of me. "Thank you."

"I could hardly answer the door naked," Edward scoffed, ignoring my fervent nod of approval. "And I got the newspapers, too. Now we can read over breakfast like other couples."

I giggled. "How domestic of us."

He read three of them as I ate my food. But the few times I peeked, I could have sworn his eyes weren't moving at all.

I snatched the paper from his hands. "Reading time is over."

Edward pushed the tray off the bed. The plates and glasses crashed to the floor. Before I could assess the damage, he was kissing me. "I thought you'd never ask."

Excitedly, I helped him tear off the rest of his fresh clothes. He held himself over me again, laying wet, openmouthed kisses on my skin. When he bent his head between my legs, I was quaking with anticipation. My release was deep, almost triumphant. I was only just coming down from it when he bent his head again, bringing about new waves of pleasure and sensation. When I was still shaking, he pushed into me, drawing out a long moan from my lips.

There was a tinge of soreness, but I quickly ignored it. His thrusts felt better today; it was as if my body remembered the stretch, and sought to adapt. Our groans soon matched each other, spiraling toward bliss. He reached between us to rub and tease me, watching dark and hungry eyes. He gripped the bedspread as he came, a growl rumbling through his chest. I shivered in delight.

It was hard to believe we waited this long. I could tell he was thinking the same thing. In fact, he looked like the cat that ate the canary. I told him as much.

"I do," he chuckled. "I pounced at the right moment."

"I was circling above," I demurred. "Now I have the cat right where I want him."

His eyes were doing that dazzling thing again; I quickly fell under his spell. "Care to join me in the shower, little bird?"

Though I wanted to stay upstairs with Edward all day, my rumbling stomach convinced him otherwise. At his insistence, I reluctantly dressed and went downstairs. I sat down in the hotel restaurant and told the waitress to send the bill to room 417. When I was stuffed, I wandered into the gift shop. Impulsively, I bought a bouquet of flowers and skipped back to our room.

"She just got back," Edward was saying when I shut the door behind me. He was sitting on the floor, his back against the bed, the telephone loose in his hand. When he looked up, he rolled his eyes. I grinned, then took the phone from him. He shifted so I could lean against his body. With the phone between us, we could both listen.

"Hello?"

"Oh hey, Bella. How are you?"

"I'm great, Emmett. How are you?"

"Well, the police called our house today."

Edward snaked his hands around my waist. I ignored him, trying to listen. The police? That sounded serious.

"Oh, really? Why?"

"Apparently the entire city called them about a noise complaint. I told them to try your hotel room."

Then he howling, his laughter coming over the line with irritating clarity. I could hear Rosalie in the background, too. I felt like I was the first person on the receiving end of that stupid refrigerator joke. Edward's shoulders were shaking. I turned back to the phone.

"That's funny, Emmett, 'cause I talked to the police, too."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Apparently a few animals escaped the zoo. They were making a huge ruckus. I told them to try

your bedroom."

Edward roared with laughter. His brother was sputtering on the other end, trying to find a comeback. Satisfied, I placed the phone back in its cradle.

"I bought these for you."

He chuckled, sniffing the flowers. "Isn't that supposed to be my job?"

"Times are changing," I said, echoing my friend Jerry's words. "Particularly in the next twenty years."

His arms around me went a little tighter. One wandering hand found my breast and squeezed. "Tell me."

"Oh, no. That wouldn't be fair."

"Impart your knowledge," he said, kissing my neck and shoulder. "I'm your student."

"Only if you're willing to learn."

"I am."

I turned to unbutton his shirt. "Then let's begin."

The hours in Portland passed slowly. Joyfully. Room 417 became our haven from the rest of the world. It was easy to forget everyone and everything but each other.

I was dozing when the celebrations outside began. Edward shook my arm gently. We went to the window to watch. The sky was bright red, then flashed blue. Fireworks for the the Fourth of July. I met his eyes. They were darker still, with very little gold left in the irises. I sighed. I knew what that meant.

"You need to hunt."

"Yes."

I leaned against his shoulder. His arm slid around my waist. Our reflections were blood red, then ice blue in the window. "Should we leave tomorrow?"

He agreed tomorrow would be best. A rainstorm was coming, which allowed the freedom to be outside with me. I knew the Cullens wanted to see me, and I them, but I was going to miss room 417. It had become our own little world, free from the complications of time travel and vampires.

We made love again, late into the night. I lost track of time. I wanted nothing else but to be close to him.

"I pity the maid that has to clean in here," I said as I brushed through my wet hair in the morning. The sheets were torn off the bed, while clothes and empty trays sat on the floor. Even feathers from some of the pillows dotted the bedspread. Guiltily, I tried to clean up.

"I'll get it," Edward said at once, then disappeared. I tried to follow his movements around the room, but he was too fast. Things seemed to fly through the air as he tidied. In seconds, everything was spotless.

"Superman meets Lucille Ball," I said in astonishment. He chuckled.

"I'm no hero . . . or housewife, I suppose."

"Ohh, you're mine," I cooed. I didn't say which one. He laughed again.

"Ready to go?"

"Not at all," I said wistfully as we headed for the lobby. It had felt like a honeymoon and now it was over. "The best two days of my life."

"And mine," he confessed, kissing me right there in the lobby. A group of elderly women tsked as they walked by but we ignored them.

While Edward handled the checkout, the valet went off to retrieve the car. I left my suitcase in the backseat and climbed in the front. The welcome exhaustion of the past two days was catching up with me. I let my eyes close for a second. Just until Edward came back.

"Bella? Love, it's time to get up."

I opened my eyes. Edward was turning the car into a long, sloping driveway. Groggily, I sat up.

"I fell asleep?"

His voice was silky. "You were very tired, I imagine."

I rolled my eyes. "God."

I watched the house come into view. It was a bright cheery yellow; I think it was my favorite of theirs. I wasn't sure if it was newfound optimism or two days of getting laid, but I really liked the house. He shut the car off but we didn't move. "You called me love."

I took his hand when he didn't answer. "I liked it."

Edward ducked his head in a way I was starting to recognize. The Andrews Sisters crooned softly in the background while we sat there in comfortable silence. Sometimes I liked these moments the best, when we simply enjoyed each other's company.

After some time he turned his head. "They're making dinner for you."

He was right. We found the Cullens busy in the kitchen. Carlisle and Esme were busy chopping vegetables and boiling water for pasta. Rosalie was flicking through a cookbook, frowning with concentration. Emmett bounded from his seat when we entered the room, lifting both of us up off the ground. "Finally!"

"Emmett, stop!" Edward grunted, kicking his feet. I was pressed against his chest with Emmett's steel arm at my back, severely limiting my capacity to take in air. "She can't breathe!"

"Oh right, sorry."

"We hope you're hungry, Bella," Esme called from the stove.

"Always, Esme. Thank you."

"We were thinking of going hunting later," Rosalie said, closing the recipe book. I imagined it didn't hold a lot of interest for her. "If you want to join, Edward."

He looked at me for my approval. "Go, I'll be fine."

Edward was patient, though, and waited until I was finished with my own meal. The family told me about what I missed in the past eight months. I listened to their stories about dodging the wolves intently. Rather than sounding afraid, Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward seemed disappointed that a greater confrontation didn't occur. He caught my quizzical look and shrugged.

"Wolves are our traditional enemies. But there were so few of them that we thought the fight wouldn't be fair."

"Fair," I muttered, twirling the angel hair around my fork. "Vampires and werewolves fighting and you guys are thinking of the fairness of the fight."

Later, when I was putting my dishes in the sink, I remembered the photo of Grandma Marie and Elliot. Edward and the others were in the backyard; they planning to to hunt at Mount Hood, some two hours away. I dashed upstairs and tore through my suitcase to find the photo.

"Wait! Carlisle, hang on a minute."

I tiptoed through the grass in my bare feet. Esme was mediating a brewing argument between Emmett and Edward about who would get the first kill. Rosalie winked at me from beside them.

"I found this photo in one of my mom's albums," I said when Carlisle joined me near the back porch.

He took the photo from my hands and studied it. Minutes went by as he stared. I knew his eyes were stronger than mine . . . perhaps he was seeing details I missed.

"Who is this?"

"It's my grandmother and her brother," I explained. "A first, I thought it was the flash, or it had been developed wrong. But then—"

"You thought it was time travel," Carlisle finished. His eyes were glued to it. I knew the scientist in him was thinking through the problem. Working and weaving with the details he collected from me.

"I only know that they grew up in California," I continued, anticipating his next question. "I'm not sure where, though. But their last name is Ward."

"It may take some work, but I'm confident we can find him. Perhaps he can shed light on your condition if he truly shares it."

I forced myself to smile back at him. I wasn't sure how to to tell him Elliot died young. Soon my thoughts shifted toward my own mortality. It became real work to keep my smile there.

Carlisle tucked the photo in his pocket and promised to reopen his research at the earliest opportunity. I waved goodbye them all, knowing they might be gone all evening. Edward bounded back to kiss me before speeding after his family. In seconds they had vanished into the growing darkness.

I returned to the house and washed my dishes. When that was done, I unpacked the suitcase in Edward's room. Rosalie usually kept some clothes for me when I came back to them; when those things were put away, I straightened up both rooms. Then all of them.

I was running out of things to distract myself, and I knew it.

Finally I decided a hot bath was in order. There was a pile of magazines on the coffee table and candles in the cupboard. I found a bubble bath concoction in the bathroom and stripped off my clothes.

I let out a contented sigh as I sank into the water. It was just as good as the tub in our hotel room. I flipped through a few of the magazines before tossing them aside. It felt wonderful to lean back and close my eyes.

When I woke up, over thirty minutes had gone by. The water was lukewarm now, and the bubbles had long dissolved. But it was so comfortable. I didn't want to leave just yet.

Downstairs, a door slammed shut.

I sat up at once. Only five people besides myself lived here and all of them were away hunting. Frantically, I searched for my towel. It was hanging on the back of the door, all the way across the room.

Another door closed. Closer this time. My mind flashed to the streetlamp in Hoquiam, and the shadow in the trees. I searched for a sliver of bravery in me.

"Who's there?"

Who's there? Are you stupid? I wanted to kick myself. Any idiot in horror movies who asked that question was begging to be butchered. I could feel my fear mounting as the doorknob turned—

But it was only Edward.

He stood in the doorway, looking far too crisp for someone who was gobbling down animal blood all evening. He immediately dodged the bar of soap I threw at him.

"What was that for?"

"Answer me next time!" I snapped, sinking back into the water. I hoped it would disguise my racing heart. "I didn't lock any of the doors! You could have been a murderer preparing to kill me!"

"I am a murderer."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine."

He knelt by the bathtub, his eyes once more a bright gold. "Listen to your heart fly. I'm so sorry. I'll answer you next time."

My delight to see him was overpowering my irritation; I smiled in spite of myself. "Why are you back so early?"

"I missed you," he said a matter-of-factly. "I took down the first thing I saw and came straight home."

"I'm glad."

Edward cast an appreciative eye over me. The suds were almost gone; he could see every part of me. "Though if I was planning your death, this would have been the optimal way to find you."

"That's . . . so bizarre."

He laughed. "Is there room in there for one more?"

I nodded eagerly. He stood up to pull the sweater over his head. I had seen him naked so often in the past few days but the sight never ceased to excite me.

It was a little cramped with the two of us, but had an added benefit of being close. We smiled at each other. In a weird way, I felt shy. We weren't in our own little world any longer; this was a new chapter in our relationship. This was our new normal.

Edward seemed to feel the same. He cleared his throat. "Catching up on your reading?"

It was the perfect way to chase away the awkwardness. I followed his gaze to the magazines.

"Oh, yeah. Just checking my horoscope."

"Did it say you'd be taking a bath with a vampire?"

"No!" I laughed. "I don't place that much stock in them. They're wrong most of the time."

"It probably said you'd be a shower with a vampire. Which is wrong in this particular instance."

"Typical Gemini thing to say."

He leaned back against the rim of the tub. "I've always thought that was an appropriate sign for what I am. Two sides of the same coin. One is dark, one is light. Life and death."

I splashed him. "Lighten up, Cullen. Didn't you just hunt?"

"I love you," he grinned.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I know."

His hands moved so fast I never saw them. He pulled me close to him, tickling me again. I shrieked.

"S-so unfair!"

Edward let up at once, ducking to kiss my shoulder. I could feel him getting hard and took a steadying breath. He maneuvered so I was straddling him, his hands to pressed to my hips. In a swift motion, he pulled the tie from my hair so it fell down around my shoulders. I knew he enjoyed the scent of my hair. Perhaps the water amplified it.

"Wait, wait," I said anxiously, blushing. "We've never done it this way."

I didn't mind climbing all over him when we were kissing. But this required a great deal of participation on my part and I was nervous about that.

"It's not so different," he panted.

"It is," I said lamely, struggling for balance. "I don't . . . I don't know what to do."

"I'll guide you."

Obediently I leaned back to help him slip inside me. It was an unfamiliar position and I wasn't sure what to do. But he sensed my anxiety. He tightened his hands on my hips to help me move up and down the length of him. The uncertainty I felt began to fade away.

His eyes flashed to mine when I coiled my arms around his neck. Our rhythm began to steady. It started to feel more natural after a few minutes, and then it started to feel good.

Despite my initial reluctance, I liked this position. It was different to have me in control. But it was like Eve and the apple: after the first taste, I wanted it all.

Our kisses grew heated and sloppy. Water was splashing over the side of the tub, but we didn't care. The adoration I had seen in his eyes during our first time was still there, but it was combined with clear lust. I couldn't stop touching him—his face, his arms, his hands. My name echoed back and forth across the tiles, drawn from his perfect mouth.

"I like that way a lot," I said breathlessly later that night. I was wearing one his shirts and brushing my hair. Edward was in the bathroom, cleaning up the water on the floor.

"Me too," he called from behind the door. I giggled. He joined me on the bed when he was finished. Then he stole the brush from my hands and immediately took up the task. I closed my eyes in pure contentment.

"You're purring like a cat."

"I am not," I snickered, enjoying myself. My hair was so long that grooming was constantly a hassle. It felt great to have someone else do it. Oddly, it felt more intimate than sex.

Minutes passed in silence and I felt myself getting drowsy.

"Why didn't you mention the picture?"

"Oh, that."

He set the brush aside and waited. I knew Edward well enough to know he wasn't mad or hurt—just curious. Photography was his specialty after all.

I shrugged. "I was pretty busy."

"I can give you that."

I pressed my palm flat to his chest. "I was going to tell you, I promise. But when we were in the hotel, it felt like we were the only people in the world. I felt normal, you know? For once it was just me and you. Nothing supernatural."

He pulled my hand up to kiss it. "I understand."

"Do you? Sometimes I think you have to work so much harder."

"How so?"

"You wait so long for me. What if . . . " I took a deep breath and tried again. "What would happen if I never came back?"

"I would try to find you in the future," Edward said thoughtfully. "If I couldn't, well . . . there are ways."

"Ways to . . . ?"

"There's no point in living without you," he told me. "None of my family would do it, so I'd probably go to Italy and provoke the Volturi."

"You would kill yourself?" I sputtered. "Are you serious?"

He shrugged. "Immortality means nothing if you don't have someone to share it with."

"You lived with your family before you met me," I said angrily. "You live without me all the time. You'd really kill yourself if I died? Humans die all the time! It's natural."

"You aren't just any human."

I fought back a rising bout of tears. The idea of him not living—even if I wasn't—was so painful I couldn't breathe.

His confusion turned to alarm. "Wait, Bella. Calm down. You'll travel if you get too stressed."

The only thing worse than thinking of him dead was leaving him at this moment. I worked to control my breathing, but tears still slid down my cheeks. He wiped them away, looking unhappy.

"Please don't do anything to yourself if something happens to me," I begged. "Would you want me to do the same if the situations were reversed?"

I could tell the thought hadn't even occurred to him. He thought he was invincible. But I could see the image cross his mind as his face fell.

"I see what you mean," he murmured, pulling me to him. I curled up and pressed my face into his neck. He could feel every deep shuddering breath I took.

"I'm sorry to upset you."

"Promise me you won't."

"I won't."

I lifted my head. "You swear?"

"I swear," Edward ground out. I could see how hard it was for him. But he had more people in his life than me. Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie were his family. They would be devastated if they lost him.

I wasn't trying to be noble. The point was that I wasn't the only one who loved him. I sniffled and looked for something else to talk about. "What's a Volturi?"

"They're a family," he said. "A royal family, I guess. They're some of the oldest of our kind. Carlisle lived with them for years. Do you remember that story? They enforce the rules of our world."

"Rules?"

He held up two fingers. "The first rule is not to expose ourselves. No sloppy kills and not too many at one time. Second rule is to keep our existence a secret."

"You broke one already," I reminded him. "I know the truth."

"A good lawyer knows to exploit loopholes," he said with a half smile. I was happy we were off such a morbid subject, but a discussing a powerful vampire authority wasn't exactly reassuring.

"I didn't tell you what we are," Edward continued as he interlocked our fingers together. "You figured out on your own."

"Case dismissed."

"So you would think," he chuckled. "They wouldn't see it like that, though."

I tried to picture it. Edward standing trial for his relationship with me. The trio of old vampires passing a death sentence. Not knowing his fate, hurdling through time to find him gone . . .

"I really haven't been the best conversationalist this evening," he said, watching my expression change with worried eyes. "Oh, Bella. I'm sorry. Please, don't be upset."

"I'm sorry, too," I murmured.

"I have something we can look at."

I watched as he reached underneath his bed. A new sketchbook appeared; he nodded for me to open it. I leaned back against him to flip through the pages.

Edward loved portraits. There were many of me, of his family, and even one self-portrait. I loved it. It seemed to capture both the good and mischievous sides of him. The portraits gave way to birds. Delicate strokes caught the curving of their wings and feathers. He was so talented.

"Here's the raven for your hair," he said, his mouth close to my ear. "The swan for your neck. The sparrow for your eyes."

"Traveling can feel like flying," I admitted, turning back to his self-portrait. "When did you draw this?"

I felt him shrug. "Last week at the bus station."

I closed the book and put it to the side. He was watching me carefully. I knew he didn't want me to cry anymore.

"How were you able to control yourself at the hotel? Was it difficult?"

"I still had my doubts, even there. But I remember thinking that every time you're apart from me, I fear for your safety. A trip to the middle of nowhere could be dangerous for you. Werewolves and other vampires also pose a threat. But I knew you were the most important thing in the world to me. After that, it wasn't hard."

I was awed into silence. I didn't know what to say. He had taken something natural to him—his thirst for blood—and beaten it time and time again. All for my sake.

"I love you."

He shrugged. "I know."

Giggling, I swatted at his arm. Before I could do anymore, however, I yawned deeply. Edward immediately turned off the light, turning his body so I would be more comfortable.

"No," I protested. "I'm not that tired."

"You are," he insisted, pulling the sheet up to my waist. "You barely slept these past few days—"

"Well, I had good reason."

He snickered. "Enough. Sleep now. I'll be here when you wake up."

I sighed and snuggled into his side. "That's all I'm asking."

A/N: These little lovebirds are so fun to write. :)

As of last week, we're halfway through the story! That's unbelievable. I hope everyone is enjoying Number Our Days. I know I am! It's such a pleasure to share it with you guys. I'm so grateful for your readership.

Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate, and I'll see everyone next week!