Thanks so much to those of you who review! I LOVE reading your opinions!! And thanks to my "chapter checker" for making sure I'm not getting too ooc or adding things that don't make sense!

The cold air poured over me and I took in a ragged breath. I was standing on the porch that surrounded the cabin, and after my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see Edward waiting for me at the bottom of the steps. He too was dressed in dark clothing; which made his pale skin seem to glow white, especially in the light of the moon. I walked to the edge of the stairs and made my way down cautiously, afraid there would be ice. I didn't slip until the second to last step and of course Edward caught me immediately. I gave him a look and he smiled while pulling the cloak tighter to cover my whole body and lifted the hood over my head. "Relax Bella, you won't be doing any more walking tonight." And with that, Edward turned around and pulled me onto his back. "Keep your head down so your hood will stay on, I don't want our little outing to give you a cold." I did as I was instructed and closed my eyes. Within seconds I knew that we were running. I could feel Edward's swift, even movements underneath me. I could also feel the rush of frozen air tearing past us as we flew through the forest surrounding the cabin. I wondered briefly if we would come across any of the Cullens out here. That seemed unlikely though; Edward's surprises were usually solo affairs, not that I was complaining. I was surprised to find that I wasn't really cold. Alice was right about her cloak, it was keeping me quite warm, even as the wind whipped past. After a few minutes I began wondering where it was that Edward was taking me. Usually he didn't have to run very long before we reached our destination. It had already been several minutes and he was still running strong. Either this place was very far away, or he was running slower than usual. I tried to ignore my excitement and instead focused on the steady breathing coming from Edward.

Finally I felt the wind slow and I knew that Edward was coming to a stop. I kept my head down and didn't loosen my grip on his neck until he gently pulled on my arm. "Bella, love, we're here." I opened my eyes and slid down off his back; letting my hood fall back.

"And where exactly is here?" I couldn't see anything significant. We were still in the forest, surrounded by trees, the moon shone overhead and there was a light dusting of powder on the ground, but it was not snowing now.

"We're going in there." Edward pointed to an opening in what looked like a wall of rock.

"What's in there?" I had to admit, I was getting a little nervous. I could imagine quite a few things that would be hiding in a dark cave in the middle of the winter woods. Edward heard the shake in my voice and soothed my anxiety.

"Nothing that can hurt you, trust me." I looked up at him as he took my hand and pulled us forward.

"I thought you said I wouldn't be walking at all tonight."

"Well, you won't be walking without me holding on to you." I smiled at the thought of being held by Edward's strong, protective arms all night. When we approached the entrance Edward spoke again, "Now, I'm going to have to ask you to be quiet. There's nothing inside that can hurt you, but noise could become a disturbance."

I swallowed loudly and whispered, "Okay." Edward squeezed my hand reassuringly and together we crossed the threshold and entered. It was very dark and I could barely make out the walls of the cave. I instinctively moved closer to Edward and he wrapped his arm around my waist to guide me forward. After walking for what felt like a half hour, Edward finally bent his head and whispered in my ear.

"Do you see the light ahead?" I strained my eyes and thought I could see a very distant glow.

"Um, maybe." I whispered back to him. I heard a soft chuckle next to me.

"A few more minutes then." We walked slowly; Edward was giving me plenty of time to feel safe in the darkness. After a short time I could see the glow more pronounced now and began to quicken my pace. There really was no need to walk slowly; every time that there was some sort of obstacle in the path, Edward would pick me up and lift me over it, even if it was as small as a stray rock lying in the way. The cave was lighter now; it was almost glowing, as was Edward beside me. A soft white light seemed to emanate from every inch of his exposed skin. Finally we stopped at the last curve before we saw the source of the light. Edward turned me in front of him and whispered in my ear, "Close your eyes Bella; I want it to be a surprise." I gave him a long look and closed my eyes. I felt Edward pick me up and move the last few steps out of the cave. He set me down gently and then stood behind me; his arms encircling my waist and his chin resting on my shoulder. "Okay Bella, open your eyes." I slowly opened my eyes and gasped at the sight surrounding me. I had been wrong; we hadn't left the cave, but we were in a larger, more open section. The walls and floor were all covered in smooth ice and moonlight filtered in from all directions. But the most wonderful part was the rainbow sparkles that were dancing over every inch of the space and every inch of me. Alice had been right about the black clothing; the drops of light seemed to be even brighter as they skipped over the fabric. I felt Edward smile as he placed a gentle kiss on my neck. "Please Bella; tell me what you're thinking."

"Edward…how?" I couldn't even speak in complete sentences; I was so overwhelmed by the beauty of this place.

"Look up Bella." I immediately jerked my head up and shrunk back from what I saw. Edward felt my reaction. "Don't be afraid, I won't let anything hurt you." I suddenly understood why Edward had insisted that we whisper. Hanging precariously above us were thousands of razor sharp icicles. I was terrified that at any moment one might fall and impale me, but as they were fatally perilous, they were unbelievably beautiful. The moonlight filtered in from hundreds of holes and cracks and reflected off the icicles to create the millions of dancing sparkles that filled the space. I wanted to look around me at the diamonds of light, but I was too afraid to look away from the icicles; afraid that if I looked away, they might fall. "Bella, it's alright. If any of them were to fall I'd be able to get you out of here fast enough." Edward tried to sooth me but I was still unsure; could he really outrun gravity? He seemed to sense my indecision, "And even if I couldn't get out fast enough; I'd just cover you myself." I turned my face and gave him a questioning look. "Ice can't hurt stone Bella." He said simply, as if the idea of him being injured was absolutely ludicrous. I gave him a small smile and returned to gazing around us. I tentatively reached out my hand in front of me and watched as drops of colored light moved over it.

"Why did you bring me here Edward?" He turned his face into my hair and breathed deeply before he sighed.

"Whenever you and I do something in the sunlight, even though I don't understand it, I always feel like you wish your skin was like mine." I was surprised by his answer; I never knew that he had noticed how I obsessed over his skin in the sunlight. It was so beautiful, especially compared to mine. "And while I know that you are perfect the way you are, when I found this place I couldn't help but think of what you would look like, covered in spots of light. I thought it would be a nice surprise for you too." Edward slowly ran his hand down the length of my outstretched arm and covered my hand with his own; intertwining our fingers. "See, now we both sparkle." I was overwhelmed with the beauty of this place and this creature who had brought me here. There weren't words for how amazing and utterly fantastic it all was.

"Edward…I love you." I whispered simply. There was nothing else that I could say. Edward sighed and turned me to face him. He placed a hand on the back of my neck and cupped my face with the other before he pulled me to him for a tender kiss. Too soon, he pulled away, but his lips remained less than an inch from mine while he spoke.

"Isabella. My only love. Will you dance with me?" I was overcome by the intensity of his gaze and in serious danger of passing out; he was almost too dazzling. I took in a ragged breath which earned a small crooked smile.

"I will dance with you." I whispered slowly and saw Edward's eyes darken from a vibrant, light amber, to a much deeper gold. He took my hand and placed it on his chest, then he clasped my other hand and wound his other around my waist. It only took a moment for me to forget my fears of dancing when I was with Edward. He had been right; it was all in the leading; and what an incredible leader he was. He kept the dance slow this time, spinning us around the large space at a lazy, comfortable speed. I felt like a princess, dressed in a cape, dancing with a god in a room filled with floating diamonds of light. Edward looked…hungry. But I wasn't afraid, he looked at me like I was the most important creature on earth; the only creature on earth. He tilted his head upward for a moment and gazed at the sky. I felt him take in a deep breath and wondered if he had caught the scent of someone or something in the forest. "Edward?" He returned his gaze to me and smiled.

"Bella close your eyes." I didn't hesitate this time. I was more than ready for anything that he had planned for us. I felt him release my hand and bend to gather me up in his arms. I wound my arms around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder. Just seconds later he set me down and brought me back to our dancing position, only this time he had lifted me up onto his feet. "Alright, open your eyes." And when I did I couldn't help but gasp, once again, at the sight surrounding me. We were outside in a small open patch, closely surrounded by the thick forest. There was snow and ice covering every inch of ground and blanketing every tree. I looked above us and saw only the bright moon shining down. Edward released my hand for a moment while he pulled up my hood and placed it delicately on my head. Then he grasped my hand again and stood very still, just looking at me.

"Edward, is something wrong?"

"Just a little more time Bella." He sighed and gave me a small smile.

"A little more time for what?" I was confused as I stood on his feet in the middle of a clearing, not moving. Edward took one last look at the sky and then drew in a deep breath.

"And here it comes." I was about to ask, but suddenly I saw little white spots floating around us. It was snowing. Edward began dancing us gracefully around the clearing and I couldn't help the smile that overtook my face. As he spun us around effortlessly he spoke softly in my ear, "Has anyone ever told you that you look…breathtaking…in the moonlight?"

"Edward," I whispered, "how did you do this?"

"Well, I had some help from a very accurate little weathergirl." Edward smiled and I reminded myself to thank Alice later.

"This is the most…amazing…beautiful…incredible…" Edward didn't let me finish. He stopped our dance and gathered me into a deep kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer as my hands greedily moved to his hair. Edward's hand on my waist wove around me and he pulled me against him, lifting me off his feet completely. His free hand pulled down my hood, tangled in my hair and gripped the back of my neck. I could feel snow flakes landing on my skin and could even taste a few that had landed near our mouths, but my focus was on Edward; his mouth, his lips, his hands. When I started to feel short of breath, he left my mouth and began kissing down the length of my neck; giving me time to breathe. I opened my eyes and stared at the moon through the falling snow. I felt Edward's cool tongue on my neck as he licked the length of my vein. Then I felt his lips move against my skin as he spoke without removing himself from me.

"We should go back soon Bella." I groaned at the thought of leaving my new favorite place. Edward chuckled at my reluctance. "Or we could stay, but I'm not sure how long you'll hold up in a blizzard." He kissed a short trail up my neck and placed a final, soft kiss on my lips before hugging me close against him and lowering me to stand on his feet again.

"I don't want to leave…ever." I whispered into his chest.

"We'll come back, when the weather is a bit more cooperative."

"Promise?"

"Of course my angel." Edward released his hold on my waist and lifted me effortlessly onto his back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and placed a soft kiss behind his ear.

"You can run faster this time." I whispered.

"You noticed that, did you?"

"It was nice, but I know you like to go as fast as you can, it's more exciting." Edward lifted my hand and placed a tender kiss on the back.

"You're too good to me." He returned my hand to his neck and hiked up my legs, "Close your eyes Bella." I did as I was told and immediately felt the wind and snow whipping past my face and arms. The cloak was billowing out behind me, but Edward didn't seem to mind. I could practically feel his excitement seeping through his skin and into my own. The run was exhilarating. Edward quickly slowed to a walk when we reached the cabin and by then it was snowing full force. Big, fat flakes were collecting on every surface, including him and I. Edward opened the door for me and lifted the heavy cloak from my shoulders. The living room was lit only by the Christmas tree in the corner and the giant fireplace crackling on the opposite wall. The cabin was silent and I imagined that Edward had probably arranged this with his family so we would be sure to be alone. Edward removed his own coat and picked me up to sit on his lap on the couch. I rested my head on his shoulder and pulled his hand into mine. After only a few moments of silence he asked me his favorite question. "What are you thinking?" I smiled and breathed in the scent of him.

"You made me feel amazing today, like a princess, like the most important thing in the world."

"You're a princess to me, and absolutely the most important thing in my world." Edward pulled me into his embrace and gently kissed my forehead.

"I love you Edward."

"As I love you." And we sat there in the soft light, breathing in the scent of each other. Eventually I felt sleep drifting over me and was vaguely aware of Edward standing and carrying me to our room. I was nearly asleep as he put me in bed, removed my shoes and the clips from my hair, and arranged the blankets over me. I felt him slide into the bed next to me and I turned on my side to curl in closer to him. I felt him kiss my forehead and then my lips as I drifted off to dream about dancing in the snow and floating diamonds and my beautiful Edward.