A/N:

Thank you to my wonderful beta, ms_ambrosia – ILY!

I'm a little behind this week because I just returned from a family trip to Disneyland. I am insane enough that I thought that I'd be writing in the car on the drive down to Anaheim. I know – delusional, right? I also have an old friend (bestie since 5th grade) coming to visit this week so I can't make any promises about the next chapter. I will commit to try to find time to write though – I'm an addict so I'm sure I'll find time.

Thanks to all the readers who are reading and enjoying the story and especially to those who consistently let me know their thoughts. So sorry to all you Jacob-haters (including you, ms_ambrosia) whose sensibilities were offended by the idea of him wet and naked. Seriously though – what's wrong with a beautiful, wet, naked man??? Please give him a chance in this story – he's actually a pretty good guy here.

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I simply twisted her plot and her characters around for my own amusement. I wonder if she would approve…

Time seemed to slow. The steady rhythm of the heavy raindrops spattering onto the ground around us dulled my senses. Though my body was frozen in fear, my heart beat on defiantly, a conspicuous reminder of my humanity.

I was painfully aware of the precariousness of my position. Bella was thoroughly rigid in her stance, her arm like a steel beam pinching me tightly against the side of her house. Her elbow was locked, her hand rotating slightly on the ridges of my ribcage, her fingers biting vicious bruises into my skin.

Small plumes of steam puffed out of the wolves' wet nostrils until they were swallowed by the rain. I heard the crunch of wet leaves under Jacob's wet paw as he shifted his anxious stance. In an instant, the air was pushed violently from my lungs as something hard and sharp clamped around my chest, the earth slipping out from under my feet.

My eyes weren't quick enough to catch what was happening as my body fought to regain control of its functions. My arms grappled outward, swimming through the air, searching for purchase as my head lolled forward toward the rapidly receding ground below. Bella's hair whipped across my cheek as her arm constricted me even more, expelling the last of my breath from my diaphragm. I caught sight of my feet, dangling like a limp doll's toward the ground as we rose higher.

A dizzying sensation spun like a tornado through my brain, a blackness pulling at the back of my eyes. Just as I felt my hold on consciousness begin to slip, my knees hit the ground, my body slumping forward onto a hard, pebbly surface. I sucked in a deep breath, filling my lungs with the damp, cool air and looked up into the rain.

It took me several minutes to acquaint myself with my new surroundings, my senses reawakened. Squinting into the darkness, I could scarcely discern Bella's arched form nearby. The haunting sound of howling retreated into the distance when she finally turned and approached me, kneeling to where I sat dazed and nursing my bruised torso.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked, her voice distracted, distant.

"I don't honestly know," I answered, running my hands over my ribcage tentatively. She immediately dropped next to me, frantic, her hand resting over mine.

"I'm so sorry. I…overreacted," she explained. "I've never felt so protective before. Your life means…more than anything…more than my own."

"Where are we?" I asked, pushing to myself forward onto my knees, ignoring the rubble cutting into my skin.

"On the roof. I climbed," she added by way of explanation and I tried to visualize our ascent up the side of her house.

"What happened?" I repeated. "Why were you talking to Jacob? The wolves…were they going to attack me?"

"No, not you!" she answered quickly. "The wolves don't attack humans. It was me he was mad at. He called the others to protect you…and to calm himself down."

"What…why? Protect me from what?" I sputtered.

"It's not important right now. You're cold and wet…and hurt. I have to get you inside," she said, pulling on my hand. I allowed her to tug me upward. When I was finally standing I could feel the truth in her words. I felt miserably cold and wet, my body sore all over. Without the surge of adrenaline fueling my energy, all my bodily aches and needs suddenly became very acute.

Before I was entirely aware of what she was doing, Bella swung me around so that I was latched around her back. I should have hesitated to throw my weight on her, but she was so solid and sure that I never once feared she wasn't strong enough to support me. Faster than I could comprehend, she scaled down the eave and swung into an open window on the second floor, busting the screen from its track with one swift, agile kick.

A light flicked on and as my eyes blinked with unexpected sight, I found myself propped on the edge of a forgivingly soft bed. My wet shoes and socks were summarily whipped off my feet. I barely caught my breath before Bella was seated at my side, her hand wiping the residual wetness from my face, swiping my damp locks from my forehead. Her hand lingered on my cheek, her eyes full of meaning. I searched Bella's mind for answers, but it was strangely and frustratingly silent to me. I wanted to question her, but I found myself simply too exhausted to face anything that she was deliberately hiding and that would cause either one of us pain.

"You should take a quick bath," Bella suggested, already peeling my thin coat from my shoulders.

"Okay," I agreed, barely moving my arms to help her ease my coat off my body. They felt heavy, my shoulders straining in effort to lift them.

"The bathroom is around the corner. I'll start the water for you," Bella said, standing and walking at a human's pace from the room. I stood, surprisingly sturdy on my feet, and followed her out the door. I turned the corner to find her bent over the tub, sifting the water through her fingers.

"I can't feel the temperature; you'll need to adjust this," she said, turning to face me.

Edward…oh…Your heart…your smell. Bella wasn't speaking, but her mind slipped and I heard just a whisper of desire escape.

She took a determined step toward me, running the back of her hand slowly down my arm until she reached my hand. Surprising me, she dropped to her knees, lifting my hand reverently to her lips. She kissed it softly, dragging it across her cheek before placing it at my side. Suddenly she reached out to my legs, her fingers creeping around them, urging me closer so that there was no space between us. Her hands moved at an agonizingly slow pace, trailing up my outer thighs until they reached my hips. I watched with bated breath as she tantalizingly slid her long fingers along the waist of my pants, tugging slightly, skirting the edge of my shirt.

Her hands ignited my skin on fire, all my aches instantly forgotten. The stagnant blood in my veins surged to life, pulsing through my body, engorging my cock with want and need for Bella. Her nose grazed across the front of my pants, her gaze flitting up to meet mine. I gasped, tortured by her teasing touch. Her amber eyes flashed darkly at me, both desire and fear written on her face.

"Bella," I moaned, my fingers reaching out to caress her scalp, tangling in her hair.

No! Let go! I can't lose control. Please, I need to touch you…feel you.

"Shhh, Edward. Please…don't move," Bella warned, her fingers flexing and momentarily curling around the fabric at the waist of my jeans. Resisting my body's intrinsic need to reciprocate her sensual touch, I removed my hands and forced my arms to my side.

Her palms flattened, inching upward along the plane of my stomach, easing my shirt up as she moved. In one swift motion, she was on her feet, her face looking anxiously up at mine as her hands continuing their slow examination of my chest. When her fingers found my nipples, they stopped, hovering over them for several seconds. I expelled the breath I was holding, feeling my body relax infinitesimally. Bella's mouth was slightly open, her bottom lip full and glistening.

As I was wondering if the moisture on her lip was venom, my mouth filled with saliva. I swallowed lustfully, Bella mimicking my actions. For an instant I saw myself through her eyes, my pale flesh flushed with desire, beads of sweat and moisture from my wet clothes beading across my skin. I saw the blood flowing along my jugular vein, the pulsing beat echoing in my ears. I was searching her eyes, hungering for more, trying to clamp down on our mental connection when I caught a distinct change in her expression.

She flashed a mischievous grin at me, her eyes flickering wickedly. She pressed her fingers to my flesh with renewed vigor, circling the areolas of my nipples with her index finger. She hesitated for a brief second, testing my reaction before rubbing over the tip with the back of her nail, and experimentally flicking them with her thumb. I was nearly panting in restrained pleasure, my head inadvertently falling backwards as my body shuddered with desire.

When I raised my head, I felt a quick gust of air as my shirt was whisked up over my head and slid down off my arms. Bella's hands shot up to my ribcage where they caressed the bruised and mottled skin there, her cold fingers numbing the ache. I brought my hands to latch onto her hips, but she took such a fast step back that they fell back to my sides.

"Please Edward, don't touch…" she begged, and I immediately nodded, accepting, willing to take whatever I could from her.

She stepped forward again, placing her hands on my shoulders, her eyes dropping shamelessly to my body. "You're beautiful," she whimpered against my lips. My hands clenched at my sides as I fought against the burning compulsion to attack her lips with my own, to run my fingers over her skin, to feel my body pressed against hers.

I was trembling with need as her head dropped reassuringly to my chest, her wet locks sending rivulets of water down my torso. She tilted her cheek into my collarbone, whispering in my ear, her voice demanding and seductive. "You're mine. You belong to me," she purred, pivoting on her heel and disappearing from the bathroom. I could here her residual thoughts as she walked away, he's mine…he's mine…mine…mine.

"I'll get some clothes for you," she said from the hallway. "You better get in the water before it gets too cold."

I stood frozen, rooted to the cold tile of the bathroom floor through several long, deep breaths. Shivers began to run along my spine, raising goose bumps across my skin. I lurched toward the tub and dropped my shaking fingers into the water, the heat melting the ice from my fingers. Jumping to action, I quickly and awkwardly peeled my wet jeans and underwear from my legs and eased myself into the water.

"Edward," Bella called from the hallway, "I put some clothes on the bed for you. You shouldn't be too long. I don't want your mother to worry."

I sunk down, lowering my body in the tub so that I was surrounded by the hot water. I slowly felt the warmth encircle me, trying to thaw my chill. But it didn't completely conquer the cold that had settled deep inside my bones. I worried that I might never feel warm again.

Once the water began to lose its heat I pulled my languid body from the bathtub, grabbed a grey towel from the shelf and dried off. I wrapped the towel around my waist and sauntered back into the bedroom. It was still dimly illuminated, but I could see enough of my surroundings to conclude that this wasn't Bella's room. With its navy comforter, plain furnishings, and sparse decorations, it was decidedly masculine. It had probably been her father's room. This thought was more than a little unsettling.

I found the jeans and plaid shirt that were folded neatly on the bed and put them on, thinking all the while that these were also probably her father's clothes. I didn't have much time to think about how this revelation made me feel before there was a loud, sure knock at the bedroom door.

It's me.

"Hi," Bella said, smiling shyly as I opened the door. Her eyes fell to the plaid shirt for a second before she readjusted them on my face.

I smiled back at her, marveling at how she could change her demeanor so quickly. She was a confident seductress one moment and then demure and uncertain the next. She was fiercely protective and possessive, but elusive, disappearing for days without contact. She was forthcoming about herself and her condition, allowing me to see the world through her mind, while continuing to be the most secretive and mysterious girl I'd ever met.

She was fascinating.

"You should head home," she said wistfully.

"I know," I acknowledged, not yet ready to say goodbye to her.

I don't want you to go, she thought, mirroring my sentiments.

"Is it…is it getting easier to be around me? I mean, do you still feel the urge to…kill me?" I stammered out my question.

"It is getting easier," she said plainly, smiling wide as though proud of achieving a difficult accomplishment.

"That's good!" I responded enthusiastically and she giggled sweetly, belying her ferocious predatory nature.

"Each time I'm around you, each time I touch you, it gets a little easier," she explained further as she led me down the stairway. She grabbed my hand when we got to the door, squeezing lightly.

"Even holding your hand is so overwhelming…so intimate," she said as she turned my hand over in hers, caressing my palm with her fingers, looking down at the lines as if they held some meaning for her.

"Bella…I want you in any way you'll give me. I just want you," I said ineffectually. "I mean, I'll wait or do whatever you need so that we can be together." I ran my fingers through my damp hair, the events of the night suddenly fresh in my mind.

I know, she thought.

"I know you will, Edward. I just need time," she said.

I need to figure all this out. I need to ask them. Her thoughts confused me. Who were them? What exactly did she need to figure out that someone else, besides me, could help with?

"Who Bella? Who are you going to ask?" I asked and her brow immediately pinched, her eyes narrowing.

"Edward, sometimes you need to keep your mind to yourself," she admonished, opening the door and pushing me out.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, truly contrite and fearful that I'd overstepped. "Please," I pleaded as I grasped her solid arm, wishing at that moment that I had the strength to pull her to me.

"Forget it for now, Edward," she demanded and I knew instinctively not to push the issue. "Go home," she ordered.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" I asked, cringing inwardly at the desperation and need that were always so omnipresent where Bella was concerned.

Ironically, I didn't feel physically weak around Bella despite her superhuman strength. It was my insane need to be close to her, to hear her mind, to possess her, that made me vulnerable. She held the key to my happiness in her hands. She could crush my soul with as little as a word. I had never given my heart so freely, so completely. My vampire girlfriend didn't have to bite me to kill me; all she had to do was reject my love.

"Maybe. I might have to do something tomorrow," she hedged. "But definitely Monday."

I didn't even bother hiding my disappointment. "Well, okay," I said dejectedly. "Goodbye Bella." I began to turn away toward the stairs, but at the last minute I spun back around to face where she stood with her hand on the edge of the door. With adrenaline coursing through my body, I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. Electricity tingled from my lips down through my chest where it spurred the beating of my heart.

Her lips pushed against mine with equal fervor, her hands instantly around my neck, sliding into my hair. I reached forward and tentatively placed my hands on her hips. She didn't step back or push me away so I drew myself closer, crushing my chest to hers. Her tongue darted out and slipped along my bottom lip and into my mouth. I sucked on it lightly, reveling in its silkiness and nearly swooning at the sweet taste of her mouth. I grunted at the sensation, unwittingly pushing my erection into her pelvis.

Oh god, Edward…I need you…I need you so much. Her kiss was intoxicating, but her thoughts were even more so, because they so thoroughly matched my own. Knowing that she wanted and needed me as much as I needed her was a profound relief. When we were connected this way, both physically and mentally, nothing else mattered – none of my doubts or fears – just us, intrinsically wound together in a moment of pure harmony.

I drove home in a daze, not even thinking about the car's speed, stops, turns or the streets I'd passed. I ended up in the driveway at my house without even remembering how I'd gotten there. After the tumultuous rainstorm earlier, the night seemed eerily quiet. As I slammed the door to the car I realized that I hadn't even mentioned the idea of the picnic to Bella. Frankly we were preoccupied; there hadn't been an appropriate moment to ask her. Frustration set in at the thought that I might have to wait until Monday to invite her. I hated that I would have to wait an entire day to see her again. I wanted to be with her always.

I slunk through the dark house, trying to make as little sound as possible. All the lights were off, giving the impression that everyone was asleep. But as my foot hit the bottom step of the stairway, a voice called out to me.

"Edward, come here please," my mother called from the living room, a hard edge lacing her normal warm tone.

I rounded the corner to find her sitting tensely in one of the tall wingchairs, her bathrobe tied snuggly around her waist. She looked haggard, anxious, and I immediately felt guilty, knowing I was responsible for her expression.

"Mom…um, I'm sorry," I blurted absently, knowing it was woefully inadequate.

"Well…" she prompted, her chin raised slightly.

"Um…I lost track of time," I said lamely, rubbing my hand through my hair and down my face.

"Edward, you are the most responsible of all my children. You always call when you go out, you are always worthy of our trust. So when you disappear and you don't call, don't leave a note…nothing…Did you even check your cell phone? I called five times!" she said, getting more heated by the minute. I tried to think of where my cell phone was and remembered that I had left it in my car earlier.

"I know…I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry. I just didn't think."

"Well, we did worry. I worried. Your father's snoring away upstairs," she said with irritation. "But I worried. How could you? Where were you? With Bella?" she asked snidely and I instinctively jumped to defend her.

"It wasn't her fault. I went to see her," I explained, realizing all the while that I couldn't tell my mother much about the night and that this would make me look even worse in her eyes.

"Whose clothes are you wearing?" she asked as if all of a sudden noticing them.

"They're um…well, my clothes got really wet."

"Listen Edward – I'm not going to give you a lecture here. But never - do you hear me -never do that to me again. I don't need to know all the details of your night, but I do intend for you to respect me and your father like we respect you. We give you a lot of freedom, but you will only have that freedom if you earn it."

"I know. I'm sorry, Mom," I said, hanging my head with contrition and succumbing to the exhaustion settling in my limbs.

"Head up to bed, Edward," my mom ordered and I nodded sleepily, hoisting my heavy body up the stairs to my room.

I shuffled into my bedroom, stumbling a little in the darkness until I found the light switch on my bedside lamp. I was clumsy in my tiredness, awkwardly stripping out of the clothing that Bella had loaned me. I pulled a clean pair of boxer briefs out of my dresser and slipped them on, collapsing heavily onto the bed. I was just lazily reaching out to flick off my lamp when a soft rustling caught my attention.

I turned my head just in time to see Bella closing the window behind her. She slithered toward me, my mouth hanging open with surprise. I propped myself up on my elbows, all of a sudden awake. She stopped at the edge of my bed, slipping her jacket off of her shoulders, allowing it to drop unchecked to the floor. She slid her tall, black boots down her legs and off her feet, wriggling her toes as she placed them to the side.

My breath caught in my throat and I forgot to inhale as Bella deftly unbuttoned the row of buttons on the taut black shirt she wore, exposing her ivory skin as her fingers crawled lower. When she got to the bottom she paused briefly before she flung the shirt off, letting it flutter to the floor. I couldn't tear my eyes from her body. I memorized every freckle, every angle, every subtle curve, my heart beginning to scream in my chest, thundering fast and loud.

Her fingers were almost too fast as they lowered the zipper to her jeans and peeled them down, revealing her unbelievably long, creamy legs. She stood before me in only her underwear – a matching black lace bra and panties. The contrast of the dark underwear against her snow white skin made her look even more like sculpted marble than ever before. She was simply too luminous to be real. I blinked in disbelief, caressing her skin with my eyes, trailing them from her head all the way to her toes.

Her stance was confident, but I detected a small trace of uncertainty in her arched brows, the angle of her shoulders. Before I could comprehensively catalog all the exquisite characteristics of her body – her perfectly shaped breasts, her flat stomach, her narrow hips that I wanted to so desperately wrap my hands around - she climbed into the bed next to me.

I adjusted myself to her hard, cool form next to mine. Breathing deeply, I settled myself deep into the mattress, wrapping my arm around her and easing my chest against her back.

"Bella?" I questioned, my lips whispering against her hair.

"I couldn't stay away," she answered, sliding her hand along my arm, tucking her body closer to mine. If I wasn't so terribly exhausted I could have taken advantage of the situation. Even with her nestled up next to me I could barely keep my eyes open.

I want to be with you always.

"I want to be with you always," I repeated sleepily.

"Sleep…my Edward," she said quietly into my chest.

I can't leave you…ever. I will find a way. Protect you…leave…find a way…

I easily slipped into unconsciousness, my mind and body weary from the night's events. Bella's final message pervaded my thoughts and even in my dreams her words haunted me. Why would she leave me? What was she protecting me from?

Wolves circled me, whimpering in anticipation, their sharp fangs dripping with fat drops of saliva. I began to run away from them, frightened and anxious. I could feel them biting at my heels. And then Bella was next to me smiling. She heard the wolves approaching and frowned, grabbing my hand, yanking me through the trees, over roots and through branches. I could hear screaming, I could smell blood. I realized with shock that it was me screaming, and my blood.

I turned to Bella, worried. But it wasn't her holding my hand. Instead of her warm amber eyes and her loving face, I looked deep into vicious red orbs that were filled with hunger and malice. These were the eyes of a stranger, an evil grin stretched across her mouth as her wild red hair writhed around her head like a fiery wreath of snakes.

The girl snarled at me like an animal and I tried to tug my hand away, but my efforts were useless against her iron grip. Blood began to drip from the corner of her mouth and I tugged harder. The wolves were coming; I could hear their feral howls in the distance. They were coming to protect me, to save me from her. But somehow I knew they weren't going to be fast enough to catch up now.

I resigned myself to my fate. I was going to die. I closed my eyes and remembered my angel's lovely face one last time before I took my last quivering breath.

"I love you Bella…"

End Notes:

I didn't mean to be intentionally unclear here at the end. Edward is simply dreaming. Though he may be filtering some thoughts from Bella's mind and interweaving them with his own.

What did you think? What is up with Bella??? I hope you guys are intrigued…