A/N Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday. Sorry that I missed last week, but it is the holiday's. Thank you to all of my readers. Your PM's and reviews mean so much to me :)

Thank you to my beta, Breath-of-Twilight. She is the best Beta, hands down, and I love her dearly . She has literally done so much work on this, and my others stories, that I can't ever thank her enough.

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer is a goddess and she owns all of the Twilight universe. I own the story line. Please do not steal what isn't yours. No copyright infringement intended.

All the Loves of Our Lives

6. Pictures

I knocked on Edward's door and waited for him to answer, hoping he would answer it before my mind was able to wander too far.

He immediately opened the door and moved aside, inviting me in. For the first time, I was actually looking at the interior of his house. The last time I was here I was just so nervous. I couldn't think of anything other than being there with Edward. It's not that I wasn't nervous this time, but it just felt so different. I'd spent more time with him, and I knew a little bit more of what to expect from him. At least, I thought so.

The living room was dark green with white trim. It definitely felt manly with a big brown leather couch with the matching chair and ottoman. It looked like the perfect place to snuggle and read a book. I also hadn't noticed the beautiful fireplace that was at the end of the living room. I could only imagine how warm and cozy this room would be with a fire blazing in it. On the opposite side of the room was a large hutch with a bunch of different sized and shaped framed pictures on its shelves.

Taking in the whole room made me want to just curl up with Edward in front of the fire place and shut out the outside world. It would be so easy just to be with him. It was how I always felt being around him. It was like we had somehow been together comfortably for years.

"Would you like a glass of wine?" Edward asked, bringing me out of my inner musings.

"Sure. How long do we have, tonight, before you need to leave?" I hoped that I hadn't sounded too desperate, but I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could.

"Oh, I think I have at least a couple more hours. Here, have a glass of wine with me." He handed me a glass and sat down on the big brown leather couch.

I smiled, and then turned my attention back to the hutch. I walked over to look at the pictures. There were about twenty-five pictures in all, and in them were two people. Each one looked like they were a couple, a man and a woman, and they all looked very much in love.

"Who are these pictures of?" I briefly wondered why he would have all of these pictures. Were they family members or friends? The weird thing was that in every picture the couple was dressed in clothes that were obviously from different time periods. Some even looked to be so old that they had to be costumes because cameras didn't exist in that time period.

"Photography is a hobby of mine. These are just some of the pictures that I've taken over the years. It's something that I love to do. I like to display them as a little reminder to never forget what really makes me happy. These are some that make me the happiest." As he spoke, he joined me in front of the hutch. He had a very odd look on his face as he looked at the pictures; it was so loving and reminiscent. What he was reminiscing on, I could only guess.

"Well, they are all so beautiful, you take lovely pictures." I noticed him staring at me out of the corner of my eye. His gaze was so intense that it was hard to ignore. I could feel the skin starting to rise on my arms like he was shooting electricity through his gaze.

"These, definitely, are not as lovely or as beautiful as you are." I could feel him moving closer to me. He reached around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I turned to face him, and his eyes were still so intense. I moved closer into him wanting to feel his lips on mine again. It felt like forever since we had kissed last, and the anticipation was killing me. The moment our lips connected, it was instant sparks of electricity. I couldn't keep my hands off of him. He pulled me closer still, and I could almost feel his heart beat in his chest we were so close. He rubbed his hands up and down my back and through my hair. I wanted so much more from him, but I was too afraid to take the plunge just yet.

He pulled away from me for a moment and looked at me. I wondered what was going on behind those beautiful green eyes. I couldn't figure out why there always was a hint of sadness in them.

"I don't want to be too forward, but I feel like I need to tell you something." He hesitated, and for a split second, I was worried about what he would say. "I just can't ignore this any longer. I know that you have only known me for a little while, but the truth is I think that I've been in love with you since the moment I first laid eyes on you. I feel like moments that I share with you are the best moments that I could ever have in my life. I'm sorry to spring this on you right before I leave, but I felt like if I didn't tell you now I would be driving a wedge between us every time I have to leave."

The shock spread across my face as he spoke. Had I really heard him correctly? Butterflies were fluttering in my stomach, and I started to feel a little bit tingly all over.

"I don't know what to say." I really didn't know what to say, and I certainly didn't know what to do. Part of me wanted to scream and dance in place because the most amazing man on the face of the earth wanted me. But then there was another part of me that wanted to run out the door and take a cold shower. How was it even possible? I must be dreaming because there is no possible way that he really could be falling in love with me.

He waited patiently while I internally struggled with what I should do. I knew deep inside that I was falling for him, falling very hard and very fast, and it scared me to death. He was my perfect man. I hadn't known him for very long, and I'm not one to jump in with both feet, like I was going to have to with Edward. I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye.

I was staring at one of his pictures, where the couple was standing by a tree. The woman had long blond hair with flowers woven through her long tresses. The man was dressed in what looked to be medieval type clothing. She was looking off into the distance, and he was staring deeply at her face. Love seeped out of the picture, and I had never seen a man love a woman as much as that man loved that woman.

I turned to look at Edward, and what I saw caught me off guard. He was looking at me just like the man in the picture, and I was just like the woman looking off at something else.

"Edward, I… I just want, well, I… I don't know what to say. I sound like an idiot. You tell me that you're falling in love with me and I can't even spit out a complete sentence. I'm sorry, please, I… I feel the same way." There I said it. Well, not in so many words, but it's what I meant. "I think that I have been falling in love with you, too, since the moment I first saw you, actually. I've been trying to second guess myself because this couldn't possibly happen." Tears started to well up in my eyes, and I was wringing my hands nervously.

He reached for my face and tipped it up towards his, "Don't second guess yourself. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for. I can't read your mind but I would hope that you think about me at least half as much as I think about you." He leaned down to me again, and just as he was going to kiss me his phone rang. "Excuse me for just a second." He scowled, answered the phone, turned and left the room. He was visibly upset, and I just hoped that this call hadn't ruined our moment.

I looked back at the pictures on the hutch, and I felt like I was getting a little dizzy. Was everything going too fast? Did I make a mistake by coming here? The pressure started to bear down on me and I couldn't feel my legs as they started to move me to the door.

I ran full tilt out the front door, across the two driveways. I'm not even sure how I managed to get the key in the lock to open the side door. I flew through the door, not even noticing Jakey waiting for me at his food bowl. I felt lost. I stood in the middle of the kitchen looking around but I wasn't seeing anything. What was I doing? Then everything went dark.

"Bella? Come on Bella, wake up! Please wake up! Bella!" I could hear the panic in the voice, but I couldn't tell who it was. Everything was dark, and I could just hear the voice echo in the void. "Bella!"

Edward. I knew that voice. I could hear him talking, and I wanted to talk back but I couldn't move. The darkness started to lift, and I started to see light seep through my cracked eyelids. The fog seemed to lift, and I could see his shape in front of me.

His handsome face came into focus first. He seemed like he was an inch away from my face.

"Bella, what happened? Are you okay? I left the room, and when I came back the door was wide open and you were gone. Your door was open, and when I came in, you were on the floor. You've been out for ten minutes. You were this close to me carrying you to the hospital." He was worried, but what happened? I could remember the love discussion, and the pictures on the hutch but that was all that I could recall. I couldn't even figure out how I got here. It had all been so overwhelming.

"I…don't know what…happened. Wait…aren't you supposed to be leaving? Why are you still here?" Clearly my head wasn't quite screwed on properly just yet.

"I know. I do have to leave, but I can't leave you exactly this way now can I?" he said with a smirk. "What would you have me do, just walk out and leave you here on the floor? You should know me better than that. I mean, I don't even think that I could leave tonight knowing that you were here by yourself. Will you be okay for a minute? I'll be right back."

I watched him get up and walk out of the room. He was only gone for what seemed like a minute, when he walked back in, I could see the stress that was weighing him down. I hated him missing his trip, but at the same time, I secretly was grateful for whatever was going on with me. I was such a terrible person for being so selfish.

"So, it looks as if I have a few extra hours. I don't have to leave until after twelve tomorrow. I think we need to get you to bed." He lifted me off of the floor and carried me up the stairs. His arms were so warm and so strong. When we got to my room, he gently laid me on the bed and backed away. "I think I should stay here with you. I mean, I would feel much more comfortable knowing that you weren't alone."

"I would love to have you stay with me. I'm so sorry that all of this made you have to put off your trip until tomorrow. Could you do me a favor though? Would you feed Jakey? I can't remember when I fed him last."

He looked at me with those bright green eyes and a smile crossed his face. "You don't have to look at me like that's the worst thing in the world to ask me. I'll feed him on my way back from locking up my house. Are you going to be okay for a few minutes?"

"I think I'll be okay sitting here on the bed. I don't think that there is much that I can do to get into trouble."

He leaned down and kissed my forehead and left the room. His essence lingered after he left. My mind was racing with all the things that had transpired over the course of the evening. Maybe it was that fact that I had been working so hard or maybe because as soon as Riley left, Edward was right there to keep my mind occupied. The stress of it all was weighing down on me. I wanted him around. I couldn't risk the feelings that I had growing inside of me. I knew as soon as I would let myself truly fall in love with him that he would leave again. I just felt like there were too many risks, and everything felt so chaotic.

When he finally came back, I was exhausted. I just wanted to curl into a ball and never move again.

"Bella, did I wake you?" He hadn't even been gone very long and he was already worried.

"I'm fine really. I don't know what happened. I think I've just been working too hard. I'm more worried about you. I hate that you couldn't leave on time. I feel like it's entirely my fault." I wasn't about to show him how happy it actually was making me.

He chuckled and shook my head, "What did you expect me to do, leave you after I found you passed out on the floor? There is nothing that important to take me away when there is something wrong. Bella, if something had happened to you while I was away I would never forgive myself. Don't you get it yet? I don't want to talk about this anymore tonight; really, I don't think that it is doing either one of us any good."

He crawled in bed beside me and pulled me across his chest. He ran his fingers through my hair, and I could tell that the something was on his mind. I wanted to ask him but his night was just as crazy as mine had been. I didn't want to stress him out further.

"Edward?"

"Yes."

"If you don't mind me asking you, where do you go when you leave on these trips?" I was genuinely curious, and I thought that maybe it would make it easier while he was gone if I knew where exactly it was that he went to.

"Well, I built a machine for my father. When there is any kind of problem with it I have to go and take a look at it."

"So, you're the only one who can fix it if it breaks?"

"Well, yes, it's something that only three people have access to. So, since I built it, I fix it. Why do you ask?"

I wasn't sure how honest I should be with him but, at this point, what did I have to lose. "I just thought that maybe it would make it easier for me while you were gone if I had some idea that you were somewhere I could imagine. Not that I think about it all the time, but I worry when you leave. It feels like I might not see you again."

"Bella, nothing could keep me away, and I mean nothing. I only leave because it's of the utmost importance. Does it really worry you when I leave?" He pulled me a little bit closer.

"Well, yes, it does bother me a little. I told myself that there was no way that I could have fallen in love with you so fast, but I find myself here with you right now, and I don't think that I could possibly be any happier. I know that under the circumstances this should be the last thing on my mind, but lately, you are all that I think about."

"Bella, do you really feel that way?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm tired of trying to fight these feelings, thinking that they couldn't possibly be real. I just feel better that you know now."

There was no expression on his face. I couldn't tell what he was thinking and he wasn't telling me anything, either.

"Bella, I love you." He leaned into me and kissed me softly. It felt like he was holding back.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I just don't really want to get carried away with you after the night that we both had. Believe me when I tell you that it is very trying for me not to get carried away."

I think that I was actually blushing there in the dark. How did I get so lucky? If Riley had not made the choices he made I wouldn't be here with Edward. Maybe I should thank him for that.

"Edward, when do you think that you will be back from your trip?"

"Well, it depends on what is actually wrong with the machine. It could be something simple, and that would only take a day or two. If it's something more complex, it could take up to a week. Felix wasn't specific on what was actually wrong."

"Felix? Is he one of the people that have access to the machine?"

"Felix, my Father, and I are the only ones that have access to this machine. I built it with very limited help from the two of them so I need to be the one that discovers the problem. If I don't, it could be critical. It would take me so much time to try to explain to them what to do. It's just better if I do it myself."

"Is this a really important machine? It just sounds so secretive since there are only three of you who can access it."

"I would say that this machine is the most important piece of technology in my world. Without this machine there is so much in my life that wouldn't be possible."

"You should leave first thing in the morning. I have to get to work early so there isn't really any reason for you to hang around here."

The expression on his face was priceless. He actually looked like his feelings were hurt.

"Bella, are you trying to get rid of me?"

"No, not at all. I just think that the sooner you leave, the sooner you'll get back. If I had my way you wouldn't leave at all."

"Well, that's good to know. Now, you should get some sleep, and maybe you should take some time off in the morning. I'm sure that Rose won't mind being at the helm for a few hours. Say… after twelve?"

"That's definitely not going to happen. This is the busiest time of year for me. I only have a few days left until the show and then we close for two weeks. After that, I can relax. Until then, I have to be focused."

"So focused that you pass out from all of the stress?"

"No, I've been doing this for years now, and this is the only time that this has ever happened. You're right, though. I do need to get some sleep. Thank you so much for everything, Edward; really, I don't know what I would do without you. Good night."

"Good night to you, too, my sweet Bella."

He pulled me close and kissed me softly, again. He smelled so wonderful. His face was the last image I saw behind my lids before I fell asleep.

I awoke to a cold bed. I wasn't sure when he left, but I was disappointed that he had gone without saying good bye. I dragged myself out of bed and caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. I hadn't had a shower the night before, and I looked absolutely atrocious. I went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Steam started to fill the bathroom, and when the water fell over my back, I hadn't realized until then how sore I was. The last couple of weeks were taking more of toll on me than I had noticed.

I was lost in a steam haze when there was a knock at the bathroom door.

"Bella, it's me. Can I come in?"

I couldn't really see why he couldn't come in. I was behind a shower curtain.

"Come in." I could hear the door open and close. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing this morning, and to tell you good-bye. I wasn't planning on leaving before you, but I really need to get there as soon as I possibly can."

"Okay, can you give me a minute so I can say goodbye without being behind this curtain."

"Sure, sorry. I want to say something to you face to face, too." He left so quietly that I didn't hear the door close.

I rushed through my shower, that had been intended to relax me, but now had the opposite effect. I was a bundle of nerves and worry as I haphazardly threw some clothes on. I opened the door to the bathroom and his lips were immediately on mine. He pressed me against the wall, and I could feel every inch of his body. His kisses were so urgent that I was having trouble catching my breath. He stopped to look into my eyes.

"Bella, promise me something… Think of me when I'm gone?"

"Of course I will. How could you even think that I wouldn't? After that kiss, I may not think of anything else while you're gone."

He rubbed his nose against mine and smiled. "If you think that was impressive, wait until I get back. You haven't seen anything yet." He kissed me again, this time softly and pulled me into his arms. "Goodbye, my sweet Bella." He turned and left without another word. Maybe it was better that he didn't let me say anything. I was ready to drop to my knees and beg him not to go. I would make a fool of myself, and to keep him from his family was unforgivable as far as I was concerned.

The rest of the week was the slowest of my life. Every day was exactly the same. I woke up in the morning, went to the studio, then to the theatre, back to the studio, and then home. Countless fittings of costumes and making sure music and light cues were exact seemed to fill in the empty space of my days. With all that could possibly go wrong, the one thing that weighed on my mind the most was Edward.

I wondered what he was doing, and how soon he would be back. My nights seemed to be so lonely without him around. Even though he had stayed with me only a couple of times, just knowing that he was next door helped me sleep at night. I imagined him showing up and surprising me, but the disappointment always seemed to overpower the happy thoughts.

By Friday, I was ready to be done with my week. Our first show was in the evening and we seemed to be right on track. The audience started to show up at five o'clock, and the show was set to start at six. Backstage, Rose and I were making sure all of our dancers were ready to go. Everything seemed to be in place.

"Rose, am I doing the intro or are you?"

"Can you do it? I was going to stand back here and make sure they started smoothly."

"Sounds good to me. We're all ready? Here it goes."