Thank you so much for being patient, however, I do think that this was a faster update than I've had in awhile. I'm definitely trying hard to keep up, so thanks for those of you who've stuck with me. And to anyone new, thanks for taking a chance on this little story of mine. I'm working on a few one shots for Breath-of-Twilights end of the year countdown so you guys should check it out at:

http:/www (dot) fanfiction (dot)net/s/7348457/1/Countdown_to_2012_Farewell_to_2011

Obviously, you need to add the dots, but it's a wonderful countdown full of amazing authors. Make sure you leave them reviews, too!

So, this is a big informational chapter. I hope that it doesn't disappoint and it will definitely answer quite a few of your questions. Hold on tight, and see if you knew this was coming.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Stephanie Meyer is a goddess and she owns everything. No copyright infringement intended.

All the Loves of Our Lives

12. Answers

Edward took my hand in his and led me to the living room.

No matter how much I wanted him to confide in me, I was still concerned of what he would actually tell me.

The look on his face was pensive. Then, he looked up at me with this blank expression and said, "Bella, I've held a lot back from you. I want to talk about some things that you've said in the past and some things that I know you'll eventually ask me. I've put off this conversation as long as I possibly can, and I just don't want to keep things from you anymore." He sat up straighter and looked away from me.

Hearing that he'd been keeping things from me made me feel sick to my stomach.

What was he going to tell me?

Why did I feel like I wasn't going to like what I was going to hear?

Did I really know him at all? I thought I did. Keeping things from one another was no way to start out a relationship. I wanted to keep an open mind for him, but I could already feel the walls forming around my heart.

Looking out the window into the backyard, he spoke again, quietly.

"I thought about how I would tell you a thousand different times. I think the best thing would be for me to start from the beginning. I promise not to leave anything out. Just bear with me."

I nodded in agreement, and he seemed to take that as his cue to continue.

"I am what's called a Seeker. I seek out souls for a living." He hesitated slightly, gauging my reaction. I could tell that he could see the confusion on my face.

"My father and I came up with the technology; we have a way to track a soul's progression through its individual lifetimes. We can track twin souls, soul mates, and if a souls splits.

"Are you following so far?" He glanced at me but immediately looked away again.

I was a little stunned and completely confused. I understood the words that he was saying, but none of it made sense. It all seemed so farfetched. I'd made a promise to him, though.

When he looked back at me for a response, I nodded for him to continue.

"I'd never experienced real love in my current lifetime. I knew in my heart what real love was, but it was only an impression on my soul from past lives I'd lived.

"Curious about my own experiences, I started to do research into my own soul's development. I discovered that my soul had been evolving for the last 3,500 years. In every lifetime that I researched I had a soul mate.

"You can tell when a soul is with its soul mate by the yellow light that it gives off.

"I traveled to each of my lifetimes and discovered that I had found my soul mate in each and every one. The consistency was amazing. I had in every life achieved a relationship with my soul mate, that in and of itself was amazing.

"Some souls never find a mate, so my situation was quite irregular.

"Since I'd discovered the truths in my soul, I felt compelled to research my soul mate. I discovered that my soul mate had existed for 4,000 years.

"Five hundred years my soul mate existed without a mate.

"As I tracked it further, I discovered that within 250 years of my current age my soul mate had completed its journey.

"The last known lifetime of my soul mate is in this current time."

I was trying to understand, but I still had to clarify something before he continued.

"Okay, so you're from the future? I just need to make this clear to me before you continue."

He stared into my eyes like he was trying to figure something out and then answered, "Yes, I'm from the future."

I nodded at him again to continue. He sighed and then spoke again, but this time with more conviction.

"I went back to work, literally consuming myself with nothing but. I just couldn't seem to shake the knowledge that I would never experience profound love.

"I would never have my soul mate in my lifetime.

"It started to literally drive me mad.

"Here I had everything at my finger tips, but was doing absolutely nothing with it for myself.

"I told my father what I'd found out and his suggestion shocked me. He felt that I needed to experience those feelings, those deep feelings of all consuming love. He felt that I should search out my soul mates last lifetime and share whatever I could with them.

"I fought deeply with myself over this. Did I want to come into someone's life and change the course of the past?

"Could I risk never finding them? I mean, thinking about it tormented me.

"I finally came to the realization that it was something that I had to do. I needed to find my soul mate and learn as much as I could.

"How could I be effective at my research when I didn't even truly understand what I was researching?" He finally turned back towards me to see that I was still listening.

"You're probably wondering how I get from one lifetime to the next?

"In our research, we discovered a hole in the fabric of time. The hole will never close. However, it is a difficult process to get through, and it takes quite a bit of out of a person to travel through it."

Realization must have shown on my face.

"That's why I'm gone for certain lengths of time, and when I get home, I don't leave for awhile. I have to recover every time that I make the transition." Peeking at me from under his lashes, he seemed to be checking again to see if I was still listening before he continued.

"The interesting thing about this lifetime, for my soul, I'm not in a romantic relationship with my soul mate.

"I'm still her companion.

"I was her cat."

I'd sat and listened to everything that he said, but when he made that last statement, I found that my mouth had dropped open. I don't know when I understood that he was talking about me, but the only coherent thought I had was, he was Jakey?

"I knew that if I interfered in her life that I wouldn't really be altering anything that was meant to be occurring with our soul relationship.

"I moved in next door to her, but I didn't want to frighten her. I tried to stay close without being too obvious, but I could hardly stand the anticipation that was building inside me. I just wanted to be around her." He was still speaking cryptically, but I could see that he knew I'd caught on.

"Look, I mean, I know that I should have said something a long time ago. I honestly couldn't stand the thought of you thinking that I was crazy, or worse, hating me for any reason. You have to understand that I never told you because if I lose you I have no more reason to stay. I can't think about that. You have to understand that I can't think about what kind decision I eventually have to make." He bowed his head when he finished.

It was quiet then, both of us just digesting all the information that he had just divulged to me.

No matter how crazy all of it sounded, I didn't care. It was farfetched and totally incomprehensible, but deep down; I completely believed every word he spoke. It all came together like intricate pieces in a puzzle. The picture was starting to form for me, and my brain immediately went to the photos he had in his house. I needed to remember to ask him about those, but there were more pressing things that needed to be addressed.

Thoughts were running rampant through my brain, but the one thing that they kept coming back to was- am I going to lose him? That question made me feel sick inside. How could I just find him and then lose him? I wasn't going to. If I had to leave with him, I would follow him anywhere.

I could barely find my voice.

"When are you leaving?"

He looked at me, and I could see the pain clear on his face. His contorted features made it look as though I had struck him. He adjusted himself so that he was positioned directly in front of me, looking directly into my eyes.

"I want you to try not to think about the possibility of me leaving.

"I'm going to do everything that I possibly can to stay with you. I don't know what that will be yet, but I will think of something.

"You can't know how important you are to me. I told you when we first met that I wasn't worthy of you. I still feel that way. I have looked into every life that my soul has ever had, and I was never worthy of you. You are the most amazing soul that I have ever encountered, and the most amazing person I have ever met. I'm not saying that just because I love you. I say that because I genuinely believe you are the purest soul I have ever come across. So many things change over the years, but you have remained timeless. I will figure this out. I will make everything right, I promise."

Somewhere in all of the things he had just said only one thing truly stood out.

He said that he loved me. I wasn't sure if he even realized that he'd said it, and I wished more than anything that I had had a bit more time to savor those sweet words.