A/N: Thanks to OCD_Indeed! And Cullenitis for helping me through this one!

Jilburfm rocks the beta, fixes up all sorts of comma errors and keeps the vocab in check, among about a million other things.

Huge thanks to the girls over at the Temptation Podcast for picking VITB as the fic of the week. Woo! And everyone else who is rec'cing, reading, REVIEWING, etc! I love it!

**

Bella POV

"Not vampires?" I repeated his words in my head over and over as he turned his attention back to the water. Not vampires?

He remained silently perched at the edge of the river and slowly shook his head. "No," he repeated, a dejected sigh escaping him. I could make out the slight tremble in his shoulders as he said this, the water rippling more fiercely as his shaking intensified. I moved closer to him and repositioned myself, draping my arm protectively around his back. I vehemently tried to ignore his flinch at our contact, but couldn't help the brief feelings of frustration at my inability to gain his full trust.

"Humans?" I whispered conspiratorially, my eyes automatically scanning my surroundings. The corners of his lips turned up slightly at my perusal while he inhaled deliberately. When he finally let the breath go, he turned his focus back to the water. His trembling continued to pick up as I tightened my grip on his back, the flow of the current splashing angrily against his unsteady fingers.

"Edward," I finally said, several silent minutes later. Reluctantly, he pulled his eyes from the river to meet mine. He cocked his head, silently encouraging me to continue. "Who did this to you?" I asked softly, my voice cracking at the end; I wasn't entirely sure I was prepared for the answer, but it was so rare that he offered up information about his past, I couldn't allow the opportunity to pass without trying. I raised my hand slowly to his neck as I attempted to decipher his pained expression, tracing his quivering jaw line; his eyes closed.

I could almost see the panic physically manifesting itself as he reflected on what he'd been through, and I knew of no other way to comfort him than what I had been doing since I met him. I pulled his shaking body closer to me and wrapped my arms around him tightly, my hands automatically tangling themselves into his hair. I could feel his erratic breaths jolting my body, but I held him as tightly as I could manage while I worked to keep my own sobs at bay.

"Edward," I whispered, a fresh bout of tears staining the t-shirt that Alice had bought him. I whispered his name over and over, begging him to come back to reality, as the tremors slowly eased. "You don't have to tell me." My voice was low as I released his body, my hands gripping his shoulders and pushing him back far enough to allow our eyes to meet. He was in agony; that much was clear.

The sun was low in the sky by now, the forest darkening around us. I turned my attention back to him and swallowed loudly, slowly rising to my feet.

I reached my hand out to him. He quickly stood and took it in his own as we walked side by side in companionable silence back toward the mansion.

We quickly made our way upstairs, once more uninterrupted by any of the Cullens. I couldn't hear them, but I suspected that they were close-by. We quickly ascended the staircase and headed back to the bedroom. On the bed lay a fresh pair of sweatpants and a clean t-shirt, along with a leather-bound copy of Much Ado About Nothing. I shook my head, disbelieving. Subtle.

It was just past seven, so I quickly moved the things to the nightstand and sat on the bed. He lowered himself next to me, our feet dangling over the edge; his had been bare and there was visible evidence of our trip on his skin. I looked up at him and smiled sheepishly, removing my own shoes and socks and rolling my pants to my knees.

I walked slowly to the bathroom, looking over my shoulder for evidence that my vampire was on the same page as me. He sat stoically on the bed, watching me with a mixture of trepidation and something close to amusement as I entered the bathroom.

I knelt down beside the tub and turned the water on, the steam from the overly hot water greeting my chilled fingers. I positioned the plug and allowed the bath to fill some before turning off the water and heading back to the bedroom.

As I made my way toward him, he stood, taking small, tentative steps in my direction. I took his arm and led him to the bathroom, keeping my movements slow and deliberate as not to cause any unnecessary anxiety on either of our parts.

I opted to leave the door open upon entering the bathroom, keeping his escape always visible to him if I accidentally pushed him too far. I maintained eye contact with him as I slowly lifted my legs into the steaming tub. I knew his body would cause it to immediately cool, but as my feet burned under the water, I contemplated how long I would be able to withstand the heat.

He swallowed and glanced around nervously before sitting down on the ledge, facing the opposite direction. As discreetly as possible, I lifted my feet from the water and perched them on the wall across from me, half-turning my body to face him.

Quietly, he leaned down and began working his pants up his calves. I watched in perfect silence as he mimicked my movements from earlier, his trembling fingers rolling the fabric, until finally he looked up and caught my eye. I moved as close to the wall as possible, allowing him room to turn, but instead he stood and stepped cautiously into the tub. He lowered himself until he was sitting next to me and closed his eyes, absently reaching his hand toward mine.

I grasped it tightly and let our entangled fingers fall between us, finally having a moment to reflect on the events of the day. My vampire had never been outside. He had never seen himself in the sun, never tasted the fresh air. My mind wandered briefly back to the day they found him. Alice had told me that he was in the woods in the middle of the afternoon. I couldn't understand why his reaction to the outdoors had been so… shocked.

He obviously had been outside before, and yet, something about the way he had responded indicated otherwise. I struggled over the implications of this information for several minutes before absently replacing my feet in the water. It had cooled significantly and I was startled out of my reverie by the brief shiver that followed the contact. I looked over to Edward and immediately caught his gaze; he was watching me. Intently.

I gave him a half-hearted smile and as I felt the color rising to my face, a sheepish chuckle escaped me. "What?" I asked, my grin widening as the corner of his mouth turned up.

He shook his head and looked down quickly, his token defense mechanism, so I squeezed his hand gently in a feeble attempt to reassure him. Slowly, he lifted his head and quietly searched my eyes. I wasn't sure what I should be doing so I just sat silently, hoping he found whatever answers he was looking for.

"You're different," he suddenly whispered. Instantly, my mind replayed the last time he said this. "You're not like them," he had said. I had explained that day that I wasn't though; I had told him.

"What do you mean?" I finally asked. Clearly I was failing at deciphering his cryptic messages.

His eyebrows pulled together pensively as he continued his inspection of my face. It wasn't exactly… uncomfortable, but it wasn't something that I particularly enjoyed.

"You're quiet."

I chuckled reflexively. I couldn't even begin to remember all of the things I had told him. I'm quiet?

His grin had widened by the time I looked back to him, still silently watching me. "I'm quiet," I repeated, disbelieving.

He swallowed and his expression shifted to one of concern, his grip on my hand tightening slightly. "I…" he began, looking away again.

"What?" I spoke softly, encouraging him.

"I've never –" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, pulling back. "Your friend –"

"It's okay," I whispered.

He nodded, his eyes remaining closed. "I can't hear…" He clenched his eyes tightly and tightened his grip on me once more. "Your thoughts," he finished, just above a whisper. Immediately, he opened his eyes for my reaction.

He can't hear my thoughts? I wasn't really sure what to make of it. Is it because I'm human? Or because I'm broken? The questions streamed through my head before I could even fully process them. Did it mean he could read minds? I knew I should've trusted Alice, she was never wrong. Why wouldn't he be able to hear mine?

He continued watching me as my mind raced through the possibilities. "So you can read minds," I began, willing him to give me any other pieces to the puzzle. I looked up at him quickly for some sign of an answer. He nodded, closing his eyes and pulling away a bit. I kept my hold on his hand.

"But you can't read… human minds?"

He opened his eyes briefly to search mine. "I can," he said.

"So… so something's wrong with me?" I sighed. I always knew something was wrong with me, it really shouldn't have surprised me. Shrugging my shoulders, I offered him a small smile.

His face distorted into one of confusion as he shook his head.

"It's okay," I told him. "I've always known I wasn't quite right." I chuckled under my breath and began to relive a moment in seventh grade when my first real crush told me I was on the AM frequency, but he interrupted me.

"Bella," he whispered solemnly; although his voice was almost too low to hear, I immediately trailed off. He shook his head, confused and uncertain, before continuing softly. "You're perfect."

Several awkward minutes followed as I looked at our fingers, still tangled together. I wasn't sure when it had happened, but this was entirely new ground for me. I had known that he couldn't feel for me what I had begun to feel for him, but in that moment, I was certain that there was something.

I kept my gaze on our hands, wrapped tightly around one another, and tried to pinpoint the moment that my feelings for him had shifted to something… more. It was silly; I didn't even know him, really. What I knew was that he was a vampire and that he was damaged, possibly beyond repair. And I was confident that Jasper and Alice knew of my growing infatuation. How long they had known, I couldn't be sure, but they knew.

As my feet began to tingle from the ever cooling temperature, I stood, unsure of what I should do about my revelations. I decided immediately to ignore them; to put them on the back burner for now, at least until my vampire was capable of having a real conversation about it.

If he couldn't read my mind, surely my feelings would be safe inside my head and things could continue as normal, right? I had to hope so. He wasn't ready for anything more, and of that, I was absolutely certain.

"Thank you," I finally said, reaching over for a towel. I knew it was getting late, my feet were practically numb from the position I had been holding. I dried off my legs and stepped onto the rug, handing him the towel. He watched me intently for several seconds before following suit and stepping from the tub.

As we gradually made our way back to the bedroom, I allowed myself to contemplate what I would do. Would I lie in bed? Could I lie in bed? I wasn't ready for the dynamic to change, for the awkwardness that accompanied 'Bella has a crush' to set in, but I wasn't sure if I could continue how we had been, either. I walked to the side of the bed facing the window and sat at the edge, leaving room for my vampire to sit next to me. My vampire. I closed my eyes and took a breath, trying to keep my erratic heart from bursting from my chest.

Edward eyed me speculatively, his head angling toward me as he… listened. I knew this trick from my time with the Cullens. Emmett used my heartbeat against me on multiple occasions; I had learned early not to even bother to lie with this family nearby. Or play poker.

Instead of commenting, though, he walked to the window and looked over the yard.

"Why can't you read my mind?" I asked suddenly.

He turned slowly toward me and walked over, finally sitting in the empty spot next to me. He shrugged. "I don't know," he whispered, inhaling deeply.

I reached out impulsively and took his hand. I could do this, I decided. I could make it work until he was ready, and then… I would deal with it… then.

**

Carlisle POV

Shortly after Bella left on Thursday night, I headed upstairs. Alice gave me a slight nod of approval from across the room, unnoticed by anyone other than myself.

While I hadn't seen him at all since he fed, I couldn't help but hope that some headway had been made between us during that time.

As I reached the bedroom I tapped softly on the door, more out of courtesy than necessity. As I had expected, he didn't respond, so I carefully entered. I was met by a sharp growl as Edward pulled himself into a ball, but I knew this was coming; Alice had warned me of as much.

"How are you feeling, Edward?" His growling eased but he remained tightly curled, his body trembling violently. "Are you thirsty?" I asked, probing for any type of reaction from him.

He shook his head and pulled the blankets tighter to his chest, an act that served absolutely no physical purpose. I nodded. "Okay. Everything's alright?" He inhaled deeply and nodded, his expression tipping me off to his inner anguish. I tried to calm my thoughts; to be less of a doctor, to be more of a friend.

I quickly inspected the room, my eyes immediately falling on the little book that sat next to the bed. Much Ado About Nothing. I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped me. Predictable. I knew instantly who was responsible for this choice. "Have you read this?" I asked.

He nodded.

I made my way over the window and examined the yard. It was pitch black, but I had no trouble making out each detail of each tree in sight. This room truly had a magnificent view.

How would you feel about taking a shower? I knew Alice had brought in clean clothes yesterday, but as far as I could tell, they were still unused. If he was going outside more often, it would become increasingly necessary for him to wash away the filth of the human world in regular intervals. Esme had requested that I try today; I couldn't bring myself to argue.

"I won't force you to." I couldn't imagine ever gaining his trust if I continued to presume to know what was best for him. Physically, he was older than half of the family. I'd like you to try, though.

I walked over to the bed and sat on the edge, picking up the book and leafing through the pages. Hesitantly, I reached my hand out, letting it rest lightly on his leg. He was buried in the blankets, but I could feel the tremors running through his body at the contact. "It's okay," I whispered. You're safe here.

I removed my hand and resumed flipping through the pages.

"Will you try?" I asked, standing as I replaced the book to the nightstand, and gestured for him to join me. I knew it was necessary to maintain low expectations, as I could predict that his trust in me had not yet reached a point in which he would allow this, but I had to try nonetheless.

He inhaled deeply, his trembling audible with his breath, and curled himself up tighter.

I nodded to myself, anticipating as much, and moved to the bathroom. I turned on the water and adjusted the pressure, making the spray as light as possible, and went back to the bedroom. When his eyes finally met mine, I deliberately went through the motions in my mind, instructing him. I replayed it all several times, the only encouragement I could think to offer him, assuring him all the while that we meant him no harm.

You don't need to be afraid. "I promise you… we're not going to let anyone hurt you."

He inhaled again and loosened his body as the shower ran steadily in the adjacent room. I'll give you some privacy.

I turned and left the room, closing the door behind me.

I could hear the shower running, just as I could hear each timid footstep in the direction of the bathroom. A large part of me wanted to go to him, to encourage him as Bella would, to show him that we meant him no harm, but he needed to do it. I waited outside the room, listening as the sounds of his footsteps changed, signifying his entrance into the bathroom. His movements were becoming more hesitant as he neared the shower.

I could hear each step of his inner struggle; he was having an excruciatingly difficult time. As the minutes progressed, his fear continued to escalate. His breathing was erratic and deep, the soft vibration of his trembling increasing steadily. I waited by the bedroom door, willing to intervene only if absolutely necessary; I didn't want to wander too far just yet.

Suddenly, I felt a bout of calmness encompass me, his frantic breaths becoming more regular with Jasper's aid.

When I finally heard the steady slap of the water hitting his body, I retreated slowly toward the study. I could still hear everything perfectly from here and would know if anything was to go wrong, but I had a fresh stack of files to go through and I wasn't convinced that I had unlimited time to solve this mystery.

**

When a frantic Alice appeared in front of me hours later, I immediately knew something wasn't right.

"What is it?" I asked alarmed, but forcing myself to remain calm despite her outward anxiety.

"They're coming."

I immediately felt a brief pang of panic before regaining my composure. I expected that his captors would find him eventually and thus had been developing contingency plans, but they were not fully prepared. I systematically began compiling a list of what needed to be done before they arrived. Whoever they were. Bella was the most crucial element. Although they likely had little interest in her, I didn't doubt their willingness to overlook civilian casualties in recapturing their test subject. She would need to–

"Not them." Alice interrupted my quickly escalating dread.

My eyes snapped up to meet hers. "Alice, now isn't the time for cryptic. Who is coming?"

Her eyes went blank for several seconds while she confirmed our future. "The Volturi," she said decisively.

My head immediately fell into my hands. It could be worse, I repeated mentally, a small part of my mind processing all the ways in which this was good news. The undeniable conclusion was that it wasn't good news.

"The guard?" I asked.

"And Aro," she replied.

"Aro? He's coming… here?" I had anticipated a phone call – I had even anticipated an escort – but to have Aro planning a visit to Forks was something I never would've foreseen if not for my psychic daughter. She nodded.

"When?"

"Soon. He's not ready, Carlisle."

"I know. Can we stall them?"

She pulled out her cell phone and handed it to me. "If we act quickly, maybe we can stall them. They caught wind of what's going on, they're coming here to –"

I took the phone. "I know," I answered. I knew exactly what they were coming here for.

Bella POV

By the time Friday rolled around I had given in to the fact that I had no choice but to attend the dance. I briefly contemplated accidentally taking another spill, if for no other reason than to get out of it, but as it turned out, Alice was keeping a close watch on me. I knew that with her supervision I would have no chance of escaping the ghastly event that was senior homecoming.

As per my specific set of directions, I arrived at the Cullens' promptly at four. Alice told me I could have until 4:30 with Edward before she would drag me kicking and screaming into her bedroom. I hadn't even seen the dress I would be wearing and frankly, as long as it adhered to the set of guidelines I had provided her a week earlier, I didn't necessarily care what it looked like. I wasn't trying to impress anyone.

I moved gleefully up the staircase, happy to be free for another weekend. Continuing as if nothing was different had turned out easier than I thought it would. On Thursday we spent the day on the balcony, reading through the book that Alice had left him. I told him all about the time my mother and I waited for seven hours in Central Park for tickets to see that show, and I spent the rest of the time telling him about all of the places I've visited. While it was a short list, I was able to recall each trip with perfect detail.

Over the past two nights, when I had time to reflect, I realized that there were a million ways this could end badly and really only one way for it to work out. The odds were stacked heavily against me, and on top of it all, I had no idea what Alice was still hiding from me. But for her to keep it hidden could only mean one thing; it wasn't pretty. With that in mind, I was able to somewhat detach myself from my fairytale romance I had begun dreaming about; at least while I was at the mansion.

As I continued ascending the stairs, I began to try to calm myself. I believed that he couldn't read my mind, but I knew that my heart rate and my blood flow too often gave me away. I took deep, calming breaths in stride with my steps as I neared the landing.

Slowly, I peeked my head into the doorway, and for the first time since I had met him, he didn't growl at my entrance.

He was lying on his side facing the window, his knees pulled tightly to his chest, only a very small quiver visible to me.

"Hey," I greeted softly as I walked over to the foot of the bed. I slid onto the mattress and back to the pillow, lying down next to my vampire. "How're you?"

He turned to face me, pulling his knees in tighter, as a sad smile played on his lips. I looked him over, as I did every other afternoon, and immediately noticed the difference; he had changed. He now wore the fresh clothes that Alice had laid out for him on Wednesday night; his hair far more disheveled than I was used to it being.

"You changed," I said, smiling despite our anxiety. He nodded, his hands finally loosening from their position around his knees. I reached out and let the back of my fingers graze his shoulder, tracing his arm down to his wrist. "Are you alright?" I finally asked. Something still wasn't right; he was more edgy than usual.

He swallowed and inhaled, his shivering easing slightly, as his body slowly uncoiled. He slowly raised his hand to my arm, gently trailing his shaking fingers down my forearm. His cool touch elicited a slight tremor from my body, followed by something that can only be described as tingling. It felt wonderful. I smiled as he held my arm, outlining the veins that ran the length of my wrist. I had done this to him countless times before; I tried not to read too far into it.

To fill the silence that accompanied his inspection, I began talking about the sixth grade sock hop. I told him about The Outsiders and the accompanying dance that the teachers felt compelled to throw for each sixth grade class. I told him that I had been deemed a "greaser" and about the extravagant attire that my mother had too much fun preparing for me. I couldn't help but wonder what Alice had in store for tonight.

As if on cue, my vampire growled softly in time with a quick rap at the door. Alice poked her head in briefly and pointed to her watch, shooting me her death glare before exiting again.

"I guess I better get going," I said, finally pulling away. His increased anxiety was making me wary of leaving, but I knew Alice wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'll come in before I leave."

**

It was official; Alice had gone overboard.

Individually, everything was pretty enough. It wasn't exactly appropriate attire for a high school homecoming in the gymnasium, but each individual piece was elegant and classy. The dress was less modest than I'd have chosen, a deep blue v-neck that showed more of my skin than I cared to reveal, but it wasn't tacky. It was knee-length, fitted to my waist then flowing outward.

The shoes, however, were some sort of deathtrap from hell. Coupled with an hour's worth of hair and makeup, and I felt like a life-sized Barbie-doll. I could only imagine how utterly ridiculous I looked, as Alice was keeping me far away from any reflective surface, and my imagination was running wild.

After two hours of primping, she finally released me, dragging me into the bathroom with her.

I gaped at my reflection for several minutes before finally picking my jaw up off ground. She had done… well. Alice's many talents had never ceased to amaze me, and as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I had to add another one to the list.

"Well?" she asked hopefully. I smiled and nodded my approval, carefully maneuvering myself out of the bathroom. The heels would be an issue before the end of the night, I was sure of it. But I'd deal, if for no other reason than the look of sheer joy on Alice's face at her handiwork.

She sat on the bed next to Jasper and Emmett and together, they appraised me. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks but still turned when directed, less than enthusiastic but not completely stoically. Jasper and Emmett whistled simultaneously as I laughed nervously. My cheeks were on fire.

"Shouldn't we be going?" I asked. Alice looked at Jasper slyly before turning back to me.

"I need to go help Rose get ready – we'll come get you when it's time," she said, springing to her feet. Jasper shook his head and followed behind her while Emmett stood and shrugged, offering me his elbow.

I looped my arm through it and we walked out together, but as we passed the door to my room, Emmett released me.

"I think Alice will be a while," he began, "If you wanted to say 'goodbye' or… something." He wagged his eyebrows suggestively and chuckled, before heading back in the direction that Alice and Jasper had gone.

I opened the door slowly and looked in to find my vampire standing by the window, watching the last remnants of the sun disappear for the night. Carefully, I made my way to him, avoiding any possible obstacles. When I reached the bed I knelt down and removed the heels from hell, pushing them out of the way before clearing the distance to Edward. He was still shaking as he looked down at me, clearly more anxious than normal, even for him.

He turned to me and, as I knew of no other way to comfort him, I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist. He slowly raised his arms to encircle my shoulders and tightened our embrace. My cheek lay flat against his chest as we held one another, his breathing still deep and troubled.

I'm not sure how it started, but slowly, we began swaying side to side. I felt the tears begin to pool in my eyes as Edward and I danced, our hold on each other growing impossibly tighter; stronger. I knew what we were doing couldn't actually be considered dancing, but the sentiment was there; no dance tonight would even come close to topping this silent sidestepping.

His hands were shaking on my back, his cheek resting lightly on my head. My hands were shaking as well, but I guessed that it was for a very different reason.

We continued moving in time with one another. The actions were natural, somehow… fitting. I knew we didn't have long, and as much as I didn't want to ruin the moment with words, there was something I needed to know.

"What's wrong?" I whispered quietly as we swayed slowly.

A quiet knock on the door signified the end of our time, though. Reluctantly, we loosened our embrace and moved to the bed. He immediately curled on his side, wrapping the blanket tightly over his shoulders. I laid my hand lightly on his trembling cheek, unsure of what I could possibly do to make this any better for him; unsure of what the problem was to begin with.

"Please tell me what's wrong." I knelt down on the floor next to the bed, my dress flowing freely around me, as I ran my fingers slowly through his hair.

He swallowed visibly, his shaking increasing with his fear. After several silent minutes, he finally spoke. "They'll find me," he whispered, his fingers trembling around mine. "They won't stop," he looked out the window, fear written plainly on his face. "They'll never stop… until they find me."

"The Cullens will protect you," I whispered, leaning slowly toward him. I took it slowly, watching his face for some sign that I should stop. As I neared his face he closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, relaxing himself. I pushed his hair off of his forehead slowly, and as lightly as I could possibly manage, I allowed my lips to brush his forehead. "They'll protect you," I said again as I pulled back.

He looked petrified, and in that moment, I knew there was no way I was going to the dance. "I'll be right back," I said, quickly walking into the hallway.

Alice was already waiting, leaning against the wall and shaking her head knowingly. "If you think that you're getting out of prom," she chuckled under her breath as she straightened. "You've got another thing coming."

**

A/N: Reviews keep me happy. Let me know how I'm doing :)

I'm sure I forgot plenty of what I wanted to say. I'm sorry for that.

********* To be clear, for those readers not familiar with the typical u.s. high school dance setup -- this was homecoming. she's not going; Alice referenced prom, which comes in the spring.... So, Alice saying "You're not getting out of prom," is NOT Alice giving Bella trouble about missing homecoming*********