A/N: As always, thanks to OCD_Indeed for being the best validation beta EVER. And to Jilburfm for fixing all my commas and telling me when I use the same adverb 14 times.

To reviewers: I love you dearly. To those who question why he confirmed it was humans – there were a fair portion of people who thought otherwise. I decided to be explicit.

**

Bella POV

Three weeks had passed. Three weeks of staring out of windows, of curling up next to stone, of evenings filled with sunsets and fear.

I had promised Edward that I would be there when he was ready, and for the past nineteen days, we found ourselves at an impasse. Every day after school, I had come to this house to be with my vampire; to offer him whatever security I could and in turn, to experience the slice of paradise that accompanied spending time with him.

We hadn't come far in that time, but there was still steady progression on both of our ends. Although he made no effort to spend any more time downstairs, the few instances in which Alice would pop her head in, I could see his concentrated effort to keep himself under control.

It had been two weeks since my vampire growled at me at all. While I'd like to say that his growling had completely dissolved, all too often he would feel threatened, his eyes darkening slightly as he turned his focus to the door.

I was watching him heal before my eyes, though. Carlisle had taken to feeding him twice a week, and slowly, he was beginning to trust it. I still wasn't allowed near him when he fed, but on those nights, he was visibly less shaken by it.

It became a trend that I looked forward to. Every Monday and Thursday night when I would arrive I knew that my vampire was feeling slightly better. His eyes would take on a light tone and some of the sadness that perpetually plagued his features would be lifted. I had yet to see him smile truly and fully, but the half-grins and slight chuckles had become a treat that I was growing to adore. With every smile that crossed his face, I found mine automatically mimicking. Only with exponentially greater joy.

He still wasn't talking about what he had been through; he still wasn't leaving the bedroom on his own accord. But on several occasions, we would trek to the study and explore the annals that Carlisle had accrued. I found that my vampire carried little interest in the classics, but was completely taken by science and music. He had grown accustomed to my laptop and to the little iPod that Alice had gifted me for my birthday. I was constantly torn over whether to bring it home and fill it further or to leave it with him overnight. As it ended up, I left it for him, only taking time to add more songs on the weekends that we spent together.

There were several days in which Carlisle would enter the study during our investigations. I knew this couldn't be accidental, as nothing was coincidence in this family, and gradually, I watched my vampire warm up to him. Carlisle never stopped trying, no matter how reluctant Edward acted. He spoke to Edward as if they were equal, as if his opinions mattered and as if his thoughts were important. I loved him for it and I was pretty sure that Edward did too.

Still, there was an ever-present danger looming. As hard as I tried to push it from my mind, it was a constant struggle between me and the demons of his past. I was set to leave town next weekend, as Alice saw the Volturi coming. Apparently, with Aro's gift, it was impossible to keep my involvement with the family entirely under wraps, but they still requested that I be as far away as possible, should anything go awry. Alice didn't suspect that they would come to Florida after me, so to Jacksonville I would go.

Honestly, the thought of spending an entire weekend apart from him did evil things to my stomach. As much as I missed Renee, I knew that this would be difficult for him, and I couldn't help but wonder how much the Cullens were keeping from me.

They had explained that the Volturi shouldn't be a problem so long as they all cooperated, and that Edward should be safe enough. They also constantly promised to protect him to the best of their ability. I knew what that meant: if he died, they all died for him. I shuddered at the thought.

**

As I lay in bed with my vampire, the worst part of my day drawing near, I considered this for the ten thousandth time in the last weeks. I could feel the steady rhythm of his breathing under me, the cool air sweeping over my forehead with each exhale. I could feel his eyes on me as I curled against him, once again dreading leaving him.

It was ten-thirty on a Thursday night, my curfew extended one measly hour on account of my eighteenth birthday. A large part of me knew that I could get away with fighting it, that I was an adult and that if I had no other place to stay, the Cullens would accept me. At least I hoped they would. But, to be honest, Charlie was handling my unexplained absence better than I could have ever hoped. I had to give him credit for trying. He kept his complaints about my weekends away to a minimum, and I didn't want to ruin the good terms we found ourselves under. Plus, that small piece of my mind continued to wonder if maybe one day Charlie wouldn't be a part of my life any more. I fought those feelings back, knowing the hope was wasted.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asked hesitantly, pushing me back slightly so he could see my face. The fear in his voice never failed to break my heart, but I smiled back at him anyway. I shook my head, exhaling louder than necessary. I hated saying goodbye every night.

"I need to go soon," I whispered, bringing myself closer to him again. He nodded, having grown used to our routine over the past month.

I felt the soft growl before I heard the knock. His growling seemed more reflexive than anything, but there was still a clear warning in it. I was certain by this point that he knew it was just Alice, coming to tell me it was time to leave, yet still he growled. I smiled against his body. Despite the morbidity of the act, the constant rumbling in his chest had actually become kind of… endearing.

Alice peeked her head in. "It's 10:30," she said, quickly retreating. I had to give her credit – she never lingered at the end of the night. During the daytime she would occasionally come in, but when it was almost time for me to go home, she knew to give us space.

I pulled myself free from his arms and sat up, stretching in the process. Thursday night meant it was the last night I would spend alone before the weekend. It was always the light at the end of the tunnel, and my moods were marginally better than during our other goodbyes.

He sat too, slowly and deliberately, still uncomfortable acting on his own volition. I wished that he would somehow find comfort here, but I suspected it didn't matter where he was – he would need time no matter what.

I brought my hand to his face, grazing the backs of my fingers over his cheek. He leaned into my touch slightly and I smiled, elated with the small victory. Taking any little smile he gave me for granted would be a mistake that I wasn't willing to make. I pushed the stray hair off of his face, letting my fingers trail his jaw line in the process. I felt a small shiver run through him and closed my eyes hopelessly. He would never be completely comfortable with me; it was daunting.

He covered my hand with his as it lingered on his face, locking our fingers together, and slowly moved our hands so they were resting on his lap. He kept his gaze trained on them for several seconds, staring aimlessly at our clasped hands. He looked… confused, to say the least. His eyebrows had slightly pulled together and his forehead was creased as he focused on them. I wanted, more than anything in that moment, to know what was going through his head.

He looked up, our eyes finally meeting, and tentatively smiled. My features mirrored his as I stood; he remained perched on the edge of the bed, his head tilted backwards, keeping our eyes locked.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I whispered, reluctantly unwrapping our fingers. I calmly brought my hand to his neck, satisfying my ever growing need to touch his face. He closed his eyes and inhaled as I ran my fingers through his hair.

As I had done every night since homecoming, I leaned down slowly and gently pushed the remaining hair from his face before letting my lips graze his forehead.

I forced myself to back away then. I hated to admit, but it had become a struggle: wanting more and knowing I couldn't have it. It was too soon, too much, and too complicated to act on my irrational feelings, but I still couldn't quell the desire. So I retreated, abandoned ship, if just for the night so that I could regroup.

I smiled and bit my lip, whispering, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Bella," he responded quietly, rising slowly. I looked back briefly before I closed the door and saw him standing by the window, carefully inspecting the dark woods.

**

Alice POV

There are those days in Forks that just shock the hell out of you. Those days when the rain somehow decides not to fall, the clouds take root in another city, the fog is lifted and the sun somehow makes an appearance.

I sat at the bar in the kitchen looking longingly outdoors. The morning sun beat heavily through the open blinds, the resulting patterns across the countertop and floors brightening the place substantially.

Emmett came bounding in and plopped on the stool next to me. "Any plans today?" he asked happily. The funny thing about Emmett was that he really embraced the high school mentality. No one required him to ever go to school, but he joined in the merriment when we were forced to stay away.

I checked anyway.

"Nope," I said. He sighed and laid his head down on his hands.

"Wanna hunt?" he asked. I had hunted earlier this week. "Wanna play Monopoly?" I shook my head. "Wanna… watch a movie?"

I sighed. "I think I'm going to go see what Edward's doing," I decided on a whim. Instantly, the future changed. I watched it carefully, deciding if this visit was a good idea.

I stood and moved to the door, turning back to a very dejected-looking Emmett. "Are you coming?" I asked innocently.

He stood and followed me as we made our way to the living room cautiously, calmly, and keeping our thoughts as peaceful as possible.

Rosalie was there and waiting, though, so we stopped briefly.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked. Emmett shot me a stealthy glance that there was absolutely no way Rose would miss.

"Nothin'," he answered, shrugging his shoulders.

"Did you want to hunt?"

"Uhh," he started, looking at me once more. I had never expected that Emmett would make it out with us. I nodded my approval and continued toward the stairs. In the foyer lay the bags with my purchases from yesterday; mostly clothing but, in anticipation of future events, I had bought a new pair of shoes, as well. I grabbed the bag that held them and headed up the stairs.

When I got to the door I knocked softly before entering. He sat on the bed with whatever novel Bella had chosen for him this time, his shaking hand gripping the blanket tightly.

"What's up?" I asked, calmly making my way to the bed. "I have a present for you." He looked sort of reminiscent of a proverbial deer in the headlights. I had come in here several times now and he still showed no signs of being comfortable around me. Did I give off scary vibes?

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

I smiled sheepishly. Controlling my thoughts was easier said than done. I had spent the greater part of the last three weeks trying to figure out a way to censor them, and still as soon as I entered the bedroom I failed.

If I hadn't been watching his face so intently, I'd have missed that slight twitch of his lips. He wanted to smile, but he was holding back. And that was okay, I could work with that.

I set the bag on the floor next to me and sat on the edge of the mattress, looking around the room awkwardly. Maybe it would've been better if Emmett had been here, after all.

After several long minutes of silently staring at one another, Edward turned his focus to the window.

"I was wondering if maybe…" His eyes immediately met mine and I knew he was reading my thoughts. I glowered at the wall. "…If maybe you wanted to head outside for a bit?"

He cocked his head to the side quizzically before returning his gaze to the window.

"You know… stretch your legs? Go for a run?"

His eyes remained focused on the back yard but I saw his head nod minutely, not in answer but in understanding.

"…if you want?" I continued aimlessly.

"I've never…" he began softly, just above a whisper. "I've never really run."

I nodded. I suspected this, as sad as the idea was; it didn't come as a surprise to me.

"Well, it's a sunny day, so I can't exactly go to class…"

He closed his eyes, his grip on the blanket finally loosening. I already knew he would agree, it was just a matter of how long I had to wait.

"How exactly does that work?" he suddenly asked. His eyes slowly opened and there were a million questions, plain as day in his features.

"It's guided largely by decisions," I began. "Mostly, I see what path people are on when they're on it. I can see where things will lead. When a decision is made that throws you off that path, it changes." I shrugged. Rarely did things stay exactly as I had seen them; I hated that my family put so much stock in my ability.

"And… Bella –"

"Yeah. I'm not sure what to make of that yet, but yeah, that'll be an issue at some point."

He paused, looking back to the window. He immediately brought his hand to his hair and slowly dragged it through. Nervous habit?

He smiled slightly and returned it to his lap, looking back to me. "You think," he began, clenching his jaw and inhaling deeply. "You think it's me? That I'll… that I'll do this?"

"I think…" How to word this? "I think that there's a good chance that you're the catalyst. I'm not sure that you'll be the one to change her, per se, but I don't think it's coincidence that the visions resurfaced when you showed up."

He nodded, considering. "How… how does it happen?" he asked tentatively.

"It's no easy task for us. It's our venom – it's poisonous to humans. If it gets into their bloodstream, it'll change them. The tricky part is not killing them, though."

"So… one of us…? Does this to her?"

"I don't know how it happens to her. But yes, vampire venom is what causes the change…"

He closed his eyes and brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose.

"What about a syringe?" he finally asked, almost too silently for even me to hear.

My confusion had to be apparent. What a strange question. "I suppose that would work. Why do you ask?"

He shook his head sadly and opened his eyes, a sad smile playing on his lips. "Just wondering, I guess."

It was a well known fact that lying wouldn't work on me. I guess he hadn't been around long enough to realize this yet. I shook my head knowingly.

His lips pulled up into his charming half-smile and he gradually moved to the edge of the bed. I stood, as well, and reached into the bag I had brought with me.

**

We stood in the mid-morning sunlight, the sun dancing off of our skin, as Edward calmed himself. I had been trying to keep my internal commentary to a minimum, but in these moments that he was learning his own body, I couldn't keep my thoughts under control. He'd been a vampire for almost a hundred years and didn't even know what it meant. Today he would learn, though. Hopefully.

I took some time to explain what I knew about why we sparkled. About the composition of our skin, the diamond-like quality each cell takes on when we change. He listened intently to my explanation as he maneuvered his arms, wrists and hands to watch the effects.

"It also makes us sort of indestructible," I added.

He scoffed slightly and continued his examination of himself.

"Our only guess is the starvation, Edward," I whispered, approaching him hesitantly. "We've never seen anything like what happened to you before, but Carlisle is still trying…"

He looked at me and shook his head timidly, retreating back to into his shell. I dropped it.

We walked in silence toward the woods. I could see his shuddering and I could hear the soft pang of his teeth against one another, but it wasn't violent. He was frightened, clearly, but not so much petrified as wary.

"So you've never run," I repeated his words from earlier as we made our way to the river. We stopped at the edge and I raised an eyebrow, waiting for his reaction.

"How?" he asked quietly.

"Well, we could swim," I started, although that really wasn't a reasonable option. "Or we could jump."

I looked into the future to help give him some confidence in his ability to do this. I watched it play out as I knew it would; he would be fine.

"Does it change? When you… do that?"

"I can usually manipulate things to go how I want them to." I shrugged; this was a fact. Self-fulfilling prophecy aside, I could generally use what I knew about the future to make it happen. No one had ever been able to actually see what I saw, though. Showing him the vision to help it run its course was not something I was used to. It was interesting.

He smiled at that and nodded, accepting of my answer.

"How does yours work?" I asked nonchalantly as I leaned down, pulling a large rock into my hand.

His body tensed and swallowed, inhaling sharply.

"You don't have to answer." I held the rock out in front of him and with my finger and thumb, smashed it into dust.

I'm not sure which emotion was more prominent – shock, fear, or excitement – but several different reactions played out on his features.

"Can I…?"

I grabbed another rock and handed it to him. Putting way too much concentration and effort into his task, with a flick of his fingers the rock was obliterated.

He nodded his head, impressed with himself.

"It's amazing that you've managed not to hurt Bella." I had warned him early on, when I first learned of his mind reading ability, to be careful… but if he didn't even realize the true extent of his strength, it couldn't have been easy for him to control it.

"I won't… I won't hurt her. I won't."

"Oh, I didn't mean that. It's just… it's still hard – to always be aware of our own strength – even after all of these years of practice. I'm just surprised there haven't been any mishaps." I smiled at him and lithely jumped over the river.

It wasn't that the river was terribly narrow… it just wasn't an issue for us. We could jump much further than that if we needed to.

Apprehensively, he took a few steps backward. He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath before lunging himself across the river. He landed way beyond me, and I quickly made my way toward him.

"Not so bad?" I asked playfully.

He shook his head, clearly amazed by what he had done. "Not so bad," he agreed softly.

He turned to me for directions on what the next order of business was. I shrugged, and asked, "What do you want to do?"

He shook his head nervously. Still so timid.

"Do you feel like going for a run?" I asked.

"Okay," he responded evenly.

"See if you can keep up?" I smiled at him, but clearly he wasn't feeling my teasing.

I prepared to start running. I didn't actually have to prepare, but I wanted to make sure we were on the same page. Then, like a rocket, I took off.

The wind whipped through my hair and smacked against my body as I ran. I kept it slow at first, making sure he was still with me. I continually checked the future to see that things were okay; they always were.

I could hear his steps somewhere in the distance, keeping several yards away from me but still letting me guide the direction. I needed to be careful; if there was ever a time that something could go very wrong, it was now. I didn't expect a common enemy to find us; no. What I needed to be careful of was that we stayed clear of any signs of humans, and that I kept him within my hearing range the whole time. If he bolted now, Bella would never forgive me. I would never forgive me.

Faster? We were still maintaining a relatively slow pace. It was quicker than any human would be capable of, but it was nothing compared to what we could do. Without another word, I picked up speed.

I could see him running parallel to me as we continued through the forest.

We were getting dangerously close to the treaty line, and I knew I needed to steer us away. We changed direction slightly and headed north, staying a few miles outside the line. I would explain it to him later.

Our pace continued to increase until I was running at full speed. Edward was having absolutely no problem keeping up, so I didn't slow down.

We kept that pace until we hit the Strait, before heading eastward then back south toward home. We ran on a different path toward Forks, both in silence, lost in our thoughts. I had a sneaking suspicion that he could go faster if he so chose, but he didn't break my top speed once.

When we reached the river I jumped it quickly; he followed with little hesitancy, his confidence in his abilities having increased exponentially during our run.

"You're fast," I observed, as he stopped before me.

There were no signs of trembling and few signs of the vampire that we had come to know. He was free, and he was finally getting a chance to realize that.

Still, he looked to me for instruction. "Ready to go back?" I asked, shrugging. It didn't really matter to me what we did, I'd have rather he indicated a preference, but Bella was at the house by now, so it was as good a suggestion as any.

He smiled somewhat warmly and nodded, cautiously following me as I turned to retrace our earlier path.

"What –" he began, cutting himself off. He took a hesitant breath and continued. "What is the treaty line?"

"A long time ago there were werewolves who lived here – back before Jasper and I joined the family. Carlisle and their leader made a deal – we're basically not allowed on their land and they're not allowed on ours. I'll show you where the line runs later on, but yeah. Just don't cross it and it's fine." I continued walking toward the house, Edward following closely behind me.

When we got home, the fear returned almost immediately. It wasn't as bad as it had once been, but the wariness of everything around him became visible once again. Until he spotted Bella.

She was sitting at the chess table with Jasper, Emmett at her side feeding her moves. Her hair was down and her shirt was fitted and petite. Silly Bella.

Edward looked at me, confused by my amusement, and I internally chided myself once more for my inability to control my thoughts.

"Hey Bella," I said as I came into the room. Edward paused by the door, uncomfortable in the situation as ever. He just needed time. After today, I was confident that he would be okay around us eventually.

Bella's head immediately snapped up at my greeting. She didn't make an effort to pretend she cared that I was there, but instead automatically looked past me to find her vampire. Almost as if it was instinctual, a huge smile crept upon her face.

**

Bella POV

He stood in the doorway, his eyes fixed on mine as I searched them. He looked different. Not different, different. He was the same vampire that I knew and loved, but somehow, he looked… less sad.

I couldn't stop the smile that overtook my face in that moment, his resulting half smile causing strange things to stir inside me. When I got here this afternoon, I sort of hated Alice for making me wait. But now I couldn't hate her, I could kiss her. I could kiss her and hug her and be eternally indebted to her for making my vampire feel better. And I would. Later.

Right now I couldn't stop ogling Edward. I was vaguely aware of the fact that there were other people in the room, but I didn't care. I stood and cleared the distance between us quickly, tentatively reaching out my fingers to his. Always tentative. He flipped his hand and grasped mine, smiling warmly down at me.

"We're going to --" I started, but Alice interrupted.

"I know, I know. See you tomorrow?"

I nodded, and together, we headed up to our room.

**

A/N: The BELLIE Awards are accepting nominations again! (as of sometime on Monday!) Go nominate!

thecatt (dot) net – this should auto bring you to the award page!

Thanks so much for sticking with me through the R/L fail! I should be good to update regularly again after this one! Hopefully.. :)

Reviews are always appreciated!