A/N: Hello Readers! I hope you're still here with me, despite my long absence from updating this story. My life has taken some unexpected turns, both of the welcome and unwelcome varieties. There has been more family drama which never seems to go away for long, but I am determined to get back up every time it knocks me down. In the interim, I have been writing very short fiction (under 1000 words) for literary magazines and e-zines, some of which have been accepted for publication. I'll let you guys know when those debut, if you're interested.
Thanks to Shug (SSHG316) who beta'd the original iteration of this story, and a big hug and thanks to Songster51 for beta'ing this monstrous revision for me. (Original Chapter 5 was over 10K and very dense with new information, so I split it. Which means you'll get another update very soon!)
As we near the Holiday Season I couldn't go another several months without completing this story. Some readers asked me to give a summary the next time I updated if it was more than a month. So without further ado, I give you a brief summary of the previous chapters, and then Chapter Five of Yuletide Canticle.
Previously in Yuletide Canticle:
(Summary of Chapters 1-4)
While attending McGill University in Montreal, Canada as an exchange student, Bella runs into the enigmatic Edward Cullen while Christmas shopping for her mother. Bella's blood is so potent; Edward wants desperately to drain her on the spot. A phone call from Alice literally saves Bella's life and the future she sees gives Edward pause. While they are in line to make their separate purchases, Bella faints. Unwilling to leave his singer to be consumed by someone else, Edward accompanies her to the hospital, where he learns that Bella suffers from a heart condition which has degenerated to the point that she will die unless she receives surgical intervention. She is on the UNOS registry, but the odds of her receiving a heart before hers gives out is minute.
Joined by Alice in Montreal, Edward is still not convinced that he will spare the girl whose blood makes him insane with thirst. Swayed by Alice's insistence that Isabella Swan was the elusive mate he'd been waiting to find for almost a century, Edward capitulates. He promises his sister that he will refrain from drinking from Bella until she is scheduled to leave Canada. Edward believes the three weeks before she is to return home for the holidays should be enough time for a romance to develop if it is inevitable. If it does not, Isabella Swan would not leave Montreal.
Alice plans an intense courtship for the two of them which she dubs "The Bella Itinerary" and Edward takes Bella out. As he gets to know her better, his more than a decade as a cold emotionless monster melts away. He is finally able to see what Alice sees: that Bella Swan is, for all intents and purposes, his long-awaited mate. As he gets closer to her emotionally, his bloodlust wanes, but hasn't left him completely.
After three weeks of intense courtship, Edward's final test for Bella was to tell her what he was. He figured if she didn't run screaming from him, then they would have something to work with. Having suffered with her illness all of her post-adolescent life, Bella is ready to experience all that life has to offer her, so she's more than willing to have a relationship with a gorgeous vampire. Human men have avoided her because of her illness.
Edward and his family agree to move back to Seattle so they can pursue medical intervention for Bella, and Edward can meet her friends and family during the Christmas holidays.
YULETIDE CANTICLE
Chapter 5, The Dates Finale
Upon their return to Montreal, Bella found that Alice had moved all her belongings from the dormitory into a suite at Hotel Omni Montreal on the same floor as her and Edward.
"Why did you move out of the Chateau Versailles?" Bella asked.
"The Omni is more modern," Alice said as if it explained everything.
"The dorms are ancient. My parents' house is ancient."
Edward clarified. "We thought you might be more comfortable here."
Alice was so gracious; Bella didn't go on about it. Besides, it would put her in closer proximity to Edward for their final night together in Montreal, which made it worth the move.
Alice, already dressed in a winter green velvet dress, her hair smoothed back with a few gelled curlicues in the front, looked stunning as per usual. She informed her sibling that his clothing for the evening was laid out on the bed, and sent him to his suite to dress, then opened the closet to reveal attire for Bella as well.
Bella frowned. "Alice, you really shouldn't have gone to all this trouble. I should already have something I can wear tonight."
Alice just smiled, and held the blue satin cocktail dress in front of her, and gestured toward the mirror. "See how beautiful this color looks against your pale skin and dark hair? Edward is wearing a similar shirt and tie with his Armani suit. Do you have anything appropriate to complement?"
Bella wracked her brain as she thought of the few pieces she had that might accentuate the ensemble Alice described. But try as she might, she couldn't think of anything she had other than a couple of floral Sunday dresses that paled in comparison to the cocktail dress. She had to admit Alice was right.
"On second thought, I don't," she said. "I'll have to pay you back, though." Bella peered at the tag, unsurprised the portion bearing the price had been removed.
"Don't even think about it. Edward would be livid," Alice said with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "My brother wants to pamper you, Bella. Now, go, take your shower. Your lingerie is laid out in the bathroom."
Bella sighed. "Just one question… no, two?"
"Yes?"
"How did you know my size? And how did you manage to get into my dorm room without me?"
"If I tell you that, I might have to kill you," Alice said with only the slightest hint of a smirk on an otherwise straight face.
Despite the fact that Alice was smaller than she, Bella realized she was a vampire and could indeed kill her. The wry, vampire sense of humor would take some getting used to. Yet, Bella smiled at her lethal diminutive friend and held her arms out for a hug. Like Edward, Alice's skin was resilient and cold, but Bella embraced her just as she would any of her human friends.
~888~
Neither Alice nor Edward breathed a word of their intended destination, and Bella had been clueless until they turned onto rue Saint-Catherine Ouest. Bella couldn't contain her excitement or curiosity.
"Are we going to see The Nutcracker?" she asked. She could see La Place Des Arts up ahead in all its avant-garde architectural beauty. For weeks she had been hearing about the production by Fernand Nault being presented by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal.
"That's the plan," Edward said with a smile.
"I told you she would love it, Edward," Alice enthused from the back seat.
Bella felt like Clara in the Nutcracker as they wended their way through the streets of Montreal. She viewed Edward as her loyal Nutcracker in his valiant attempt to kill the Mouse King that was her heart condition.
She tried to contain herself, but Bella gushed anyway. "This is awesome. Thank you both, so much. I've seen the ballet performed by the Pacific Northwest Ballet back home. PNB performs the Stowell/Maurice Sendak production, but I've been told that Fernand Nault's production is spectacular. The dancers of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal are so talented."
"Yes, they are," Edward agreed, as he maneuvered with expertise through the traffic.
They found a plum parking space despite the throngs of ballet attendees swarming all of the available entrances to the garage. Before Bella knew it, the entrance to La Place Des Arts was in view. However, there was quite a long walk from the car to La Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, the theatre where the production would be performed. Edward extended one arm to Bella and the other to Alice and escorted them both through the halls moving with the steady flow of ballet-goers walking in the same direction. The brisk pace made Bella's breathing labored within seconds, but slowing down was not an option, unless they wanted to be bowled over by the people behind them.
They had only been walking for few minutes, when Alice got a faraway look in her eyes and stopped. This caused the people behind them to swarm around on either side of them. Edward seemed to know what was happening, and gently pulled them both out of the flow. Bella was thankful for the reprieve, but concerned for Alice.
"Is Alice okay?" Bella looked back and forth between Edward and his dazed sister.
"She's fine," Edward said, as his arm snaked around Alice's waist to offer her more support. "She's just having a vision."
"What? Why?"
"She believes that you shouldn't walk all the way to the hall—that it's going to be too much for you," Edward said.
"But I feel fine." Bella's protest was automatic. She did not want to miss the ballet.
Edward's visage was grave. He took her hand in his and stated the facts as her doctor might. "Your breathing and heart rate areelevated only after a short walk."
"You can hear all that?" she asked, eyebrows raised.
"Another of our heightened abilities," Edward explained.
"It's rare that I'm wrong, Bella," Alice said, as her eyes focused again. "If you walk all the way, I see you being taken away in an ambulance. You should let Edward carry you."
Bella's eyes widened. "That would be so... embarrassing."
"I could get a wheelchair from the Concierge," Edward offered.
"Seriously?" Bella scoffed. "Neither option appeals to me."
"The choice is yours, love." Edward was concerned. "I will honor either option you choose, otherwise I might be forced to choose for you."
"Oh my God," she said. Her face pinked up visibly. "Is this what I have to look forward to—visions, threats, and ultimatums?"
"Only when your stubbornness compromises your health and safety," Edward said with a smirk. "Really, Bella, does the idea of being in my arms appall you so much? I could carry you around the world and never grow tired."
"I just don't like looking like an invalid."
"All the more reason you should let Edward carry you," Alice said. "Most people will view it as—romantic."
Before Bella could mount another protest, Edward literally swept her off her feet, and she had no choice but to wrap her arms around his strong shoulders and clasp her hands behind his neck, as he carried her through the halls of La Place Des Arts. Alice floated beside them, nodding at the smiles, cat-calls, best wishes, and strange looks they received from people in the halls as they made the several minute trek to la Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. After a minute or so of being carried by her beautiful vampire, Bella relaxed and her blush dissipated.
Edward seemed to be holding his breath as he carried her, and while he did not complain, Bella knew that having her so close was difficult for him. She felt him swallow convulsively several times, and only once did he let the pleasant look on his face slip and she could see his pain. Her first thought was to lean closer to comfort him, but she knew that would not be helpful. Luckily, she spotted the entrance to la Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier up ahead and was relieved that he would finally be able to put her down.
Their seats were on the Corbeille Level, Loge 1, a private box that seated eight people. They took seats one through three in the front of the box, and Bella had a sneaking suspicion that Edward had purchased the entire box for the night and they would not be joined by any other humans. Alice's cell phone must have alerted her, because she took it, excused herself, and slipped out of the theatre.
Bella took Edward's cool hand in hers and leaned toward his ear. "Thank you for carrying me. It would have been a shame for me to get sick and miss this."
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and whispered back to her, his lips close to her ear. "You're very welcome, Bella. Carrying you was my pleasure."
"But I know that pleasure wasn't without pain for you."
"Philosophers have long hypothesized that the sensations of pain and pleasure are part of a continuum. I gladly embrace that theory for you."
She brought his hand to her lips and kissed it. "I don't know if I deserve the sacrifices you're making for me."
He enclosed her warm hand in both of his. "Believe me, they pale in comparison to the sacrifices you are making for me."
Bella felt lost in his eyes for several seconds, and then she blushed and changed the subject. "Did you know that although E.T.A. Hoffman wrote the story that this ballet was based on, It was written as it is choreographed today by Marius Petipa and follows a revision of the original story written by Alexandre Dumas?"
"Dumas was quite a versatile and colorful character, and he contributed much to both French and World Literature. We have several of his first editions, in addition to the copy of TheCountofMonteCristo you saw today," Edward said.
"Wait a minute. You said, 'we.' Does your family have as extensive a book collection as you do?"
"When I said we, I was referring to you and me," he said, his golden eyes locking with her brown ones. "I have no doubt that you are my mate, so what's mine is also yours."
Bella blinked, stunned by that admission, on both counts. He really viewed her as someone with whom he had a future, brief though it may be. Conversely, she didn't want to think about how wealthy he was and how that could change her life. Bella wanted to say something confident and sophisticated, but chose what she thought would be a less embarrassing subject.
"By the way, you never talk about working. Don't vampires have jobs? "she asked.
"Some of us do, but they are in the minority. Why?"
"I just wondered what a vampire does for income."
Edward smirked. "Are you worried that I won't be able to support you?"
Bella blushed and Edward growled low in his throat. She covered her cheeks with her clammy hands in an effort to cool them. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't ask such personal questions."
Edward pushed all air, and thus her scent, out of his lungs. "No question you could ever ask me is too personal."
"Your reaction…?"
"Was to your blush," he finished. "While I find it beautiful, it's difficult for me to see your blood rush to the surface of your skin like that."
"Oh." Bella couldn't think of anything further to say. She shifted her eyes forward to watch the orchestra warm up in the pit.
A cold finger touched her chin and angled her face gently to his, and cool lips touched hers like a whisper.
"And you shouldn't feel guilty about my reaction to you. That's my job," he said.
Bella breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now to answer your previous questions. Regarding income, my human parents left me a sizable inheritance. Regarding work, I have three medical degrees. However, my difficulty resisting human blood has not allowed me to practice. I do independent research and write for journals when I feel a need to flex my intellectual muscle.
Through the years, especially since Alice became part of our family, we have made very discreet investments that have proven to be quite lucrative for us."
Alice returned then and took her seat next to Bella.
"Yes, they use me like a fortune teller, Bella, a veritable personal stock broker…" Alice quipped.
Bella giggled. Alice leaned in and grew serious. "But I don't mind. I would do anything for my family, and that includes you, too, now."
The music of Tchaikovsky rose haunting and familiar as the ballet began, saving Bella from an embarrassing show of emotion. Sitting between Edward and Alice, she had never felt more pampered or protected than she currently did, between two vampires, no less.
The sets were lavish with shimmering costumes, comical scenes, sparkling ballet form, and enchanting colors and lights. It was a thrill to watch this ages old story told yet again by the principals, soloists, and corps de ballet of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal and its orchestra. Bella could only hope that her saga would end as happily as Clara's.
~888~
Fernand Nault was a genius and his Nutcracker production was excellent, but even that was no match for the handsome vampire who had taken her to the ballet, and who still held her hand as they stepped off the elevator onto their floor at the hotel. Alice moved so swiftly to her suite, Bella could barely track her with her eyes and Edward rolled his eyes heavenward.
"Alice... There are other guests on this floor," he said in good-natured frustration.
"All sleeping," she quipped back. "Besides, I've got a hot Skype date with my mate."
Edward gestured to Bella, but Alice was unperturbed. "Pssh, Bella doesn't count, she's as good as one of us."
Bella could feel Edward stiffen at that remark and for a few seconds she felt like the siblings were having some type of silent conversation between them.
"She's right," Bella said. "I don't want you guys to feel stifled around me. Just, do...what you do."
"See," Alice crowed. "She's going to be a great addition to our cov—"
"Our family," Edward finished, willing Alice into submission, their eyes dueling.
Finally Alice capitulated. "Goodnight, Bella," she said softly, and disappeared into her room, pointedly refusing to acknowledge her brother.
Edward escorted Bella to her door. Gone was the celebratory mood forged by the ballet. Careful to regard her with tender eyes, despite his sudden emotional detachment, Edward brushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Bella."
Melancholy mood aside, Bella still wanted to invite him in. She took his hand. "Won't you come in for a while?"
"You need your rest," he insisted, even as he shot a morose look at Alice's door.
"There's no way I'll be able to go to sleep right away."
"That may be true, but we have a flight to catch mid-morning."
Bella removed her card key from her evening bag. It might not be altogether wise to insinuate herself into a squabble between the vampire siblings, but she had to ask. "Are you and Alice okay?"
He smiled. "Of course. Why would you ask that?"
"You two just had an intense stare down a minute ago. Don't tell me there wasn't something happening in that silent communication."
"Oh, that...It's just...Alice in her exuberance often speaks of things as if they've already happened given her gift. I was just reminding her that she shouldn't take things for granted." He took the key from her hand and opened the door.
"What things?" Bella narrowed her eyes. "Was it something to do with me?"
His protest was quick. "No."
Their relationship was too new for her to push any further; besides, she wasn't sure how she would handle the situation with a human man, let alone a vampire.
Bella stepped across the threshold into her room and turned to face him again. "Are you sure you don't want to come in?"
"It's not a matter of not desiring to do so. It has to do with what is prudent right now."
Of course. He had been in close proximity to her all evening, breathing in her scent and that couldn't be good for him, considering his predilection for her blood. Bella didn't want to torture him any further.
"You're right. It's been a long evening for you among humans, especially this particularly delicious one," she teased. "Goodnight, Edward." She wanted to kiss him so badly, but sensed that it was unwise.
Too keyed up to sleep, Bella showered and changed into a soft cotton pajama set, got on her laptop and emailed Angela Weber, her oldest and dearest friend since first grade. Angela had texted her earlier on the ride back from Laval, and she'd promised to get back to her later. They hadn't talked since before exams, and with Edward taking up the time she normally had to dish with her friend, she realized she'd been majorly lame on the friendship scale. Angela and her boyfriend since High School, Ben Cheney, were seniors at Stanford. Bella sent the email to both her email addresses, not sure which she would check first.
From: (at)(dot)ca
To: angelaw(at)standford(dot)edu; weberchild1(at)gmail(dot)com
Date: Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at
Subject: What I've Been Up To
Ange:
Sorry I couldn't have a longer text conversation with you earlier today, but we had special plans tonight and I'm just now getting back in.
If you're up and can talk, give me a call since it's sooo much earlier there. If you email me after tomorrow, please use my Gmail addy: (at)gmail(dot)com
Can't wait to tell you about Edward.
Bella
xoxo
Bella put her iPod on shuffle and washed her face and brushed her teeth. She was singing along to a Paramore song when her cellphone rang. She smiled when she got a good look at the display and answered, "Hey, Ange. Where are you right now?"
"Hey, girlfriend. Ben and I are on the 101 headed home...and he says 'Hey,' too."
Bella paced with the phone to her ear, a smile plastered on her face. "Tell him I said 'hey' and to slow down."
She heard Ben grumble in the background, Onceacop'sdaughter,alwaysacop'sdaughter. Then he cackled maniacally.
"Did you get that?" Angela asked. "I'm three and one half quarters of the way finished with a degree at Stanford and you two still have me passing messages back and forth like we're in fifth grade."
Bella laughed and made a wavy motion with her hand. "You know, that's just how we roll."
"Yeah, yeah," Angela said glibly. "So chica, who's this guy that's been wining and dining you at the eleventh hour before you're headed back to sunny Forks?"
"His name is Edward Cullen," Bella said careful to enunciate. Now was the time to begin to prepare the people in her life for the onslaught of the Cullen family. Angela had done more than any of her friends to keep the gossips at bay when they were in high school and Bella could use her considerable talents now. "He's on exchange from UW, too. I'd been seeing him around with another group of friends during the semester, but we just started seriously going out."
"And he's down with everything?" Angela was a protective mama bear, despite the fact they were the same age. Other than her parents, Angela probably took her illness harder than anyone.
"Yeah, he's cool with my condition. In fact, he has a genetic circulation thing going on, so he's paler than I am. Can you believe it?"
"Get out! Nobody's paler than you, Iz."
"Well, wait 'til you meet the Cullens."
"Looking forward to it. Hey, don't go getting all attached to him until he passes muster with me and Papa Swan, all right?"
Bella blushed even though her friend wasn't there. "That warning might be coming just a little... late."
Angela screamed. "No you didn't!" Bella heard what sounded like the phone drop and a scramble to retrieve it, but Bella waited patiently, grinning until Angela's voice came back.
"So, is this Edward a hottie, or what? Ooh, and Ben wants to know if he likes to play chess."
"As hotties go, I'd say on a scale of one to ten, he's a twenty."
"Shut up!"
"And I saw a chess board at his house, so I think it's safe to say he does play."
"Baby, he's a chess player," Angela said to Ben. Her voice grew soft. "Iz, I'm sooo happy for you. If anyone ever deserved to be happy, it's you. I mean, I was about to resort to blasphemy I was so upset that God hadn't sent you anyone, and that's serious for a preacher's daughter, you know."
"I know, Ange, and thanks. Although, I would have loved to see what blaspheming actually looked like on your part."
"Believe me, you don't want to know...So, I'll see you sometime tomorrow, right?"
"Well, maybe day after tomorrow, our flight gets into SeaTac kinda late."
"Okay, babe. Can't wait to see you."
"Same here. You two drive safe. Goodnight, future Mrs. Cheney," Bella teased.
"Don't say that too loudly, you might spook him."
"So, you still think he's popping the question this Christmas?"
"Is the sky blue? Come on, Iz, I've known this man since kindergarten."
"That's right, I beat him only by a few years out of diapers."
"Just barely. You get some rest, hon, and we'll see you Tuesday. Mwah."
"Right back at ya."
Bella hung up, remoted the volume on her iPod, turned the bed down and propped up against the pillows. She still wasn't ready to go to sleep. She'd wanted to talk to Angela more in depth about Edward. Particularly, to ask her advice on how to avoid being a point of contention between your boyfriend and his family, but how could she do so without discussing his otherness. The fact that he was a vampire wasn't information she could share with anyone, even her best friend.
~888~
Bella had just gotten off the phone with her parents, assuring them that she had a ride home from the airport, when she heard a soft knock at the door. An involuntary smile came to her face when she looked through the peephole and saw Edward standing there. She opened the door.
"Having trouble sleeping, too, Mr. Cullen?" she teased.
He looked so tortured, she felt immediate guilt. "What is it?"
"I owe you an apology, Isabella," he said. She motioned for him to come in, and he closed the door and entered, moving through the room like a large cat.
Bella sat on the sofa and curled her feet up and under her. "Let's hear what you think you need to apologize for Edward, because I'm clueless."
He made another pass in front of her.
"Could you stand still or something?" she said in playful annoyance. "Your pacing is giving me whiplash."
Edward stopped immediately. "I haven't told you everything I should about how I came to be this way, so you can make an informed decision."
Her brow crinkled. "An informed decision about what?"
"About becoming like me."
"Wait a minute. Who said I wanted to be like you?"
"I—well—."
Bella was fascinated. For the first time in the three weeks she'd known him, Edward was at a loss for words.
"I have thought about it, believe me. Please don't be offended, but I find the thought of drinking blood of the human or animal variety thoroughly repulsive. In fact, blood gives me the willies. I faint at the sight of a paper cut."
Edward barked out a laugh that surprised her. Bella giggled, but then grew concerned when he kept laughing.
"Why do you find what I just said so hysterical?" She walked over to him and began to massage his back as he continued to laugh.
"Alice's…" He laughed a little more. "Vision." He rested his hands on his knees and laughed again. "Wrong."
She tugged on his arm and he followed her to the sofa where she sat and pulled him down to sit next to her. His laughter subsided to a chuckle and finally a smile.
Bella squinted at him. "I'm waiting."
"Waiting? Oh, yes, I'm sorry…"
She huffed and folded her arms. "I'm not waiting for an apology as much as an explanation. Why did you think I wanted you to turn me into a vampire?"
"Alice believes that you will be one of us soon, and my family expected that I would change you because you're my mate, but I don't think it's necessary. Our sister coven, the Denali clan has human lovers all the time."
Bella blushed at the idea that someday she and Edward would be lovers, then scolded herself. FocusSwan."Wouldn't it be easier for you if I were like you? You said the Volturi would not be happy that a human knew your secret."
"I don't want you to become a soul-less monster, Bella. The Volturi would never know about you unless they were told, and Alice can warn us if they were to ever find out. My family and I would protect you."
"I don't believe you're soul-less and you're definitely not a monster, but I don't want you and your family to be killed because of me. I'd let you change me first. "
"That's not going to happen," Edward said with a hard edge to his voice.
"On the other hand, I'd probably be the first vampire ever to starve to death due to my aversion to blood, but I could die before I get a new heart anyway."
"That's not going to happen either," Edward said, nostrils flaring. "Carlisle has been talking to a former colleague at Seattle Grace Hospital who is the best Cardio-Thoracic Surgeon in the Pacific Northwest."
"People die in surgery every day. I don't want to die, but it's possible. You've given me hope that surgical intervention can prolong my life given your father's connections, but if that doesn't happen, please don't take any extraordinary measures. My parents have my living will and I'd like for it to be honored."
"If those are your wishes," Edward said with reluctance. "But know that I will find a way to follow you in death if that should happen."
Bella shuddered. A pain took residence in her heart that she couldn't describe. "B-But you can't die."
"Not in the way a human would die, but I could be torn apart and burned. The Volturi guard would happily do it if I provoked them."
"Why would you do that?"
"The mating bond for vampires is strong. If you were to cease to exist, I would not want to, either."
Bella stood and began to pace, wringing her hands. "This is too much—too heavy for me to even comprehend right now."
Edward flitted to her and stilled her pacing. "I didn't mean to spring all of this on you at once, but I wanted to lay out all your options considering the visions Alice has had concerning your future."
"So her visions aren't certain?"
"She sees the course someone is on while they're on it, but if they change their mind, the vision changes."
Bella flushed, and probably would not have asked the question that was forming in her mind prior to her illness, but being near death made her devoid of a filter. "So, you could change your mind about me? If that's even a possibility, there is no need for us to go to the states together…"
"Bella…"
"… for you to meet my parents, for me to get their hopes up…"
Edward's fingers encircled her upper arms and held her still. "Bella, that won't happen. Once the mating bond occurs it is indelible. The depth of my feelings for you make it impossible for me to change my mind. You're my life now."
Bella was so relieved by his words; she burst into tears, threw her arms around his neck and buried her head in his chest.
"Shh," Edward soothed as he stroked her hair. "Please don't cry. You are my purpose, my raison d'être. If you can call this existence living. I can say without equivocation that life began in earnest for me when you entered it."
All of a sudden she was exhausted emotionally and physically. Her legs shook, but before she could wobble, she felt her feet leave the floor and she was cradled in Edward's cool embrace as he carried her to bed. He tucked her in, brushed her forehead with his lips, and turned to leave.
"Please stay," Bella murmured. He turned and walked slowly back toward the bed. She patted the spot beside her and he slid as close as he dared, and lay on top of the comforter. Bella laid her head on his chest, snuggled as close as she could, given the cloth barrier between them and yawned.
"I dream all the time that you watch over me while I sleep," she whispered and closed her eyes.
Just before she drifted off to sleep she heard him say, "Go to sleep, love. I'll be here to watch over you tonight and every night."
~888~
E/N: The setting of the story moves from Montreal next chapter back to the US and "sunny" Washington State. Edward is changing more than he believed he ever would, isn't he?
Looking forward to picking up where we left off and finishing this up quickly. Give me a nice welcome back gift and hit the review button!