In a woulda coulda shoulda world I would own Twilight! But *sigh* all I got was this t-shirt!

Edward

"How long have you been here looking for me?" I asked. How many opportunities to see her again had I missed?

"I've been here for a week now. I wasn't sure where to look for you so I chose a hotel that was in the center part of the city. I've kind of been working my away around, showing your picture to people to see if they remembered you. It has been slow going, not only because of the language thing but also because I wanted to be back at the hotel before it got dark. I really didn't want to get lost in the city at night."

The thought of Bella alone at night in the city had me shuddering. What had Alice been thinking! There were so many things that could have happened to her wandering around by herself unprotected, even during the daytime. I was definitely going to have a long talk with my sister the next time I saw her.

Bella continued with her story. "Then I found someone, a woman of course, who remembered seeing you a couple of times. She told me that she had seen you in the courtyard and that it was probably my best bet. So I have been camped out there for the last few days, waiting to see if you came by."

I had been in that courtyard a few times in the last month. For some reason I found it calming, probably because of all the voices, mental and verbal, that washed over me there. It was almost like emotional Novocain; blocking out the pain in short bursts. It was only chance that had brought me out this afternoon though; I might have missed her altogether if something had not compelled me to come out today.

"I have a question," Bella asked, pulling me from my reverie.

"What is it?"

"Earlier, when you first saw me, why did you turn and walk away?"

Now it was my turn to be embarrassed. I didn't want to tell her that I thought she was a figment of my imagination, that I had thought I was hallucinating, but I owed her honesty.

"To be truthful, I didn't think you were real." I said sheepishly
"Really?" She sounded surprised and incredulous.

"Yes. I thought that my imagination had run away with me, giving me delusions. I thought that because I was so desperate to see you again that my brain was giving me visions of your face to appease me." It sounded silly to me now but it had been the only explanation I had been able to come up with at the time. The reality-that Bella would be here looking for me-would never have occurred to me in a million years.

She sat there, shaking her head. Then she giggled.

"Are you laughing at me?" I pretended to scowl at her.

"It's just funny because I was kind of thinking the same thing when we were talking before. I was worried that you would disappear." She giggled again.

"Not a chance. You are stuck with me now." I was smiling but I meant every word.

She smiled too. "You're damn right I am. I've followed you this far and you are not going to get away." She reached up and kissed the underside of my jaw. I could not resist. I bent my head down and pressed my lips to hers. I didn't think I would ever get enough of kissing her. My hand slipped behind her head, down to the soft skin at the nape of her neck and I held her to me. She responded by wrapping her arms around my neck and threading her fingers into my hair. We kissed for a long moment then I released her. I could feel myself getting carried away and I had to stop myself before the temptation became too much for me. She wrapped her arms around me and nestled against me, sighing in contentment.

We sat for a long moment and then I heard her stomach grumble. I had forgotten that she needed to eat more often that I did.

"Dinner time for the human?" I asked.

"I suppose so. I don't remember the last time I ate." I would have to be more careful to make sure she was taking care of herself. I did not want her to become ill.

"Well that won't do. Let's go get you something to eat." I slipped my arms underneath her and lifted her up, standing as I did so. I stared down at her. I could not believe how much difference a few hours could make. I had started out the day in such deep despair and now it felt like I could take flight with pure joy. Having her here, in my arms again was staggering. I had expected to spend the rest of my life alone, without her, and now I had been given a second chance. I would always be grateful for that.

She looked up at me, wondering why I had not moved. Her eyes warmed when she saw my expression.

"You don't know how happy it makes me, having you in my arms again. I had thought I would never see you again and now to be able to hold you again….I can't even find the words to describe it." I kissed her softly before lowering her to the ground. She wrapped her arms around me as soon as her feet touched the floor.

"I feel the same way. I have missed having you hold me and I thought I would never be able to feel your arms around me again. Now I feel like a kid on Christmas morning." She laughed.

She was so adorable. I bent and kissed her nose and then pulled her arms from around me and took her hand. "Come on, let's go get some food into you."

We made our way outside. I could feel Bella move a little closer to me. I was glad that she'd had enough common sense not to leave her hotel at night. There were so many dangers out here for her. I knew that even without reading the thoughts of the people coming out of the cantina.

A man tottered towards us and I stiffened as I read his thoughts about Bella. Revolting. I was glad that Bella did not understand Spanish when he spoke.

"You are so beautiful. Come with me my sweet and I will show you many wonderful things. Your body will sing when I am done with you" He leered at her and I read in his mind the disgusting images of exactly what he wanted to show her.

"The lady is with me," I growled back at him in Spanish. "If you want to continue breathing I suggest you remove yourself from here. Stay and they will not be able to identify your body as human when I am done with you."

The man looked at me for the first time and saw the deathly fury in my eyes. He backed away quickly and crossed the street away from us, fleeing into a cantina.

"What was that all about?" Bella asked. I took a deep breath and forced the fury from my body. I didn't want to scare her. I smiled down at her.

"Just another man who can't help but find you irresistible." I laughed at the expression on her face. Would she never understand the magnetic pull she had to all things male? "I just made sure he understood that you were taken."

She laughed and eyed me skeptically. I had forgotten how perceptive she was.

"Okay, but next time try not to scare them so badly." She laughed.

"Next time?" I knew there would be a next time too. She was too beautiful for her own good. Or mine for that matter.

"Well you said yourself I am sooo irresistible." She looked up at me and batted her eyelashes at me in an overly flirtatious way.

I laughed. "Indeed you are." I knew I would never be able to resist her again and I bent to kiss her.

We made our way to a small restaurant at the corner and found a table. I helped her translate the menu and gave the waitress her order. I could not keep my eyes off of Bella. Her skin seemed to glow in the soft light of the candle on our table. I thought to myself that I could travel the whole world and never see a more beautiful sight. She reached across the table and took my hand. Her hand was warm in mine and I could not resist bringing her hand to my lips. Her skin was so soft. I lowered our hands back to the table.

"So what are our plans from here?" she asked. Our plans. The words delighted me and I smiled at her.

"I was thinking we could spend a few more days here, give you a chance to really see the sights, before going to see my family in Denali. We can spend a couple of weeks with them before we have to be back for the start of school." Even though I hated having to go through high school over and over, knowing I could see Bella everyday made it worth it.

I looked at her and realized that there were tears in her eyes. Had I said something wrong? Did she want to stay here? Would she rather go straight home?

"Bella? What's wrong? We don't have to go to Denali if you don't want to," I hurried to reassure her, "we can stay here or I can take you back to Forks or-." She cut me off before I could finish my sentence. I would give her anything she wanted; all she had to do was ask.

"No, I want to see your family again. I was just starting to realize that I really do get to be with you, that's all." She dabbed at her tears and gave me a beautiful smile.

I smiled at her tenderly. I could not believe that I was lucky enough to be with this