The air was dry in the small town just beyond my new home, the people walking around with sweat on their brow, barefoot on the hot concrete. The street market near a row of homes was stock full of people, costumers and sellers all bidding, yelling and waving their arms, trying to set a right price. I walked down the street, alone but not far from a pair of wandering red eyes. With a small round wicker bag placed firmly to my side, I stopped at a few carts, glancing around the food that was being thrown at me, the toothy smiles begging me to buy.

The heat was scorching, my hair pulled back high as I tasted small samples of fruit and fish that were handed on small twigs. I either moaned in approval or smiled thinly in disgust, moving on to the next cart. I stopped at a cart, filled with colorful fruit as a beautiful young woman, maybe a few years older than me, smiled brightly, her bracelets clinking together as she moved.

"Maayong Hapon." She said to me. I smiled and bit at my lip, my cheeks reddening slightly.

"I'm sorry… I don't speak…"

"Forgive me. I should have known you weren't from here," She said, "I meant good afternoon. Are you interested?" She asked, waving her hands. I tilted my head, glancing around the fruits until I felt a tug at my white tank top and once I looked down I met a pair of small brown eyes.

"Undang!" The woman said harshly, batting her hands away from the young child. "Sorry… My daughter is very rude."

"No, she's okay." I said with a smile, leaning down next to the young girl. "What's your name sweetheart?" The little girl glanced up at her mother and then back at me, smiling a big toothy grin, her two front teeth missing.

"Lailani." She replied softly.

"Lailani? That's a beautiful name." I told her. "My name is Bella."

"Bella," She sounded out with her tongue, giggle afterwards. Her laugh was infectious and soon I was laughing with her, smiling at the touch of her hands that grabbed my own. Her pink skirt moved with her body, and soon I realized she was holding a backpack behind her. Her mother whispered to her, Lailani taking off her back pack and holding it to her mother. The woman opened it up, setting the fruits into the baskets, showing them on display. "Will you buy some fruit, Bella?" She smiled again with a giggle.

"Did you pick those?" I asked her. She nodded her head shyly, smiling to the ground. "Well I would love to buy them. Just because you picked them."

"This is a whole basket worth of mangos, miss." The woman said slightly as if had made a wrong decision. I nodded my head with a smile, opening up my wicker bag.

"I know. I'll take them all." I handed her my money and she stopped, glancing up at me. I had given her nearly ninety dollars extra than the cost and to my surprise, the young woman had tears in her eyes. She blinked, the tears gone as she counted the coins and attempted to hand back change. "Keep the change." I told her, smiling. Her shaky hands dropped my mangos into a bag, her lips large with a smile as she handed it to me.

"Salamat… Salamat, angel." She whispered and I nodded, looking down at Lailani with a wink. When I turned around I was surprised by a body, dark red eyes staring down at me with a comforting smile.

"That was charitable." Edward said, taking the bag from me. "And just for a few mangos." We walked down the street together, hand in hand as my body leaned against his.

"I couldn't help it. The little girl got to me." I said to him.

"She is a ploy, Bella. You were baited. And they succeeded." He said to me. I looked up to him, my lips slightly gaping, though nothing came out. "She uses her little one to draw in tourists. You've just been conned out of nearly a hundred dollars."

The thought, though, did not bother me. The young girl, even a con artist, was still as radiant as the sun. Her smile was large and beautiful and I knew every cent was worth it. She may have baited me, but I did not feel an ounce of regret. I shrugged my shoulders and smiled, not a care in the world holding me down.

"A hundred dollars that is easily replaceable. I may never see that young girl again. Therefore, I hope the money is used towards supporting that family." I told him, grabbing onto his cold arm.

"You have a big heart." He sighed, kissing the side of my head. "A kind heart… A trustworthy heart. It has landed you into trouble before; it will get you into trouble again."

"I'll take my chances." I told him with a smirk, letting go and heading towards more carts, more desperate people shouting at me to buy their things. Within an hour I spent nearly six hundred dollars, but the troubled heart of mine did not seem to care.

-TSIPWR-

Paradise could not even touch Cebu.

Everything was beautiful. From the soft sheets of my bed, to the crystal blue water of the ocean everything was doused in a little bit of perfection. The rain had ceased for a few hours, giving me enough time to enjoy the beach. I stripped down to my black bikini and rubbed myself with sun block, Edward had even bought me a floppy straw hat for protection. The beach was different than Hilo. The sand was whiter, the ocean smoother, the spark in the air leaving nothing but the soft smell of salt water. I looked back to the house, smiling at the man in the window moving my pointer finger towards myself just before diving into the water.

When I lifted for air, I pushed my hair back not surprised to feel the icy hands on my waist, pulling me close to his chest.

"Are you trying to break my resolve?" He asked.

"It's just a bikini." I said. "But if it's working…"

"This should not be considered a form of clothing. This is scraps of paper." He scolded, turning me around in his arms. He wore nothing but swimming trunks, his skin glinting softly from the sun reflecting off the water drops. I smiled and pushed my chest up to his, kissing the droplets away from his neck.

"I could wear nothing at all…" I said, feeling his chest rumble.

"That would be a very bad decision." He grumbled.

"Or a very good one." I laughed, biting on is ear lobe. I pulled away from him then, diving back into the water. I could hear him jumping behind me, at my side as I opened my eyes, touching the white sand at the bottom of the ocean floor. We came up together, his hands always on me, never leaving.

"You like it here." He stated, running his fingers through his auburn hair. I looked back to him over my shoulder, nodding my head. He was instantly in front of me, grinning as he kissed my chin. "Stop avoiding me."

"Stop looking at me like that." I said, pointing at his grin.

"You do like it though, right?" He asked.

"Edward, I wouldn't care if we were in bunkers in South America." I said with a laugh. He raised a brow but I grabbed his hands. "Anywhere with you is fine with me. Back in Hilo… Jackson… Paris… Italy… Anywhere. I don't care."

"I just want to make you happy." He said, his voice faltering. This was the times where his human showed. His human, was rarely present and only showed up on a few occasions. Edward the Vampire was strong and course. He carried himself well, his emotions were nearly nonexistent. But these moments, his moments of weakness, his moments to please… His human was apparent, was bright. It made me realize that at one point, long, long ago – he had a beating heart. Blood coursed through his veins, his lungs filled with air and with purpose. Human or not. Vampire or not. He was the same to me.

"You make me happy. Don't you realize that yet?" I whispered, grabbing his sides. He nodded his head, leaning forward and kissing me softly. He was beautiful. He was everything I ever wanted. He was mine.

I grabbed the back of his neck, bringing him forward as his fingers gripped at the strings of my bikini. I moaned my approval, opening my mouth and inviting him in. He was resistant at first, but suddenly I felt the ice of his tongue and I knew his walls were crumbling. He kissed me hard, his hands gripping my bottom and bringing my core just against him.

"Edward…" I cried out, hearing the rumble of thunder in the distance.

"There's a storm on its way." He told me, pulling away as he kissed the side of my mouth. "I'm going to feed you. And then I will take away that knot in the pit of your stomach." His voice was deep, meaningful. I felt myself quench and my hand grab his as he lead me into the house.

At the island in the kitchen he cut up the mangos I had bought earlier, washing them in the sink and placing them on a platter. He walked around the side towards me, telling me to open my mouth; I did so, feeling the juicy piece of fruit on my tongue. I bit down, the taste exploding as I licked my lips. I moaned my delight and Edward's jaw went hard, his teeth clenching as he fed me another piece.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." I smirked, but he only shook his head.

"I need to learn how to control myself around you." He said simply, giving me another piece.

"I think you've done a pretty good job so far." I smiled, squeezing at his waist. He smirked and shook his head, feeding me another piece, wiping away the juice that fell from my lips.

"Maybe so. I haven't killed you yet." He chuckled as I raised a brow at him; pinching his side though I knew had no affect on him.

"Have you heard from Jasper?" I asked him. He nodded his head, cutting up more of the mango before returning to me, handing me a napkin. "Is she okay?" I whispered.

It had been a few days since the email from Alice. I never asked about her, knowing that when the time was right Edward would tell me. But my dreams consisted nothing of Alice, of her big green eyes and her bright smile. I had dreams of us back in Forks, wandering the woods together. We never spoke, but we held hands in the way best friends would, squeezing occasionally just to let the other one know that they were alright. But the only squeezing that had been done recently was from my end. It racked my nerves, but I tried to be hopeful.

"She is still in her ven stage. It is what we call the transformation process. She is going as well as we can hope for. Jasper even said her skin is turning whiter and her hair is growing slightly." He said, feeding me another piece of mango. "Nothing seems abnormal. Yet."

"Yet?" I asked.

"We will just have to wait it out. Rosalie and Emmett are still preparing for his turn. They are visiting small towns and helping with the poor before they leave into the jungle." He told me.

"The jungle?" I questioned.

"Deep, deep in the jungle. Emmett is a strong man. Even as a human. The jungle is secluded. No humans wander that far. It will be less of a risk, considering he will be at his most powerful when he is a newborn." He told me, grabbing a hold of my hands. "So far everything is running its course. No need to worry."

"I'm not worried." I lied but he only smirked at me.

"I'll run you a bath." He said to me, disappearing for a few moments. I turned towards the island, quiet for a moment as I said a soft prayer for Alice, hoping she will make it through her transformation unscathed. Edward returned within seconds, grabbing hold of me as we made our way upstairs. The Jacuzzi bathtub was filled with water, soft flower petals and soap decorating the top.

"Are you going to join me?" I questioned, pulling at a string of my bikini. Edward only shook his head, showed me the towels and headed out.

I smiled to myself and stripped down, pulling my hair up into a bun as I entered into the tub, sighing into content as I drifted slowly into peacefulness, the sunset covered by the dark clouds that covered our paradise in rain.

-TSIPWR-

The lights went out quickly, the wind brushing hard against the windows and as I stepped out of the tub, I grabbing my towel, wrapping it around me tightly and headed for the door. Upon opening, the bedroom was lit with candles all around the room, the window shut tight as rain fell hard against the glass.

"Edward?" I called out, but there was no sign of him. I walked to my dresser, pulling off my towel and leaving me exposed as I rummaged through my clothes. Very suddenly a pair of cold hands touched my waist, my mouth producing a gasp as I felt lips against my neck.

"Edward…" I whimpered, feeling his hands cup my breast. "You're really not… helping your resolve…"

"I don't care." He snarled kissing my jaw. I moaned in his arms feeling his hand snake down my body, past my navel and towards my core where he pressed his fingers to my clit. I grabbed his arms, squeezing tightly as I pressed my forehead to his shoulder. "You are beautiful, Bella. I want to soak myself in you every moment I see you. But I know I can't… Not just yet…"

I bit my lip, finding myself heated to my very center. I felt a sense of loss, knowing that even if he did help me uncoil, he himself would not find a release. And I had realized that maybe if he could send his intentions out to me… Maybe I could to him. I focused in on my pleasure, zeroing in on my heat and imagined throwing it at him. I had wondered if there would be the same affect… If he could feel it just as I could in the bathroom at the bar.

Then… He chuckled.

"I know what you're doing." He whispered, kissing my neck.

"W-What is that?" I mewled.

"I can feel it, Isabella… Not even when you are trying." He whispered hoarsely. "Of course, it is not as powerful as when I send them to you but I can still feel it."

"I want you…" I cried, my hand moving behind me as I touched him through his pants. "I want you so badly."

"You have me." He said. I turned in his arms and shook my head.

"No. I want you, Edward. I want you inside of me. I want you to mate me. I want it. It's all I want. You are all I want." I moaned, grabbing his face in my hand and kissing him firmly. He groaned against my lips, shaking his head.

"I told you…" He began.

"I know. I know." I nodded, bringing my forehead into the crook of his neck.

"I need to know your safe." He began, bringing his hand to the small of my back. "I know that seems pointless to you, but to me it is worth more than you know. Mating is like an animal being in heat. No matter what, nothing douses the fire. Nothing. All I will want is you. Over and over again. I will not think of anything but you and your body. How it feels to be inside of you… And… I can't distract myself. I need to be aware of everything. Because your safety means more to me than what I feel like I want to do with you. I want you, Bella. So badly. Just as much as you want me, and even beyond that. Just trust me. Trust this."

"I do." I whispered, nodding my head. "I trust you, Edward. I really do."

"Then know that tonight I will worship your body with nothing but my tongue." He purred, pressing his fingers to me once again. I yelped in surprise but smiled at his grin, feeling him lift my body and press me into the bed, once again shooting me off into the stars.

IMPORTANT. The reason some of you could *not* review was because I deleted a previous author's note chapter and it set everything since then back. You will now be able to review! As I hope you do, considering I love the feedback. Once again, thank you everyone who has stuck with me so far and the new readers who are just now enjoying this story.

More to come for our beloveds.

Until next time little doe's,

ii

P.s. My heart and thoughts go out to all of those who were affected by the tragedy in Newtown. Every single soul taken is in a better place and will be resting peacefully. Hug your loved ones tighter and never let any moment go wasted. Love to you all.