A/N: Weeelllllllllllllll, there weren't as many reviews for the last chapter as I wanted per se, but you did review, and since I do have an average of ten reviews per chapter now, I will update. ( : I hope you guys like this chapter. I sort of borrow the chapter title from SPNR. Don't worry; I'll put it back when I'm done with it. A huge thank you to naleyforever2333 for the idea at the beginning of the chapter.

Fourteen

Kiss Me

BELLA

"Bella, wake up, Bella," Edward urged, nudging my arm gently.

I opened my resistant eyes slowly to a beautiful room with off-white walls and bookshelves in every corner that were, of course, filled with the classics. An intricate, black stereo jutted out of the east wall, and Debussy's Claire de Lune was playing, soft and sweet, in the background. The steel of the bed's frame was twisted into a hundred little flowers, all flowing into each other in a beautiful display of autumn.

I smiled up at the angelic face that was floating just above mine. "Edward, what am I doing here?" I asked, wiping all of the remaining sleep from my eyes. He was grinning now.

"I didn't mean to startle you, Bells," he began. I shook my head slowly. Anywhere that Edward was felt safe to me. "I brought you here last night. Charlie was… getting out of hand. The things he was thinking of doing…" His blissful, teasing expression was darkened by the thought, his eyes blackening.

"Tell me," I demanded, my mood no better than his. "I want to know what he was thinking."

"Well… that isn't the best idea… and we'll be late for work…" he stalled.

"Edward," I pleaded, my hands on either side of his cool, stone-like face. "I want to know what my father was thinking. And after that I want you to tell me about the Volturi. No more secrets."

He grimaced. "Bella… don't you think we should be getting ready for work. We'll be late…" he warned.

"Edward, I was going to skip work today anyway," I lied. "It's Christmas Eve. Not even Charlie can make me show up today."

"So… just out of curiosity… what were you planning on doing instead of work?" he asked coyly, leaning over to kiss me. I smiled against his eager lips.

"This is good," I said. "But first I want some answers from you, Mr. Cullen," I commanded. He sat up.

"I figured you would," he admitted, pulling me against his chest as he stroked my hair. "But aren't you the least bit worried about what Charlie might do if we both decide not to show up for work on the same day?" I knew from the tone of his voice that he was worried about my possessive father.

"I could be…" I reasoned, speaking more for my own benefit than for his. "But I'm not. I'm sure I'll be extremely scared tonight when I have to go home to him…" I trailed off. It was too hard to imagine the creativity of my dad.

"Bella," he whispered, his face grief-stricken. "I will never leave you alone. You don't have to worry about that."

"I thought you couldn't read my mind," I said, only half-joking. He had taken the words right of my mouth.

He sighed heavily, heaving his shoulders. "Of course I'll tell you, Bella," he surrendered, lying back down. I joined him happily, my head lolling onto his chiseled chest. "I promised, didn't I? But are you sure it's worth missing work?"

"Edward," I breathed, grasping the throw that he had wrapped around my body. "I can't… I mean I'm not… not ready… to face Charlie… today…"

He pressed his cool, smooth lips to the top of my head and hugged me tighter. I snuggled into him, inhaling his sweet scent. He was so wonderful. "Very well," he concurred. "But I need you to know that when you do decide to face your father, I'll be with you if you need me."

"I'll always need you," I whispered matter-of-factly.

He chuckled, changing the subject abruptly. "Which one first?"

"Volturi," I answered simply, guessing what he was referring to.

"Okay…" He took a deep breath. Apparently, the Volturi were very hard to explain. "Not all vampires are vegetarians like we are, Bella," he began, his eyes strained. "The Volturi are the most powerful coven of our kind. They are the largest number-wise, but that is not what has kept them in power thus far. Some of them, like Jane, Aro, and Demetri, have very distinct, very powerful abilities. A run-in with them would mean sure death for any vampire, or even any vampire coven. Do you understand how completely dangerous they are?"

I nodded, checking his eyes for any hint that he was lying to me. He was telling the truth. There were many obvious ways that I could sense when he lied to me. He portrayed none of the symptoms. I shivered. Then it was all true.

"Are you cold?" he asked, concerned, and tucked the blanket and sheet tighter around my body.

I ignored his question. "Tell me about Charlie, now," I said, curling into a fetal position against him. He lifted my head onto his shoulder, stroking my spine soothingly.

"He thought about knocking your door down, after I'd locked him out," he explained. "I didn't want him coming near you, not when you were sleeping. Especially if I couldn't do anything to defend you."

I nodded again, angry tears blurring my vision and blocking my throat. "What… why did he want to… break it down?" I asked, hiccupping softly. Edward kissed my temple.

"He didn't plan much after that," he answered. "All he wanted was to get to you, and to hurt you in whatever way occurred to him. I can't… Bella… I can't…" He was biting his lip, and I imagined that if it were at all possible for a vampire to cry, he would have. "I can't leave you with him anymore… It hurts… it kills me."

"Imagine if you were the one that had to sit through his awful brutality," I laughed darkly. He flinched, running his fingers across my cheekbone and up through my hair.

"Can I tell you something, Isabella?" he wondered. Of course he could. He could tell me anything. Anything at all.

"If you stop calling me that," I said jokingly, holding his gaze as a blush colored my cheeks.

"I love you." My heart stopped. My lungs begged for air. I had to breathe. But no air came to me. My organs screamed, pulsating rapidly as they struggled to keep me alive. I stared at him, my eyes bugging out. I coughed, sputtered, and grasped my throat.

"Bella?!" He was frantic, searching for my pulse. "Not again!" he muttered. "What's wrong, Bella?"

"I… you said that you…" I stuttered, standing up beside him.

"That I love you," he repeated. So it was true. He really loved me. Edward Cullen loved me. It was unbelievable. "Do you need me to take you back to the hospital?"

I shook my head urgently, flinging myself into his arms. He caught me effortlessly, lifting me until our eyes were leveled. "I love you, Edward," I confirmed.

He grinned. "I've been dying to tell you that."

I giggled. "Ditto."

He kissed me. "And to do that."

"Mmm," I replied, pressing my lips to his again. "I'm not finished."

"Neither was I," he chuckled. Lifting my chin with his index finger, he pulled me to him once again. He loved me. I loved him. We were in love. The words were poetic to me, and they meant so much. That a perfectly wonderful creature like Edward could ever be in love with a plain, normal girl like me was nothing short of a miracle.

Edward and Bella.

Bella and Edward.

Edward Cullen.

My own personal miracle.

A/N: Okay, so this chapter is fairly short, but I thought it was a sweet one. Review and tell me what you think. Then you'll get a new chapter. Lol. Thanks guys.

C.J.