Edward:

I heard her comment, and it slowed me down a little. I tried valiantly to curb my anger. Mindful of her words last night, I had decided to try harder to keep my temper in check and not allow it to create a rift between us that could never be bridged. I had the feeling she wouldn't put up with it much longer. I gripped the car door, and ducked down a little to get a clear look at her through the open window. Her hands were on the steering wheel, and there was a look of annoyed resignation on her face.

"Where do you think you're going?" I demanded, unable to keep the ire out of my voice.

She raised an eyebrow. "Which part of my note did you have trouble understanding?" she said with a touch of sarcasm.

I heard the faint groaning of metal, imperceptible to human ears, when my fingers tightened involuntarily around the door. "Don't get fresh with me, Bella," I snapped, frowning. "I am not in the mood."

She looked away, some of the light leaving her face. "I know," she said sadly. "You rarely are anymore."

I recoiled inwardly. This was exactly what I was afraid of; I was in danger of squeezing all of the joy out of her life, if I kept this up. Taking care to keep any traces of anger off my face, I walked around the front of the car, opened the door, and slid into the passenger seat. "Talk to me, Bella. I will listen," I invited quietly.

She didn't hesitate to let me have it. "I was starting to have a really good day, Edward. I was really happy. I was going shopping, and I was happy. I hate shopping. That's how happy I was. And then you have to come along and yell at me. I don't even know what I'm being yelled at for. So here's what I'd like: I want you to tell me what I did, chew me out for whatever it was, get back in your car and go back to Forks, while I continue on to Portland, and hopefully recapture the good mood I was in. Okay?"

I looked at her steadily, saying nothing.

Some of the fire went out of her. Her shoulders sagged and she sighed. "Wait, let me guess: I'm not going to Portland."

I shook my head slowly. "Not alone," I said apologetically, bracing myself for the explosion that was bound to come any second now. Sure enough...

"Edward!" she wailed, throwing her hands up in the air. "Come on! Don't you think you're carrying this protector thing a bit far? I'm beginning to feel stifled here!"

"No," I stated firmly, "I don't. Now, no more arguments. You can go with me, or you can go with Alice, but you are not going alone, and that's all there is to it."

"Why!?" she raged, her cheeks flushing with anger. "I don't need a damn babysitter! I want to go alone! I need something to wear for graduation! If I go with you, I'll be ignored by the salesgirls and bullied into getting something expensive which you'll insist on paying for, and if I go with Alice, I'll be ignored by the salesgirls and bullied into getting something expensive which she will insist on paying for!"

I listened to her rant, acknowledging if not understanding her frustration, and trying not to get distracted by her flashing eyes and her chest, straining against the buttons of her shirt with every heated breath.

I was starting to feel a little claustrophobic. The inside of her truck was thick with her scent, and I remembered, a little late, that she had rolled up the window when I got into the car. I stopped breathing immediately, but the damage was done. The sound of her voice faded as her heartbeat seemed to grow louder, until it was thundering in my ears. I watched her delectable soft pink lips move, no longer hearing a word she was saying. My eyes dropped from her mouth to her neck, where her pulse fluttered, throbbing with hot, flavorful blood. Her blood. I squeezed my eyes shut, wanting to open the window, but not daring to move. If I moved, she would die. I was absolutely parched; my throat felt corroded, burning and itchy, and la mia cantante was right there for the taking. I had but to reach out and snatch her into my arms, and my agonizing thirst would be slaked.

I had to have her. I needed her.

Cool, fresh air caressed my face, and I slowly opened my eyes. Bella had her back pressed against the driver's side door, and was eyeing me warily. She had rolled down the window again, and the damp, earthy smell of the woods had invaded the cab of the truck, overpowering her scent and allowing me to claw my way back from the brink of madness. I watched her lips form around the sound of my name, and blinked.

The world came back into focus. Her heartbeat faded into the background, and I was in control of myself again.

"Edward?" she repeated nervously.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, avoiding her eyes. "I'm not sure what just happened." Okay, that last part was a bald-faced lie. I knew exactly what had just happened.

"You were thinking about having a quick bite," she joked with a wry smile.

"That's not funny, Bella," I croaked, my face twisting in anguish.

"Oh, Edward. I'm so sorry," she murmured compassionately, reaching for me. She changed her mind about touching me and pulled her hand back, for which I was grateful. I didn't think I could handle any contact with her right now. "Let's go," she continued. "We can finish this conversation at home. I can go shopping another day."

"Actually, Bella…" I hesitated, not sure how she was going take the news. "You don't need to go shopping. Alice has already bought you a new shirt. It's supposed to be a surprise, so act like it when she gives it to you."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, Alice," she laughed, her voice full of affection. "Does it have long sleeves?" she added guardedly, her face going suddenly blank.

I noticed the change in her mood immediately, but was at a loss to understand it. "Yes," I replied, watching her carefully. "Why?"

She shrugged, avoiding my eyes and starting the engine. "Just wondering."

I was convinced there was more to it, but I figured now wasn't the time to push. I started getting out of the truck. "Take the next exit and turn around," I instructed her. "I'll be right behind you."

She rolled her eyes, exasperated. "You don't have to, Edward. I won't sneak off to Portland."

"Bella." I paused until I had her full attention. "I know. I want to follow you home." I slammed the door to stave of further argument, hit the roof of the truck twice, and stepped back, waiting for her to get going.

She heaved an exaggerated sigh, shot me a dirty look, and pulled back on to the freeway. I got into my car and pulled out behind her. She was driving below the speed limit, and from the look on her face she was taking a perverse pleasure in it, the little minx.

Oh well. If I was going to be stuck creeping home behind her, I might as well make it an exercise in patience and restraint. God knows I could use a lot of both.

I pulled in the driveway right behind her, and was opening her door for her before she had even pulled her keys out of the ignition. Taking her backpack from her, I slung it over my shoulder, helping her out of the car. As she stepped down, I noticed what she was wearing for the first time.

She looked really good, I noted as she started toward the house. I stopped, frowning. She looked too good. From her perky, bouncing ponytail – complete with a pert red ribbon – to her too-tight white shirt, pleated skirt swinging saucily around her hips and thighs, and shapely legs encased in black tights, she looked like a college-bound freshman, both impossibly young, and thoroughly indecent at the same time.

"Edward?"

I looked back up at her. She was standing at the front door, observing me curiously. "Why are you looking at my legs like that?"

"Like what?" I asked innocently, leaning against her truck.

"Like they are guilty of some heinous crime, or something."

I scowled. "They are," I muttered darkly. "Indecent exposure. All but the top halves of your thighs are showing."

"Is that a bad thing?" she said, surprised, looking down at herself.

"Well…yes." I rubbed the back of my neck. "Other people can see them." And that was of course unacceptable. I would never say this out loud to her, but whether she new it or not, Bella belonged to me, and I had absolutely no intention of sharing her, and that included other men looking. I understood that this was unavoidable, though, and new better than to dictate her clothing choices. I may be a chauvinist pig, but I wasn't about to act like one. When it came to Bella, I had already made enough mistakes to last a lifetime.

"This isn't the early nineteen-hundreds, Edward," she said mildly, a tremor in her voice. "Fast-forward one century, and you'll find what I am wearing is actually tame."

I looked at her sharply. Was she laughing at me? The look on her face said it all: Yes, she was. Good. I grinned, and she smiled back at me. "I know," I said softly, locking my eyes with hers. I walked slowly up the stairs and stopped right in front of her, getting up close and personal. "I just don't want anyone to see them but me. I sort of consider your legs, and the rest of your body for that matter, my territory."

She ducked her head, blushing. "You are so cute when you are old-fashioned," she said shyly, looking at me from under her eyelashes.

She turned to unlock the door, but I stayed her hand. She looked at me in surprise. I took the key without taking my eyes off her, and opened the door for her, ushering her in ahead of me. I dropped her backpack against the wall and helped her out of her jacket, hanging it up for her, and headed into the living room, listening as she moved around the kitchen. I heard the pop-hiss of a can of soda being opened, and she appeared in the living room, sipping a coke. I wanted to remark that soda was really unhealthy, and wasn't it a bit early in the day anyway, but I didn't like the way it made me sound. I was on shaky ground with her already.

I stared at her until she blushed, and then started talking.

"I'm sorry I'm being so difficult these days, Bella. The last thing I want to do is make you unhappy."

She put her coke down on the table and came straight to me, wrapping her arms around me and resting her cheek on my chest. "I'm not unhappy, Edward," she murmured. "I have never been happier in my whole life. It's just…" she paused.

"I can be such an overbearing, over-protective, domineering ass?" I finished for her.

She looked up at me and smiled, gentle laughter in her eyes. "Well, I wasn't going to put it quite like that, but yes, that's actually a pretty accurate description."

I'm sorry," I repeated, lightly clasping her shoulders and holding her at arm's length. "It's just…this is all new for me too. To go from never having been in love, to this…well, let's just say the depth and breadth of my love for you is a little frightening. I had never considered that it could be so extremely painful and heartbreaking." I took her beloved face in my hands. "I worry about you so much, Bella," I said gently. "Don't you understand that?"

"I understand that you worry, what I don't understand is why you worry so much. And about everything."

She wore an adorable frown on her face, but I could not let that distract me. "Bella, do you really not understand why I followed you and was so angry at you this morning?"

"Well, I gathered it was because you didn't want me to go to Portland alone, but why?"

That was the crux of the problem. Bella genuinely didn't see the big picture. Though she had one foot in the vampire world, she still mostly thought and acted like her mortal world was all that existed. And why wouldn't she? It was ingrained habit. She could no more truly grasp the dangers of my world, than a mortal child could grasp the dangers of hers. Even her experiences with James, and the Volturi only scratched the surface. Reality ran so much deeper, and darker.

I slipped my hands around her waist and pulled her against me. "Bella, in case you have forgotten, there is a vampire or vampires out there with an army of newborns, and they have your scent," I reminded her patiently.

"But they're in Seattle," she said weakly.

"They're not sitting in Seattle waiting for us to come to them, Bella. They could be anywhere. They are planning something, and clearly you're part of their plan, or they wouldn't have stolen your shirt and your pillow. They don't need to see you to find you; they could have come across your scent in Portland, and tracked you anywhere, and you would have been defenseless. We can't protect you if you keep going off on your own."

I sat on the sofa and pulled her down beside me, desperate for her to understand. "I'm not being a bossy, controlling boyfriend because I like it. I'm genuinely terrified for your safety, and I'm finding it difficult to deal with. Please be patient with me when I'm over-protective or lose my temper. I am trying; please don't give up on me."

"Edward, I'll never give up on you," she said with quiet passion, reaching for my hand and squeezing it. "And I understand a little better than you think. I know that in your world, by your standards, I'm like a child. There are things I can't even begin to imagine yet."

And if I have anything to do with it, you never will, I vowed silently.

"But I trust you to do right by me," she continued. "I just ask that maybe, instead of losing your temper, you talk to me, reason with me. Being yelled at usually makes me disinclined to be cooperative. For my part, I promise not to go off on my own anywhere, unless I have cleared it with you. For now," she added meaningfully. "Once this is over or I'm changed, whichever comes first, I get my life back. Deal?"

I was saved from answering by the ringing of my cell phone. I dug it out of my pocket, and flipped it open. "It's Carlisle," I told Bella, putting the phone to my ear.

"Hey…" I said. I listened to him, careful to keep my expression neutral. What he told me was not entirely unexpected, but without details, I couldn't be sure what it meant for us yet. "Okay, we'll be right there." I snapped the phone shut, and put it back in my pocket. "Esme is trying out a new recipe, and needs your help with it." I said, giving her at least part of the conversation. "You're invited for lunch."

Her lips twitched, and I just knew she was itching to make another appalling joke, maybe something about her being on the menu. I quelled her mirth with a very stern look.

"I don't suppose I could talk you into putting on a pair of jeans?" I said hopefully, my eyes roaming possessively over her stocking-covered legs. "It would help with my temper. Emmett is going to make inappropriate remarks."

"Well, you tell Emmett that when I'm newborn, and stronger than he is, I'll make him pay," she said determinedly, ignoring my suggestion and heading for the front door.

I followed her out of the house and to my car, saying nothing. Because with a little luck, I was going to make sure that she'd never find out what being a newborn was like.

To be continued…