I do not own Twilight or any of its fantastic characters

BPOV

Chapter 11

Outcasts

We had been living in Anchorage for about a week and school would be starting in a few days. It was easier adjusting to our new environment than I ever thought it would be. For Edward too, I watched him with fascination as he would move around the house like he had lived there his whole life, putting things away and folding clothes. My fascination grew even more at night when I saw him washing dishes, doing laundry and reading. He seemed so human, and so content. I don't think I had ever seen Edward so happy before, it was like he was in some state of nirvana and all the differences between us no longer mattered to him. He was doing things more slowly and normally and more importantly, he was doing them himself. Not that the Cullens had much to attend to and worry about, but they had money, and had housekeepers and landscapers for when they needed work done. The property around their house was immense and always perfectly kept, but certainly you never saw Carlisle mowing a lawn or Jasper weed whacking a shrub. It was interesting to see Edward on his own, tending to a household, and the fact that he had decorated this house and designed it without hiring someone to do it was even more endearing. He was like a grown man, he would make a good husband someday, and if he were able to be, I believed that he would have been a good father too. We were sitting at the kitchen table, I was eating dinner and Edward was sitting across from me, reading, and every so often he would glance up at me from his book and smile shyly. I reached across the table and touched his outstretched hand; he curled his fingers around mine without looking up.

"Are you almost through eating?" He asked, breaking the silence

"Yes, why?"

He answered my question with another of his own, "has it gotten dark outside yet?"

I stood up from the table and peeked around the curtain into the backyard, "yes," I answered, slightly confused.

Within seconds he was standing behind me and had his hands on my hips, he leaned over and murmured into my ear, "go put a sweatshirt on."

The scent of him was intoxicating, "why?"

"Just do it." He said with a crooked smile, "I want you to see something."

I went to my closet and grabbed a brown zip up sweatshirt and quickly threw it on. When I got back to the kitchen, he was gone, I saw him standing on the deck outside.

"What's going on?" I asked, joining him.

"You'll see, it'll take a few minutes, so be patient."

He was staring out into the yard, a look of anticipation on his face.

"You seem very happy here." I said quietly

"I am very happy here, it feels…natural to me."

"I know, everything here seems so unspoiled and clean and wild." I agreed, apparently, I was becoming very happy here as well.

He furrowed his brow in confusion as if he didn't quite catch what I had just said, and then a look of enlightenment crossed his face. "Well, yes, you're absolutely on point with that statement, but I meant something different when I said it feels natural to me here."

I narrowed my eyes, studying him in a feeble attempt to read his mind, but he continued to elude me.

He chuckled softly as he watched my expression then went on to explain, "What I meant was, being here with you feels very natural to me. Living in my own home and doing everyday things feels natural to me. I've never felt so at ease in all my existence. I love my family, but, it feels good to be away from them. Away from Alice's predictions, and Rosalie's resentment, and Jasper's scrutiny, other vampires, all the peril that I've faced in the last few years seems like a memory."

"All the peril that we've faced." I added.

"Of course." He said putting his arms around my waist "and I'm trying to angst less about our relationship, you know, about the uniqueness of our situation."

"You shouldn't angst. Are you finding it difficult to live with me?"

"Not in so many words. There are times, when it is very difficult to be around you, but I've trained myself to busy my mind with something else or separate myself from you when those instances occur." He explained.

"When do those instances occur?" I wondered aloud.

"Well, every time you get out of the shower, the entire house is permeated with your scent, I didn't think anything could make it more appealing to me, but something about the steam…intensifies it and makes it practically irresistible. That's usually why I disappear for an hour or so when you're in there."

"Okay, anything else?"

"Nothing else in particular," he said uneasily, touching the back of his neck. I knew there was more, but I could tell it made him uncomfortable talking about it, so I didn't press the issue.

"Can I ask you something?" I said cautiously.

"Anything." He replied easily

"It seems like, lately you've been doing things more deliberately. At a slower pace I mean, because there have been many times in the past where, you, well, you move so quickly and noiselessly that I don't even see it until it's like, five minutes later. Have I just gotten used to it or are you moving a lot slower these days?"

His laugh rang out clear and musical, "oh, you've noticed that?"

I was mystified, I really had seen a change, "I guess I have. But why?"

"I suppose it could be an environmental explanation."

"English please."

"Okay, well, you know how when you're around someone or something long enough you start to pick up their habits?" I nodded, "It seems like all of their idiosyncrasies and mannerisms start to become yours as well. That is how I explain it, I've spent most of my life with my vampire family, everyone moving swiftly and quietly and using their gifts and I followed suit. Now, I'm living with you and I'm picking up your movements and habits and acting more like a human."

"But we've only been living together for a short while, how could I be rubbing off on you so quickly?"

"I'm a quick study." He smirked, "besides, I'm more apt to learn something more quickly if I'm interested in it. It's nice, I actually feel normal for once in my life." He said with a poignant undertone.

"So, you like doing laundry and dishes?" I asked flatly.

"It fascinates me." He remarked brightly his eyes lighting up.

"Unbelievable." I said exasperated.

"Bella," he started, looking away from me briefly, "it's probably something that you take for granted because you've been doing it your whole life, but for me, being normal and fitting in with someone I deeply love is very important to me. "

"Edward, I've never fit in with anyone before. If we went to school together for years and you weren't what you were, you'd always be the cool kid and I'd be the outcast."

He turned back to me and asked happily, "is that how you see me, as the cool kid?"

"Not really." I said casually, crossing my arms over my chest "you're more the eccentric suffer in silence guy who stays at home listening to Bach and cutting himself but who all the girls think is hot. You were and probably, and will always be the deepest seventeen year old that ever walked the halls of Forks high."

"Right," he said shaking his head, "and you were probably the intellectual Goth girl that was serious and brooding and too good for everyone at Phoenix High." He teased back.

"Well, yes that pretty much sums it up." I agreed, we both laughed. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him.

"I suppose if we had children they'd be grim and tortured, write poetry in the dark and be terrible at sports." He said brushing a piece of hair out of my eyes.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." I replied, peering up at him.

"I knew there was a reason we were together. We don't fit in with anyone else better than we do with each other." Edward sighed, I hugged him again and he rested his chin on my head.

"I'm going to marry you someday Edward Cullen." I whispered to myself as I buried my face in his hard shoulder, it was meant for only me to hear, but I'm sure he heard it as well; he was, after all, a v…very good listener.

I stood there for a moment, my back to the yard, when suddenly he said, "Bella, turn around and look."

His smooth voice had startled me, as I was busying myself with taking in the sweet scent that radiated off of him and intoxicating myself with it. I looked up with questioning on my face when I didn't see anything.

"No love, look over there." He turned my body so I faced the horizon, I stared out into the cool, late summer evening and gasped at what I saw; the northern lights.

The northern lights were a phenomenon that happened quite frequently in Alaska as well as in other parts of the world that were close to the poles or the equator. The concept still wasn't quite clear to me, but from what I'd heard, the northern lights or the aurora borealis occurred as a result of the atmospheric gases being affected by the location of the poles and equator. I had seen pictures before, but no magazine could compare with what I saw now. It looked like stars were falling from the sky all around us. The horizon was filled with hues of indigo and red; wisps of clouds had taken on an aqua tinge and spread in uneven layers amidst the vast velvety background.

It was breathtaking, it didn't seem like it could be a creation made by science, more like something created by a great and emotional artist of another era. It was anger and joy all swirled into one and the touch of silver light right at the bottom of the horizon was the hope of a new day. The stars reminded me of tears falling, depending on the state of mind one was in on this night; the tears could be happy or sad. For me, they were happy, I assumed they were happy for Edward too. He stood behind me with his granite arms curled tightly around my waist. I felt him rub his cheek against my ear and kiss me lightly on the temple. I let my head fall back and rest against him, each and every day, it was getting a lot easier to live in Alaska, and harder to remember my life that existed before him.