Sorry, I know I said I'd update by the end of last week but finding computer time was harder than I thought. Anyway here it is.

All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. I don't own anything except the plot.

Chapter fifteen

BPOV

I walked away from the gym lockers, hoping that Mike would leave without bothering me, and then stood outside the doors. I was surprised when Edward wasn't there waiting for me as he normally would be, but then I saw him in the parking lot by his car with his "brothers and sisters". I smiled, but my smile soon disappeared when I saw his expression. It was murderous. I saw with relief that whatever had made him angry was not something done by me, but what then?

Just then Edward met my gaze and his face changed to an expression which made him look close to tears. He made his way over to me and then grabbed me tightly as he crushed me to his chest. I was taken by surprise, but I eventually responded and wrapped my arms around him too. I could tell it was taking all of his control to hold me tighter, but knew he would probably kill me if he did, even just like this it was hard to breath in his grip.

I began to get worried, wondering what could possibly have made him so emotianal. He began to shower desperate but quick kisses all on my face and eventually my lips. Though I loved the feeling of his lips on mine, the way he was acting scared me to no end. When we broke apart from our kiss he held my face between both of his hands, probably almost gently fro him but quite hard for me, as he stared intensly into my eyes like he was trying to convince me of something.

"I will never let them harm you. No one will take you away from me" he vowed, determined.

His words held such a possessive edge to them underneath that a while ago they might have frightened me, but now I found myself loving the way his tone sent shivers through me, in a very good way. It was then, while seeing the intensity and possessivness in his now black eyes, that one certain thing being apparent to me. I was in love with Edward Cullen. I loved him. Looking into his eyes then I wondered how I possibly couldn't have realized this sooner. Now it just seemed so obvious.

I gazed back into his eyes, my eyes full of love. And he could see it. I knew that he could see it. I knew by how his expression changed to one of shock, then slowly to overjoyed happiness and awe that he could see the love in my eyes, that he could see that I now realized my love for him. We didn't need words to say it, we both knew. I knew it and so did he.

"Bella..." he breathed

I reached up my hand and gently touched his perfectly sculptured face. His eyes closed gently, he wore a tiny smile, his expression content. I then leaned up and pressed my lips to his. It wasn't long before our kiss became more heated. We had shared such embraces before, but this was differant, better. It was like reliving those moments together in a new way. Because this time he wasn't the only one in love with the other, now I was too.

The love between us swam all around us and enveloped us both inside it's bubble, and it was just us again. None of our kisses before this one could compare in it's beauty. This was definately by far the best. I didn't want the moment to end. But soon a new desire and need spread in my body, causing me to kiss him even deeper and hold him tighter. Of course I had felt some kind of desire and need for him before, but never like this, never this strong. I'd take our biology magnetic pull over this any day.

Edward's arms around me also tightened and his kiss became more desperate too. I knew he could feel the same need as my own too, maybe even a stronger dose than mine. I wondered if what I was feeling now was just the minimum amount of emotion what Edward would feel in such situations as this. The idea that this pull between us could ever be stronger than what I felt now made me feel dizzy.

I drew back to look into Edward's eyes. They were filled with the same unspoken need and longing that I felt, and also somethingelse... lust? Yes it was lust. His eyes which earlier were their normal golden colour were now pitch black with their hunger, their hunger for me. I realized then that my eyes would look the same.

The words came out of my mouth then, the words we already knew were true anyway, but I felt compelled to say them out loud.

"I love you" I said softly, as I looked into his eyes.

His face softened "As I love you" he said in the same tone I had.

I looked over his face lovingly, I think I caught an emotion on there which looked like relief. I felt relieved too. Relief that I had finally admitted it, to Edward and to myself. I didn't have to deny it any longer, I had denyed my feelings for too long now. I looked back over the times that I had ignored him for all those weeks, the time that I had spent with Mike... I knew now that I had loved him the whole time. Just too proud to admit it.

"Ahem" someone coughed behind us

We both looked to see that Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie were all watching us rather amused, but at the same time rather smug. It looked like Emmett had been the one who coughed since Edward was now glaring at him. The others and myself just laughed, but Edward didn't, like a stubborn child. I ruffled his hair playfully, which made his face relax and his eyes turned to look at me again lovingly.

"Come on, then. Bella, are you still coming?" Alice asked

"Sure" I replied and at the corner of my eyes I saw Edward grin.

"Ok, well Edward better drive you up in your truck and Rosalie can drive us in the volvo" Alice said

"Alright" Edward said too quickly.

I smirked, happy that he was so anxious to spend more time with me alone.

The others walked over to the volvo and me and Edward walked over to my truck with his arm over my shoulders and my arm around his waist. I realized how differant this position felt with Edward than what it did with Mike, not because of the differance in temperature, but how right and natural it felt. With Mike, though I didn't show it, it had just felt awkward and just... strange. But with Edward I felt whole, and despite his cold skin I felt warm in his embrace.

We drove to his house in perfect silence, we didn't need to say anything to convey how happy and content we were. I had only been to the Cullen's house that one time before, and that time I had spent the journey on Edward's back with my eyes closed. I was sure we were getting lost as we had been driving for a long time now, but Edward seemed at ease, his only discomfort being how slow my truck was going.

Eventually we pulled in front of that huge house. It was just as beautiful as I remembered. Though it was my second time I couldn't help but react the same way I had the first time I set eyes on it. Edward just laughed at me, but his eyes continued to glow with love and happiness as I was sure mine were as I looked back at him.

EPOV

My Bella. My Bella. Mine. Only mine. Those were the only thoughts going through my head, that Bella really was and truly mine now. She actually loved me, loved me like I had imagined and fantasised about so many times before in my mind. A dream and fantasey no longer.

I looked down at our joined hands on the seat and smiled, then looked at Bella's face to see that she was looking down at them with the same expression as I had. As if sensing my eyes on her she looked up and met my gaze, eyes filled with love. I would never get bored of seeing that emotion in her eyes, I felt such pride seeing it there, it was her love for me. Not for Mike or any other pathetic human, but only and exclusively for me.

There was still a part of me that was still in a state of shock at finding Bella was actually in love with me, but I knew deep down that really I would never be able to fully recover from that fact. Even now, seeing the proof of her affections now, the whole thing just seemed so surreal, like a dream from which I never wanted to awake. Of course I couldn't really dream, but it just seemed too good to be true. I doubt I had ever felt as happy as I feel now.

I didn't even try and go any faster than the required speed limit like I usually would, if anything I was going slower. I never wanted these times with Bella to end, every moment just felt so beautiful and precious to me. And I realized then with a new lease of joy that these moments with my love never would end. We had all eternity together. Soon, when the time was right and when -if- Bella felt she was ready, I would turn her.

There was no doubt in my mind that if Bella wanted to become like me then I would be more than willing to grant her request. I also knew that I wouldn't ask Carlisle to do it for me, I myself would do it. I wanted it to be my venom to spread through her body and change her, I just wanted some part of me in some way to be within her. I thought about how I would cope during the transformation. How I would endure watching my angel in such pain...

"Edward?" Bella's voice brought me away from my train of thoughts.

I loooked back at Bella's face. For a moment my mind registered how adorable she looked when she was confused like this. I smiled at her lovingly.

"Just deep in thought, love" I said

She nodded.

In a few minutes we were in front of the house. I opened Bella's door for her and quickly grabbed hold of her hand again, wanting to be connected to her at all costs. Though of course she had been to our house before her reaction was just the same as the first time.

"Did I ever say that your house was amazing?" she asked as she looked around in awe.

"No" I chuckled

"Well I'm saying it now. Your house is amazing!" she squeled.

I laughed at her. She was so cute! I noticed her looking over in the direction of my piano then with an admiring expression. I came up with an idea then, despite how I usually avoided such things, right now I wanted to impress Bella. Make sure she actually likes piano music first! Else she's might think you're all boring, you realize its not too late for her to change her mind about being in love with you?...

"Do you play?" I asked her

"No" she shook her head "but I love debussy and stuff"

Well go ahead and tell her!

"Well, thats actually my piano" I said calmly

"Wow, you play piano?" she asked shocked

I nodded my head sheepishly. Score!

"Do you want you hear me play something?" I asked

She nodded eagerly. I took her towards the paino and sat her beside me, practically joined at my hip. I knew just what I was going to play for her. During the first days after I had imprinted on her I had written a song for her, inspired from when I had watched her sleep for the first time. I began playing that sweet tune and looked to see Bella's expression. I was filled with pride as amazment covered her features.

"Do you like it?" I asked

She nodded, seeming at a loss for words.

"You inspired it" I said softly

She looked up at me and gazed lovingly at me as I did the same, now it was her turn to look proud.

When I finished the song I turned to Bella once again and soon found her sweet lips against my own. I cradled her face gently between my two hands as I kissed her softly back. I could never get over how wonderful her lips felt. Once we broke apart I rested my forehead against hers as we just sat there in each other's embrace, content to remain so forever. It felt as if we were in our own little world at times like this. Just her and me.

"Edward?" Bella asked

I hummed in response to tell her to continue her question. I was too lost in the moment to form any words.

"What was wrong before" she asked "you seemed frightened"

I could almost hear the walls that encased us in our own private bubble brake and shatter with the force of my realization and rememberance of what I had seen today in Alice's mind, and what might soon come. The Volturi were coming for my Bella. My breath caught in my throat as I remembered what had been driven from my mind during the pure bliss of discovering Bella's love for me.

My embrace soon changed from the previously gentle touch to now desperate as I crushed her to me as if my life depended on it, yet still gentle enough for me so that I would not break her. The Volturi were not even here yet and the fear of losing my angel was alreay choking me. I gripped Bella closer still, feeling as if though someone might come and take her away from me if I let go of her for a second. Which in a sense someone might.

We did not know when they were coming, they could come at any moment...

"Edward, what is it?" Bella asked panicked.

I took a deep breath to keep myself under control.

"The Volturi" I spat.

I felt Bella stiffen in my arms at the name. I had told her about the Volturi before, so she knew that if I was mentioning them then that meant trouble was coming. I heard the shocked thoughts of my family too, who were now in the same room as us. They all wore panicked expressions. And of course they knew why the Volturi were coming. What else could it be after all? Why else would they come? There was only one thing that it could be.

To take my love away from me, and therefore destroy me in the process.

They would not need to take action upon me to do so, they would only have to harm Bella in even the smallest way and they would break me. If they ended Bella's life then my life would also inevitably end with her's. My family knew this just as much as I did.

We all stood in silence for a long time. Bella didn't need to ask to know what was happening. I had told her enough that she understood what this meant, she knew they killed all humans who knew about our existance, and she knew all too much about us now.

My family began sending out suggestions, but it all did no good. Every suggestion they threw out was always something that my mind had alreay gone over and found useless. Of course Emmett was all for the fighting back option, Esme was for the explaining about my imprinting on Bella, Jasper was for hiding Bella, but we all knew none of those options would bring us any good.

Bella could sense our hopelessness too. Though she was silent the whole time, as though could read her mind I could tell what she was thinking. I realized that she was thinking about allowing them to take her, to kill her. When I realized that I took hold of her shoulders and shook her fiercely.

"No, Bella!" I almost growled "you will not do anything to harm yourself. Do you understand?" I said the last part softly, my voice breaking at one point.

She looked deep into my eyes, I knew what she would see there. I knew as she looked into my eyes that she knew that if she were to die then I would also. Seeing this, seeing that such a thing would literally destry me, she nodded.

The thought of Bella's dismiss was unendurable to me, my past experince of just merely imagining that possibility I knew were nothing compared to what it would really be like. If Bella were not in my arms then I would have broke down into a fit of dry sobs, but her presence kept me together and kept me whole so I was able to appear strong for her. But on the inside I was shaking with the fear of what would happen if I allowed the Volturi to take her from me.

"Alice?" I asked "When will they come?"

"Within the next two weeks" she said sadly "perhaps only a few days"

"So soon?" I breathed.

Alice nodded grimly. Then all of a sudden she gasped as her eyes glazed over. She was having a vision.

Vision

"But, Aro" Felix hissed.

"Enough" Aro shouted as he held up his hand as a sign to stop.

"The human girl will not be harmed" he claimed

The other volturi members stared at him in shock. Despite Aro now claiming that my love was safe, in the vision I did not relax my tense position in front of Bella. But why? Wasn't this what we wanted? For them to stop threatening Bella's life?

"Why?" Cauis asked, still stunned

Aro then turned his attention back to the beautiful figure behind me.

He was just about to declare his reason, but the vision came to an end.

End of vision

To say I was shocked was an understatment. What was that? What had happened? Why was Aro allowing Bella to live? And why was I still protecting Bella when what we had feared was over? What else could possibly be a threat?

Once again it may take a while to update as my computer still isn't working, but I promise to do so as soon as I can!

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