Hi

I know. I'm sorry I haven't updated in over a month. I won't bore you with excuses that you might not believe...

Just know that the next chapter has been started already, and I will be focusing on this story before I update A Choice again.

:) Enjoy this. See you down the bottom.

And thanks to Chandrakanta for beta-ing this. She got it back to me in just 2 hours, despite large time differences.

I sighed, relief flowing through me.

She remembered me.

"Bella," I breathed, looking into her eyes in wonder. I grasped her face in my hands, growling at the purr she released. She looked into my eyes, and I saw the love in mine reflected back in hers.

She was so beautiful. And she was mine.

"I love you, Edward," she said. A gorgeous smile lit up her face and I swallowed, closing my eyes in bliss.

"I love you, too," I whispered back, "More than my own life." I opened my eyes again to look at her for just a moment. I wanted her so much, but at the same time, I knew she needed to hunt and become reacquainted with the family. I wasn't so sure how I felt about that – the need to claim her and mark her as mine – was getting to me.

"What?" Bella asked me, smiling as she regarded me warily. "What are you thinking?"

My head fell back with a laugh. The sound of that question from her lips was comical; that was my line. "You, your needs; your thirst, love, how is it?"

At my question, Bella gasped. Her hand flew up to her throat and her fingers clenched around it. She whimpered and my instincts kicked in. I purred to calm her and she blinked before looking up at me. Her expression was confused and needy, her eyes already black.

"Edward," she whimpered again, and I purred even louder.

"I know," I cooed, taking her hand and placing it in mine. She removed it and placed it on my hip, her fingers clenching into my shirt and I cupped her face in my hands. "You need to hunt, don't you, my love?"

"It hurts," she said, her brow furrowing. "I want… I want–"

"I know," I repeated. I released her face, dropping my hands to my sides, the left taking her hand off my hip, holding it firmly. I stepped toward the window, and tugged on her hand. "Come, my love. Let us hunt. You will feel better afterwards."

She looked toward the window I was trying to lead her to, and frowned. "But I don't know how to," she replied quietly.

I smiled sweetly at her. "You will. It's instinct, love. Once you smell the scent, your instincts will take over. You will be in their hands." I brushed her hair off her shoulder and she purred at my touch, her eyes growing even darker. She licked her lips. Before she could say anything, I raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Soon, my love, we will be alone. We will have our time together. I would prefer, however, to feed you first."

She pouted then sighed. "Fine, but kiss me first."

I growled, "Gladly."

And in the next split second, my lips were moving against hers.

Now where I used to have to be so gentle, I was not. Where my lips could only really brush against hers, they did not. Where my lips must have felt harder than normal for us to really kiss, they were warm and soft and pliable.

The kiss was charged with need, lust, love, possession, and fire. The need to simply rip Bella's clothes off and mate with her now was great, but I also knew that that would not be wise. Yes, our first time as true equals in every way was probably not going to be gentle and soft, but hard, fast, and claiming, but I wanted Bella to truly appreciate it.

I knew that sex with your mate was mind-blowing. I knew that, when mating, you could not form any thought that was not of your other half. I had experienced it. But I also knew it was more when you were equally durable, and did not have to worry about such things as I had.

But still, I felt the need to have Bella completely fed before it happened. Even if it were only moments before, I didn't want even the slightest chance that her throat might burn.

I wanted her completely and utterly enthralled and distracted by me.

"Edward," my bedazzling mate whimpered, bringing me out of my thoughts. I groaned as her hands weaved through my hair then tugged harshly. The pain made my body tingle and my hands flew down to her plump bottom as I pulled her body against me tightly.

Our kiss fizzled slowly, and eventually ended with just a few soft pecks.

"We really…" I breathed as I kissed her neck, my mind plotting just where I would mark her first, "need to get you fed, my love."

She whimpered. "But I want you," she mewled.

I groaned. "I know, and I want you as well… but I really need to take proper care of your needs first."

She growled, "I need you."

I chuckled. "Just as I need you, Isabella. But if you really want the real reason, I also want you completely focused on me when I take you the first time. Because I will be unrelenting and I will mark you multiple times, give you pleasure multiple times. I do not want your thirst on your mind even a little bit when I take you, my sweet girl."

She just groaned and muttered to herself as her hands released me. I dropped my hold on her as well, and took her hand in mine as I slowly tugged on it and pulled her over to the window.

"What are we doing?" she asked.

"Hunting," I joked. She raised an eyebrow at me, and I sighed. "It's easy, Bella. Really. And since you are now indestructible…"

Her shoulders shook with silent laughter, but she shook her head and squared her shoulders, hands on her hips as she looked at me. "Show me, then. You go first."

I smiled at her, caressed her cheek, pecking it softly, and then I stepped out of the floor-to-ceiling, open window, landing silently and effortlessly on the ground two stories below.

I turned around and looked up at her. "See?"

She huffed and rolled her eyes, but after taking a deep breath, she let herself fall out of the window. My arches twitched to catch her, but I knew she had to experience this for herself. And I had to come to terms with the fact that she was no longer fragile, but my equal in strength and durability.

She is beautiful, I thought to myself for what had to be the hundredth time since she woke up just minutes ago.

"Stop looking at me like that," Bella murmured and I shook my head as I looked at her.

"Why, my love? You are too beautiful to ignore," I said, brushing my fingers against her hand as I took it in mine. She purred at my touch, stepping closer to me as she laid her head on my chest.

"I love you, Edward. I know we said it, like, two minutes ago but I just needed to say it again. I love you so much," she said and my body zinged to life. I could not help the smile which appeared on my face. I lived to hear those words.

"I love you, too, Bella," I replied softly, looking down at her. "And I feel that same urge every minute of every day. The need to tell you how I feel, to make sure you know the depth of my feelings for you, is something I struggle with constantly."

She looked up at me, a gorgeous smile on her perfect face. "Don't. Tell me, Edward. Whenever you need to; I assure you I need to hear it just as much as you need to say it. I'm sure it's the same for you when I say it. Because I do; I really do love you, and I want to thank you so much for giving me forever. Even if it was because I was sick and you had no choice. Even if it was before the time we had originally planned to do it. You are all I need, Edward, and I am so thankful that I have you."

I almost told her then just what she was sick with, and why that was, but at the moment, Bella took a deep breath and then grimaced. The thought flew from my mind as my instincts compelled me to take care of my mate's needs.

"Come, love," I said, smiling down at her. "Enough of this for now; we can continue this conversation later. It is a conversation we need to have – that's for sure – but let's feed you first."

She nodded. "I think that would be wise," she breathed, clutching her throat. "And to think it was so easy to ignore before."

I frowned at that, but said nothing. How could she have ignored it for even a second? Logically speaking, she should have been begging me to take her to hunt the moment she woke. Hell, she should have been out of control and incoherent with the need for blood.

Was this a side effect, or something else? Perhaps Bella's wanting to be changed made the transition easier for her?

"So where are we going?" my Bella asked, bringing me out of my thoughts yet again.

"Ten miles north," I said. "Far away enough from the walking trail. Just in case," I said pointedly, and she nodded, not saying anything as I eyed her carefully for her reaction. It was minimal, and not at all what I expected; she gave a small smile and nodded to herself, as if happy with my decision.

And then she looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. Her lips twitched amusedly and asked me, "So? Are we going?"

I chuckled. "Yes."

"Well then, let's go already," she said, her eyes twinkling with happiness, amusement, and love.

I shook my head in amazement, my mind a soft cloud of love and ease. Right now, standing with my love, who was safe, happy, and contented, the past few days felt like a very distant dream.

And then, my Bella ripped her hand from mine and took off running. I stared after her, utterly amazed by her attitude and… and just her.

"Edward," she whispered. The tone of her voice was alarmed and somewhat scared. I frowned, panic welling in my chest. I was in front of her, taking her into my arms, in a flash.

"What is it, love? What's wrong?" I asked.

She gave me no answer, simply looking forward. Her hands clenched and I followed her gaze.

And I saw what she saw, or rather, who.

"Bella, love, that's our family," I said, still confused as to her reaction. I looked at her for a moment, noting how rigid and guarded she was as she regarded them, her eyes not even straying from their figures. "That's Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme."

She looked up at me, and there was confusion in her eyes. She seemed to be thinking hard as she squinted. "Edward, you're wrong. I don't know them."

And then it hit me. The complication Alice had foreseen.

This was it.

Bella remembered me.

As her mate, I could understand it. I was her other half; she would be completely lost if she didn't remember me. And I could also understand the memory loss; I knew where it was coming from. After all, the influenza had done the same to me. My memories were a lot hazier than most and in some cases there were completely blank periods of my human life.

But for Bella to not remember the very family she had loved so dearly as a human was painful.

And even worse… they were no longer family to her, but mere strangers.

And as I looked back at the six members of our close-knit family, noting how they smiled at her – even Rosalie – with their arms outstretched, my heart clenched with sadness.

They did not know she didn't remember them. Even from where they were standing, Bella's whispers were too faint for their ears. With a pang, I realised Bella had orchestrated it that way.

And I looked back at our family, the family it appeared she no longer remembered. I wiped my face clean of all expressions and grimly shook my head. Their smiles faltered, and they lowered their arms. I looked at Carlisle, who was looking at me, beseeching an answer. I shook my head once more, and then turned to the beautiful, confused, frightened girl in my arms.

"Come, love," I said softly, trying to keep the pain from my voice. "Let's go hunting."

"But–" she said exasperatedly, uneasily, trying to look over my shoulder or around my body to get a look at our family. "Edward–"

"Hush, love," I interrupted, hating myself for it. "Let's go. We will continue this conversation later, I promise."

She looked at me for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly, before she swallowed. She looked down as she nodded, and wordlessly, she sped off. I sighed, and looked once more toward my confused and curious family. "I'm sorry," I murmured quickly and quietly so only they could hear. "I'll explain later."

"Are you coming or not? I don't think I can do this by myself, Edward, and I really haven't got all day," Bella said good naturedly.

And with a heavy sigh, I went after my beautiful mate, trying to content with myself the fact that she at least knew me and that we would figure all of this out.

This was just over 2000 words, heading towards one of the longer chapters of the story. :)

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