CHAPTER 39 - MEADOW

Sia - My Love

My love, leave yourself behind,
Beat inside me, leave you blind.
My love, you have found peace.
You were searching for relief.

A/N: I know – I. Am. Terrible. Past two weeks have been spent berating myself because I haven't been able to write. Reason for my sudden unexplained absence was because I had been in hospital - bedbound for two weeks. I'm all good now so don't you worry and I have spent the past two days writing so that I could catch up. I'm doing the best that I can and I hope that my readers forgive me. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry – times infinity. Hopefully won't happen again – did I say that I was really sorry? Anyway on with the story and I hope you enjoy the update.

His fingers continued to play through my tresses or occasionally they would trail down my bare arm and every single time his whisper of a touch brushed against my skin, a cold chill would run down my spine.

In return, I would use my fingers to trace his pale incandescent features and felt satisfaction flow through me when he shivered under my touch. A sense of pride soared within, knowing that I was able to ignite such a strong reaction from him.

However, even with the peace, I could not help the nagging thought that trespassed my mind which was becoming too much to contain, so I propped myself up on one elbow so that I could look at him. He seemed shaken up with my sudden movement and a troubled expression was etched on his face so I reached up to smooth over his furrowed eyebrows before bringing myself to ask, "Why did you bring me here?"

Thankfully, the small smile lifting the corner of his lips, told me that he wasn't offended by my question. He even reached over to trail his fingers through my hair again before releasing a low sigh, "I wanted to" his tone was calm and controlled but I didn't miss how he no longer met my eyes, instead his gaze was now glued onto my hair.

His reply still wasn't enough to appease the shaken thoughts tumbling around because new doubts were now emerging. "Who else have you brought here?" the worry was evident in my voice and this must have alerted him because he finally looked back at me.

With his eyes boring into mine, he slipped his fingers from my hair so that they could move down and cup my cheek, "No one" he promised, "I wouldn't want to share it with anyone else"

"Why?" still questioning why he thought I was good enough to bring here.

"This place…" he sighed and stared off into the sky with a faraway look, "…this place is special to me" he breathed with the smile still intact when he lifted his head again to look back at me, "As are you" he added taking me by surprise.

Sitting up abruptly, I looked down at him with a wide grin, "I am?" my vice had gone up an octave but I didn't care because I was reading into the sincerity within his gleaming eyes.

"You are" he confirmed in a lowered voice, with the all too familiar honesty rang with sincerity in his bright topaz eyes.

The following silence wasn't uncomfortable, instead it was now filled with warmth as our eyes remained locked and the both of us had ridiculous grins plastered across our faces. As preposterous as the moment was, I was sure that neither of us really cared.

When I finally fell back to lie on his chest and I felt his chest fall and rise with the deep breath that he took before unexpectedly asking in an almost broken whisper, "Am I special to you?" a slight vulnerability exposed in her voice.

Lifting my head up, I met his eyes and smirked as I shook my head, "No" my offhanded reply only had the wavering smile fall dark into distress that furrowed his eyebrows. Seeing the troubled expression that darkened his features only upset me and I decided that I had had enough fun teasing him so I admitted with a smile, "I'm joking" making sure our gazes were locked, I almost laughed at the relief that washed over him when I added, "You are special to me too"

His response to this was a small smile that lifted his lips and I was about to return it again but suddenly it fell and a serious look overcame him, "I hope you know you can trust me" even his tone had lowered.

"I know" nodding in agreement because I did know I could trust him – I already did, much more than I should. "…and I hope that you know you can trust me" was what I found myself saying and thankfully he made no objection to this because he also mirrored my previous action when he nodded.

The peace that was brought on by the silence, had my head laid back onto him and one palm placed onto his chest, "This place is amazing", I sighed once again and had the pleasure of hearing and feeling the small rumble in his chest as his reply. Almost immediately, he had gone back to drawing lazy circled up my arm and I relaxed further into him, simply happy to be here with him.

"Can I ask you a question?" he broke the silence once again but I didn't really mind because it was his voice so I nodded despite the fact that I was feeling somewhat doubtful of my acceptance and I was definitely right to be on edge when I heard his following words, "W-why do you think-" he paused and I curiously looked towards him in question only to find that he was avoiding my gaze, "…he'll come for you?" even he wavered when stuttering out the question and could hear the distinctive tremor vibrating through his tone.

I could tell that it took a lot for him to brave himself up to ask that question so I thought I should at least try and find the courage to answer it, "Well after he fed-" taking a second to gulp down the bile that rose with the thought of him but also realizing that Edward had been kind enough not to say his name. Not that he really needed to seeing as I already knew who he was talking about which only pushed me further into answering, "It's just – every time he fed, I could see this…t-this hunger in his eyes." trying my hardest to block out the memory that threatened to play out. Last thing I needed was to remember and ruin this whole day, "All I could see was the greed and…" Squeezing my eyes shut to will away the memory.

"And…?" he urged me on when I didn't say anything but was still kind enough to continue trying to keep me relaxed with the gentle brush of his fingers grazing my bare arm. It seemed to be the only thing that kept my breathing even and my heart rate steady.

Flickering my eyes open, I met his own which were now glassy as they were filled with concern but still expectant so I quickly finished, "…and it didn't seem like he could get enough" I answered.

"Did he b-bi - bi-"

I already knew what he was about to ask and I think that he already knew the answer but I wasn't willing to answer it so I tried a different tactic, "Can we talk about something else?" not pleased with the clipped tone that my voice had gained but also not doing anything to apologize. Once again my head was back onto his chest because I felt like ashamed with my cowardly act but thankfully Edward was not the type of person to push me.

However, I could feel his fear and anger had peaked, heightening as the seconds passed and his grip on me tightened as he held me closer to him.

When I was about to ask something that would change the direction of his thoughts, he interjected with his own question, "Are you scared?" his own voice had acquired his fear and I wondered if he feared the answer.

Slipping my hand down, I laced my fingers with his but still kept my head down when assuring him with the most honest answer that I could comply, "Not right now"

"Why?" this time, I could hear the smile in his voice which appeased me. Furthermore, I felt his fingers break from the grip that they had on me and instead move up to play with my hair which I could only perceive as being a good sign. Hopefully I wouldn't ruin this moment with details with my past and the only way to do that would be to distract him from asking anymore questions.

Raising my head, I laid my cheek on the panes of his muscled chest with the compelled thought of wanting to look at him again when I smiled at him, "Many reasons"

His eyes dropped down to meet mine as he took the bait and I felt his anger dissipate when he gave a slight shrug and asked, "Name a few"

"Well… I'm in a peaceful place" my gaze sweeping across our surroundings and I found myself grow calmer with the beautiful sight of the meadow, "…where I feel safe" smiling at that and he mirrored it, obviously sharing my happiness "…and most importantly…" pausing to draw the tension as I rolled of him and looked at him which made him turn his whole form so that he was facing me when I whispered my confession, "…because I'm here with you"

His fingers grazed my heated cheeks before moving down to my shoulder and then surprisingly gently landing on the small of my back so that he could pull me closer to him which only made me giggle. With this, he smirked with a smug look on his face which I rolled my eyes at but still couldn't help but reach up to push away the stray tendrils that fell over his eyes.

With the closed distance, the electricity that hummed only strengthened within the thick atmosphere between us. Being this close to him made our moment so private tat I felt as if we had closed into our own personal bubble.

"And I'm here with you…" he breathed in a barely audible whisper but I couldn't find my voice because my reply to this was a small sigh. Another smug smile lifted his lips as he moved his fingers back into my hair and took me off guard yet again with his words, "…and I don't intend on leaving you" the sincerity that he pleaded for me to read within his eyes staggered me.

Wanting to believe his promise, I knew that I had to ask again, "You won't?"

"No…" he answered with the same openness and integrity that he had used with me the whole time we had been here, "I promise" he added in a whisper and even though I had had so many people break their promises to me, I already knew that I trusted him.

The sudden shrill ringtone that tore through the quiet is what made us both jump and then we started laughing at our ridiculous behaviour.

I sat up when he did and watched him as he reached into his pocket to answer the call but instead of invading his privacy, I was engrossed with the simple sight of him that I wasn't concentrating on what he or the caller was saying. The breeze brushed through his bronze tresses as did his fingers as he pushed them back. His muscled arms rested on his bent knees as he looked straight ahead, although occasionally, he would incline his head towards me and smile or wink.

Still dazzled by the mere sight of him, I remained dazed for a few seconds that I hadn't even realised that he had ended the call until he took me off guard with the new announcement.

"Esme made you dinner"

This was all it took to bring me back to my senses and I shot up from where I sat when reality took it's toll on me. "Did you plan this?" I screeched and the rage was seeping into my voice. I wasn't really angry at him or the others – more that I was angry at myself because it seemed that I was just becoming a burden to them.

As he stood, he continued to shake his head, "No, no, no, no, no" he repeated while reaching over to run his hand down my arm so I could relax but I could already see through his words.

"Too many no's" I smirked but then crossed my arms over my chest as I narrowed my eyes, "They gave you away"

He shrugged, not caring that I caught him out but instead moving on as he lopped his arm around mine and cheerfully offered, "Let's go then" the grin was back on his face.

"What?" I practically yelled into the open space creating an echo as I pulled away from his hold while shaking my head to decline the all too generous offer, "I have already overstayed my welcome", still shaking my head that he would even think to do this again. I was already dressed in clothes that they gave for me and I had slept in their home as well as used their shower and cooked in their kitchen.

Edward wasn't giving in, "You know that's not true" he argued and began to run his hand down my arm again which was an unfair advantage, "My whole family loves you and they all want to spend more time with you" he reasoned, still fighting for me to go with him but I couldn't help the guilt that nagged at me.

Old Bella was back and I felt the bold side of her takeover as she leaned in to him and placed a palm onto his chest as I looked up at him from under my lashes which caused his breath to be caught his throat, "Just your family…?" I asked with feigned innocence.

He chuckled and looped his arm around my waist to pull me closer, "I'm sure it's obvious that I want you there" his topaz eyes gleaming.

"You do?" I teased but I was half serious and actually wanted to hear his answer..

"I love spending time with you Bella"

"And I love…" I paused realizing that it's been a while since I had said that word and the only people that I had ever used it on was my parents. It seemed like such a big step for me and I was hesitant to take it but when I looked at Edward and found that he was still staring back at me. The patience in his eyes seemed to be enough to urge me to finish that sentence, "I love spending time with you too Edward Cullen" and I was glad to have said this because the grin that followed was definitely worth it.

My thoughts constantly referred to him as Edward Cullen and it seemed that they had taken over what I said this time not that he seemed to mind – the grin had confirmed it.

I loved how his whole name was put together because it sounded perfect for him.

When he remained speechless, I rolled my eyes and looped my arm back with his again so that I could lay my head on his shoulder, "I suppose we should be getting to that dinner now huh?"

A/N: Sorry – sorry – sorry again. Hope you guys liked the update. Next one will be up soon. Responses to the chapters 37-38. Enjoy:

cecilia4059 – I've know many Jennys in my life. Moving on - Bella has goodness in her and she tries to maintain it which is why she doesn't dwell on the bad. Plus she is fascinated by werewolves and she wants to be his friend. Then again, Bella also knows about the vampire/werewolf feud so maybe she sympathizes with Jacob. Don't worry, he won't get in the way. Thanks for the review and for reading. Hope you enjoyed this update.

Joda-Eragonsson – I'm just glad that you're still reading and you reviewed. Jake will try to get between them but it will not work. Bella may/may not end up setting him straight.

Horses-are-my-life – Back to the wonderful life of Storybrooke. I love Jorge Garcia because I was a LOST fan so I was happy to see him as the Anton. Anyway, thanks for the review and for reading.

Valentine Rain – Jacob won't be able to get between these two lovebirds. Thank you and thank you again for reading and reviewing.

Twilight Rocker 12 – If you like the BxE – hope you enjoyed this update. I agree that Jacob is a douche. Snow days quickly ended and I didn't really get to enjoy any of them. Just wind and rain now – I want the sun now…*pout*…Makes me so happy that you still love the story. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Multi-Fandom-Lover123 – Tried to write up this update as quick as I could. More BxE moments coming up soon. I really enjoyed writing the meadow scene – as well as this one and I hope you liked this extra tid bit while in the meadow. We're only drawing closer to the fireworks…BTW – like how quickly you remixed call me maybe. That is actually amazing. Definite success.

Hope you liked this update – another chapter is coming up soon. Thanks for the awesome review and for reading. Can't believe you're saying thank you – I should be the one saying thank you for your amazing support.

jbrjaw27 – Edward still doubts that Bella cares for vampires. Edward and Bella do need a pep squad. There will be more 'communication' between the two in the next chapter. Your reviews made me laugh. I want to throw you a 'bone' but at the same time I'm putting myself in both their mindset. Bella a person who's been hurt by vampires in too many way isn't exactly going to start rushing things. All these feelings are new to the both of them so all I ask is please…be patient.

BelovedSunshine – Thank you for reading and reviewing. More intense stuff coming up soon and I hope you're ready. Sorry for the late update :(

IzzyPure – Appreciate your honesty – understand if you're bored but there's nothing I can do. Hopefully you'll enjoy what I have planned.

Strange thing for FootGuy to suddenly stop talking to you but at least he's talking to you again. Wait – you called him Ray. Is that his name – Ray? If it is…I like it.

Very poetic description – favourite line was "warm caramel flowed through me" – intense stuff Izzy. Also yes, I do think you should spread some hints if you're a Valentines girl. Don't give out 'over-the-top' hints. Keep it low key. Maybe ask him what he's doing for valentines – although that does sound over-the-top.

It's good that you have a friend you feel comfortable enough to share your feelings. I'm more of a lock and key type of person – take it out on my punch bag. Intense description – I'm really sorry about what you're going through but even my apology doesn't feel enough. Really sorry about what you're going through and I hope you have someone close is supporting you.

Not going to judge you for touching a mustache – I touched someone's beard and it was not a dare. Moving on to a Grown up moment: parents are hypocritical but only coz they love you. My mum's the same – got a B+ in Biology and I got so much BS from my mum, even though she got C.

Just to make sure you don't break down during the week – I updated. Hope this put you at peace.

A twilight wish – Kiss will be up soon. Let's get Bella ready first…I'm so happy to know that you want more. Thank you so so much for reading and reviewing and sorry for the late update.

Team Cullen – Thank you for the awesome review and for reading. Glad you loved the chapters and I hope you liked this update. Sorry for the delay…

sujari6 – Thank you for your support by reviewing and reading. Nice to know you loved the cooking part. Doubt it will be Edward doing the leaving in this story.

betty69blue – Thank you SO much for the review. Love knowing what you all think and I'm pumped that you're enjoying this.

Sorry to all for the late update and reply. We'll get back to what's normal now and I'll get back to doing the normal updates. Sorry again – forgive me?