Claire de Lune- Claude Debussy

Prelude in C Major- Johann Sebastian Bach

Waltz in A Minor- Frederic Chopin

Sonata No. 17 in C- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Aufschwung- Robert Schumann

The shadows began to creep into the meadow as the sun quickly sunk. I stared sadly at the still-clear sky, knowing our time in this little slice of heaven was over. I bit into my bottom lip, unwilling to want to leave, though I knew we had to. I didn't want Charlie Swan thinking I had kidnapped his foster son, and I wanted Edward to want to come over for dinner.

We packed up the picnic basket, and I had to insist on holding it, weaving my fingers with his as we walked through the meadow. When we reached the edge, just about to enter the brush, I stopped and turned to Edward, an idea coming to me.

"Can I show you something?" I asked excitedly.

"What?"

"How I travel in the forest." He looked taken aback. "Not to worry, you'll be safe and it will be much faster than trekking along an unworn hiking path." I was still grinning at him, not bothering to hide my teeth anymore. There was no need for that anymore.

"I d-don't think I could k-keep up with you," he said warily.

I laughed, imagining him running next to me.

"Are y-you going to turn i-into a b-bat?" He said with a smile, obviously joking.

"Come on, get on my back," I said, turning around and stooping a little to make it easier for him.

"Huh?" Edward didn't move. I looked over my shoulder to see him giving me an odd look.

"Come on! It'll be fun, I promise. Or at least interesting."

He still didn't move. "Bella, I m-mean… how?"

I looked behind me again to see Edward still staring at me. "Surely you understand the concept of a piggy back ride?" I didn't understand why he wasn't moving. I saw other students giving piggy back rides all the time, running through school and laughing, so I knew it was a normal practice.

"Sure, but…" He was still hesitant, so I turned to face him. He had his arms crossed, though he didn't look angry, just confused.

"Yes?"

"You're so… s-small." He said, looking at me up and down, then gesturing to himself, as if I needed an excuse to rake my eyes across his body.

I laughed loudly, tossing my head back at the thought that he was worried about hurting me, or being burdensome.

"Did you not see me rip a tree up and snap it in half?" I asked, "I think I can handle you."

I turned around again and resumed my previous position. Edward came up behind me and loosely put his arms around my neck, hesitating again.

"Am I even g-g-gonna f-fit?" He mumbled, more to himself.

I reached down to grab his legs, hoisting him up so his legs were wrapped around my waist. I was hyper-aware of his whole body, pressed against my back- every contour and muscle, warm and inviting.

"Am I h-hurting you?" He asked, and I laughed again at the absurdity.

"I barely even feel you," I lied, though he certainly wasn't heavy or imposing.

"You trust me?" I asked, getting ready to run. He nodded, and I put my hands under his knees to anchor him to me. "Hold on tight!"

And I ran.

Edward's pulse picked up and I smelled epinephrine being released. I slowed down a bit, worried that I was scaring him, as I easily navigated around the branches and falling trees.

We were back at the car in just a few minutes. It was far too short of a run- I was still enjoying the feeling of him pressed to me with his arms around my neck.

"That wasn't too bad, was it?" I asked, still a little concerned about him. He didn't move, instead keeping his arms wrapped around me.

Slowly, after several moments, his legs dropped from around my waist, though he kept his arms around my neck. His heart was pounding and he was still silent, so I turned to face him, his hands still locked around the back of my neck.

But his full lips were stretched in a wide, crooked grin.

He was right there, his face so close to mine. His ethereal beauty stunned me- it was too much, an excess I couldn't grow accustomed to, especially when he was so delighted. Happiness suited him, I decided, it was like a light had been turned on underneath his skin.

"Th-that was exhilarating!"

"You liked it?"

"Can w-we go again?" He looked so eager and excited, I had never seen him like that before.

"Maybe tonight," I laughed, "I know Esme was hoping to have you over for dinner, if you're up for it?"

Edward nodded excitedly, looking younger and more like a teenager than I had ever seen him before. When he looked like this... he was almost seraphic, like a Praxilites sculpture- no sharpness or edges, just soft and beautiful.

His smile softened a bit, but his verdant eyes still sparkled.

"S-Stay s-still, okay?" His arms, still encircling me, pulled him tighter to me, and he bent his head down to close the short distance between us.

We had only kissed a few times before, several weeks before. I had wanted to give Edward the space to initiate, and the time he needed to engage in an intimate act that was marred with trauma for him.

I stood still though, clenching my hands at my side to resist knotting my fingers in his hair, clutching him to me. His lips were so soft and hot and pliable against mine, I felt a jolt of need, but instead held myself in place. He would have been easier to resist if he was just bleeding in front of me.

I parted my lips slightly, and Edward's hands moved from my neck to my face, cradling me against him.

After only a few moments, he drew away, his eyes wild and breathing heavy.

"Should I…?" I tried to move backward, unsure if he needed space to process.

"You're beautiful," He said simply, staring not in my eyes but at my mouth just a few inches lower.

By human standards, of course he would think so. We were meant to be attractive to humans, to draw them in. I only hoped that, once he spent more time around my family, if he ever became a vampire, that he would continue to hold me in such high regard with others to compare me to.

"Can I move now?" I whispered, still wary of… spooking him. He chuckled and nodded, bending down to rest his forehead against mine, his hands sliding from my face to rest on my shoulders.

I reached up to put my hands on my back of his neck, feeling as his skin raised up in goosebumps in reaction to the cold of my skin. I played with the soft hair that grew on the back of his neck and just enjoyed being physically close to him, his warm breath of strawberries and Edward fanning across my face.

"I should get you back home if you're going to come over for dinner," I said, breaking our silence.

"Okay," He said, leaning down again to press his lips to mine softly and quickly.

We drew apart slowly, neither of us willing to completely separate.

I drove us back, slowly for a vampire, enjoying the feeling of Edward's hand in mine and his soft hum to the jazzy music from the oldies station. The sun was nearing setting, the sky a hazy orange as clouds started to regather- rain was never far away in Forks.

I couldn't keep my eyes off Edward. The sunset made his hair glow like a golden halo- an angel on earth- and sharpened the angularity of his jaw.

"What w-was your favorite e-era of music?" He asked after I flipped the radio to the classical station when a disco song came on.

"My all-time favorite piece was composed in the 1837, so I suppose the 1830s. But I'm also partial to the sixties- 1960s, that is, and I adore Josquin des Prez."

"I'm d-don't know that one," Edward admitted.

"He was a composer I listened to while I was still human. He was popular during the Renaissance, known for very complex and textured arrangements. He was wildly popular and in demand, like… Nirvana."

"N-Nirvana?" Edward laughed, "Want t-t-to pick a band f-from this decade?"

"Are you calling me old?" I was smiling, unable to hold a façade of taking offense.

"Older th-than me!"

"Only by a few years."

"P-Plus a few h-hundred."

"You got me there." We were smiling contently when I pulled into the driveway. Alice was home but Charlie was still gone.

"Should I wait, or do you want me to leave?"

"Stay. Always stay," He said intensely, squeezing my hand enough that I knew his grip was tight.

"Forever," I returned the intensity, trying to pour all my love into my voice, my eyes, "If you want." I got out and ran to the passenger's side to open the door for him, holding out my hand for him to hold. It had been moments, but not touching him was almost physically painful, like I was cold inside without him there to warm me.

Alice was in the kitchen, slowly eating a plate of leftover lasagna and scribbling through a History assignment haphazardly.

"I'm g-gonna sh-shower," Edward announced, kissing me on the crown of my head before heading up the stairs for the bathroom. It was just a few weeks before that I watched Emmett do the same thing with Rose, and I had felt so jealous and covetous, but here I was.

It was like we had had some sort of breakthrough. Edward was so much more affectionate, so much more willing to touch and be touched.

"Can I get you some tea?" Alice asked, not looking up from her homework.

"No, it's fine, I'll get it myself." I moved through their kitchen with ease, heating water in the microwave and dunking a tea bag in to steep. I held the mug between two hands, feeling the warmth seep into my skin.

"What was an economic change in American society that occurred as a result of the period of Reconstruction?" Alice asked. I sat next to her at the counter, looking over the papers she had in front of her. I looked through the historical document she was supposed to be getting information from and pointed out a few areas where she could find answers to her question.

"Who was the 17th president?" Alice asked, still writing.

"The exceptionally terrible Andrew Johnson."

"And after Grant?"

"Rutherford B. Hayes."

"Okay, got it." She finished her paragraph and looked over at me. "Did you guys have a good time?"

"It was great. You were right, the weather was wonderful and it stayed sunny all day, so we hiked and just laid around in the sun all day."

The shower turned off upstairs, and I could hear the soft brushing as Edward combed through his wet hair.

"Ugh that sounds so nice. I just did laundry and fell asleep outside, and now I'm trying to get all of this work done because I'm doing a project with Angela and Lauren and, Angela is great and all, but Lauren isn't really known for pulling her own weight, you know? And they're supposed to come over here since I don't have a car, but at least Charlie is going fishing tomorrow so he won't be here because that would be even more awkward…"

Alice continued ranting, only pausing for a breath and an occasional bite of food. Apparently her history project was causing a great deal of stress because no one knew much about Reconstruction, and I had to admit it was a period that was usually skipped in most US History classes, so her frustration was understandable.

Edward came downstairs and headed straight to his room, closing the door behind him to change clothes. He was only in the oversized sweater he slept in and his sweatpants, his hair almost brown with wet.

Charlie pulled into the driveway and walked into the house in a huff, dumping his work stuff on the bench by the front door.

"Rough day?" Alice asked, popping up to heat another plate of leftover lasagna for her foster father.

"Yeah, two more dead bodies, this time in Port Ludlow. They're worried it's some kind of gang activity creeping in from that Seattle murder spree." Charlie looked over from the TV, which he was standing in front of flicking to a sports channel, "Oh, hey Bella, didn't see you there. How're you doing?"

"Hi Charlie, I'm great thank you for asking. I can't believe there's all this violence, I hope they catch these guys soon." I knew they would. We would go to them if this didn't stop. Obviously, someone was being incredibly reckless far too close to our territory, and we weren't going to stand idly by as innocent lives were taken.

Even more so, we couldn't withstand any scrutiny from the Volturi. Not with Edward in my life, our lives. And especially not with Edward knowing about us. We had broken the most sacred rule: No exposure.

"Yeah, they're working overtime over there. I'm sending a deputy over to help with the investigation over in Jefferson County. I wish I could do more, we just don't have the numbers."

I nodded in understanding. This was stressing Charlie out too, and I wanted to alleviate that burden.

Edward came out of his room, looking absolutely delectable. It was easy to push the murder spree to the back of my mind- there was nothing I could do about it that moment, and I needed to speak with my family anyways.

He was dressed in dark jeans and a grey collared button-up, his hair brushed down and parted to the side- the first time I had seen his unruly hair kempt. It was longer than I had realized, tucked behind his ears.

He was still smiling and came over to me in the kitchen, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, completely unaware of the heavy subject of death that sat in the air.

"I hope you don't mind Edward coming over to my place tonight. Esme thinks you guys are monopolizing me," I laughed, leaning into Edward. Charlie was looking at us oddly, nodding with his lips pressed together.

"Yeah, of course. You kids have fun." I smiled at being called a kid. "Tell your parents I say hi."

"Bye Charlie, 'night Alice!" I called out, Edward leading me outside.

"He l-loves you," Edward whispered as he locked the front door.

"What?"

"Charlie. He l-loves you."

"He said that?"

"He d-didn't n-need to."

I wait for Edward to buckle his seatbelt before pulling out, driving home. He reached out and laced his fingers with mine, holding my hand up to kiss it. So gentle, so sweet.

We were home in just a couple of minutes. I parked in front of the house, and Emmett appeared at the front door. I ran to Edward's side again to open his door, holding his hand and leading him up the driveway, carefully carrying my bouquet of wildflowers.

Emmett squinted unnecessarily, putting his hand above his brow as if to shield his eyes from the light. "Who are you?" He asked, "Wait, Bella? Is that you?"

"Ha-ha." I rolled my eyes at his dramatics. "We go to school together, doofus." We walked up the steps and past Emmett on the porch. He clapped Edward on the shoulder in greeting, perhaps a little too hard because Edward shrunk away.

"Emmett," I growled, whipping around so Edward was situated behind me, "Be careful."

Before things could escalate, which was so easy with Emmett constantly egging me on in my emotional state, Esme called to us from the kitchen. "Edward, dear? You're just in time, I just finished dinner."

Esme had the dining room table set for one, and was excited to see Edward, pulling him into a quick but warm embrace.

"Oh, those are so lovely," She said, gesturing to the flowers I was holding. I passed them to her to put in a vase in the kitchen.

"Carlisle should be home soon," She said, looking to me, "But of course, we don't have to wait. Edward, why don't you take a seat and I'll bring the food out."

Esme was moving at human speed, giving us plenty of time to settle in. I sat next to Edward, our hands still joined, as Esme came in with a tray of food- a bowl of red mush that smelled marginally better than most human food, bread, and salad.

"It's coq au vin. I thought I might try a more technical recipe, now that I have someone to actually cook for." Esme was grinning, overjoyed to have someone to take care of. She sat on the other side of the table, across from us, and made gentle conversation with me. Emmett flicked on a video game downstairs- something violent with guns.

"Did you ever read that thesis Carlisle left for you?"

"I'd completely forgotten about it. It's in my room? I haven't seen it."

"I think he put it in the library."

"Ah, I haven't been in there in quite some time."

"You should show Edward, too." Edward was just finishing his food, clearly enjoying every bite as he only half paid attention to our conversation. "He hasn't seen anything of the house but the kitchen and living room."

Edward seemed intrigued, looking to me as if for permission.

"Of course. Are you finished?" He obviously was done with dinner, there was nothing left but for a crust of bread. He nodded, gathering the dishes together.

"Oh, no Edward," Esme shooed him away from any work, "You go on with Bella, I'm happy to do the dishes."

I pulled Edward away by the hand, guiding him around the table and across the large open space to the stairs.

"The bathroom is here," I gestured to each room, "We have two guest rooms. It's not like we ever really have guests, though. Rosalie mostly uses one as a second closet. Emmett's been trying to convince us for months to convert the other into a game room, but Esme isn't going for that. This is Carlisle and Esme's room, and…"

Edward was staring at the dark wooden cross at the end of the hall, a relic of Carlisle's past hanging right outside the library.

"It was Carlisle's father's," I explained as Edward reached out to run his finger along the smooth wood.

"It l-looks v-very old."

"Sixteen-thirties, we think."

"Think?"

"Time wasn't recorded as accurately then, but Carlisle has a rough idea of when he was born. He knows it was just before Cromwell's rule, and he's been able to track down and roughly date the events that led to his change."

Edward was listening intently, still looking up at the cross. He turned to look down at me, noticing the library open behind me. I led him in, breathing in the smell of Edward mingled with old books.

I explained to him Carlisle's change- the cruelty of his pastor father, the persecution of everything different, the search for vampires in the London sewers. I told him about how Carlisle changed, alone in a pile of rotting potatoes, how Carlisle was torn apart by what he had become, but eventually discovered a new way- new to him, at least- of feeding off animals.

"He swam to France, travelled through Europe. He had all the time in the world to become educated, and eventually found his calling in medicine, always helping others." Edward was looking around the room, settling his gaze at the collection of paintings hanging on the wall next to the door.

"This is London, from when Carlisle was human," I pointed to one particular painting, "And this is a landscape of the countryside where Carlisle found he could sustain himself with animals."

Edward's gaze was fixed on another painting, though. A small portrait in a simple dark frame, and one of my most beloved possessions.

"It's y-you," He gasped, getting closer to the painting.

"Yes, it's me," I confirmed, "Leonardo da Vinci painted this for me in 1499."

Edward whipped around to look at me, his eyes wide and expression incredulous.

"That's why y-you were so d-d-defensive!" He exclaimed, recalling my heartfelt defense of Leonardo the last time Edward came over for dinner.

"Yes, now you understand why I'm so certain that Raphael could never hold a candle to the master," I said confidently, smiling and looking at the portrait.

"This was painted five years after I had changed," I explained, "He stopped by my home on his way to Venice, and I sat for a sketch because he was in a rush. He sent me the completed portrait a few months later. He was a brilliant man, completely peerless in any endeavor." I felt wistful, thinking of my dear friend, and of my family.

"And th-this one?" He pointed to the largest painting, centered on the wall with the ornate gold frame and chaos of characters.

"This is a Francesco Solimena," I said, pointing to the balcony that sat above the mess of mythological figures in the bottom of the painting, "He found us to be quite the interesting group. Marcus, me, Aro, Caius, and Carlisle." I pointed to each one of us.

"Aro, Marcus, and Caius are the leaders of the governing vampire body, the Volturi. They maintain a permanent residence in Italy- I was with them for eighty years when Carlisle came across us, and he stayed for two decades before we left for the US together."

Edward studied the painting intensely, squinting and leaning closer occasionally to get a better look.

"Are they s-still there?"

"Yes, they are. They're a very powerful group, absolutely above reproach. Before I met them, I had no idea our kind could be so civilized- every other vampire I had come across in my travels had been nomadic and almost animalistic in nature. But they're still vampires. They feed from humans, and they found my aversion to it to be… unnatural. Weak."

I looked up to stare at Aro. It wasn't the best likeness, Solimena had a difficult time capturing the chalky texture of their skin, though Carlisle was a good likeness. I had always thought Solimena too kind to me- he had reproportioned my lips so they weren't off-balance and actually fit my face, and widened my face a bit so it wasn't so long.

"When Carlisle came to us, with the same diet that he had also developed on his own, neither of us ever feeding off a human, it felt meant to be. We didn't last long in Italy once we found each other."

"D-Did you two…" Edward swallowed thickly and looked at his feet, a blush creeping up his neck, "I m-mean, were y-you and Carlisle ever… t-t-together?"

"Oh, no!" I said loudly. Emmett was chuckling downstairs at even the suggestion, "No, never. We travelled as brother and sister. It took Carlisle well over a hundred years from the time we came to the US to master his self-control, so I was there to help him.

"We started as battlefield medics during the Civil War, then worked in hospitals as doctor and nurse. Eventually, Carlisle found Esme, and then we found Rose, who found Emmett, and now here we are." I looked to him, making him meet my gaze, "But Carlisle and I have never been anything more than very good friends."

He nodded, seemingly embarrassed to even think such a thing as a smiled wryly, turning on his heel to survey the rest of the library. There was a large mahogany desk with a chair, and a small, ornate couch, and wall-to-ceiling bookshelves with the collection we had amassed throughout the years.

On the desk laid the amateur-bound thesis Carlisle had told me about. I picked it up and flipped through it, only half-interested in reading about art in the Italian Renaissance. I doubted there could be anything new to me in the book.

"Anything interest you?" I asked, watching as Edward walked around the room, tracing the book spines with a finger.

"I've n-never even heard of m-most of these," He exclaimed softly, pulling out a first-edition of Antonio Gramsci's prison notebooks in the original Italian.

"Well, when you have all the time in the world and nothing to fill your nights…" I sighed, gazing at him, knowing that I now had something to fill my nights. I slipped my hand in his and tugged him out of the room and up the stairs again.

"You've always b-been alone?"

"Since I became a vampire, yes." I confirmed, and I didn't even really count before. My human life was so hazy, so long ago, so short…

"My room," I informed him, opening the last door at the end of the hallway and pulling him through.

I had always thought I had the best room in the house. It was high up and south facing, with a wall-sized window overlooking the Sol Duc River and an untouched forest.

Esme had redone the whole house before we moved back, but she always seemed to take special care with my room. The walls were a soft lavender that I now recognized as almost exactly the same shade as Edward's eyelids. There wasn't much furniture but for the queen sized bed I had recently acquired, and books were strewn about the room. I had an old record player and an eclectic but small collection of records that Edward was looking through.

I slipped a record out of its dust cover and started it on the second track, soft music pouring through the speaker and filling the room.

I loved watching Edward here, in my space, and I told him so.

"I like b-being here." He was staring out the window at the view that was surely too dark for him to see anything. Just then, there was a clap of thunder. Edward jumped, startled by the sound, and I was next to him in a second, wrapping my arm around his waist.

Edward looked down to me, his smile crooked and sheepish.

I didn't return his grin, though. I was too consumed in the moment, pressed up to his side so I could feel every contour of his long torso, His green eyes were darkened in the light and piercing, pupils dilated wide. I forgot to swallow down the venom pooling with desire in my mouth.

"What?" Edward asked, pulling back from my hold on him to look around the room, "D-Do I have something on m-m-my f-face?" He ran his hand along his smooth jaw, fingers lingering on his full lips. I still couldn't speak, he was too distracting.

"What!" He seemed a bit frustrated by my intense stare, "Y-You're looking at m-m-me l-like I'm something t-to eat." That was the phrase I needed to snap me out of it. I swallowed thickly, pulling back the venom sucking it from my teeth.

"Aren't you?" I whispered, my eyes moving from his mouth to his throat, where blood was running to the surface of his skin in a soft blush. I pushed him backward and he shuffled along with my guidance until the backs of his knees met the edge of the bed, and he feel backward, landing softly on the never-used mattress.

I kneeled next to him, leaning down as I was finally above him. His heart was pounding, but it didn't seem to be from fear- I smelled no epinephrine or any other physiological reaction.

I bowed my head to place my lips softly on his neck, and he stretched out, giving me easier access to the area- a response I wasn't expecting. I kissed his jugular, feeling the pounding of blood beneath my lips, and trailed up his jaw until our lips were only centimeters apart.

I waited for him to move, anticipation building as the air seemed to crackle with electricity. Not pressing forward was like resisting the pull of a strong magnet, resisting gravity.

Eventually, Edward closed the gap between us, our lips finally connecting.

I was very careful. I kept my hands on the comforter of the bed, and I didn't press forward or open my mouth, wary of doing too much.

"Do you hear that?" Esme asked excitedly downstairs. Emmett whooped in response, and I internally rolled my eyes, understanding first-hand, finally, the annoyance that could come with an audience to an act of intimacy.

He pulled back, touching his lips with a confused look on his face.

"I'm sorry I'm so cold," I apologized, mirroring his image by putting my fingers to my lips, still radiating with his warmth.

"N-No, it's not like th-that. I like th-that, I always feel s-so overheated," He was still rubbing his lip, "It's t-tingling."

"Oh. That." I nodded in understanding. The venom that I had let pool in my mouth had obviously coated my lips, or some had slipped through my mouth to his. I would have to be more careful, more cautious, in the future. "I'm sorry, it doesn't hurt does it?"

He shook his head. "What i-is it?"

"When we change, all the fluids in our body are replaced by a venomous liquid. It's a paralytic agent, which is what's causing the paresthesia." His eyes widened, and I sat back on my heels.

"It's not dangerous, not unless it gets into an open wound." I studied his lips, looking for any crack or scab, but no, they were smooth and soft and perfect.

"Hey, you're monopolizing Edward. I wanna spend more time with my new brother," Emmett called upstairs. It seemed Edward heard his voice but not the words. I pulled him up and led him downstairs.

"Emmett wants to show you his new video game. He thinks I'm keeping you all for myself." I scoffed, rolling my eyes. I had never complained about Emmett taking Rose away from me, and Rose and I had actually known each other before Emmett came in the picture.

"It's a beta for Halo 3," Emmett said excitedly, holding out a remote for Edward to take. "It's not supposed to come out for another two years, but we have connections." He wiggled his eyebrows and Edward smiled in response, fumbling with the controller as Emmett walked him through the commands and goal of the game.

They played for a while, laughing and joking as they fought through levels together. Rose was in the outer garage, tinkering with some engine, Esme sat on the loveseat, and I was curled into Edward's side, my head resting on his chest as I listened to his every beat of his heart.

"Edward, do you play?" Esme asked, and I looked up to see Edward looking at the piano I had gotten him.

"N-Not well," he shrugged, but I elbowed him very gently in the ribs.

"Come on, play us something? Please?" I looked up to him, and he sighed heavily, putting the controller aside and pulling me up with him.

I sat next to him on the piano bench, but only on the edge so he would have plenty of room if he needed it.

His long fingers brushed over the keys reverently- he was meant to play piano with digits so long and elegant.

"I've n-never played on a r-real p-piano before," he whispered, still caressing the ivory, "J-Just the key-keyboard in a f-f-foster home." I faced him, admiring his strong profile that made him look like he was Hellenistic and sculpted from marble.

He began with scales, soft and unconfident. Emmett and Esme stayed on the other side of the room, behind the divider that separated the piano from the living room and foyer, trying to give us some semblance of privacy, though I knew both were listening intently.

Then there came the soft notes of Claire de Lune, a peaceful and romantic piece. He missed a few notes, hitting a sharp a few times, but I barely noticed as he moved back into the song to correct himself. He was quite good, especially since he was obviously self-taught.

He drifted into a simple Bach piece, and then to Chopin, and with each song his hands were more and more sure, and he made fewer mistakes.

Then he played something I'd never heard but from a few notes he'd hummed on occasion, soft and simple in a high key, fluttering through the sixth and seventh octaves. It reminded me of Alice- cheerful, bright, and soaring.

As the piece came to an end, his hands grew shaky. I wasn't sure if he was tired, or if something had happened. His breathing turned ragged, but he moved into another song.

It started off softly, growing darker and more intense. It was sad, about a loss, and with a crashing movement, I realized what it was about. Edward. His life. What he had been through.

The next movement was… scary and devastating. Tears began to roll down Edward's cheeks as the smell of salt filled the air. Emmett and Esme both slipped out of the house, and I gently placed my hand on Edward's bicep as he continued on, shaking and sobbing but resolved to show me what had happened.

And that was how I learned the details of what Edward had been through.