-xv-

After he'd taken her lips and they'd petted at each other's body, the two had broken apart in an attempt at getting some questions answered. She'd asked him about his time in the guard and he'd asked her about her time in this new life. Both had listened with rapt attention to the other as they described their experiences.

They stayed cuddled into one another well into the night, with his hands roaming over her body and her arms cuddled tight into his chest. Each took turns telling one another little things that they liked or hated and it was sometime around midnight when Edward had confessed his frustration for her silent mind and she giggled, kissed his chest then confessed that it was her favorite aspect about herself when it came to him.

Between their spurts of laughter and the teenage make-out sessions, Isabella had fallen asleep with her body tangled with Edwards and his arms wrapped protectively around her body. For Edward it had taken longer. There were so many things to wrap his head around right now, like how his heart seemed to stutter when she sighed and squeezed his chest, or the way he'd laughed with her…he'd never done that before, at least he didn't remember it. Moreover he was afraid of sleeping and dreaming her dreams. Though he knew in his heart that Isabella was telling the truth, another part of him feared that she wasn't and he didn't know how he would react if that ended up being the case. There was too much apprehension filling his mind to close his eyes right now, he'd almost gotten out of bed and went for a hunt, but then he remembered that Isabella had given him her neck…her dreams. With that, he held her closer and closed his eyes, deciding that the quicker he fell into reverie, the faster the sweet lull of her heartbeat would put him to sleep.

A hazy dream arose of a little girl sitting on the floor of a dirty room while her eyes spilled tears. Though he was seeing this as third person, he could feel all the emotions that the little girl felt. Isabella? Was this her as a child? Even with the excitement of getting her memories there was an underlying edge to the way he was feeling right now. This is her past; this is her life before me.

Someone had knocked hard on the door to the room where little Isabella sat in. He felt a jolt of fear and then the spike of embarrassment the little one had felt as she turned her head to the sound. A heavy ache began to churn in Edward's stomach as he watched her rise to her feet and give a nervous, pleading look at her surroundings one last time. He could feel the desperation she felt as she waited for something miraculous to happen or appear out of nowhere. But when the door shook with the pounding once more, she closed her eyes briefly, breathed deep and turned the knob to face the unknown person.

Though the words the man at the door was saying were muffled in this vision, Edward knew it was money he had come to collect. When Isabella pleaded with the man to let her stay, he could feel that she was miserable, heartsick far beyond her years. When the man at the door demanded she leave immediately, the feeling of fear and confusion washed over her…and inevitably, himself as well.

The scene changed and suddenly she was walking with tired legs to another side of the city. Though he didn't know how he knew, he was aware that she was now homeless. He could feel her fear, but then her hunger overwhelmed even the worst of her worries. She was tired and her feet hurt, he could feel her aging right before his eyes and he was angry, because in this memory just as the rest that were sure to come, he was helpless to assist her.

Sheer frustration welled in Edward as watched her pass at least five or six places where this little one could have gotten a bite to eat, but never once did she even turn as if toward one. In an instant the feeling of complete abandonment washed over him, followed by the desperate ache she was feeling for even a dollar. As her stomach rumbled from the smell of the food wafting through the air, she walked faster and tried hard to look only ahead. He knew it was because seeing the food so near was much worse than simply smelling it.

Once more the scene changed, this time placing the little one in a dark alley. He could feel her nerves as she walked along the beaten path; he felt her fear as she continued to move forward but wanting to turn around and run from this place she knew was dangerous. Even though Edward knew this was a dream, he still wanted to scream at her to do so, wanted to tuck her little body close and trace her from this vile place. She was too good, too pure to be in such an area.

As quick as blinking, the little one was pulled into a corner and he could feel the spike of fear blanket her, but before she could gasp to scream, a feeling of warmth, hope and serenity flooded her from head to toe. When the little one was turned, Edward saw through her eyes that she was staring straight into his eyes.

Edward woke from the dream in a rush, agitated, feeling like he was behind in the most important of tasks. He'd been there in her dreams, had pulled her into a dark corner as a little girl and she'd felt completely safe with him. Never would he forget the way her eyes looked into his own, with absolute trust and acceptance. Again the image of her frightened and betrayed face popped into his mind from the previous morning. This time he was sick with guilt and shame, no longer was he unable to pinpoint why…he knew perfectly well why this was. She'd been devastated as a little girl, utterly heartsick and alone. My beautiful Isabella, hurt, ignored, as if she were invisible to the world and when she needed me most, I betrayed and hurt her. His stomach was churning and his heart felt as if it were going to stop beating.

Unable to do anything more than hold her right now, he went to his back, pulling her sleeping form against his side and she curled into his arms with a sigh. Though the action should have pleased him, it only made him angrier with himself. How could she feel safe with me? Why would she let me hold her right now? Though his answers weren't forthcoming, the selfish part of him was happy to keep her close. When she lightly squeezed his chest in sleep, he felt as if his heart were too big and his chest was not large enough to hold her closer still, he pulled her in tighter, allowing her soft curves to mold perfectly against his own.

Seeing his precious gift out there in the world alone had nearly felled him. She had only told him that he found her as a little girl, but never had he stopped to think about the circumstances surrounding it. He'd been so infatuated with her soft silks and her gentle nature that he'd completely blown right over everything else. I should have asked…I should have shown more concern for it. Yes he was infatuated with her silks and body, but there was more to it than that, she was more to him than that.

But now with this fresh in his mind, he wanted to know why she had been alone. Why did she have no family or friends that day as a child? Who had been the one to leave her sitting in that disgusting room all by herself? How did she feed herself with no money and no job? Though he might have thought that dreaming her dreams of how they met would be on the forefront of his mind, they weren't. And Instead of celebrating the fact that she'd been honest with him, he was more concerned with finding a way to express how sorry he was for what she'd been through. Not only had she been alone and frightened when she was just a wee girl, but she'd been beaten to the ground and knocked unconscious more than once…by his order. He wanted to weep.

Feeling as if he would die if he didn't, he cupped her face and kissed her with tenderness. Even in sleep she responded to him. Though still waking, she kissed him back with light pecks that matched his own and he watched in awe as she blinked her honey eyes open and met his gaze. The love she held there for him was unmistakable. Perhaps it was seeing her dreams, or maybe he was just completely ignorant to what was already there before, but right now, with her in his arms and her essence coursing through his body, the love she so clearly held for him was as evident as the sun.

He took her lips deeper this time, more primal. She was his…he knew it, felt it. In the time span of a dream and a kiss, every duty and responsibility was shifted down a rung to make room for this dark haired beauty at the top. Never again would he be parted from this creature. No man, vampire or God would ever get him to willingly leave her side. Not while there's a breath left in my body.

With his hands roaming and his lips following, he settled himself between her thighs to take her lips once more. As he kissed at her neck, cheeks and lips, instinctive drives pulled him to take her completely. He was lost in the taste of her skin as he gently grabbed her legs and positioned them over his thighs. He needed her closer though, wanted so badly to be buried completely within her. He was harder than he'd ever been…more aroused than he could recall in this new life.

He never knew how aching his shaft could be or that the feel of a woman's giving flesh would call to him so badly. But here he was, frenzied for his female and the tantalizing scent of her arousal. She smelled so good that he had to pull back from her neck and breathe deep into the air. He could already taste her on his tongue, and not her blood, the sweet tinge of honey and sugar of her essence. When he leaned down to kiss her again, she was smiling up at him with love there for the taking.

It was enough to pause the fiery lust coursing through him in this moment, and instead of ripping at her silk, he breathed deeply again, but this time for control. When his thoughts were focused completely on his precious woman, he cupped her cheek gently and kissed her softly.

It took much effort on his part not to lose focus again, but he reminded himself over and over again that after a day like she'd just had and a childhood of misery, she deserved to feel loved. It didn't matter that he hadn't seen her recent memories, what had mattered was that she was his. He wanted to give her not only a night of passion, but a feeling of warmth and protection. He didn't want her to think that he was doing this out of his own need…he wanted for her to see that this was important to him because it was her who made him feel this.

"You dreamed of us didn't you?" her words were soft and warm as she teased at his lips and rubbed his back. Edward shuddered with want when she kissed at his earlobe and nuzzled his neck. He held her face steady now, not with severity, but with seriousness.

"I dreamed of you as a little girl…of your hunger and your pain. I found you in the alley…" he paused long enough to kiss her then pulled back to finish. "I only saw that it was me…that you trusted me completely, even though I had red eyes."

He saw the color flush her cheeks at the memory he'd seen, and though he hadn't meant to shame her, he knew that him knowing that made her embarrassed…made her remember. Perhaps she'd never shared to specifics with him before, or maybe she was flushed because she'd hoped he'd seen another memory, but whatever it was that caused her eyes to flash with pain, he wanted to take away that trouble and ease her pretty heart.

Never taking his gaze from her, he trailed his hand between them until he could perceive the heat rolling off of her in waves. The anticipation of touching her giving flesh excited him to a fever pitch. To finally know this! To feel this way... with her. He'd spent these last three years in the guard without a woman. He'd never wanted to have anything that would take his focus…until Bella. With his little bride he couldn't wait to take her fully, ached for the days ahead of them. I'll never give her up. Never.

As he took his time roaming her soft skin, he noted how incredibly at ease he felt with her, as if he'd done this hundreds of times. A man learning his woman's body in their bed, the way it should always be.

(***)

Isabella had been counting on his dreams to take hold. She had no idea what he would dream of or if it would be enough, but she had known that either way, he would see her life anew. The only thing that worried her was that she never truly described all she had been through to Edward. Even when he'd found her again as a woman, she did her best to water down the circumstances and never draw too clear a picture for him.

When she'd been little her most embarrassing moment had been that she smelled when he'd found her. She'd confessed that she was alone, that her mother had left her and she was without food or money, but she'd never described where she'd come from, because even under the best of circumstances, she'd always been hungry.

That was all out the door now, because looking into his fiery red eyes, she could see the pain he was feeling for her. She'd never wanted his pity, and perhaps that's why she'd never truly described her life to him so clearly, but right now she almost wished she had. His look held more than pity…and that was because he'd lived her memories too. She couldn't down play the entire thing, because he felt exactly what she had when he saw that part of her life.

She'd worked hard to move past it all, and she had no doubt that she would have been successful sharing a new life with Edward. But when he was gone that morning she woke to this world, all the pain and insecurities had come flooding back to her. How much longer until he dreams of that?

Isabella was still working out a response to what he'd just seen, but before she could even think properly about it, he had her clasped tightly to his chest and his lips were working over her throat. "Love you so much" his tongue snaked out and he laved sweetly at her earlobe. "Never want to part from you…" he kissed at her collarbone, trailing his lips higher. "…Ever."

With kisses like this, she was finding it extremely difficult to continue her thoughts on anything but. So when his hands roamed under the thin sheath of her negligee, she let all worries drift from her mind and focused solely on the amazing feelings she was having with him for the first time in three years. "I've missed you…" she murmured, those words were lacking for the way she felt about her vampire, but they were all she had right now.

The last time they'd made love, they'd been separated by their love for one another, she'd been unable to tell him when she'd woken to this life what it had meant for her to share that with him, that she didn't feel alone anymore or afraid. It was the only other thing she'd ever regretted in her young life, but she knew it wouldn't happen again.

Though they were far enough away from their home, Alice, Jasper and Emmett were close by and able to defend and protect both Edward and Bella in their house. Alice had said that her blood would make him remember, and that time would have to be given as well…but with his kisses growing frantic and her hands roaming her possessively, Isabella knew that he was well on his way to making it home completely. Which was good, because she had no plans of ever leaving his side again.

(***)

Edward couldn't believe this was happening, what would have once been a feverish dream for him in Rome was in the flesh and happening right now. The most beautiful female he'd ever encountered was laid out beneath him in soft silks, staring up at him with trusting eyes. She'd given him her neck and was aroused for him to a fever pitch.

Though he felt guilt for all he'd done to her, he couldn't bring himself to stop what he was doing. Her skin was so soft and her touches like silk. He wanted her forever…for eternity. Once more the monumental feeling of what was about to happen washed over him and he felt awed by the magnificent creature she was.

Fate had been far too kind to him, he thought. But perhaps she was his due…he'd been through hell while adjusting at the guard and he justified her as his bride, by telling himself he deserved this peace she was bringing him.

Slowly, he dragged his hands from her thighs to between her legs and groaned at the wet material that met his fingers. Without thought, he rubbed slowly at the moisture then snaked his fingers behind her silk. "These are wet…"he whispered at her lips. His shaft jerked for her when she merely nodded and bit her lip while fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Then you should take them off of…" he'd already torn them free and ripped his own last barrier of clothing from his hips. He saw the shock on her face but it wasn't from fear…it was anticipation. When he returned his hand to her giving flesh she squeezed at his shoulders and gasped for air. "I need you, Edward…I've needed you so much."

Readying himself to enter her, he positioned himself at her core and dropped to her chest to take her nipple. She was so damn responsive to him, everything he did to her made her moan louder and roll her hips faster. He wanted to be gloved by her body, to be lost in oblivion that lay within her. When he moved to take her, just when he cold perceive her heat, the vision of her laying beneath his boot with tears rolling down her face assailed him. How she cried for me to save her. To stop what they were doing to her. He pulled back from her in an instant, feeling on the verge of madness and hate at what he'd been a part of. He wanted to punish any who'd dared to touch her, needed their deaths in a savage way. Isabella had tried to ease him back over her, but he pulled back and grabbed at his head. The memories of her punishment in the alley were proving to be too much. Now that he had these feeling for her, it made them far more punishing than before.

"What…what did I do wrong?" Her voice was so small, nervous. He looked over to her and saw the tears threatening to spill over. He was up like a bolt of lightning as soon as he saw that and he pulled her to him and cuddled her like a fragile doll.

"It's me, Isabella, not you. " The memories of her hit him again, but this time he saw how her dress had hiked up and her legs and thighs had been exposed. A savage growl ripped from his chest and his hands flexed with the need to pull Demitri's head from his body.

Though she was nervous right now, she believed he wouldn't hurt her. Which was quite the concession for on as fragile as herself. She despised pain, went out of her way to make sure it never found her either. Give a warning cry early before the pain comes, that had always been her motto. Knowing that she was safe with him, she turned in his arms to straddle his hips and hold his face. When she was able to get him to meet her gaze again, she kissed his nose and smiled softly. "I remember you." She caressed his cheek with the back of her hand and smiled wider when he instinctively closed his eyes in pleasure. "You would hold me, just as you were doing…" she kissed his jaw line, "Would tell me how precious you thought I was, how pretty…"she sat up and positioned his shaft at her core once more, "You like to rub my back with one hand and cup my nape with the other… until you're completely buried inside me…" With that she sank down slowly, the head of his shaft slowly entering her.

Though he wanted to yell with joy, he growled lowly, the rumbling of his chest making her nipples go tighter. He ran his hands along her back from the dip to her nape and held her there with one palm. She was sinking lower now, each bit she would delve he would shake and tense along with her. "I cannot stand to see you hurt. I'll never let you be hurt again" it was something he needed to say, he wanted her to know that this was more…that this was everything. She wasn't merely about to have sex with him, she was giving him the one thing he had ached to have since he'd come to be with the guard, connection.

He had to grit his teeth to keep from coming, the feel of her too perfect. "My beautiful little bride" she gasped at his words and the feel of him inside of her. She'd lain with him before, but right now she was experiencing something more. Before when they'd made love, it was a frenzied connection, a need to show possession and claim. But this joining was far different, for one he and she were both taking their time with each other. She relearned his body and reminded him of what he liked from her. Edward took his time as well, he couldn't seem to stop running his fingers over her breasts, the softness of which her skin held there made him excited…made him hungry for her.

Unable to deny them this any longer, he kissed her deeply, held her more possessively. She was his; he'd somehow managed to be given such an amazing woman, fate had been far too kind, and though he knew he didn't deserve her, he would gladly take her…he would treasure her.

As they came together that night, he embraced a future he'd never imagined. Having a woman all your own was a great responsibility; a great gift. Edward had never wanted anything that he could never stand to lose, but fate had seen to it already, and against his ignorant wishes, Isabella had been bestowed to him. She was his to care for, provide for…to protect. Never again would he fail her…never.

(***)

They had joined together more than once this night, each time ending with him taking her neck…or in one raw instant, her breast. As she slept soundly in his arms with her limbs entangled with his own, he grew anxious to dream, wondering what he might see this time…what he might feel.

Having her memories as his own was already beginning to calm his mind. Though her childhood was lonely and she'd been neglected and forgotten, he felt at ease knowing that when she'd needed him, he'd found her. Holding her closer and kissing her neck at the spot he'd just drawn from, he drifted into a fitful sleep full of dreams.

In one, he saw her in a locker room retrieving towels and toiletries from a locker at the corner. She looked older now, more mature, but still very young. She couldn't have been more than fourteen in this dream.

The scene changed again and though she was still in the locker room, he saw her curling up on a gym mat with a small blanket she spread out to lay on. He could feel that she was cold, but still she remained in the corner, her little body shivering on the floor. His stomach began churning at the vision, because he remembered her telling him that she had left him as a little girl and lived on her own until she returned nine years later. Is this where she lived? In a school gymnasium? Even in the dream he grew restless and sick at the idea of his fated bride not having a home and food that he knew he could have easily provided her.

Again the vision went blurry and when it came into focus, he saw Isabella older now, a young woman. She had to have been about eighteen in this vision and she was working in a book store and going over the shipments that had just arrived. He felt his heart hammer for her in this scene, perhaps his vampire instincts recognized her as his mate even now. He watched with pride as his little bride set about the room with a bright smile and cheerful attitude. He wondered briefly if she was still living in that gymnasium, but before he could delve any further into that thought, he watched as she was approached by a young woman around her age.

She'd been helping the girl find books for her first year in college but the two had spent more time giggling and chatting over music and books for entertainment rather than education. When they'd gone on for a while longer, the girl who he now knew was named Bridgette invited Isabella to grab lunch or possibly some coffee. He felt a wave of unfettered joy sweep over Isabella and then the thoughts that came with it, she likes me…she wants to be my friend? Her inner thoughts came to fruition then, and though he was happy she had made a friend, he was saddened by the fact that she viewed this one as her first. So long had she been alone…my poor Isabella.

The dream changed once more and this time it was one he didn't ever want to see. It was from Isabella's vision…her blurry vision. She stared up at a cracked ceiling with browned water spots and mold at the edges. Her thoughts were in turmoil as she felt her arm and legs were restrained like vices. Please no, please don't let this happen to me. Just let me die.

He could hear what she heard, the sounds of laugher and chuckles coming from the people around her and the way her stomach churned as if needing to throw up.A hand began trailing up her ankle, past her knee then to the high of her thigh. All the while her tears were streaming and her body in agony. I've never been touched by anyone other than my Edward. I don't want this …please god don't let him allow this to be done to me.

Warring impulses roared inside him, he wanted to yell with wrath and annihilate anyone who dared touch her. His little bride was innocent! She was his and his alone, he would slaughter whoever this was that took freedoms like this with her. As a sob ripped from her chest, he heard his own voice, his own roar. In an instant relief hit her like a wave and then fear for her life being ended at the hands of the one she loved most in this world.

He watched from her eyes as she wrestled and fought with Demitri in the room. Each punch he watched himself land made him feel a little better, but it wasn't enough. He wanted to punish that man with an agonizing death now, wanted to hear him beg not to be touched any longer. Even in sleep he began calculating all the things he would do to him when he caught up to him once more. But in the time he watched and the time he planned, A little dark haired pixie appeared before Isabella and swooped her into her arms then disappeared.

He woke then from the dreams with a rage so deep that his head felt like it were going to explode. He felt more than he heard the growls ripping from his chest and in a brief bought of lucidity, he searched turned in a hurry to find his little bride.

But she was no longer in the bed with him, no longer beside him. He was about to roar with fury at the idea that someone had separated them again, but then he spotted her in the corner with tears streaming down her face and her little body quaking with fear.

"I won't hurt you, love. Don't be scared…" he rose from the bed to go to her, but when he reached her he realized his word were useless. She shook in his arms, still afraid. "What is wrong, Bella…what did I do?" He gently lifted her face then gasped when he saw the crack marring her precious cheek.

He clutched her to him tighter, "Oh god, Bella, I didn't mean…I must have been reacting from the dream!" Though she still shook, he held her like a vice and buried his face in her hair. "It was an accident, Bella…I never wanted to hurt you!"

(***)

With a mug of blood in her hand and her body wrapped tightly in her vampire's arms, she tried to calm down and make sense of all that had transpired. She didn't blame him for what happened, but she was still shaken over the encounter.

She wondered what memory of hers he'd dreamed to make him so angry and violent. Perhaps it was of her being beaten repeatedly? Or maybe it was when had been when the big one had knocked her unconscious. Either way, it didn't matter which dream had caused it, her worry now was trying to make sure it never happened again.

After he'd woken and seen what he'd done to her, he traced her to the couch, started a fire, and poured her a mug to help her heal. He was on a constant loop of apologies too, each time running his hand gently over the cheek as she began healing with every sip. He was sitting behind her, keeping her back to his chest and rocking her as if she were a child. But it was comforting, and he was sorry, and so she allowed it and let herself be calmed by him.

He dropped his head to her shoulder more than once, each time explaining how ashamed he was, and how he would rather die than ever bring her pain. Though he still didn't remember her completely, his actions toward her made her believe that he was at least gaining his old self back.

When her mug was empty and her cheek was healed, he returned her to their bed, tucked her in and kissed her head like he had when she was a little girl. She thought he would lay with her, but instead he traced to the chair in the corner, dropped his head into his hands and apologized again.

"Bella I'm so sorry" he breathed deeply then met her gaze. "I won't sleep in bed with you, not until I'm certain this won't happen again…" She'd been about to protest, but there was a knock at the door. He inclined his head as if to hear the thoughts. After a brief moment, he went to her side. "Your friends are here…were supposed to be leaving soon."

She sat up and held his face in her hands, "They're your family…well our family. We're going to Washington to stay with your parents, until we can figure out how to stay safe from the Volturi."

Dropping his lips to hers, he nodded his agreement. "I'll follow you anywhere, love. "Another brief kiss to her lips, "I'd follow you into the sun."