Author's Note: So, I wanted to say "thank you" for waiting so long between updates even though I PROMISED a speedy update. I stink. I know. Sorry. On a happier note, I want to thank Alicelaughed for helping me out so much! She's not a Beta … she's Better! (Read her stuff, it's the kitten's mittens!)

And now for some shameless self-promotion: If you would be so nice, please check out my newest fanfic "Send Me A Song." All human cast set in 1846 Ireland, just before the worst year of the Irish Potato Famine. All our favorite and not so favorite characters will show up. (Yes, vjgm, even that VILE MIKE NEWTON, only in a different incarnation!)

I walked towards the exit of the gym and into a cavernous hallway. I could smell her. Fresh freesias in full bloom. Bella had been here. I turned to check with Alice. Would I be in time? How badly hurt was she?

"Find her," she mouthed from across the gym and I took off after her scent.

I heard the swoosh of air before I felt the sting. A hand had slapped me, viciously, across the face. Blurrily, my vision returned. Where was I? Vaguely familiar, like comparing one room to another in a cheap motel, this room reminded me of others. It looked like one of the classrooms in the freshman hallway. I couldn't be sure though. The lights were off and three figures huddled in the darkness.

Bella run, a velvety smooth voice advised. I swiveled my head looking for the source. There was no one else in the room but the three figures towering over me. Get up and run, it said again. Smooth and silky, the tone was reminiscent of the calming lap of waves on a sandy beach.

I tried to pull myself to my feet but something wasn't right. The adrenaline pumping through my veins must have had the opposite affect on my body. It felt weighted, like my legs were made of lead instead of flesh and bone. I couldn't stand. I couldn't run. My fight or flight response puttered in vain to kick in as sheer terror filled me, sending goose bumps the length of my body.

My heart sped up, pounding in my ears, as a figure, rigid and silent, stepped away from the group and drew back a hand.

The second slap stung as bad as the first and I recoiled, hitting my head against a desk in my haste to turn away. My vain hopes of an ending were dashed away when a third even more painful slap braised my other cheek. Cold and metallic, I felt something drag across my skin. Who ever had hit me had paused to turn a ring on their hand around, presumably to inflict more damage.

I tried to catch my breath and turn back to my attacker when a vicious fist slammed into my jaw. I dropped to the cool radiance of the cheap school flooring as searing heat arced across my face. Grabbing for my mouth, my jaw was tender but, at least it wasn't broken. Yet.

I had no idea what was going on but I had a feeling that it was far from over.

Sprawled on the ground, I was in a vulnerable position. The group of three could do anything they wanted to me. A savage kick met my shoulder and I howled in pain. Instinctively, I pulled myself into a ball. I didn't care if my dress tore or if my makeup smeared, I had to protect myself as best as I could.

Although there were three of them, the bulk of the assault was coming from one person. I tried to catch their attention, plead with them with a look, but each dropped their eyes, almost ashamed that they were watching this happen. If they weren't going to hurt me, why were they just standing there?

Fight, a voice deep within my subconscious urged. Defend yourself. Afraid that the other two might change their minds and join with the first assailant, I didn't want to make any movements to provoke them. With three against one, I knew I would never be able to stave them all off. "Stop," I pled, hoping that they would leave me be.

A brutal kick was my answer. The pain surged from my wrist to my chest in torrents of blinding ache. I felt it as the shoe tore open the delicate flesh running from my forearm to my elbow. The cut wasn't large but the skin had pulled taut and split from the sheer force of the blow. Blood flowed from the wound. The overpowering smell of salt and rust pulled me away to the brink of unconsciousness.

I wanted to scream and cry, to lash out and prevent more brutality, but my queasy stomach rolled. Valiantly, I pushed my resolve and was able to keep the nausea at bay.

It was silent as I lay on my back, panting for every labored breath. I could feel my attacker lean in to hover above me, close enough to begin her battle anew. It was a woman with stringy, straight blonde hair. Cheap perfume on her skin and booze on her lips, she prodded me with her foot making sure I was still alive. She exhaled deeply and gripped my still throbbing jaw to turn my face towards her. I kept my eye held fast. I didn't want to look at her if I didn't have to.

"I told you, the first day, remember. You touch my man again, and I'd make you bleed. This is your last warning: do it again, and I'll kill you," she threatened. I knew that intimidating voice anywhere: Lauren.

It was clear now that she meant the words she spoke. If I were to get out of this night alive, she would haunt me until Edward and I were driven apart. The future looked bleak, if there was a future to look forward to at all. I still was not sure that the three would not leave me here, on the cold linoleum floor of this class room, to die.

Play possum, the helpful voice of my imagination instructed.

So, I lay, not moving, as if Lauren's final blows had knocked me unconscious. A final kick was delivered to the small of my back and I heard Mike call to Lauren in a low voice, "That's enough. Let's go."

"Put her in the closet," Lauren instructed. Mike and the other figure must not have moved. "Do I have to do everything myself?" Lauren asked.

She shoved her arms under my own and began dragging me to the back of the classroom. A door creaked and I was let go. Lauren pushed me through the door way into one of the supply closets that every room in the high school had. Before slamming the door, I felt something wet hit my face. Fighting a natural reflex to whip it off, I lay motionless.

"Did you have to spit on her?" I heard the voice of Jessica ask.

"Its not like she doesn't deserve it," Lauren answered. "Come on. We're missing the dance."

Three sets of feet shuffled off and out of the room. I heard the door to the classroom close with an ominous finality. I tried to move. I wanted to lock the door so Lauren couldn't return to finish the job she had started.

Pain radiated from the cut on my arm. My jaw ached terribly. Agony washed over me. Would I ever find a place that I was accepted? A place where I could live in peace and find a tiny sliver of happiness? If I made it out of this, I knew Charlie would ship me off to live with Renee and Phil, who were looking at homes in Florida as we speak. My life was like a game of hot potato.

Why couldn't I be safe at home in bed, curled up with my blankets and a well worn novel? But, the lure of the dance had been overwhelming, and I wouldn't have traded the first few moments of this evening for the world. I smiled and my mandible creaked, sending a shock of pain through my neck and back.

Hoping to rid the pain swirling in the hazy vortex of my brain, I whispered the name of the only person I wanted by my side. "Edward."

As if my utterance had called them back, I heard a mad rush of feet in the classroom outside of my hiding place. If it was Lauren, she would know where I was already. After all, she was the one who left me here. But, on the off chance that this might be help …

I couldn't risk it.

I backed up into the supply closet as far as I could, hiding behind a rack of books. I tried to steady my breathing, in case I had to hold it when Lauren opened the door to search for me. My heart was pounding so hard, I'm sure she could have heard it.

The footfalls in the classroom ceased as I slowed my exhalation. Maybe, she had left again, figuring that I had made a break for it and …

A forceful whoosh of air stole the breath from my lungs as the door to the closet was ripped from its frame. The wooden portal smashed and scraped against the metal desks. In vain, I wanted to scream but couldn't seem to catch the breath that had been stolen from me.

My hands raised to my face as waves of terror washed over me. Lauren was here to kill me. I was going to die and I would never have the chance to tell him how I felt. To tell Edward that I loved him, that I couldn't stand the thought of not being around him. Whether he felt the same way or not, I knew I wanted his friendship. I could have been the best friend he ever had. But now, I would never have the chance.

Tears fell as everything I felt since coming to Washington erupted from inside of me. Joy, fear, love, pride, anxiety. A guttural yell, originating from deep inside at the very core of my being, escaped and I sobbed unchecked. I cried for Edward. I cried for everything that never was, that could never be.

Arms wrestled with my own in the dark room. Fine particulate, kicked up when the door had raked across the plaster wall, flushed through the air. I couldn't see Lauren, but I knew what she was here for. If it was a fight she wanted, it was a fight she would get.

I threw my right arm, uninjured in the earlier beating, back and swung wild, trying desperately to connect with any part of her body. Instead, I felt arms circle me.

I thrashed about, trying urgently to get free.

"Bella, stop please," the voice in my head pled with me. The sweet aroma of honey and shades of cinnamon floated through the room and clouded my head. Oddly, at what I assumed would be my final moments, Edward's scent appeared and his voice rang in my ears.

I pulled my eyelids together, hoping that if this was the end, at least I could hold on to my most precious memories.

"Can you open your eyes?" Edward's voice asked. The sadness of it reverberated through my brain. "Please," it pled with me. Even now, I could deny him nothing.

My eyes shot open. Before me was the last thing I had expected.

Golden eyes bore into me. Edward, my mind screamed when my voice failed me.

"Oh," I gulped aloud before the darkness engulfed me, shifting my vision.

"Breathe," I heard him beg of me. "Come back to me, Bella."

Who could argue with a voice that beautiful? Like a flower blooms in the bright morning sun, I slowly felt the world open up for me, again. Edward sat with me on the floor of the classroom, rocking me back and forth against his chest. "Bella," he exclaimed seeing I was awake.

His fingers brushed the hair from my face. "Bella, I tried to get here sooner. Alice didn't see it happen until …"

"No," I interrupted, noticing where we were. "I'm sorry, Edward. I'm sorry." I couldn't stop the words from repeating over and over again until he pulled me into his chest. "Can you ever forgive me?" I gasped.

He looked at me perplexed. "Why?" His bronze hair, untidy and otherworldly, moved as he shifted his head, staring at me like the answer might appear across my forehead in bold letters.

I pointed to the small pool of blood in the corner of the room near the now decimated closet. "The blood," I sighed, resigned to my fate. I feared that Edward would tear out of the room and head for parts unknown, leaving me alone, just like everyone else had. He might even think I had done this on purpose, that I had Lauren and her gang of miscreants.

"I wish I knew what you are thinking, Bella," Edward confessed with a sigh. "Until you pointed it out, I was only dimly aware of it." How was that possible?

The look on my face must have asked the question for me.

"I was far too concerned for your well being," he acknowledged, taking my still trembling hand in his own. "When I saw Alice's vision, when I thought you were hurt, all I could feel was rage. I needed to find you, to make sure you were well. I've never felt a loss like that. I could have sworn that my soul had been rent in two. I was sure that I was going to kill them when I found them. All three of them."

"It was Lauren," I confirmed, my voice still frayed with emotion. He shook his head. He knew. He must have seen her in Alice's vision. "And Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley."

I didn't want him to leave, but he was standing, moving away from me. I tried to follow him, grasping at the hem of his shirt. When he noticed, he turned and helped me up, sitting me in one of the few unmangled desks.

"Thank you," I croaked as his hands reached for my face. I pulled away from his touch, sure he would be repulsed. I couldn't help it. All the fear and fatalistic thoughts from the whole evening were pushing down on me, pinning me to this spot. I didn't want him to see how hard this was for me. I didn't want the pain to scream in my eyes and burst forth in my tears. I looked down at the floor trying to maintain my composure.

"Please don't," he asked, slowly lifting his hand to graze my bruised cheek. "I know I ask so much of you, but please, for my sake, can you look at me?"

I lifted my head and allowed my eyes to meet his. He sighed and his lovely breath swirled around. I hoped that some of his scent would linger in my hair as a small souvenir of this moment. "Just as I remembered," he muttered. "Beautiful."

I scoffed, laughing off his comments. "You know. I think I've had a rough enough night as it is. I can't take anymore lying."

A stern look glazed his face. "I would never lie to you." He spoke in a firm manner, clearly articulating each word, allowing their merit to sink in.

He thought I was beautiful. For all his intelligence, I wondered if certain vampires had a warped sense of reality. "Edward, how can you expect me to measure up to you?" I asked him, seriously.

"My beauty is just another one of the tricks of my kind. Like my speed or memory. Just another lure, if you will," he allowed his own head to drop down, ashamed with himself.

Didn't he know that's not what I was talking about? "No. Not this," I said touching the sleek skin of his face with the back of my hand. "This."

My palm stopped above his still heart. "This, right here."

He stopped moving as if I'd crossed a boundary line, as if I was invading his private space. Closing his eyes, I listened to his rhythmic breathing. "You might be beautiful to look at, Edward. No one in their right mind could deny that. But, there are thousands of beautiful people in the world."

His piercing eyes slowly opened and fixed with my own. My free hand found one of his and moved it to cover the hand I had placed over his heart. The electricity crackled, almost audibly. He watched me, almost warily, as if he doubted the words I spoke. "Edward, you are different from them. In here, in your soul, it's beautiful. How do I compare to you?" I asked rhetorically.

"I can't," I answered myself, not allowing Edward a word. "I never will be able to. You deserve better."

My voice petered out. "What do I have to offer?" I couldn't look him in the eyes anymore. I didn't want to know how right I was. I didn't want to see it in his face; the confirmation might kill the little piece of my heart that was left.

His fingers found the tender skin below my jaw line and raised my face.

"Bella, you are all I will ever … ever need," he spoke in tattered breaths. Sincerity radiated from his pores, palpable in the room. If I hadn't known better, I would have sworn Jasper was lurking nearby, using the powers Alice told me earlier that he possessed. "I think … no, I know, that I am falling in love with you, Isabella Swan."

My giddy and rebellious my heart thumped a crazed beat in my chest. I'm sure my mouth had dropped open.

I was dumbstruck. Was he serious? This had to be some cruel joke. He was falling in love with me? ME? Boring Bella? Bella moo-cow? I'm a nobody. Didn't Edward get it? Maybe I wasn't being clear enough. I'd have to clear up the situation before I let my emotions run away with themselves.

I tried to speak, but a single finger pressed to my lips impeded me. "Just hear me out," he asked in supplication, now on his knees before the desk I sat at. "I know you might not feel the same way and it's a lot of work to be in a relationship, especially, under … special circumstances, be that as it may, but I would like to try."

Now, I was speechless. He was serious. My heart soared. I could feel it trying to beat its way free from my chest. "Edward Cullen, are you asking me out?" I asked, incredulous.

He smiled like a middle schooler, ducking his head, half-ashamed for asking, half-dancing in place, awaiting my answer.

"Well then …" I paused, feigning thought. "My answer is yes."

His smile threatened to crack the limits of his face. I'm sure mine was not far behind. A moment passed. Edward began slowly to lean in towards me, his eyes afire with light as he snaked a hand behind my head and pulled me towards him.

Was this to be my first kiss? I couldn't believe it. Edward wanted to date me. Edward wanted to kiss me. And then his words rebounded in my brain: Edward was falling in love with me. He loved me.

It was then that something deep inside shifted. The numbness I had felt around my heart since before I could remember was gone. Simply vanished. I felt. Not just pain or the heartache that I so desperately tried to stave off but … joy. Or possibly … love?

My brain snapped to attention. That was it. Oh, Bella. How could you have been so dumb? I thought.

I loved him. With every fiber of my being. I loved him. I knew he had done nothing to deliberately win me over. It just happened. I almost screamed it aloud. I loved him.

And, inexplicably, he loved me. Somehow, in some warped reality, he, Edward Cullen, felt something for me, Bella Swan. I still wasn't positive he was sane. I mean, he thought I was beautiful. Maybe … maybe he meant that I was beautiful to him.

That was it. I was beautiful to him. Maybe I'd never be compared to the likes of Alice or Rosalie. But, I was beautiful to him just as he was the most beautiful creature in the world, to me. He thought he was a monster, but he had opened up to me. And I could see it. He was beautiful.

I cracked a smile. We were two completely opposite beings, in almost every respect, but we found each other. It felt like my soul sighed.

His lips were still moving closer and closer. My hopes soared. I loved this man. I loved his soul. I loved his heart. I loved the way he made me feel when I was with him. I loved the way I could make him.

And suddenly, the door to the classroom flew open and a flashlight was shining in my eyes. "Chief Swan, I found Bella," Edward began. He had jumped up when Charlie burst into the room.

"BELLA!" Charlie shouted and pushed his aged body to its max running to my side. Ever the worrisome father, he checked me over looking for damage.

"Nothing life threatening, I think," Edward stated when Charlie came across the cut on my arm.

"Carlisle is here. I'd like him to check her out, though," Charlie said cutting me out of the conversation.

"I think it wise," the "younger" man agreed.

Edward lifted me to my feet and held my arms as we walked out of the classroom and down the hallway.

"So, what happened?" Charlie asked. "I got a call from Emmett saying I needed to bring a squad car or two down. That there was some trouble."

I tried to hide my face. How would they react when I explained what I'd done? It was so stupid.

"Well," I began. "I went to the girls' bathroom, the one right off the gym. I just wanted to see if Ben had wretched my hair when we swooped around the dance floor. I don't know if you saw it," I said turning to Edward. "But at one point, he spun me and my shoe almost went flying off."

Edward tried to hide the amusement at the thought of my shoe flying through the gym and hitting some unsuspecting classmate in the head. "Well, I thought I was alone in the bathroom. And out of no where, Lauren was behind me, holding onto my dress, pulling me backwards."

"Lauren Mallory?" Charlie asked. I nodded.

"She pushed me out of the bathroom and into the waiting arms of Mike and Jessica. I was so scared. But, the thing is, when Lauren and I came out of the bathroom, Mike and Jessica looked almost as scared as I felt."

Edward nodded.

"Lauren put her arm around me and pulled me into the hallway with the two of them. She smelled like vodka. Cheap vodka and too much perfume."

"Yeah," Charlie muttered, hoping I would continue.

"Lauren said she just wanted to talk to me and that if I came along that she wouldn't make Mike tie me up. I was looking at him when she said that. Dad," I called turning to him. "Dad, Mike and Jessica had no idea what she was going to do. I saw it in their eyes. They had no idea."

Charlie harrumphed.

"Lauren dragged me out of the gym building and then …" I stopped, trying to remember what had happened. My memory was fuzzy. Lauren had insisted I keep quiet and she turned to close the building door behind us. Then, her arms were around my head, her thumbs pressing into my face. There had been a smell, like ammonia, but sweeter, much sweeter. "I think … I think Lauren put a rag soaked in something over my mouth."

"Hold still," Edward asked stopping Charlie and I. He leant in and smelled my lips. His bronze hair tickled my cheeks in such close proximity. "Hmm. Ether, I'd say."

"Great. So, then, we'll add assault,kidnapping, possession of an illegal substance, and forced use of a controlled substance to Lauren's charges, which include attacking a officer of the law and evading arrest," Charlie finished, taking my hand.

"I don't remember how I got there but I woke up in the classroom with Lauren hovering above me. And then she just … lit into me," I explained, recounting the attack. "She spit on me when she left," I finished.

"Did you catch them?" Edward asked as we exited the building and began our way down the path. Red and blue lights flashed around the sides of the brick faced gymnasium. Most of the students in attendance had gathered on the lawn outside to watch the melee.

"Lauren led a few of my deputies on a nice little chase through the woods but we've got her now," Charlie said motioning to a squad car. It rocked back and forth occasionally as inarticulate screams burst through the quieter murmur of the students who had gathered at the first sign of commotion.

"But, Mike and Jessica came right over when we arrived and confessed everything. It seems that they had no idea what Lauren really meant to do to you. Honestly, my judgment as a father is a little blurred when it comes to this matter, but…"

Edward cut him off. "I spoke to them on the way to find Bella, sir. They had no idea what she was capable of, but, in the same respect, they did nothing to stop Lauren."

"Hmph," Charlie said putting his police face back on. "Well, I still think we'll be taking them in for questioning. Let's get you to Carlisle," he finished, helping me walk over to an ambulance where Dr. Cullen was waiting for us.

"Let's see," Carlisle asked, reaching for my arm. His ice cold fingers traced over the open wound. "It's not so bad. Mostly superficial."

Charlie leaned in to examine the dried patch of spit on my face. "If possible, can you collect a sample of that there?" he asked pointing the dried spot. "If we have to take this to court, it will be some concrete evidence that girl was in there with Bella. Not that Mike and Jessica's testimony won't hold up but you never can be too sure."

Carlisle nodded and turned back to me, swabbing my face and gently probing the bruises that were beginning to form along my body.

As Carlisle checked me over, Alice broke away from Jasper and rushed, at human speed, to my side. "Can I help?" she asked tentatively of the doctor beside us.

"There's minimal blood," Carlisle stated, matter-of-factly. He continued to rotate my arms, checking for dislocations or a brake. "And other than wrapping her arm, Bella should be fine."

Alice's face broke into an uncharacteristic pout.

"Alice," I called to her, drawing her gaze from the ground. She sighed and returned the smile that I gave her. "I need your help."

It was a moment before her eyes lost the glazed appearance they had so quickly gained. She smirked and then nodded.

"Yes," she said. "You do need my help. You'll never be able to go back to the dance looking like this." Without a second thought, she began pulling bobby pins from her own hair and repining the disheveled mess upon my own head. Alice fixed in a few short minutes what would have taken a stylist more than an hour to complete.

Putting the last pin in place, Alice stepped aside to let Charlie come talk to me. He had been hovering close since Carlisle began looking at me. I guess that when you're as accident prone as I am, your parents become gun shy.

Edward, who had not let go of my left hand since he found me huddled in the closet, took a step off the bumper of the ambulance and whispered to Alice. Walking back towards the gym, she rejoined Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett.

"Chief Swan," Edward said, addressing Charlie. "I need to speak with you for a moment, privately."

I was desperate for Edward not to go to far. He caught the fear in my eyes when Charlie motioned for him to follow around the side of the building and away from the prying ears of the gathered students.

Parked on the edge of the lot, Edward instead herded Charlie around the side of the ambulance, staying close enough for me to hear.

"What's the matter, son?" Charlie asked, placing his hand on Edward's shoulder.

"I wanted you to hear this from me first, just in case charges need to be pressed," Edward said and then audibly inhaled a deep and unnecessary breath. "During the course of the events that transpired tonight, I laid my hands on Lauren."

"To restrain her. I heard from Mike that you had, but that she, also, had kicked you pretty hard and wriggled free," Charlie confirmed.

"Well," Edward began again. "I came across them as they were leaving the Building 1. I just knew something had happened when Alice told me Bella had left with them. Lauren has been harassing Bella since she came to Forks. Lauren was acting like a maniac when I found them, trying to pull near me one second and lashing out with her fists the next. I held her arms to her sides and told that she would never touch Bella, again."

Edward paused.

"Actually, I told her that if she ever hurt Bella again, that I would tear her limb from limb. So, you see Chief Swan, I may have threatened her life," he finished.

"I see." Charlie was pacing now. He clucked his tongue against his teeth and exhaled as if he were expelling the weight of the world with his breath. "Edward," Charlie started, pulling close to the teenager, who was in fact twice his age. "How about this: unless Lauren decides to file a complaint, I'll just forget what you've told me?"

"If you think that is prudent, sir."

"I do," Charlie spoke in an almost conspiratorial tone. Edward nodded his acceptance. "Alright."

Moments passed and Edward was back at my side. "How are you, my dear?" he smiled down at me. My dear. I don't know if I'd ever get tired of hear those words from his lips.

"She'll be right as rain in a few days," Carlisle answered in his lilting British accent.

"Can she return to the dance?" Edward asked glancing back towards the doors of the gymnasium where the Cullen siblings were waiting for us. "We have yet to have our first dance."

"Oh, Edward," I exclaimed, realization dawning on me. "I'm so sorry. I've completely ruined your night."

"Bella, this was meant to be our night. And nothing you have done or could do will ruin it for me because I am here with you," he said, unaffected and genuine love oozing from his voice.

"Good night, Edward. It was lovely to see you, Bella," Carlisle said to us before walking away.

Us, I thought to myself. I liked the sound of that.

The good doctor muttered something, much faster, to his children, who turned and ushered all the students back into the gym.

"Would you like to go back or maybe you would rather head home?" Edward asked. I stepped off the bumper of the ambulance where Carlisle had deemed me fit for dancing and took Edward's hand, pulling him toward the gym. He smiled in response.

The crisp night air pulled in around us as we made our way down the concrete walkway. Edward stopped me less than 30 feet from the open gymnasium doors. The slow music of a ballad had picked up. "Would you dance with me?" he asked, ever the gentleman.

"Out here?" I asked looking around at the moonlit path. He nodded.

"Alice is screaming for us to stay out here," he said, concentrating on his sister's unheard voice. "Something about … oh, she says it will be worth it. And now she is singing. Lovely. Shall we?" he offered his hand. Cold and hard as marble, his hand formed around my own. His other hand hovered at my waist, waiting for me to step closer to him.

I moved into the embrace as his scent tickled my nose. It was divine. Instinctively, I nuzzled into his stone chest and his arms closed around me. We swayed to the sound of the band wafting through the open doors and windows. Clarinets began the melody in a rhythmic wave.

A sweet rumble began in Edward's chest and a deep tinkling of bells ran in my ears. Looking up to his face, I realized Edward was singing along with the female voice crooning to the crowd inside. His eyes smoldered into me as he sang.

"At last my love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song"

His voice was beautiful. I felt myself melting in his arms as he continued swaying us back and forth. I tried to burn everything about this moment into my memory: the feeling of the cold, dewy grass on my bare feet, the gentle wind that swirled Edward's scent around me, the feeling of his hand in mine, but most of all the gentle caress of his smile.

"Oh Bella, don't cry," Edward said and touched my cheek. It was then that I noticed the big fat tears streaking my cheeks. Thank God for Alice and her streak free mascara. His fingers brushed them away and lingered on my cheek. My skin tingled and burned where his hand waited for my reaction.

His eyes never left my face, searing straight through me. I had to look away. I knew how he felt, but I still had trouble believing my luck. Edward Cullen … loved … me. ME. I sighed and tried to look everywhere, anywhere but at him.

The gymnasium was perched at the very edge of the woods. Darkness pulled in tight around us only to be broken by the occasional shaft of a moon beam. A tiny flash of light caught my attention. And then, another and another and another.

Hundreds, no thousands of vibrant flashes were sparkling around us. "Look," I instructed Edward, who was still staring at me.

He laughed. Could this night get any more perfect? "Fireflies," he stated. "And so many of them for this season and in Washington, no less."

He turned back to me and drew me to his chest. "You know," he began. "They say that fireflies are attracted to beauty."

Awestruck, I simply held on to him and watched the blinking bugs whiz around us until I noticed that Edward had stopped moving. Stone still, his face gazing straight up into the heaven, he muttered to no one in particular, "thank you."

Feeling bold, I put my hand to his cheek. "May I try something?" I ask him.

A worried look etched into his brow. "It depends. What?" he balked at my request.

"Do you trust me?" I asked him. His golden eyes locked with mine and he nodded warily.

"Hold still," I whispered in his ear, sending a shiver down his spine. Regaining his carefully crafted composure, he froze. Even still, his eyes were rapidly darting around, wondering what I was up to. "Just wait."

With my arms around his neck, I drew myself up on tippy-toes. This close, his eyes blazed with a tsunami force of energy. His ochre irises roiled and twisted before me but, still, my motion was focused on one thing. His lips.

I closed my eyes and leaned closer, bringing my lips mere millimeters from his. I stalled, exhaling. Would he want this? Was I taking advantage of the situation? Would he prefer it if I let him make the first move? Would he think me too forward? Was I on the verge of ruining everything?

Without warning, I felt his stone lips graze my own. Electricity jolted across our lips. I exalted in the feeling. It was intense but sweet.

I pulled back. "Ah," I sighed breathlessly, not controlling my emotions.

"Thank you," was all Edward said. His eyes spoke volumes that he was keeping quiet. So volatile a moment before, they were serene, placid, like a mountain lake on a spring morning. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"You're thanking me?" I asked.

"I was wondering how I was going to ask your permission to do that," he said. That was my Edward, always the gentleman.

I laughed. The sound of it bounced off the trees. "Next time, don't think, just kiss me," I said as his hands moved up and cupped my face. His eyes drove into me. Deep and lingering, I knew I had found something in him, found something in me. For once in my life, I felt whole and complete.

A hundred heart beats passed as I gazed into his soul. It might have been one heart beat. I couldn't tell.

He smirked his devastating smile. The boy was perfect. He made me feel just as perfect. A girl could get used to this.

"Just kiss me," I whispered, breathless.

His crooked grin danced across his face and lit his eyes as he drew me close to his chest and tilted my head up towards his own. His lips blazed across mine.

I could definitely get used to this, I thought as he twirled me around, never breaking our kiss.