Apple Of My Eye ``Bella Cullen

[Edward Cullen]

Edward sat on the couch in the living room of the cottage that Esme had so graciously given him and Bella nearly four years ago. His eyes were focused on the fireplace in front of him, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Bella. He had just gotten back from a hunt with Emmet and Jasper, it ended up being a two day excursion because they had to travel all the way up to Canada to get some good animals, mountain lion to be more exact.

It was something he rarely had, and the opprotunity rose and he reluctantly took it, leaving Bella and Renesemee home. Now he was home, and the cottage was empty and silent. Alice had explained the Bella had gone out, and how it really didnt matter where she had gone, because she was going to return as soon as she got word that Edward had come home.

He drummed his fingers across his knee out of pure habit. She had changed his life in so many ways and at this point he couldnt live without her, but he didnt have too. It was thoughts like this that plagued his mind when they were merely dating. But they were married, they had a child who was in itself a miracle, and they had every intention of staying together for the rest of eternity. But he still couldnt help but feel lucky, their relationship was just as new and exciting as it was the day in the meadow so long ago, Bella was just improved a bit, which despite Edwards reluctancy when Bella had expressed how badly she wanted to live his life, he was actually releived that he didnt have to keep a constant eye on her now. She was one of the most powerful and perfect vampires on the planet.

His amber colored eyes scanned from the fireplace to the door anxiously, until the gold knob slightly turned. He could hear the slight footsteps and the nearly inaudible creeking of the doorknob turning...

[Isabella Cullen]

The heart of Isabella Cullen would be beating a mile a minute.

If only.

Edward had been away for two days but to her, it felt like a lifetime. Despite her having her not-so-little-anymore monster to keep her occupied, Bella couldn't help spending the last days that she had been alone pacing around the house. Well, until Alice had practically dragged her kicking and screaming out of the house, throwing her into her red ferarri and flashing them off to the mall. She could honestly say that the only thing that she had enjoyed about the journey was the trip there - it hadn't taken her long into her vampire life to realize just what a thrill it was too drive fast. Bella had realized that the love of makeup and shopping didn't come with being a vampire - and she didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing. And Alice leaving her there alone had been the icing on top of the cake. Just bloody brilliant. But after a look in Victoria's Secret, Bella wasn't going to return empty handed.

Time seemed to have passed quickly and the day was almost over, the sun was beginning to set slowly into the clouds, turning them a golden amber color and making it seem as though it was melting into the ground. She grabbed hold of the car's handle and pulled it open with a satisfying click. Although it had taken her this long to enjoy her present from many years back, Edward was now trying to make Bella let him buy her a new one. Shame she wouldn't budge. She always had been stubborn, and now her daughter - or neice - was beginning to inherit it, despite her years of innocence.

When Bella reached the house, it a matter of ten minutes, she could smell him on the harsh mid-autumn wind. Her blood red eyes shimmered in longing and turned close to black. How could she resist him, after two days she was bound to be hungry for him. The taste of him hung around her as she soaked in his scent. His voice seemed so clear in her head, as though he was stood just behind her. Her name.

Grabbing the bags, Bella darted to the house, his scent becoming stronger. As she drew close to their cottage taht seemed even more magical and beautiful in the setting sun, Bella slowed to a halt and glided onwards, careful not to make any noise. She wanted to surprise him, to hold the his hand and stroke the fingers that she could hear tapping rhythmically against his leg. If only she had a beating heart to love him with. To increase her feelings. But then that would give her away, and he would be more likely to catch her scent, if not hear the beating.

The handle gave it away.

Bella cursed and flung the door open, not able to hide anymore. Towards him. Into his arms, kissing his neck. She wrapped her slim pale arms around his neck, pulled in his musky aroma and closed her eyes and whispered three words into his perfect ears.

"I love you."

(( Sorry it is so rubbish, I seriously rushed it. ))

[/center]

[Edward Cullen]

Time seemed to stand still as the golden knob twisted, when you had forever, a matter of seconds could feel like minutes or hours. His eyes were stuck on the shinyness of the metal, how it slowly twisted.

And then he saw her.

Before Edward could even think about what to do next, Bella, his Bella, was in front of him. Her small arms were wrapped around him, her body temperature so close to his. It was one thing, out of many, that he missed about the very human Isabella Swan. How warm her body felt against his, the blood rush to her cheeks when he said something sweet or when his family embarassed her, and the steady, even beating of her heart within her chest.

But the new Bella was stunning, even more so through Edwards eyes then before if that was possible. Her features became more refined, her already pale skin became even more translucent and she smelled even sweeter then she had before the turn. If Edward had a heart, it would be nearly broken in her beauty.

His pale, slender fingers intertwined in the chestnut brown curles that had cascaded down her back, his hands grazing over heck, his lips incredibly close to her neck.

Edward placed a lingering kiss on her icy forehead. "I love you." he repeated to her, his crooked smile becoming prevalent on his marble, angular features. His lips moved closer to her ear, his fingers moving the hair from covering it. At a nearly inaudible whisper, one human ears wouldnt hear, he spoke lightly; "You have no idea how much I missed you while I was gone Bella." he stated, still holding her lithe body close to his, his right hand pressing the small of her back into his stone embrace. His face reached her and he slowly bent down, pressing his winterly lips on her equally cold ones, his left hand on the side of her face, just barely underneath her chin, tilitng it up to meet his kiss.

He let his lips touch hers and linger, she tasted more lucious then he could have imagined, her scent hitting his nostrils and his tounge running just lightly against her bottom lip, Edward let out a low, growl like noise from deep within his throat. He couldnt help it. He had gone years resisting her, keeping his control in order not to hurt her, and now the tables had turned. She could hurt him, though not by much, and he no longer needed to hold back. Even though it had been four blissful years since they had gotten married, it still felt like every encroaching second they were on their honeymoon, and Edward simply couldnt get enough of her.

[Isabella Cullen]

Once again, Bella was in her own personal heaven.

His lips met hers and she had to fight to stop herself from doing anything stupid. Too many times in her human life had she collapsed in his arms from the pleasure of his intimate kisses, despite them being limited for her safety. He may have had to have been careful, but now it was her turn to be the dangerous one, the one that could easily hurt the other without meaning to. Her pale hands grabbed a handful of his bronze hair, twisting her fingers around in his curls to pull him closer to her.

A surge of warmth swept through her body as his tongue touched her bottom lip, causing her to kiss him harder, more passionate. One hand absentmindedly fell from his curls, slipping between the couch and his stone body to rest at the small of his back. It was this hand that she used to pull him in towards her, repeating the actions that she had been denied so often in her human life. But now she could have it all, each day her honeymoon. That had certainly been worth the wait and Bella knew that there would never be anything she would treasure more than those memories.

She wasn't thinking. She couldn't think. Not when he was kissing her like that anyway. It was good that her heart couldn't beat because Bella was sure that there would be a rather large hole in her chest by now. Her mind was clouded over by adrenaline, need and lust. Now she was in control, not Edward. The once so called 'lamb' was in control of the lion before her. And it felt good.

It was either her pleasure or her clouded mind that made her reach for his hand. But whichever one it was, Bella was sure to curse it later. For she pulled his hand too hard - a lethal pull for a human - and she knew immediately that she had hurt him, her, the one who had been fragile for too long.

The lamb had hurt the lion.

[Edward Cullen]

Edward recognized this side of Bella. It was the side he was often dealing with before he had turned her, the side that would often loose control. But this time he held back for the opposite reason, she could hurt him, which was nearly the case as her hands found the small of his back. He would be relieved when she would find the balance of her strength, and both of them wouldn’t have to hold back. He reveled in the thought of that day. But for now, he would take control.

But before he could take control, before he could be the responsible Edward that she knew and loved, his hand was nearly crushed within her grasp. He pulled it away, just a blur to human eyes, his other hand cradling it in his palm. He hadn’t felt pain in a long while, as it was hard to actually hurt him, he was confident that she was the only person capable of such pain. ”Ow Bella!” he stated with a small smile on his face. It wasn’t devastatingly painful, just enough to cause some pain for a moment and then it would quietly fade and he would return his lips to hers.

Edward scooped her up in his arms effortlessly, allowing her small arms to wrap around his neck as he pulled closed to their bedroom. There was a bed for all other purposes aside from sleeping and he sat her down gently, sitting next to her, his hand now on her knee, caressing it lightly, the crooked smile adorned on his perfect, sculpted face.

His stared at her, his beautiful little vampire that he couldn’t resist, the one person that he loved more then life itself, the one person that had changed his whole entire outlook on his miserable life. His hand swept a loose curl out of her eyes and behind her ear, and he leaned in, his fingers intertwined with the dark curls and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, much less passionate then before but equally as meaningful.

”Do you think you can control yourself, sweetheart?” he asked with his famous crooked smile pulling at his lips.

[Isabella Cullen]

Bella's eyes grew wide as soon as his hand flew out of her strong grasp with a flick of light. The blood red searched for the comfort of amber. She frowned at the sight of Edward rubbing his hand, hurt that she had done that to him. Her and her stupid wants! She began subconsciously nibbling on her lip, a habit she still held from her human days, but stopped when she could feel her sharper teeth, those with venom. Her eyes still tried to catch his and if she still had blood, her cheeks would match her eyes, if not beat them in darkness.

If it wasn't his voice that forgave her, it was the brief smile that hung on his lips that would have puffed up after that amount of kissing if he were not made of stone. Despite it being distant, it was still there.

Inside, Bella knew that he would forgive her, but even the slightest thought that he wouldn't hurt her. She could never return to that place she had been in when he left, when she was on her own. She couldn't lose him, he was more than her life was worth, more than oxygen. He was her life. He was her oxygen. She wasn't prepared to change that for anything that life may hand her. Bella needed, and always would, him to look after her.

With one quick swoop, she was in his arms and soon in the bedroom. The one that had a bed despite them not sleeping, but that was used for other... matters. Once she was sat on the bed with Edward beside her, Bella felt almost ashamed to look into his eyes, but she needed to see the forgiveness that may lay in them. As his hand touched her knee, softly caressing it, she looked up at his dazzling face, into his melting eyes. She needed to read his expressions. There, plastered on as though sculpted by the very best sculptor in the world, was his signature crooked smile, spreading across his face.

She still felt ashamed. An act of shyness, one she remembered from their very first meeting in a Biology lesson, Bella let a few curls fall out from behind her ear and hang over her eyes. Edward's lips touched down on hers but Bella felt almost resistant, she couldn't bare to hurt him again. She hoped that he wouldn't notice her resist. His fingers were entwined in her chocolate curls but that still didn't sway her.

Bella reached out to touch his hand, gingerly, but pulled back before she reached. She couldn't risk that. It was the first time she had hurt him since she had been turned and she would regret it for the rest of her days.

He asked her if she could behave, clearly teasing her, but Bella didn't see it that way. If she could cry, her eyes would be welling up at that moment, the moment she turned it slightly to the left. It was so he couldn't see her tears, the ones that would never form again. In a voice that only he could hear, she whispered the same word repeatedly.

"Sorry."

[/center]

[Edward Cullen]

Edward pulled away from her with a confused expression on his face. He didn’t know what was going on with her. She hadn’t hurt him that bad, she just wasn’t quite at the point where she could understand or control her strength, and there were times when Edward had to remind her just how strong she truly was. He grabbed her small cold hand and laced it with his own, his eyes looking quizzically into hers.

”Bella, stop apologizing.” he said at more of a demand. There really was no need. Yes, to the human touch she would have crushed bones into a million pieces, but Edward was built for such things, he had felt the sharp pain where the bones were trying to break but it just wasn’t going to happen, he pulled away before she could.

”What is the matter?” he asked as he laid back on the bed, his perfectly sculpted features glowing in the golden light from the lamp that was on on the side of their bed. A small belt of skin became exposed as he laid, right where his pants and tee shirt lifted. He still continued to hold her hand, hoping she would lay down next to him, hoping she would give him some answers. He didn’t quite understand why she was taking this so seriously. Had she really expected him to freak out and yell at her because she accidentally squeezed his hand too hard?

He thought back to when Bella was an innocent human, when she was as breakable as glass falling on a tile floor to him. How every instance of intimacy with her was one where his self control was tested. He remembered how he felt when he had bruised her at Isle Esme and how horrible he felt after that and a wave of understanding washed over him. He knew how she felt, how it felt to hurt the one person that you didn’t want too, even if it was physically, because it was the same as he felt when they had first been intimate on their honeymoon, the time he ended up getting her pregnant with Renesemee, the time he almost killed her.

Disappointment fell onto his face as he remembered. He was so grateful for Rensemee now, she was his everything alongside Bella, but at the time there was nothing he wanted more then for it to be out of her, and he did nothing but blame himself for doing this too her.
”Bella, please.” he stated in his velvet voice, it was nearly a whisper, one that human ears wouldn’t be able to hear. ”Please don’t feel bad.” he said one last pleading way, squeezing her hand just lightly in his strong grasp.

[Isabella Cullen]

His cool hands surrounded hers and Bella could tell that she was forgiven. But her mind kept screaming at her, torturing her feelings and wrenching at her heart. She still couldn't believe she had done that, couldn't believe that she had hurt the only one she had vowed never to. Bella could still feel her hand crushing his, causing him pain. Even the slightest bit had hurt her, but in a far worse way. She had been hurt emotionally. She didn't care about the time it hurt for, or the pain it enforced, Bella had still hurt Edward. Her Edward.

And there she had been, planning a second honeymoon back to Isle Esme. There was no way that she could even think about that now. Not now she had realized how strong she was. If they went back, she would be the one realizing she had caused damage. And by the time that happened it could have been too late.

Bella remembered how Edward's face had looked when she woke up with bruises all over her body from their nights events. She remembered clearly how he had behaved, had told her that they could never repeat it again. But the thing she remembered most was how he seemed ashamed. They had a lot in common, now that they had switched positions. Bella was the ashamed one, Edward was the one wanting more.

At his firm words, Bella closed her lips, pressing them together in case another apology would just slip out into the air, causing the particles to dance till they reached Edward's ears. She knew just how he must be feeling, how she had felt, and it was just what she needed. Comforting anger - the type that brought you back to your senses in a firm but loving way. She had to follow his desires, to reach the desires of her own.

Bella wasn't planning on answering his question, didn't want to voice the words hanging in her mind that seemed so harsh, so instead, she turned to him. Following his lead, Bella leant backwards towards the bed, coming down to lie besides him. Her heart-shaped head came to rest on his chest and her dark curl splayed around her. She tilted her chin upwards slightly, so that her eyes of blood could melt into his. It was times like this that she was glad she had that protective shield over her mind that stopped him intruding. So now she could release it's power, but she wasn't planning on doing that right then.

She couldn't give him what he wanted.

Not today.

She could see the skin glimmering slightly and had to hold on to her resistance. It was true that she wanted it and so did he, but Bella couldn't bare the thought of that after what she had just done to him. She knew that she would enjoy it and would be begging him for more, but she couldn't.

She just couldn't.

[/center]

[Edward Cullen]

Neither of us would surrender tonight. The sun that was behind the gray clouds was going down and there was a darkness coming over the cottage. He had lost track of time, clearly. But he was still confused, still didn’t understand where the guilt and shame was coming from Bella and why she was being so guarded with him. It hurt a little bit, but he wouldn’t let her know that.

He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek, squeezing her hand in affection and then letting it go, standing up and flipping on the lap on the side table by their ‘bed’. He ran his fingers through his tousled hair and looked at himself in the standing mirror on the opposite wall. He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned towards her again. Rarely were they like this, and he hated it.

”Where’s Renesemee?” he asked, curiously now changing the subject entirely. He wasn’t going to go back to his, it was too touchy at this point to be brought up, and she clearly didn’t want to talk. So he would leave it alone, though internally there was something eating away at him, a worry. Maybe she thought she would never learn to control her strength? But she needed to know that it can take years and years to control that kind of strength, but he thought best not to bring it up, and he doubted very much that she would even believe him.

He let out a sigh out of habit, his eyes now locked on hers. He loved the way she looked now as a vampire, she was more stunning then she had been as a human, but to normal human eyes she was on the plain side. That couldn’t be more opposite now that she had been turned. The only thing that he couldn’t wait to change was the red irises that were hidden beneath her pale lids.

He leaned against the wall lightly, his eyes still on her waiting for a response. It had been such a crazy four years and so much had happened since they got married, but their life was finally falling into some sort of normalcy, there was a routine they were in, hunting, Renesmee, the rest of the family, everyone was settling and everyone was happy. This was the first time that he actually felt distant from his wife, from the person he loved more then any one thing in the planet and he would until the end of time, but this feeling left a whole in his stone body, and alls he wanted was for it to go away.

[Isabella Cullen]

Renesmee.

Their beautiful daughter, their pride and joy.

Bella knew that she would normally be with Jacob, walking along the beach and kissing under the stars. Whatever it was she liked, she would sure be doing it. Jacob spoiled her. But then again, so did she. From the day she was born she had been special - and not just because of who she was. Imprinted on hybrid. Now that was something quite surreal in itself. But the thing that made her so perfect, so amazing, so enchanting, was how alike Edward she was.

Even from her early pregnancy, Bella had been certain her child would be a boy, a miniature Edward who would be just as perfect as Edward. She remembered thinking that it would be a shame he would hold her flaws and not just be pure Edward. But then what would he even hold that resembled her, her personality? Her power of shielding her mind? But she needn't have planned baby E.J, because she soon found a beautiful girl with copper curls and chocolate eyes calling her Momma.

"She's at another of the Quileute Bonfires." Bella said, her voice ringing around the room in an almost eerie enchantment.

She had to give in, right now. Before he slipped further away from her. Now her feelings were mixed with guilt and sadness. She couldn't let him feel like she was feeling and she knew that that was what it would come to if she didn't do something, say something. Anything. The three words that meant so much or even just that one word that she had already said too much.

Lighter than the toes of fairies, Bella's feet touched down onto the floor and she pushed herself onto her powerful legs. Without seeking permission, Bella glided over to Edward, trying not to look at the expressions on his face that he was trying so hard to hide. She had clearly hurt him. Again. Her arms wound around his neck and she looked into his eyes to try to banish his sadness. She hoped her next few lines would work, would melt the ice that had suddenly formed between them.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen." Bella spoke, her voice meaningful and deadly serious. "I really do love you."

[Edward Cullen]

As if she had been reading his mind, she glided towards him and she found his neck, her hard grasp now pulling him down towards her. It was like she knew, she knew that the chemistry had halted for one quick moment, and excruciating couple of second for Edward, and he never wanted to experience it again.

He wrapped his strong arms around her small waist, his fingertips running along the exposed belt of skin that was where her pants met her shirt. The famous crooked smile played on his lips as he looked down at her. Normally he hated it when anyone used his full name, with both of the middle names intertwined, but her bell of a voice and his love for her made it sound like he was the most significant thing in the world. He felt that way.

He looked into her scarlet eyes and leaned down and placed one kiss on her porcelain lips.”And I to you, darling.” he said against her neck, his lips finding the cold skin. It felt like they were nearly back to Bella and Edward, the couple that were to be reckoned with, that challenged the love that Rosalie and Emmett and Jasper and Alice felt for each other. They had a reputation to uphold, but he knew that she still felt some sort of guilt within her, he wanted to make that up to her, and he wanted to take it away. He didn’t want her feeling bad over something so silly.

”Renesmee.” he stated with a playful tone, with Jacob, someone that Edward wasn’t THAT fond of, but he still knew that Jacob took care of Rensemee, his only other true love aside from Bella.

”What do you say…” he said as he grabbed her right hand with his left and spun her around slowly, dancing lightly with her. The old Bella wouldn’t dance, and it wasn’t suggested either just because she was so clumsy, but this new, graceful Bella could dance just like Edward had always wanted. ”we go to Isle Esme in the coming weeks, reunite?” he asked, with a playful tone hidden underneath his red lips. He hoped desperately that she would say yes, he was craving her, and her alone, not with the rest of the family just steps away and Alice interrupting their days and Emmett and Jasper being the usual brotherly types. He wanted a couple of days to himself, it had been four years since they had been truly alone, and that was all he wanted, if even for a few moments.

[Isabella Cullen]

The coming weeks. As long as they could leave as soon as possible. Bella knew just how long it took to get to Isle Esme, and she really couldn't wait that long. It was as though he had managed to sneak past her shield and discover just what she had been thinking about a short while ago. Besides, she had bought enough underwear for months of holidays, so she could sure manage a week. Nessie was seventeen now, almost an adult. It would be no drama if she stayed at home on her own for a short while. That was unlikely though, Rose would probably want to spend the time that she wasn't with Jacob with her.

"You read my mind."

Bella stood on her toes, reaching up so that her lips were level with his. She allowed them to meet, careful not to crush them. There had been to much hurt, now it was time to get the love back, to make love. Pulling back so she could get her words out, she tugged at his shirt. "But why keep me waiting that long?" Her lips returned to his, allowing him to lead the dance as they fell to the bed.

---- One hour later ----

It had taken all of Bella's strength to pull back from her lover's intimate kisses, but she had managed. And now there she was, throwing her eyes along the rows of hangers with clothes growing off the bars. Alice was too good. Definitely too good. It didn't take Bella long to find what she had been looking for. Pulling on some dark jeans, she tugged the blue shirt off the hanger. A blue shirt the exact color to the one Edward used to love when she was human. She didn't think her change of clothes would arouse Renesmee's suspicion, but she could hardly put back on the scraps of clothing that remained on the bedroom floor. She was sure that that would arouse more than a little suspicion.

In a half hour, Renesmee would be back.

Bella wasn't certain which house she would go to but she had wanted to play safe rather than get caught out. There was always the chance that she was going to watch some soccer game on the television with Emmett and Jasper - or Jacob for that matter. But even if she did go over to the mansion, Bella would run aeound there in thirty minutes to check on her.

That was the one thing that Jacob was good at - getting Renesmee home at the right time and not a second after. To Bella it seemed as though he was trying to get in Edward's good books and believed that that was the way to go about it. Either that or he just didn't want a houseful of vampires set on him, especially not Rose.

Unfortunatly, even in the four years that had passed, Jacob Black and Rosalie Hale were still sworn enemies. Throwing weapons in the form of words at each other whenever they got the chance. Such words were usually a part of a blonde joke or an insult on dogs and their dirty ways. Not that there was anything wrong with dogs. Well, unless you were Rosalie.

Bella reached for her fancy hairbrush - another of Alice's ideas - and began to swoop it through her hair. Right at the very back of her head was a tangle of brown curls, knotted like a web sewn by the messiest spider alive. Sighing, Bella ran to where she knew Edward would be dressed and waiting for Renesmee's arrival. Just like she was. Passing him the brush, she turned around to give him better access to her hair. Bella could have easily done it herself, but she would have been afraid of pulling a chunk of it out, if that was even possible for vampires. Besides, he had brushed it before, and Bella knew just how nice it had felt.

[Edward Cullen]

Finally, the release he was looking for. The one that he had thought was going to be coming a lot sooner than it actually did. But he was just as content when it happened as he would have been had it happened sooner. He walked over to the empty mansion to let Bella clean herself up, he slipped on a white tee shirt that hugged his sculpted body, as the one he was wearing was torn in the throes of passion, and a pair of dark wash denim jeans and his gray pea coat.

He kissed Bella lightly on the cheek before exiting the cottage and into the small house. His mind was quiet, so no one was home. Normally there would be the constant buzz of Rosalie complaining, or Alice considering what to buy at the mall next. But it was quiet. He opened the door and entered the open living area that he had grown so familiar with over the years. He nearly spent every waking moment in that living room during Bella’s pregnancy, because she was to fragile to move from the couch.

He returned shortly from the house back to the cottage, slipping behind Bella as she became frustrated with her hair. His firm grasp pulled the brush from her hands; he placed the wire bristles through her hair, from her part all the way to the tip where her naturally curled hair would spring up into chocolate brown ringlets.

Once all the tangles were out he set the brush down and pulled her hair from her shoulder and placed a trail off kisses from the outside of her shoulder up the name of her neck before returning his gaze to her in the mirror. ”You are absolutely stunning.” he said as he returned her curly hair to around her porcelain face. His crooked smile played on his lips. ’When do you want to leave?” he asked in regards to Isle Esme. He was anxious now, but he knew there were things that needed to be tied up in Forks before they could leave, mainly Renesmee. Despite the fact that she was nearly seventeen, they were still protective over her, and they needed to know that Carlisle and Esme and Rosalie or Jacob were going to be close by to watch her, make sure she stayed out of trouble and protect her from harm’s way.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and ran his fingertips along the nape of her neck and right where her hairline started, allowing his fingers to caress the soft flowing hair that was there. His eyes continued to look into hers through the mirror as she contemplated her answer.

[Isabella Cullen]

Bella would have blushed at his statement if she still could. She would have felt the scorch of the blood flow as it grew closer to the surface of the skin, would have noticed the pink drift into her cheeks and felt the embarrassment that came with it. Though embarrassment was a feeling and therefore couldn't be forgotten or played in any way. It wasn't embarrassment that would have made her cheeks glow, it would have been her pleasure and happiness at what he had said to her.

Although she had known that she was pretty since the day she had been turned and she had woken up to see a complete stranger staring back at her in the mirror, she would have never have used the word stunning. Bella saw herself as toeing the lines of pretty but nothing beyond that. But she never had thought highly of herself, nor had she brought herself down. For Bella Cullen never really took time out to think about herself. That was the way she was and she was perfectly happy staying there.

Bella almost shivered with delight as Edward kissed her neck with lips that would seem ice cold to a human but were just right for her. She lay her head against his shoulder, almost leaning against him now, but still she held his gaze that still managed to turn her insides to jelly despite the fact that the mirror seemed to dull them and make the amber seem almost lifeless and fake. Her Edward didn't deserve to look fake.

Allowing his fingers to keep moving in her hair, she blinked a couple of times, to check that this was still real. Even four years into their life of forever, she still lived in her life unbelieving that she deserved such beauty and luck. Sometimes she was afraid to close her eyes in case he disappeared and she realized it was all just a story from a fairytale. But then it was too vivid to be fake yet too good to be true. Bella supposed that being a vampire was like that. Not right, yet not wrong.

"Whenever you are willing to."

There she was, Bella Cullen. The girl who never thought about herself. That was her gift, the one thing that made her who she was. Without that, she wouldn't be anything like how she was. Without that, Edward probably wouldn't be alive. It surprised her to think how many times she had saved him with her personality.

[/center]

[Edward Cullen]

Edward would have left with her at that very moment, there was an abundance of clothing already at Isle Esme, so they wouldnt need to pack, but realistically it wasnt possible. They had a child now, regaurdless of how old she was, that they needed to make sure was taken care of before they left. He leaned down and placed another small kiss on her cheek. "Well... tonight? tomorrow?" he really didnt want to decide this one, because again, he would have left at that moment. He wanted to let Bella decide, let her figure out when she was comfortable leaving Rensemee. It would have been the first time leaving her for an extended period of time, and he was sure it would be a slight issue, knowing how close that her and Rensemee had been.

He ran his finers down her back, allowing his fingertips to run along the thin fabric. He turned her around. Looking through the mirror wasnt doing Bella's beauty justice. She was stunning in any rate, but if he had to choose he would choose to look at her directly, into her crimson eyes and her pale features. "Thats better." he said when he could finally see her, smirking down at her.

"What do you need to get done in order for us too leave? Would you like me to pack some of your things?" he asked as he intertwined his fingers in her chocolote curls, his other hand firmly on her waist. He kissed her forehead once before looking down at her again, waiting for her to respond. He was getting more anxious by the second, the thought of being alone with her for a whole weekend. The didnt have to worry about the rest of Cullen's interupting them, it would be peaceful and he would be able to do nothing but worship her.

His mind wondered. It was peaceful when no one was home. Normally when the Cullen's were home, they were in close enough range for Edward to hear their thoughts, it was a constant buzz even in the comfort of their cottage. But while they were away, assumingly on a hunting trip, it was quiet, and he loved it. He could really understand how beautiful her voice sounded in his head, hearing her foot steps and simple things like the trees rustling outside. His eyes returned to her as his hands dropped to his pockets.