Here they are, the last chapters of Midnight Sun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm not sure who wrote them, or if they're the real deal, but they're close enough, and they're really good. I hope you enjoy!
I could still feel Bella's warmth in my car, though I'd already put miles between us. I drove quickly toward home to make my nightly appearance, knowing that soon I would leave again, to take solace in Bella's dream.Although a part of me still felt voyeuristic, the quiet comfort I had found in watching her sleep, hearing her whisper my name, was not something I could easily give up.
As soon as I walked into the house, I heard chattering in the living room. My family was arguing, and yet again I found myself the center of their attention.Of course they all knew of my plans to spend the day with Bella on Saturday, and were currently in loud dispute over whether or not such a thing be allowed.
Allowed. As if I were a child and needed there permission. I rolled my eyes when the conversation came to an abrubt hallt as I entered the room.
''No, please, continue,'' I said sarcastically. ''Sounds like it was just getting interesting.''
''Edward, we're merely dicussing the situation, and what it could potentially mean for our family,'' Carlisle told me calmly. ''Your decisions effect all of us now, and we just want te taking all to be sure your taking all the necessary precautions. No one is accusing you of anything.''
''I've already told them they don't have anything to worry about,'' Alice added, a wide grin spreading across her face. ''You love her. You're not going to hurt her.''
"Right," I mumbled. "Thanks."
I wished I could sound more confident, that some of Alice's faith in me would rub off, but with the memory of Bella's scent still burning my throat and blurring my sense of reason, it was difficult to see things as clearly as she did.
"See, he doesn't even trust himself," Rosalie said sharply. "Why should the rest of us?"
"Rosalie," Esme scolded, sounding just as motherly enough to make me chuckle.
"Fine. Just let me know when I should start packing," Rose snapped as she flew from the room. I growled after her, but stopped when I noticed Emmett's glare.
"Relax," he warned. "She's just upset. No need for you to make it any worse. Speaking of which, are you sure this little date alone with Bella is such a good idea? Why put yourself in that position? I mean, is it really worth it, making yourself go through all that?"
I nodded, then looked meaningfully at ALice, who smiled and let her mind wander over a dozen or so images of Bella and I together. Alone. Safe. I held onto each one of them as tightly as I could, trying to convince myself I was stong enough to make them reality.
Whatever, Emmett thought, smirking as he too left the room. But don't say I didn't warn you.
"Don't worry, Edward," Alice said, kindly, noticing the worried look on my face as she bounded to my side. "Everything will be perfect."
"I only wish I could be sure."
"Well, I'm sure," she teased. "Shouldn't that be enough?"
Needing to refocus my racing thoughts, I decided to spend the rest of the evening at the piano, rough to Esmes delight. I payed all her favorites, as well as the piece Bella has inspired. I let the music surround me, evelop me, until the last of my worries had faded away. As soon as it was late enough,I took off into the night with a renewed sense of confidence. I wondered how it was possible that each night when I ran away from home and all that was familliar, every step closer I took to Bella felt more like home. I hurried to her window, climbed in noiselessly, and watched the beauty of my Bella sleeping.
There was something different about her tonight, though, and I once again wished futilely that I could get a glimpse into her mind.Her face remained calm, not a single worried line taking away any of the peace from her face, yet she was obviously restless She tossed and turned, and several times she startled herself awake, though her eyes didnt ever stay open long enough to focus on anything around her. In perfect stillness, I kept a careful distance until she fell into a deeper, dream filled sleep. She didn't speak as often as usual, although I was exited to haer my name escape her lips more than once.
"Edward..." she said softly, and I instictively leaned closer as my body fought against my common sense. It was more painful for me the closer I was, but I couldn't stop the pull I inevitably felt when she called out to me. I knew I shouldn't touch her, my icy hand would surely wake her up, but somehow with each passing second, the pull was becoming more of a gravitational force.
"Edward, stay," she mumbled, turning from her back onto her side so she was facing me. "More.."
Her unconscious request was enough to break the last of my resolve. Like a fool with absolutely no self control whatsoever, I reached out and gently brushed a piece of hair away from her face, careful not to touch her skin. Her head tilted toward my hand like she knew I was there, and longed to be nearer. The hint of a smile played at the corner of her mouth.
"Mmmm..." she sighed, her warm breath washing over my face, which was now just inches away. I felt the familiar burn intensify, but miraculously, it was overshadowed by the electric current that once again passed between Bella and I.Desperate for a distraction, I allowed one finger to lighty trace down her cheekbone, thrilling to the feeling of her warm skin against mine.
Afraid she would stir at my cold touch, I held my breath and listened closely to her heartbeat, trying to find any indication that she'd been startled. As steady as her breathing, her heart continued it's perfect rythm, and I let out a sigh of relief. When she further relaxed into my touch, I started to hum softly, hoping whatever dreams were filling her mind remained pleasant ones.
The night passed quickly and far too soon I could see the sun begin to steak in through the window. Once I heard Charlie stir, I knew it was time to leave her side, though thankfully I also knew it would be even less time than usual before I'd see her agian. Being in the enclosed space of the car with Bella wasn't the most comfortable option for me but I wasn't about to give up precious time with her just because it caused me some physical pain.Especially since today was my say for questions.
I ran home quickly and got into my car, driving back to Bella's without stopping in at home. I didn't paticularly feel in the mood to hear any more of Rosalie's criticisms, and I definitely didn't have time to calm myself down again with music if I was going to make it back to Bella in time. I arrived just as Charlie was heading out the front door, and waited until he was out of sight, parking where he had been.
I saw Bella sneak a peak out her window, and laughed at how surprised she looked to see me
already sitting there. Hadn't she figured out by now that I was unable to stay away from her? I
thought about knocking on her door so I could properly escort her to the car, but also didn't want
to rush her if she wasn't ready yet. After all, she'd still been in bed just a short time ago.
Before I had time to wonder what the proper etiquette for our newfound situation was, Bella was
shutting the door and making her way to the car. I took one more deep breath before she opened
the car door and assaulted me with her scent again. I was determined, though, to let nothing show
on my face. If she was going to open up to me at all today, I needed her to be completely
comfortable in my presence.
Good morning,” I said softly, smiling at her expression as she took her seat. She was staring at
me with those wonder filled eyes again, like she was still waiting for me to disappear. Then, I
noticed that she looked slightly paler that normal, her eyes a little redder and watering slightly.
“How are you today?” I added.
“Good, thank you,” she answered casually, though I could tell there was something bubbling justunder the surface. Her expression was still bright, but the skin below her eyes looked shadowy. Iknew she'd been stirring for a portion of the night, but I had hoped she'd gotten enough restful sleep to make up for it.
“You look tired,” I said, growing concerned. I quickly started trying to count the actual numberof hours since she'd calmed down. The time I spent with her always flew by in such a blur, it washard to determine. Two hours, maybe three? Not enough for her to feel awake and refreshed.
“I couldn't sleep,” she admitted.
"Neither could I,” I said, unable to resist. As strange as it was getting used to the idea that Bella wasn't bothered by the realities of my life, in truth, it was nice being able to be so honest with her.
“I guess that's right,” she laughed. “I suppose I slept just a little bit more than you did.”
“I'd wager you did.”
“So what did you do last night?” she asked. I felt a tiny flicker of guilt, and a part of me wished I
could confess that I spent my nights watching her, adoring her. Still, I didn't want her to be self
conscious, and somehow it seemed like a little too soon to let her in on all my secrets. She'd
already learned far more than I'd ever intended on telling her, and today was my turn.
“Not a chance,” I told her with a quiet laugh. “It's my day to ask questions.”
“Oh, that's right,” she said in a tone that made me think she wished I'd forgotten.“What do you want to know?”
What didn't I want to know? So much about her was a mystery to me, and I still hadn't grown
entirely used to not being able to listen and find out for myself. I was learning more about her by
watching the beautiful way her expression shifted from moment to moment, but there were
things about her life I wanted to know that I couldn't learn by watching.
I wanted to learn about her past as well as her present, but I knew it would take her awhile to feel comfortable answering my questions, so I decided to start with something easy.
“What's your favorite color?” I asked, genuinely interested although
"It changes from day to day.”
“What's your favorite color today?”
"Probably brown,” she answered, glancing down at her sweater. I thought for a moment aboutthe vibrant colors most humans tended to wear, likely trying to make themselves stand out. Itmade sense that Bella would rather blend in, choosing a more neutral palate for her wardrobe,however it struck me as odd that she would say it was her favorite color.
“Brown?” I asked, disbelieving, and wondering if she'd just said the first thing that popped into her mind.
“Sure. Brown is warm. I m is s brown. Everything that's supposed to be brown – tree trunks,
rocks, dirt – is all covered up with squashy green stuff here.” Her face had pulled together into an
almost scowl, and I had to smile. I kept forgetting that Forks wasn't exactly her ideal
environment, that she was only living here out of selfless desire to let her mother live her life.
I watched her eyes closely as they softened, and noticed the way her dark brown sweater made
them look even deeper than usual. They perfectly matched the color of her hair, which I suddenly
had the desire to run my fingers through once more. As she smiled up at me, I was struck by how
everything about her was warm and kind, and in that instant I understood her answer.
“You're right. Brown is warm,” I said, brushing her hair back behind her shoulder. It felt like silk in my hands.
We pulled up to the school, and I instantly wished I had driven slower. I wasn't ready to let her go yet.
“What music is in your CD player right now?” I asked, figuring if her favorite color changeddaily, there probably wasn't much point in asking what her favorite song was. Maybe I would find that Bella was never exactly the same person from day to day. Living such an unchanging existence, I liked the idea that I would have to pay attention each moment I was with her, to figure out exactly what mood she was in and what she would like at any given moment.
"Linkin Park," she said, smiling in such a way that I knew there must be a story behind it. I grinned at her in return, reaching to pull my own copy out to show her. It was always nice when I learned something else we had in common.
"Debussy to this?" I asked skeptically, hoping she'd explain what the look had meant. Instead, she just stared at the CD and shrugged.
Sensing she still wasn't truly at ease talking about herself with me, I exited the car and walked around to open her door for her. I figured it would be easier for her if we were at school, around other poeple, where she knew I wouldn't ask her anything too personal. She beamed up at me when I took her hand and helped her out, which sparked another curiosity.
"Not used to be treated like a lady?" I asked, trying to keep my voice light. I had to admit though,, I had been wondering about whether or not she'd been in any relationships back in Pheonix. I didn't want to embarass her by asking her outright, so I hinted around the subject, hoping she'd tell me something.
"Just because you're following a different generation's set of rules for being a gentlemen..." she teased. Then, her expression changed again and she looked meaningfully at me. "You never did tell me how old you are."
"Nope, today is my day," I said, amazed that she was still trying to turn the conversation back to me. I was never going to get any of my questions answered by this rate. "You'll have another turn, I promise, but for now, I want to learn about you."
She blushed, but gave my arm a little squeeze as we turned and walked toward the school.
"Okay, so today you like brown, and you're either listening to Debussy or Linkin Park. If I were, to, say, take you to a movie, what type of movie might you want to watch?"
"Honestly, I'm not too big into movies, but I'll watch pretty much whatever is on. I guess if I have to choose, I prefer comedies. Action movies are okay, just none of that ridiculous horror, monster, zombie nonsense."
"Oh, no, none of that. You prefer hanging out with the real monsters."
She scowled at me, so quickly continued before she could start lecturing me on the way I regarded myself.
"What I mean is, yes, the vampire will make a note not to take you to any zombie movies." Her face relaxed as I laughed, and we continued our purposefully slow walk to her first class.
"If you don't care much for movies, what would you say is your favorite way to pass the time?" She dropped her gaze and her cheeks turned pink. "Go on," I urged.
Uh, aside from spending time with you," she mumbled, almost to herself, "I really like to read."
Her remark made my insides feel like they were going to burst, but I forced myself to keep going as if she hadn't said it. Clearly she was embarrassed, although if she had any idea how much I loved being with her, she'd know there was no reason to be ashamed.
"What type of books do you read?"
"The classics, mostly. Boring answer, right?"
"Far from it," I assured her. "The fact that you appreciate the great literary masters of times past, just shows that you have a very refined taste."
We talked about her favorite books until we reached her English class, and in a very selfish moment I almost considered her to skip so we could spend the day talking. Her first two classes were right next to each other, so it would be two hours before I'd be with her again, although I would be spending every minute watching her through the medium of those around her.
"See you soon," I forced myself to say as she grinned and ducked into the classroom. At least she seemed excited that I was so eager to spend as much of the day as possible with her.
Bella's classes were uneventful, and for the most part her friends were keeping their thoughts to themselves. Although Mike's mind was racing with questions about how serious she and I were, he kept his conversation to polite comments about their classes and the weather. I left my own class the second the bell rang and moved at slightly more than acceptable human pace so that I was waiting at the door when Bella left Spanish.
To Be Continued........
