1: Skinny Love (Ed. Cullen)

29.

Edward finds Bambi in the music room, of course he does, her fingers dancing over the keys, not really playing just....tinkering. She doesn't look up as he enters the room.

"Bella was saying the craziest things at breakfast this morning" she states, knowing he's there, Edward leans against the wall to watch her. "I mean I have an open mind" she plays a few keys. "I have to, I'm.......strange"

"You're not..."

"Shhh" she shush him, Edward smirks a little amused. "Let me finish" he nods and waits for her to continue. " Now, I thought she maybe slipped something in her breakfast" she glances over her shoulder to look at him. "But the more I think about it.....the more I think about the little things" she turns back to the piano. Edward walks towards her. "She's starting to make sense" she whispers.

"What did she say?" he asks moving to sit next to her. She stops playing the piano and drops her hands into her lap.

"I don't want to say" she admits clasping her hands together. "I know she's talking to Connor, I know she's telling him what she thinks....."

"Bambi" he whispers. "Just tell me...." he tells her softly. "It's all right" she takes a breath and turns to him, setting her legs on either side of the stool. She stares into his golden eyes and then looks away.

"Vampire" she whispers, Edward raises his fingers to her chin, she closes her eyes, he lifts her head.

"Bambi" he whispers back, she looks to him. "Are you afraid?" he asks her.

"No" she answers, he strokes her jaw and then her cheek, feels the heat of her skin beneath his fingers, she's never flinched at the temperature of his skin. "How old are you?" she asks, he looks to her from his hand.

"Seventeen" he answers.

"How long have you been seventeen?" she corrects, his lip twitches into a smirk, he looks down.

"... A while" he turns and straddles the stool, like her. She takes a breath and nods, processing, her mind working over everything, Edward, who treats her better then anyone else in her life ever has. Edward who smiles and makes her feel warm and fuzzy inside. The way he looks at her. The way he talks to her. How can he be bad? She asks herself, she wraps an arm around herself.

"Are you...around me because...you want to eat..."

"No" he snaps interrupting, utterly horrified at the thought. "No, of course not"

"Then..." she frowns. "Why?" he smiles at her.

"Oh, Bambi" he whispers. "You have no idea how special you are" he takes her hand. "How beautiful" she stares at him in disbelief. "Smart. Sweet. Funny......Wonderfully weird" she looks down and smiles a little. "That....that is why I want to be around you" he looks to her sadly. "I'm designed to kill" she lifts her head back up and shakes it.

"I don't care" she shrugs at him, he raises an eyebrow.

"I've killed people" he adds, she smiles a little.

"It doesn't matter" she tells him, he shifts closer on the piano stool, his knees touching hers.

"I wanted to kill you. I've never wanted blood so much in my life. I'm dangerous to you"

"I trust you" he stares at her, she's being utterly honest, he touches her neck, stares into those doe eyes of hers. He looks to her hand that still fidget nervously, not fear though, just nerves, he takes a hand and brushes his thumb over the back of it.

"Then there's something I'd like to try" he whispers, she nods, dazzled by him. He takes her face in his hands, hesitates to test himself, then he softly kisses her.. What neither of them is prepared for is her response. Her breath comes in a wild gasp. Her fingers knot in his hair, clutching him to her. Lips part as she breathes his scent..Then his hands gently, but forcefully push her face back. She opens her eyes to see that his eyes are wild, his jaw clenched.

"Oops" she whispers, he slowly smiles back at her before he is kissing her again, his hand curling around the back of her neck, her own hand clutches to his shirt. It's calmer this time. She's controlled and so is he.

"Bambi" he whispers pulling back, she smiles at him and tugs him closer this time, he chuckles and clasps her face, she smiles wider at him. "You are...." he sighs dreamily at her stroking her cheek, she kisses him. He pulls back and sets his forehead to hers. "Me, and my family, we're different from others of our kind" he tells her. "We're not nomadic, we have a permanent home. We only hunt animals. We've learned to control our thirst..." he pulls back and shakes his head. "But you - your scent.....it's like nothing I've ever smelt before..." he strokes her cheek as he looks at her, searching her face for clues on how she feels. "I wish I could understand this thing you see in me. You look at me with those eyes. I can't read your mind. Tell me what you're thinking"

"I'm afraid" she admits, he's stricken. "Not of that. I'm afraid... you'll disappear. That I'll lose you" she tells him. "No one's...ever looked at me the way you do, like....there's nothing wrong with me"

"There is nothing wrong with you" he assures her, she shrugs.

"People usually run for the hills when they realise....I'm not all there" she tells him. "But you...you want to be around me" she whispers and smiles, he nudges her nose softly and smiles. "You make me feel....normal" he kisses her softly.

"You don't know how long I've looked for you" he admits pulling back, places his hand on her throat... it's so exposed, so vulnerable.....He brushes his hand up her cheek. Then lowers it to her heart..