I quickly thanked Carlisle, wanting nothing more than to escape their many questions. Carlisle and a small, pixie-like girl moved toward me, but I turned my back on them and asked Edward to get me the hell out of there. All I wanted was a few moments to deal with everything. I was mentally drained and just needed someplace quiet, someplace where Edward could hold me. Everything would be alright as long as I had him. I didn’t know how I knew that, but I did. He was the key to my happiness.

He pushed open a slick, black door that opened into a room of darkness. Though the lights shined, everything was black. The only other color was white and it only appeared in the background of the five large photographs that were framed on the wall.

“Are you okay?” he asked while he slipped off his shoes and fell into the chair closest to him, completely exhausted.

I shrugged. What could I say that didn’t make me sound callous? How could I mourn a woman I did not know? Of course, I was bothered by the notion that my mother died, but it was a very abstract concept. “I wish I could tell you that I’m sick with grief; it would be the natural response, but, Edward, I’m just not.”

He patted his leg and I draped myself across his lap loving the sensation of his strong arms encircling me. “I understand. Really, I almost hope you don’t get your memory back anytime soon so you don’t have to go through the heartache.”

“Are you sure that’s the only reason you don’t want me to remember?”

He ran one hand through his mess of bronze hair in agitation. “No, I did something…unforgivable…I hurt you so thoroughly. I would love the chance to have a clean slate.”

“So, you do not intend to fill me in on…anything?”

He exhaled slowly, his breath beating against me stirring the embers of desire in me once again. I tramped it down. Now wasn’t the time. “Do we really need to get into it tonight?”

He was right. I’d only been awake a couple hours and already I was weary. “Answer me this one thing and the rest can wait.” I waited for his permission. He was nervous, but finally he nodded. “Are we…together? “ I couldn’t think of another way to word it. He felt like my other half, but I had to know for certain. Demetri’s greeting, the light kiss and Edward’s reaction made me wonder. What if I had been involved with Demetri before my transformation? What must the sight of me holding Edward’s hand have done to him? I couldn’t really envision me with anyone other than Edward, though.

Edward didn’t hesitate. He brought one of my hands to his mouth and brushed a tender kiss across my knuckles and then across my lips the way Demetri had. “Yes.”

I couldn’t get over how relieved I was by that answer. I let my body relax and sink into his flesh and we simply sat there, our bodies entwined, in a comfortable silence.

The End!

Thanks guys for all the comments and to all my silent readers too. I'll try to have the sequel up in a month or so.

Cheers!

Sabrina