Only Human Twilight

17

My birthday passed uneventfully, which...was confusing, to say the least. I didn't dare tell anyone else what day it was – the last thing I needed was another failed celebration. I worried that my birthday was the catalyst that would send me back to my time – that the approximate two months was all the time I'd been given to fulfill the wish.

But the hours passed normally, one after another, and I was still there in 1918, still living the life I'd established. Now it was midnight; Edward's warm body was curled around mine, one arm slung over my waist, and nothing had happened.

My birthday was over, and nothing had changed.

A gnawing fear kept me awake into the early morning hours. I realized I'd been putting all my eggs into the very small basket that was my birthday. If that particular day wouldn't send me back, what would? Would I return once my wish was completed...and how long would that take? Or would I be completely unable to return, regardless of what happened?

I knew it was very likely that Edward would fall ill with the coming of the epidemic, and if he did...well, obviously, I would have to make sure Carlisle changed him. I couldn't let him die; that would destroy me. But once he was a vampire, I wouldn't be able to stay with him...he would be a newborn, with all the instability that Edward had been warning me about. He wouldn't be able to be anywhere near me. And if I couldn't go back to my time...where would I go?

I finally fell asleep with those thoughts circling in my head, and I dreamed of being lost in the dark, unable to find my way home. I kept calling for Edward, but he never came.

I woke to more darkness, but Edward was there, shaking me slightly. "Bella? Are you awake?"

"Yes..." I was still half in my dream, disoriented.

"You were calling for me in your sleep," he explained as his warm hand cupped my cheek. "Are you all right?"

"Just a bad dream," I replied, snuggling into him. His warmth was comforting. "I'm fine now."

"You sounded so scared," Edward whispered, stroking my hair soothingly. "I felt helpless; I didn't like it."

"Sorry," I smiled. "I guess you'll have to find a way to walk around in my dreams and rescue me from my subconscious."

Edward laughed. "Right. Like I could ever wander around people's minds."

Fortunately, Edward assumed I was laughing at the joke.

September 13th quickly turned into September 20th. It amazed me, the rate at which time seemed to be flying by. It felt like just yesterday when I'd tumbled into this time and first laid eyes on a human Edward. In fact, every time I laid eyes on him felt like the first time. My mind couldn't adjust to it.

I think I'd been a little too helpful today. Elizabeth didn't mind me spending too much time in the kitchen if I really wanted, but the cook did mind me getting underfoot – and spilling. I spilled a lot. So I'd been sent shopping for apples, now that they were in season, mostly to make me feel useful. The planned apple pie was superfluous given the cake already baking in the oven.

Other than my fear of running into Norman – I would most certainly end up kneeing him in the groin, and that wasn't very ladylike – it was a beautiful day. The vendor, a middle-aged man, smiled warmly at me as I perused the selection, picking out the best apples.

I had almost finished when there was an uproar behind me. I turned around, seeing a crowd of people surrounding a man on the ground. When I realized exactly what I was witnessing, I froze in place, dropping a forgotten red apple into the dirt.