Edward’s Point of View

October 2008 - Forks, Washington

“EDWARD, OFF THE PIANO, IT’S TIME FOR SCHOOL!”

I cringed as I heard the high pitch voice of my pint sized sister. Why she was
screaming I had no idea. With our superior hearing it wasn’t necessary, besides, I
could hear everyone’s thoughts. No, she wanted all my siblings to know I was
procrastinating.
“Edward we all know you haven’t composed anything in at least a decade, so stop
faking your busy and get moving!”
I rolled my eyes and sighed at my sister’s know-it-all attitude. So what if I hadn’t
created anything new in almost 30 years, I still had stuff I could play. Although
everything I did play I knew by heart and was repetitious and monotonous to me now.
My piano was the only joy I got out of my unending day aside from making my
family happy. But that last part wasn’t difficult, each had their other half to keep them
going happily, all I had to do was go to school and come home with a smile. I know it
didn’t sound like much but it sure made my mother Esme happy.
“I’m not going to school today.”
Alice burst through the door that connected the living room to the garage. “What do
you mean you’re not going to school today? Why not?!”
I shrugged dispassionately while I shook my head. “Something just doesn’t feel right
today, like something bad is going to happen.”
“Oh come on. There is a new girl at school today and I want to see her…since I
can’t SEE her.” She grabbed my hand and attempted to pull me to the door. It took a
lot of effort since I was stronger than her and she was so small, only four foot ten to
my six foot two. ‘Edward knock it off, I already see you going to school.’ She was
grunting as she tried to haul me on her back towards my car.
“But this way I don’t have to walk.” I grinned adoringly down at her. Apparently that
was the last straw as she slipped out from under me and let me fall to the floor like a
boulder. I leaned up on one arm and smirked, “ouch.”
“Go to school, or I’m taking us.” She dangled my keys in the air mocking me.
I immediately started searching my pockets. When did she grab my keys? “Fine, I’ll
go but I could care less about some new kid starting school. I’m not a gossip queen
like you and Rose are.”
Alice grinned cheerfully then pranced to the Volvo and slid in the back next to Jasper.
I looked up to the ceiling and shook my head in bewilderment. Why me?
“You’re going to have to drive faster than normal or we will definitely be late.”
“Shut up Emmett. You have free period first thing.” Stupid seniors, I hated playing a
freshman, sophomore or junior, it always meant I had more than a year of high school
to endure…again. Just two more years of this high school then it’s off to college
again, wonder what I should study this time around.
“EDDIE!”
“COME ON!”
“EDWARD!”
“LET’S GO!”
“Okay, okay, sorry.” My siblings were obviously eager for school. I slunk into the
driver seat and snatched my keys back from Alice. The drive was relatively quiet with
the exception of Alice and Rosalie making a comment about what the new girl would
be like. All they knew was she was a junior and she had just moved from Manhattan.
She was living alone in a small apartment after being emancipated at the age of
sixteen. One of the joys of living in a small town, everyone knew everything.
We arrived to school with time to spare and no one needed to rush to class. I was
shocked when I realized my usual parking spot was already taken and I had to park on
the opposite side of the lot. My normal space was surrounded by about a hundred
students ogling over the car. I was growling as I climbed out of my car and stalked
toward the crowd of drooling kids. That had been my place since day one of freshman
year and someone had the audacity to park there.
‘Edward, stay calm.’ Alice tried to reason with me.
‘Wow someone has a death wish.’ Emmett chided as he followed close behind me.
As I walked closer I could hear from many students that the owner of the vehicle was
already in class. But in this town what vehicle could draw attention of so many
besides Rose’s BMW. I decided that I needed a quick peek to satisfy my curiosity as
to what controlled the mob. I pushed my way gently through the huddled bodies to the
front of the group. I stopped short when my eyes landed on the car, Emmett crashed
into my back and his eyes widened as well.
Sitting in my parking space was a dark blue pearl, 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse. If I could
I would probably be drooling myself. It was pristine and perfect in everyway.
“Day-um, Carlisle wouldn’t even buy us anything that new!” ‘Someone’s hella
lucky.’ Emmett patted me on the shoulder and dragged me away from the gorgeous
sports car.
Gym was always the worst class, but more so when it was first thing in the morning.
No one was ever really awake this early in the morning to play any sports. Except
maybe those few who never slept. All of us had to hold back our true potential or a
ball would make a hold in the wall or floor. And that was more difficult than you
would think.
The next few classes were a breeze. After gym I had trig, a snap. Then I had
geography, easy for someone who had been all around the world. Next was music,
which I put the teacher to shame when it came to the piano. And just before lunch was
English and my teacher hated my perfect grammar and diction. Finally, freedom for a
whole hour.
I walked into the cafeteria and purchased my prop lunch then quickly found my way
to the usual table. At least that hadn’t been taken like my parking spot. I sighed with
relief as I sat down.
“What’s wrong Edward?” Jasper asked just before a wave of confidence washed over
me.
“He’s still sore about his spot being taken this morning.” Alice chimed in before I
could answer.
I scoffed as I started to disintegrate my turkey sandwich into tiny pieces.
“Hey Rose, do you have any classes with the new girl?” Alice leaned across the table
so she could speak even more softly than she already was.
“No do you? I haven’t even seen her yet. I heard it was her Eclipse in the parking lot.
How in the world did she manage to get that car?” Rosalie stated sadly.
“No, and I can’t even see her in my visions. It’s very peculiar.”
Both sets of eyes started to dart around the room, hoping to finally catch a glimpse of
the new comer. I tried to remain unconcerned but peoples thoughts started to invade
my mind and some were rather loud.
‘Hot damn, what a body.’
‘From what I’ve seen she’s smart and beautiful.’
‘I wonder when I can ask her out.’
‘She could be a model so why is she in this town?’
‘Wonder if she has contacts? I’ve never seen that color before.’
‘Boy she’s quiet.’
‘Wonder if she has a boyfriend back in Manhattan?’
‘Lauren is going to flip when she sees how pretty Isabella is.’
‘Damn I wish I had her car!’
So many thoughts, some nice, some envious, some flat out mean, but all about the girl
named Isabella Swan. I caught a glimpse of her through Jessica’s mind, not my
favorite place to be but I was curious. A pale, perfectly heart-shaped face surrounded
by auburn colored hair that dangled down to mid back. There was a slight rose color
to her cheeks and her lips were a delicious shade of pink. And her eyes wow. Her eyes
were the most startling shade of gold I had ever seen; they reminded me of the petals
of a sunflower. Wait, gold? Humans don’t naturally have gold eyes and they were a
brighter shade of gold then ours. She must have contacts but why that color?
“Edward?” Alice became worried with my sudden stillness and the look of
concentration I knew was written on my face.
I shook my head to clear it of the girl I saw through Jessica Stanley’s eyes. “I’m fine,
I was just…thinking?”
“You were peeking! What’s she like?” Alice clapped her hands together and virtually
bounced in her seat.
“Medium length brown hair and she’s taller than you. She seems to be wearing
contacts.” I tried to sound disinterested but for some reason I was far from it. Those
eyes, even if they were contacts they seemed to enhance her beauty maybe that was
why she had chosen that color.
“Why do you think she’s wearing contacts?” Rosalie tilted her head at my peculiar
acknowledgment.
“Her eyes are more golden than ours are right after we’ve hunted. Humans don’t
normally have that color.” All my siblings looked at me in disbelief. I couldn’t help
myself from looking at the girl again. “Apparently she doesn’t talk much. She hasn’t
said anything at all since she got to lunch.”
“Maybe she’s just nervous. It is her first day at a new school. Even after all this time I
still get anxious on the first day.” Rosalie stated bluntly.
“If she is the quiet type than she picked the wrong group to hang around with. Mike,
Jessica and Lauren are the biggest chatter boxes at this school.” I stared around the
room in hopes of actually seeing the stunning creature with my own eyes.
“She’s sitting with them! Oh no, the poor thing. Who knows what gossip will be made
up about her tomorrow?” Alice looked sad as she tried to follow my line of sight.
But all we could see was her long chocolate hair that fell in slight curls down her
back. I was flabbergasted when I unexpectedly heard the name Cullen mentioned at
the table she was sitting at. Had she asked about us? I must have been too preoccupied
to notice her speaking. DAMN! I wanted to hear her voice. Oh well, maybe her mind
could give some insight into her personality…maybe I need to concentrate……
harder maybe………What the hell.........nothing! I couldn’t even hear a squeak, not
the slightest thought, idea or memory.
“Alice…” I waited for her to look at me, curiosity in her golden brown eyes. “You’re
not the only one who can see her. Her mind is completely blank to me. Not even the
slightest whisper.”
“Hmm, that’s odd.”
“You’re telling me. It feels strange that there is actually a mind I can’t read.” I sighed
and glanced back over to the interesting girl. How is she able to block me and Alice?
Her ability was premonitions, and they were sketchy at that, if someone changes their
minds then the vision changes. But Alice couldn’t see the gold eyed girl at all.
The lunch bell sounded throughout the building, pulling me from my thoughts
regarding the girl. I bide my siblings’ farewell and headed for my Biology class. Mr.
Banner was setting up for a lab he had assigned for today when I arrived. I quickly
took my seat and waited for class to get underway so it could be finished. I decided to
write in my journal as I waited. The only thing I could think of to write about was the
new girl that had managed to turn my normal boring day into something…irritating.
“Oh Miss Swan, here is your book and your seat is over there.”
My head snapped up at hearing Mr. Banner say the words Miss Swan. His arm was
outstretched to show her where she was to sit. I looked around in the direction he
indicated, wondering where it was she was assigned. Oh crap, I was the only one
without a lab partner which meant, yep, sure enough she came and sat down next to
me.
Her eyes flickered to me for a brief second before she sat down and became focused
on her Biology book. Was she trying to avoid me? Had I unknowingly done
something she didn’t like? Well she couldn’t avoid me all period; Mr. Banner had
planned a project that required the cooperation of partners.
We had to put the slides of mitosis into the correct order. She quickly grabbed the
microscope and a slide and just as quickly took a look and started to write down her
answer. Her continued silence was starting to rub me the wrong way.
I leaned over her shoulder to see what she had written. “Are you sure it’s Prophase?”
She turned her head and glared at me. I was startled by the intensity in her eyes; she
was definitely irritated about something. Without a word she scooted the scope
toward me. I was completely dumbfounded; no one had ever glared at me aside from
my family. I put on my most charming smile before I looked at the slide.
“Yep, Prophase, you’re good.” She continued to glower at me, my smile hadn’t
worked. What is wrong with this girl? I quickly changed the slide and looked.
“Anaphase…” she speedily ripped the scope from me and checked for herself. I
noticed that in her haste for the microscope her fingers had brushed against mine.
They weren’t hot in contrast to a normal human. Her temperature matched my own.
Did she have poor circulation?
After writing down the same answer I had she rapidly moved on to the next slide. She
did the same thing as before, she silently answered and then pushed the scope over to
me. This was swiftly becoming a bad day; I knew I should have stayed home.
“Are you mute?” I couldn’t help myself from asking, her silence and anger was
driving me crazy. She shook her head no and I felt a bit relieved. “So why won’t you
speak to me? I am your lab partner; this would be a lot easier if we communicated.”
She shrugged indifferently which set my irritation at maximum. We finished the
assignment in silence.
Once I finished I stared at my assigned lab partner, taking in all her features and
wondering why she seemed annoyed with me. I first took in the white silkiness of her
skin; she was as pale as me. Her chocolate brown hair looked healthy and vibrant. Her
light gold eyes that were currently focused on drawing a perfect depiction of a rose
were brighter in color than mine and I couldn’t see the outline of the contacts. Her
skin was the same temperature as mine…I held my breath as I listened intently and
focused on only Isabella. All I could hear was the scratching of lead on paper and her
breathing, no thoughts, no ideas, no whispers…no heartbeat. My eyes widened as I
had an epiphany, there was no way…
“Isa…” I was interrupted by the bell and she was gone in a blink.
“Hey Cullen, your lucky to have Bella as your partner.” I looked over to Mike
Newton as he stood next to the table.
“Bella?”
“Yeah, she hates being called Isabella.” Mike stared at me like I had lost my mind,
maybe I had.
“So she spoke to you than?”
“Yeah, what she didn’t talk to you?” I shook my head, disappointed that it was only
me. “What, not at all?”
“No…” so it was only me she wouldn’t talk to. “Maybe she’s upset about something.”
“I don’t think so, she seemed fine at lunch.” He thought back to lunch and replayed
everything. Neither of us noticed anything unusual. “Well, I have to get to gym, good
luck with your lab partner.”
Mike was sprinting out the door before I could ask him anything else about Bella. I
made my way over to my Spanish class and waited. I didn’t have to worry about
being called on since the teacher hated the fact that I spoke the language better than
she did, and in numerous dialects. I was immediately lost in thought. Was Bella
hypersensitive to the supernatural? Did she know what we were from just a brief
glance? Maybe I looked like someone she hated? The possibilities for her hostilities
were endless. If my assumptions were correct than we should be friends not enemies.
I was out of my seat a split second before the bell rang, releasing us from this
purgatory called school. I ran for my car at a human pace, which was always slow and
sluggish. Alice was resting on the hood of the Volvo and I growl as I neared it. She
sat up instantly and raised an eyebrow at my violent approach.
“We have a problem…” I was cut off when Alice’s face went blank and her eyes
rolled to the back of her head. I watched along with her as the vision happened.
A dark blue Eclipse was passing the Come Back sign of Forks. I was sitting at my
piano moping. All my siblings trying to rouse me to go do something fun but I
seemed lifeless.
“What does that mean?” I asked Alice as her eyes darted around the parking lot.
“I’m not sure but I need to stop it.” With that said she was running across the lot. I
watched as she stopped by the driver side door of the Eclipse. I heard the whirl of the
automatic window and focused my hearing on my sister and Bella.
“Whatever you’re planning, don’t leave Forks.” Through Alice’s eyes I could see the
confused expression on Bella’s face.
“Um…okay…”
Those two short words were musical and alluring. The slight ring in her voice could
tempt a monk to falter. They were a teaser to my ears and I wanted to hear more. I
leaned against the driver door of my Volvo as I tried to imagine that voice saying
other words.
“HEY!” Alice shouted at me, wrenching me from my day dream. “Can we go home
now?” I looked around surprised at what I was doing. I saw Alice standing in front of
me looking annoyed, I then noticed the Eclipse was already gone.
“Yeah…” we all climbed into the silver Volvo and headed for home. “By the way,
has anyone noticed anything supernatural about Isabella Swan?”
Bella’s Point of View

As soon as I made it safely to my apartment I threw my backpack across the room. It

hit the far wall and fell with a bit of sheetrock. I growled loudly, hoping to release
some of my frustrations. I leaned up against the door and slid down to the floor; I
cupped my face in my hands and started to think.
I thought moving to Forks, Washington would be a good idea. When I did some
research online, it showed a low population, high on the cloudy days and when I
asked around Manhattan, no one had heard of it. I had enjoyed the small community
of Manhattan, Montana but my time there was wearing out. I could only pass for mid
twenty for so long. While there I had used my mother’s maiden name of Dwyer, but
now I could use my given name of Swan. I was ecstatic to be able to use the name I
loved again.
I had rented a little one room apartment on the edge of town and it only took me two
hours to move everything in. The first day of school had started out normal. Enroll, go
to classes, learn, and meet people. I had missed graduation by one year, not my choice
of course, and I plan to make up for it as my times as I could.
At lunch the scent hit me like a semi-truck. Humans would never notice the aroma
that a vampire put off, it was too subtle. But to someone with heightened senses it was
easy to pick up. Times that by five and it was almost overwhelming. Even though I
was scared at what a whole coven could do to me, I decided to tough out the one day
then leave Forks after school. When my eyes finally found them sitting in a corner
together I looked them over, then my mind jumped all over the place. Never in my
entire life had I ever expected to encounter others like me. Well, not completely like
me, their eyes weren’t the same vivid gold color but at least they weren’t red like all
the others. This meant they shared my diet, to an extent.
I knew vampires were above attractive and the girls and two of the guys definitely
were gorgeous. The only one, who sat alone not tangled with one of the girls, seemed
even more eye-catching. Jessica had called him Edward. He was lanky, not bulky with
untidy bronze hair, and was rather boyish looking. I continued to steal glances of him
when I knew he wasn’t watching.
I refrained myself from getting emotional or get carried away. I would be leaving
town tonight, I couldn’t get involved. This was their town; I would just have to find
another. I heard Anchorage was nice this time of year.
My next class was Biology, no problem there. That familiar fragrance of vampire
assaulted me again; I had class with one of them. My eyes darted around the room and
found the unruly head of bronze locks. Was I being punished, had I done something
wrong in a past life? I had to abstain from all contact, no talking, looking or touching.
While Edward had tried to get my attention and get me to talk I continued my mantra
in my head, don’t get involved, don’t get involved, don’t get involved…
He was surprisingly persistent. He finally left me alone half way through class and we
finished the assignment in peace. He seemed hurt by my silence and I hated being like
that, but how else was I going to get away cleanly. As I doodled on my paper I felt his
golden brown eyes scanning over me, inspecting. Thank goodness for my ability or he
would know by now that I was just like him. I chanced a glance at him just in time to
metaphorically see the door unlock in his eyes as he put all the pieces together.
The bell rang just as he had started to say my name. I was out the door before the
ringing had stopped. I had gym next and I breezed through that. After class I
immediately headed for my car, determined to make it out of town within a couple
hours. I was startled slightly by a soft tap on my window. It was the small vampire
girl.
“Whatever you’re planning, don’t leave Forks.” I was completely stunned by what she
said and even more shocked by her honest smile.
“Um…okay…” was the only thing I could think to say. Had my plans just been
thwarted, how? I watched her dance back over to her siblings and the one named
Edward had a goofy far off look on his face. Boy that family was strange. I pulled out
of the parking lot and headed back to my apartment.
Seriously, what were the odds of encountering other vampires in school? Every single
vampire I had met in my forty years since the change, none of them had gone to
school. They preferred to come out at night, like my creator, or wander around the
world hunting who ever they wanted.
And now, in this small hick town there were five at the same school I had just
enrolled in. Plus there were another two, the parents…seven vampires living as a
family. From what Jessica had told me at lunch, the father was a doctor at the local
hospital and he was just as gorgeous as the rest of his family. All five kids were
adopted by the doctor and his wife and they had moved down from Alaska a couple
years ago.
I had sat on the floor thinking for several hours now. I sighed and picked myself up
off the floor and decided to do my homework, which I knew would take me all of
thirty minutes. Once that short chore was done I made sure my living quarters were
spic-n-span. I stared around the quaint living room wondering what I should do next. I
resolved to read a book and went to my bookcase; I scanned over the titles and
decided on a Spanish book. I was a bit rusty and figured I should brush up on it.
I had barely opened the cover when there was a knock at the front door. It was after
nine at night and I hadn’t heard any footsteps. The curiosity got the better of me; I
placed my book back on the shelf and cautiously walked to the door. I looked through
the peep-hole but all I saw were hundreds of different colors. Hesitantly I cracked the
door and peered out. The two vampire girls were standing there waiting, the smaller
one holding a bouquet of flowers. I closed the door briefly to undo the lock then
opened it fully.
The small dark haired girl threw the flowers at the tall blond and leapt at me. She
caught me completely off guard and managed to wrap her arms around me tightly.
“You stayed!”
I stepped backwards to let the blond in and she closed the door behind her.
“Why do you have a lock on your door?” she fingered the dangling chain skeptically.
“A boy broke in and assaulted me once. He didn’t get very far but I don’t take
chances any more.” The tiny girl still had her arms around me. “I’m glad I don’t need
to breathe right now. Is she always like this?” I looked to the blond questioningly. She
nodded apologetically.
“I’m Rosalie by the way and that klingon is Alice.”
We both chuckled and Alice sprung away from me and started apologizing profusely.
“I’m so, so, so sorry. I was just excited to finally meet someone new like us, and my
emotions got away from me. I’m soooooo sorry.” She bowed repeatedly and I’m sure
if she could she would be blushing generously right now.
“Alice it’s okay. Its nice being able to hug someone without them shivering or
freaking out.” She stopped mid bow and grinned cheerfully. “I’m assuming Edward
has told you about his ideas about me then?”
They nodded ashamedly. “How were you able to hide yourself so well? And from
other vampires even? What about the blush?” Rosalie asked.
I sighed then went to sit down the couch. Rosalie and Alice followed me; Alice sat
down on the floor in front of me while Rosalie took a seat on the couch with me. “It
was the gift I was reborn with. My creator had called me an ultimate shield. I can hide
my presence, my scent, my mind, my feelings, everything. I can choose to be human,
vampire, or invisible. The only thing that gives me away is my eye color and lack of a
heartbeat. It also protected all my human memories during the change. And you gotta
love cosmetics.”
Alice squealed at my explanation. “I have so many questions for you.”
“Go ahead, ask away. This will be a first for me.” I smiled at Alice’s eagerness. Her
cheerfulness made me feel lighthearted and warm, for the first time in forty years.
“Okay, okay, um… when were you changed?”
“I awoke August 16, 1969. Almost two days after I was attacked.” I answered
quickly.
“Two days?! Normally transformations take three days and you did it in less than two.
How did you manage that?” Rosalie interjected then.
“Well after I was bitten my body started to burn. I managed to get a cold bath drawn
and I stayed in it till it was over. It didn’t end the burning but it lessened it.”
Alice and Rosalie stared at be bewildered then started laughing.
“A cold bath was all it took! Carlisle is going to love this.” Alice fell onto her back as
she continued to laugh.
“Who’s Carlisle?” No one mentioned his name before.
“He’s our father figure. He changed all of us but Alice and Jasper; they found us on
their own. So how old are you, human and vampire?” stated Rosalie coolly.
“I was almost 18 when I was changed. And I just turned 56.”
Alice’s hands flew to her mouth in surprise. “You’re just a baby!”
“Oh ha ha ha, so who is the youngest in your coven, err family?”
“Rosalie and Emmett are both 92.” Alice answered.
I let my head fall back onto the edge of the couch and started to laugh. “I guess I
really am a baby.”
“How come your eyes are such a vivid shade of gold?” I popped my head back up and
Alice stared directly into my eyes as she asked.
“I’m a vegan.” Both Rosalie and Alice looked at each other confused. “You’re
vegetarians right, you don’t drink from humans?” they nodded. “Well I don’t even
drink from carnivores, I can’t. Even when I was human, the smell of blood would
make me sick. And now I’m totally immune to human blood. I was a vegetarian as a
human; even now I can only drink from herbivores.”
“That sounds complicated. But basically you can’t drink from anything that eats
flesh?” Rosalie said bluntly.
I nodded. “That’s why my eyes are even brighter.”
Alice’s eyes were wide with excitement. “Wow, your so interesting.” She tilted her
head to the side and looked at me curiously. “How come you’re not with your
maker?”
I laid my head on the back of the couch again and stared up at the light blue ceiling.
“I’m a freak, even by vampire standards. Maria, my creator taught me what she could
but I couldn’t handle her life style. She drank from humans and only appeared at
night. She said with my immunity to human blood and my human memories in tact I
had completely overlooked the newborn stage. After about three months we went our
separate ways. She stayed back to Texas with her companion and I moved further
north so I could be outside during a cloudy day.” I turned to look at Alice and Rosalie
and their expressions were frozen in shock as they stared at me. “What?”
“Did you say Maria from Texas? Where were you when you were changed?” Alice
had scooted up closer and placed her hands on my knees, obviously eager for an
answer.
I was startled by her actions and her urgency for a response. “Yes and I was in
Phoenix.”
Alice’s eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. “Do you know why Maria was
in Arizona?”
“She said she was on her way to visit an old friend in California. I was a mistake; I
was supposed to be her dinner not her creation. She was scared off mid way through,
resulting in what you see now. She came back to get me a couple days later and I
surprised her by being fully altered.” Alice’s eyes lit up beyond comparison.
“Alice, do you know what this means?” Rosalie asked in a serious tone. My eyes
darted between my two visitors now officially worried.
Alice jumped up and hugged me tightly around the neck. “I have a sister-in-law!”
“Wait, what?” I was utterly stupefied.
“Her husband Jasper was changed by Maria in the 1860s so in a weird twisted way,
you two are brother and sister.” Rosalie smiled at me and patted the euphoric Alice on
the back.
“When you say husband, do you mean like white dress, I Do’s, and a wedding ring?”
When I was human I had never dreamed about my wedding or a husband like most
girls my age. After I had realized what I had become it solidified that a husband was
something I would never have. Having to walk down a road alone for 56 years had
opened my eyes to how lonely I really was.
Rosalie raised an eyebrow. “What other way could I mean? Emmett is my husband,
Carlisle and Esme are married and Alice is with Jasper.” She finished and I couldn’t
help but notice she had left out a member of her family.
“What about Edward, isn’t he married? He is older than you isn’t he?” I hadn’t
realized I had said something funny till Rosalie burst out loud and Alice fell on the
floor she was laughing so hard.
They must have seen the annoyed stare I was giving them because they both sobered
up real quick. Alice cleared her throat for dramatic effect and took a seat on the couch
opposite Rosalie.
“Edward is extremely picky. He was changed during a time of honor, obey and
cherish. He wants to make sure he finds the perfect woman for him and it hasn’t
happened yet.”
“And he doesn’t like blonds. We have some vegetarian friends in Alaska and one has
made her intentions known, all too often and he shoots her down every time.” Rosalie
added to Alice’s clarification.
“That has to be miserable.”
“If it is, he hasn’t said anything. We all know that deep inside he’s lonely even if he
doesn’t know it himself.” Alice smiled sadly and shook her head faintly then she
looked at me and her smile morphed into something sinister.
“I may not have known you very long but I know a smile like that on anyone can’t be
very good.” I moved away from Alice, scooting closer to Rosalie who was rolling her
eyes.
“I don’t have to be a mind-reader to know what’s going through your head Alice and
you should stop now. Let Edward figure things out by himself. He’ll never learn
anything if you do it all for him.” Rosalie was displaying a very stern face.
Alice’s eyes became very sad and they flitted between Rosalie and me. “But this is
Edward were talking about. He’s incredibly naïve about these things.”
“Than we’ll help him, but only when he asks for it. Think about how furious he would
be if he found out you manipulating things?” Alice thought for moment then shivered.
“Exactly, he has to learn these things just like the rest of did.”
“Um excuse me, but does this conversation have anything to do with me?” I
intervened.
Rosalie shrugged her shoulders casually. “Oh your sweet sister-in-law was debating
about fixing you up with Edward. I’ve been around her long enough to know what the
smoke from her head means.”
Alice sat up straight and proud then turned her head to Rosalie and stuck her tongue
out. “Well sorry for wanting everyone to be happily in love as we are.”
I tried my hardest to stifle the laughter that wanted to escape; I even bit my lower lip.
But when Rosalie countered Alice’s raspberry with her own, I lost it. I laughed so
hard my stomach actually hurt. I hadn’t felt this cheerful and relaxed in a long time
and I know it had to do with my two guests. We continued to chat and laugh into the
early morning hours. It was a good thing none of us needed sleep because none of us
could stop talking.
Before I knew it, it was time for school. “Would you two like a ride to school?”
They glanced at each other then looked at me. “DEFINITEY!”

Edward’s Point of View

As soon as we were all in the car I started on about my revelation of the new student.
“By the way, has anyone noticed anything supernatural about Isabella Swan?”
“Supernatural?” Jasper repeated the one word with emphasis.
“Like how her skin is so white, or the odd color of her eyes, or how incredibly
beautiful she is?” I stated the obvious physical differences.
“What’s so supernatural about that? So are we.” I gave Emmett a fierce look at his
dense comment. I rolled my head implying that he should continue thinking about my
inquiry. He just stared at me blankly.
I sighed heavily. “I discovered the most peculiar thing about her during Biology.” I
had everyone’s attention; I paused for a minute to build up their tension. “She has no
heart beat.” It was silent for about two seconds.
“WHAT!?”
Everyone in the car yelled at the same time and my poor car shook at the verbal
bashing.
“She’s a zombie?” asked Emmett just before he was hit hard in the back of the head
by Rosalie.
“Are we all zombies then?” Rosalie chastised him and had a very irritated glare.
“Oh…” Emmett’s eyes widened as realization finally hit him. He glanced around the
car to see if anyone else had mad the same blunder, nope, he was the only one. “No
way, she’s a vampire too?!”
“It would seem so. Her skin is exactly like ours. Her eyes aren’t exactly the same but
they’re still golden, which is unnatural for a human. She’s amazingly attractive,
vampire beautiful. And she was totally unaffected when I tried to dazzle her.” I
attempted to explain my findings, to make them see what I saw.
Everyone started laughing; a loud roar that I knew could be heard from people outside
on the street.
“So because she thwarted your dazzle that immediately makes her a vampire?”
Emmett was struggling to get his question out while still laughing.
“She definitely didn’t have a pulse!” I shouted angrily.
‘Okay okay, you are so easy to tease. Lighten up will you.’ mocked Emmett.
“So apparently we have another vampire in our midst and she appears to be a
vegetarian. What do you suggest we do about the situation?” asked Jasper in a very
military fashion.
Alice started bouncing happily. “I suggest Rose and I go over to her place later and
introduce ourselves. Let her know she doesn’t have to run or fear us.”
“Why is it only you two?” Jasper asked Alice nervously.
She stared at him stunned. “For a military man I thought it would be obvious…well
you are a man. Don’t you think she would be a bit intimidated is three guys showed
up on her doorstep? Girls always come off as sweet and innocent. We would be the
best choice to ensure she doesn’t get scared and run off.”
“She has a very good point Jazz. So what do you have in mind? Show up at her place
and say ‘we come in peace’?” now it was my turn to do the mocking.
“Something like that but maybe leave out the ‘we come in peace’ part, that’s to cliché.
I was thinking just go over, say hi, let her know we’re okay and maybe get to know
her.”
“It sounds simple enough and who knows, maybe she’ll become a friend. It would be
nice to really talk to someone other than the Denali’s.” Rosalie got a very thoughtful
look on her face and she smiled, almost sweetly, it was scary.
Jasper shook his head adamantly. “I don’t like it. I don’t want you going without
someone stronger.”
I watched in my rear view mirror as Alice’s chipper expression morphed into a
sinister one. She tilted her body around to place her chest against Jasper’s and she
leaned in close to his face. His mind was all over the place and it worsened with each
millimeter she made closer to him.
“If she did something, I’m sure we could take her. But is we want a new friend we
have to show some trust, let her know we won’t hurt her.”
I instantly diverted my eyes when she placed her hand on his groin and he growled.
‘She is too coy, damn it…’ Jasper moaned and I heard his head thump on the back of
the seat. “O…okay…”
“NOT IN MY CAR!” I was clenching the steering wheel firmly; their arousal was
something I did NOT want to smell. “I’ll throw you out right now.”
Emmett started laughing and patted me on the shoulder. ‘Ahh, poor Eddie can’t
handle a little bit of hormones.’
That was it! I violently stopped the car at the start of our driveway. “EVERYONE,
OUT!”
‘Touché…’
“What did I do?” asked Rosalie as she slowly climbed out of the car.
“You’re with the brute. I just need some time to think.” The second everyone was out
of my car I sped down the drive toward the house. I zoomed into the garage and
remained still for several minutes just thinking. Why had another vampire come to
Forks? Why was she in school? Why were her eyes that shade of gold? Why couldn’t
I hear her mind? Why was she so hostile to me? Why was she so attractive? I had so
many whys but didn’t get any answers.
“Edward, why are you still in the car? Where are your brothers and sisters?” Esme
inquired as she walked in my direction.
“Walking, I needed to think.” I felt my eyebrows scrunch together as I tried to answer
some of the ‘whys’ I had. My hands instinctively tightened around the steering wheel
as I was coming up blank for any reasons for the new girl.
Esme reached over and pried my fingers away from the wheel mumbling something
about keeping my car drivable. She then looked at my face with loving and
understanding eyes. “Can you tell me what you had to think about?”
I looked into her pleading eyes and there was nothing I could deny my mother. I
sighed and extricated myself from the Volvo. After I closed the door I leaned against
it and tried to find an explanation to give her.
“It’s the girl that started school today…”
Esme clapped her hand together and looked giddy. “Are you attracted to her? Is she
beautiful, nice, does she like you?”
I grasped her by the shoulders to calm her down. “Mom, calm down! Yes she’s
beautiful, I don’t know if she’s nice and I don’t think she likes me.” And I have no
clue if I was attracted to her; she had definitely sparked some interest in me though.
Esme tilted her head to the side skeptically. “Who wouldn’t like you?”
“Apparently the new vampiress at school.” Rosalie interjected from the doorway.
“Is that a metaphor for something?” Esme asked, completely innocently.
Rosalie walked up and nudged me in the shoulder with hers and smiled sweetly. “No
it’s a fact. The new girl in school is a vampire, and she was giving Edward the cold
shoulder today. No pun intended.”
Eyes wide with shock, Esme looked at Rosalie for a minute then turned to me. ‘She’s
really a vampire…’ I nodded. ‘Why is she here?’ I shrugged.
“Alice and Rosalie are planning to go over to her place tonight to introduce
themselves and get acquainted.”
“And it’s time to go.” Alice hollered from the living room. Rosalie winked at me then
sauntered out of the garage to start running.
As I watched her walk away all I could think about were all the ‘whys’ I had and no
answers to any of them, and those astounding gold eyes. Those exquisite amber eyes,
even if they were hostile towards me I couldn’t help but be mesmerized.
“Earth to Edward…”
I looked down to see a worried Esme staring up into my eyes. I smiled sheepishly and
she smiled back.
“And what pray tell is going through that handsome head of your.” Esme asked
seriously curious as to what had stolen my attention.
“…Amber.” That one word explained more than I was willing to say at the moment. I
shrugged casually then walked inside and sat down at the piano, staring at it.
“Amber? Is that the girls name?” she was completely confused now.
Emmett and Jasper erupted into laughter. They stopped shortly after starting once they
saw the annoyed look on Esme’s face.
“No, her name is Isabella Swan…” stated Jasper.
“But her eyes are the color of amber.” Emmett interrupted and went back to laughing.
I placed my fingers on the piano keys and let my fingers dance the way they chose. I
heard Esme gasp somewhere behind me and I knew she was surprised that I was
actually playing again. It had been so long since anyone had heard a decent note from
the instrument let alone a melody. I let my fingers wander as my mind returned to the
amber eyes inset in a pale porcelain face surrounded by soft touchable chocolate
brown hair. I didn’t even know how long I had sat there playing over the keys but
Jasper’s thoughts broke through my deep thinking.
‘Wonder if we need to pick up the girls or if they’re getting a ride with Bella.’
“Just call and find out. It’s not like they’ll be sleeping.” Jasper smirked at my
suggestion then opened his phone and started to call Alice.
“Hello, I was wondering if you needed a ride to school?...You know Emmett and
Edward are going to be jealous.” Jasper chuckled quietly. “Okay, see you at school.”
Jasper looked at his phone unhappily. “They’re getting a ride with Bella.”
I scowled at his obvious upset manner. “Look on the bright side; you’ll get to see her
in an hour. Be grateful it wasn’t a whole day or a week even.” Jasper smiled meekly.
“That was pathetic.”
We both laughed for a minute then we decided to do our monotonous homework to
kill some time. With Jasper’s pleading and eager feelings filling the house we left
about twenty minutes early.
Alice must have seen us leaving early cause when we entered the schools parking lot
the blue Eclipse was already there, and parked in the spot next to my originally one. A
slight smile curled the corner of my mouth as I pulled in next to the Eclipse and shut
off the car. Jasper was out the door before the Volvo had come to a complete stand
still. I exited the car and watched as Jasper and Alice embraced like it had been a year
since they saw each other last. Emmett and Rosalie soon followed. This left me and
Bella to wait uncomfortably by our respected cars.
“Nice clothes…” Jasper leaned back to take in his wife’s appearance. She wore a pair
of baggy black jeans and a green peasant blouse. I noticed Rosalie was also wearing a
pair of black pants, but they fit her better, and a cream colored, low cut V neck
sweater.
“Bella loaned us the clothes. Oh Jazz, I’m so glad you didn’t kill Maria like
you had plan all those years ago.” Alice hugged her husband tightly.

“What? Who brought up Maria? Why are you glad that I didn’t kill her?” Jasper
stared at Alice, searching her eyes for the reason behind her odd comment.
“Well if you had killed her, you wouldn’t have a sister right now would you?” Alice
just smiled pleasantly at him, letting the words work their way in.
“And why would you say I wouldn’t have a sister. Not that I ever did, besides
Rosalie.”
Alice giggled then rested her cheek on his chest. “Bella was changed nearly forty
years ago by Maria, unintentionally.”
My expressions matched Jasper’s, both were of complete shock and we both turned to
look at Bella. She was propped up against the back of her car looking at the ground in
front of her. She looked worried and frightened about the situation. Did she not want a
brother? Did she think we wouldn’t accept her? Hadn’t my sisters proven that we
would last night? Or was she just uncomfortable about her current circumstances?
She took a deep breath and stood up straight then walked toward Alice and Jasper.
She must have been really apprehensive because I instantly felt a large current of calm
wash over me.
“Jazz, your powers can’t touch her. She’s an ultimate shield, no ones powers can
come close to her. Not ones to read her mind or control her emotions or manipulate
her mind, even Alice’s gift is tremendously limited.” Rosalie told him since she could
feel the calming wave as well.
Bella and Jasper gazed at each other for a moment, neither knowing exactly what to
say. Bella took another profound breath before speaking.
“Hi, I’m Bella. I guess I’m your sister in a weird, twisted sort of way.” She looked so
scared, like she was going in front of a judge and she was the guilty party. Jasper just
gazed back at her, completely dumbfounded.
The voice I had long to hear since yesterday finally chimed threw the air. Her two
mumbled words from yesterday were nothing compared to her actual voice. It was
musical with a touch of alto, so it wasn’t the high pitch like Alice’s tone. Her vocal
spell over me was broken when my eyes gazed at her face. I tried to restrain myself
but the laughter broke loose. Bella’s nervous expression, and Jasper looking
flabbergasted, it was just too hilarious.
“And what is so funny?” Bella growled at me and glared.
“I’ve never seen Jazz look so lost before and your jumpy demeanor didn’t help.”
‘Edward, if you have the hope of becoming her friend I suggest you shut up
now!’ Alice’s eyes were evident of her annoyance with me. Without delay I ceased
my behavior.
Jasper ignored me and continued to focus on Bella. ‘I have a sister, amazing?!’ after
about a minute he composed himself enough to speak. “Nice to meet you, I’m
Jasper.”
“Why so formal? We’re all family here. Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie meet Bella.
Bella meet everyone.” Everyone laughed at Alice’s attempt at peace keeping.
Students started to file onto the school grounds indicating it was soon time to go to
class. All of us started to walk toward the common area where we would split up.
“Are you joining us at lunch Bella?” Alice asked harmlessly. “You really shouldn’t
hang around with the three biggest gossips in school considering your…status.”
Bella looked a little unsure at first but nodded in agreement as she went off to her
class.
I headed to my classes like normal, doing what the teachers told me, following
directions. Doing the same thing I had for a century now, but something felt different
and I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.
It was finally time to meet my siblings for lunch. I purchased a bag of chips and
headed for the usual table. Everyone but Bella was already seated and waiting for me.
I sat down and looked around. “Where’s Bella?”
“Her class is on the far side of the school grounds. Oh there she is now.” Rosalie
pointed at the large entrance where Bella had just entered. She went and bought a bag
of carrots then went to the ‘gossip’ table but didn’t sit down.
We all waited on bated breath to see what she was doing. With the help of my
superior hearing I could hear her conversation clearly.
“Sorry guys, I can’t eat with you today. There are a few things I need to discuss with
Alice and Rosalie Cullen. But maybe tomorrow I can join you okay.”
“Ahh, okay, don’t have too much fun.” Jessica whined.
“Thanks.” Bella smiled at the table then turned and sauntered towards us.
“Okay, I’m here.” Bella smiled again but this time it seemed more genuine than the
one just before it.
“Hey Bella, I was wondering if maybe you would like to come over to our place
tonight. Met our parents Carlisle and Esme, and just visit with everyone.” Alice laid
her head on Bella’s shoulder and batted her eye lashes optimistically.
Bella stared down at the hopeful sprite with wide gold eyes. “Well, it would be nice to
visit with other vegetarians.”
Alice immediately hugged Bella around her shoulders and started bouncing in her
seat. “HURRAY!”
So Bella was going to be at our place tonight. Someone other than the Denali’s was
visiting. Will she want a tour of the house? Do I need to straighten my room? What
kind of things does she likes? Damn, I was starting to feel like a housewife, worrying
over trivial things like that.
 “Do you like video games Bella?” Emmett asked eagerly.
“I’ve never played one. I’m more into books than games, sorry.” She shook her head
regretfully.
“What other things are you interested in?” it was now Jasper’s turn to ask a question.
“Hmm…I would have to say music and photography and puzzles.” Even though she
had already answered, Bella looked to be still thinking.
“I understand the music, but why photography and puzzles?” Everyone at the table
was curious but Jasper was the first to speak his mind.
“Even if I have a perfect memory I feel better and happier when I look back on some
of the pictures. And when you have an endless night of nothing, puzzles help. Brain
teasers are great too.” Jasper nodded in understanding to her reasoning.
The first bell rang signaling it was time for students to start heading to class. We
threw away our fake lunches and headed for our respected classes. I went to Biology
with Bella and the class was a normal read and answer assignment. It took us both
only minutes to complete. I sat wondering what I should do next when a piece of
paper was shoved in my direction and I read it.

Her handwriting wasn’t as neat as mine but she wasn’t as old as me either and she
didn’t come from a time where calligraphic writing was normal.

She quickly scribbled down her answer and passed it back.

She was the same age as me, well, sort of. I erased the last three lines to be safe
and I jotted down my next question.

Her reply took a little longer this time which implied she was writing more.

I smiled at her answer. Other than being vampires we had something else in common.

She looked a bit shocked by my message. I didn’t know if it was my reply or my

question, or both maybe.

She sings? With her voice singing a hymn I could die happy.
She smiled at my inquiry and answered swiftly.

I chuckled quietly as I imagined her singing in the shower. Without me realizing it,
my body started to respond to the mental image. I cringed at the pain my jeans were
creating for me. Think baseball!

And in all honesty, I was. I watched as a huge smile crossed her tempting lips.
DAMN, baseball, baseball, baseball…
The bell dinged before she could respond and we went to our last classes of the day.
‘I wonder if it’s too early to ask her out.’
I was startled when a wave of possessiveness bombarded me. It was a feeling I had
never had before, let alone why I was having it.
‘She seemed pretty comfortable with the Cullen’s today. Maybe I should wait and see
if it’s a passing phase.’
Smart idea Mike, wait and see what happens. Either way, I doubt she’ll go for a little
boy like you. I headed straight for my Spanish class, eager for it to be over. And for
some unknown reason, class seemed to drag on and on and on. At last the bell
sounded and I was out the door running (at a human pace) for my car.
Alice and Rosalie were standing with Bella next to her car talking and laughing while
Emmett and Jasper were waiting for me by mine.
“Alice and I are going to ride with Bella so we can show her the way. You guys go on
ahead and tell Esme we’re bringing company.” Rosalie grinned then hopped into the
Eclipse.
Bella glanced at her passengers then to us guys. “I need to stop by my place first and
get a change of clothes. Don’t want to start any rumors within the first week.”
I nodded and we all climbed into the cars and left the school. I drove home a tad faster
than I normally would and my brothers noticed the difference.
‘Eager much?’
I could care less what Emmett thought at the moment, I wanted to get home. We
reached the house and in a matter of seconds, I had the Volvo parked and was in the
house searching for my mother.
“Esme, we have company coming over!”

Bella’s Point of View

I arrived at the Cullen's about 5 o' clock that evening. Alice and Rosalie literally
pulled me through the entryway; I didn't even have a chance to look around. Emmett
and Jasper were waiting in the living room along with another woman with caramel
colored hair; I assumed she was the mother figure.
I walked up to her slowly and put on a small nervous smile. "Hello, I'm Bella.
Everyone invited me over..."
Before I could react, the older woman had me in her arms, hugging me tightly.
"Welcome, welcome. I'm Esme. I'm so happy to meet you. We don't know many
vegetarians so this is a real treat."
"Actually Esme she's a vegan. She can't drink from carnivores either," Alice informed
her cheerfully.
Esme's eyes widened. "Is that why your eyes are so bright?"
I nodded to confirm her assumption.
"You want to hear the best part..." Alice asked Esme in an almost too chipper voice.
"She's Jasper's sister."
Esme's eyes darted between me and Jasper and continued that pattern a few more
times. "But how is that possible?"
"I'll explain everything when everyone is present. I hate repeating the same story over
and over again," I told her when her expression become beyond confused. "Where is
Edward anyway?"
"Good question. I think he's straightening up his room. Why I don't know, he always
keeps his room clean." Esme directed her eyes to the ceiling as if she could see him
through the flooring. I giggled quietly.
"So when will Carlisle be home?" asked Jasper as he went over and wrapped his arms
around Alice.
"He’ll be here in about an hour."
"Do you mind if I go find Edward?" I asked Esme politely.
"Be my guest. Tell him he's being rude by not greeting you. It’s on the third floor on
the right." Esme sneered at the ceiling.
"Thank you." I smiled at her then made my way up the two flights of stairs and turned
right.
The door was cracked just enough for my head to fit through. I peeked in to see
Edward was standing in front of some tall shelves. He looked like he was
concentrating on something very serious as his eyes roamed over the many shelves.
"And what's going on in that head of yours?" I chuckled when Edward spun around
and fell against his bookcases. "Must be strange not hearing someone approach you."
"So they told you?" I grinned and nodded. "Actually it's kind of refreshing, I can't
hear you and for once it's quiet in my head."
I fully strolled into his room and walked over to see what he was looking at. My eyes
nearly popped out as I glanced over his gargantuan amount of music. My fingers
instinctively started to dance across the cases and records. My eyes were alight as I
scanned over each title and was seriously surprised at how many we shared in
common and how many more I wish I owned.
“Impressed?” Edward’s voice echoed shockingly close to me.
I turned my head to see him standing casually behind me, closely behind me. I’m so
glad I couldn’t blush anymore. His half smile made my insides melt and I could have
sworn my motionless heart skipped a beat. I turned my face away from him hastily
and looked back to the music.
“Very, this is quite the collection. Could I borrow some CDs sometime?” I asked
while keeping my eyes averted, I couldn’t look at him without feeling my skin burn
like it did decades ago.
“Absolutely, have fun with them.”
We discussed his favorite bands and what were my all time favorites and which CDs
we planned on buying next. The smile never left my face, nor did his.
“Carlisle is home now if you wanted to meet him and talk Bella?” we heard Rosalie
say from downstairs.
I had the strangest feeling I was being watched as Edward and I walked downstairs.
The fact that I was in front of him didn’t help but the stare I was feeling was more
intense. The second I was on the first floor my eyes landed onto the blond hair man
wrapped around Esme.
I stiffened my back and walked up to him, extending my hand. “I’m Bella, you must
be Carlisle.”
He took my hand and shook it in greeting. “Hello Bella, so you’re the sister we’ve just
learned about.” I nodded shyly.
“Please tell us your story now, everyone is here.” Alice grabbed my hands firmly and
led me over the couch and pushed me down. She sat down beside me and Jasper sat
on the arm of the couch behind her. Rosalie sat down on Emmett’s lap who was
sitting in the recliner. Edward sat on my other side while Carlisle and Esme continued
to stand.
“I’m warning you now, its rather long and involved.” All seven pairs of eyes were
trained on me as they waited to hear my story. “Hmm, okay…”

Phoenix, Arizona – August 14, 1969

“Don’t worry mom, I’ll be alright. I am almost eighteen and I can take care of myself
for a weekend.” My mom and dad were heading to the biggest musical gathering to
date. The event didn’t start till tomorrow but they wanted to get there a day early
which is why they were leaving on a Thursday. They had to take an airplane from
Phoenix to New York City then drive the last 230 miles to Bethel, New York.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay? You know where the emergency money is? You’ll be
sure to keep the doors locked?” My dad was such a worry wart, so was my mother but
he was worse.
“You’ll make sure you wear clean underwear?”
“YES MOM!” My parents could be so embarrassing at times. “Now go you’ll miss
the concert.”
“It's called Woodstock, honey...it's not a normal concert.”
“I’m sorry dad. Go or you’ll miss Woodstock. You’re flight leaves in two hours and
you still need to get to the airport.” My parents hugged me very tightly then climbed
into their VW van and waved eagerly as they drove away. I waved back till they were
out of sight then headed back into the house.
Despite my mom and dad being embarrassing and pacifists and what some would call
hippies, I loved them anyway. They had married nearly eighteen years ago and I was
born nine months later. My mom called me her honeymoon present. They were in
love as much today as they were when they met at school.
Renee Dwyer was a junior at the local high school and Charlie Swan was also a junior
that had just moved to town. Both had described it as love at first sight, I just smiled
knowing that the idea of love at first sight didn’t really exist. It was something else
that had drawn them to each other. Don’t ask me what, I didn’t know.
I wasn’t like the other girls I knew. I didn’t hang out at the shopping centers looking
for clothes and boys; I stayed at home or the library reading and expanding my mind.
I didn’t look through catalogs and plan my dream wedding to prince charming; I read
through college brochures and planned my future.
My own parents had thought I was a bit odd, which is why they had ask if I wanted go
with them this weekend, but when I said no they hadn’t pushed. They knew I wasn’t
the type of kid to throw a party when the parents were away. They could trust me to
watch the house and not burn it down.
I went and retrieved my favorite book from the shelf and settled down onto the couch
for a day of relaxed reading. The grandfather clock chimed at 5 o’clock and it pulled
me from the words I had been reading intently. Why I hadn’t heard the chimes in the
last six hours was beyond me. I placed my book gently on the coffee table as to not
lose my place and headed for the kitchen. I opened the fridge and looked around,
nothing looked or sounded appetizing.
I grabbed some money, locked the front door and started walking the half mile to the
nearby dinner. Once there I ordered my usual spinach salad and tea and ate my fill.
When I was finished I paid and started home. The sky had darkened considerably and
I walked faster going home than I had leaving.
We lived in a small community on the outskirts of town and our house was at the end
of the cul-de-sac. I don’t know why I was hurrying, this neighborhood was incredibly
safe and everyone looked out for everyone else. It was most likely how I was raised.
My parents had raised me to be leery of the dark and to hurry home if I was caught
outside after twilight.
I breathed a sigh of relief when my feet touched down on the porch step. I fumbled
with my house keys and finally managed to get the front door unlocked. Just as I
opened it and started inside I was immediately halted by a pair of strong hands around
my chest and what felt like an animal biting my neck.
Within a few seconds my body became numb, I couldn’t fight, I couldn’t scream, I
couldn’t do anything. I was slowly becoming tired and my body was becoming
heavier. The arms remained around me and I thought it was odd that I hadn’t been
dragged away yet.
Through the haze that was taking over my body and senses I heard a loud car
barreling down the street. I could tell it was filled with teenagers because of how loud
they were shouting and hollering. I vaguely saw the headlights reflect off the side of
the house then I was falling.
I awoke a few minutes later to complete silence and my body felt like I had fallen into
a fire pit. I managed to crawl into the house and slammed the door behind me. My
skin felt like it would start melting from my body at any moment. Did I have a fever?
Was there something in that salad? Was I just injected with a virus or something?
Despite my brain being hazy I thought of what to do to remedy my burning.
Somehow I made my way into the bathroom and turned on the cold water valve of the
tub. I quickly striped as the tub was filling and climbed over the ledge. I literally fell
in but the coldness of the water made the burning of my skin lessen. I still felt like I
was aflame and it felt like my body was making some changes, I couldn’t tell you
what, I was totally confused. What kind of illness was this?
Whenever the water would become room temperature I would change it for the icy
cold that soothed my aching, even if it was by a little bit. I stayed where I was,
continuing the same pattern with the water until the heat started to dissipate and all of
a sudden my heart leapt like it was flying away from me.
Everything was silent in the house, too silent. I could hear some children playing
down the street in a sprinkler. I could smell that a neighbor had just mowed his lawn.
My eyes focused on the sky outside the small bathroom window and the blue of the
sky looked more vibrant than normal.
I sat up in the filled tub and looked over my once burning body. The water was no
longer cold against my skin. The scar that I had on my knee from crashing my bike
was gone. I touched my fingers to my once scarred knee, staring in disbelief. I was
shocked to discover my skin was soft as silk and pale white. I pulled out the water
stopper and was out of the tub in a blink of an eye. I wrapped a towel around my chest
and walked over to the mirror. I was completely dumbstruck at the person staring
back at me. Her eyes were a bright crimson red, her brown hair was a rich milk
chocolate color, and her skin was like white silk.
If I was injected with something, what was it? I had never heard of anything that
could change someone’s appearance so much. Even plastic surgery took more than
one day and it didn’t use an injection. I continued to stare at my new appearance for
hours.
“Come on Maria, she most likely died. You drained her pretty good,” I heard a
childish girl’s voice from down the hall, probably the doorway. Damn, I had forgotten
to lock the door, all things considering; I’m surprised I even remembered to close it.
“And what if she’s changing? I have to make sure, I will not leave her in a world she
knows nothing about.” This voice sounded a little older or more mature and it was
definitely concerned.
I silently ran to my room and kneeled next to my bed, ready to spring at the intruders
if need be. I heard the quiet footfalls on the wood floor as they got closer to the
bathroom.
“I can’t sense her, if she did die, where is she?” asked the concerned voice.
“Dunno, let’s check the bedrooms,” the childish voice suggested and the steps grew
closer.
The door opened slowly to reveal two Snow White look-a-likes. Both pale white and
brunette and remarkably beautiful and they both had crimson eyes. They were just
like me.
“She’s awake already? It hasn’t even been two days!” stated the one girl with long
wavy dark curls; she was the owner with the childish voice. She was maybe 15 or 16.
“Incredible, I’ve never seen someone turn that fast.” The more mature one had short
straight hair that swayed around her face when she turned it.
I was crouched in the corner hissing. Was I a snake? Why was I hissing? And who
were these girls that looked so much like me?
“She doesn’t seem very nice Maria.”
“Lillian, shut up for a minute.” The one named Maria gave the other girl a stern look
then turned back to me. She slowly walked closer to me and kneeled down about four
feet from me.
“I know this is new and may seem strange but you’ll get used to it. You’ll have to
come with us now. Your old life is no more.” She spoke in a very calming voice and
her eyes were pleading.
“I’m not going anywhere with you!” I shouted at her and instantly covered my mouth
with my hands. That wasn’t my voice, my voice isn’t whimsical.
“Your voice doesn’t sound like your own does it?” I looked at her with panic in my
eyes. “And your eyes, looks, and skin are all different? Sweetie, you’re no longer
alive.”
I burst out laughing at her saying I wasn’t alive. “So what am I, a zombie?” the other
girl, Lillian, smirked at my reaction.
“Well no, we’re vampires…”stated Maria calmly.
My laughter stopped immediately and I stared at her. Vampires? Drink the blood of
humans, sleep in coffins, fly like a bat, vampire? Was I really a vampire? That would
mean I would drink the blood of humans, my parents. I didn’t want to kill my parents
or anyone for that matter.

“I understand that this is a lot to take in but we are vampires. Your beauty and scent is
to attract your prey, you have razor sharp teeth for cutting through flesh, and superior
senses for hunting. I’m sorry; I never intended to turn you, I thought you were older
and lived alone, that no one would miss you if dead. That car of kids scared me and I
bolted for safety. You can’t stay here anymore. You’ll have to leave behind all you
know.” Maria stared at me seriously and I stared back at her. “I’ll show you how to
live in this world of night.”

“Oh yeah that will convince her.” Lillian spoke sarcastically from the doorway.
“LILLIAN, you’re not helping.” Maria glared at the teenager and Lillian shrugged
indifferently.
Maria looked at me now with a smile. “What’s your name?”
I looked at her fearful and anxious at the same time. For the safety of my parents I
was going to have to leave. Could I really make it in this new life? I spoke softly.
“Bella.”
The smile on Maria’s face widened. “Well Bella, we need to get you out of here.” She
looked around the room quickly. “I think we’ll fake a robbery/kidnapping. If there is
anything you want to bring with you, grab it. We leave in ten minutes.”
I was flabbergasted as I watch Maria and Lillian start tearing things up, breaking stuff,
making it look like I had been kidnapped. After a minute I composed myself and
quickly got dressed. I grabbed some of my clothes and a couple books along with
some of my jewelry, photos and knick knacks that I loved. I then grabbed my bag and
took one last look around my room and walked out the door.
I looked in at my mom and dad’s room and I felt my eyes start to ache. My eyes
stalled on the large white bag in the closet and I ran to retrieve it. I then walked out to
the living room where Maria and Lillian were having too much fun. I cleared my
throat and they stopped.
“Ready?” Maria asked as I walked into the room.
“Just one more thing.” I walked over and picked up my dad’s guitar and walked out
the back door. I heard Maria and Lillian follow behind me.
“I’m surprised with how well you’re taking this,” Maria stated and directed me into
the forest of cacti. I shrugged dejectedly and followed them further into the trees.
“Maybe it’s her gift or something. You told me that you used to have a follower that
could manipulate emotions.”
I indistinctly heard the two vampires ahead of me discussing me and different abilities
but my mind was elsewhere. My parents, my poor loving parents who would come
home on Monday to discover their home had been broke into and their only child had
been kidnapped. They would be heartbroken, heck, I was heartbroken.
“Bella, are you okay?” Lillian asked and it pulled me from my reverie. I looked
around and I hadn’t even realized we had reached their car until now. “Are you
thirsty? Want to hunt?”
My eyes widened as I thought about the implications, I would have to kill someone. I
shook my head violently; I couldn’t do that to someone. I watched as Maria sighed
and climbed into her Dodge Charger, Lillian was right behind her. I looked up at the
sky with my new eyes and noticed the thousands upon thousands of stars I had never
seen before and the many new colors twinkling from each speck.
New life…here I come.
I had learned about my accidental creation on the way to Texas, which is where Maria
and Lillian were from. I had found out that Lillian was fairly new to this life as well.
Maria had grown lonely after her two friends had walked off and her last follower had
defected.
We stopped in New Mexico the next night for a ‘bite to eat’. I leaned next to Lillian
against the car as we waited for some unsuspecting victims to leave the carnival that
was going on at the small town. I noticed Lillian’s expression change from friendly to
seductive as she eyed two guys in their early twenties stumbling away from the park.
Both her and Maria walked up to the men and started to flirt profusely and they led
the men into the forest, I reluctantly followed.
Before I had fully accepted what I was about to do I saw Lillian sink her teeth into the
neck of one guy and Maria had snapped the neck of the other.
“Go ahead Bella, get your fill,” Maria suggested toward the body lying in her arms.
I looked to the corpse then to Lillian and then I smelled the iron. I ran to a near by tree
and dry heaved. This was the same problem I had as a human.
“Bella, what happened?” Maria placed a hand on my back to comfort me.
“It’s just like when I was human. I get sick at the smell of blood.” I glanced up and
looked at Maria’s dumbfounded expression then she stole a look at Lillian who
shrugged.
“We’re vampires, how are you suppose to feed?” The look on Maria’s face was full of
sorrow and bewilderment.
“I’ve heard of a couple covens living off the blood of animals. She could try that and
see if it works.” Lillian pointed to the un-drained victim. “Why don’t you eat Maria
then we’ll take Bella out deer hunting.”
Maria looked at me with a little fleck of hope in her eyes then went and drained the
other man.
I was frightened and panicky as I stood perfectly still in the center of the forest. I
closed my eyes and let my hearing take in everything. I could hear the leaves rustle
with the slight breeze and hear the small animals and birds settle down for the night,
then I heard it. About a hundred yards to my right was the thumping of a loud, strong
heartbeat. I sniffed the air and the blood that was pumping through the animals veins
smelled very appetizing. I sprang instantly to my right.
I was surprised at the speed and sinuous way I took down the buck. It had barely
moved when it noticed me. By the time it had seen me it was already too late. I let my
new sharp teeth puncture the skin at its neck and I drained the deer within seconds. I
threw my head back feeling refreshed and vigorous again but I wasn’t quite full yet.
In minutes I had tracked down another deer and downed it. After having drained two
large deer I made my way back to the parking lot where Maria and Lillian were
leaning on the Charger waiting for me.
“Look at that, not a drop of blood on her, she’s a natural.” Lillian quipped and started
laughing.
“Feel better?” I nodded to the concerned Maria. “So I guess animals are your diet
than.” She smiled and pulled me toward the car so we could continue our journey to
Maria’s home.
After a couple of days in Texas I caught a news bulletin about a robbery/kidnapping
in Phoenix. The parents were extremely distraught and were begging the return of
their seventeen year old daughter. They looked so pale and their faces were stained
with tears, they looked like hell warmed over. I wished I could ease their pain but I
would probably make it worse. I had to let then think their daughter was dead, and in
all truths, she was. As I watched my parents’ heart wrenching pleas I started to cry
tearlessly.
Maria walked in and took one look at me and shut off the television. She came over to
me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders and just held me tightly till I ceased
my sobbing.
Things got easier after that. I avoided the television and returned to my usual reading
regime with vigor, even reading things about different languages and cultures. I
continued to hunt animals. I tried a coyote once but it made me sick as well so I
stayed with the deer, elk, moose, mountain goat and the occasional buffalo. My
hunting was perfected so not a drop of blood was spilled and I could swiftly and
effectively take down my prey within seconds.
Maria had introduced me to some of her friends and most would laugh when they
heard of my diet and all were shocked to learn of my gift. Shortly after a month of
joining with Maria and Lillian I had stumbled across a vampire friend of Lillian’s who
had the gift of sensing another vampire within a five mile radius, however he couldn’t
sense me while I sat across the room from him. Maria had invited a few others over to
test my apparent ability. No one could touch me mentally in any way. If anyone
wanted to do me harm it meant they had to physically touch me. My gift had also
saved all my human memories and I hadn’t forgotten anything and it had caused me
to skip the whole newborn stage. I was deemed an Ultimate Shield after that.
After two months I was going stir crazy. I needed out of the house during the day, not
just at night. Maria had told me it wasn’t safe considering what happens to us in the
sunlight, we would scare people and bring the Volturi. I reluctantly resigned myself to
go out on cloudy days, but even then Maria wasn’t very happy. Lillian had taught me
all the do’s and don’ts of being a vampire and gave me a few pointers on how to live
comfortably in these modern times. She told me how different it was compared to the
late 20s when she had been changed.
Just past the three month mark of my change, I voiced to Maria my need to depart. I
explained how our different appetites where clashing and how I wanted to attend
school since I had no bloodlust to speak of and my need to be out during the day even
if it was cloudy. She surprisingly understood my position and needs and reluctantly
conceded to let me ago, on one condition. I had to come see her every fifty years to
show her how I was doing.
Lillian on the other hand was flat out angry. She didn’t want me to leave, she enjoyed
my company. I was her sister and she didn’t want to let me go. It took me about a
week to finally calm her down enough to understand how I was feeling, being forced
away from the daylight most of all. She was sniveling loudly as I ran away from
Maria’s home and away from Texas.
I wound up in Elkins, West Virginia for a while. And I went to Portland, Oregon for
some time. Then I traveled up in Manhattan, Montana. And thanks to the internet I
ended up here in Forks.

Everyone remained silent as I told my story and all pairs of eyes showed something
different from amazement and surprise to shock and mystification. Jasper was the first
to speak.
“Wow, Maria has really changed since I left. She’s almost…maternal now.” His eyes
were the widest out of everyone’s.
“So a cold bath condensed your changing time and reduced the pain, fascinating.” I
watched as Carlisle rushed over to his black doctors’ bag and took out a pad of paper
and proceeded to take notes. Esme was leaning over his shoulder watching him write.
“You really can’t drink from carnivores?” Edward looked shocked and I shook my
head. “And you never had the newborn phase?” I shook my head again. “Incredible, is
there anything else special about you?”
I’m sure that was a rhetorical question so I just shrugged in response. Once again
Alice wrapped her arms around me and wiggled us on the couch.
“Isn’t she great and she’s all mine!” Alice said in a humorously possessive way that
made me smile.
A growl echoed in the room for a split second and everyone looked around to see who
the culprit was. Each person looked innocent, but someone had obviously growled.
The question now was who and why?
“Hey Bella, do you have any plans for Friday?” Alice asked with a way too guiltless
smile that frightened me.
“No, why?” I eyed her skeptically; terrified of what she might say.
“Yippee, you’re going with us to the school party. Be sure to come over early to get
ready.”
I glanced over and saw Rosalie, Jasper and Edward shaking their lowered heads in
disbelief. Emmett looked as happy as Alice did.
I sat and thought for a moment. What party was going at school Friday? Wait, what
month was it? OH. NO!

Edward’s Point of View

I couldn’t believe Alice. Why did she think this was going to be okay? Never in our
long career as students had we ever gone to this particular kind of party. The irony of
it all was far too great. Just the idea of a vampire dressing up as a vampire would send
us into fits of laughter.
During the last several days this week, before the big event, I had tried to coax the
plans out of Alice. I had tried everything but buying her a Porsche to get the smallest
idea of what she had in store. All she would say is she didn’t know, and that she
couldn’t see Bella to give me very many positive details.
I was beyond irritated. Alice makes plans for all of us to attend the Forks High School
Halloween party and we don’t even know what we’re wearing. Alice, Em and Rose
seemed in high spirits, but the dancing and party scene was their thing. Jasper was on
edge all week. He still wasn’t comfortable being in close proximity to humans, he still
thirsted for their blood more than the rest of us.
During school, Bella had alternated between sitting with us and sitting at the gossip
table. She claimed she wanted to bow out slowly, not snub them after one day.
Tuesday thru Thursday was like any normal school day, when Friday hit that’s when
things went crazy.
Alice had tried to convince us to wear our costumes to school, we had all vehemently
refused. When we arrived at school we noticed several students had worn their
costumes though.
A few minutes later the Eclipse pulled in next to us and Bella climbed from her car.
She looked as beautiful as she always did. My jaw almost dropped when I took in her
attire. She was wearing a nearly floor length dark purple, velvet dress with a lighter
lavender slip under it*. She didn’t wear any blush today making her skin look
ethereally pale. She looked at us then gave a huge fangy smile.
Everyone but me cracked up laughing. I was too preoccupied with the vision in front
of me to fully realize the significance of her smile.
“You did it! You actually dressed up as a vampire, with press on fangs as well.” Alice
was holding her stomach she was laughing so hard.
“I dress up like this every year. I know it’s ironic but it’s very fitting don’t you think.”
Bella smiled again, showing off her fangs even more.
“It is, but I have other outfits planed for tonight.” Alice gave her a half smile and
Bella pouted. “Edward, are you a fish, close your mouth.”
“Why the need to be a stereotypical vampire?” before I could help it my mouth ran
away from me. I was a little curious as to why she had chosen that costume but I
wasn’t complaining about it. She looked very…very…awe inspiring.
After my unintentional words had left my mouth I saw her burnt gold eyes start to
enflame. She swayed up to me and I gulped and stiffened. Boy I did it now! She stood
a mere inch from me and drew her face up close to mine. Her eyes still seemed to be
on fire and she had a very serious poker face. God, what I wouldn’t give to hear what
was going through her mind this very second.
“Because its fun…this is the one day we don’t have to hide who we are, not entirely
anyways.” She let out a breath and sweet air weaved around my face then she
retracted herself and headed for class.
Could a vampire dazzle another vampire? If so she had definitely accomplished it,
thoroughly. I was still standing like a statue when Emmett started to pull me toward
class.
‘Get a hold of yourself. She’s not the first woman you’ve ever seen.’ My brain was a
mess, Emmett was right, she’s not the first. ‘But of course she is the only one you’ve
shown an interest in.’
If I was interested in her why did I always manage to sabotage everything in
someway? I’ve never encountered another being that was frustrating and fantastic or
annoying and amazing or exasperating and exquisite all at the same time. She left me
guessing, as to what she would say or do and what I should say or do. I was
completely out of my comfort zone when around her.
At lunch she sat at the gossip table today which seemed to irritate me for no apparent
reason. She was laughing and showing off her fangs. Everyone was amazed at how
real they looked.
‘Well with a car like that, why couldn’t she get professionally made fangs?’ Mike the
jock smirked. That was an original costume or did he have a game today. What does
he play anyway? I scoffed at my mental joke.
‘Geesh she makes a perfect vampire. And with her skin tone and her eyes, she’s just
perfect.’ Angela, if you only knew…if you only knew.
‘If she’s so chummy with the Cullen’s, why does she sit with us?’ that’s a good
question Lauren, why don’t you voice it.
“Edward, you seem to be having fun over there. Hear anything interesting?” asked
Emmett as he looked at me inquisitively.
I smiled crookedly at Emmett and said nothing which only seems to fuel his
annoyance.
‘Eddie, tell me, tell me, tell me…’
“Emmett…Shut. Up.” I popped the ‘p’ as I told him off. He turned his head and
pleaded to Rosalie with his eyes.
“Oh no, I’m not helping you.” She crossed her arms and looked away from his
begging gaze.
“Are you and Edward Cullen dating?” I heard Jessica ask and I immediately snapped
my eyes to look at her then they lingered on Bella’s back.
“What!? No… I’ve only known him a week. Why do you ask?” Jessica leaned in
closer to Bella to whisper in her ear.
“Because, he’s had a smile on his face while he’s been staring at you all lunch break.”
Bella’s back straightened for a minute then she stood up and sauntered up to our table.
She ignored my siblings and walked directly up to me. I tried to fight off the smile I
felt creasing my lips. I shifted in my chair to face her straight on.
She smiled seductively. “Do you see something you like?”
‘Careful how you answer.’ Rosalie warned me.
Not trusting my voice I simply nodded. She held my gaze spellbound with her
darkening yellow eyes and she leaned in closer. Yep, I was definitely dazzled.
“And what is it you like?” she ran her index finger over my chest and I stopped
breathing. I’ve never been so relieved not to need air then I was at this moment.
“Everything.” I was stunned to hear my voice crack. This vampiress was capable of
eliciting strange occurrences from my body.
“And what do you want to do about it?” Her smile became more seductive if that was
possible and she gazed at me from nearly closed eyelids, watched me through her
long black eyelashes.
‘ABORT, ABORT…’ Alice was screaming in her head trying to get me to end this
conversation.
But her eyes, I was totally captivated by them. I had no explanation but she could ask
for the moon and I would buy it in a blink of an eye. I raised my right hand just barely
and my fingers twitched uncontrollably. Bella’s eyes left mine for a split second and
glanced at my possessed hand and her smile turned sinister.
‘STOP, HALT, DESIST, END, CEASE, ABORT, TERMINATE’ everyone of my
sibling were mentally screaming at me but I couldn’t help myself.
“That’s too bad isn’t it?” She laid her palm on my chest and gave me an insignificant
nudge backwards. The push was enough to tip the chair over and I landed on my back
on the floor with a loud bang, chair and all. I quickly looked up to see Bella’s
retreating form.
“You are not a vampire, you’re a succubus!” I hollered after her from my seated
position on the floor, still in the chair.
She stopped and turned her head to look at me and winked. “Why Edward, are you
saying you dream about me?”
My mouth nearly dropped as she went back to her table. The little minx was full of
feisty riposte. I realized getting to know her was going to be entertaining.
“Brilliant Edward,” Rosalie’s comment was dripping with sarcasm.
“A succubus Eddie? I don’t think she’s a demon.” I rolled my eyes at Emmett as I
righted myself and the chair.
“Things are going to be interesting with her around.” Jasper smirked at my irritation.
“Isn’t that obvious by now.” I glared at him and everyone started laughing.
During Biology I continued to glare at Bella as she snickered at my noticeable
annoyance. Near the end of class I wrote her a note.

She smirked at my comment then quickly replied.

Yep, she’s definitely going to be a handful. I scoffed at her response as the bell rang
and we went to our final class of the week.
I sat in my Spanish class deliberating over my actions of the day. This newest creature
to Forks was causing me to act irrational and almost lustful with a hint of jealousy. Oh
my god, I was acting like a seventeen year old human! I had never acted this way
before in all my hundred plus years so why now, why around her?
I vaguely heard the bell ring in the classroom due to my deep thoughts, but I did feel
Emmett pulling me from the room hastily. He was running a little faster than a normal
human to get to the Volvo.
I hissed so no one else other than Emmett could hear me. “Slow down or we’re going
to have to move.”
Emmett frowned as he slowed to a nearly walking pace. He was clearly excited and
wanted to get home. We reached my car just moments before everyone else arrived.
Bella walked over and unlocked her car and turned to look us over.
“So am I going by myself or am I having passengers today?”
“Ow, ow, me, me,” Emmett was bouncing up and down and sounded like a monkey.
Bella snickered at Emmett’s behavior. “Okay Emmett. Jasper you want a ride also?”
Jasper nodded, he tried to act coolly but I knew he was just as excited.
We all piled into the cars and headed for the house. In a few hours we would all be
back at school pretending to be monsters. We pulled into the driveway a few minutes
later and Esme was on the porch to greet us.
She had explained decades ago that if she was available, that she would greet us as we
came home. It was something she had longed to do when she was human had her son
lived long enough to make it to school. None of us would deny her this one
indulgence. Every one of us hugged her as we went inside, even Bella, and both
seemed thrilled with the opportunity.
“Edward, your outfit is on your bed. Before you ask, I put them there just before we
left this morning.” She gave me a raspberry and pranced up the stairs, pulling Bella
behind her.
That pint sized squirt was like a wrecking ball, once started, it can’t be stopped. I
reluctantly followed my siblings up the stairs and went to my room.
I rolled my eyes as they hit the costume laid out for me. “How original can you get
Alice?”
“Would you have preferred being a vampire?” snapped Alice from down the hall in
her room.
“No thank you, this is fine.” I didn’t doubt I could pull off the whole vampire thing; I
just wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face.
“So what is he wearing?” I heard Bella’s soft voice ask my sister. I tried to look in her
mind to see what Bella was wearing but I was deflected when I saw an image of
Jasper in only a pair of boxers that said ‘Welcome Aboard’ on the front. Without
delay I left her mind alone.
“You’ll see in a bit.”
Bella growled quietly in annoyance.
I finished doing up my tie and retrieved my old lab coat off the bed then headed down
stairs to wait for everyone.
“Oh Edward, I haven’t seen you in that for awhile.” Esme clapped her hand together
in glee.
“Than thank Alice, it was her idea for my costume.”
“ALICE, I AM NOT WEARING THAT!” Both Esme and I looked toward the ceiling
as we heard Bella shout. Jasper came running down the stairs a second later.
He was wearing a white shirt with a white vest trimmed in gold with a teal jacket, also
trimmed in gold*. I arch an eyebrow as he came to stand before me, looking scared at
what Alice was doing upstairs.
“I’m supposed to be Prince Charming. Apparently she couldn’t find a civil war
general costume in such short notice.” He sighed sadly.
I snickered, happy with her choice of attire for me.
“Alice, why am I wearing a dress?” hollered Emmett.
“It’s not a dress; it’s a tunic of the gods. Now get dressed! I’m already having trouble
with one problem child, I don’t need two.” Alice hollered back, frustration evident in
her tone.
Emmett emerged at the top of the landing on the second floor wearing his dress.
Jasper and I totally lost it. Alice had chosen an outfit for a Greek god, it was a dress*.
Emmett rushed down stairs and punched us both in the arm, mumbling something
under his breath, most likely something not very nice.
Rosalie appeared behind him. We were too busy laughing to have noticed she had
descended the stairs. She matched Emmett only her dress was red with a gold waist
band and gold accents*.
Wait, if she matched with Emmett. “Jazz, what is Alice wearing?” I watched the stairs
like a hawk as I posed my question.
He sighed heavily. “She wanted to be a Fairy Princess, to emphasize her pixie
qualities.”
Oh great, a Greek god and goddess, a fairy princess and prince charming, I’m a
doctor*. Bella and I aren’t a couple so maybe she won’t match us. I was sadly
mistaken when Bella materialized in a thigh length white nurses outfit. Shear, knee
high stockings and a white cap to match*. I didn’t know if I should thank Alice or
strangle her. She had no tint to her cheeks but her mannerism proved she was
embarrassed.
Alice in her pink fairy get-up* pushed Bella from behind. “Come on, move it, we
have to go.”
They finally reached the first floor and Bella’s eyes lit up slightly when she saw me.
She turned her head in hope of hiding her enthusiasm but I had seen. Now why she
was enthusiastic is the question. Was she excited about the party? Or to see me? Or at
what I was wearing?
Esme rushing in from the kitchen and quickly ushered us to stand close together. She
held up a camera and readied to take a picture. “A little closer please, so I can fit you
all in, matches together.”
Everyone squished closer and I felt Bella’s palm land on my chest and I held my
breath as I felt a jolt of electricity from her fingertips. I looked down at her and she
was looking at Esme intently, but her uneven breathing betrayed her. There was a
flash but I ignored it. I almost whimpered when Bella pulled away from me.
“Have fun kids.” Esme smiled and waved as we went to the cars.
The girls rode in the Eclipse and I was with the testosterone squad.
‘Rosalie looks so sexy. Wonder if we can find an unlocked broom closet.’ I shuddered
at his thought.
‘Alice looks so cute and sweet. I might not be a Prince charming for long.’
“Guys, knock of your ideas or you’re walking.” My warning came out as a growl
which is what I intended.
“And what are your thoughts about Bella? That nurse’s outfit is pre-tty short.”
Emmett glanced at me and wiggled his eyebrows.
“Nothing like the two of you, I guarantee that.” I glared out the windshield. I had to
admit, Bella looked tremendously tempting in that costume. I thought she looked
attractive in her purple dress earlier today, but my god, this attire showed off her
slender legs, her petite waist and her handful sized perky breasts. DAMN IT, baseball,
BASEBALL!
“Did you speak too soon there Eddie?!” Emmett chuckled and Jasper joined in. I
knew Jasper had picked up on my lustful emotions but Emmett had noticed the
growing problem in my slacks.
“SHUT. UP.”
We arrived at the school and I exited the car as fast as I could. Jasper and Emmett fell
out of the car, they were laughing so hard.
“What’s wrong with them?” Bella asked as she looked to the two hyenas on the
pavement.
“Inside joke.” She mouthed an ‘oh’ and I walked off to the gym.
“Hey, wait up.” She ran up to walk beside me. “I take it, that it wasn’t a joke you
liked very much.”
“Good guess.” We walked into the gymnasium together and froze.
The room was decorated with black and orange streamers and cobwebs and bats hung
from the high ceiling. There was even a thick fog rolling on the floor. Bouncing
Frankensteins, princesses, queens, jocks, knights, mummies, vampires, ghosts and
much more were crammed into the large space. I was overwhelmed, so was Bella
since she was trying to hide behind me. My other siblings joined us shortly after our
assessment.
“Oh Bella you came!” a dark haired girl in a poodle skirt ran up to us, it was
Angela. ‘She matches with Edward. Are they really not dating?’
“Um, yeah.”
I’m sure she would be beat red right now if she had the blood to color her cheeks.
“Mind if I steal her for a minute?!” It was more of a rhetorical question but I nodded
anyway. Angela pulled Bella away into the crowd.
I watched in fascination as Bella mingled and blending in with the partiers. She even
joined a group dance with Angela, Ben, Mike and Jessica. Lauren stood off to the side
glowering at them. Alice pulled me out of my musing and hauled me toward the
dance floor. After the first dance there was a tap on my shoulder and I turned around
to see a shy Bella before me.
“Dr. Cullen, may I dance with you?”
I hadn’t expected this, I had hoped, but I wasn’t holding my breath. The timid dark
amber eyes gazed up into mine. She would have to feed soon, but now was not the
time to think about that. A slow song started. I couldn’t speak, let alone think; I took a
step toward her and reached a hand around her waist. She gladly closed the distance
between us and took my hand. She laid her head on my chest and I could have sworn
my heart jumped for a second. For the first time in over a hundred years I felt like I
was in heaven. My personal paradise was ruined all too soon when a repetitive
Halloween song echoed over the dark decorated gym.
Thriller would have been better but almost everyone started dancing along with
Monster Mash. Bella stepped back and joined the mob; I went to the side of the horde
and just watched as Bella let herself go.
She was so beautiful when uninhibited and carefree. The way her wavy chocolate hair
bounced around her head and shoulders or the way her arms spun around her body as
she twirled. I was entirely under her spell and in an absolute trance.
‘Wonder if she’s going to fall out of that nurse’s top?’ some random guy thought.
I restrained my growl and an urge to go pull her away from the group. No one should
talk or think about my Bella that way.
‘Oooh, just a little more and I can see Bella’s boobs.’
That did it! I stormed through the crowd over to where Bella was dancing without a
care in the world. I grabbed her around the wrist and towed her out of the gym.
“We need to get outside for a minute.”
“Why?” her eyes were looking around to see if something had happened that she
hadn’t noticed.
“There are several boys in there that need to cool down after seeing you.” I released
her wrist and a second later she fell to her knees in laughter.
“So you’re my brother now.” She held her stomach as she tried to speak.
“No, but if Jasper had heard what I did, he would have went crazy as well.” I was
fighting back the rage I was feeling at the moment thanks to the horny devils in the
gym.
“WHAT HAPPENED?” Alice hollered as she sprang from the double doors.
“Is Bella alright? Why did you storm out?” Jasper ran over to us, confused at the
different emotions running amuck between the two of us. ‘What in the world, anger,
exuberance, desire, jealousy, humor, agitation, protectiveness and adoration. You two
are perplexing.’
I scoffed at Jasper. “The boys inside were having impure thoughts about Bella in her
costume.”
“And you thought you’d be her savior.” I didn’t have an answer for Alice that
wouldn’t get me in trouble. ‘You were jealous weren’t you?’
My jaw clenched at her accusation. Was I becoming an open book, where my feeling
and reactions that easy to read now? If so it was all Bella’s fault.
“Hey Bella, want to spend the weekend at our place? I noticed your eyes were darker
and was wondering if we could show you the good hunting spots.” Alice had her
hands clasped together and held them by her face as she batted her eyelashes.
Bella’s laughter was renewed. “Sure…” she managed to get out between her fits.
Bella. Was. Spending. The. Weekend. At. Our. House. All I could think beyond that
was, YES!

Chapter 6: Hunting We Will Go

Bella’s Point of View

After telling everyone I would meet them at their house, I quite literally flew home. I
ran into my room and grabbed a few sets of clothes to change into. A blind man could
tell I was filled with excitement. Since leaving Maria and Lillian I haven’t had any
real friends, let alone vampire friends. Now I had a whole house full.
It felt awesome to talk to someone and not be laughed at because of my diet or love of
the sun or my hobbies or anything in general. Sure my diet was limited but if it kept
me from attacking humans, if I didn’t have my revulsion for human blood, I was all
for it. I couldn’t live with myself if I took another persons life.
All the Cullen’s had made me feel welcome with open arms and smiles and they were
all perceptibly delighted to know me. That first night after telling them my story, each
member of the family had almost pulled at each of my limbs for attention. Jasper and
Edward were the only sensible ones; they stood off to the side chuckling into their
hands as they stared at my mortified face. I ended up splitting my time between them.
Carlisle was interested in knowing about my changing experience in full detail, a
scientist and doctor till the end. Esme was curious about my hobbies and decorating
likes and dislikes.
Alice and Rosalie were finding immense pleasure in dressing me up, and on more
than one occasion they had mentioned a shopping trip. Rosalie even mentioned ways I
could buff up my Eclipse but I vehemently told her no. We talked a lot and it was
absolutely great having some girls to talk to about things.
Emmett was like a big teddy bear. He was scary and fierce on the outside, a big softy
on the inside. He loved to call me his ‘little sis’, which got a low growl out of Jasper
more than once. We just ended up joking around a lot
Jasper, my surprisingly, new found brother. We would sit in the living room and have
discussions about our time with Maria, comparing details. He was in complete shock
at the turn around Maria had made since his absence. When he left her she was power
hungry and all she thought about was blood and territory.
Edward just leaned against the wall and listened to us talking. His eyes never left me
the entire night. I was both surprised and disappointed that he didn’t bide for my time
as well, but I guess he figured our time in his room earlier was enough.
I pulled myself from my memories and shook my head to clear them away for now. I
was actually spending the weekend at a friend’s house, it seemed surreal. I finished
packing my bag, locked up my apartment and sprinted to my car.
In a few short minutes I was turning up the Cullen’s driveway. All six members were
outside to greet me…wait, six!? I glowered at no one particular. Edward must have a
real problem with ‘hellos’, this was the second time he had been rude.
I was practically fuming when I exited the car, I tried to cool my frustration but it
wasn’t working very well. I notice Jasper wince and shake his head in disbelief. Esme
sighed and pointed toward the third floor. I mouthed a ‘thank you’ and handed my bag
to Emmett who looked surprisingly scared. I darted silently up the stairs and stormed
into Edward’s room.
“WHAT. IS. YOUR. PROBLEM? Can you not even say hello to me? This is the
second time you’ve snubbed me while your family has been gracious enough to
actually meet me at the door. But you, Mr. High n’ Mighty can’t even grace me with
your presence.” Apparently I was more annoyed than I thought as I burst into the
room, scaring Edward off the edge of the bed and onto the floor.
Edward stared up at me from the floor with panicked black eyes. He fumbled to pick
up the papers that had scattered when he fell. “I…I…I was…”
“You were what Edward? Avoiding me, making me feel unwanted, not liked? Well
mission accomplished, hurray for you!” I turned swiftly and rushed out the room and
down the stairs. I stood at the bottom of the steps panting, not fully comprehending
my outburst.
“Bella?” I heard Alice say my name delicately.
I tilted my head back and to the side to look at her. “Guess it was too good to be true
that all of your family would accept me.”
“Why didn’t you even give him the chance to explain himself?” Asked Jasper as he
came up and stood behind Alice.
“I guess I’ve been putting up with others avoiding and making fun of me I just
snapped. I wanted so much to be accepted and liked by all of you; I never thought
there would be someone who didn’t. He hasn’t exactly been the nicest guy around
since I got here.” My head dropped lower with each sentence I spoke.
“I guarantee you Bella; he feels the complete opposite of what you believe right now.
He was doing something that made him feel pleased with himself…now he’s back to
the self loathing of the last century.” Jasper tried to convince me I had been entirely
accepted by all member’s of the family, everyone.
“Bella, I think you assumed wrong.” Alice placed a hand on my clenched fist. “He
was doing something for you, to make you happy.”
I guess I had jumped to conclusions and Edward hadn’t totally acted like an ass to me.
I gave them a half-hearted miserable smile then walked back up the stairs slowly.
When I reached Edward’s room I saw that he was sitting in the same spot I had left
him a moment ago. His hands were now fisted into his bronze locks, pulling roughly
and he was rocking back and forth somewhat. I silently walked over to him and knelt
down. The papers were still scattered around him.
“Edward?” I spoke his name soothingly and calmly. “I’m sorry about my explosion.
What were you trying to tell me?” He stopped his rocking but he didn’t look up at me.
I glanced at the many pieces of paper spread out on the floor. Some were lined pages
with what looked like lists. There were even more pages that I recognized as sheet
music. I noticed one sheet that was covered up slightly but revealed the letters ‘Bel’; I
slid the top page away to reveal the rest of the title, 'Bella's Lullaby'. I was speechless.
"You've found a song with my name? Is it for me?" I lifted the page up and was
looking over the notes.
Edward finally looked up at me, with one hand still fisted in his gloriously messy hair.
He was still visibly upset, "No, I wrote it. And yes it's for you."
If there was a word to describe being more than speechless I would be using it now.
The fact that anyone had wrote a song for me was astonishing. I never deemed myself
worthy of a song, but apparently Edward thought otherwise.
"Is it finished?" I asked as I rounded up the many pages of sheet music.
"Not yet but almost...I'm sorry I wasn't down stairs to greet you, I was absorbed in this
and hadn't realized you were here yet." He hung his head in shame.
"You're forgiven.” I smiled warmly. “This is incredible; I can't believe you can
write music."
"I play too, that's my piano downstairs."
I felt a smile crease my lips at the idea of him sitting at the beautiful black instrument.
His long fingers playing over the keys, his eyes closed as he smiled with each sound
of a note.
"HEY, are we going hunting or not?!" Jasper hollered from downstairs.
I handed the music to Edward and stood up. "So are you taking me out to dinner or
am I going by myself."
A smile made its way slowly onto his face and he sprang to his feet instantly. We
walked down the stairs side by side, I didn’t trust myself to have him in front of me,
or vise versa.
All of the family was waiting when he hit the bottom floor.
“So is everyone ready for dinner?” asked Carlisle with a smile and his voice was
filled with humor. Everyone nodded and we headed for the back door.
Jasper grabbed me by the wrist and held me back from the group. I gazed up at him
perplexed. He leaned in close to my ear and whispered very, very quietly. “I may not
be able to alter your emotions but I can definitely feel them. Keep that in mind…when
you’re around Edward.”
He winked at me then pulled me out the back door to join the group. I opened my
mouth for a retort but words failed me. So my gift didn’t hide my emotions, well
damn, and right now was a bad time for that, what with all my emotions running
amuck.
Jasper released my wrist as we started to run into the forest following after the scent
of the others. I was faster than Jasper and quickly left him in my dust, I heard him
chuckle from behind me. I quickly came upon Emmett who seemed to be running
slowly, like he was waiting for me.
“Hey Bella?” he spoke softly and we slowed slightly. “Can I ask a favor of you?”
I tilted my head intriguingly, “that depends on the favor.”
“Well, since you’re the only one Edward can’t read I was wondering if you could
surprise him, tackle him or something? We never can, he’ll always a step ahead of
us.” Emmett smiled sheepishly at me.
“I’ll think about it. It might be rather interesting…” I started to run different scenarios
in my head that would work or get the biggest reaction.
We soon joined with the others who were waiting in a small open area. Jasper was
about a minute behind us and Alice leapt on him when he neared us.
“Geesh, I was only a minute slower than everyone else.” He quickly kissed Alice on
the tip of her nose and set her back on her feet. She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout,
Jasper smirked and kissed her fully on the lips. I turned around swiftly to give them
some privacy despite the crowd.
“If you’re planning to be around much, you’ll have to get used to it. There are three
couples present and they’re all pretty big exhibitionists.” Edward scoffed as he started
to walk off deeper into the forest.
I heard everyone snicker behind me and I started to follow Edward. As he stalked
forward I was immediately distracted and sprang to the right at full speed. My throat
had started to burn the second my nose twitched at the scent of nearby blood. I could
hear the strong heartbeat and smell the sweet aroma of its blood. I know to others it
didn’t smell as grand but to me it was mouthwatering.
I jumped up onto a low branch of a tree that was overlooking a large herd. I fought
back the urge to hiss when I heard someone come up after me. Edward landed silently
on the branch beside me and surveyed the unsuspecting prey below.
“You want the buck?” he asked and I nodded as I licked my lips instinctively. “Okay,
I’ll take a doe or …”
I was off the branch before he finished his sentence and he followed a split second
later. I took down the buck as he snapped the neck of two does. I latched my lips onto
the animal’s neck then sunk my teeth into its warm fuzzy flesh. The warm blood
flooded into my mouth and down my throat.
In all of my forty years of hunting and drinking from animals, this experience seemed
more intense, my senses seemed more heightened. As I drank the saccharine and
delicious blood, Edward’s engaging and untamed scent assaulted me and I glanced
over to him. I watched as he drained the doe several feet to my side. His lithe body
draped over the deer with his mouth on its neck, his Adams apple moving as he
swallowed, his hair in more disarray than normal, his black eyes turning to a rich
golden brown. His lips moved sensually as they worked to pull the blood from the
dieing creature.
The buck had long since gone dry but I couldn’t help but watch Edward as he enjoyed
his meal. I sat on the forest floor totally enamored with him. I couldn’t help but feel
that something was growing inside me but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Without
looking at me he moved onto the next doe and drained her quickly and sat back on his
heels satisfied.
He glanced at me and noticed I was watching him. “What?”
“N…nothing, did you get enough?” I stuttered and tried to avoid his question.
“Yes I did. Did you?” he asked as he stood up and brushed a bit of dirt away from his
pants.
“Yes…”
He brushed some grass away from his legs and I had to bite my bottom lip. I was
finding every movement he made was sensual and my mouth started to water for a
whole different reason this time. I was beginning to think that being around Edward
was dangerous for me. When I was near him, my body developed a mind of its own
and I was having difficulties controlling it at times. Right now was one of those times.
Without warning to either of us, I was suddenly lunging at him. His eyes grew large
when he saw me fly towards him. In an instant, he was lying on the forest floor and I
was straddling his waist. His golden eyes were wide with shock. I had accomplished
what Emmett had asked of me, I had surprised him. Granted my body had acted on its
own, what was I supposed to do now? Now that I we were in this position, my body
started to do other things against my will.
I leaned down close to Edward’s neck and took a deep breath of his aroma. Trees,
wind, deer, and something like a spice and all Edward. He smelled more appetizing
than the buffalo I once had. I couldn’t help but see if he tasted just as delicious. My
tongue flicked out and ran up his neck like I was licking an ice cream cone. His flavor
was exquisite. It reminded me of the lavender honey my mom used to make.
“B…Bell…Bella…what…”
My name being stuttered in a smooth, velvety, and scared voice roused me from my
trance. I stared down at Edward prone beneath me. His eyes were solid black and my
own black eyes reflected in his. His eyes were filled with hesitation, mine were filled
with lust.
I leapt off of him so forcefully that I landed into a nearby tree. There was a loud crack
as my back hit the tree trunk. I gazed alarmingly at Edward as he leaned up on his
elbows to see me. I couldn’t believe what I had just done. I had assaulted him. I slid
down to the ground and pulled my knees up to my chest. I placed my head on my
knees and wrapped my arms around my head, trying to make myself as small as I
could. I’ve never done that, even when I went hunting with Lillian’s male friend. I
have never acted like a sex starved freak.
He must think I’m a crazed sex maniac now. He looked so terrified, I bet he’s never
been attacked like that before; he’s probably the one that makes the first move. I’m
sure after his hundred plus years he’s had several women, so why did he look so
petrified.
I still can’t believe I did that to someone, to Edward especially. What was I thinking?
I mentally retraced my steps. I was draining the buck and I smelled Edward and
looked at him while he drained the doe. I watched as he dusted away some dirt and
thought his every movement was sexy. Then I lost it.
“Bella…” I vaguely heard Edward mumble my name and he spoke very soothingly.
“Calm down, you just got carried away.”
No I didn’t, I was possessed. I started to rock back and forth as I warred with myself.
He hates me now I know it; I should leave Forks right now and never look back.
“WHAT HAPPENED?” I heard Jasper shout as he ran up to us. He placed his hands
on my shoulders and tried to gain my attention. “Why am I feeling fear, disgust and
self loathing from her? That’s normally from you, Edward.”
“We were feeding and then she…um…jumped…me…” it sounded like Edward was
fighting to find the right words to describe what I had done.
Assaulted, nearly raped, attacked, almost violated, all the above, take your pick.
Jumped sounded too nice, like it was a game.
“She jumped you?” Alice’s voice was venomous and angry. “Sure it wasn’t the other
way around? You oversexed, denied vampire!”
“HEY, I’m not the one who beds my mate every chance I get. Who is the oversexed
one?” Edward snapped back promptly.
I started to shack my head violently while mumbling. “I’m leaving, I’m leaving
now…” I sprang to my feet and took off running.
I didn’t look back, I didn’t look to the sides, I only looked forward. My eyes ached
with the tears I could no longer cry, but I so wanted to bawl right now. I had ruined
everything, well, more like my hormones had ruined everything. I couldn’t stay and
see the hatred, mistrust, and revulsion in everyone’s eyes, I just couldn’t.
I leapt over a small stream and something large and rock hard hit me in the back
sending me spinning and rolling on the forest floor. When I finally ceased moving I
was on my back in a pile of branches and leaves and Edward was on top of me,
pushing my shoulders onto the ground. I looked into his angry topaz eyes for a second
then looked away, not wanting to see the ire and hatred.
“Where do you think your going?” I could hear in his voice how angry he was.
“Away…” I crossed my arms over my face as well as I could despite Edward’s arms.
“It would have been better had I never come to Forks.”
“Who told you that? I can guarantee, no one was thinking it.” He removed his hands
from my shoulders and placed them on my wrists and tried to pry my arms from over
my face. “Why do you want to leave? DAMMIT! Why won’t you look at me?”
“I couldn’t handle it, to see the loathing and repulsion on your face, or the rest of your
family.” I wished the ground would swallow me up right now.
“LOOK AT ME! Do you see loathing or revulsion? Despite what you just did I have
none of those feelings. I’m still as intrigued by you now as I was thirty minutes ago.”
I did what he said; I peeked over my arm and looked into his ocher eyes.
There was no loathing or revulsion on his gorgeous face. There was only intrigue and
longing. Longing for what though? I fully removed my arms to speak properly. “So
your not mad at me for attacking you?” he snickered and shook his head. “Then why
did you act like I was crazy and that you were angry at my actions?”
“I’ll admit I was surprised. I’ve never had someone spring on me like that. As for how
I reacted, I’m sorry but I can’t help it. I don’t know how to react, I’m…” he rested his
forehead on my shoulder and turned to look into the forest like he was embarrassed.
“You’re what Edward?” I spoke so quietly that had Edward’s ear not been inches
away from my mouth he wouldn’t have heard me. I felt him tremble slightly.
“In the words of Emmett…I still have my ‘V Card’.”
V Card? Oh. My. God…He’s a virgin!
Lillian had told me that vampires were exceptionally sexual creatures and incredibly
romantic. When she was turned she had two things on her mind, blood and sex, sex
and blood. If that was true, then how did Edward manage these last hundred years
without it? Well Rosalie had said he was waiting for the perfect woman, so that’s his
excuse. But what’s mine? Oh right, all other male vampires would laugh at me about
my diet, that was an instant turn off.
Without thinking, I flung my arms around his neck and hung onto him tightly.
“Bella?” Edward said my name questioningly and he pulled back to look at me.
“I’m not the only one.” I tightened my hold on him.
His eyes became large golden orbs as he looked at me astounded. “You mean you
haven’t…you’re also…”
“Having a bit of trouble with words today aren’t you Edward?” I smiled at him,
hoping he would drop the current topic. My eyes became fixated on his mouth when
he smiled back. God, I so want to taste those lips and I inclined my head to close the
distance between our faces. The distance only grew larger when Edward sprang
backwards and landed several yards from me. I sat up and leaned back on my arms.
My hands fisted into the leaves and soil and I metaphorically glared laser beams at
him.
“Enough of the sexual frustrations please. One I can handle but both of you will drive
me insane.” Jasper walked up behind me, toting a giggling Alice. “Well one is gone
now…but Bella why the sudden switch to…”
I jumped to my feet and stormed off toward the house. I had to get away from him, if
I didn’t I knew I would say something rather vulgar. I understand that he’s a virgin
but did he have so sexual desire what so ever. I knew he wasn’t gay, but come on,
couldn’t he even give in to a kiss. I stopped abruptly as a possibility hit me and I
could have sworn I felt my heart clench then drop. He didn’t find me attractive, he
didn’t want me. I wasn’t what he thought of for hisperfect woman. He thought I was
worthy enough to have a song but not worthy enough to be with him…

Chapter 7: Snow Angel

Edward’s Point of View

What just happened? Did I miss something really important? So what if she attacked
me, it wasn’t like I hated it. Sure I was surprised, who wouldn’t be. The
uncomfortable feeling in my pants told me I had enjoyed that side of Bella.
Everything seemed to have gone terribly wrong and incredibly right about an hour
ago.
When I saw her curl in on herself against the cracked tree I was getting scared of what
she might plan to do. She wasn’t responding to my voice or calming words, she just
continued to shake. Due to her current state I assumed that what she had just done to
me was something she had never done before. Hadn’t anyone explained to her the
desires that run through a vampire, granted they were worse during the newborn time?
But if she passed that stage in her development was she regressing now.
Jasper and Alice came into view, straightening their clothes; both were worried but
Jasper more so.
He had demanded to know what had happened and described her present emotions
like he was reading my autobiography. I could understand the fear; she was scared at
what had just happened, and the disgust with herself for letting it come to pass. But
the self loathing was something I didn’t get. Why didn’t she like herself when so
many others had grown to love her in just a short period of time?
I gave them the edited version of what had just taken place. Then Alice practically
ripped my head off, calling me an oversexed vampire. I wasn’t the one who needed to
fix my clothes and pull the twigs out of my hair. Her thoughts were even more
accusatory.
‘What did you do to her? What’s wrong with her? You did something didn’t you?’
For once I really wished Alice could have seen this, and then she would know what
really happened.
I heard Bella mumble five small words before she was on her feet and running. I
didn’t wait for my siblings to say another word to me and I was after her. I couldn’t
really explain my reasons for chasing her. All I could think about was not being able
to see that sweet, innocent, and charming smile anymore. Or feel the small spark that
passed between us when our skin would accidentally make contact. Or look into her
bright yellow eyes that seemed to see through all my crap.
She was fast, very fast, but I was just a fraction faster. I was given the opportunity to
spring on her when she leapt over the small river. While she was in midair, I used all
my strength and jumped at her, bringing her down. Instinctively I curled my body
around hers and we hit the ground rolling. Several yards later we finally stopped and I
forced myself to be on top.
She looked at me for a microsecond then looked away. When I asked where she was
going I was astonished to learn she was just going away and that she thought she
should never have come here. I quickly ran through all the thought everyone had
about Bella since she arrived and not one person wanted her gone, except Lauren and
Jessica but they don’t count.
My comforting words didn’t seem to work and she refused to look at me. After some
coxing I finally received an answer to why she was leaving and why she wouldn’t
look at me. I was dumbstruck! She thought we would see her as gross and someone
worthy of hatred. Where did this girl get her ideas from? I told her she was very
wrong.
She wondered about my response to her actions. Why I seemed so scared and angry?
Which I was, scared at what was happening to my body and angry that I could do
nothing to stop it. I figured honesty was always the best policy so I told her the truth
behind my reaction.
I was stunned that we shared the same innocence and purity and inexperience. She
made a joke then everything went dreadfully wrong again.
She leaned her head in closer and I could feel her tantalizing breath on my lips and I
freaked. I jumped back as fast as I could and just looked at her livid face. If she had
lost control of her body like she had earlier I would not take advantage of that fact and
have her regret it later. But the look on her face told me I was wrong, and that she was
under control.
Jasper emerged from the thick bunches of trees, carrying Alice under one arm like she
was a sack of sugar. He quickly picked up on the sexual frustration in the air but he
was shocked when Bella’s frustration changed to something he hadn’t expected. She
leapt to her feet and stormed in the direction of the house. What had her frustration
morphed into? I stayed kneeling on the ground as she walked off; I watched every
step she took further away from me.
“What the hell, Edward?! I would rather feel the frustration than the hate and pity
boiling in her now. Problem is I don’t know who or what it’s for.” Jasper shrugged his
shoulders as he looked in the direction Bella had left in.
I stood frozen for several minutes as I tried to sort out the last thirty minutes. She was
hot and cold then hot and cold again.
“Edward, what happened this time?” Alice asked cautiously.
“Hopefully I talked her out of leaving.” I kicked a rock out of frustration and it hit a
tree, causing it to fall over. “As for what occurred next, I’m not sure. She tried to kiss
me. If it was her lust taking over I didn’t want her to regret anything later so I leapt
away.”
I was completely taken aback when I was knocked off my feet and pummeled to the
ground by Jasper. He was obviously furious about something I had said or done.
“YOU MORON!” Jasper shouted at me, which is something I’m not used to hearing
from him. Since he’s been with us he’s been rather passive. “Did you ever stop to
think that she was attracted to you? She’s feeling things for the first time and its
scaring her, but she’s only feeling them when she’s around you. Not Emmett, or
Carlisle, or Mike…YOU!” he pulled up on my jacket and threw my head back down
onto the soil as he continued to growl at me. “Now her feelings make sense. She fells
rejected, it was pity and hatred for herself. You know, that’s a sickening mixture. She
probably doesn’t understand them yet herself.”
"Jasper, ease up. Edward is only guilty of being naive, too innocent and too much of a
gentleman." Alice grabbed his fist that he had raised in the air.
Obviously Jasper was intending to punch me. Not that I would blame him, I had
unintentionally hurt his sister.
"You had better fix this!" Jasper stood back up and glared at me. Alice placed her
hand on his arm hoping to calm some of his anger with her presence.
I got back to my feet. "And how do you suppose I do that?"
"I don't care how, beg if you have to. JUST DO IT!" Jasper stormed off in the same
direction Bella had taken moments ago.
I don't think I have ever heard Jasper yell so much. Having Bella around was bringing
something out of everyone. Mother, father, friend, sister, brother...but which category
was I in? I think the question right now is how I can get back in her good graces.
I started walking toward the house slowly, thinking. The easiest way would be to get
on my knees and beg like Jasper had suggested and hope it worked. But I would have
to do something I was positive she would forgive me for after I did it.
A thought struck me and I took off at top speed to the house. I checked on Bella,
Alice and Jasper had her sitting on the couch talking. I flew upstairs to my room and
grabbed the pieces of paper off the bed and ran helter skelter for the living room
again.
'Bella is definitely very confused by her feelings right now. She doesn't know what
she should be feeling since she just met you. But I can tell you this, what happened
earlier was her deep rooted feelings towards you come to fruition.' Jasper's thoughts
put me at ease, but just a little bit.
I strolled over to the piano, placed the music on the pedestal and readied my fingers. I
heard a quiet shift in the conversation and through Alice's eyes I saw Bella's face lock
onto me. Her once miserable and remorseful eyes were now sparkling with intrigue
and excitement.
'What you’re planning will work great. It’s a fabulous idea!' Alice confirmed my
plans would be victorious. It was probably easier to see visions of Bella since she was
holding her hands.
I gently placed my fingers on the keys and started to manipulate them. I had looked
over the sheet music so much it was memorized but there were still a few spots that
needed fixed which I actually had to play out to get the full affect.
My fingers danced over the keys like I was doing a ballet with my hands. The music
was coming to me naturally and without error. The notes were melodious and perfect,
just like the being I fashioned it from. There was one wrong move near the end which
I fixed quickly. I replayed the whole piece through without a problem and it
sounded wonderful.
As the last note reverberated off the instrument a pair of small arms latched around
my neck so suddenly that I was thrown off the piano bench. I hit the floor so hard that
the loud crash of marble hitting marble hitting hard wood floor echoed throughout the
house.
"Edward, that was absolutely perfect, thank you so much." Bella's arms tightened on
my neck and I couldn't restrain myself any longer. I reached up and wrapped my arms
around her small waist, one hand touched her silky tresses and I weaved my fingers in
the smooth texture of her hair. And for the first time ever, I prayed, that she wouldn’t
realize what was happening in my jeans.
"Okay, everyone is happy again, now ease up or I'm going to have to spirit away
Alice." Jasper smirked as he stood up and crossed his arms.
"Oh like that would really be a predicament. Look at your wife's face; she'd be thrilled
if you did just that." I countered Jasper's smirk with my own and just for good
measure, I ran my palms up and down Bella's back.
We were all surprised when she emitted a small rolling coo sound from deep in her
throat. She was obviously enjoying my hands being on her back. The cooing noise got
louder as I ran my hands along her spine.
'Oh. My. God. She's purring! Why is she purring now of all times. Normally, we only
purr during sex. Did no one tell her, is she that inexperienced or...'
Uh oh, Alice figured it out, now what.
"Hey Bella, normally we don't start purring until the foreplay starts…” Bella pushed
herself up via my chest. The purring had stopped and the look on her face was
priceless. She was mortified. Her mouth and eyes were wide open; if she could blush
she would be a deep crimson red.
She looked down at me and I smiled crookedly at her. Her eyes blackened for a split
second before she sprang off of me backwards and landed against Jasper’s chest. She
was totally flustered.
“I, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Bella fiddled with the hem of her shirt and bit her
lower lip as she apologized.
I remained flat on the wood floor and started laughing at the way she was showing her
embarrassment. “Bella, it’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong, unless liking the
song too much is a bad thing.” I sat up and gazed at Bella.
Bella opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a rather loud smash of a door
opening and hitting a wall.
Rosalie walked in through the back door followed by Emmett, Carlisle and Esme.
They looked at us surprised. Rosalie looked over to Carlisle and Esme. “They were
here the whole time!”
I focused on Esme’s and Emmett’s hair, they were a rich to dark brown with flecks of
white on top.
“It’s snowing?” Bella ran to the wall of windows in the dinning room and looked out.
Her face was full of excitement as she looked through the glass to the falling flakes.
I watched with fascination as she danced around the window. I stood up and walked
up to her. “If it actually piles up maybe we can have a snowball fight or make a
snowman later.” I was unintentionally whispering my words into her ear, I was
astonished when she jumped and shivered.
I was so fixated on Bella I hadn’t noticed the conversation going on in the background
till I heard my name. Alice and Jasper were explaining why we were already home.
They told about the spring attack implemented by Bella, which got a huge grin out of
Emmett. About Bella trying to leave and about when we returned home.
“Sounds like you four had an eventful hunt.” Esme stated, still in a bit of shock at
what she heard. ‘And Bella was purring just from you rubbing her back. She must
really be sensitive.’
I nodded at both of Esme’s statements; although, I’m not sure sensitive would be the
right term. Maybe Bella was just very responsive, maybe it was the fact that it was
me. Wishful thinking I know, but even for someone who doesn’t sleep, he can still
dream right.
“Does he do that often?” Bella’s soft voice pulled me from my daydreaming and I
saw that she was pointing at me but looking at the rest of the family.
“You mean him zoning out with a shit-eating-grin on his face? He only started doing
that about a week ago.” Replied Emmett as he got a sheepish grin himself. Then it
turned all knowing, ‘Hmm, about the time Bella arrived, what a coincidence.’
I glared at Emmett and he smirked at me.
“Hey who’s up for watching the movie ‘17 Again’?” everyone laughed at the ironic
choice of entertainment Emmett selected but we all settled down for the movie.
I was seriously bothered when Bella sat on the floor in front of Alice instead of next
to me. I was royally jealous of Alice when she leaned forward and started to play with
Bella’s hair, twirling and braiding it. I want to do that, and have my knees resting
against her shoulders…
‘EDWARD!’ I winced when Jasper chastised me.
Damn, he’s acting too much like an overprotective brother. I can barely touch her
without him scrutinizing my actions. And god I want to touch her…
‘EDWARD!!’ I shrugged innocently.
It’s not like I can help that I found her incredibly attractive. I was definitely her prey;
everything about her drew me to her. Her eyes, her brain, her smell, her skin, her
figure, her actions…
“EDWARD. OUTSIDE. NOW!”
The room fell silent and still as they watched Jasper holler at me then left out the back
door and I followed, scoffing to myself. Emmett immediately pause the movie that
hadn’t even started yet. Alice rolled her eyes. Then everyone followed us out the
door.
I was finding this utterly ridiculous. The second I stepped off the porch Jasper
pounced on me.
“You should not be having those feelings towards her, she’s my sister!”
“If it was toward your wife I could see the problem but I’m not so LAY OFF!” Jasper
lunged at me and I countered easily and he fell into a snow drift. He corrected himself
and readied for another attack.
“How was he feeling towards me?”
Everyone looked at Bella, shocked by her question that resulted in halting our little
quarrel. Jasper straightened out of his crouch and seemed flustered.
“He was, um, he had very, and um…you don’t want to -”
Jasper was hit in the face by a snowball and I turned to see who the culprit was and I
wound up with a face full of snow as well. After removing the snow from my face I
looked up the porch to see Bella tossing a snowball up and down in her hand.
The little vixen! I started to stalk towards her and she threw the other ball at me but I
swerved and it missed. I scooped up a handful of snow and Bella took a step
backwards. I quickly closed the distance between us and dumped the snow over her
head.
Now a full out snowball fight ensued. No one had sides it was just a free for all battle.
Since no one worried about the cold or gloves, it carried on for hours.
As Bella raised her arm to throw another snowball at me I lunged at her, grabbed her
around the waist and brought her to the snow covered ground. She laughed for a good
minute and I realized we were out here alone, everyone else had retired inside. She
quieted and looked up into my golden brown eyes then sighed softly in satisfaction.
I looked down at Bella sprawled out on top of the white snow, her dark, chocolaty
hair spread out like brown fire around her head. Her eyes were closed, enjoying the
quiet and peaceful morning. I was totally enamored with this creature below me. She
seemed totally unperturbed that a guy was laying over her.
It was still snowing lightly and a few flakes landed in her dark hair, accentuating the
purity of the tiny flecks. She was breathing lightly and the minuscule movements her
lips were making in the process were pulling me in, every part of me was responding
to her, and she knew it.
Bella’s eyes opened widely as she stared at me in shock.
I smiled a sheepish, crooked smile. “I think that proves that I want you.” She looked
like she was going to say something but didn’t. She closed her eyes again and tilted
her head back ever so slightly. Was she inviting me to kiss her? Do I dare to dream?
I dare! I brought my right hand up and caressed her silky-smooth cheek with my
thumb and felt a spark run through my hand. I slowly lowered my head and my lips
hovered a mere centimeter above hers. I could feel her intoxicating breath against my
lips. This fascinating woman was tempting me to kiss her, but would I be able to stop
at just a kiss? She’ll tell me when to stop, so go for it.
“Oh Edward, we have company coming for Christmas this year.” From the back door
sang a high pitched voice.
Bella’s eyes flew open and I could see my anger reflected in her blackened eyes. I
growled loudly at Alice and her untimely interruption.
“Oh…I’m sorry…I didn’t see…” Alice leapt back into the house before several
snowball hit the now closed door.
The mood was completely ruined now as an image of what Alice had seen flitted into
my head. The petite strawberry blond packing her bags with an enormous smile on
her face, her sisters hollering from somewhere in the house asking if she was ready
yet.
I cringed and shivered, “Tanya…” I said that one word quietly and gruffly and
dripping with venom.
The innocent angel lying beneath me in the snow asked the one thing I didn’t want to
answer, “Who’s Tanya?”

Chapter 8: Hot n Cold

Bella’s Point of View

I sat on the couch in my apartment, fuming. Why would Edward refuse to tell me who
Tanya was? Was she an old girlfriend? Is she a friend of the family? Was she even a
vampire?
Earlier this morning Edward had almost kissed me, which was something I had
longed for us to do, and then we were interrupted by his sister, accidentally of course.
After that Edward didn’t even so much as touch me.
Jasper had told me that he was merely annoyed, but that hadn’t helped me feel any
better. There were several reasons for someone to be annoyed. Again even more
questions.
All I managed to get out of the Cullen’s was that Tanya was a long time friend of the
family and her family was vegetarians as well. Considering Edward’s state of
frustration I knew there had to be more to it than that.
What was it about this woman that had him so disturbed? The worse thing about all
this is, I didn’t know where I stood with Edward. Am I just a friend, but it looked like
he wanted to kiss me earlier? So wouldn’t that make us more than friends? Maybe, he
and Tanya really were a couple and he felt guilty about our almost intimate moment.
Maybe I would get more information from them tomorrow while at school. I couldn’t
help this feeling of doom lingering in the pit of my stomach and it was sickening.
The next day at school was ordinary…until I got to lunch.
Everyone was sitting at the usual table talking amongst themselves in a cheerful
manor. I joined them with my fake lunch and quickly joined in on the conversation.
We were having fun talking and laughing, but winter fashions can hold my interest for
only so long.
“So tell me about Tanya?” I requested innocently.
The table fell eerily silent and all eyes darted to me, then Edward launched out of his
seat and stormed out of the lunch room. Okay that was definitely weird.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for him to leave.” This thing with Edward and Tanya was
really starting to wear on my nerves. I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my
shoulder and pull me against their hard chest.
“Bella, it’s not what you think…” Jasper was interrupted by Alice.
“Sorry, but Edward asked that we not say anything about Tanya. He wants to deal
with her on his own.” Alice smiled at me but it was cheerless.
“I understand. I’m going to class early; I have an assignment to finish.” I stated flatly
and left the cafeteria. With Alice’s help I finally figured out what the connection
between Edward and Tanya was, and for some reason, that fact hurt my chest.
“Alice, I think you gave her the wrong impression.” I barely heard Jasper tell his
petite wife.
I was the first into the Biology room and I went to my seat and leaned over the table. I
wrapped my arms around my head, anyone would assume I was sleeping from my
position and stillness but I was just deep in thought.
Taking into consideration Edward’s silence about Tanya, him freaking out when I
bring her up, his behavior with me and him asking his family to say nothing, I didn’t
have the wrong impression. So he’s planning on telling her about me. The temptation
I’ve unknowingly put on him. I don’t want to come in between the two of them. I
should avoid him from now on, like I was originally planning from the very first day.
“Ms. Swan, class is about to begin.”
My head shot up at hearing my name and I saw Mr. Banner looking at me quizzically.
There were several chuckles and giggles from around me.
“Sorry, I must have dosed off. I’m alert now, sorry.”
God, I’m glad I can’t blush anymore. I chanced a look over to Edward and he looked
depressed and vexed. Class got underway and I tried not to look at Edward anymore.
There was a small tap on my elbow and I glanced down quickly and the disturbance
and noticed a piece of paper with Edward’s handwriting on it.

I guess I can be civil and answer his questions. But I’ll be vague about it.

I knew what his next question would be, and I was right.

I replied quickly.

He wrote his next question quickly, which implied he was getting irritated.

I wrote a two word reply this time.

There was a pause in writing while he was obviously thinking over his words.
Oh god, so he wanted to give me all the gory details about his relationship with her. I
don’t think I could handle that.

I didn’t receive the paper back and Edward flashed me a quick smile. Then we went
back to focusing on biology.
Oh god, don’t smile at me, especially for that reason. I felt my motionless heart
fracture.
As soon as the bell released us from class I was running for the door.
“Bella…” I heard Edward say my name as I left the room. He was trying to get my
attention at the same time you could hear the bewilderment in his voice.
I couldn’t take it if Edward smiled at me while talking about Tanya. He was definitely
upset about our closeness and what Tanya would think.
I feigned a headache and got to sit out during gym. I had some serious thinking and
planning to do. There was no way I could leave town, Alice would find a way and
stop me, and I really wanted to get to know my brother. I was always an only child,
and then I was on my own for nearly forty years. So now that I had a family of any
kind I was planning on sticking around.
Edward on the other hand, I would leave alone. Sure we would be friends but nothing
more. He obviously already had someone, I was not going to get in the middle of it,
and I refuse to be the third wheel. So this Tanya was Edward’s perfect woman? Why
didn’t his sisters know that? My heart may already be cracked but I will not let it
shatter completely.
If I went hunting with the Cullen’s I would go with anyone but Edward. I would not
be left alone with him for any reason. I would be extra careful what I would say
around him. I would not give Tanya any reason for hating me.
When the bell rang, I sprinted to my car and left before any of the Cullen’s showed
up. Just as I was pulling away I saw Edward in my rear view mirror. The look on his
face was heart wrenching. It was poignant and at a complete loss, he was visibly
confused by my quick departure but I could not give him the chance to crack me
anymore than he had already unknowingly done.
I got home and relaxed into my usual pattern of doing my repetitive homework,
cleaning my apartment, checking my stocks, and then reading.
When I got to school the next day I decided to put my plan into action. Classes passed
without a hitch then came lunch. I went and sat at the Cullen table and talked to them
normally. I even talked to Edward like there was nothing wrong, I even managed to
avoid all physical contact with him.
As I sat laughing and chatting happily with his siblings I saw a scowl work its way on
to his face. Something was starting to frustrate him. Wonder if he’s trying to figure
out to tell Tanya?
Biology class had scared me and I was afraid Edward had figured out what I was
doing. Mr. Banner had set up an assignment that required the partners to work
together to get the right answers. As I was changing one of the slides in the
microscope, Edward’s hand brushed along mine and I drew back quickly, alerting him
to something being wrong. Now his eyes were really concerned. We finished the lab
in relative silence and at the end of class I quickly fled the room.
The rest of the day proceeded like it had the day before. Gym I actually participated in
volleyball, I rapidly left the school, and started my daily at home pattern.
At lunch break the next day I didn’t feel like talking to anyone so I escaped to my car
where I relaxed and listened to music until it was time for class.
I was sitting at the lab table by myself wondering about my partners’ whereabouts
when he stormed in just as the bell rang. He noisily flopped down on his seat and
looked forward. Wonder if something had happened at lunch? Curiosity getting the
better of me, I passed him a speedy note.

He passed the note back to me without writing anything back; I don’t think he even
looked at it.

Again, he didn’t write anything back, so I decided to focus on the class at hand. So
now he was ignoring me, sheesh, how childish. At least when I decide to avoid him it
didn’t consist of me ignoring him. I still talked and laughed with him. Maybe he just
figured he would put some distance between us before his girlfriend showed up.
In all my 56 years on this earth, this had to be the longest month ever. The rest of
November had carried on like it had that Tuesday after the Halloween dance. At lunch
I would escape to my car then silently make it through Biology sitting next to Edward,
and then I would go home after downplaying my gym class. All month I would catch
disheartened glances from the Cullen’s and I never went hunting with them. I just
went into the forest behind my apartment and picked off several small animals like
rabbits and squirrels. I know I said I would join them on hunts but the way Edward
was acting towards me kind of made it impossible.
The Thursday before our winter break was to start I was startled when Alice found me
in my car at lunch. She hopped right in to the passenger seat without a care. She
smiled at me like nothing had happened.
“You need to skip school tomorrow.” I arched an eyebrow curiously at her. “Blood
typing is planned for biology. We’re all skipping school too; don’t want to take any
chances.”
“Oh okay, good idea.” I answered promptly and she eyed me suspiciously.
“Your eyes aren’t as gold as they usually are; you haven’t been eating enough have
you?” I simply shrugged at her question, not wanting to let her know what my menu
consisted of this last month. “Please join us on a hunt tomorrow night, pretty please?”
“Alright, I could use a deer or two.” I smiled at her knowing the invitation was greatly
accepted.
“So, could you maybe tell me why you’ve been avoiding us?” Her voice was hushed
and she looked down at her lap and started to worry her hands together.
I turned from her and looked out the windshield at a few students that had just
returned to school. “I’m sorry Alice. I haven’t been intentionally avoiding anyone, its
just…Edward was detached and unfriendly and avoiding me in class so I thought he
didn’t want anything to do with me, so I distanced myself from him, unfortunately in
the process it distanced you all as well.”
Alice’s hands flew to her mouth in shock. “Oh Bella, he hasn’t been avoiding you,
he’s been thinking about how to deal with Tanya.”
“It’s okay, I totally understand why he’s acting the way he is.”
Alice slowly lowered her hands and her eyes went wide like she had finally realized
what I meant and she was surprised by it. “Bella, I don’t think you understand, I think
you’re under the wrong –“
“Come on Alice its time for class.” I interrupted Alice and sprang from my car. I
heard Alice holler for Edward behind me and her tone was panicked.
I was a bit surprised when Edward never showed up to class. Alice is probably talking
to him, seeing if she can convince him to get me back into their circle. I went to gym,
after break we would be moving from volleyball to badminton, either way; it was a
sport that I had to minimize my natural vampiric abilities.
I felt like my brain was going ten miles a minute, with Edward’s behavior and Alice’s
talk earlier, and my feeling, I was more than confused. I was completely and utterly
stupefied when a hand latched around my wrist as I was exiting the gymnasium. I was
pulled from the leaving crowd and shoved up into the brick wall violently. I blinked
several times before my eyes focused on the bronze haired Adonis in front of me.
“Alice told me she thinks you have the wrong idea about Tanya and me.” He glared at
me. “So what do you think is going on between us?”
I shirked away from Edward and tried to flee but he grabbed both my wrist and
pinned them to the wall above my head. His body was very close to mine and I could
feel his breath on my face. I could sense my own breathing becoming ragged at his
close proximity and I could feel my body starting to betray me. I saw his eyes open
widely and I looked away ashamed, if I could smell my own arousal, I knew he
certainly could.
“Bella…” He said my name very seductively and I felt my legs grow weak. “There
is nothing between Tanya and myself. There never was and there never will be.”
I looked at him hopefully but also scared. “Than why have you been acting so cold
towards me? I thought it was because you didn’t want me to come between you and
your girlfriend.”
He rested his forehead on mine. “I’m sorry if I have been cold around you. I’ve been
trying to come up with a plan to get Tanya off my back for good. She’s very persistent
and there is NO way she would be my girlfriend, ever.”
“Wouldn’t it have been better if you had two heads thinking up a plan than one? Then
feelings might not have been hurt.” Or a heart nearly ripped apart.
He smirked at my question. “That is very true. I should have told you about Tanya’s
eagerness toward me from the start, but I didn’t want you to think I returned her
feelings.”
I glared angrily at him, was he stupid? “Remaining silent is what put that idea in my
head in the first place.”
The hold on my wrist tightened and he placed his head on my shoulder and took a
deep breath, oh god bad move. My body instinctively arched toward his and I could
smell and feel my arousal intensify.
His eyes darkened when he looked up at me, “Bella, are you getting-”
I broke away from Edward’s grasp and backed away. “I’ll think of a plan for Tanya.
I’ll see you tomorrow night…” I spun around hastily and fled to my car, anxious to
get my arousal out of the air.
I made it home safe and sound.
I threw myself on my bed and that’s where I stayed until Friday morning, thoughts
and ideas dancing around in my head like a fairy on speed. I felt a huge weight lift off
my chest when I realized that I had nothing to fear from Tanya, that
Edward wasn’t interested in her. But how could we get her to leave him alone? Maybe
Edward had thought of something.
I leapt from the bed and changed then I grabbed some extra clothes and shoved them
into a bag, planning on going to their house early, then I froze. Christmas was in a
week, what in the world would I get for everyone? I quickly grabbed my car keys and
took off for Portland.
Once I was at the Lloyd Center I figured I’d be able to find something for everyone.
And amazingly, I did, except Edward. I probably walked around the mall five times,
but nothing spoke to me, nothing felt like it would be something Edward would like.
Maybe I’ll just ask what he wants, that might be the best solution.
After leaving Portland behind, I headed home, and it only took me about two hours. I
dashed inside and promptly deposited the gifts in the closet for me to wrap up on
another day. Then I darted back out to my car and headed for the Cullen’s house.
I was incredibly delighted to see the house was lit up by thousands of twinkling
Christmas lights. I stopped in front of the main entrance and stepped out of the car,
the whole time admiring the flashing lights and the beautiful way they reflected off
the white snow in the minimal moonlight. As I was rounding the car Alice burst from
the front door and launched herself at me, wrapping her limbs around my waist and
neck.
“Jasper, come get your wife!” I hollered almost comically.
“Ahh, Bella,” disheartened Alice slide off of me and looked at me sadly. “Tell me
what you think of the lights.”
I choked down a laugh before speaking. “They’re beautiful. So you’re big on
Christmas?”
“I’m big on anything that allows me to decorate or celebrate.” She grabbed my hands
and slowly pulled me toward the house, but she pause at the door, not going in. “I
need to warn you before we go inside. Our guests showed up early, I’m surprised they
didn’t get any speeding tickets. I thought they would be here tomorrow afternoon but
last night my vision changed. Sorry.”
I squeezed her hands to reassure her, “There is nothing to be sorry for.” I leaned in so
I could whisper in her ear safely from other vampiric hearing. “By the way, I’m going
to need your help in a little bit, I need to formulate some plans involving Edward and
Tanya.”
Alice’s eyes immediately turned evil and sinister, did she already have a plan. If so,
I’m scared.
I was then pulled into the large living room and my mouth dropped. The walls, stairs,
columns were all decked out in green holly garlands. Lights were hung symmetrically
from the ceiling along with some small fake snowflakes. In the corner next to the
piano was a seven foot Douglas fir tree decked out in blue and silver decorations. I
felt like I was at Martha Stuart’s house on this huge holiday.
“Oh Alice, it’s absolutely, positively phenomenal. Everything is so perfect. I guess I’ll
have to bring my presents over to put under the tree.” I hugged her to me tightly as
my eyes continued to dance over the room.
“You got us presents? What did I get?”
“No cheating you little pixie, you’ll have to wait like everyone else.” I stuck my
tongue out at her and we both started laughing.
I was confused when she moaned unhappily and turned around to face the kitchen.
“Here comes your rival.” She said softly enough that only I would hear her then she
took flight up the stairs.
Edward walked in with a woman clinging to his arm. He looked incredibly miserable
but she looked euphoric.
I eyed the young woman with strawberry blond hair and deep red lips. She seemed
nice enough, and then I fully saw her position. She had her left arm laced tightly
around Edward’s right arm and her smile was big enough for a jet to land on. She was
trying to lace her fingers with his but he kept wiggling free.
I felt the venom start to boil in my veins at this woman’s obvious possessiveness of
my Edward. I had to swallow a growl that was threatening to escape. I tried with all
my might to be respectful, despite the annoyance I felt as the two came near me.
“Tanya, this is Bella.” Edward’s voice sounded just as exasperated as I felt. “Bella,
this is Tanya.”
Without releasing her hold on Edward she took a step toward me and reached out a
hand in offering.
“Hello, Bella.”
I took her hand and gave it a swift shake, “Tanya…”
I glanced to Edward quickly and his eyes were pleading with me to understand and
not read the situation wrong.
The aggravation was getting the better of me. The fact that Tanya was all over
Edward didn’t help any. For everyone’s sake I thought it would be safer if I retreated.
“If you’ll excuse me,” I said curtly. I winked at Edward swiftly then turned on my
sneaker heels and went in search of Alice.
“Hooo,” Tanya whistled. “She’s interesting Edward.”
Tanya’s voice was the last thing I heard before I ran upstairs and burst into Alice’s
room. He wants to get rid of Tanya…I’ll get rid of Tanya for him. But I would need
some help, and my dear, sweet, innocent sister-in-law was just perfect for helping me
to accomplish that.

Chapter 9: Good or Bad Sign?

Edward’s Point of View

I watched as Bella ran up the stairs and exploded into Alice’s room. I felt my hopes
drop infinitesimally; I sure hope she didn’t read this situation wrong. Well she did
wink at me; maybe that was a good sign.
I went to the garage to see which car Rosalie was working on. Emmett was helping
her with the jeep, well more like supervising annoyingly. I watched for a few minutes
then left them in peace.
I then went to check on what Jasper was up to. He was in the living room watching a
documentary on the civil war. I joined him till it was over then he started to watch
another one. Bored with television I stood up and walked to the dinning room.
Carlisle and Esme were seated at the table talking cheerfully with Irina, Kate, Carmen
and Elezar.
“Kate, do something about your sister, please.” I begged her and Kate looked at me
apologetically.
“Sorry, I can’t do that. I will not use my power against my family.” ‘You knew I
wouldn’t so why did you ask?’
“Please, do something. She’s been hanging on me since I got home.” I glared down at
the annoying blond. “I bet she’ll hang on me when we go hunting later.”
“If you’ll let me.” She batted her eyelashes at me. ‘I’ll hang on you every second of
the day.’
“Of course I won’t let you. I’m not letting you now but that doesn’t stop you.” I tried
to pry her off my arm but she was incredibly resilient.
“What’s the big deal? It’s not like you have a mate, you don’t even have any
prospects…” she trailed off when I turned my head away from her. “Wait, you like
someone don’t you? Is it that new little brunette I met?” ‘She seems to have an
attitude. Kind of stuck up if you ask me.’
I tightened my fist and refused to answer her.
“Does she return your feeling or is it one sided? If not, at least you know how I
feel.” ‘I’ve been after you for how long now?’
“Tanya, behave, give him some room to move.” Kate scolded her and Tanya started
pouting.
All of a sudden I got a whiff of strawberries and freesia. I turned my head slightly and
took in the chocolate headed morsel standing next to me. I was surprised to see her
relaxed and collected.
“Hello everyone, I’m Bella.”
Introductions were given to the angel that now stood before me. She was getting
along great with our friends from Denali. Elezar had even confirmed her suspicions
about her powers and he told her she was even more powerful than even she realized.
She just blew him off saying yeah right.
“Oh Kate, can I talk to you in private later when we go hunting?” Bella asked her
shyly.
“Sure, we can do that.” Kate smiled at her and Bella’s shyness seemed to evaporate.
“Thanks,” she then turned to Carlisle and Esme. “I need to go home and get some
things. I’ll be back in a couple hours.”
“That’s fine sweetie, we’ll wait to go out until your back.” Responded Esme with a
loving smile.
“Thank you,” she turned on her heals so she was facing me. She stood on her tip toes
and placed a kiss on my cheek. “See you in a bit.” She winked at me then flashed out
the front door.
I was dumbfounded, she had actually kissed me, well it was on the cheek but that had
to be a good sign, right.
“Edward, you can wipe that shit-eating grin off your face any second now.” Tanya
scowled at me. ‘Why don’t you look at me like that?’
My irritation was at maximum now. “It’s because I don’t see you that way. I do not
want you as my mate and wife. I said we could be friends but you’re pushing it.
You’re making it so I don’t even want to be around you.”
‘Oh ouch, that really hurt.’ She smirked at me. “You know I’m just trying to show
you my love.”
She took a step closer and wrapped her hands together behind my neck. I grabbed her
arms and forced them off of me.
“There is a big difference between love and lust. You don’t really love me and there is
no way you’ll ever get into my pants.” I pushed her arms down to her sides and
glowered at her.
‘So you’ll be a virgin for another hundred years?’
“If that’s what it takes to find my destined mate, so be it.” I narrowed my eyes at her,
hoping to get some sense into her.
‘You poor pitiful boy. No sex for over two hundred years that would really suck.’ She
looked at me with sad, sarcastic eyes.
“Yeah well, I can’t miss what I’ve never had.” I continued to glare at her. “Now I’m
going to join Jasper at the TV, alone.” I turned and left her standing there in the
dinning room with our families.
“I think you went a bit far there Tanya.”
“Oh shut up Irina.”
I sat down on the couch and ran my hands roughly through my hair. Why wouldn’t
she get it? I wasn’t interested in her, far from it. There was absolutely nothing about
her that appealed to me.
‘That bad huh,’ I looked over to Jasper as his eyes darted between the screen and me.
“You have no idea. I wouldn’t even wish her thoughts on my worst enemy.” I scoffed
when I saw him shudder. “Exactly.”
For the first time tonight I was finally able to relax and I settled in to watch ‘Dances
with Wolves’ with Jasper. As the first hour passed I was getting antsy. Shouldn’t
Bella be back by now?
‘Edward, calm down, she’ll be back shortly.’
I half glared, half pouted at him annoyed with his level of calm.
I was ecstatic when Bella arrived almost two hours later.
“I’m back…”
She was carrying a couple bright silver bags. Without a word she went over to the tree
and started to empty out the bags. She placed seven brightly color packages around
the bottom of the tree. She had gotten us presents!
I watched in utter fascination as she happily positioned the gifts among ours. This
sweet, beautiful, kind-hearted creature who hadn’t known us very long had
taken her time to get us gifts.
‘Watch yourself, your feeling are starting to wander.’
I rolled my eyes at Jasper’s warning. He really was becoming an overprotective
brother. My eyes went wide as I had an epiphany. Would I ever be able to touch her
while Jasper was around?
‘What are you worried about now?’
I glared at him, willing him to read my thoughts for once. So he would know
exactly what I was worried about. He just sat and watched the movie in complete
ignorance. My ability didn’t work that way but sometimes wished it did.
I was stunned when Bella leaned over the back of the couch and spoke into Jasper’s
ear so quietly that even I couldn’t hear what was being said. When she finished,
Jasper turned to look at her in shock, then he smiled and nodded. She smiled back at
him and rushed upstairs holding the bags. My mouth dropped, she didn’t even so
much as glance at me once since she’s been back. Now what did I miss.
“Edward…” Tanya hollered from the kitchen.
Before she could catch me again I sprinted for my room. As soon as I was safely in
my room I locked the door behind me. I slowly walked toward my couch intent on
listening to my iPod. I was surprised when I was shoved from behind, causing me to
land on the couch lying down. I turned to yell at Tanya to get out but my eyes didn’t
see the annoying blond anywhere. Instead, I saw a dark haired angel leaning over me,
looking exceptionally seductive.
“I am so fed up with all this dancing around we’ve been doing.” She was standing
over me looking angry, her fist clenched at her sides and her eyes closed tightly.
“Bella, what ever I -” she cut me off by crashing her lips to mine. So this is what she
meant by fed up, we finally didn’t have any one around to interrupt us. She was half
on top of me and half on the couch next to me. As her lips molded to mine I couldn’t
help but respond. What had started out as scared and urgent morphed into something
sweet and loving.
My hands instinctively wandered to her back and up into her long, silky, brunette
tresses. She started to purr as she locked her fingers into my already messy hair and
started to pull. Shortly after she started to caress my scalp I involuntarily started
purring along with her.
I was momentarily stunned when her tongue brushed over my lips, it was a very faint
touch but I couldn’t resist it. I tightened my hold around her and parted my lips; in an
instant she deepened the kiss. Our tongues started to dance or war with each other, I
could tell which but I was enjoying it.
I was becoming painfully hard, only this angelic being wielded that kind of power
over me. I took an unnecessary breath through my nose and was assaulted by her
arousal.
“Are we going hunting tonight or not?” I heard Carlisle say from downstairs.
We both moaned unhappily and Bella pulled away hesitantly. My head shot upwards
and I claimed her lips again, not yet finished with our activities. She agreed with my
decision and pushed her chest onto mine for emphasis, I groaned from the pleasure. I
couldn’t believe this was happening. Bella had kissed me, we were making out
in my room on my couch. This definitely had to be a good sign.
“Bella, Edward, where are you? We’re about to go hunting.” Carlisle was shouting
now, something he rarely did.
Bella whimpered when I pulled her face away. “I really don’t want my father finding
us like this. By the way, what got into you?” I looked into her lust filled eyes,
searching.
She sat up on the couch and I moved my legs to sit next to her. “Alice said I should be
assertive and go on the offensive. It was obvious that I wanted to kiss you and you
wanted to kiss me and I just got fed up with all the near hits.”
I kissed her shoulder. “I’m not complaining…I was just surprised by what you did.
I’m very pleased that you took the offensive.
‘Edward, get over here now or I’m coming to look for you.’
I shuddered at Tanya’s warning and I was beginning to wonder if I had become a
woman. “We should go before Tanya comes up here looking for me.”
Bella nodded unhappily and I helped her to her feet. In a few short minutes we were
finally among everyone else. It had taken minutes instead of seconds because we
would stop at every corner to kiss. Alice and Jasper gave us knowing smiles while
Carlisle and Esme looked at us with pleased looks. Tanya on the other hand looked
furious.
“It’s about time. Lets go, I’m thirsty.” Tanya stormed out of the house without
clinging to me, and that made me very worried. I had a bad feeling that she was
planning something.
I glanced back to Bella and she waved me on to go ahead. Apparently now was the
time she was going to have her talk with Kate. I gave a half hearted smile then darted
off into the forest.
Now that Bella and I have kissed, I was feeling like Pandora’s Box had been opened
up over us. Who knew what would happen to us next, or what we would do? It was
evident that we felt the same way about each other. I was finding it harder and harder
to keep my control the more I was around her. And for some strange reason, I loved
every single minute of it.
I spotted a small herd, only one buck and a few does. Without stopping I took the
buck down and had him drained within a minute. As soon as I sat up over the dead
deer I was caught from behind by something flying at me at top velocity. I was sent
rolling for several yards then came to rest on my back.
My eyes and brain were still dizzy from the tumbling. “You did it again Bell-”
The person straddling me was not my dark haired angel, but a strawberry blond
succubus. This was really getting out of hand.
“Tanya, get off of me.” Sometimes having being raised a gentleman ingrained in you
was a real dilemma. I pondered over my options. How to get rid of her while still
being a gentleman about it.
“Ahh, Edward, even I can tell you enjoyed that.” She smiled smugly and evilly.
“Yeah, because I thought it was Bella.” I went to push her off my stomach and she
pinned my arms to the ground. “See, no more excitement. You killed the desire
I did have.”
Her eyes lit up and I wondered what I had accidentally said. “You mean I can look!?”
she scooted onto my legs and started to fumble with my jeans.
“NO!”
I was surprised when I realized that scream hadn’t come from me and Tanya was no
longer on my lap. I looked in the direction of some commotion going on to my side
and noticed Bella had attacked Tanya. I quickly refastened my pants and watched the
cat fight, surprisingly aroused as I watched Bella.
“Get it through your hard head, he doesn’t want you.” Bella snapped at Tanya as she
circled around her.
“What do you know little girl?” Tanya changed her pacing direction and Bella
countered, keeping herself between me and Tanya.
“More than you apparently, or you would know he doesn’t like blonds or you.” Bella
retorted nicely.
Before I could fully blink Tanya had lunged at her and Bella hit the ground. She must
have placed her foot on Tanya’s stomach because in the next instant Tanya was flying
through the air, she hit her back on a tree and it crumbled to the ground.
I was completely stunned; all I could do was watch this unbelievable side of Bella.
“What the…” Tanya returned to a crouch as she glared menacing at Bella.
Bella stood in front of me, growling quietly. “Did no one tell you? My maker is also
Jasper’s. She taught me a few things that she learned from him over the years. Are
you a bit surprised that this little girl can defend herself?”
I could hear the seriousness and humor in her voice. I wanted so badly to run off with
her into the forest right now and ravish her. I had to move my pants a little as I
watched my angel fighting before me.
Tanya screamed out loud and lunged for Bella’s throat. Before I could react and
attempt to stop this, Bella had lunged at Tanya at an even faster speed. Since her
velocity and momentum was greater she pummeled Tanya to the ground. She
smashed her forehead into Tanya’s and for the first time tonight, Tanya looked scared.
Bella leaned down and whispered something to Tanya then Bella stood back up while
Tanya flumped back onto he ground.
Bella was breathing rapidly, even though she didn’t have to, it was habitual. She
turned from Tanya and stumbled towards me. She then fell to her hands and knees and
she was staring at the forest floor in shock. I was by her side in a split second running
my hand up and down her back in hope of calming her.
We were both astonished when we heard clapping from several hands. We looked up
to see everyone was standing behind where I was rooted to the ground earlier. I hadn’t
even noticed that the others had showed up.
‘It’s about time.’
‘Did she just defend him?’
‘Tanya got her ass kicked, that’s hilarious.’
‘She’s a keeper.’
‘Wow, she took down a vampire nearly ten times her own age.’
Everyone’s thoughts were commendatory and I was extremely proud of my Bella.
“I can’t believe I just did that. I never thought I would end up using any of that.” I
tried to take her in my arms but she refused to budge.
“That was really well done Bella.” Jasper said loudly. “Who knew you had it in you?
Maria did very well in training you.”
“But I attacked one of your family friends-”
“Bella, you’re our family too.” Jasper kneeled in front of Bella then spoke very softly.
“She had it coming.”
She smiled at him and I noticed her eye color hadn’t returned to the color it was
earlier in the evening. “Bella, you need to fed, come on.” She let me lift her to her
feet.
‘You’re going to have your hands full with her.’ Jasper thought as he turned around
and walked away with Alice wrapped around him.
Wait, did that mean I was allowed to touch Bella, without him going ballistic.
“Edward?” I looked down into Bella’s dark, questioning eyes. “Did you drink
already?”
“Yes but I’ll keep you company while you fed if that’s alright.” She smiled and
nodded sweetly. I placed my hand at the small of her back, trying to ignore the jolt
that went thru me as my fingers brushed a small amount of exposed skin. I started to
lead her into the forest.
‘Behave yourselves.’ I nodded to acknowledge my mothers request.
‘Don’t be out too late. Its family game night remember.’ I nodded at Carlisle too.
Once we were in the trees I took Bella by the hand, relishing in the electrical wave
between us, and pulled her along at a run. After a few minutes and several miles Bella
stopped cold, nearly hauling me to the ground. She released my hand and bolted to the
left. She must have smelt something. I quickly took chase.
I was surprised to see her kneeling by a small lake finishing off a rather large moose.
How far north had we gone? I watched in fascination as her dark eyes changed into
the mystifying gold that always managed to hold me in a trance. Instead of standing
up she fell backwards onto the leaves, completely satisfied.
The vision before me was drawing me closer. Bella, sprawled out defenseless on the
ground, eyes closed, smile on her delicious lips, everything about her was inviting.
And I was going to gladly accept it.
Before she could react I was laying on top of her, kissing her passionately. She started
purring and I was right behind her. I could taste the lingering blood on her lips and
tongue, and with her sweet taste, I was in heaven. She matched each of my demanding
movements with her own equally demanding ones. I left her lips and started to kiss
my way down her neck. She arched her back into me, cause the point of her arousal to
grind into my growing erection. Instinctively my hands explored over her body and
under her shirt.
She gasped my name when my fingers made direct contact with the silky skin at her
ribs. I paused in my exploration, Bella looked at me with heavy lidded blackened
eyes, asking me with her expression why I had stopped.
I was breathing heavily, “I’m sorry. I can’t do this, not here, not like this.” She
reached up and pulled my head back down to hers, kissing me fiercely. She was
making this extremely difficult, maybe that was her plan. I grabbed her shoulders and
pulled her body away from mine. “Bella, please understand. I want this, god, do I
want this. But I can’t do it like this, not here. You deserve better then out here in the
woods, next to a dead moose.”
Bella took my face in her hands. “I understand, but you had better find the right place
and time soon.” She then kissed me sweetly and too quickly it was over and she was
pushing me backwards and climbing to her feet.
Damn she had some good breaks. She started in the direction we had arrived in then
stopped. I had just barely gotten to my feet when she turned to look at me.
“Remember, I said soon.” With that she leapt into the forest and was heading home.
How soon did she mean?

Chapter 10: Didn’t See That Coming

Bella’s Point of View

I didn’t really blame Edward for not wanting to go further, even for a vampire;
intimacy next to a dead creature was far from romantic. But damn, even in that
location in our current surroundings, he was making it incredibly hard not to just
devour him.
After he had made a good point about the right time and place, I had immediately put
on the breaks. Alice had said I should try teasing him, play a little hard to get, men
were intrigued by that. I really didn’t want to stop what we were doing. I was drawn
to Edward like a moth to a flame and I was so ready to get my wings singed.
I guess it was for the better. After talking with Kate, there were some serious things
we had to talk about before things went all the way. It wasn’t a problem for him but it
was for me since I had never been with a man, human or vampire.
I stood on the bank of the river, opposite the house. Through the large windows I saw
several people walking around the dinning table. Everyone looked to be happy and
laughing amongst them selves. They seemed to be enjoying everything.
I was startled when a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist and a strong
shiver went up and down my spine when his lips brushed against my neck. My god I
was pathetic. All it took was Edward being near me and barely touching my neck for
me to become stimulated. My breathing was quickly becoming ragged as he pressed
his lips more firmly to my neck.
“Bella, your being very obvious right now,” he just had to say that in a very sexy and
alluring whisper.
“Well, your teasing isn’t helping in the slightest,” I purred out between faltering
breaths and my eye lids fluttered closed.
He chuckled quietly, “Bella, trust me, this isn’t teasing. This is…” he kissed his way
down the length of my neck to my collarbone then stopped.
My eyes snapped open and I was stunned to see him walking around in front of me,
smirking. What an ass! I was supposed to be the one doing the teasing and he had just
turned the tables on me. I had to stack the deck in my favor again.
I stepped closer toward Edward. There was just enough space between us for me to
bring my hands up to his chest. I let my fingers fiddle with the buttons of his shirt,
undoing the top two. I heard his breathing catch a few times and I mentally smirked.
“You know, it’s a shame I don’t need to sleep anymore. I have a feeling you would
absolutely love some of my lingerie.” I unhooked the third button, exposing quite a bit
of chest to my hungry eyes. I started doing a mental boogie when Edward leaned his
head down toward mine.
Just before his lips reached mine I leapt away from him. I stood a few feet in front of
him; I put my hands behind my back and bent over to gaze into his downcast eyes. I
looked at him innocently.
“I was told tonight is a game night. We should go before -”
Edward lunged at me but I managed to evade his grasp and ran for the house. I heard
a loud feral growl echo from behind me and I burst into the house laughing.
Everyone’s eyes shot to me as I trotted through the dinning room to hide behind Alice
and Jasper. A second later, Edward burst into the house after me, he looked annoyed
and his eyes narrowed as he stormed in my direction. I couldn’t help but grin the
entire time.
“Jasper, if you’ll excuse me, I have to punish your sister now.” His eyes were still
narrowed and his voice was stern.
The smile immediately left my face and I glanced to Jasper to see if he was going to
protect me. I was shocked when he rolled his eyes and stepped to the side, away from
me. He was leaving me defenseless before this enraged Adonis.
“Bella, it’s not very nice to tease people.” Edward’s voice was flat, emotionless and it
bothered me.
I opened my mouth to respond but nothing came out, I was speechless. I had no
response for his comment because I knew he was right, but it was so much fun. Just as
I thought of a retort, Edward grabbed my wrist and pulled me tightly to him then
smashed my lips with his own.
I was dumbfounded. Edward was kissing me in a room full of his family and friends
and he wasn’t letting up. One hand pressed into my back, pulling me closer to him
while the other tangled into my hair and he bent me backward somewhat. My arms
hung like dead weight at my sides, I no longer had the strength to embrace him. If this
was his idea of punishment, I wonder what else I could do to get in trouble.
“What was that loud how-?”
I heard Tanya ask as she walked into the room, she must have seen us, which was
why her sentence was cut short. There was a quiet growl from somewhere in the room
but there could have been several culprits, including myself.
“Um, Edward, I think she’s been punished enough…” I vaguely heard Carlisle from
behind Edward but I was in no position to care.
I was partially disappointed and relieved, but mostly disappointed, when he pulled
away and I fell to my knees. Not only had he rendered me speechless but he had also
succeeded in making me immobile. As I waited for the feeling to enter my limbs
again I glared at the smirking demon.
“YOU JERK!” I shouted at him from my position on the floor. Edward started
laughing then knelt down before me.
“You’re not very intimidating. Actually you remind me of a tiger cub. You can still
bite and hiss but you’re so adorable and there isn’t much danger.” He pecked my nose
quickly then stood up. I was speechless, again.
I glared at Edward then my gaze wondered around the room. Carlisle, Emmett,
Elezar, Carmen, and Kate were all covering their mouths trying to stop from laughing.
Esme, Irina and Rosalie were fanning their faces, implying the temperature was hot.
Jasper and Alice were missing and Tanya was hugging the door, trying to avoid all
eye contact with me.
“Where did Alice and Jasper go?” I asked as I continued to scan the room.
“They had to step out for a bit. Things were getting too heated in here,” stated Kate
with a sly wink, my eyes widened as she grinned.
“Oh no, I ran them out of their own home,” I downcast my eyes to the floor in shame.
“Bella, I think Edward had more to do with it than you did. Jasper told us you asked
him to back off so you could be with Edward, without an ‘overprotective’ brother
hovering over you.” As I listened to Esme’s bluntness I was metaphorically burning a
hole into the wood floor.
Jasper had told them about my wishes to be with Edward. Did that mean the Edward
now knew, considering his abilities to read minds?
“I can tell by the look on your face that you’re worried. No, I didn’t know until just
now. Your actions were practically screaming at me that that was what you wanted,
and I agree, whole heartedly.” Edward kissed my forehead then helped me to my feet.
I was completely dumbfounded and my eyed darted around on the floorboards before
locking onto Edward’s. “So, does that mean…we are a…you and I…we’re a…I mean
-”
“That we’re a couple? I hope that’s what you meant by being ‘with me’.” His eyes
started searching mine, hoping he had understood me right.
Without a second thought, I lunged at him, wrapping my arms around his neck in the
process. I had leapt at him so fast that we crashed into the wall several feet behind
him. “Yesyesyesyesyesyesyes,” I rambled out as I pressed kiss upon kiss to his face.
“I didn’t even know it was an option till I met this family, that I could find love in this
life of darkness.” He ceased my ongoing pecks by pressing his lips firmly on to mine.
“Can we PA-LEASE play the game now?” Emmett moaned from the table.
I pivoted in Edward’s arms to glare at Emmett. He had just ruined my blissful
moment, the cretin. Edward helped me up and we made our way to the table. I
snickered at the game that was laid out.
“Are you serious? We’re playing The Game of Life?” I felt Edward’s arms wrap
around my waist.
“Pretty ironic isn’t it?” he pressed a lingering kiss to my neck and I shivered.
“Very. At least we’re not playing Vampire: the Masquerade. That would just be
wrong.” Edward sat down on one side of the board and I sat myself on his lap, which
he accepted with a huge smile.
I was shocked when Jasper and Alice walked in through the back door, fixing collars
and straightening jeans. I smiled knowingly at them, Alice winked at me and Jasper
bowed his head. They sat down at another side of the board, much like our position.
Everyone else took a spot around the game, everyone in pairs except Tanya, Irina, and
Kate, and the playing got underway.
Edward left the wheel spinning to me and he had a reason. Every time I would spin he
would caress my neck with his fingers or lips or massage my hips with his hands. I
was the only one actually playing the board game. I noticed Edward cringe a few
times and I assumed he had heard a thought he didn’t like. I glanced to Jasper to see if
his expressions betrayed him, nope, nothing, he was just tickling Alice’s neck while
he whispered into her ear. I gazed over to the other person that would have a problem
with Edward at the moment. Tanya was glaring daggers at us. When she noticed I was
looking directly at her she flinched and recoiled away, looking back to the game she
didn’t really want to play.
By the end of the game, we we’re married with twins, a large house and an enormous
retirement pension. We came in third behind Carlisle and Esme, with their five kids
(irony again) and Elezar and Carmen who had four kids. A few times Emmett had
spun the wheel to hard and sent it flying across the room. All in all it was a very
entertaining night.
“Well, that was interesting. Normally Alice would tell us all our moves making us all
irritated. Edward would have a fit when Emmett would tease him about only being
able to get married in a game. Rosalie would throw a fit if she didn’t have any
children. And Carlisle would get mad if he didn’t get the job he wanted. It would be
really nerve racking.” Jasper smirked as he compared old games.
“So I helped then?” all eyes were on me in a second. “What I mean is, Emmett no
longer has a reason to tease Edward and I kind of hid the game from Alice.”
“Awesome, you can actually do that! You need to sit in on a game of chess between
Edward and Alice. They don’t even touch the board when they play so we miss out on
everything.” Emmett was practically beaming at the idea of those two having to really
play the game for once.
“If you will all excuse us, I need to steal my girlfriend away for a bit, I need to talk to
her.” Edward placed me on my feet so he could stand up. I knew the look on my face
was full of bewilderment and he smirked as he took my hand then led me upstairs.
I heard a hiss and looked to see Tanya seething with anger. She outright glared at me
this time, without shying away. Well, she would just have to get over it, Edward was
mine now.
When we reached Edward’s room I was startled when he shoved me up against the
wall, pinning me with his legs and chest then attacked my lips with a scorching kiss.
And cue the arousal. He pulled away and smirked.
“Are you normally this quick to arousal?” he questioned as he nuzzled my neck.
“Apparently so, this is a first for me.” I managed to get out between ragged breaths
and my purring had started up. I pulled his face back to mine so our lips could reunite.
I felt his hands on my hips and his fingers just barely brushed under my shirt and
touched my skin. I took a sudden intake of air at the spark that ran through me.
Edward rested his head on my shoulder and it seemed like the intimate moment was
over, just as well, I still needed to talk to him.
“Bella, I really do want to talk to you. I just couldn’t help myself. When you were
sitting on my lap, you were so tempting; I’m surprised Jasper didn’t run off again.”
I whimpered as he pulled away then led me to his black leather couch and he sat me
down on his lap again. “I need to talk to you too, before we get more physical.”
“Well, lady’s first.” Edward grinned innocently at me.
I stared at him for a couple minutes as I tried to find the words I would use. “Um well,
you know that we heal incredibly fast,” he nodded though he didn’t need to. “Well
Kate told me that it might be a bit of a problem for me when we take that last step.”
He tilted his head curiously. “I’m a virgin so, um, when I’m deflowered, it will
immediately start to heal back, making me a virgin again.” His eyes went wide now
and he mouthed an ‘oh’ then his expression took on one of deep thinking. “There is a
way to fix that but it would take hours…you would have to stay inside till it healed in
the new position.”
I was so embarrassed and I started to chew on my lower lip, out of habit. Edward
leaned in and took my bottom lip between his own teeth, extracting a moan from deep
in my throat.
“I’m sure we can handle that,” he then started kissing me and holding on to me like
his life depended on it.
I managed to whisper against Edward’s mouth as he tried to pull me closer. “Didn’t
you say you wanted to talk to me,” I then went back to kissing him. Edward stilled
immediately. I pulled back to gaze at his face, he looked almost irritated now. Did I
say something?
“You really know how to kill a great mood.”
I was disturbed by his words, it’s not like I knew what he wanted to talk about, for all
I knew it could have been a good thing. I had unintentionally upset him by reminding
him that he wanted to talk about something. I slowly slid off of his lap to sit on the
couch next to him but I was pulled down onto the sofa between his legs.
“I wasn’t done with you yet.” He nipped at my ear just before I turned my head to
look at him.
“But I thought you were mad at me?”
Edward merely shook his head before giving me a verbal answer. “Never, I’m just
mad that what I want to talk to you about has been nagging at me since we got home.”
It’s been bothering him that long, why didn’t he just ask me when we got home. Now
I was worried by his evasiveness.
“What was it you told Tanya back in the forest?” he asked in a flat tone that betrayed
nothing about his emotions.
That’s what he wanted to talk about? I started laughing hysterically, all my worrying
gone. I stood up and turned around to face Edward head on. I grabbed him by the
shoulders and positioned myself on his lap. I leaned back and slowly trailed my right
hand down his chest then played with a few of his buttons.
“I simply promised her that if she laid another hand on you that I wouldn’t hesitate to
rip it off and place it where the sun won’t sparkle. I had received more combat
training than she had just been a victim of, and I have been known to take down a
thousand year old vampire. And that you were mine and that was final.” I finally
looked up to see Edward’s flabbergasted face. His eyes were wide and his mouth
hung open. He remained quietly staring at me for what seemed hours. “Edward -”
Before I could finish my question I found myself flying through the air and I landed
on the bed, facing up at a dark eyed Edward. I didn’t know whether to be scared or
turned on.
“You know…you being so possessive of me is unbelievably sexy,” he attacked my
neck, licking and biting eagerly.
I instinctively arched up into him and a quiet purr escaped my chest. I moaned loudly
when I pressed the center of my arousal into his noticeable erection and he growled
into my hair. He grabbed onto the left side of my hips and forced me back down to the
mattress while he trailed kisses up my neck to my cheek and finally to my lips. He
kissed me slowly and passionately and his hand started to trail up my ribs. I gasped
when I felt his skin against mine, he was under my shirt.
The sensation of having his skin touching mine was the best form of electrocution.
The electricity running through my body was exciting and exhilarating and provoked
me. I felt like a drug addict that needed a fix, and that fix was hovering over me,
kissing me senseless. I needed to feel more of him and quickly. I deepened the kiss
while my fingers made short work of the buttons on his shirt. My fingers then danced
over his smooth, muscled chest. I inhaled sharply when his stomach muscles tightened
when my fingers grazed over the well defined abs. I smiled while still touching his
lips at the reaction his body had at my touch.
My hands pursued around his ribs and started to trail up and down his back along his
spine, savoring in the contact of our joined flesh. I wrapped my arms around his
shoulder, still under his shirt, and pulled myself closer to him, pressing as much of me
into his body. I was rewarded by a very primal and lustful growl and his hand traveled
further up under my shirt.
I was greatly surprised to hear another growl, but this time it was angry and irritated.
Did I over do it, did I push him too far?
“Go away Alice,” he snarled viciously in the direction of the door.
I breathed a sigh of relief knowing it wasn’t me that had created the problem, it was
the evil pixie he called a sister.
“No way, it’s time for Bella to socialize with the rest of the house. Have you forgotten
we have company?” Alice answered from the hallway outside his room.
“No I haven’t forgotten,” Edward whispered while looking apologetically at me. He
then spoke more loudly at the door. “Come on, we just got together. You can’t tell me
you and Jasper weren’t all over each other at first. Give us a day… no, two -” the door
crashed open loudly, successfully cutting Edward off.
“I know how we were, but we didn’t have friends or family around at the time. No
one wants to hear you two going at it. Edward, button your shirt. I’ll be stealing your
girlfriend now.” Alice reached across the bed and grabbed me by the arm and dragged
me off the bed.
I whimpered as I was hauled away from Edward. I looked back to see he was now
sitting on the edge of the bed, his shirt buttoned again. He looked heartbroken. “Just a
sec Alice,” she released my arm and I ran back to Edward. I leaned in to whisper in
his ear so softly that only he could hear me. “I’ll get away eventually, I love you.” I
kissed him quickly on the lips then slowly rejoined Alice by the doorway, silently
fuming at her.
“You’ll thank me for this later,” she seemed to honestly believe she was doing
something good.
I glared at her as she led me out of Edward’s room and down the stairs. “I doubt that.”

Chapter 11: You Got Me What?!

Edward’s Point of View

I swear, this has been the longest week of my unnatural life. I had only
managed to steal a few short moments away with my girlfriend and kiss her before
someone found us and pulled us away. I frequently found myself pivoting on the edge
of breaking something. Reading, composing, television, nothing worked.

Finally I had managed to snatch Bella away. Unfortunately we hid in the

downstairs bathroom but it was the nearest room with a lock. All we did was hold
onto each other. We simply needed the contact from the other.

“Well, I guess I should say it before someone breaks down the door.” Bella
looked at the closed bathroom door shyly then gazed back to my puzzled face. “It’s
nothing bad. I just wanted to say Merry Christmas. It is today and -”

I cut her off by sealing her lips and pinning her against the vanity. I was
startled when she lifted herself to sit on the edge of the sink and she pulled me closer
by grabbing the waistband of my pants. She settled me between her thighs and the
smell of her excitement was intensified ten fold. Through all of this we never ended
our kissing, in fact it was deepened.

Bella untucked my shirt and started to run her fingers over my bare skin,
successfully eliciting a hushed growl from me. I plunged my tongue in and out of her
mouth, fighting her tongue for dominance. I fisted my hands around the hem of her
shirt in an attempt to get her closer.

My eyes fluttered just momentarily on the mirror behind Bella and I had to do
a double take. I ceased my assault of her mouth, leaving us both breathless, and I
stared into the reflective glass. I inched her blouse up just scarcely, and there at her
tailbone, were dark blue swirls staring back at me*.

Bella was getting impatient with my silence and turned her head around to
look in the mirror. I watched as her eyes took in my shocked expression then traveled
to my hands resting on her back then to the heart laced with wavy lines.

“You…have a tattoo?!” I felt my libido sky rocket as I spoke the words into
the mirror. I have no idea why, but I found the dainty markings incredibly sexy.

“SHE HAS WHAT?” Emmett burst the door down and stalled when he took
in our positions. ‘Day-um boy, eager much?’ He then looked at the reflection in the
mirror. “Oh hell yeah!”

Bella was quickly ripped from my arms and hauled out of the room. By the
time I had realized what had happened and turned to retrieve her, Emmett was behind
her lifting up the back of her shirt. Bella had her arms crossed over her chest and
looked annoyed while she let Emmett examine the marking.

“How did you get a tattoo? Needles break on our skin. I want one.” He was
honestly curious. ‘I want a tattoo. Maybe her secret will work for me as well.’

“Sorry but you can’t have one. Want to know why?” she sneered at him and
was obviously pleased when Emmett nodded. “It was my seventeenth birthday present
from my mom. So unless you can go back to being human, you can’t have one.” She
closed her eyes and sighed. “The change altered it though.”

“What do you mean? It looks fine to -” Bella slapped his hand away when he
moved to touch the tattoo.

“It darkened, it used to be a light blue color. I like this shade better.” She
smirked then pushed her shirt back into place. “Now behave or I’ll tell your wife you
were trying to strip your brother’s girlfriend," she whispered her warning to him.
 Emmett’s mouth fell open as he stared at her in surprise. ‘You’re going to
have your hands full with her.’

“So I’ve been told.” I walked over and wrapped my arms around Bella’s waist.
“She keeps things exciting doesn’t she.” I winked at Emmett and he scoffed at me. I
smiled at him as I brushed Bella’s hair away from her neck and kissed it.

“Oh, Bella, time to get ready!” I heard the singing voice of an imp throughout
the house.

Bella groaned when she heard her name being called. “So much for a ‘Merry
Christmas’,” she mumbled and wiggled nearer to me. A growl escaped her throat
when Alice danced into the room.

“Come on Bella, we’re going to exchange gift soon. We need to get ready.”
She grabbed Bella by the hand and I tightened my hold around her waist.

“We’re just giving out gifts, why do I have to get ready for that?”

“My question exactly.” Bella had beat me to the question so I just had to
second it.

Alice turned her head and glared at us. “Because I said so.”

“Yes mother,” both Bella and I said sarcastically in unison, then Alice pulled
her away into the unknown. They were up the stairs in a flash and I heard the door
click softly.

“Now, let me see the tattoo,” I heard Alice ask from her room.

“Oh, it’s so cute,” Rosalie commented on her choice of design.

I was getting irritated with everyone snatching Bella away from me. Right
now I had to wait patiently while my sisters did who knows what to my angel. I went
and sat down on the couch with Jasper and Kate. Tanya was being smart enough to
stand on the opposite side of the room from me, for once.

I glanced over and noticed there were more presents under the tree than there
was on Friday. Somebody or some bodies, had been adding to the pile. I couldn’t for
the life of me think of what Bella had gotten me. When she had first lain out the gifts I
had noticed my name was on a flat envelop like package, it was thin and small. A gift
certificate maybe. I was wrenched from my thinking when I heard Bella shouting.

“WHY DO I HAVE TO WEAR THAT?” There was anger in her voice and I
was glad I was no where near that room.
 “Do you want to make a statement or not?” ‘Edward thinks of her as an angel,
we’ll work from that idea.’

Now I was curious and scared, curious to see what Alice had in store and
scared for Bella because of what the little imp might do and scared for Alice if she
gets Bella mad.

“Okay Rose, you can go now, Bella will take a little longer.”

What in the world were they doing to her. Why was it taking longer to finish
with Bella. This was beyond nerve-racking.

I suddenly heard a loud drawn out whistle and looked over to the culprit.
Emmett was staring with huge eyes at the top of the stairs.

‘Oh lord, that’s not staying on her for long…’

“Emmett, please, enough with the profane thoughts.” I turned my eyes to the
stairs to see Rosalie gliding down in a skimpy Mrs. Clause dress. It was red velvet and
trimmed in white fur and a large black belt was accentuating her visible stomach*.
Yep, it was definitely something Rosalie would wear. I hung my head in amusement.

Much to my surprise, Jasper broke out into a fit of laughter and my head shot
back up to see Alice prancing down the stairs. I had to bite my lip to keep from
laughing. She was in a green velvet outfit reminiscent of an elf*. In a flash she had
lunged at Jasper knocking him to the floor. She was straddling him and pummeling
his chest, this only heightened his hysteria.

“Stop laughing or I’m kicking you out of our bed.” She glowered as she
warned him in her little elfish voice.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone sober up as quickly as Jasper just had. I
snickered at them and tried to pass it off as a cough. Alice just glared at me, the damn
all-knowing imp.

“Bella, hurry up, I want to exchange gifts sometime this year," Alice said in a
slightly raised tone.

“Alice, this is way too much.” Bella was practically whining and I found it
cute, in a childish way.

“Bella, get down her now, before Tanya assaults Edward again…”

“Hey-”
 “She wouldn’t dare!” Bella cut off Tanya’s rebuttal when she ran down the
stairs in a streak of white. She froze when she noticed Tanya was shaking her head
from the other side of the room. She then saw my stunned expression and started to
fiddle with the hem of her skirt.

If I thought she was an angel before, this only furthered that idea. She was
dressed head to toe in white. She was wearing a short, thigh length dress in the purest
white shade. A halo of small, white feathers was sitting on her head like it was a
crown and it contrasted exquisitely with her dark chocolate hair. And pinned to her
back were two feathery, white wings*. She was a vision of a vision.

I was fumbling for words. I must have looked like a fish, opening and closing
my mouth repeatedly and with huge staring eyes.

“I think he likes it,” Bella mumbled toward Alice and the giggled, at my
expense.

‘Edward, pull your self together,’ Jasper chided me from his horizontal
position on the floor.

I shook my head to clear it then pulled Bella by the wrist and placed her on my
lap, mindful of her not so small wings.

“So who is going to play Santa this year?” Emmett asked with a grin,
reminding me of a five year old.

“I will, I am Santa’s helper after all." Alice leapt off of Jasper and ran to the
tree. She grabbed the nearest gift and handed it to Carlisle.

He carefully opened the package and his eyes went wide, I had a feeling that
wide eyes were going to be the thing tonight. “Oh wow, thank you Bella. No wore
cheap plastic ones for me.” He held up a redwood clipboard with his name written on
it*.

Alice handed the next present to Emmett. He ripped into the paper furiously.
He opened the small box and held up a small wooden keychain*. ‘What the…’ “Um
thanks…”

Bella started giggling. “It’s a Butthead keychain, made from local myrtle
wood.”

“Oh ha ha ha…hey it’s scratching his butt.” He then started chuckling.

“I knew he would enjoy that,” Bella whispered to me then rested her cheek on
my chest.
 The next gift went to Bella. She hesitantly took the bag from Alice’s hand and
started to sift through the tissue paper. She immediately placed the bag on the floor.
“Thank you Rosalie, I’m not sure when it will be used though.”

“From what I’ve seen, it will be soon.” She winked at Bella and I was itching
to inspect the bag. ‘Leave that bag alone Edward, you’ll see what’s inside later.’

Alice gave the next gift to Jasper. Not one word was said once he had the box
opened and was staring down at his gift. He must have been in shock because all I
was seeing in his mind was the civil war he had fought in.

I felt Bella stiffen against me and she looked miserable. “I chose wrong, he
doesn’t like it,” her voice was barely even a whisper.

The next thing I knew, Bella was off my lap and being held tightly by Jasper.
The box was in his hand still and I could finally see what it was. A commemorative
watch to the civil war*. Oh Bella, that’s a fantastic gift for him.

“Bella, this is absolutely wonderful, thank you.” He tightened his hug briefly
before pulling back to look her in the eye.

“Really? I was beginning to think I had made the wrong decision.”

Jasper merely smirked and shook his head, then went back and took his seat
on the floor. He put his new watch on instantly.

Esme got the next present. Once she opened the box I thought she was actually
going to start crying. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, Bella, this is too much, I
can’t believe this…” everyone was shocked to see Esme so flustered and at a lose for
words. She held the heart shaped necklace up to examine it better. It had five smaller
hearts hanging from the larger one, and each small heart had a different gemstone*.
“One heart for each of my kids, with their human birthstone.” Esme then flung her
self at Bella and was holding her as tightly as Jasper had, if not tighter.

Bella sat back down on my lap. She was next again and this small bag
received the same treatment as the first one. “You too Alice, sheesh,” she shook her
head in astonishment then smiled at the bouncing elf. “Thank you.”

It was finally my turn. I quickly looked at the tag, saw that it was from
Emmett and was immediately on guard. In all the decades we’ve been a family, every
year Emmett would find me something outrageous. And he had never disappointed
me. I opened the 5”x5” box and my eyes promptly narrowed upon seeing the large
amount of foil wrappings.
 ‘Might need those now that you have a girlfriend.’ He then started to chuckle
inside his head.

Without hesitation I threw the box at Emmett’s head. He caught the box with a
little too much force, causing the box to crumple in his massive hands, sending
condoms flying all around him.

“Why would a vampire need those?” I asked sarcastically and rhetorically

with a smirk.

Emmett gave Kate a pair of oven mitts, as a joke to her electrifying ability.

Rosalie received the next one. After quickly demolishing the paper and
opening the box she held up the shimmering, light blue, crystal earrings*. “Bella,
they’re gorgeous…thank you.” She was to preoccupied examining the earrings to turn
and face her gift giver but a large smile graced her face.

The next gift went to Tanya. It looked about the size of a compact disk, and
sure enough, that’s what it was. She turned it over in her hand to find a label but it
was blank. She shrugged and walked over to the CD player, hoping it was a
compilation of my music, fat chance. She put the cd into the player and pressed play.
Everyone’s mouths fell to the floor at hearing the lyrics by Maria Vidal.

“I've been watching you for long enough

To know you’re making a thing for the one I
love
Now I don't blame you for looking
But you better not touch. Hand's Off!
He belongs to me,
Hand's Off!
He’s my private property,
Hands Off!
I'll tell you just one last time..
The boy is mine.”

Tanya swiftly stopped the music as the chorus started and she slowly turned
around, glaring daggers at Bella. Bella straightened up, perceptibly proud of herself.
She then wiggled on my lap in an attempt to get closer, and her movement was torture
to me and my groin. She wrapped her arms around my neck possessively and
glowered back at Tanya.

‘Well, isn’t she a possessive fire cat. I hope you can handle her Edward, I
don’t think you ever want to piss her off.’
 I nodded faintly at Tanya’s mental question then kissed the top of Bella’s
head.

I was alarmed to hear an earsplitting shriek and tilted my head to see Alice
hand something to Jasper and he placed it around her neck. It was a small letter ‘A’
with a Tinkerbell on it*. Alice squealed again as she jumped at Bella and wrapped her
in a tight hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank -”

“Enough, hand out the rest of the presents already,” Emmett scolded Alice on
her happy moment.

She handed Emmett a large squishy present with a large grin. A vision of
Emmett looking heartbroken flashed through her mind. Emmett attacked the wrapping
quickly and just as quickly his cheerfulness was gone. I looked through his eyes at the
many t-shirts in his lap.

“Um, thanks Mom…”

“If you wouldn’t do so much damage to your current shirts, I wouldn’t have to
buy you new ones all the time.” Esme rebuked him and Emmett gave her a small
understanding nod.

Alice placed the next gift in Bella’s hands. She sighed in relief, obviously glad
it wasn’t another bag. She carefully removed the festive paper and looked down at the

thin purple jewel case. Inside was a cd with the words ‘

’. Her free hand flew to her mouth in surprise. She sprang from my lap and went to
the CD player. She removed Tanya’s cd and handed it back to her with a smile then
put my cd in. The melody I had composed for her, her lullaby was the first of over
twenty compositions I had written.

‘Damn it, I’ve been trying to get a recording of your music for years,’ Tanya
hissed quietly. I ignored her and watched the swaying angel by the entertainment
equipment.

Every minuscule swing of Bella’s hips had me transfixed. I had apparently

made a good choice in her gift, she was greatly pleased with the music. She let the
music continue to play as she made her way back to me. Before I could help her
position herself on my lap she leaned in and gave me a long, passion filled kiss.

She pulled out of the kiss and whispered above my lips, “Thank you, so
much.” She then turned around and plopped back onto my lap, leaving me
dumbfounded behind her.
 More gifts were given out. Carlisle received some monogrammed pens, a new
tie and a gift certificate to the local carwash (none of us enjoyed that task very much).
Esme was given a few new packets of seeds for her to plant in the spring, some new
yard tools and a lavender blouse. Rosalie got a new pair of designer shoes with a
matching hand bag and some more earrings. Emmett got the newest video game he
had been wanting and some new tires for the jeep (they were in the garage). Jasper
was gifted with several war books and movies and a new chess board (his was pretty
worn-down). New designer clothes were all Alice received, and she was happy about
it. Elezar and Carmen were given a certificate for a weekend away at some skiing
retreat in Alaska. Irina and Kate were bestowed with a mountain of new clothes and
shoes. Tanya received a new pair of sunglasses and a gift certificate to get her car
fully serviced (since no one in her family was very automotive inclined). Bella got a
few more outfits, some novels, and a few vampire movies (compliments of Emmett). I
received some more music CDs and some blank sheet music for me to use up.

“Oh, one more present,” Alice hand the small envelop to me.

This one gift had taunted me all week. It was from Bella and it was small and
thin, what could she have gotten me. I opened the envelop and looked inside. There
was a small piece of paper about 3”x2”. I pulled it out and looked at the bright purple
words that were hand written on bright green and purple paper*. My eyes widened the
furthest I can remember them ever being. It was a coupon, a coupon for one request
for anything, sex excluded, and it expired on New Years Eve.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t think about what to get you, so I figured I would let you
decide what you wanted.” Bella’s tone was hushed and shy and very nervous.

“So I can ask you for anything?” she nodded. “And I’ll get it?” she nodded
again, she started to chew on her lower lip. I leaned in and kissed her briefly then
looked back at the coupon. “I’ll have to seriously think about this, don’t want to waste
it.” I placed the small piece of paper in the breast pocket of my shirt and gave her a
very dazzling smile.

“Actually Alice, there is one more present.” Carlisle walked over to us and
placed a small black box with a light blue bow in the center of Bella’s lap. She eyed
the box then looked questioningly at Carlisle, then to Esme. “Just open it!” here was
humor in his voice.

Bella held the little box on her lap with one hand and with her other she lifted
the lid. I saw a glimpse of silver and blue before Bella quickly closed the lid.
“Carlisle, I can’t accept…I’m not…I just can’t…” Whatever she had seen in the box
had shaken her.

“Bella,” Esme came over and kneeled down in front of her and held on to
Bella’s hands that were over the black box, “you’re as much a part of this family as
any of us are. Jasper and Alice may not be related to us through our maker’s venom
but they are still my children, we still share a bond like real parents and children
should. Jasper has been a part of this family for over fifty years, and you are his sister
by way of your creator, so you are part of this family. Plus you’re dating my son. So
please accept this?” She moved her hand and lifted the lid of the box fully this time.

It was the fanciest one I had seen yet. Emmett, Jasper and I all had matching
wristbands, Rosalie’s was on a largenecklace, Alice’s was a chocker, and Carlisle and
Esme’s were on there wedding rings. But this was exquisite! It was a whimsical heart
shaped necklace all in platinum and at the top was a heart cut blue sapphire with two
small diamonds on either side of it. And resting on a variegated blue backdrop was the
Cullen family crest in platinum*.

Carlisle took the chain in his hands and carefully hooked it around her neck.

It matched with Bella perfectly, the blue contrasting with her white skin was
breathtaking. But it was the fact that the Cullen crest was now on her that made it
even more perfect.

Bella stood up then threw her arms around Esme and hugged her as firmly as
she could. “Thank you so very much. I love it, I love you, I love all of you.” Her voice
was staring to break up and I had a feeling the tearless sobbing was looming on the
horizon. She released Esme and repeated herself to Carlisle and hugged him just as
strongly. She then went around the room giving everyone a hug and her thanks. I
simply watched her with a huge smile.

‘So how long till you officially make her a Cullen, or a Masen?’ Carlisle’s
question had my mind wondering down several different paths, all of which involved
Bella in a gorgeous white dress and me in a tux with the words ‘I Do’ echoing in the
air.

I was yanked from my reverie when Bella latched onto me in an especially

affectionate embrace. She kissed my cheek quickly then rested her face against my
chest and held the necklace up to look at it closely.

“This has been the best Christmas I’ve had in nearly fifty years," she said
softly but it was loud enough for the whole room to hear her.

I pressed my lips to the top of her head, enclosed my arms around her and
watched as she played with the necklace. “Merry Christmas, Bella.”
 Chapter 12: It’s a Secret

Bella’s Point of View

“Edward, where are you taking me?” I was currently blindfolded and for some
strange reason, Edward was leading me through the forest at night, why he didn’t just
carry me was beyond me. I was grateful I was wearing a pair of jeans right now; a
dress would be torn to shreds compared to the durable fabric of denim.

“It’s a surprise.” He whispered into my ear causing a shiver to go down my

back.

“I figured that much.” I heard him chuckle as he lead me on through the dense
foliage. “You know how much vampires hate being defenseless, and I can’t see!” I
was getting panicky and irate now.

“Calm down, we’re almost there,” he helped me over a rather large fallen tree.

We walked for a bit more then I was halted in place. I heard Edward rush off
to my left and a switch was clicked, he was back by my side in an instant.

“Okay Bella, we’re here,” the blindfold was slowly lifted away from my eyes.

I was stunned into silence. Here in the middle of the dark forest was a small
clearing, surrounded by tall pine trees and smelling of fresh snow. On the ground a
hunter green blanket was laid out with several matching pillows thrown around. Up
above were several nets of twinkling white lights hanging from the trees. It was like
something out of a fairytale.

I turned around in a circle slowly, taking in all the meadow had to offer. There
was a very insignificant breeze and it caused the dangling lights to sway minutely.
The combined smells of snow and pine were exquisite. The glorious quiet, no cars
honking, no machines buzzing, no people hollering, it was completely peaceful. Then
there was the whole reason for my being here. He stood back from the center a little
ways to allow for my analysis of the scenery. He wore a pair of brown khakis and a
white dress shirt; he looked like a delicious vanilla ice cream cone…oh so delicious.

A smile formed on his gorgeous face as I gazed at him. I couldn’t help the pull
he had over me. I walked up to him and grabbed his hands then led him to the blanket.
I kneeled down and brought him with me.

I smiled at him as my eyes darted around the meadow. “Edward, this is

absolutely, positively the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.” I leaned forward and kissed
him sweetly, trying to show him in actions as well as words.

He leaned back and smiled at me charmingly. “Well I figured it would be the

perfect setting for me to use my coupon.” He kissed me passionately this time.

His coupon?! He waited until the very last day to use it? The surroundings
were very romantic but he couldn’t use the coupon for sex. So what did he decide on?

He pulled away and took my hands in his. “You said I could ask for anything
and you would give it to me.” I nodded. “If I asked for the moon, I would get it?”

I stared at him skeptically. “I would try anyways, why?”

“What I’m about to ask for, I want an honest response. I want you to know
that the coupon only gave me the idea, you can say no.” He took a deep breath to calm
his now nervous appearance.

“Um, okay,” I was getting more and more apprehensive.

 Edward moved so he was kneeling on one knee. “I know we haven’t known
each other very long but I’ve felt a powerful connection to you since we met, and I
hope you felt the connection as well.” I confirmed my mutual feelings. He looked
even more anxious now as he reached into his pocket. “Okay, I’m just going to ask.
Isabella Marie Swan, will you be my wife for all eternity?”

I stared at him utterly dumbfounded. I glanced down at the diamond ring in

Edward’s hand. It was enormously gorgeous. A simple rectangle cut stone with a pear
cut sapphire on each side and entirely fit for me*. Edward had proposed…to me…he
wanted me to marry him and stay with him forever.

After I had turned into a vampire I had come to the realization that marriage
and a husband were now an imaginary truth. Not a single couple I had met while with
Maria was a legal couple, they were mates, like a wolf or gorilla…like animals. I
understand that we are technically animals, but I was so much more than some simple
minded creature out for nothing more than food and sex. I went to school, I mingled
with humans, I was controlled, and I wanted a husband and a family.

When I had met the Cullen’s that whole notion of never being part of a family
flew out the window. We laughed, played, hunted, and loved like a normal human
family would. Carlisle had told me that taking a love as a wife or husband made them
feel more civilized, more human. And that was the reason they didn’t belong to a
coven but to a family.

And now, my one and only love was currently kneeling in front of me,
holding a breath-taking ring out to me. I was completely bewildered when his nervous
yet smiling face turned down into a frown of depression.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have -”

I cut his apology off by throwing myself at him, smashing my mouth to his.
The force I had used sent us falling over onto the blanket. Edward stared up at me
astounded from his flat position on the ground. I situated myself on his lap so that my
woman’s center was resting above his growing erection. He growled deep in his throat
before he grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me up. The action caused my body
to press down on him some more and he groaned.

He turned his face away so he couldn’t look at me. “Bella, I’m sorry, I never
should have asked you to -”

“Yes.” I interrupted him again. There was no way I was going to let him
apologize for something so uncalled for.

His head snapped back to look at me. “What did you say?”

“Yes.” I smiled lovingly down at him.

“Yes, to what?” he was obviously still in shock. His eyes were searching mine,
trying to find some truth or lie hidden within them.

I smirked and took the ring from his hand then leaned down fully on his chest.
I sat up just enough that I could move my hands. As I spoke, I slide the ring onto the
third finger of my left hand. “Yes, I’ll be your wife for eternity.”

His topaz eyes were frantic now, darting between the ring that was now on my
finger to my content and smiling face.

“Yes?” he asked uncertainly.

“Yes.”

“Really yes?” he asked again.

 “Really yes!”

“Honestly and truly yes?”

“YES!” I giggled and hit him softly in the chest. “Now stop asking or I’ll gift
wrap you and give you to Tanya!”

His lips tightened briefly then he flipped us around so he was on top of me. He
grabbed my left hand and lifted it to his lips. He tenderly and affectionately kissed the
diamond and sapphire ring. “Thank you.”

I was speechless, why would he be saying thank you. “What ever for? I should
be the one saying thank you. You’re the one that let me into your family, loved me, let
me love and now you want me to marry you.”

He scoffed, “because you said yes.” Without waiting for a reply he attacked
my lips hungrily and I returned his kiss just as wantonly.

I let my instincts take control. I pushed my body firmly into his, urging him
forward. Our passion became more heated and urgent and we both started purring in
unison. There was an immense fire between my legs and no way to put it out, yet. He
broke away from the kiss and started to feverishly attack my neck, licking around the
edge of my blouse. My breathing was becoming more and more labored, not that it
mattered but breathing still felt good.

I effectively and swiftly removed Edward’s shirt and tossed it away then
started to run my fingers over his silky chest, relishing in the feel of his skin beneath
my fingertips. I leaned forward and placed a loving kiss on his chest where his heart
was. I was a bit surprised when I felt my sleeves being pulled slowly off my shoulders
and feather light kisses were placed on my collarbone and shoulders.
 The sensation was driving me crazy, his lips and tongue were leaving a
scorching trail in their place. The animal inside was begging to be unleashed, to make
Edward rightfully mine in everyway, to claim him in every sense of the word. My
hands traveled down his upper body, over his stomach and lingered at the top of his
jeans. Edward growled deeply as he stole my lips again. His growl and purring was
stimulating me to take things further, demanding that things went further. My fingers
adeptly undid the button on his khakis and pulled down the zipper, all the while
kissing him ferociously, battling his tongue for dominance.

I was totally shocked when Edward’s hand clamped down on mine, stopping
my fingers on their current task and he broke away from the kiss. He pulled my hands
up toward his mouth and clasped them together. He then kissed each finger while he
gazed at me with sad, remorseful eyes.

“Bella, I’m sorry, I can’t do this now. I need the words first.” He looked truly
sorry, his eyes were begging for understanding and forgiveness.

“I love you.” I leaned forward and kissed along his collarbone.

He scoffed, “not those words, but I do appreciate them.”

Realization dawned on me. He needs to hear two very short words. “I do.”

He scowled at me but only for a second. “You know what I mean.”

“I do know,” I said miserably. Both of us had been denied, my monster and

me, we weren’t allowed to claim him yet. I looked at his naked chest, wondering how
much longer I would have to wait till I felt it fully on me. I gazed up at his face,
wondering how much longer till I can call him husband.

“Let’s elope.”
 I was completely dumbfounded by his suggestion. Elope, that suited me just
fine, I wasn’t much for crowds and parties anyway. I leaned up to kiss him but he
pulled away slightly. I stared at him confused.

“We can elope right now if you like, but on one condition.” He started to trace
the contours of my face with his finger, tracing down my neck and stopping at the
valley between my breasts. “After graduation, we have to have a realwedding.”

I gave his lips a quick peck then scooted out from underneath him and started
picking up the pillows.

“What are you doing?” Edward asked from his relaxed position on the blanket.

“I’m cleaning up so we can leave. Where should we go? Vegas? Olympia?

Seattle? Port Angeles?” I stopped in my clean up to think for a minute. A real
wedding down the road was a small price to pay for what I would get in exchange. A
husband I never thought I would have, the concept of family that I thought was lost to
me, and a physical bonding I only dreamed about. I knew I was capable of waiting out
another year and a half, torturously, but I didn’t want to nor did I think I could behave
that long. For both of our sakes, this was the best remedy.

“I was actually thinking Port Angeles. Its close to here, things will be opening
up just as we get there and there are cabin rentals outside the city, I thought we could
honeymoon there for the weekend.” Edward had finally stood up and was folding the
blanket at near human speed while he talked. When he was done he grabbed my hand
and started to pull me away into the forest. “I’ll ask Emmett to get the lights.”

I stopped dead in my tracks when a thought hit me. “Edward, I have

emancipation papers but what about you. They’ll think your only seventeen, it’s not
legal.”
 He turned and stepped closer to me then caressed my cheek. “Its okay, we
have emancipation papers drawn up with the rest of our fake documents, just in case
we should ever need them.”

“Oh, okay,” I nodded then started walking again, but a bit faster this time.
Why else would he mention eloping now if he legally couldn’t do it from a human’s
point of view? “So what’s the plan?”

“First things first, don’t mention anything to anybody or Alice will snag the
whole occasion.” He cringed after he mentioned Alice’s passion for special occasions.
“When we reach the house, quickly get your stuff; say your goodnights then get
home. I’ll meet you at your place in an hour; we’ll take your car, mine has lo-jack.
Which Alice could take advantage of if she’s bothered enough.”

We stood on the far bank of the stream over looking the Cullen residence.
Soon, I would be married into this wonderful family.

“Are you ready?” Edward asked as he nuzzled my neck.

Oh god, he’s a tease. “Absolutely, see you in an hour.” I spun around, gave
him a quick yet zealous kiss then sprinted for the house.

I removed the ring before I made it through the door and hid it in my pocket,
didn’t want anyone to see it, yet. I flew up to Edward’s room and quickly grabbed my
bag. Soon it would be our room. Then I fled down the stairs.

“Hey Bella, what’s up?” Emmett asked from the couch, not really paying
attention since Jasper was currently beating him on the game they were playing.

“I just remembered there were some things I needed to do before school starts
again.” I stated as calmly as I could, even though internally I was screaming with joy.
 Jasper won the match and turned his head slowly towards me with a raised
eyebrow. Oh no, what emotion is he picking up on? Calm down, calm down, need to
calm down.

“Bella, I can tell your extremely happy and are trying to hide it. I can
understand the happiness. Just finish what you need to so you can hurry back.” He
turned his head back around in time to counter Emmett’s surprise attack.

“Thanks Jazz. Bye everyone.” I caught a quick wink from Edward then
escaped speedily out the door to my car, not waiting to hear if someone else replied. I
replaced my engagement ring and turned the car around.

I was home in a matter of minutes. I ran inside to get things ready. I quickly
located my fake emancipation papers, then went and packed some clothes; finally I
grabbed the hanging white bag out of the closet. I placed everything by the door and
waited.

Luckily I didn’t have to wait long and there was a knock on the door. I didn’t
even look at the peephole to see who it was, I already knew. I flung the door open and
was greeted by a huge bouquet of white and red rose.

“Don’t tell Esme I took some of her roses.” Edward peeked around the large
cluster of fragrant flowers.

He handed me the roses with a huge grin and I smiled back. I took the large
arrangement and started hunting down a vase. As I was situating the flowers I felt a
breath on my neck and I froze.

“Can I get your keys so I can load the car?” he whispered seductively then
kissed my neck.
 I was still frozen in place, concentrating on keeping my legs upright. On a
shaky breath I manage to tell him where they were. “Right…front…pocket.” His
fingers wrapped around my ribs then slowly slide around my side and dropped into
my pocket. He quickly extracted my keys then left me feeling weak in the knees and
fuzzy in the head.

“Bella, is this bag what I think it is?” I heard his voice from the doorway and I
hastily finished up with the roses so we could be on our way.

“Well, it’s not a bathrobe so it probably is.” I walked in just as Edward was
starting to inch the zipper on the bag down. “NO PEEKING! You’ll see it soon
enough.” I walked over and took the bag from him and headed for the car. “It was my
mother’s. She said it would be mine when I married. It was one of the things I took
with me when I left my parents.”

We finished loading everything into the Eclipse and I locked up my little

apartment. Edward locked up the Volvo and headed for the passenger side of my car.
I whistled at him to get his attention. His head shot up and I threw the car keys at him.
He looked at the keys in his palm then to me then back to the keys then back to me. It
was pretty comical.

“You want me to drive?” a crooked smile worked its way across his face.

I walked up and ran my hands over his shoulders temptingly. “Yeah, unless
you think you’ll scratch my baby then I want my keys back.” I teased and he swiftly
formed a death grip on the keys and his smile widened.

“Your baby will be safe with me,” he bowed then helped me into the
passenger side for my very first time. He ran to the driver side and climbed in then
closed the door. He just sat there, massaging the steering wheel, ogling the interior
and inhaling the smell of leather.

“Should I leave you two alone or would you rather marry my car?”
 He glared at me while starting the car. He then leaned over the center console
to get his face closer to mine. “That is a ridiculous question.” He proceeded to kiss me
then he pulled away a minute later and we left town for the weekend, I vaguely
remember passing the ‘Come Back to Forks’ sign.

Edward smiled the entire way to Port Angeles. He was obviously enjoying
driving the Eclipse. We stopped at a local jeweler and bought a set of wedding bands.
They were a matching set of platinum bands that when placed together the engraving
made up a heart, and the heart half of my rings had diamonds in it*. We then made a
very fast stop at the courthouse to get the marriage license.

We found a little church on the outskirts of town and decided this was a good
place as any. It was a small, snowcapped church nestled in some trees with a white
fence wrapping around it*. We exited the car and went inside to talk to the
representative.

We found the minister straightening up the podium and we walked calmly up

to him.

“Sir, is it possible for you to marry us?” Edward asked in his early twentieth
century respectful fashion.

The older man considered us for a moment. “Are you eighteen or older?”

“No sir, but we are both emancipated.” We handed him our papers and he
studied them for another moment.

“And when would you like for the ceremony to happen?” he handed the
papers back to us and walked toward the side wall in the direction of a small office
like room.
 “As soon as you’re ready, sir.”

He was a bit surprised by our urgency. “Well, um, let me call my wife and son
to act as witnesses then we can get under way. If you’ll just hand me your license I
can fill it out. If either of you need to make any preparations there are two empty
rooms across from us.” He smiled kindly to us then picked up the phone.

We exited the room and returned to the car. I hurriedly retrieved my white
dress bag and was greatly surprised to see Edward lift a matching black bag from the
trunk. How in the world had he managed to get that out of the house undetected? We
went back into the church and picked a separate room.

I promptly undressed and slid into my mothers wedding dress. Despite being
over fifty years old it still looked like it was bought yesterday. It was a short white
sleeveless with a pastel blue sash, all done in silk. It had high heel shoes and a flower
hair barrette in the same blue pastel color*.

I looked at myself in the mirror, if my hair was lighter and my eyes a different
color I would look so much like my mom did on her wedding day. Her and my dad
was so happy in the old film I saw of them. My mom had even smashed the cake into
my dad’s face at the reception. With the exception of when their only child had been
kidnapped, they had remained happy together till the very end, when a drunk driver
had claimed them both about four years ago.

I was startled out of my daydreaming by a knock at the door.

“Yes?”

“Are you ready, dear?” asked an older woman’s voice from the other side of
the door. “Your man is waiting and boy is he handsome.”
 I took a deep breath then opened the door. I was greeted by a wide eyed elder
woman with a huge smile. She led me out the room and down the aisle toward the
podium.

My knees nearly gave out when my eyes landed on Edward. He was dressed in
a basic black and white tux with a bow tie. He was absolutely gorgeous; it was a
good thing I didn’t need to breathe because I couldn’t catch my breath right now.

Before I knew it, I was standing in front of Edward, completely in a trance. I

barely noticed the minister had started talking as I gazed into Edward’s golden-brown
eyes and he stared back intensely at me.

“Mr. Cullen has requested that I use a different set of vows than the traditional
ones.” He took a deep breath and started the lines. “Do you, Isabella Marie Swan, take
Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, to be your friend, your lover, your mate and your
husband? Do you take him to be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in
times of weakness and in times of strength, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in
times of failure and in times of triumph? Do you promise to cherish and respect him,
to care for and protect him, to comfort and encourage him, and stay with him, for all
eternity?”

“I absolutely do,” I said confidently with a huge smile. This felt so right, being
here with Edward, saying I do’s, it was so very right. I was directed to place the
wedding ring on Edward’s finger.

“Do you, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, take Isabella Marie Swan, to be
your friend, your lover, your mate and your wife? Do you take her to be yours in
times of plenty and in times of want, in times of weakness and in times of strength, in
times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph? Do
you promise to cherish and respect her, to care for and protect her, to comfort and
encourage her, and stay with her, for all eternity?”

“I most certainly do,” he shared in the enormous smile as he slid my wedding

band on my finger next to my engagement ring.
 “Then by the power bestowed to me by the state of Washington and by God, I
now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” He didn’t have
to tell us twice.

Edward quickly pressed his lips to mine, sealing the deal so to speak. I was
stunned when he tilted me backwards and deepened the kiss. Edward finally leaned
me upright when several chuckles rang out.

The minister handed us the signed license, showing today’s date as January
1st, 2009, his signature and the two witnesses’ signatures. It was official…I was
married…I had a husband, I was Mrs. Edward Cullen.

I threw my arms around Edward’s neck and clung to him like there was no
tomorrow.

“Well, she seems happy,” the woman giggled. “Here are some Polaroid’s for
you, so you can look back on this special day.”

I heard Edward say thank you but I was too wrapped up in the fact that I had a
husband.

“Bella, behave please, I understand you're happy but we still need to change,
and I don’t think you want me driving in our current position.” Edward whispered
into my ear and I relinquished my hold on him.

I turned to face the three people that had helped to make this day possible.
“I’m sorry if I’m being rude, I’m just so happy…”

The elderly woman came up to me and took hold of my hands. “It’s perfectly
alright my dear; you’re supposed to be happy when you get married. And you two
make a gorgeous couple. Now go get changed so you two can start on your new life
together.”

“Thank you,” I looked to Edward and he disappeared into his changing room
and I did the same.

After some goodbyes and thanks we were driving down the road again
heading for the cabin retreats.

I was alarmed when Edward’s phone went off and he quickly answered it.

“Yes, Alice?”

“Where are you? You’ve been gone almost all day?” she sounded almost
panicked.

“I have some things to do is all, why?”

“The Denali’s are going to be heading home tonight. Do you think you’ll be
back in time?”

Edward glanced at me then winked. “No, I won’t be home tonight.”

“WHAT? This isn’t like you. What are you doing? I can’t see you, is Bella -”

“I have to go Alice, I’m driving.”

 “Don’t give me that you -”

Edward then shut his phone off, successfully ending the call. “You might want
to turn your phone off as well, unless you want to be bothered by the little goblin.”

I rapidly did as he suggested as we pulled on to the cabin grounds. I waited in

the car while Edward secured our cabin. He was back in a few minutes and we
continued on our path to the back of the grounds. We were in the cabin furthest from
all the others and hidden amongst the trees.

I was too busy admiring the quaint little one bedroom cabin to notice that
Edward had already exited the car and had my door open. He swiftly lifted me into his
arms and headed for the cabin. I looked at him oddly.

“One of the perks about being a husband, I get to carry my bride over the
threshold.” He skillfully unlocked the door and opened it then walked in. He walked
into the bedroom and sat me on the edge of the bed. “Stay right there, I’m going to get
our stuff.”

In a blink he was gone. I stayed where he had placed me and I let my eyes
wander around the woodland themed room. There was a fluffy log-cabin design quilt
on the king size bed and several animal painting on the wall.

I heard the front door click closed then the sound of a lock being turned over.
Edward was standing in the doorway in a flash; he deposited the bags on the floor
then stalked toward me. The look in his eyes was dark and hungry, and I was the main
course.

With each slow step he took towards me, I scooted back further onto the bed.
He then had to climb onto the mattress; he kicked off his shoes and continued his
pursuit till I was pressed against the headboard.
 When he realized I had nowhere else to go he stopped his hunt. Before I could
respond, he grabbed my ankles and pulled me to him, causing my legs to straddle him.
He bent over me and started to kiss at my collarbone.

“Do you have any idea what I’ve wanted to do to you Mrs. Cullen?”

I grinned and purred at hearing my new last name. “I would hope it was the
same things I want to do to you.” I let out a quiet squeak when he turned my shirt into
confetti. I instinctively went to cover my breasts but he caught my wrist in his hands
and pressed them to the mattress.

He looked in total shock as he gazed at my chest, I didn’t know if it was

because of the black lace bra on my white skin or the fact that he was looking at my
breasts. His intense gaze on me was causing a fire to start between my legs. He
smirked then bent over to my chest and using his teeth, ripped my bra away, leaving
my torso quite naked.

Much to my pleasurable surprise, he smoothly took one of my nipples into his

mouth, causing me to convulse in pleasure. While I was otherwise occupied in the
realm of pleasure he was creating in my body, I felt him vaguely remove my pants.
He shifted to the other nipple and grabbed the now lonely breast with his palm,
eliciting purrs and moans out of me.

I was beyond confused when he ceased his ministrations to lean back and look
at me. I was now able to take myself in. He hadn’t just removed my pants but my
underwear as well. Well, talk about distracted. I then glanced at him and felt a little
put off.

“You’re a bit over dressed for this activity aren’t you?” Before I could even
get the sentence out, Edward had stripped to his bare, amazing glory. He was
definitely cheerful about our current situation. But seeing him like that, made me
worried that he wouldn’t even fit inside. I remembered hearing that the female body is
very accommodating in that area.
 He just sat between my legs, staring at me, leaving my body tingling all over.
Finally he took his hands and ran them over my body softly, slowly, drawing out
mewls and purrs and hushed growls.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I sat forward just enough to lock my fingers into
his messy bronze hair and pulled him down on top of me. I attacked his mouth with
all the pent up passions that had been building since I meet him. I pulled him closer
and arched my hips to meet his, pleading with my body. I inhaled sharply when I felt
the tip of his erection twitch at the opening to its new home.

“Please Edward…make me yours for all eternity.” I whispered the last lines of
our vows in a raspy, uneven voice then I nibbled his ear and started to kiss on his
neck.

“Your wish is my greatest pleasure,” he held my eyes firmly with his; both
pairs of our eyes were the blackest obsidian, filled to the brim with lust.

I stopped breathing all together as he very excruciatingly slowly inched inside.

I thought I would orgasm just from him entering me. He stopped and his eyes took on
a questioning quality. He must be at the pivotal point, the barrier I’ve managed to
keep locked up for over fifty years. I nodded faintly reassuring him to go on.

In one quick thrust, he crashed his lips to mine to stifle the scream. In all my
years as a vampire, I had never felt this much pain. Kate warned me it would hurt but
apparently she downplayed how much it would hurt. Everything was perfectly still,
except Edward’s lips that were dancing around my face and neck trying to sooth me
and ease the pain as much as he possibly could.

I was tremendously shocked when the once unbearable pain morphed into
something entirely different. The burning fire in my body was back, a fire that
wouldn’t be extinguished by any amount of water.
 I pulled Edward’s face down so I could capture his lips and I arched my hips
up to him, drawing him in further. He let out a half sign, half moan when he had been
completely sheathed.

“Edward, please…I’m alright now, please…” I thrust my hips at him

repeatedly, showing him my body was fine now.

At last, he took the hints and started to plunge into me, in and out, over and
over again slowly at first then his pace picked up, becoming more urgent. My stomach
started to tighten and the pleasure increased. I felt like I was standing on a high cliff,
teetering on the edge and Edward wasn’t letting me fall over the edge, he just kept me
teetering. Finally, Edward let out a very feral growl and pushed me over the cliff, my
own loud holler echoed throughout the cabin and I felt him pulsing deep inside me.

We were both breathing heavily and we were both exceptionally satisfied.

Edward reached up and brushed the loose strands of hair out of my face and caressed
my cheeks.

“Thank you,” we said in unison then giggled.

“So now we have to stay like this for the next several hours,” he got a wicked
grin as he drove inside me again.

I tried to say yes or nod as he was building the euphoria up again but I only
managed a raspy mewl.

“Pity…”

His plunging became intense then slowed to near stillness then sped up. He
was torturing me with intimacy. This fast then slow pattern carried on for a couple
hours before we both climaxed again.
 It was around noon the next day when I felt safe enough to let Edward loose,
not that we cared. This was going to be a very busy weekend, when neither us had to
sleep, or eat, or needed the bathroom.

It was going to be a very rewarding weekend indeed.

Chapter 13: Secrets Between Lovers

Edward’s Point of View

This had been the most incredible weekend of my long life. There wasn’t any
surface in the cabin we hadn’t taken advantage of, the tub, the walls, the couch, the
kitchen counters, the floors, and the chairs. The only time we left the cabin was late
Sunday night to hunt; even then we still wound up naked and panting.

Before checking out I had to pay for a few things, like the bed and the chairs,
they just don’t make things like they used to. The lady in the office blushed profusely
as I paid for the damages. Her imagination started to take a turn for the worse and that
was our cue to head out.

We checked out early Monday morning, we would arrive at school around

lunch time, giving us plenty of time to think up a plan.

If I told my family Bella and I eloped I would never hear the end of it and we
would be bombarded with questions. They would never understand the needs of now,
two former virgins’ requirements. And the teasing, my god the teasing, that was
something I would not subject Bella to if I could help it. Since we were both still in
high school there was no way for us to get away for any extended period of time, no
that would have to wait till the official wedding, then we can have an official
honeymoon.

Bella leaned over the center console and wrapped her arm around mine and
laid her head on my shoulder, a beautiful and satisfied smile plastered on her face.
She hadn’t stopped smiling all weekend, and I had put it there.
 “OH!” I was startled by Bella’s sudden exclamation. I watched as she dug
through her bag and pulled out her cell phone.

Oh was right. We had shut our phones off all weekend, I was so wrapped up in
Bella I had actually forgotten, apparently so had she.

“Oh no, 126 text messages and 79 voice mails, I think we’re in trouble.”
Hesitantly she checked her text first. The last hundred or so were just ‘call me’ and
‘call me NOW’, the others were ‘where are you’, ‘I can’t see you’, ‘Damn it, what the
hell’. It was rather funny. Bella took a deep breath and held it then checked her voice
mails.

“What are you doing tonight? Call me,” that was her first one, before we went
incommunicado. *Delete*

“What the hell is going on? Edward just hung up on me. Do you know why he
did that?” *Delete*

“Bella, are you and Edward together? We know his car at your
place.” *Delete*

“I can’t see you. Why won’t you call?” *Delete*

“Your phone had better be dead. Call me!” *Delete*

“You know that little black box vibrating on your table, YOU ANSWER IT!
NOW!!” *Delete*
 “DAMN IT BELLA, WHAT IS GOING ON?” *Delete*

“………….did you kidnap Edward?” this was said in a whisper and I laughed
so hard I had to pull over to the side of the road.

“In a sense, you did kidnap me. You’ve captured my heart, hijacked my mind,
abducted my soul, and taken my body hostage.” I lifted her left hand to my lips and
kissed her wedding band while my eyes stayed trained on her face.

“Bella, please answer the phone. Aren’t we friends anymore? Did I do

something wrong?” Alice was sobbing into the phone this time. “ANSWER THE
DAMN PHONE, OR SO HELP ME YOU’LL REGRET-” *Delete*

“I’m not listening to anymore,” she then deleted the last of the voicemails. She
stared up at me with sad and frightened eyes. “What are we going to tell your
family?”

“Our family and I am opting for telling them nothing.” I scoffed when Bella’s
eyes enlarged to saucers. “Hear me out. We would have absolutely no privacy at my
house; Alice would have a conniption fit, Emmett would tease us incessantly, Esme
would break down in tears if she could, and your dear brother would have my head. I
say we keep it a secret till we graduate, by then we’ll be having the wedding anyway.”
I continued to kiss her fingers, waiting for her to think over my reasoning. I pulled
one of her fingers into my mouth and sucked on it like it was a lollipop. She shivered
and her intoxicating excited scent wafted up at me when she fidgeted in her seat.
Good thing I wore a long shirt today, I was going to need it.

“We could spend most of our time at my place ‘getting to know each other’. It
could be fun keeping the extent of our relationship quiet. But what do we say if they
ask about your coupon?” Her happy and excited expression quickly turned sour as she
tried to think of an explanation. “What about this weekend?”
 I held her left hand up and removed her rings then slid the wedding band onto
the third finger of her right hand. “How about…we tell them that I asked for a month
worth of nights alone with you so we can get to know each other better? As for this
weekend…I think we should say we wanted to get away while Tanya was still here,
lessening the tension. You should probably hide the engagement ring, it’s too
noticeable.” I handed it to her and she slid it into her pocket.

Bella took my left hand and repeated the actions with my ring, but she used
her mouth to remove the band and place it on my right hand. Excruciatingly, she slid
her mouth off my finger, leaving every part of my body stiff. “Sounds like a plan.
Now lets get to a lock smith to get you a house key and then to school. I’m eager to
start my secret love affair with a married man.” She leaned over the console and
looked at me with dark lustful eyes.

I moved closer to her but did not touch. “Just be sure to be careful. You know
my wife can be a tiger kitten when pissed and I hear your husband is the jealous and
possessive type.” She merely shrugged then lunged at me, her lips claiming mine in
an instant and it forced us against the car door; the impact was so sudden it jerked the
door loose and we fell out onto the ground.

‘What in the world?’

The lone thought alarmed me and I looked around hastily. Standing several
feet behind the Eclipse was an older man from the Washington State Police. I smiled
at him and tried to correct ourselves. Bella wasn’t helping, she wouldn’t let go since
she was too busy trying to suppress her laughing.

“Are you two alright?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Perfectly fine sir, we’re just on our way home from our honeymoon and we
pulled over to have a good laugh.” I continued to grin at him while Bella hid her face
in my shoulder.
 ‘Well that explains a lot.’ “Be careful while on the road. And no funny
business while driving, I don’t want to report to an accident later.” He looked at me
then to Bella. ‘They seem awfully young to be married, kids these days.’

“No sir, we’ll be good,” I held up two fingers. “Scouts honor.” I heard Bella
scoff into my shoulder and the WSP officer nodded then walked away to his car. Bella
started laughing and I joined her.

“Okay, let’s get to school,” she kissed me on the cheek then climbed into the
car, wiggling her behind as she climbed over the center console then she flumped
down into the seat.

I looked toward the overcast sky and shook my head. This woman was trying
to kill me, not sure how, maybe internal combustion. I stood up and got in the car then
drove away.

We stopped briefly at the Forks True Value and had a second key made to
Bella’s apartment. I immediately hooked it onto my keychain, not wanting to worry
about loosing it. Our next stop was school and facing my siblings.

Bella sighed loudly as we pulled into the school parking lot. “Do we really
have to do this? Can’t we just drop out of school and go to an isolated island
somewhere?”

I chuckled then leaned over and gave her a passionate kiss. “We can for our
honeymoon; we just need to ask to borrow Isle Esme for awhile.”

“Sounds fun…” Bella trailed off as her eyes looked out the window.

I turned to see a furious nymph standing outside the car with her arms crossed
over her chest and her eyes were shooting daggers at every available surface. Jasper
was standing beside her, quietly whispering into her ear, most likely trying to calm
her down. Rosalie was standing next to Alice looking equally angry. Emmett stood
behind her looking in our direction with apologetic eyes.

“Are you ready for this?” I whispered to her and her eyes never left the group
located just outside her car.

“No, let’s make a break for it,” she looked panicked and scared.

I reached over and took her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me.
“Bella, remember I love you,” I kissed her swiftly then whispered against her lips so
quietly that the others wouldn’t hear me. “Just stick to the plan. With your ability,
Alice won’t be able to see a thing, and remember not to fiddle with the ring.”

She sighed then took a deep breath and climbed out of the car. She quickly
rounded the car to join me by the side of the Eclipse. She took my left hand firmly in
hers and we waited for the barrage of yelling that we knew was coming.

Alice walked up and stood a foot away from us, her eyes narrowed and
nostrils flared. I felt Bella shiver beside me.

“Where…the…hell…have…you…been?” despite how angry she was, she

spoke very quietly, which I realized was worse. ‘NO LYING!’

Nope, no lying, we just won’t give you the whole truth.

“We wanted to get away while Tanya was here. Tanya glaring at me behind
my back was exceedingly nerve-wracking. Have you ever had someone glare at you
because she thinks you stole her man? We couldn’t even pilfer a minute alone
together with the house being so full. We couldn’t talk, embrace, or make-out with
everyone ripping us away from the other, we finally had enough and snuck away so
we could talk and hold each other without interruptions.” Bella spilled out
confidently, I almost believed her but the trivial weight on my finger told me
otherwise.

“So did you use your coupon?” I nodded slightly at Emmett’s question and
grateful for his change in subject. He pretended to wipe a tear away from his eye.
“He’s finally become a man, I’m so proud.”

“Um, Emmett, I couldn’t use the coupon for sex, that was the one exception.”
I smirked when his jaw nearly hit the ground.

Emmett and Jasper stared at me intently, trying to figure out what it was I
asked for. “What was it you did ask for then?” Jasper asked as he glared at me then
glanced back toward his sister.

“Nothing bad Jasper, so calm down, I simply asked for a months worth of
nights alone with her to get better acquainted.” I gripped her right hand tightly,
successfully hiding her ring.

‘Yeah acquainted alright, with every part of her body I bet,’ why was Emmett
always so crude? Sure it was true but he didn’t need to know that. ‘So did you finally
experience what its like to be a man with a woman?’

I glared at Emmett for a split second before the correct words came to me.
“That’s a pretty vague question Em. Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Yes, yes I would,” he stared at me eagerly, awaiting an answer.

I pulled on Bella’s hand to get her attention from a still fuming Alice. “Come
on Bella, lets get to Biology.” She willingly turned from the furious imp and walked
beside me to our class.
 ‘We’re not through with you yet,’ sorry but you are for now.

Biology was getting interesting. Besides having my wife by my side we were

starting on the topic of zoology. How ironic can it get? If they needed to know how a
certain animal tastes, just ask us.

“Zoology is divided into different fields: Mammalogy, the study of mammals,

Ornithology which is the study of birds, Herpetology is about reptiles and
amphibians, Ichthyology is fish, Entomology is insects, Malacology are mollusks,
from snails with and without shells to squids and octopuses, and Helmintology is
about worms, from earthworms to flatworms, among others. We will be spending the
next couple months learning about each field of study. So be prepared, this course will
comprise 70% of your overall grade.” Leave it to Mr. Banner to teach something
rather interesting for a vampire.

“Mammalogy should be interesting,” Bella whispered at a vampiric level then

licked her lips.

I snickered at her comment considering it would encompass our normal diet.

Mr. Banner started us out on learning about Helmintology since it would only take
one week for this subject. Now that the class was grossed out, the bell rang and
released us to our last class of the day.

One class a day, one class is all I got with my Bella. This was torture,
especially after the weekend we had. I’ll have to see about changing that next year so
we share all our classes.

Class finally ended and I met Bella by her car. We saw my siblings stalking
toward us, all very unhappy and we quickly escaped into the Eclipse. I pulled out of
the parking spot as Alice reached us.

‘When you get home Masen, be prepared.’ I smirked and drove away, leaving
Alice to think of every bad name in every language she could think of.
 We reached Bella’s apartment safely and I did a quick scan of the
neighborhood to see if there were any onlookers. I was by her door in an instant and I
lifted her up into my arms bridal style.

“Since I probably won’t get a chance to do this at my house I want to at least

do it at yours.” Using my new key I unlocked the door and carried her inside.

I quickly maneuvered around the room and brought her to the bed. I laid her
down, all the while pressing my lips firmly to hers. She scooted back on the mattress
and I copied her actions with my own. She pulled on my shirt, bringing me down on
top of her. I ran my hand up under her blouse, relishing in the soft texture of her skin
against my fingertips. She started purring as my fingers trailed slowly toward her
breasts.

Yep, we were definitely home since the interruptions started. My phone went
off just as I was getting to the good part. I growled and Bella whined at the
disturbance in our intimacy.

I swiftly answered the phone while my hands continued to massage her body.
“Yes Carlisle?”

“Good to know your home now. Alice called me, says you wouldn’t answer
the phone if she called. She says to get home now so you can clear up this past
weekend with Esme. You two disappearing all of a sudden scared her. Remember, if
you’re with Bella or have plans surrounding her Alice can’t see you.” Carlisle paused
and I planted quiet kisses on my wife’s belly. “Edward, are you listening?”

“Yeah, get home, Esme pissed, Alice can’t see me, I got it,” I mumbled as I
continued my worshipping of Bella’s body.
 “Edward, what are you doing? I’ve never heard you this distracted.” Carlisle
asked and an evil idea crossed my mind.

“Honestly Carlisle?” I heard him hum a yes. “I’m trying to make out with
my girlfriend.”

Carlisle sighed audibly. “Edward, get home and ease your mothers troubled
mind and heart,” I then heard the phone click off.

“Well…I guess…I should…probably…go…reassure Esme,” I was trying to

speak as I trailed kisses up my wife’s shoulders and neck.

“Yeah…,” she agreed verbally but physically she was saying something else.
She was writhing underneath me, begging for my touch, urging me to continue.

I so wanted to stay and ravish her; it had been too long since I last made her
mine, about eight hours. I sat up between her thighs and started to caress her chest.
My eyes hit upon the wedding ring on my right hand. I sighed heavily, knowing what
I had to do.

“If we want to keep up with our charade I really should go home and check on
Esme.” She whined below me then nodded sadly.

“Alright,” she sat up and straightened my shirt so I looked presentable again.

“But you have to hurry back.”

I kissed her profoundly and thoroughly so it would last the few hours I was
missing from her side. I moved to her neck to allow for me to speak. “Of course I’ll
hurry back, what reason do I have to stay away?”
 I lifted her hands and kissed the ring finger of her left hand then the ring on
her right. I unwantedly climbed from the bed and stalked sadly to the door. I found
myself driving down the road in the Volvo a minute later, not really realizing I was
doing it. For the first time ever, I found myself not wanting to be at home. My life,
my soulmate, my wife, was somewhere else probably waiting impatiently for my
return.

I arrived at the house and before I could open my door it was opened for me
and I was hauled out of it and pulled into small strong arms.

“Oh Edward, you came home, you’re alright,” she stood back to look me over.
“Where is Bella?”

“She’s at home unpacking from our weekend away,” she still looked worried
and frightened. “With Tanya being so aggressive towards her we felt we needed to get
away for a bit. Everyone pulling us apart into opposite directions didn’t help either.
We just wanted to chat and be close and we couldn’t do that here.” She hugged me
again very tightly.

‘I’m so glad you’re back, I was worried that you ran off again or maybe
eloped.’

I broke out in hysterics. She was way too perceptive; she hit the nail right on
the head. How was I supposed to avoid telling her the truth without lying?

“That’s funny mom. Do you feel better now that you know I didn’t run off?”
she nodded shamefully. “It’s okay for you to worry considering my past but I promise
you, I’m not going anywhere.”

She patted my cheek lovingly, “good.” She then walked around me toward the
house.
 “By the way, I won’t be spending the evenings at home for the next month or
so.” Esme stopped and jerked around to face me, questioning etched on her face. “I’ve
asked to monopolize Bella’s evenings alone so we can grow closer, get to know one
ano-”

‘Does that mean I might have another daughter soon?’ her inquiry was so
hopeful and heartfelt all I could do was smile down at her.

“I’m going to get cleaned up so I can head back over to Bella’s,” Esme shooed
me away, excitement and possibilities for the future bouncing around in her head.

The second I was in my room I was assaulted by the scent of patchouli and
cinnamon, Tanya, she was in my room. I snarled and scanned my surroundings. Lying
innocently on my bed was a note. I hesitantly walked over and opened the odiferous
piece of paper.

I thought she was crazy before but now I know…Tanya is completely insane
and totally delusional. I lit a candle and burned the offensive parchment then I blew
out the candle and dusted off the ashes.

I quickly hopped in the shower and let the water beat down on my marble skin
and wash away all the craziness of my family, well almost all the craziness.

“Do you think they actually did anything this weekend?” Rosalie asked my
other siblings who were all gathered in the library. “They were gone for several days
without communications.”
 “Do you think Eddie would in fact do anything? He is a major prude after all –
he probably wouldn’t even grab her ass.” I was going to make sure to hurt Emmett,
slowly.

I exited the shower and changed into a black pair of khakis and a blue button
down shirt. I packed some clothes and other things to take to Bella’s then I headed for
the library.

“I wish I could answer that. When it comes to Bella I can’t see a thing thanks
to her ability.” Boy, Bella’s ability was really getting on Alice’s nerves.

“If Bella and Edward really did have sex do you honestly think he would tell
any of us? Especially you Emmett,” Jasper pointed his finger at our bear of a brother.
“You’ve mocked him incessantly about being a virgin for as long as I’ve known you.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they got married and refused to tell you about it.”

I stood in the doorway silently listening to their banter. Some of their

comments were spot on and they didn’t even know it.

“But if I knew the poor kid finally lost his man cherry I won’t have any reason
to tease him and I’d stop.” Emmett was waving his arms around in protest.

“Liar, you would just switch targets. Instead of making fun of him for being a
virgin you would wonder how good the sex was or which positions have they tried.”
Rosalie smacked Emmett in the back of the head.

“Hence the reason I have never asked Em for advice in my love life, it’s all a
joke to him.” I leaned against the door jam and smirked at Emmett. “Are you four
having fun discussing my sex life, or lack of?” They all downcast their eyes ashamed
that they had been caught chatting about something private about someone else. “Now
if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with destiny.” I flung my duffle bag over my
shoulder and walked away at a humans pace, curious to hear what their comments
were now.
 “Destiny who? Does Bella know?” I heard a loud smack then Emmett
complaining to Rose.

‘If you plan on doing anything to my sister you had better be prepared to do
right by her.’

It’s not like I could get her pregnant Jasper. Wonder if he would still insist on
a shotgun wedding though. That might be something I could taunt him about. I could
torment Emmett by not telling him whether I was a virgin still or not, that would
annoy him to no end. Maybe I could talk Bella into letting something through to
Alice, just a small little snippet to pester her with.

I reached the Volvo and threw my bag into the passenger seat and in a matter
of ten seconds I was pealing down the highway toward my love. It took me another
five minutes to finally reach her place. I was glad she lived in one of the little cabins
on the outskirts of Forks. There was a small development that consisted of ten, one
bedroom cabins everyone called apartments. Bella lived in the one furthest from the
rest, guaranteeing our privacy. Her 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse stood out like a sore
thumb, other than the Cullen’s, no one else in town owned that nice of a car.

I quickly grabbed my bag, locked the Volvo and headed for Bella. I knocked
before I entered, it was how I was raised, and noticed it was surprisingly dark. Not
that it was a problem for vampiric eyes but it was weird. The scent of vanilla assailed
my senses and I noticed there were several candles lit in a path leading to the
bedroom. What in the world had my angel planned?

I closed and locked the door behind me and deposited my bag on the floor. I
then silently followed the glowing candles to the bedroom. I took a deep vanilla filled
breath and stepped into the bedroom. I stumbled back against the wall at the sight
before me.

Bella was kneeling on the bed before me, dressed in a dark navy blue sheer
slip* and emitting confidence. She stole my breath away, she always did but this was
worse. Her dark hair hung loose down her back and every curve of her body yelled at
me to reach out and touch her. I was rendered utterly speechless when she raised her
right hand and beckoned me forward with her finger.

On impulse I stalked toward my one and only wife. As I neared her, her eyes
started to wander up and down my body. “Clothes…off.”

I didn’t think it was possible but my eyes widened further at hearing her
seductively lusty command. I had my clothes off in a blink of an eye and I was
standing unclothed before her. I wanted nothing more than to jump her right now but
she seemed to be happy being in control. She leaned forward and grasped my hands
and pulled me onto the bed facing her.

“What took you so long? I was lonely.” Her eyes here pouting as she gazed at
me.

“My siblings were having some fun about my sex life, well the lack of a sex
life as far as they’re concerned.” I nearly lost it when her lips brushed along my neck
then down to my collarbone and continued down my chest and back up to my neck.

“Lack of sex life, that’s humorous,” she kissed her way up my jaw line to my
cheek and lingered above my lips.

“Before this weekend I had no sex life remember. They can make fun of me
all they want now since I’m no longer a virgin, but they don’t know that, they suspect
something though.” I could feel her breath on my face and the sparks were jumping
between our lips.

She shifted on the bed slightly to get closer to me and her arousal was made
obvious to me. I thought I would faint from smelling the erotic fragrance coming off
of her. I moaned and took a profound lungful of air, enjoying the aroma of her
stimulation. I shivered as the tip of my erection brushed against her lower stomach. I
gasped loudly and nearly fell forward when her hand latched onto my already
painfully erect penis.

Bella snickered at my reaction. Well two can play that game. I managed to
compose myself just enough to trail my hand down her ribs, lift the flimsy material of
her lingerie and I found the center of her feminine nerves. She shuddered and fell
against my chest. I continued to manipulate her clit and with my free hand I grabbed
her chin and forced her to look at me. Her eyes were heavy lidded and darker than the
night sky. Her hand tightened around me when I finally claimed her lips and forced
her to lie down on the mattress beneath us.

She started purring as I explored her mouth with my tongue and caressed her
clitoris with my fingers. I soon joined in her purring when her hands started to pump
up and down along my length. I knew I wasn’t going to last much longer at this pace
and I so wanted to bury myself in her when I reached my release and I wanted to feel
her release clamp down around me.

I took a finger and felt around to see if she was ready for me. My fingers slid
around easily and she whimpered as I played around with her folds. She was more
than ready, she was ready and waiting.

I grabbed her hand from around my cock and pinned it to the mattress next to
her head, I did the same with the other hand as well. She whined as I positioned
myself between her legs and rested at the hottest part of her body. She arched her
back bringing me mere millimeters from her opening.

“Please, stop torturing me…” she managed to get out through ragged panting
breaths.

I smirked at her pleading labored voice. I crushed her lips with my own as I
plunged into her in one effortless thrust, we both groaned at the amount of pleasure
that the connection our bodies made. The pace we set was feverish and rapid, both of
us wanting to satisfy our mate and received satisfaction in return as fast as we could.
Ten hours was way too long to go without this connection.
 I felt Bella’s internal muscles start to tighten around me and I knew she was
getting close to her climax, as was I. I leaned my head away so I could speak softly in
her ear.

Without breaking my velocity I whispered into her ear. “I love you,” I then
nibbled on her earlobe and that hurled her over the summit. Her muscles tightened
excruciatingly, it was the best form of pain. The euphoria her body was going through
sent the same wave of bliss through me and I released every ounce of myself into her.

We stared into the others darkened eyes as we panted together.

“At least the bed survived this time,” she giggled as she looked at her bed for
any damages.

“This time but what about the next or the next?” I teased her and to emphasis
my point I thrust into her again.

She gasped. “Shouldn’t we be getting to know each other better?” she looked
at me with her sunflower gold eyes and there was apology written in them.

I wasn’t ready to cease our activities and I drove into her again. “We are
getting to know each other, in the best possible way.”

“Did you marry me just for the sex?”

Her question stopped me dead in my tracks. “Of course not, but it helps.”
 “True but we still have plenty to learn about one another. And I honestly want
to know everything.” Her eyes were eager and sparkling with hope.

“Good point,” I reluctantly pulled out of her and we whimpered at the lose of
completeness. I snuggled up to her and wrapped my arms around her back, pulling her
as close to me as possible. “I can honestly say I now know why Emmett and Rosalie
disappeared for ten years to be alone.”

Bella giggled into my chest then ran her fingers over my tensing skin. “We
just made love, are we really going to talk about your siblings?”

I winced at what I had just done. “No, it was just a fleeting thought, sorry.”

We cuddled and talked all night, not caring what tomorrow brought. There
was talk about hiding in the janitors closet, behind the farthest building, the woods,
any place secluded that we could get away to perform some extracurricular activities.
Anything to avoid another ten hour absence from the others touches.

Chapter 14: Calm Before The Storm

Bella’s Point of View

“It’s been a month already. When are you finally going to come over to our
house again?”

I cringed internally at the little imp’s whining plea. It’s already been a month?
I thought it had only been a week – two tops. When I wasn’t in class I had spent every
second with Edward, learning about each other, touching, kissing…and other things
rated NC17. Well, what would you expect from newlyweds?

I wiggled my back closer against Edward's chest and his arms tightened
around me. Emmett wiggled his eyebrows at us from across the lunch table
suggestively and I rolled my eyes at him.

“Well, you two have been awfully cuddly this last month. Learn anything
interesting about Eddie? Although I’m not sure what would be considered interesting
about him.” Emmett leered directly at me and I glared and growled at him, how dare
he insult my husband.

I tilted my head around and kissed Edward's neck and caressed his cheek with
my hand, successfully causing him to shiver. “I’ve learned plenty and it’s all
interesting. And it’s EDWARD, not Eddie or Ed.”

Edward snickered and pressed a kiss to my temple, I felt his lips curl into a
smile against my skin and I tilted my head to meet Emmett. “Don’t get her mad Em, it
isn’t pretty.” I thought about smacking Edward for his little comment but rethought it
considering that it was true.

Ever have that feeling your being watched. I was having the feeling of
someone scrutinizing me right now. I glanced around the room and everyone seemed
to be carrying on like normal, so I returned my sights to our table. Edward and
Emmett were in a debate about how scary I could be. Alice and Rosalie were of
course discussing the latest fashion trends for the approaching spring. I nearly did a
double take when I looked at Jasper.

He was leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest and his
eyes were narrowed as he stared at me. Had I done something to irritate him? I tried to
look away and act like nothing was unusual but his intense gaze was burning into me.

“Jasper, what is the deal? Why are you staring at me like that?” I snapped at
him and almost pulled myself from Edward's arms as I leaned over the table at my
brother’s intense inspection.

“What is wrong with your emotions? You two are all over the place. Blissful,
lustful, anger, deceit, content, frustrated…can’t you focus on one emotion at a time!”
Jasper placed his hands to his temple like he had a headache.

“Awww, my poor brother is having a sensory overload.” I sneered at him and

he glared back. I stood up and grasped Edward's hands. “Come along Edward – let’s
leave the poor emotional sponge here.”

I gave Edward a quick wink then he swiftly and eagerly followed after me.
When we were out of the cafeteria I felt warm lips graze my earlobe.

“So where should we hide today? The forest, the gym storage room, the
janitor’s closet, under the stage…I’m voting for skipping the rest of the day all
together.” He whispered very wantonly in my ear as he nibbled it from behind me.

“If we did that everyone would find out in a split second. Your incorrigible
you know that.” He fiddled with my hair as we walked toward the Science building on
the far side of the school. “I think we should just make-out behind the building.” I
grabbed the waistband of his pants and pulled him along after me. “Don’t want to
raise too many suspicions, do we?”

The smile on his face was extremely sheepish at the same time disappointed.
As soon as we rounded the far corner of the building we locked lips and Edward's
hands trailed up under my shirt. We came to an abrupt halt when we heard a loud gasp
of fright and snapped our heads around to see the interruption.

Mike Newton had Jessica Stanley pinned up against the wall, much like
Edward had me at the moment. Both of them flushed a deep tomato red and their
heartbeats became erratic. All four of us stood absolutely still as we stared at each
other, we were all obviously embarrassed but only the two humans a few yards from
us could show it.

I was the first to clear my head and I quickly pulled a stunned Edward back
around the corner. “Well, that was an instant mood killer.”

“No kidding, I think my dick just inverted. That is a pairing I never want to
see again.” Edward shuddered as we walked to our biology class. “I was so focused
on you that I wasn’t even paying attention to the thoughts around me. But I think it’s
safe to say they won’t try anything where people can accidentally stumble across
them anymore.”

I shivered as the image of Mike and Jessica locked together flitted across my
eyes again and I squeezed them tightly. “I think the sight of them in a compromising
position just blinded me. I don’t know how you’ll ever get me in the mood tonight.”

Edward sighed in exasperation as he followed me into the Biology room.

“Speaking of that, I think we should grace the rest of the family with our presence.”

I whimpered sadly at his suggestion and knew he was right. I hadn’t seen
Esme and Carlisle this whole month and I’m sure they were pestering the others about
me, especially Esme.

Edward pressed his forehead to mine and spoke softly so only I could hear
him. “Don’t worry love, I’ll find some alone time for us. Alice mentioned in her
thoughts earlier that there was going to be a storm tonight and she suggested the
family go out hunting before the rains hit. I think we should conveniently get lost.”

“Lost, do you really think anyone would buy that excuse?” I met his black
eyes with my own, and his passion was made evident in his eyes and voice.

He leaned back minutely and his eyes instantly shifted to a dark gold. We
were both in a desperate need of a good hunt, squirrels, rabbits and raccoons could
only last us so long, and we both needed the larger more thrilling prey.
 “I guess lost won’t really work for two vampires. Let’s just say we got carried
away making-out,” his voice was humorous and sarcastic but I could also tell that he
was hopeful.

The lunch bell rang and Edward's eyes immediately shot to the classroom
door. I followed his gaze in time to see Jessica and Mike walk into the room, both
were still extremely red with embarrassment. I couldn’t help myself – I leaned over to
Edward's shoulder and snickered into his shirt. I could only imagine how humiliated
they felt and it was probably akin to how Edward and I would feel if our family found
out about our little secret.

“So, what are the plans for tonight then?” we still had a few minutes before the
teacher started his class so I figured I’d get the details while I could.

Edward thought in silence for a moment then leaned his face close to mine to
keep our conversation between just us. “Well, I was thinking we go back to the cabin
and you pack some things since Alice will want to keep you for a day or two, maybe
three. We take only one car over. I come up with a plan to carry you over the
threshold like an adoring husband should. We go out hunting with the family and you
and I wander off for a rainy rendezvous.”

I let out a raspy breath as I imagined what tonight had in store for us. “Is that
all you have planned Mr. Cullen?”

He shrugged and smiled crookedly. “It’s a start isn’t it Mrs. Cullen?”

I smiled at him and nodded as Mr. Banner came to the front of the room and
started his lesson. We were starting Herpetology this week, frogs and geckoes and
iguanas, oh my. As we sat silently listening to the teacher ramble on about the
differences between reptiles and amphibians I secretly snaked my hand under the
table and grasped Edward's thigh.

He jumped a bit at the sudden groping and glanced at me out of the corner of
his eye. He then smirked and whispered at a vampiric level, “you big tease.”

I batted my eyelashes at him then directed my eyes to the front of the

classroom. I’m not sure how but we managed to make it through class without
jumping each other, maybe it was the simple fact that we were touching that helped to
satiate our cravings.

Last period of the day was the hardest. I wanted so badly to fain illness and
escape from school all together but I needed to behave for appearances sake. I had an
overwhelming feeling that Edward's thoughts were right along with mind.
 Class was finally over and I ran for my car as fast as a human could run, I so
wanted to run like the wind but a ‘normal’ human couldn’t do that, not even Maurice
Greene. Thanks to Edward's class being closer to the parking lot he was already
leaning against my car, waiting for me in a very seductive manner.

He was half leaning, half sitting on the hood and every orifice of him dripping
with inhuman charm and desire. I caught sever girls eyeing him as they walked past
the Eclipse and my husband. Edward saw me approaching and pushed off the front of
the car gracefully and stalked toward me. His steps were almost like slow motion and
it caused me to stop moving and watch each sensuous step he took. I nearly thought I
would orgasm just from watching each sexy muscle of my husband’s body draw
closer to me.

He finally reached my frozen body and leaned in and whispered in my ear. “If
you’re not careful everyone will become aware of your lust for me.”

I turned my head slightly so I could look him directly in the eyes and
whispered back at him. “At least I was lusting after my husband and not someone
else.”

I didn’t know if I wanted to taunt him or be mad at him. Either way, I wanted
to get home. I walked around the side of him and headed for my car. Instantly a pair
of arms enclosed around my waist and chest and lips were pressed delicately to my
neck, causing me to mewl at the sensation.

“How about we get home quickly so we can steal a few moments before we
have to go to the big house?” all I could do is nod in response. It was truly sad when a
vampire could dazzle another vampire. I felt his hand slide into my front pocket and
extract something jingly, “I’ll drive – you seem drunk at the moment.”

Edward snagged my keys then pulled me toward the passenger side of the car
and helped me inside.

“Don’t forget to hurry over to the house, Esme is eager to see Bella.” Alice
chimed from the BMW next to us. I sighed and waved as Edward climbed into the
driver seat and pulled out.

We were to the quaint little apartment in moments and Edward hadn’t waited
for me to step out of the car before he had me out of the car and thrown over his
shoulder.

“Edward, stop being a Neanderthal and put me down.” He put me down

alright – more like threw me down, on the bed. Then he launched himself at me,
forcing me down on my back as he pressed himself fully onto my body. I relished in
the contact of his body on mine and I could feel the heat rising in the pit of my
stomach.

Before I could utter a word he slammed his mouth down on mine. There was
an eagerness to his kiss I wasn’t used to and it only succeeded in enflaming the fire
between my legs higher.

There was a vibration in my pants and I growled furiously. I quickly retrieved

the source of the interruption and flipped it open. “Yes?” I was trying desperately to
mask the irritation I knew was evident in my voice.

“I’m not sure if Edward told you but you need to bring over some clothes for
this weekend,” Alice's voice was practically dancing on the other end.

“Yes he did so no need to worry.”

“Good, see you in a few than,” the line went dead.

I whined loudly as I shut the phone. “What an annoying little gremlin! That
island you told me about is sounding better every day.”

“Soon, my love,” Edward whispered against my lips then sat up so we could

get ready to leave for the weekend.

“Not soon enough,” I sighed as I stood up and retrieved a couple pieces of

clothing and threw them into a small bag. “So, your car or mine?”

Edward looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. “Mine, don’t want
the Volvo feeling left out or neglected.”

I followed Edward outside, all the while shaking my head in disbelief. Men
and their vehicles, I’ll never understand.

Sad to say but we were at the mansion in a matter of minutes. I reached down
to grasp my bag of clothes when Edward already had my door open and was lifting
me into his arms bridal fashion. I guess he thought up a plan for getting me over the
threshold without suspicion.

“Edward, what are you doing?” I asked, hoping I was playing into his plan.

“I just didn’t want to let you go. This way I can keep you close to me, just the
way I like it,” he gently hipped the door closed then walked to the house.

I clutched my bag to my chest as he carried me into the house and we were

quickly bombarded by other people.
 “Oh Bella, you finally came over,” Esme was the first to react and she pulled
me out of Edward's arms and in for a tight embrace. She then pulled back and smiled
warmly and motherly at me. “I didn’t think it was possible but you’re positively
glowing with happiness.”

“I guess that’s what happens when you can finally be with the one you love to
learn about them without interruptions,” I glared at the four siblings who were putting
on innocent and shocked faces. Esme chuckled at my statement.

“Yes, they are very good at interrupting at inopportune times.” Esme agreed
and directed a scowl at her children.

Alice pranced up to me and snatched my bag from my unsuspecting arms.

“Shall we go hunting before the rains start?” she was practically vibrating but she
restrained herself to just bouncing on the balls of her feet.

I shot Edward a quick glance then winked at him before smiling down at the
girl that would pass for a ten year old. “Absolutely, I’m eager to take down an elk.” I
then decided to allow Alice the chance to see me attacking her brother with kisses
while the rain poured down on us, at least that’s how I hoped things would pan out.

She beamed a smile from ear to ear than quickly shot upstairs to deposit my
bag in a room, wonder which room she chose, she was back in front of me in a matter
of seconds. “Well, let’s go. You and Edward haven’t been eating well – your eyes
have been a dull gold for a couple of weeks now.”

She grabbed my hand and pulled me through the large back doors. I shot
Edward a devilish glance just before releasing Alice's hand and lunging into the forest
behind her house.

“Go get her Edward. She let me see what she was planning after she hunted.”

Like she really needed to tell him what I was planning. Of course her vision
was only a small piece to the puzzle that would enfold tonight; I just hoped that that
small tidbit would be enough to grant us some free time.

I was miles away from the others by the time Edward caught me and threw me
to the ground, his mouth and hands were all over my body in an instant. I wanted so
badly to continue with our current activities but there was something else that needed
done first.

“Edward, we need to do something before we get carried away with

ourselves.” The look on his face would have made a nun wet. It was pleading and
confused and lonely. “We need to hunt first then we can have our fun, I’m sure Alice
let you see the vision I let through.”
 “Yeah,” he confirmed sadly.

I smirked slightly at his lack of enthusiasm. “You didn’t think we were just
going to make-out did you?” His eyes lit up and started smoldering and he leaned his
face closer to my neck. “Hopefully it will guarantee us some privacy for a while.”

He pressed his lips to my neck and I instantly felt liquid pool between my legs,
then he was gone. “Let’s hunt so we can continue on to more pressing matters.”

I giggled when he shifted his pants at the words ‘pressing matters’, his matters
were very obvious. All I could do was nod for fear of squeaking my answer if I
opened my mouth.

He pulled me back onto my feet then we ran another couple miles into the lush
forest. When we smelled a herd of elk we both veered to the right in unison and we
each took down an elk a piece – having survived on small game for weeks gets old.

I finished off the first bull with quick ease then started on the cow. The cow
was a bit more difficult to drain, not because of her blood but because of my husband.
His wild woodsy scent assaulted my nose and I nearly forgot about the lifeless animal
I held in my teeth. I somehow managed to finish the small elk and my eyes hit upon
Edward who was now working on his second large bull.

A roll of thunder crashed overhead and I knew at any moment the skies would
open up and we would be drenched. But a good wild storm was just what we needed.

I licked my lips hungrily as I watched his lips massage the animal’s neck,
milking the red nectar from its veins. In the same second that Edward pulled away
from the elk I was in motion. Without a sound, I sprang at Edward with all my
strength causing us to slide on the ground several feet and over a small hill.

When we stilled at the bottom of the hill I was on top of Edward and we were
both shirtless. Two sets of hands were working feverishly at pants buttons and
zippers.

“I’m buying you skirts and dresses tomorrow…” Edward managed to breathe
out as he stripped off my pants.

In the next instant we were standing and I had liberated Edward of his pants
and boxers. I was surprised when I was shoved up against a wide tree and lifted so I
was gazing directly in his blackened eyes. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck
as I was dropped lower. I gasped loudly in pleasure as Edward impaled me. That
morbid word will never have the same reaction out of me anymore.
 I’m not sure what was making things more intense, the tree bark massaging
my back or the sensation of being skewered repeatedly by a long steel rod or the man
I called husband lavishing my skin and lips with kisses.

There was another loud crack of thunder and a jolt went through my body and
every nerve ending in my body came to life as a bolt of lightning stuck off in the hills.
The hands that were holding my rear tightened, clenching each cheek and pulling me
closer and him deeper. I bit down on my bottom lip to keep from screaming out and
drawing unwanted attention as the pace we had set quickened and ever nerve readied
to explode.

This time the thunder was joined by a deluge of cold water, soaking us in a
matter of seconds. Our skin became slick which caused our bodies to slide and move,
in return causing the friction between us to climb tremendously.

“Bella…I can’t…like this…won’t last-” Edward grunted in a raspy incoherent

sentence. I slammed my lips to him as I ground my hips down inhumanly.

The added pressure and rubbing was too much for the both of us. I locked one
hand into his hair while the other caressed his slick wet back. We silenced each others
orgasmic hollers with a savage, earth shattering kiss. Neither of us wanted to draw
unwanted attention from anyone so we remained as quiet as possible. We continued to
keep our lips locked together as we rode out the waves of our orgasm.

Edward finally pulled his face away from mine as both of our bodies relaxed.
We were both panting as Edward took a step back from the tree and let me release my
legs from around his waist.

“I think we should head back now. Don’t want them asking why we stayed out
in the rain so-” I was cut off by Edward rushing at me and pushing me back into the
tree. His fingers started to ghost over my cheeks and tickled against my lips as he
stared into my searching eyes.

“I love you so very, very much Mrs. Cullen,” his voice was low and sultry and
I almost orgasmed again from the sound of it.

“I love you too. You know, that’s the first time you said you loved me,” I
fought off a giggle as his face instantly became bewildered. I could tell he was deep in
thought so I remained silent as I started to gather our clothes.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve said it before…” he still looked deep in thought as he
pulled on his jeans.

I leaned over his shoulder and whispered into his ear. “I don’t believe you
have but your actions speak louder than words.”
 He turned on me in an instant and wrapped me tightly in his arms. “Not a day
will go by without me voicing my true feeling for you. I promise.”

I leaned forward and gave his lips a quick kiss. “I’ll hold you to that. Now we
really need to get home before they come looking for us.”

A smile curled his lips and he made to grab me again but I moved out of the
way and pulled on my soaked jeans and shirt. He leapt to capture my waist again and I
sprang away giggling. I saw him take hold of his drenched shirt as he chased me
toward the house.

We burst into the house laughing and dripping wet. Alice and Esme screeched
in horror at seeing the rain pool around our feet.

“What in the world were you two doing to get so wet?” Esme asked and I
nearly exploded in laughter at her choice of words.

“We thought we would have a shower on the way back,” Edward replied as he
rested his chin on my shoulder and grinned at Esme.

“Some shower, you’re covered in mud and leaves. Go get cleaned up now.”
Esme hollered with a very stern look on her face.

“Bella, you can use my shower, I’ll use the guest bath,” Edward brushed a
gentle kiss over my neck then dragged me upstairs.

He quickly deposited me in the bathroom and took his leave. With the house
full of sensitive ears and emotions now would not be a good time to have a shared
shower, unfortunately.

I cleaned up quickly even though I was enjoying the warm water as it

cascaded off my skin and didn’t want to get out but I wanted to get back to Edward. I
left the bathroom in a towel and walked into the closet to find a change of clothes.

I was about to grab a sweater when a rather wicked idea popped into my head.
I went over to Edward's side of the closet and pulled out a pair of his boxers and one
of his dark purple button-down shirts. This was going to get me in trouble.

After changing into my new apparel I strolled down stairs innocently.

Everyone was gathered in the living room having a light and humorous conversation.
When Edward's eyes found me and saw what I was wearing and I could tell that all
previous conversation was forgotten. A low growl erupted as his eyes wandered over
my body.
 “Tone it down Edward. Damn, if she wasn’t my sister I would say go get rid
of that sexual frustration,” Jasper glared over at my husband till he let up on his
overpowering emotions.

Poor Jasper, if he only knew that that frustration was released almost daily
sometimes more. Soon, he and everyone else will know the truth but in the meantime
we’ll keep it a secret for as long as possible.

Right now though, I need to think up a plan for our first valentines day
together. Something romantic and unique if possible, without interruptions would be
great.

Chapter 15: Mine Forever

Edward’s Point of View

Two weeks, two damn weeks of my wife being secretive about our upcoming
Valentines Day together. She wouldn’t tell me a thing despite my many, many
attempts at coaxing it out of her. I had even threatened to withhold sex but I was
always the one to give in after a couple hours.

It was a miracle that we hadn’t gotten caught by our family in the last two
weeks. We would alternate between her place and mine during hunting, which
became a very common activity for us. On more than a few occasions I found myself
fiddling with my wedding band and I had to slap myself mentally, like I did a few
minutes ago.

At the moment I was pouting in my room because Bella had to go home and
do something. She had left me very specific instructions and it was driving me insane.
At midnight on the 14th I was to open a box that was currently sitting on my lap and
follow what it said inside. I had actually set my phone’s alarm to go off at exactly
midnight and now I was sitting on my bed glaring at a small red box waiting for the
alarm to go off.

*Beep Beep Beep*

Finally! I ripped open the box and found several puzzle pieces and a little note
resting on the top.

I half growled half moaned at what she had possibly planned. I leapt to the
floor and dumped out the contents of the box. I had the puzzle together in about a
minute and I was speechless at what I saw. Bella was lounging on her bed at the
apartment wearing only an ivory baby-doll that left nothing to the imagination. Only
her breasts and bikini area were covered by a solid fabric everything else was covered
in a very see-through material*. I was practically drooling at the image in front of me
and my penis stirred to life. How had she managed to get such a shot of herself like
that, tie the camera to the ceiling?

Once the realization of Bella's request and intention sunk in I quickly gathered
up the puzzle and hid it in my closet. Without a word I sprang from my window and
made a mad dash for the apartment cabins and my waiting wife. I silently entered
through the sliding glass back door and stalked silently toward the bedroom.

I opened the door slowly, a bit nervous of what I would see in person. I poked
my head into the room and glanced around. Before my eyes could find the slight
figure of my lovely wife I was pulled violently into the room by the front of my shirt.
I was then thrown onto the bed viciously and landed on my back. I looked around
frantically for my assailant, at the same time Bella climbed on to the bed and
straddled my legs. She was wearing the same outfit from the puzzle and I felt my
nether regions become fully erect.
 “Did I scare you?” she asked seductively as she started to undo the button on
my pants. All I could do was watch her delicate fingers play with the denim then start
to pull at the bottom of my shirt. “I have a suggestion. Want to try it?”

I would gladly try anything she suggested. I nodded meekly, my body was
currently unable to do much else as she slipped my shirt over my head and wigged her
hips further up my lap to meet my growing excitement.

“It’s called the Alphabet Game. We take turn kissing a body part in
alphabetical order. I’ll go first.” She threw my shirt to the floor and started to caress
my chest with her fingers. They lingered on my stomach muscles and my abs
automatically tightened as her lips came in contact with my skins.

Ahh, abs. Now it was my turn and I got the letter B. I quickly rid her of the
ivory baby-doll and planted a lingering kiss on each of her lovely breasts. She then
leaned over and kissed me on the chin. I had to do a bit of maneuvering and gave her
perfect derrière a kiss and a slight squeeze with my hand.

She yipped in surprised then moved closer to my face and leaned in to kiss
my ear and she bit down somewhat in the process. I decided to be a little nicer and I
merely kissed her on the forehead. I looked into Bella's eyes wondering what she was
going to do next since she had G.

I was flabbergasted when she crawled off of me and yanked my pants off in
one quick motion. She then positioned herself just above my obvious erection and
bent down and gave my groin the sweetest of kisses. I very nearly lost it then but the
look in her eyes told me to continue.

I waited for Bella to sit up then I bowed over her and pressed a kiss just above
her left breast where her heart was. I was going to be another interesting letter to
accomplish, there weren’t many I-s on the human body, and I’m sure she won’t be
picking iris. She held up both my hands and pecked each index finger. I quickly
lunged at her neck and half kissed half pulled at her jugular, successfully eliciting a
gasp of breath from her. After composing herself she pulled my hands back up and
kissed each knuckle, no fair, she got eight kisses in – I’ll get her later.

I leaned down and kissed both of her gloriously slim legs. She swiftly grabbed
my face and pulled me upwards so she could claim my mouth in a heated kiss. The
way she kissed told me she was losing her control during this game. I trailed my
hands down her neck and cupped her breasts then caressed a nipple with my tongue
then moved to the other, Bella's breathing was starting to become ragged.

She rolled over onto her side and clawed her way to my side where she didn’t
kiss but licked at my oblique muscles much like I had seen a human do with an ice
cream cone. I laid her back down on the bed and scooted myself down so I could kiss
her pelvic bone. She then sat back up and leaned over my lap then bent down to kiss
myquadriceps.

In another moment of sweetness I lifted both her hands and delicately kissed
her naked ring finger on her left hand then kissed the wedding band on her right. I
wonder how much longer till our rings are in their proper place. Bella wiggled around
till she was kneeling behind me and she started to trail kisses up my spine. When she
had reached the top of my spine I reached behind me and grabbed her arm then pulled
her around and she landed on the mattress in front of me. I then placed several kisses
on her thighs and she started to moan.

With shaky limbs and shaky breath she managed to kiss my upper arm. With
my next kiss she would lose it completely. I positioned her so she was comfortable on
the bed and nestled myself between her legs lying down. I then started to kiss around
her folds till I found what I was truly searching for, her vagina. I licked at all the
juices that had accumulated, it was delicious, human blood had nothing on this flavor.
She started to writhe and arch her back as she mewled incoherently. I shoved my
tongue inside of her to taste more of her juices and Bella screamed out loud, causing
me to drive my tongue even deeper. In a matter of a minute her muscles clenched
down around my tongue.

“Please…please…please…” she muttered between her heavy panting. She

was begging me to join our bodies together, and I wasn’t one to deny her request.
 In one quick motion I had buried myself completely within her overheated
core. Despite our bodies always being at room temperature, a female vampire’s center
will always heat up during mating. Due to the image on the puzzle, the kissing game,
the taste of her juices and the numerous erotic sounds coming from my angelic wife
beneath me, I wouldn’t last long. I tried to prolong the inevitable by slowing my
rhythm but Bella was groaning out ‘faster’ and ‘harder’, urging me to follow her
request.

I leaned down and nibbled her ear as I whispered into it. “I love you, forever.”

She arched her back toward me as her orgasm started to overtake her. She
reached up and forcefully pulled my face to her and she locked her lips onto mine and
I joined her in a feverish orgasm that felt earth shattering.

She pulled her lips away barely so she could speak. “I love you, forever and
always. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“It was indeed a happy valentine’s day. Where did you get the idea for the
game?” I looked at her curiously as I untangled myself from her.

“You don’t want to know,” she sat up on the edge of the bed with a shamed
look.

I arched an eyebrow then leaned over and traced her shoulder with my lips and
tongue. “Yes I do. I want to know whom to thank later.”

She sighed and groaned while she kept her eyes locked on the floor in front of
her. “It was your sister.”
 “Alice…” I growled through my teeth as the image of my wife and the evil
pixie huddled together plotting.

“It wasn’t Alice.”

I stared at her bewildered and shocked. Not Alice? Rosalie had told her this
little idea. “Rosalie told you, why?”

“Like the rest of your family, she wants you to finally get laid. She was hoping
the game would help loosen you up. Little did she know that wasn’t your problem.”

This was just great – my entire family was plotting against me and doing a
fabulous job at keeping it from me. Much to my disappointment because I wanted to
ravish Bella again, her phone started beeping.

She sighed then answered it quickly. “Hello Alice.”

I could hear everything said on the other side of the phone and I glared at
Alice through the line.

“Are you planning on coming over today?”

“I hadn’t thought about it,” Bella looked at me with apologetic eyes.

“Oh please, please, please do. It’s a holiday, you should be with family.”

“Valentine’s is for lovers not family,” I grumbled and crossed my arms over
my chest.
 “Was that Edward?”

“Um yeah, we were discussing what we should do today,” she walked over to
her dresser and started to pull out a set of clothes.

“If you come over I can help with your plans?”

Bella glanced at me and winced as our sister tried to talk her into visiting. I
nodded and shrugged miserably, at least I’ll be able to give Bella her gift. I did kind
of flee the house in a bit of a hurry.

“Alright Alice, we’ll be there in a little bit.” Bella closed her phone and sighed
then started to put on her clothes and I did the same.

In seconds we were traveling down the highway toward the mansion. I drove
slower than I normal would so I could draw out the time alone with my wife. She had
curled her arm around mine and was cuddling me tightly.

We pulled into the garage and I quickly whisked Bella way to our bedroom
before Alice could get her hands on us. I sat her down on the bed comfortably – it was
then that I realized everyone else was out of the house, probably hunting – what was
that devilish imp planning?

“I have your present in the Volvo, I’ll be right back,” I kissed her briefly then
turned to leave.

“But I didn’t get you anything,” she looked at the floor as if it was the most
interesting thing ever.
 I stopped in my exit and pulled Bella into my arms. “Bella, you give me
everything just by loving me, and you planned earlier for us so that was your gift to
me.”

She nodded and smiled shyly and I lifted her chin upwards so I could kiss her.
“I’ll be right back,” with that I zipped out of the room.

I ran to the Volvo and retrieved the bags. I made my way back inside slowly
as I examined the contents of each bag, pleased with my decisions, Alice would be
proud. I was startled briefly by a pair of arms latching around my waist from behind.
The bags fell to the floor as a thought seeped into my head and I cringed.

‘Hello lover-boy. So have you grown tired of your little tartlet yet? Are you
ready for a real woman?’ The voice I could have lived the rest of my life without
hearing again echoed through my mind.

No matter what I did this woman would not take a hint. “I don’t want you, I
never did, I never will. Bella is entirely the woman I need and I’m ecstatic with her.
Take a hint and get away from me.” I snarled at her and it only seemed to urge her
further.

Before I could do anything like shove her away, she swiftly moved around my
waist so she was looking directly at my face. ‘Ahh, you don’t really mean that. We’ve
know each other for almost 40 years, you’ve know that Fella girl for how long? A few
months? She probably isn’t even satisfying you like you need to be.’

Now that I could see her I noticed she didn’t have much in the line of clothing
on. A bright purple tank top and a very short black leather skirt, she was nearly falling
out of both.

The world went red around me when I felt a hand grab tightly at the center of
my pants. That did it! I shoved Tanya off of me with all my strength. “GET OFF OF
ME!”
 Tanya skidded backwards for several yards than sprang back at me and
wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs went around my waist and she held on
tightly.

“Come on Eddie, just one kiss…” she tried to force her face closer to mine as I
tried to pry her off of me.

“HELL NO-”

“GET THE HELL OFF MY HUSBAND YOU TWO-BIT WHORE!”

Oh shit, Bella's pissed and she should be. I glanced toward the stairs and saw
Bella standing in the middle of them in all her magnificent furious glorious self. Her
eyes were an intense obsidian black as she glared down at the Klingon that thought
she had some claim to me.

“Your husband, don’t make me laugh,” she laughed shrilly and continued her
attempt to kiss me. ‘You’re not even wearing a ring.’

I threw my head back and laughed manically. “You think because I don’t have
a ring on my left hand that means we’re not married?” I heard Bella growl from the
stairs and she didn’t seem happy with my behavior. “Well I guess we stop the charade
now.”

I watched as Bella pulled the ring from her right hand and placed it on her left
ring finger. I reached my arms over my head to avoid Tanya in every way and
repeated the process with my own wedding band.

“We moved our wedding rings to the other hand in hopes of some privacy, but
you ruined that!” I could tell that Bella's temper was increasing as she moved down
the stairs. Each movement of her body was lithe and cat-like as she stalked toward us
– her eyes never left Tanya as she continued to hang onto me.

‘Edward, if you can hear me – shove Tanya away on my mark.’

That voice was Bella's! When had she been able to allow access to her mind? I
smirked and nodded slightly.

“Rings don’t mean anything,” Tanya snickered and reached for my face yet
again.

“Want to see the license or would you prefer to watch us having sex? Which
ever will work for you to finally give up,” Bella growled at Tanya and I was a bit
stupefied by Bella's suggestion of an audience. ‘Edward, now.’

I used all my strength to shoved Tanya as far off of me as possible. The

second she was detached and thrown across the room she landed against the dinning
room wall Bella lunged at her. She grabbed Tanya’s short strawberry locks and pulled
her head down to the floor.

“What kind of whore are you that you make a move on a married man? Have
you tried to get into Carlisle's or Jasper's or Emmett's pants as well?” Bella snarled at
Tanya and Tanya growled at her in response and shoved up on her arms quickly
enough that it propelled Bella back slightly.

“I’ve been after him for decades. What makes you think that a new little girl in
the neighborhood will change that?” she then started to pace back and forth in front of
Bella who was standing in front of me defensively.

“How about the fact that he married that little girl?!” snapped Bella.
 There was a loud crash from behind us and my head shot over to see the rest
of my family standing in the doorway to the backyard.

‘He did what?’

‘Who married who?’

‘It’s about time!’

“WHAT?!” Esme was the first to actually speak, well, shout really. I gazed at
her saucer sized eyes and hanging jaw, I think it was safe to say she was in shock.

Alice just fell to her knees and started sobbing uncontrollably. “How could
you? I thought we were family?”

Jasper just growled at me then went and tried to comfort his hysterical wife.

I directed my eyes back to the confrontation between Bella and Tanya. Bella
was cringing at the family’s onslaught of surprise and it was just enough of a
distraction for Tanya to take action. I gasped loudly when Tanya sprang at me yet
again. I readied myself to avoid her assault at the same time Bella's scream echoed
throughout the house.

“STAY AWAY FROM MY HUSBAND, BITCH!” her shout was full of

venom and aggression.

The next thing we knew, Tanya was shaking uncontrollably on the floor. It
was like she had been connected to a 500 volt battery. I didn’t know Kate was here. I
searched around the room for Tanya’s sister but I could only find my family and
Bella. I stood in shock staring at Bella as she was standing with her eyes closed; her
fist clenched at her side and her whole body was shaking.

“Bella?” I asked cautiously and took a step toward her.

Her eyes popped open and she stared at me with surprising calm on her face
and the thrashing on the floor ceased. Tanya was no longer being electrocuted.

“Bella, what just happened?” I was almost in front of her now and her eyes
cleared to their normal sunflower gold that I loved.

She looked down at her hands then to Tanya that was lying on the floor
breathing heavily. She then looked up at me with fear written all over her face. “I…
have no idea…”

Chapter 16: A Shocking Discovery

Bella’s Point of View

Did I just miss something? One minute I’m snapping at Tanya to get off my
husband the next she’s writhing on the floor like she had been strapped to an electric
chair. The look on Tanya’s face was filled with sheer terror. Edward’s face only held
worry and confusion as he slowly approached me. The rest of the family on the other
hand was a mixture of hurt, fury, bewilderment, excitement and aggression.

“Bella, what just happened?” Edward asked from in front of me and he started
to rub his hands up and down my arms in an attempt to comfort me, I think.

I looked down at my hands then to Tanya that was lying on the floor gasping
deeply. I then gazed up at Edward with love written all over his face. “I…have no
idea…”

Edward wrapped his arms around me tightly and buried his face into my hair.
“Not that I’m complaining, but what in the world did you just do to Tanya?”
 I stared at him for a few moments in confusion while I thought over the last
few minutes leading up to the whole ordeal with the strawberry blond recuperating on
the floor. Alice had practically begged me to come to the main house and when we
arrived no one was even home. Edward took me upstairs and ran back downstairs to
retrieve my valentines present. While I waited for his return I started to hear Tanya’s
voice from down in the living room, she was putting the moves on my husband again.
Thanks to Edward’s gift I could only hear one side of the conversation and he was
trying desperately to convince her to stay away from him while remaining the 1918’s
gentleman he had been raised.

When I heard her call him Eddie and plead for a kiss the world seemed to fall
away and I was seeing red. I hated that nickname and hated her even more. Why
wouldn’t the bitch take a hint? He didn’t like her and never would, he had even told
her he was now married and still she wouldn’t give up. Maybe her brain had become
addled during her change? After some fighting and yelling I was greatly surprised
when Edward responded to my thoughts and had managed to toss Tanya away from
him so I could get to her.

As soon as I said that Edward had married that little girl I immediately wanted
the floor to open up and swallow me whole. The family had just arrived home from
hunting when the words slipped past my tongue. I hadn’t much time to think over
everyone’s reactions considering I could actually feel my eyes dilate as I watched the
whore run at my husband. The only thing going through my head was she needed
stopped in any way possible like a bolt of lightning striking her down.

Is that what happened, I wanted lightening to hit her and it did? No, we are
inside so that can’t be it. Was that slight surge through my body an indicator of what
was to come, had I shocked Tanya in some way, how?

My eyes widened as I looked deeply into Edward's anxious eyes and the
puzzle started to materialize. “It’s my fault. I shocked Tanya!”

“What do you mean, how could you have shocked her?” he looked at me for a
few long seconds then looked over to Tanya who was slowly pulling herself to her
feet.

“Back at Christmas, Kate had used her power on me to see if I was immune to
her as well. Of course I was but apparently I had absorbed her powers, hence the
electricity into Tanya.” I smiled as Edward's eyes widened to the size of plates.

“Are you saying you can absorb powers when used against you?” his eyes
rapidly shot between Tanya and me.

I shrugged nonchalantly as I continue to smile at him. “It would seem so. You
have tried to read my mind on occasion have you not?” Edward nodded shamefully.
“This is why you could hear me earlier. It would appear I can absorb others powers
and bend them…this is cool.”

I was completely flabbergasted when Edward wrapped me in his arms tightly

and started to spin me around. After a couple revolutions, he finally set me on my feet
and brushed my hair out of my face then cupped my cheeks.

“I’m so glad it’s nothing dangerous and you’ll be alright,” the relief and love
was pouring from his eyes.

“Hello, did you forget you have an audience?” chimed Emmett and burst our
happy little bubble.

Edward winced before we looked over to our family. Someone was obviously
not having very nice thoughts and the look on Jasper’s face told me who. In all the
confusion, I had totally forgotten about our family that had just burst in on this whole
mess. Emmett was sporting an enormous grin that implied his thoughts were very
profane. Rosalie and Esme looked hurt but they seemed to understand. Carlisle’s
expression was all knowing as if he knew this was coming. Jasper glared at Edward as
if he had murder on his mind and Edward was the victim. Alice looked heartbroken as
if her entire wardrobe had spontaneously combusted and she could do nothing to stop
it.

I pulled away from Edward and turned to everyone that was gawking at us in
amazement. “We can explain this. We decide-”

Before I could start my explanation, out of the corner of my eyes I saw

Tanya’s reflection in the window. She snuck up to a vase on the mantle and wrapped
her snake-like fingers around the lip. The second the vase was airborne, I spun on my
heels and shouted.

“STOP!” and everything did. I stared around the room dumbstruck. Everyone
and everything in the room froze completely in place but me, even the vase that was
midair and aimed toward Edward. As I gazed up into Edward's frozen golden eyes, I
remembered another time when this same scenario had happened, minus the vase.

I slowly walked around the room and weaved in between everybody

examining them. Edward was in the process of turning to see what the interruption
had been and the rest of the family was motionless in total shock. Then I approached
Tanya.

She had the evilest sneer on her lips and her eyes were alit with anger. Her
arm still outstretched since she had just thrown the fragile vase at my husband. I
growled loudly as I looked at the floating glass object just a few feet from Edward
then I quickly retrieved the vase and managed to position it in front of Tanya. When I
was happy with the hopeful outcome, I strolled back to Edward and wrapped my arms
around his waist tightly.

I smiled up at Edward as I remembered how time had resumed the last time
this happened to me. I glared across the room at Tanya before I let time commence.

I sighed and let my speech growl out of me. “Go!”

As soon as that small word was past my lips, the vase smashed into Tanya's
face, that only whipped the sneer off her face for a second before it returned evilly
with a vengeance. There was a brief pause as she shook her hair free of the glass
shards then she lunged at me. I side stepped her easily and grabbed the back of her
head in the process. The once gorgeous wooden floor splintered and snapped as I
brought her skull down to meet it. We growled at each other and Tanya tried to fight
her way free of my hold.

I held her arms behind her back with one hand and with the other; I held her
head to the floor firmly and tilted it she could look directly at Edward. “See that male
vampire with the bronze hair in front of you?” I whispered ominously in her ear as I
gazed up at my husband who looked worried. I was slightly relieved when Tanya
nodded her head faintly. “You are never to touch him, kiss him, or even attempt any
contact with him. He is my husband, my mate, my life and you are never to interfere
with that again. Do you understand? He. Is. Mine!”

Tanya didn’t move in the least and just stared at Edward, he kept his eyes on
me the entire time I was talking. His eyes flashed to Tanya briefly when I finished
speaking and he hissed down at her. I tilted an eyebrow at him inquisitively.

“She’s still refusing to give up despite everything that we’ve said and done.”
Edward's tone was getting irritated and you could hear the venom in his words.

“I should have stopped this over half a century ago.” I sat up surprised when
Carlisle stepped forward then kneeled in front of Tanya and sighed. “For almost a
century now you have been trying to persuade Edward into being with you and at
every attempt you’ve failed.” He glanced over at Edward than me. “It is apparent you
need to stop your obsession now and leave him alone. Either you respect Edward and
Bella's union or you’re not welcome on any of our properties anymore.”

I was in complete shocked by Carlisle’s words, I had never expected him to

speak like this let alone possibly shun a relative. I loosened my grip on Tanya so she
could move and respond to his demand.

“I’ll think about it.” We were all surprised when she hissed then turned and
ran out the main door without another look or word at any of us.
 I watched with large eyes as she ran off then I turned my head toward Edward
and he too had a shocked expression. “Well that was a reaction I hadn’t anticipated.”
Edward merely nodded his head in agreement.

“So what is this we hear about you two actually being married, when did that
happen?” I tilted my head away from Edward slightly to see Emmett jumping up and
down behind the mostly fuming crowd.

I stood up and latched onto Edward's arm like it was a life preserver, and at the
current moment, it was. For being a 56-year-old strong vampire, I was terrified of a
small pixie of a girl and my own brother. “Um…well…we…” I shot Edward a glance
and begged him to help in the explanation. I sure hope you can explain this better
than I can.

He pulled his arm closer to himself which in turn pulled me closer to him then
he threw Emmett a death-like glare. “I will not name names but we wanted some
privacy. We knew that once we mentioned we were going to marry Esme and Alice
and possibly Rosalie would go crazy and steal Bella away for planning. Jasper would
glare daggers at me and badger me with questions, much like he’s doing right now.” I
gave Jasper a disapproving glance but it didn’t seem to lessen his ire in the least.
“And there is no way in hell I was going to endure one of Emmett’s sex education
lessons. As for Carlisle, I’m not really sure…I was kind of dreading the father-son
talk before the wedding.”

“So my older little brother has finally become a man,” Emmett whimpered and
whipped away a pretend tear.

Edward snarled and threw his arm up pointing at Emmett. “And that is exactly
why we chose to elope!”

“So,” Alice’s eyes narrowed as she locked her sights on me. “Are you saying
you didn’t want me to plan your wedding? Is that what I was hearing? I thought I was
your best-friend, your sister…and this is how you repay me?”

I started fidgeting nervously with the hem of my shirt. “Actually we-”

Alice threw up a hand to stop my speech then stormed away from us. She
wasn’t going to let me explain our decision. She had no right to be angry until she
knew the lengths of our choices.

“YOU STOP RIGHT THERE YOU OVERACTING IMP!” I stepped away

from Edward, slamming my foot down on the floor as I yelled. All eyes were on me
now and Alice stopped but didn’t turn around to face me. “You listen to what we have
to say and if you don’t like it after we’re done then you can get mad and ignore us, not
before.”
 With her arms folded across her chest and eyes narrowed to minuscule slits,
she finally turned to face us and finally hear us out.

“One of the conditions for us eloping was agreeing to have a large wedding
after high school. We already talked about it and we were going to see if you three
would plan it?” I indicated with my eyes to her, Esme and Rosalie. Esme’s hands
snapped to her mouth in amazement and her eyes seemed to glaze over as she nodded
her head slightly. Rosalie just nodded nonchalantly. Alice looked like she was
debating my words then she sprang at me as if I was a 75% off dress at Bergdorf’s.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Do you forgive us as well?”

Alice nodded faintly against my shoulder. “God, I hate your gift…. Wait, is
this why you two disappeared on New Year’s Day?” I confirmed her suspicion with a
small head nod of my own. She squealed in delight for half a second then her
expression became irksome again. “A month and a half you managed to keep this
hidden from us. How long were you planning on going with your little secret?”

I winced and looked at Edward from the corner of my eye. How was I
supposed to tell her we were going to keep the secret as long as we could till the big
wedding?

“To be honest Alice, we were hoping to keep it quiet till after high school and
we were going to have the large family wedding,” Edward spoke with a voice that
told of his shame over the whole mess.

Alice glanced at Edward than back to me and hugged me tighter. “Oh who
cares since you already decided to have a better ceremony anyway?”

I smiled over to Edward and he returned it for a split second before he cringed
violently. Curious as to his unusual behavior I quickly scanned the room and found
everyone was either passive or elated – aside from Jasper. His eyes closed firmly and
his chin pressed down to his chest as he shook his head back and forth vaguely. His
hands clenched tightly at his side made his rage obvious, no one needed to feel his
emotions when it was visible to the naked eye.

“Jasper?” I turned from Alice’s arms and took a step toward my noticeably
angry brother.

“How could you?” his words were extremely quiet and raspy as if he was
forcing the words past his lips.

“Jasper?” Edward took a step backwards toward the still open front door as
Jasper stepped toward him.
 “How could you do this? I barely gain a true sister and you have to go and
steal her away from me.” Rosalie growled from the sidelines at his comment about a
true sister. “I can understand not telling Emmett but why not me?”

“So it’s true!”

Everyone went quiet and we looked at Carlisle, curious about his comment.
He was staring intently between Jasper and me with probing eyes as he inched closer
and closer to us. He stopped suddenly when he noticed we were all staring at him
intently.

He straightened up then cleared his throat before speaking. “I heard that when
venom is shared between individuals it can create a bond like that of true blood
relatives. With the exception of Jasper and Alice, my family has a bond because they
all have my venom or DNA if you will.” He paused and turned his full attention on
me. “I believe that since you and Jasper weren’t together until recently, it’s possible
that the venom between you two is acting aggressively in order to cinch that bond.
Thus the reason for Jasper’s overreacting and being possessive of Bella.”

“Whoa, roll reversal. Usually those are Edward's reactions.” Emmett chuckled
to himself. Rosalie smacked him in the back of the head and hissed at him. “So how
come Bella isn’t acting psychotic?” Jasper hissed a warning to Emmett and he
immediately bit his bottom lip to keep from talking again.

Carlisle looked me over from head to toe while he thought of a reason. “I’m
thinking it has to do with how young Bella is compared to Jasper. Maybe it is
ingrained for the older brother to be protective. Look at how protective Edward is of
all of you. Maybe it’s a combination of the two.”

“Can we put that aside for now please? Can we get back to the fact that they
kept their union a secret from us all?” Jasper growled harshly and Carlisle arched an
eyebrow at him. Apparently, Jasper growling at him was a new thing and Carlisle
wasn’t expecting it.

“Jasper, I don’t really see a problem here,” Esme finally spoke up in her usual
sweet tone and she smiled at him as she walked over to Carlisle. “You know Edward
and you most of all know what his feelings are for Bella. You’ve seen how close they
became around Christmas time, I’m sure it was marry then or sex out of marriage and
you know your brother better than to believe he would give into his desires before
saying ‘I Do’.”

Edward leaned over and whispered very quietly into my ear. “I do know better
but it was really close.”
 I couldn’t help myself and I giggled softly in reply to his little tease. Esme
turned her head and gave us disapproving glares. Guess she heard Edward's little
comment, if Jasper heard he choose to ignore it.

Jasper’s eyes stayed locked on the floor but darted around franticly along the
floorboards. I slowly stepped up to him and tilted my head to the side so I could look
into his searching eyes.

“Jasper, what’s really the problem? The fact that we didn’t tell anyone or the
fact that I didn’t tell you?” his head shot up at my question, realization dawning in his
ocher eyes. That had to be it! The reality that I, his sister hadn’t even told him I was
getting married. But, we didn’t know about this bond thing so we didn’t know there
would be any repercussions. “There is something Edward and I have discussed and he
agrees with me whole heartedly. During our formal wedding, Jasper, would you walk
me down the aisle and give me away?”

His eyes enlarged infinitesimally and Alice squealed in the background. I

smiled adoring at him while I waited for his answer. What felt like hours, was
probably just seconds but the waiting was excruciating. Finally, there was a response
out of him.

He bent over low and gave me a very gentlemanly bow and kissed my hand. “I
would be honored to give you away.” The second he was back to his full height, I
threw my arms around his neck and held him tightly.

“Thank you Jasper, that means the world to me, I love you.” I heard a low
growl and I turned my head toward my husband. “Oh knock it off Edward. Want me
to growl every time you tell Alice, Esme or Rosalie you love them?” he didn’t reply
as he looked like he was thinking over that idea then he half shrugged half nodded.
“Knock it off!”

I released Jasper and we all had a good laugh at our little banter.

“So Bella, what was with those strange occurrences, with the vase I mean?”
asked Edward as he approached me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

I tilted my head back so I could look at Edward's gorgeous face. “Tanya threw
a vase at you and I stopped her. I had forgotten that while with Maria in Texas, one of
her acquaintances froze time, I was unaffected of course.”

“Of course,” he kissed the side of my neck and I felt his lips curl into a smile
against my skin.
 I was startled when a low growl erupted from behind me. I looked at Edward
and was surprised to see him glaring evilly at Emmett who was sporting an enormous
shit-eating grin.

“That is none of your business Emmett. What we do in the privacy of our

room is of no concern to you, got it?” his words snarled off his tongue in a threatening
manner and his arms tightened around me.

“Emmett, knock it off or I’ll zap you like I did Tanya,” I threatened him with a
sinister smile on my face.

He walked over and leaned down to meet me eye to eye. “Please do!” he then
stood up to his full height and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “I’ve always
wondered what it would feel like to be shocked by Kate’s power.”

I felt Edward stiffen behind me and hiss into my hair and I knew Emmett was
bombarding him with questions he didn’t want to answer. I instinctively reacted to
protecting my mate and repeated what I did to Tanya. I clamped my eyes shut and
balled up my fists and willed Emmett to cease his thoughts.

“Well, come on baby sis, ‘zap’ me.” Emmett was actually antagonizing me to
attack – he wanted me to act out. He held up his right hand and beckoned me with his
waving hand to bring it.

I relaxed my stance, crossed my arms in front of me, and gave him a bored
glance. “Emmett I already tried, I can’t shock you.” His jaw fell then he started to
pout.

“Can’t or won’t?” his eyes narrowed in a teasing fashion.

I narrowed my eyes also and glared wickedly at him in return. “C.A…N.T!

I want to shock you, believe me! Even more so now since you were torturing my
husband.”

Emmett finally turned away, laughing his way back to Rosalie’s side. “Eddie,
as a husband, wow, that will take some time getting used to.” I growled at the hated
nickname, it made him sound like a drunken gambler.

“Wait, wait…” Carlisle stepped before me and gazed at me curiously again.

“You could shock Tanya but you can’t repeat that with Emmett?” I shook my head.
“Can you freeze time again?”

I was a little confounded by his questioning but I did as he asked and closed
my eyes then wished for everything to cease. I opened my eyes and nothing stood
still, everything was as it was before I closed my eyes. I looked at Carlisle
apologetically and his eyes seemed to sparkle with interest. I hope I hadn’t become
his science project.

“How many times was the time freezing and Kate’s power used against you?”
he asked completely intrigued now.

I thought back over my time spent with Maria and her ‘friend’ then the small
amount of time I spent with Kate. “Once, each person used their gift against me just
once.”

“What about Edward and Jasper?” he glanced at them briefly and waited for
an answer.

“I have no idea about Edward's attempts as for Jasper none that I know of.”
Jasper confirmed my theory by shaking his head, Edward on the other hand was
cringing in fear. That couldn’t be a good sign. “Edward?”

He gazed at me regretfully then started to trail his hands up and down my

arms. “It was before I knew you, when you first came to Forks. You were the only
mind I couldn’t read and I thought there was something wrong with me. After about
ten tries of intense attempts and not hearing you but still hearing everyone else I
finally gave up.”

Ten, he tried ten times to hear my thought! Edward nodded in agreement to

my thought and I glared at him. Be careful or you’ll be sleeping in the dog house.

“I don’t sleep remember,” he must have thought he was charming when he

winked at me then smiled crookedly.

I crossed my arms and gave him a fierce look. You know what I mean. If
you’re going to be an ass I could always withhold sex, it wouldn’t be difficult with
two houses and six other people around.

He stepped closer to me so he was looming over me, staring down with

enraged eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Try me! If you had admitted to once or twice I could understand, but ten, that
was a bite excessive.

“Trouble in paradise?”

“SHUT UP EMMETT!” Edward and I both yelled at him in unison and he

jumped behind Rosalie.
 “Bella, I’m sorry. In all my life, I had never encountered a mind I couldn’t
read. From the moment you walked into the cafeteria I was intrigued by you and
wanted to learn more but I was cut off and it frustrated me to no end. I’ll admit I went
I bit overboard in my attempts but you have to admit, you didn’t make it very easy
that first day either.” His gaze had become hopeful as he told me his story and the
fury in his eyes had diminished.

Do you think an apology will get you back into my bed faster? The anger in
my thoughts had only decreased a little.

Edward had started massaging my arms again and his eyes fell to the floor.
“No, but I was hoping to explain my actions a little better. Up until recently you have
always kept me guessing.”

Well don’t get used to it. I’m going to start practicing on strengthening my
shield now. He nodded his head miserably and I could have sworn I heard my heart
fragment slightly. I threw my arms around his neck and held him as tightly as I
could. Oh Edward, you can be such a hand full but I still love you and I always will.
You’re forgiven and you had better behave tonight.

There was no response in words or actions and it confused me. “You didn’t
hear my last thought did you?”

He arched an eyebrow at my question. “About improving your shield?”

I shook my head almost violently. “I guess we used up all your transferred

power.”

“It would appear that the number of times a gift is used against you is the same
amount of times you can use it in return.” Carlisle stated simply.

Edward leaned his head down and spoke very softly into my ear. “What was
the last thought you had that I didn’t hear?”

I stretched up on my tiptoes to reach his ear better. “You’ll find out later
tonight,” I nipped his ear briefly before releasing him to go talk to Alice and Esme. I
knew those five words alone would torture him for the rest of the day and I was
hoping to reap the reward of my tease tonight.

“Hey Eddie, what’s in the bag?”

My head snapped around instinctively and I watched as Emmett leaned over

and retrieved the large red and black bag off the floor at the same time Edward went
flying through the air at him.
 “NO, DON’T!”

Chapter 17: It’s None of Your Business

Edward’s Point of View

I retrieved the bag immediately from Emmett's grasp and clutched it to my

chest. This bag was for Bella's eyes only, and mine. Without a word, I turned from
Emmett and swiftly grabbed Bella's hand and dragged her up the stairs.

‘What, no farewell?’ Emmett whined in his head.

I ignored his annoying thought and pulled Bella into our bedroom. Once
inside, I nearly slammed the door shut and locked it, why I locked it I had no idea –
make a point maybe. Bella giggled softly as she watched me panicking in front of her.

“What’s the problem, husband of mine?” she sauntered towards me, swaying
her hips so minutely that a human wouldn’t have noticed but being a vampire and her
husband – I noticed.

I kept myself pinned against the door to ward off any intruders who wanted to
act on their thoughts – Emmett for example. Bella walked slowly in my direction
looking at the floor innocently at the same time she moved her hips and stuck out her
chest to seduce me. The innocence would have been enough to drive me batty.

“It’s just Emmett, he’s debating breaking the door down to annoy us.” Bella
finally reached me and started to trail her dainty hands up my arms, over my
shoulders and down my chest, immediately creating a problem south of the border.
When her dainty hands grabbed a firm hold of my growing problem I would have
fallen to my knees if I hadn’t grabbed the doorframe. In the process of my hands
gripping the frame, the bag fell to the floor.

Bella stretched up on her tiptoes and pressed her chest against mine then
leaned over and nibbled on the bottom of my ear. She then whispered in a very sultry
and lusty voice. “Still want to know what I was thinking earlier?”

I could have sworn my eyes rolled to the back of my head as my sweet and
loving wife continued to massage the tensest part of me. “Love…I always want…
want to know what…you’re thinking…”
 She leaned back with a soft smile and giggled warmly. “Oh Edward, you can
be such a hand full, no pun intended, but I still love you and I always will. You’re
forgiven and you had better behave tonight.”

She wants me to behave tonight? I immediately wrapped my arms around her

tiny waist and leapt to the bed, pinning her under me. My hands developed a mind of
their own, not that I was complaining, and started to meander their way up between
her blouse and skin. “I’ll definitely behave no worry there.”

Bella's eyes closed and a moan escaped her lips just before she bit down on
her bottom lip when my fingers danced over her hardening nipple. “Is this what you
meant by behave?” I asked with a smirk plastered on my face.

“No…but it will work…” she managed to mumble out while still biting her
lip. I felt the grin widen, pleased at what I was capable of doing to her, to my wife.

I moved, pressing my lips to hers thoroughly and let one hand continue to play
with her breasts while the other traveled down to undo the button of her pants, eager
to get her and myself naked.

‘Hey Eddie, have you done it outside yet? Has Bella ridden you? What about
in your car…or hers? At the school anywhere? Have you tried bondage or toys yet?
Against the wall? Back-’

“EMMETT, SHUT UP!” I was growling viciously now. Bella was rubbing her
hands up and down my arms in hope of calming me down. Emmett's ridiculous
questions were wearing on my last nerve.

I felt Bella's fingers weave into my hair and she pulled my head down slightly,
resting her forehead against mine. “There is no way we can do anything while the
house is full.”

I couldn’t hold the scoff that broke away from me. “Yep, definitely not
possible. Do you have any ideas? We both know that even eight hours is torture.”

‘Eight hours?! You can’t even go eight hours without doing it, Day-um Eddie,
learned something from my thoughts did ya?’

“Emmett, shut the hell up or Rose will have to put you back together!”

“And depending on what you were thinking, that might not be for awhile.”
Bella chucked beneath me at hearing Rosalie’s response to me threatening Emmett.
 “Well now that we’ve determined the fact that we can't accomplish intimacy
while Emmett is around, how about you show me what’s in the bag.” Bella sat up and
blinked at me sweetly and innocently.

I stumbled away, nearly falling off the bed in my eagerness, and quickly
retrieved the bag from the floor. I held it out to her and held my breath while she
looked inside at its contents. She pulled out the top layer of tissue paper and let it drift
to the floor then her eyes widened at what she saw. She didn’t like what was inside. I
felt like apologizing or hiding in a corner but I was stunned when she started laughing
loudly and pulled the pieces of fabric from the bag.

“You really did it…why are they so short?” I wiggled my eyebrows

suggestively and she rolled her eyes. “Okay, I’m sure you got one…where is it…aha,
there it is,” she riffled through the rest of the bag and pulled out the blue plaid skirt*.
“I knew you had to buy a school-girl skirt. It’s every guy’s fantasy.” Her smirk was
adorable and if it weren’t for sensitive ears, I would have attacked her.

‘School…girl…skirt…’ Emmett then attempted to picture Bella in one,

bending over a desk innocently.

“Emmett, if you think of my wife like that again, I will personally castrate
you!” Bella's eyes widened at hearing my words and snarl. Then the sound of a
stampede and the walls shacking alerted us to the impending danger, we both cringed
when we heard a door slam against a wall.

“Emmett Dale McCarty Cullen! Are you having inappropriate thoughts about
another man’s wife, your brother’s wife, your sister?” Rosalie's voice was flat but you
could hear the anger in every word she spat at him.

“I guess, but you have to admit it’s an interesting image – OW OW OW!”

I then was gifted with an image of Rosalie dragging Emmett out of the house
by the front of his pants. Then Rose went through ideas of what to do with him –
hanging him upside down from a tree, naked, drenched in honey – withholding sex for
a year – strapping him to his jeep then crashing it into a tree. He really needs to learn
to shut his mouth and his mind off.

“Poor Emmett,” Bella shook her head from side to side and I gazed at her with
enormous and bewildered eyes.

“Poor Emmett? Poor…he was thinking of you in that skirt bent over a desk.” I
pointed to the school-girl skirt during my explanation. Bella held it up and examined
it then placed it on her lap and looked up at me for a few seconds.
 After those few seconds of silence, she started to crawl across the bed toward
me, wiggling all her curves in just the right way to make me respond physically and
verbally with a quiet moan.

“Weren’t they the same thoughts you had when you were picking it out?” she
kneeled in front of me and draped her arms over my shoulders. I leaned forward to
capture her lips at the same time she turned around and shifted through the clothing.
“Let’s see what else there is.”

I growled menacingly at her split-second detour and she giggled softly as she
scooted toward the pile of skirts and turned her back on me. I briefly thought about
lunging at her but that thought quickly flew out the window as I watched her look
over each piece of clothing.

She looked over the jean skirt with an added pleated hem, a white skirt with
white lace, a thigh length leather one, a black silk layered one, a black double layered
skirt where the top layer was a sheer fabric, another looked like it had been ripped so
it hung loosely and a knee-length skirt*.

She then pulled a long red lace outfit from the bag*. Her eyebrows shot to the
ceiling then darted over to me.

“That one is for me,” I wiggled my eyebrows at her suggestively.

Bella looked at the outfit then back to me then back to the clothing in her
hands. “Um, well, I think you’ll look cute,” she stated confidently.

I narrowed my eyes and sneered at her. “Ha ha ha…funny, I meant it was for
me to take off of you.”

“Well you’re no fun,” when she stuck her tongue out at me, I sprang into
action.

I was on top of her, pinning her to the bed, my mouth scant millimeters above
hers. “Isn’t there something you would rather be doing with that tongue of yours?”

She screwed her lips to the side and her eyes tilted upward, portraying a
thoughtful expression. “I don’t think-”

I slammed my lips down on hers. She obviously wanted to play coy but I
wasn’t having it. After what we had gone through today and the fact that I had barely
gotten any kisses since we got here, there was absolutely no way I was going to last
another five minutes without some sort of intimate contact.
 I broke away from her lips and stared to trail kisses down her neck while my
fingers massaged and pulled at her hips.

“Remember when you asked if I had an idea for where we can do things
without interruptions?” she asked with a raspy and lusty voice and I nodded against
her neck. “I have an idea.”

I leaned up on my elbows so I could look at her during her answer to our

problem. “Please, do tell.”

“Move in with me officially. We are married, the family now knows so we no

longer have to be sneaky.” Both her eyes and voice were pleading, silently begging
for an agreement.

Without a word, I sprang off the bed and disappeared into my closet. I grabbed
one of the old boxes I used when we moved here and started filling it. I then carried it
out, sat it on the bed, and went over to my music to select my favorites to take. Bella
started laughing hysterically as I carried some CDs back to the box.

“Eager much?” she pretended to whip away a tear as she smiled at me.

I leaned in towards her, placing my hands on the bed on either side of her.
“Shouldn’t I be?” I smiled crookedly when she nodded her head almost violently.
“Mom, dad, I’m moving out,” I stated loudly just before kissing her forehead and
returning to the box.

“WHAT?” Esme and Carlisle were standing in my doorway before the echo of
that one word had ended. Esme looked panicked while Carlisle remained calm but
you could see the apprehension in his eyes.

‘But, why so suddenly? We just barely gained a daughter-in-law and now

their leaving.’ Esme’s eyes were searching the room for an answer, any answer.

‘I can’t say I’m really surprised, especially with your brother’s crude
mind.’ Carlisle shrugged slightly and tilted his head in a not-to-worried-fashion. ‘Just
be sure to behave yourselves.’

I scoffed at his thoughts; did he really expect us to behave? “Carlisle, did you
and Esme behave after only being married a month? Hmmm, I seem to remember you
two being kicked out of your hotel on your honeymoon, a call from the state police
and I had to sterilize all the countertops.”

Carlisle glared at me then spun on his heels and stormed away. “Fine, don’t
behave – just don’t get arrested because I won’t bail you out.”
 Esme was still panicking. She watched Carlisle walk away and she became
more frantic then she snapped her head back around to look at me as I continued to
pile things into another box. “But why…why…why…” she looked ready to cry and I
couldn’t think of the words to calm her down.

I was grateful when Bella hopped off the bed and dashed over to Esme and
embraced her tightly. “Esme, it will be alright. We’ll be only ten minutes away, four
if you drive like Edward. Do you blame us for wanting a little privacy, especially
when Emmett is involved?” I sneered at her comment about my driving – she drove
just as fast if not faster in her newer Eclipse.

Esme hugged her back just as tightly. “But we barely learned you’re a part of
this family in every way and now you’re leaving. This is too quick…”

“Esme, it’s not like we’re moving across the country, we’ll still be over
frequently. Your lands have the better game for hunting – rabbits and raccoons aren’t
that good.” Esme relaxed visibly now, Bella's words having done the trick in
reassuring her that she wasn’t going to lose us.

I’m glad Bella didn’t mention the squirrels – raccoons and rabbits were
delicious compared to those. Don’t ask me why but the blood seemed almost greasy,
maybe due to all the nuts they ate – that can’t be, raccoons ate garbage. Definitely
need to stay away from smaller game from now on, stick with the deer at least.

I walked over and wrapped my arms around my favorite girls. “Look on the
bright side mom, you won’t have to kick us out like you did Rose and Emmett and in
another year or so we’ll be moving anyways.” A small smile creased her lips and
Bella and I smiled in return.

“Can we go hunting together before you leave?” her words and expression was
full of hope.

“Absolutely!” Bella and I responded at the same time and we all laughed.

Bella joined Esme downstairs doing god knows what while I finished my
packing. I carried my four boxes down and quickly deposited them in the Volvo. I
returned inside and saw my wife, sister and mother sitting at the kitchen table with
their heads together.

‘Wonder what day he wants the ceremony?’ leave it to the hyperactive elf to
think about the wedding.
 ‘I still can’t believe he’s moving out,’ come on Esme, I’m not a baby, and I’m
a grown man – in a matter of speaking.

I walked over to the table and kissed Bella on the cheek before pressing my
lips to her earlobe and whispering very quietly. “Any day you choose is fine with
me.”

She turned to look at me questioning and I nodded, she then spun around and
faced Alice head on. “August 1st, that’s the day of the big wedding.”

One of Alice’s eyebrows shot up in confusion, “why that day?” I was curious
also.

“It’s in-between our birthdays, June 20th and September 13th, and of course it
has to be after we graduate,” Bella stood up and wrapped her arms around my side
and gazed at me with large dark gold eyes. “Is that date alright?”

I kissed the top of her head sweetly. “Of course it’s alright. I love how your
mind works,” I then grabbed her hand from my side and spun her around in a circle
and she stopped in front of me. “It’s time to go hunting.”

In a matter of ten minutes, the whole family was running through the forest
laughing. Emmett of course, was making obscene comments and having inappropriate
thoughts. We shouted to each other over the trees and made jokes. Emmett, Jasper and
I even played Marco Polo, which I won obviously.

After about three hours, four deer and two elk between Bella and me, we
headed back toward the house. The rest of the family arrived as we were getting out
of the shower. Our siblings said they would see us tomorrow at school, Esme hugged
us together and wouldn’t let go until Carlisle pulled her away. Carlisle looked at us
then turned and walked away shaking his head and snickering.

‘Oh to be young again, just promise me you won’t get into any trouble.’

I nodded at Carlisle’s request then helped Bella into the Volvo. I got in and
started to back out of the garage and Esme continued to wave at us. She waved
continuously until we were so far down the driveway that we couldn’t see her
anymore.

The minute we parked in front of the cabin apartment, I had Bella pulled out
of the car and inside. I barely managed to get the front door shut before I attacked her.
Bella equaled my eagerness with her own, she shoved me against the door and started
to kiss her way down my neck, and she bit off each button then kissed my chest
underneath as she went.

I was enjoying her gentle but aggressive kisses so much that I was completely
unaware that she had undone my pants and pulled them down my hips. I just about
jumped across the room when I felt her tongue licking my penis, but the second she
grabbed my hips, held me firmly to her, and started to bob her head up and down on
my length, I was gone.

Bella had never done something like this and to see her doing it was an erotic
and stimulating surprise. Stimulating was an understatement, this was sending over a
cliff I don’t remember climbing and I had gotten there rather quickly.

“Ahh…Bella, I can’t…I need, I need to get…ah a tow-…” she held up her

hand to silence me and she increased the speed of her motion and tightened her
mouth. “Bella, I…” she clung tightly to my hips and her teeth grazed the sensitive
organ in her mouth. The teeth – the suction – the movement – the woman on her
knees before me sent me sky diving.

My hands shot to the back of her head as I felt myself explode inside her
mouth. I heard several gulping sounds and I stayed hard as a rock at the sounds.
Before she could get up, I pushed her to the floor and stripped her of her clothes.
Within a time span of ten seconds, I had her naked and myself buried inside of my
dripping wet and warm home.

I held nothing back as I thrust into her with all the pent up lust for the last day
or so. I want her to know that there was never nor will there be anyone else in my
heart or my pants. The woman beneath me panting my name was everything to me.

I leaned down and sucked hard on her neck until she groaned and squirmed.
“You are mine, I am yours…never forget that. I love you so incredibly much.” I felt
her walls tighten around me and she clung to my back as she screamed my name
loudly and muttered I love you also.

Unfortunately, for her I wasn’t ready to quit yet and I continued to plunge and
wiggle and drive into her repeatedly. I felt her constrict my penis about five more
times before I finally gave in and let my orgasm take over. I thrust each time I
released myself into her and I rested my forehead against her shoulder as I tried to
catch my breath.

When Bella started giggling I leaned up to look into her bright gold eyes that
were still slightly glassy with lust.
 “Guess we initiated the threshold huh,” she continued to giggle as I looked
around at where we were. Currently my feet were pressed to the front door and we
were lying on the doormat. “Plus we have school in an hour.”

I kissed her lips, her eyelids, her cheeks, and her collarbone. “Let’s skip today.
There are other, more productive things I would like to do.”

She kissed the tip of my nose then pushed me backwards off her. “I’m
hopping in the shower real-”

I snaked my arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. “Don’t, I want to
smell the evidence of what we just did all day long.” I wiggled my growing erection
into her backside and she scoffed.

“You’re incorrigible. Let’s get dressed then get your stuff out of the Volvo so
we can go to school.” I whined at her suggestion but pulled away from her anyway
and headed for the room to dress, hauling her with me.

It took us next to no time at all for us unpack the car, we would worry about
unpacking the boxes when we got home later.

We arrived at school with ten minutes to spare, which made Alice happy. I
was too absorbed in my wife to really pay much attention to an annoying imp anyway.
All the way to class, I held Bella's left hand and pressed her fingers to my lips,
lingering on the wedding band that was now in its rightful place.

'Wow, they're unusually affectionate today.'

'Wish my boyfriend was like that.'

'Wish she was my girlfriend.'

'I heard they started living together, wonder if it's true?'

It was days like this that I actually enjoyed my gift, when I could show off the
love of my life and hear the praises.

'Is that a ring on her finger? I'm so jealous!'

'He's making all us guys look bad, damn him.'

I snickered and passionately kissed Bella before entering the classroom. I

knew I wouldn't get another chance for about an hour.
 "Alright Cullen, enough PDA, get to class," we immediately parted at the
scolding done by the teacher.

Bella and I both looked to the teacher at the same time. Having heard her
married name had obviously gotten her attention.

"I'm a Cullen now too!" she stated quietly enough that I almost didn't hear her.

I took Bella's by the hand and lead her into the classroom and to the back row,
if I was going to have to endure an hour of history I had already lived through, the
least I could do was feel up my wife's thigh. The teacher came in to the room, rolling
his eyes at seeing how close Bella and I were sitting together.

'Darn kids, they would probably rather be out fornicating with each other
than learning.'

I snickered at his mental annoyance. No fornicating here, we were married

first. I grinned happily at the teacher, which caused him to straighten in frustration.

"Can anyone tell me what they know happened in the year 1969?" the teacher
asked confidently as he leaned over the top of his desk.

"The first man on the moon," a girl blurted out.

"Nixon becomes president," replied another girl.

"Marilyn Manson was born," all heads turn to the boy in the back corner, what
an odd answer. The room fell silent for a while.

"Woodstock happened on August 15-17," Bella chimed in with a soft but

determined voice. Bella's eyes immediately turned hollow and I instinctively wanted
to embrace her and make her feel better. I grasped her hand and squeezed it tightly, I
smiled at her when her eyes shot to me.

"Very good Miss Swan," I wanted to correct him on using the wrong last name
- it's Cullen now, but I can't tell him that, now could I. "1969 is the year we're
studying right now…"

I didn't listen to the teacher for the rest of the class, all my attention was on
Bella. From the look in her eyes and the way she seemed to stiffen next to me, I knew
she was reliving her final human moments, the last time she saw her parents and her
untimely shift into the world of the undead.
 As soon as the bell rang, releasing us from class, I stood and pulled Bella into
my firm embrace. "It’s okay," she nodded her head against my shoulder and I
tightened my hold around her.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful, with the exception of some random
thoughts that I could care less about but I would definitely have to share them with
my wife when we were at home.

Thoughts that ranged from us being secretly married, related in some way,
living together, all of us Cullens being a rare kind of race, to one of us being the
others sex slave. I personally loved the last one and Bella arched her eyebrow at me
when I chuckled to myself on our way home.

The second we were inside the apartment and the door was closed, Bella
grabbed my shirt and spun me around, causing me to sit slightly on the back of the
couch. She placed herself between my knees, gazed up at me through her dark
eyelashes, and trailed a dainty finger over my shoulder and across my chest.

"So, are you going to tell me what you were laughing at in the car?"

If she continued to tease me like this, I would tell her anything and do
anything. She could ask me to walk down the main street on a sunny day and I would
do it with a smile. I swallowed the little amount of venom that gathered instinctively
and slowly nodded my head.

"It’s all childish stuff...."

Her finger danced around on my chest, down to my abs and traveled to the
waistband of my jeans. "Tell me anyways."

In a matter of seconds, I was putty in her hands - damn it, she had me dazzled,
this was a new experience.

Chapter 18: Save Me A Dance

I was not a happy camper in the slightest. After a blissful night of being
wrapped up in Edward's embrace, enjoying our extracurricular activities, Alice had
snuck into our apartment and whisked me away, barely giving me the chance to get
dressed.

Edward and I both growled at the demanding goblin in unison, neither of us

wanting to be away from the other. Alice snapped back at us and Edward immediately
clammed up. I had a feeling it had to do with a vision that Edward enjoyed since his
eyes flashed black for a second before he raked his eyes over me and licked his lips
hungrily.

I protested the entire time Alice dragged me away, shoved me into the
Mercedes, drove to her house and dragged me inside. To say I was mad was an
understatement, I was livid; I didn’t like being ripped from my mate's arms.

Alice ignored my pleas as she pulled me up the stairs and shoved me into
her enormous bathroom that doubled as a salon. "Now behave so I can get you ready
for prom. You want to look pretty for Edward don't you?"

I snarled unhappily, when she shoved me down into the chair before a large
mirror and vanity. "Not that it matters, Edward will be happy no matter what I look
like."

She turned her head and glared at me. "It will matter, it will be a great
memory for the two of you," she paused and stared off into space for a minute then
smiled. "Believe me, from what I can see of the prom, you two disappear fairly early."

That was the best thing I had heard all day. "Wait a minute, if prom isn't
until eight tonight then why have you kidnapped me at ten in the morning?"

Alice shook her head and smiled. "Bella, Bella, Bella, getting ready for a
party takes time for a woman. She needs to be perfect for her special someone."

I groaned and resigned myself to being tortured for the next ten hours or
so, hopefully it won't take that long. The first thing she did was disappear into her
gigantic closet. I sat and waited, full of irritation, dreading what was taking her so
long in the closet, maybe she got lost.
 "Ah ha, found it," Alice jumped out of her closet, holding a long, pale blue
dress that looked almost white, to her chest and swayed with it, demonstrating its
movements.

The dress was exquisite and I couldn't wait to try it on. Alice must have
noticed me staring and she giggled. "I take it you approve?"

I nodded dumbly. "That’s an understatement."

"Good," she laid the beautiful joined fabric down on her bed then pranced
over to me and stared at my reflection in the mirror. "Now, let's see which hair style
we should use."

My fingers dug into the fabric of the chair as she started to brush and twist
my hair. I braced myself for the onslaught of torture I was sure was eminent, just
being away from Edward was torture. Alice ignored all the whining, complaining and
growing that came from me.

Alice started giggling behind me, which naturally got my attention. "I saw
Edward finishing up getting ready. He's going to have a long wait."

I gazed at her reflection in the mirror and arched an eyebrow at her. "I
thought you couldn't see him when his thoughts revolved around me?"

She shrugged dismissively. "I can't, which means he must have thought of
something else. It was a rather quick vision, so I’m assuming his thoughts went right
back to you," she shrugged again and went back to focusing on my hair.

Don’t ask me how but I actually felt as if I was nodding off as Alice played,
teased and pinned my hair. The massaging of my scalp felt that good, I would
definitely have to mention this to Edward. I remained completely still for about seven
hours while the demon imp manipulated my hair in just the way she wanted it to look.
 It was nearing hour eight of my unwanted makeover and I was starting to
get very fidgety.

“Bella, what is your problem? Sit still!” Alice snapped and placed her
hands firmly on my shoulders, shoving me down into the chair, forcing to be
immobile.

“I can’t help it. I’ve been away from Edward too long, it gets to me…” my
legs started to bounce and my fingers were twitching, I needed my husband and I
needed him now.

“Ahh, newly mated, I remember those days,” she giggled simply then went
back to working on my hair.

“Do runway models have to endure this much torture?” Alice burst out
laughing then grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the bed where the dress still
laid.

“And now, for the coup de grâce. Edward is just going to die when he sees
you, well again anyways.”

I gawked at her, surprised that she had said something in reference to her
brother dying. “But I don’t want him to die.”

She handed me the dress with a devilish smile plastered on her face. “After
he gets a look at you, dying will be the least of your worries,” I stared at her
inquisitively, confused at her words. “I’d be worried about such things as getting to
school on time Monday or maybe joining our family baseball game Tuesday
evening.”
 “Baseball?” I doubted it but I had hoped I heard her wrong sports were
never my thing. Even into immortality, I never liked sports those were my dad’s
hobbies not mine. She nodded happily, as she started to rip my clothes off. “Alice,
stop that! Unless your name is Edward and you have a ring to match mine, leave my
clothes alone – especially when I’m still wearing them!”

She threw her hands into the air in surrender and scowled at me. “Then I
suggest you change or I will help you.”

I snatched up the dress and stalked slowly toward the bathroom backwards,
always keeping a watchful eye on the tiny goblin. There wasn’t any way I was going
to allow her to take my clothes off, any of them. After slipping the satin dress over my
skin and situating it properly on my body, I stepped out of the bathroom to confront
the evil sister-in-law gremlin.

A loud squeal of delight rang throughout the room as soon as Alice saw me.
“I had a feeling that dress would be perfect for you and I was right,” she then grabbed
my hand and led me back over to the chair of torture in front of the mirror. “Now,
let’s fix up your makeup and you’ll be done.”

Oh thank god, I was nearly done. Even after fifty plus years on this earth,
playing dress up and doing my makeup was never my thing, so this was sheer torment
for me to be sitting here patiently while I got fussed over and made up to be some
kind of Barbie doll. The only thing that kept me here was the thought that Edward
would enjoy seeing me dressed up. If I was lucky, there was only one more case of
having to play dress up and that was for the main wedding.

There was a knock on the door and I watched the mirror as Rosalie
appeared in the doorway. She wore a long, red, strapless dress that was split all the
way up to her hip and there were little silver flowers that wrapped around her waist
like a belt*. Her golden hair hung loose down her back, there was the smallest wave
to it and it bounced with each small movement.

“Are you two ready? Edward just got here and is waiting rather
impatiently,” she crossed her arms over her chest and watched us.
 Alice ran the brush over my cheek quickly then leaned back. “There, you’re
done. Just give me a minute and I’ll be ready,” Alice pranced into her closet. She
jumped back out wearing a short blue and silver sequin dress then rushed over to the
mirror and swiftly did her makeup.

“Wait…why did I have to endure nine hours of suffering when you can be
done in five minutes?” I snapped and watched her reflection of the mirror as she
rolled her eyes.

“Because Miss Shield, I can't see how you’ll end up looking, I had to learn
firsthand which would be best. I can see what dress I’m going to wear and how I’m
going to look,” she turned suddenly, glared and pointed her dainty finger at me. “You
on the other hand, because of your gift, I can’t see you unless you allow it. So I’m
flying blind when it comes to you.”

I straighten of a second, surprised at her rage, and then I placed both fists
on my hips and gave her a loud raspberry. “Well if you’re done with me, I’m going
downstairs to join my husband,” I was greatly relieved when she shooed me away.

Rosalie just waved me away when I smiled at her and for lack of a better
term, I flew out of the bedroom door then down the stairs. I didn’t even give Edward a
chance to acknowledge my presence, as soon as I hit the first floor I launched myself
at Edward with all that I had, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck and
slamming my lips to his.

He stumbled back a few steps before recognition dawned on him and he

returned the unexpected embrace. I felt his hands fist into the dress on my back and I
tugged on the hair at the base of his head.

“Whoa, ease up you two or none of us are going to make it anywhere other
than the bedrooms tonight,” Jasper hissed from somewhere to my right.
 Reluctantly, I drew away from Edward's enticing lips, panting heavily as I
gazed into his blackened pools. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he repeated back then pressed his lips to mine again only this time it
was slow and gentle.

“All right, break it up!”

I broke away from my husband again only to growl at the infuriating pixie.
“Just go away and let me have a moment with my husband,” I nearly whined the
words at her.

“Not on your life…well, you know what I mean. If I leave you, you’ll
never make it to prom,” I shrugged nonchalantly at her statement then hugged Edward
closer to me. She crossed her arms and gave me a fierce look. “I bet you haven’t even
given Edward a chance to see your dress yet have you?”

Edward shrugged before I could and we both snickered. “What do you

expect when you snatch my wife away and hold her hostage for ten hours straight?” it
was now Alice’s turn to shrug.

“If you fully look at Bella, you would agree that these ten hours was worth
it,” she snapped exasperatingly.

He turned his head away from Alice and held me at arm’s length, looking
me over, examining me and letting his eyes darken even further. “I’ll agree she is
gorgeous and the dress emphasizes that but you didn’t need to steal her for ten damn
hours!”

While he yelled at Alice, I took in his attire of a black suit with a matching
tie and his shirt matched my dress. I glanced around the room then noticed Jasper’s
shirt matched Alice’s and Emmett's matched Rosalie's dress. I scoffed quietly as I
remembered our last dance; the guys’ ties matched our dresses.

“Shall we go?” Edward's question pulled me back to the here and now and I
nodded eagerly. Edward then escorted me out the main door to a shiny silver car I had
never seen before.

I froze solid and stared at the vehicle before me. “Where in the world were
you hiding this gorgeous machine?”

“It was in a garage in Seattle, I only use it for special occasions and it’s
called a Vanquish,” I bit my lip as I imagined making the car into a truly special car. I
then felt a tongue lick up my neck toward my ear and a finger trailed leisurely up my
arm. “You look absolutely dazzling tonight. I can’t wait to peal this dress off you to
reveal to me what lay underneath it. Any hint as to what you’re wearing underneath
it?”

The shiver that ran through my body could have caused an earthquake and
it was obvious to the one standing very closely behind me since he snickered. “Um…
let’s forget the prom…and go home…”

Edward stiffened behind me and hissed. I turned suddenly and questioned

him with my eyes; his reaction was something I didn’t expect. “Sorry, Alice just told
me under no circumstances are we to avoid the dance.”

I sighed in exasperation, only Alice would find some way to mess up my

plans. Edward led me by the hand toward his magnificent car and placed me in the
passenger seat. I waited for him to take his seat before I posed my question. I shook
my head in confusion. “How did she…?”

“Apparently she had a vision of the prom and we weren’t there so she put
the pieces together,” he glared out the windshield then quickly threw the car into gear
and sped out of the driveway. The rage in his eyes alerted me that he was just as angry
about his sister’s interference as I was.

Maybe I could put him into a better mood before the dance. While keeping
my eyes on his face to make sure he kept his eyes on the road, I slowly snaked my
hand over the center console to find his outer thigh. His eyes softened then widened
when my hand caressed around and found what I was searching for. He hissed loudly
as I massaged the now growing muscle in my hand and his breathing became labored.
Feeling bold, I swiftly undid the button of his pants and crept my hand inside then
continued my early handling of his penis.

His eyes rolled to the back of his head and the car swerved fractionally, I
had to reach up with my other hand to steady the steering wheel. “Edward, pay
attention to the road or I’ll stop,” he quickly snapped his attention back to the road but
he was breathing heavily and moaning in the process.

My hands became more vigorous as I stroked him up and down. “Bella…

I…” I could tell he was getting close to release by the stiffness of his cock, the
increase of his panting and the loudness of his moans. I quickly took his tip into my
mouth and he growled ferociously. I felt the car come to a sudden halt just as Edward
reached his climax and I willingly swallowed all of his juice.

After licking him clean, I gently situated him back in his pants then sat back
in my seat and straightened my dress. I gazed up at my dumbfounded husband
innocently and Edward reclined his head and glanced over to me, still panting.

“Not that I’ll ever complain, but what was that for?”

“You looked angry and I thought I could help to put you into a better
mood,” I tilted my head to the side and noticed we were parked on the shoulder of the
highway sideways.
 He chuckled in bewilderment. “Well, you definitely put me in an up mood.
Let’s hope we can make it through the dance now considering my current state of
arousal.”

I shrugged indifferently and Edward growled as he drove back onto the

highway heading for the high school. In all honesty, I could have lived happily for the
next several centuries and not be concerned about a school prom, but no, my stubborn
sister-in-law had to interfere. We pulled into the crowded parking lot and we both
sighed, neither of us wanted to be here, we would rather be at home humping like
rabbits.

Our normal parking spot was still available; the other students were
probably still intimidated even after school hours. Edward helped me eloquently from
the Vanquish then took my arm and led me up toward the gym for our prom. I
seriously wanted to head for the hills the second I walked into the room; Alice could
have done a much better job of decorating this party. Magentas, purples and gold were
placed everywhere, everything from flowers, streamers and table clothes, it was all
extremely gaudy.

“Oh god!” I chuckled at Alice’s hiss as she entered the room behind us.
“Whoever decorated needs to go to designing school!” I agreed with her
wholeheartedly and I wasn’t one for decorating or parties but this was hideous.

Edward took me by the elbow and quickly whisked me away and into the
crowd of dancers. He had me wrapped around him tightly as he swung me onto the
so-called dance floor. Being flush up against my husband was the high point of my
night so far, even the ungodly color scheme couldn’t ruin my mood.

On the other hand, the mood did shift slightly when Edward's hands
tightened on my back and he growled into my neck as he pulled me even closer. I
weaved my fingers into his unruly mane and gently massaged his scalp, hoping to rid
him of some of his sudden tension.

“What’s the matter, are the girls undressing you with their eyes again?” I
smiled sweetly and continued to tease his hair.
 “I would willingly accept that over the numerous boys mentally humping
your leg, some with clothes others without. It’s driving my ingrained instinct to claim
you crazy,” he fisted the back of my dress, hold me to him securely.

I stretched up on my tiptoes a little and kissed his neck. “Let me ask you
something. Whom did I fall in love with, whom did I marry, whom do I share earth
shattering sex with every day and whom do I plan on being with for all eternity?
Hmm?”

He sighed and lifted his face from my neck. “That was a rhetorical question
to make me feel better, right?”

“Did it work?” I batted my eyelashes at him and put on a sickly sweet

smile. He chuckled then kissed my forehead before claiming my lips hungrily for a
good several minutes.

“Alright Mister Cullen and Miss Swan, arms length apart,” scolded an elder
teacher, I think it was the vice principle.

Before I could respond, Edward held me even closer and smirked then
happily lifted up my left hand with his. “Not a chance and its Mr. and Mrs. Cullen,
thank you very much.”

I bit my lip hard as the woman’s face turned purple as she gazed at our
wedding bands, she very much resembled a fish as her mouth opened and closed
repeatedly but no words came out. I then gazed at Edward with inquiring eyes.

“I thought we weren’t going to tell anyone yet?” I whispered to him but I

said it loud enough for the woman to hear then winked at him, he shrugged
nonchalantly.
 “So take it home,” she mumbled as she walked away to annoy some other
kids who were groping.

“Well, you heard the lady. Let’s take it home,” I grinned from ear to ear at
his suggestion. If I were at home with my husband, especially if we were in flagrante,
than there isn’t any place I’d rather be. He quickly and assertively grabbed my hand
then eagerly pulled me out of the gaudy gymnasium disguised as a gorgeous prom.

We made it to the car and I gave Edward a small shove from behind
causing him to stumble forward a little. He caught himself before he fell against the
driver side door and he twirled around in the blink of an eye, curious about my
welfare. I didn’t give him a chance to check on me because I sprang at him, wrapping
my arms around his neck and my fingers twisting into his messy bronze hair. I tried to
hike my legs up and around his waist but my dress prevented me from getting a good
enough grip so I let my legs dangle beneath me.

“What-”

I demanded the attention of his lips and I wanted it now. I didn’t let him
finish his question, I was too impatient and ravenous for him to hang around and wait
for him to ask any questions. My body slowly slid down his torso, pressing every part
of me closely against every part of him that I could. My toes touched the pavement
and I pressed into him more firmly, asserting my determination on him, urging him
on. I was so into the lip lock that I vaguely heard his palm feeling around on the side
of the car, probably trying to find the door handle.

Edward parted our hunger lips just barely enough for him to whisper out
some words. “Bella…please…let’s…get home…NOW…”

He was panting heavily and so was I so I nodded in reply. I found the

handle and jerked the door open quickly then crawled over the driver seat and the
center console to my seat. Edward moaned as he watched me move across the car then
slid in as soon as soon as my feet were out of his seat. He had the car started and
speeding out of the parking lot in record time.
 Even if it was only going to take us five minutes to reach our apartment, it
was five minutes too long. I leaned over the console, pressing my breast into Edward's
arm and started to run my tongue over his earlobe. I was satisfied with the moan he
emitted, and then there was the high-pitch squealing of the tires as the car veered off
the road.

We were on a darkened stretch of road with no traffic and I took advantage

of that fact. I quickly and efficiently leaned over the console further and devoured his
lips, pressing into him further, making my yearning for him apparent. I hiked up my
dress and hopped over his lap as I pressed the button to retract the seat then recline it,
making it easier for me straddle him.

“Um, Bella…this isn’t home,” I bit my bottom lip and smiled as I fought
with the front of his pants, Edward was starting to moan and his breathing sped up.

“I can’t wait that long, it’s been too long already. I need you in me RIGHT
NOW!” and he had better not argue or fight me on this or he’ll find himself in the
proverbial doghouse. Thank goodness, he decided not to go down that route.

He leaned up slightly, bringing his face to mine and kissing me while both
of his hand traveled around my thighs to my backside and he gave both sides a
squeeze. His fingers wiggled around for a little bit then he growled against me, he had
discovered I was going free, no underwear.

“Please…” I whispered breathlessly. I almost screamed aloud as he lifted

me slightly then impaled me on his solid shaft. After all this time being away from my
mate, I finally felt complete again, this was my heaven, being one with the man I will
love for the rest of eternity.

Edward feasted upon my mouth as I rose up and down on him and his
fingers kneaded on my rear. My hands instinctively found his hair and tightened
around the chaotic tresses as I increased my pace, causing both of us to moan loudly.
Due to the erotic location and the thrill of someone catching us, I felt my muscles
quickly tightening.

I barely heard Edward growl out my name as he crashed me to him and

buried himself inside me as far as he could get and together we saw the peak of Mt.
Everest. I slowly opened my eyes and gazed down at the man below me, his eyes
closed and his head was lying back on the headrest. I twisted my fingers through his
hair and massaged his scalp, loving everything there was about this man.

A random thought hit me and I giggled. Without moving his head or

opening his eyes, he spoke in a breathless whisper. “What?”

“I just realized, we just initiated the Vanquish. Wonder where else we can
add to that list?” he started chuckling and the movement made him move up and
down inside of me.

“I can think of a few more places,” I arched an eyebrow in inquiry and he

only winked. Oh great, he’s not going to tell me is he.

Chapter 19: End Game

There are many…many other things…better things that I would rather be

doing than playing baseball. My little sister was really starting to annoy me, no wait…
I was already there. Leave it to the demon pixie to see an approaching thunderstorm.
Bella wasn’t excited about the game either but her reason was because she wasn’t into
sports; my excuse was I would rather be at home with my wife.

Alice wouldn’t listen to anything we had to say and demanded that we attend
the game and participate. The only redeeming detail about the game was that it was
women against men – this should be interesting.
 I had currently locked Bella and myself in our room at the main house in order
to get ready in peace. I tossed my baseball cap to my wife and she hesitantly put it on.
I slowly put on my baseball shirt and pants, not to enthusiastic to be on the field in the
least.

After letting out an annoyed and heavy sigh, I walked over to Bella and
smirked at the slightly crooked cap on her head. I righted her cap then gave her a
chaste kiss. “Are you ready?”

“If I said no could we go home?” I sighed again; her mind was in the same
place as mine, home. “You know, Rosalie and Emmett's idea of disappearing for ten
years is sounding very good right about now.”

“I’ll second that,” I snickered then reluctantly led her from the room and down
the stairs. Our family was waiting patiently on us so we could head to the ball field.
Emmett was loaded down with all our equipment, and before anyone could say a
word, he took off running. I stood gaping at how quickly he had disappeared.

I turned and shrugged at Bella but I froze when I saw Alice pulling her away
from me, into the cluster of women.

‘You can go now Edward, we’ll be right behind you. I just need to explain the
rules to Bella,’ I growled at my evil sister. One of these days, soon I hope, I’ll get my
revenge on her.

When I didn’t move, she shooed me away with her hand and glared at me but
her lips betrayed her malicious intentions. She was planning something, I was sure of
it. I grumbled to myself and shot Bella an apologetic glance then reluctantly headed
out the door, toward the game field.

I figured the sooner I got to the field the sooner the game would take place and
the sooner my wife and I could disappear. It took me only two minutes to reach the
field and the rest of the guys were already setting up the ball field, can’t say I was
sorry to miss out on the setting up process.

Shortly after arriving to the field and talking to the guys for a bit, the girls
showed up. Bella rushed over to me and gave me a long, passionate kiss. Her fingers
ghosted under my shirt and started a slow path up my stomach.

“Knock. It. Off!” shouted Jasper aggressively.

I couldn’t hold back the smirk and I took Bella into my empty arms, holding
her against me closely. “Haven’t you told me repeatedly…If I can’t stand the heat, get
out of the kitchen?”

He gave me a dirty look and growled. ‘And to think, it only took you fifty years
to throw it back at me.’ He barely got his thought out by the time I plowed into him. It
had been a long time since any of us had roughhoused together and Jasper had it
coming for his little comment. Jasper and I chuckled as we rolled around on the grass.

A loud sharp whistle echoed over the clearing and I stopped and stared at
Bella as she took her position then readied herself to swing the bat. She stuck her rear
out provocatively then licked her lips as she held up the bat. I stared transfixed at my
bride, watching each delectable curve of her body as it bent to her bidding.

“Edward, pay attention!” Emmett shouted from the other side of the field. He
was playing catcher, Carlisle was pitcher and Jasper was guarding the bases, which
left me to play outfield.

I blinked several times to clear my head as Bella prepared herself, and Carlisle
readied himself. I was still zoned out on my wife’s lithe body across the field from me
that the loud crack I heard didn’t register in my brain as a baseball bat connecting
with the ball until everyone was yelling at me. I snapped back to reality and flashed to
the ball sitting just inside the tree line, but it was too late. Bella was high-fiving my
sisters at the home plate.
 ‘Great job, Spazward!’ snapped Emmett as he glared at me from home.

The rest of the game went smoothly. I immediately outed Rosalie and Esme by
catching their hits, Alice made it to second base before I reached the ball. Now it was
Bella's turn at bat again. Herein lays my problem.

She stepped up to the plate and stretched her arms out with the bat then
swiveled her hips deliciously. Her teeth bit down on her bottom lip and I heard a faint
moan just before the loud crack of the bat. I watched the sensual way my wife moved
to first base.

“EDWARD!”

‘EDWARD!’

Shouting from every direction and every voice snapped me from my

fantasizing just in time for me to reach up and catch the ball, centimeters from my
forehead. Was she aiming for me? I gazed over at Bella as she neared home and
smirked as I heard Emmett holler ‘OUT’ and her mouth dropped open in surprise.

Bella stalked toward me unhappily, her eyes narrowed, her brows scrunched
together and a faint curl to the right side of her mouth, it looked almost wicked. I
walked toward her slowly; we did have to change sides after all. We were side by side
now and she leaned over so she could whisper in my ear.

“Don’t think I’ll let you get near home base tonight as well,” she smirked then
continued on her path. I stood dumbfounded, shocked at what she told me. What did I
do? I turned around suddenly to ask her about her comment and saw her leaning over,
resting her hands on her knees, staring at me from in between first and second base. I
completely forgot what I was going to say.
 “STOP!” Alice shouted from the pitcher’s mound and spun around to stare
into the forest on the opposite side of the expansive field. I then saw the foggy image
of three figures walking out of the mist. All of us converged on the center mound and
I immediately took hold of Bella's hand, wanting to feel her in any way possible.

“What is it Alice?” Carlisle asked calmly.

“We have visitors. They heard us playing, they’re hoping to join the game,”
she said slightly panicked, her eyes stayed focused on the forest. “They’ll be here in
two minutes.”

We all stood staring in the same direction as Alice and everyone held on to his
or her respected mate and I counted down the one hundred twenty seconds until their
arrival. 120…100…76…43…27…14…5…4…3…2… and there they here, three
nomads.

I held Bella firmly against my side as the three nomads drew increasingly
closer. As they walked across the field toward us, Bella stiffened and buried her face
on my shoulder.

“I know one of them,” she whispered into my shirt.

My hands tightened on her shoulders as I gazed down at her hidden face then
at our approaching company. My eyes narrowed as I took in as much detail as
possible. Two men and one woman, which vampire did Bella know and how?

‘Why do I recognize that scent? Strawberries…freesia…’ The thought had a

masculine undertone, which narrowed the odds down to two.

Bella's fists squeezed my shirt and she whimpered quietly. “Not him…”
 Not him…him who? Was she actually scared of the nomad that she knew and
was walking closer to us? The three nomads came to a halt about ten feet from us. The
one female had wild red hair and her eyes were scanning us intently. One male had
dark blond hair and an evil smirk; the other male had dark hair and dark skin. The
question was, whichhim was Bella talking about?

“Isa?” it was the man with dirty-blond hair that spoke up first and there was
obvious curiosity in his voice and thoughts. ‘What is she doing here? They all have
the same color eyes as Isa too…I still wish she would have chosen to be with me…
god, I love her body.’

Bella turned her face slightly to look at the one who spoke her name. “Hi
James,” she sounded exasperated and tired already.

“Last time I saw you, you were with Maria. What happened, why are you in
this backwoods town?” He asked inquisitively as his eyes roamed up and down her
body, the body that belonged to me. ‘Holy shit, has she gotten sexier in the last forty
years or is it just me? Damn, what I wouldn’t give to have that body wrapped around
me. Who is the guy acting like her protective watchdog?’

WATCHDOG! I growled viciously at his thoughts and Bella spun around in

my arms and forced me to face her with her hands on my cheeks. “Ignore him
Edward,” she whispered softly forcing my eyes to look into hers. I melted slightly into
her at her forceful yet kind touch. “Be good okay.”

She turned in my arms again, holding them securely around her waist and
faced the nomad I know knew as James. “I don’t know what’s going through your
head James but I have a pretty good idea so knock it off and be nice to my husband or
you can leave.”

James’s eyes widened infinitesimally. “Your…husband?” he asked a bit

surprised and disbelieving. ‘No way! Her body is suppose to be mine! Victoria is just
a convenient lay, I’ve wanted that body since I met her forty years ago.’
 “Hello…there are two others here James,” the redhead snapped in irritation
and wrapped her arms around James’s forearm possessively. ‘What is going on? So,
she’s married, big whoop.’

‘I hope they let us join the game, it’s been so long since I played baseball,’ the
one with dark hair mused internally. He then glared at his male companion then
looked over to Carlisle. “I am Laurent, this is Victoria,” he nodded to the redhead then
did the same to the blond man that was still eyeing my wife. “And that is James. We
heard your game and were hoping to join in.”

I started to growl but Bella elbowed me in the stomach. “Be nice,” she scolded
in a whisper but she sounded just as annoyed as I was. I whimpered at her
punishment, could she not tell that the thoughts of the blonde-haired vampire
warranted my reactions.

Carlisle and Esme spoke to the nomads regarding their plans and the current
game while I absorbed myself into Bella, not caring about the conversations around
us. Bella was my wife and there was a threat in the vicinity that wanted to take her
away from me, I would not permit that to happen. I held her as close to me as the
current situation and company allowed.

I was not happy about this. My family, with the exception of Bella and myself,
had agreed to let James, Victoria and Laurent join the game. Bella caressed my arm in
hopes of calming me somewhat and for once, it didn’t work. I kept my eyes on the
nomads as Bella stood up on her tiptoes and spoke into my ear quietly, making sure
only I would hear her words.

“No matter what happens or what he’s thinking about…I belong to you and I
always will. Just remember, it’syour cock I enjoy every night,” her seductive words
stunned me and left me immobile, I didn’t even get a chance to return her quick kiss
before she was dashing away to guard the bases.

‘EDWARD! Stop it right now or I’ll make you start weeping like a baby right
here and now.’ Jasper scolded me, probably for my sudden lustful need for my wife.
All I could think to do in reply was to smile at him and shrug sheepishly.
 It was now the guys turn at bat since I had managed to catch the ball
immediately after Rosalie and Esme hit the ball into the air, they didn’t distract me
like me wife could just by licking her lips and caught another once by accident from
Bella.

The teams were odd numbers again so Laurent played umpire as Victoria took
over as pitcher and James stood at home plate swinging the bat as he geared up for the
pitch.

In a flash, James smashed the ball with the bat, swiftly dropped it, and took off
at near lightening speed toward first base. ‘I can’t wait to feel her body pressed up
against mine…’ the mental equivalent of a vampiric collision flashed through his
mind while he was running to first base.

I immediately sprang into action but James had a decent size head start and
slammed into Bella before I could stop him. His arms reached around her shoulders,
holding her firmly against him. Bella squirmed fiercely and fought to free herself but
James was stronger than she was and he held her tightly.

‘Oh god, she feels good. Now if I could get her away from the guard dog and
remove her clothes I’ll be set,’ he started to picture my wife naked and the red I was
already seeing turned to a dark crimson.

I growled viciously as I plowed into him, shoving him off Bella and taking her
securely in my arms. James flew to the side, right into Emmett's waiting arms. He
grabbed onto James firmly, unlike Bella, Emmett was stronger than he was and James
couldn’t move an inch.

Victoria darted to James’s side and attempted to pry Emmett's arms from
around James. He only chuckled at her meager efforts. “You assaulted the wrong girl.
No one messes with my little sister,” he snarled at James and I could see his arms
constricting on the struggling nomad.
 “Or mine!” Jasper glared at James then crossed his arms over his chest. He
focused on James fixedly and a second later James looked terrified. Thank you for the
emotion manipulator.

“What in the world were you thinking?” Carlisle's voice was raised and
undeniably fuming, his hands forming into tight fists. He closed his eyes and took
several deep breaths. “Seriously, what did you expect…that she would appreciate
being manhandled? You don’t know Bella very well after all do you. She told you she
was married which meant you should leave her alone.”

“Married is just a human thing…we’re vampires, it doesn’t count,” James

snarled viciously and wriggled in Emmett's arms miserably trying to free
himself. ‘Who cares if she’s married, we can still fuck like monkeys.’

Bella lunged toward her assailant and I instinctively reached out and caught
her around the waist. I could feel the tension and anger rolling off her into me and I
caught a glimpse of Jasper cringing off to my left.

‘She is royally pissed off. If it wasn’t for you holding her, I think she would try
to destroy James right about now.’ Jasper confirmed my suspicions.

“How about this? We’re mates as well as husband and wife. We’re joined in
every sense of the word. I’ll be with Edward for the rest of eternity and I will never go
with you…EVER!” Bella shouted fiercely, driving her point into his marble head.

“Considering my daughters’ state, I suggest you leave the area now and leave
her alone from now on,” Carlisle glared daggers at the still fighting vampire that was
desperate to be released. “Emmett, let him go.”

Emmett threw his arms into the air and James stumbled forward slightly and
grumbled. He stood up straight the smoothed out his jacket that had gotten rumpled
while fighting against Emmett. “I’ll gladly leave,” his voice was hollow and
emotionless. He smirked as he walked toward Victoria and threw an arm over her
shoulder and started walking away. ‘I will find her one of these days and she will be
mine. Get rid of this red headed leach then go hunting for that delicious brunette…’
His thoughts were self-confident and challenging. I snarled as Victoria pulled him
toward the forest, oblivious to her mate’s unhealthy obsession with a married woman.

‘He had better explain his actions to me later,’ if you only knew Victoria. I’m
sorry but you’ll probably never find out what James’s intentions were that lurked in
the back of his mind.

Laurent lingered as his companions walked away toward the forest. “I’m sorry
things happened this way…I was truly hoping to enjoy the game. Maybe next time
things will go smoothly.” Laurent shook Carlisle's hand then followed his coven into
the trees.

I held Bella snugly to me as we watched the three nomads disappear among

the trees, our family slowly retreating into the trees behind us, heading home. I
wanted nothing more than to get Bella home and just cuddle on the couch, watching
some cheesy chick flick, whispering lovey dovey cherishing words in to her ear.

“Edward, I’m positive James was having some lewd ideas about me. How bad
were they?” she asked as she ran her fingers through my hair and pressed her body
into all the right places of mine. She was trying to distract me from the now leaving
threat…and it was working, just barely.

“Nothing pleasant, that’s for sure,” I swallowed the growl that rumbled in my
chest. I enjoyed the feel of her fingers playing in my hair and held onto her as my
eyes stayed locked on the forest in which the threat disappeared.

The train of his thoughts and the look in his ruby eyes told me this wasn’t over
by a long shot. This wasn’t going to be our last encounter. We would see him again.
The question was when and where would he appear. When that did happen, I will rip
him limb from limb and dance around the fire as it turns him to ashes.
 Chapter 20: Into the Wilds

FINALLY! It was the last day of school; we were no longer juniors…again.

We were free for the next two and a half months and I planned to make the most of it,
with my husband. Now that James and his group had moved on, I didn’t have to
worry about any more threats coming between Edward and me…except for my sister-
in-law. Alice may be my sister-in-law and best friend but she was really getting on my
nerves.

Currently, I was sitting in the passenger seat of the Eclipse as Edward drove us
back to the apartment. I crossed my arms over my chest and I glared out the
windshield, annoyed with myself that I hadn’t thought up a plan to get back at Alice
yet.

“Bella love, are you alright?” Edward asked anxiously.

“I’m okay, just trying to think of a way to get revenge on Alice.”

“Does this have anything to do with the party tonight?”

“Not entirely, it’s because of everything she’s done to keep us apart,” I

growled annoyingly and glared at the road in front of us.

“Bella, she’s just excited that I’ve found someone and that she has a new
sister.” Edward shrugged indifferently.

“Are you saying its okay that she pulls me away from you all the time…that
she has a legitimate reason for kidnapping me, or that she’s allowed to interrupt our
private time?” I snapped angrily.

“Well, no of course it’s not okay.” He parked the car in front of the apartment,
killed the engine then flashed over to my side of the car and helped me out. “I don’t
know how else to stop her from interfering.”
 We walked inside the apartment and I cast a quick and annoyed look around
the apartment. I saw Edward place our now empty school bags in the coat closet and
an idea entered my head.

He turned around and immediately stiffened upon seeing the mischievous grin
on my face and I slowly approached him. “I really don’t like the look on your face.
Should I assume you’ve thought of something?”

I walked directly up to Edward and pressed my chest against his, forcing him
to back up against the wall. “Do you want to go to the party Alice has planned?” I
trailed my fingers in delicate circles on his chest and waited for his answer.

“Not really,” he turned his blackened eyes toward the ceiling, obviously trying
to avoid looking at me so he wouldn’t jump me as he’d complained about several
times before.

“Good,” I said simply but my voice was sinister. I leaned in and playfully
trailed my tongue and lips over his neck then up and over his jaw, finally meeting his
lips. Edward's hands shot up and firmly held my shoulders as a loud moan escaped his
throat.

I opened up my shield as I continued to kiss my husband. I planned to kiss him

until he was breathless, then I planned on pulling him into the bedroom and ripping
the clothes from him and licking him from head to toe, then pleasuring him before we
both found our equal release in the early morning hours.

I pulled away from Edward and smiled as his eyebrows shot to the roof. “…
five, four, three, two…”

Right on cue, Edward's phone rang and he reluctantly answered the phone,
mouthing that it was Alice – as if I didn’t already know. I smugly walked over and
kneeled down on the couch, leaning over the back so I could look at Edward while he
was on the phone. I squished my breast over the back of the couch and wiggled my
rear in an effort to distract him.

“Yeah Alice, whatcha…”

 She didn’t even let him finish his question. “YOU NEED TO STOP HER!”

“Her who?” Edward wasn’t even paying attention to his sister, his obsidian
eyes watching every sway of my hips hungrily.

“HER WHO? Your wife that’s who! She’s planning on avoiding the party!”

“Well, she’s not the only one. We’ll be at the house tomorrow. Bye…”

“Wait, no, don’t-” now it was Edward's turn to interrupt but his was by ending
the call. He tossed the phone over his shoulder then stalked toward me, licking his
lips.

I don’t remember removing my clothes or Edward's, in fact and there was no

way we were going to make it to the bedroom; the couch will just have to tolerate our
activities. With the exception of the bedroom, everything I showed Alice happened
and before we knew it, the morning sun stared beaming through the glass door.

Edward mentioned we should shower and dress then head for the main house.
I whined, moaned and carried on, going so far as to wrap us up in the blankets,
refusing to enter the world of the living – I was perfectly content to be with my
husband, in bed until the start of our senior year. But no…we had to go on the big
Cullen camping trip to who knows where with prying eyes and ears. What were the
odds that I would get any alone time with Edward, slim to nil, probably?

Edward managed to untangle himself from the rumbled sheets then proceeded
to kiss me into a stupor. I whined again when he left me and disappeared into the
bathroom. I groaned unhappily, as I climbed out of bed and joined Edward in the
shower. The bathroom was filling with steam and Edward was already in the shower.
I didn’t have to worry about disrobing since I was already naked from our nightly
activities so I simply stepped into the shower.

“Bella?”
 “I figured we could save water,” I stated then dipped my head under the water.
Edward pulled me out of the stream and forced me to look at him with his fingers on
my chin.

“I will find us some alone time, even if we have to swim to the bottom of the
lake. I promise.” I couldn’t think of a response to his insistent words so I settled for
nodding.

We showered quickly then just as swiftly packed our bags for the two-week
long camping trip. Apparently, every summer Carlisle used his two-week vacation
time to go camping with his family. We decided to take the Volvo since its design
was more suited for this type of journey than the Eclipse was.

I heard the phrase ‘when the world gives you lemons, make lemonade’, so
basically I need to make do with what I got and I was so planning on making
lemonade at every possible opportunity I got with Edward.

We arrived at the main house a few minutes later and Edward rushed off to
finalize the plans with Carlisle and his brothers. As I walked into the house, someone
shoved me to the floor violently. Instinct took over and I started snapping and
snarling.

“WHY?” the small voice that was shouting, pulled me back to reality.

“Alice?”

“Why didn’t you come last night?” she snapped and pushed my shoulders
against the stone steps just outside the doorway. “And couldn’t you have chosen a
more PG13 vision to show me. I don’t want to see you and my brother…doing…
that!”

I shrugged nonchalantly. “But you did get a vision, I wouldn’t complain. In

addition, do you blame me for staying away last night? You know I don’t care much
for parties and you had several years alone with Jasper, I had two months alone with
Edward. We’re a newlywed-newly mated couple – what did you expect, that we
would remain celibate for the next year of school while you have your way with us?”
I snapped back at my sister-in-law as I shoved her off me.
 Alice’s lower lip jutted out immediately and her eyes started to shake, and the
whimpering started as well.

“Your hurt puppy look isn’t going to work on me this time. I wanted to be
with my husband so I was.” I flashed to my feet and went in search of Edward,
leaving Alice to whimper by her lonesome on the floor. I quickly found him in the
garage, zooming around loading things into the jeep. He seemed excited.

Within half an hour, we were loaded up and raring to go. Carlisle and Esme
rode with Emmett and Rosalie and Jasper and Alice rode with us – and with my tiny
sister-in-law drilling visual holes in the back of my head the whole way – super.

We turned onto the highway and headed to eastern Washington. The two hour
long, drive was a completely silent and very nerve-wracking voyage. Even if nothing
vocal was said, I knew there was a conversation going on because I would hear
Edward growl quietly from the driver seat. When we turned off the highway and
started down a rather bumpy logging road, I felt the atmosphere in the car liven up. I
had a feeling we were almost to our destination based on just the vibe ricocheting
around inside the car.

Several minutes later, the car immerged through the dense tree line, and into
an open and sunny meadow with a small lake on the far side. I was becoming bouncy
as well as the car came to a slow stop next to the jeep. Everyone exited the vehicles
and started setting up camp, except me.

After I had climbed out of the car, I immediately walked into the center of the
meadow to look around. The sun touched everything with its warm light and I felt as
if I was heating up as well. I inhaled the earthy smells of grasses, trees and fresh
water, savoring the untouched-by-human-hands terrain.

“Now there is a sight I’ll never get tired of seeing.”

I spun around to see my husband walking toward me with black, lust-filled

eyes. I looked around the field trying to figure out what it was he was referring to, the
lake maybe?

“Stop looking around Bella, I was referring to you, with the sun bouncing
diamonds off you and casting them around the field…” He reached me then snaked
his hands around my waist and jerked my hips toward his. “Why don’t you go into the
tent and get into something…” his eyes looked up and down my body as if he was
starving and I was the main dish, “…more revealing.”

I stared in shock at my husband, stunned at what he just suggested. He actually

wanted me to show more skin! There was definitely something wrong with this
picture. Usually he was the first to jump up and cover me with something, hiding any
inch of exposed skin he could, stating that it was for his eyes only. This struck me as
odd.

He leaned down and whispered into my ear softly and seductively. “I want to
see your mostly naked body gleaming in the sunlight, and later see your body
completely naked while the sun beats down on us from somewhere more…private.”

A shiver involuntarily ran through my body as he breathed against my ear then

nipped at my earlobe. Oh, he was so going to pay for that little stunt later. I slowly
meandered around Edward and headed toward the tent that had his scent lingering all
over it. I entered the dark gray dome tent and hastily zipped up the door for some
privacy before I investigated the contents of my bag.

My eyes narrowed as I looked over each article of clothing in my bag, over

half of it was stuff I didn’t own. A growl rumbled deep in my chest as I
realized what had happened to my wardrobe. Alice.

Annoyed tremendously, I threw on a black bikini and a pair of dark blue jean
short shorts. I was so going to get revenge on that demon pixie during this trip. Now I
just needed to formulate a plan, wonder if Edward would be willing to help.

The second I emerged from my tent, I found myself turned into a drowned rat
– thank goodness for the bikini. The large burst of water completely drenched me. I
stood absolutely still, in shock; this was not something I was expecting. I heard a not
so quiet snicker off to my left and slowly turned my head then shot a menacing look
at my bear of a brother-in-law.

Emmett's snickering burst into full-blown laughter at seeing my maddened

expression. I continued to glare at him while I tried to devise a plan of attack. I
suddenly found a fully loaded water bazooka thrust into my chest by Rosalie. I wasted
no time at all in releasing the water pressure of the bazooka on Emmett. His face
scrunched together as if he had just eaten a lemon as he scowled at me. I shrugged my
shoulders but kept the gun aimed directly at him.

The forest erupted into even louder laughter when Emmett was drenched again
from the side by Jasper. “That’s what you get for attacking my sister without
warning.”

“Dude, bros before hos remember!” he eyed Jasper disbelievingly, obviously

surprised that Jasper had shot him in the first place.

Jasper’s eyes widened for a few seconds then narrowed in anger. “Are you
calling my sister a ho?” I could tell by the emotionless tone of his voice that this
wasn’t good.

Emmett paused for a minute, most likely going over his words then his eyes
expanded in terror. “What…no…that’s…she isn’t…I meant…crap, she…” his
ramblings were cut off from every direction by several brutal streams of water. When
the assault dissipated, he shook the water off his head and threw his arms around
violently. “And where the hell did all the squirt guns come from? I thought I had the
only one!”

Another stream of water slammed into his face and he stood still and took it.

The stream died out and Emmett huffed loudly, causing the water to blow
away from his mouth. “Of course…Alice.”

I glanced over and watched as Alice blew off the top of her gun as if it had
smoke or something coming out of it. I then got a wicked idea. While she was smiling
innocently at Emmett, I opened fire on my unsuspecting sister. She squealed and
jumped around, darting behind trees and family members trying to escape my attack.

It then turned into a full-blown water fight, where even Carlisle and Esme
joined in. Naturally, I shot at everyone but Edward and Alice avoided hitting Jasper,
Rosalie wasn’t so nice to her husband and shot at him as much as everyone else was.
At some point, we had managed to take the battle to the lake and trees, avoiding
soaking the tents and our clothes.
 This was the most fun I had ever had since I became a vampire, with the
exception of private times with my husband of course. It felt good to get away from
school, town, humans, nomads, and any worries what so ever.

I hid behind a pine tree with a five-foot base and listened intently for any
impending target. I heard the soft sound of dry leaves crunching under someone’s
footsteps and I ceased my breathing, not wanting to give away my position. There was
another quiet footstep and it sounded like it was getting closer. Another footstep
towards me, and then another…

The footsteps were only a few feet away from me now and I sprang from
behind the tree to soak my prey. However, instead of drenching my intended mark, I
was thrown over a shoulder causing me to squeal in surprise and dropping my gun
before I was whisked away deeper into the forest. If it weren’t for the fact that my
kidnapper shared my scent, I would have ripped him a new one, literally.

Considering who my kidnapper was, I just relaxed and hung over his shoulder
like a bag of flour with my head propped on my arm to show my annoyance. It felt
like a solid hour that I had been carried, but I’m sure it was only for a few minutes.
Within a matter of seconds, I found myself hauled off Edward’s shoulder and pressed
into a tree by his body and hard nether regions and his mouth slammed down and
claimed mine in a much needed, hungry and urgent kiss.

We wasted no time at all in striping each other as our lips remained locked
together in an equally fought battle of lust and need. We were somehow careful and
mindful of keeping our clothes in one piece, seeing as how we didn’t bring any out
here with us. It was a miracle that things hadn’t been ripped to shreds in our haste.

I’m not sure how or when, but at some point, Edward had managed to position
himself between the tree and me, placing his back against the rough bark. He grabbed
my waist and lifted me into the air then slowly let me slide down his body until I
wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, positioning his solid
erection at the front door to his home.

“Oh god Bella,” he groaned as he kissed up and down my neck, causing me to

moan loudly. “I love you so, so, very much…”
 His hands then shot to my naked rear and forced me downward, impaling me
happily on his rock hard penis, I had entered heaven and was already close to
throwing myself from the edge of cloud nine. I very nearly climaxed as he filled me.
Using his hands on my rear, he lifted me up his shaft then let me fall; he repeated this
over and over again.

I clung to him as if he was my life raft in a chaotic ocean, because right now,
that’s how my body felt – it was a flood of different feelings coming and going and it
was driving me insane.

It felt like he was doing all the work, lifting me and pulling me back down,
deep over his most sensitive extremity. I pressed my feet against the tree in hope of
getting some leverage. The minimal amount of sensation I did manage to get was just
enough to send me flying, in a good way.

Edward quickened his pace on the lifting and plunging of my body, resulting
in giving me another climax that was even more earth shattering than the first and I
screamed aloud and clung even tighter.

To a human we would probably look like a blurry, bouncing mess but to us it

was a deeply emotional, extremely connecting, and profoundly loving union between
mates, between husband and wife.

Within three more deep thrusts, I had my third orgasm at the same time
Edward reached his climax and it brought him to his knees. We held on to each other
tightly as our breathing slowly returned to normal.

“I love you…” I panted into his neck.

“And I love you…” he gasped along with me, and then kissed my forehead.
We cuddled for about an hour before we finally released each other to return to our
family.

After our little tryst in the forest and after we were dressed, I started heading
back to camp, positive someone had noticed us missing by now. I had barely made it
five steps and found myself shoved up against another tree. I glared up at my husband
for his rather rough and surprising treatment. All thought left me when he pressed his
renewed erection against my stomach. He was insatiable – just how I like him.
 “What would you say if I told you I’m not ready to return yet, Mrs. Cullen?”
he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I reached up and started to run my fingers through the hair at the back of his
head. “I would say that you aren’t the only one who doesn’t want to return but if we
don’t, the family will come looking for us.” I sighed then rested my head against his
chest, wrapping my arms around his neck tightly and passively. “Promise me
something?”

“Anything,” he chuckled slightly, as if I had to ask him in the first place.

“When we remarry next summer, promise we can disappear for a year-long

honeymoon?” I knew that I didn’t have to worry about what the answer would be but
I still wanted to hear him say yes.

“Absolutely!”

I was so happy that I immediately stretched up on my tiptoes and attacked his

mouth, not that he minded. His arms tangled around my waist and into my hair as
mine knotted into his eternally messy locks as well. We drew each other as closely as
we possibly could and rejoiced in the proximity of our mate’s body and touch.

If this is how these two weeks of camping were going to turn out...it might not
be so bad after all.

Chapter 21: Tag, You’re It

This was going to be good! I couldn’t contain my excitement at the mere

thought of seeing Bella in a bikini. Sure, I had seen her with even less on than that but
it was the idea of what she was hiding behind the clothes that were so appealing.
Don’t ask, I can’t explain it.
 We were all heading down to the lake and I was currently waiting outside the
tent in my swim shorts while my wife changed inside, why she wanted the privacy, I
don’t know. When she finally emerged, my jaw hit the ground and my eyes nearly
bugged out of my head. Bella wore a hot pink leopard print bikini that did wonderful
things to her breasts*.

‘WHOOA, day-um…Bella has cleavage!’ upon hearing Emmett's remark, I

immediately jumped in front of thee a fore mentioned cleavage and attempted to hide
it from prying eyes.

“Bella, go put on a sweater!” I growled out and tried to keep my attention off
her chest and on my brother, who was still ogling my wife. “Stare at your own wife’s
body and stop staring at mine!” I snapped and tried to shove Bella back into the tent
but she wouldn’t move.

Emmett looked shocked, both by Bella and by my aggression. He waved his

hand in front of him crazily. “But, but…we’ve never seen…I didn’t know…but, SHE
HAS BOOBS!”

I growled menacingly at him and backed toward the tent again. “Thanks for
stating the obvious Emmett, NOW GO DROOL OVER YOUR OWN WIFE!” I
attempted to shove Bella through the flap again and again I failed. “Bella get inside
and change now.”

Bella just scoffed and walked away from me toward the lake, swaying her hips
just enough to drive me insane. I felt my mouth start to water, well venomate –
venomace – venomy…you know what I mean.

‘Damn Eddie…’ I nodded in agreement and snarled at the lusting tone of his
thought.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Bella as she walked down to the water, towel in
hand, the rays of the sun glinting off her skin and shooting rainbow diamonds
everywhere. I was transfixed as I watched her glittery hips sway and her bikini bottom
dropped a little bit. I moaned quietly and tried to squash the rising muscle south of the
border.
 A strong slap on the back yanked me from my squashing and I looked to see
Emmett passing me with a huge grin on his face. ‘If you don’t hurry, I’m going to
dunk your wife.’

I took after him speedily, catching up to him before he reached Bella. The
momentum of my speed when I slammed into him sent us rolling down the slight
slope and directly into the water. We emerged from the water at the same time and a
split second later, I lunged at him again. There was no way in hell he was ever going
to touch Bella, even in play.

Emmett lay in the shallows of the water, laughing profusely, going so far as to
grabbing his stomach. “Aren’t you a jealous one, Eddie?”

I glared daggers at my brother and raised my fist to show him my hatred for
that name.

‘Oh shit…’

“DON’T CALL HIM EDDIE!” Before I could blink, Bella was flying at
Emmett and was shoving his head under the water. She stood over him, holding his
head under the water as he thrashed about. Oxygen wasn’t a necessity for us but
breathing was habitual and we preferred to fill our lungs from time to time. She
continued to shove his head underwater for several more minutes. What was sad was
that his own wife sat on the bank absorbing the sun’s rays, laughing at him.

“If you’re done unsuccessfully drowning Emmett, how about we play a game
of paint ball?” Jasper asked with a coy grin as he wiggled his eyebrows up and
down. ‘This is going to be great! Get rid of some pent up aggressions as well.’

“Paint ball, are you serious?” Bella ceased her tormenting of Emmett, her
hands still on his head and under the water.

‘Edward, get this thing you call a wife off me!’

I scoffed at my brother’s request then stepped over to Bella and placed my

hand on her shoulder. “Bella, take mercy on the little bear cub okay.”
 Emmett's head shot out of the water quickly. “What do you mean ‘little bear
cub’…”

Bella shoved his head back under the water as she stood up, successfully
cutting him off. She then stepped over Emmett and walked towards me. “Are we
really going to play paint ball?”

I ran my hands up and down her arms and gave a pitiful smile. “Oh, why not?”

She groaned unhappily then laid her forehead on my bare chest, just that
minute touch stirred something within me, the lower me. I could guarantee that this
game of paint ball was going to be very short for Bella and for me.

We all exited the waters and ventured back toward the tents. So much for our
little dip in the lake, at least it didn’t look like Bella was planning to change out of her
bikini when we all assembled around Emmett's tent. Without a word, Emmett started
handing out guns. Bella got the blue, I got the green, Alice the white, Jasper the black
and Emmett took the red. Carlisle and Esme were always spectators in our paint ball
wars and Rose stated she didn’t dare get paint in her hair and continued to lounge in
the sun.

I gave Bella a crash course in how to use the gun and she surprised me by
shooting me in the chest at point blank range. She bit her bottom lip as she smiled
then she took off like a bat out of hell into the forest. As she ran toward the trees, she
popped off five shots directly at Alice, nailing each shot in her chest or shoulders.
Why do I have a feeling that my sweet wife actually knew how to use a gun?

Naturally, I took chase after Bella, weaving in and out and around the trees,
following her delicious strawberry scent. I hate to say it but I finding Bella was my
main priority and I didn’t care about the explosions of red, black and white as I zipped
through the forest.

Several minutes later, I finally found her. I came to a screeching halt and
stared down the barrel of her gun. I cringed and looked away just as I heard a loud
popping sound. I opened one eye slightly when I didn’t feel anything hit me then my
sister’s thoughts and words rang out.

‘Oh. My. God!’ “What the hell Bella, am I your target or something?”
 I tilted my head to look behind me and was shocked at the sight I saw. Alice
was absolutely fuming, the gun in her hand lying at her side, her eyes narrowed at the
woman in front of her, and a large blue splatter mark right between her eyes. There
was no question about it now. My wife, my Bella knew how to shot, and she was
rather good at it as well.

Hesitantly, I turned my head around to look at Bella. Her gun was still poised
in midair, aimed at my pixie of a sister, a very determined look on her face. She
arched a single eyebrow at my sister’s question then smirked slightly.

“Are you kidding me? You’re constantly trying to drag Edward and me apart
to do things you want to do! Have you forgotten we’re newlyweds who want some
privacy? So naturally you would have a hit out on you!” Bella ranted and all I could
do was nod in agreement.

“A hit out on me – what, are you an assassin now?” Alice’s voice actually
jumped up about three octaves as she posed her question. Bella smirked and pulled
back the slider to reload the gun. She held the gun up confidently and took aim at the
now frightened pixie. A loud pop, a swish of air and a splatter later, Alice stood
stunned, speechless for once.

“Bang, your dead…again,” Bella stated flatly then blew air over the top of her
gun.

Alice had another wet blue spot on her forehead and I chuckled quietly at her
astonished expression. We stared at each other for several minutes, in complete
silence. Without warning, Alice screamed loudly in frustration then started shooting
her paint ball gun like a crazed woman.

Bella and I immediately fled into the trees, dodging the random and chaotic
flying white paint balls. We weaved in and out of the trees and bushes as Alice
continued to scream into the air. Even her thoughts were chaotic, full of hopeful
images of Bella coated in dripping white paint.

Alice’s crazed screaming faded as we ran through the forest and for that, I was
grateful. I ran alongside Bella and snatched up her hand then directed her toward a
special spot I had found nearly a century ago. I pulled her through the underbrush and
low laying branches until we came face to face with a high rocky cliff. We stopped at
the base of the cliff and Bella's eyes grew wide as she looked up toward the clouds,
looking for the top.

I chuckled quietly as I watched her amazement. “This isn’t what I wanted to

show you.”

A small ‘o’ formed on her mouth and the diminutive gesture went straight to
my lower regions. I didn’t warn her or anything and threw her onto my back, securing
her legs around my waist and latching her arms around my neck. I ignored her
questions about what I was doing as I leapt up the rocky cliff, jumping from rock face
to stone outcropping.

Once I reached my destination, I let Bella slid down my back and land on her
feet. I scoffed when Bella looked around her new surroundings and raised an
eyebrow. “I like to come here and get away from all the noise,” I tapped a finger
against my temple, implying the thoughts that didn’t belong to me.

Bella walked further into the cave and continued to look around. It was your
basic cave, three rock walls, stone ceiling, earthy flooring and one open wall
overlooking the natural canopy of the forest. She walked toward the opening and
gazed out over the landscape.

My breathing caught in my lungs as I watched the diamonds dance over her

skin wherever the sun kissed her, caressing each inch of her alabaster skin, which was
a lot considering she was still wearing the bikini. The sun made it look as if her skin
was coated in sparkly sugar and looking oh so delicious. Oh great, now I was jealous
of the sun!

The pull to my wife was too strong for me to resist anymore and I walked up
behind her. I placed one arm around her chest and the other around her waist and
pulled her firmly against my chest and lower torso, making her aware of my current
problem. Bella whimpered as I bored my erection into her back.

I slide my left hand between her skin the top of her bra and started to massage
her breast. My right hand that was around her waist, inching into her bikini bottoms
and tickled their way down to her clit. She gasped loudly as I started to make circles
with my thumb over the sensitive nub and my long fingers continued down too probe
into her slick deliciousness.

Bella continued to wiggle, writhe, and moan against me. Her arms fought for
the slightest amount of freedom as they trailed behind her and grabbed my growing
ardor forcefully. I had a difficult time focusing on giving pleasure when my wife was
skillfully maneuvering her petite hands into my swimming trunks and started to stoke
up and down my length. My jaw clenched tightly and I growled when she pulled me
from my trunks and continued to massage me, more eagerly this time.

A little shakily, I took a couple steps backwards, my hands still wrapped

around Bella tightly. The hand that was already in her bikini bottoms move downward
a little more and pulled the small strap of fabric to the side.

With one more good strong pull of her hand, I fell to my knees, successfully
impaling my wife on my steel shaft. We both cried out in unison at the sudden
completion of our souls. Bella arched her back, causing her head to rest on my
shoulder and her pelvis to bear down. My eyes rolled to the back of my head when
she started to rock her hips on the part of my anatomy that was inside her. I placed
one hand on her hips, helping her movements while the other stayed inside her
bottoms and maneuvered back up toward her clit where I traced figure eights with my
index finger.

She cried out and her walls clamped down on me like a vise grip on metal,
which drove me crazy, and I fell backwards on to my back. Bella's pace picked up as
she placed her palms on my knees and she rode me in reverse feverishly. My hands
pulled on the rock floor and I felt the stones giving way around my fingertips. Bella's
back arched again as her inside griped me again and she screamed out my name
huskily. Her screaming my name and clamping down again sent me over the cliff. I
arched my back also, driving myself further inside and I emptied myself inside her.

Bella panted heavily then fell back and landed on my chest. “Well, that was
different…not that I’m complaining.”

I smirked at her comment. “I aim to please my love,” I said between pants and
pressed a kiss to the top of her head, which elicited a small smile, and an equally
small moan of pure bliss and satisfaction.
 After our cavern activities, we returned to camp. Everything was normal
except for Alice’s constant glare that she directed at my wife. We told jokes and ghost
stories throughout the night, holding our mate closely as we sat around the unneeded
campfire.

We camped out for another week, letting our bodies absorb nature and as
much sun as we possibly could. Everyone managed to find time away with his or her
mate at several points during the week, each couple heading off into a different
direction. Had Bella known we would be getting this much alone time with each
other, I bet she would have wanted to go camping a lot earlier.

In a way, I was glad we were finally home, to have Bella all to myself, not to
worry about prying eyes, or worrying that Alice would jump out from behind a bush
and assault her with paint balls, was a load off my shoulders. When you’re an
immortal that never sleeps, it’s strange when you feel exhausted and tired.

I drove us back to the apartment after we had stopped at the main house and
deposited some of the camping gear that appeared in the back of my car miraculously.
I watched her relaxed position in the seat as I drove and occasionally shot a glance at
her and smiled sheepishly.

“What’s the matter Bella, too much sex this last week?”

She arched an eyebrow at my obviously ridiculous question. “Pfft, like that

could happen. Besides, I heard Emmett and Rosalie were kicked out for a decade due
to their more amorous activities resulting in broken furniture and demolished
buildings.”

I burst out laughing. “Good to know I haven’t exhausted you or scared you
off,” I then snickered as we pulled into the parking lot for our cabin apartments and I
quickly came to a stop in front of our abode. “And yes, Esme kicked them out right
after Emmett's newborn year, when they were able to consummate properly. She had
to restore five rooms, a garage and countless amounts of furniture…not to mention all
the bleach to clean the surfaces after they usedthem.”

Bella shuddered at the image, it was one I didn’t favor either. She then bit her
bottom lip and chuckled quietly, most likely trying to keep it hidden but I noticed it
and stared at her quizzically. She tilted her head upward and tried to act casual as she
answered my questioning gaze. “I was going to say you have to keep up with me but
if you think about it, you’ve gone longer without sex then I have. I’m only fifty
eight…you were a hundred and nine year old virgin when we met.”

My jaw dropped involuntarily to my chest at her stunning words and she

hastily exited the Volvo then walked casually to the front door, carrying one of the
duffels with our clothes. I silently exited the car and closed the door then shoved her
up against the front door, my upper torso pressing into her back, pinning her between
the door and my growing erection while my hands roamed over her hips.

“I may be twice your age but that also means I have twice the pent up sexual
frustration. And hearing the sexual thoughts of every teenager within a three mile
radius and my own family’s doesn’t help,” I could hear how husky my own voice was
and I deliberately oozed out the sexy as I spoke into her ear. “I haven’t heard you
complain about my cravings for you,” I tugged on her ear with my lips and her knees
nearly buckled.

I heard a click then the door gave way beneath me and Bella darted inside,
leaving me dumbfounded on the doorstep. I entered our home and closed the door
behind me then stalked through the house in search of my wife. I found her in the
laundry room, finishing up loading the washing machine with our clothes from
camping.

As if possessed, I slammed my body into hers, pinning her against the

machine just as her hand pushed the start button. The machine started to fill with
water and I flipped Bella around and pressed my erection into her stomach. Bella
gasped at the pressure from being pressed firmly between the washer and my
stiffness. My lips sought out her neck and my mouth started to lavish attention on her
delicious skin.

Bella gasped and started breathing heavily as my lips ventured over every inch
of her exposed skin and my fingers worked on her shirt and jeans exposing more. It
was surprisingly easy to lift Bella on to the washer and rid her of her pants at the same
time and thank goodness for that or we could have ended up as a bumbling mess on
the floor. My lips left Bella's neck and took control of her waiting lips. While our lips
were locked and fighting for control, I felt her fingers manipulating the button fly of
my pants, she then using her feet and toes she pushed my pants down to my ankles.

“No boxers?” She asked with a raised eyebrow and a small curl to her lips.
 I shrugged casually. “I knew they would be coming off soon anyways so I
figured I would shorten the process.” Bella shrugged as well then pulled my face
down to hers so she could kiss me into oblivion.

The washing machine started the agitate cycle just as I pushed my way inside
of Bella's exceedingly comfortable folds. The added sensation from the machine
heightened our nerve endings and within a minute Bella was having her first orgasm.
Personally, I wanted to prolong my own explosion and I bit the inside of my cheek as
I attempted to focus on staving off my orgasm. A minute later, Bella screamed
through another orgasm and clung to me like a life preserver.

I was thoroughly pleased with myself. During just the agitate cycle, I had
managed to give my wife seven orgasms while thwarting my own. Then came the
spin cycle, as soon as it started I knew I wouldn’t last. I thrust in to Bella as if my life
depended on her getting one more orgasm before I lost it. I think the spin cycle
created more friction than the agitate cycle but either way, this was magnificent.

Bella stopped breathing and I could tell she was getting close again and this
orgasm was going to break a record of some kind. Her heels dug into my buttocks and
she pulled me closer, then, I lost it. I grunted and groaned at the massive force of my
semen shooting out of me and into her as she grunted and groaned as well.

She looked at me with droopy eyes and smiled sheepishly. I returned her smile
and rested my forehead against hers as I panted heavily. “We…are so…doing that…
again…” she nodded her head in agreement and giggled.

“When do you want me to wash laundry next?” she asked not so innocently.

“How does yesterday sound to you?” I asked with a cocky grin and her only
answer was another giggle. God I love hearing her giggle, she doesn’t do that very
often…and I intend to make her giggle as much as possible.

Chapter 22: Unexpected Visitors

 Carlisle and Esme were at the movies, which was a real surprise to us but
apparently, there was a movie out they really wanted to see. Emmett and Rosalie were
at some car expo in Seattle. Which left Jasper and Alice at the house but they
were busy with some things.

We had just finished hunting real game, no more squirrels and raccoons for
us, too nasty. Within seconds of finishing our meal, Edward and I were rolling in the
grass and leaves, carefully stripping the clothes from each other’s bodies. Our two-
hour hunting trip turned into a seven-hour romp through the forest. After our frolic
among the pine trees, it took us about half an hour to locate all our clothes that we had
accidently strung about the trees.

Who could really blame us when we had to focus on our senior year of high
school, me more than Edward did. He’s been through high school more times than I
have so he had an advantage over me. He was constantly looking over my shoulder or
offering to help me with certain problems or assignments, and it was getting
annoying. I ordered him to sit on the couch and be quiet for an hour then I was all his
for the night. This pattern continued for the last four months.

We needed to blow off some steam and hunting was just what the doctor
ordered, literally. Carlisle suggested we go out and get something to eat and relax for
a bit. So, what if we took down a tree or two in the process of our relaxing, not like
anyone heard them falling.

Right now, I was searching the bushes high and low for my shirt. We had
managed to find the rest of our clothing, even our socks, but my shirt was nowhere to
in sight. Edward had teased me by saying I could return home just the way I was and
after giving him a death glare, I continued the search for my top.

“Hey Love?” I snapped my head around to glare at him, annoyed that he had
distracted me. I was a little surprised to see him pointing toward the sky. I craned my
head up and saw my white t-shirt dangling from a high branch.

In a sudden burst of annoyance, I leapt straight up and snatched my blouse

from the branches of the pine tree then landed gracefully on my feet on the ground. I
quickly slipped my blouse back on then glared at my husband in irritation then shot
into the forest in a flash. I didn’t look behind me in fear of slowing my pace. Not that
I needed to look behind me in the first place, I knew Edward was behind me, and
close at that.

Edward so let me win that race!

After all the time we had spent running through the forest, I knew there was no
way I could ever out run Edward – of course unless he let me win. Even if I was
pushing my hardest…I still lost, then he always made me feel better when we reached
home. So losing was well worth it in the end.

I burst through the back door in a flash, laughing the entire time. I then spun
around swiftly to see Edward slowly strolling out of the trees, a content and happy
smile beaming on his face. He seemed honestly happy to have let me win and who
was I to rain on his parade.

The sight of Edward walking calmly through the tall grass in all his sparkling
glory made my mouth water, we were going to have to go home as soon as he made it
inside.

“That is definitely one fine piece of man meat isn’t it?”

My tongue darted out to wet my lips as I nodded my head at the sudden

question. I froze at hearing the childish voice I hadn’t heard in nearly forty years. It
hadn’t been fifty years yet and I was supposed to seek them out, not the other way
around. Ever so slowly, I turned my head to see the sixteen year old with long dark
curls gazing hungrily out the window at my husband.

The girl didn’t even acknowledge me; she just kept her ruby eyes plastered to
Edward as he continued toward the house at a leisurely pace. “Lil?” I whispered so
softly that even a vampire would have difficulty hearing it.

She turned her head slightly and smiled sweetly, and then in an instant, she
was leaping at me and into my arms. “Oh Bella, it is you, I knew it…I knew I
recognized that laugh…”

I attempted to pry the girl off me as she wrapped her legs around my waist,
locked her ankles tightly and threw her arms securely around my neck. She wouldn’t
budge so I walked into the living room hoping to get help from another member of the
family.

As soon as I walked into the living room, my eyes widened upon seeing Jasper
sitting in the recliner and Maria sitting on the couch talking together. How in the
world had I not heard them in here? Maybe I was too busy with Edward then Lil to
realize the extent of our company.

The room fell silent and Maria slowly turned her head toward me then her
brows shot to the ceiling. “Bella, how…what…why…” her voice was bordering on
squeaky then her crimson eyes darted from me to Jasper. Her hand went up and she
started to point a figure between Jasper and me. “Are you two…together?”

“NO!!!” Jasper snapped quickly.

 “He’s my brother!!” I replied just as quickly as Jasper had.

“Definitely not!” a holler came from upstairs.

“She’s my wife!!!!” That last shout had me tilting my neck around as much as
I could since Lillian was being a Klingon. Edward very nearly stormed in through the
back door and directly up behind me. He then carefully extracted Lillian from around
me then replaced her firm hold with his own and proceeded to glare at Maria.

“Wife?” Maria squeaked as she gazed at me then looked over the man behind
me that was hold me securely to him.

“Yes, my wife. As of last January first, we became man and wife.” I didn’t
look but I had the feeling that Edward was glaring furiously at her still.

“And Jasper is my husband!” shouted an annoyed pixie as she stormed down

the stairs and directly over to Jasper then promptly swatted Maria’s hand from
Jasper’s knee.

Maria’s eyes widened infinitesimally larger, “You’re married also?” Jasper

smiled broadly and nodded while Maria looked him and Alice over then directed her
gaze over to Edward and me and repeated the same roaming gaze. Her gaze lingered
longest on Edward then the rest of us I couldn’t help the feeling that she was mentally
undressing him.

As if on cue, Edward's hold on me tightened and a low growl vibrated out of

him. “Maria, you better not be having impure thoughts about another woman’s
husband!” She sat up straighter and cleared her throat nervously then looked away to
various different points of interests. Busted! “Maria, your actions just gave you away.
Keep my husband out of your mind.”

Her eyes widened then she started to wave her right hand around chaotically,
indicating Edward. “But look at him! How can I not have fantasies about that body?”

I tilted my head slightly and gazed over Edward's well-formed body. She had
me there. At least my fantasies were my own; Edward could hear everyone else’s,
poor boy. Edward's eyes remained locked on Maria and they even narrowed slightly,
alerting me to more of Maria’s crude thoughts. I reached a hand up and stroked his
cheek then kissed the other cheek gently, successfully ending his growling.

“Sorry Bella, but I have to agree with Maria. Your choice of a man is…yum-
ah!” I snapped my eyes over to Lillian who was now fanning herself with her hand.

“How did you find us anyway?” I asked Maria as I slowly turned back to face
her.
 “Pfft, like I don’t have connections. Come on Bella, you know me better than
that, after all these decades do you honestly think I wouldn’t keep an eye on you?”
she put on a hurt face but I didn’t believe it for a second. “I knew you had moved to
Forks, but when I arrived in town today, the last thing I expected to find where the
scents of several vampires. I noticed several trails led to the same direction so I
followed them here. I was hoping to find you but instead found Jasper, who I haven’t
been able to find in nearly six decades.”

“Wait, wait,” I pulled out of Edward's embrace and started pacing between
him and Lillian. “If you were having me followed then why did you know I was
married?”

Maria huffed in annoyance. “Because, I don’t pay him for that, he’s only to
keep tabs on where you move. I see now that I should ask for more details huh?” she
gazed at me in an accusatory fashion and I felt only a foot tall.

After a moment of thinking of what she might learn if she followed me, I
realized she would have been bored with what she learned. Up until I moved to Forks
where I met Edward and the Cullens, all I did was go to school and had the occasional
low-key job just to keep busy. I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly then returned to
Edward's side and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist.

“Bella, are you going to officially introduce us?” Lillian sang from my side,
bouncing up and down in a very Alice like fashion. Her eyes roamed up and down
Edward's frame and she licked her lips hungrily again.

Instinctively, I moved between Lillian and my husband and attempted to hide

as much of him as possible behind my petite body. “Lillian, this is Edward, my
husband,” I grinded my teeth on every word I said and I shot daggers at the tiny girl
using my eyes. My aggressions didn’t seem to faze her in the least. She approached us
anyway and started to caress Edward's arm from around me.

That was the last straw! I reached up and grabbed Lillian’s arm then twisted it
away from Edward and continued twisting. “OUCH, it’s hot…its burning…”
Immediately I released her arm, shocked at what I had done subconsciously. Lillian
grabbed her arm and started to examine it. “Bella, what did you do, how…?”

I spun away from her, hiding my hand against my chest and looked up at
Edward, I knew there was terror evident on my face. He stepped forward and circled
me in her arms, kissing the top of my head in an attempt to comfort me. “It’s okay
Bella, how many times?”

“Just once,” I buried my face into his shirt, trying to hide the shame I felt at
accidently hurting my friend.
 “What was just once?” Maria’s voice was worried and frantic as she asked.
She was suddenly by my side, rubbing her hand on my back in another show of
comfort. “What do you mean only once?”

I remained silent for several minutes, debating whether to tell her of my gift or
not. “Might as well tell her, she won’t leave you alone till she finds out,” Jasper
informed me, his rich southern accent making itself known more than usual.

Nervously, I fiddled with the buttons on Edward's shirt as I tried to find my

words. “You know how other gifts won’t work on me?” She hummed her yes and
nodded. “Well, it turns out the reason they wouldn’t work on me was because I was
unknowingly absorbing them.” Maria’s eyes widened as I spoke about what I had
learned about my abilities. “I can also reverse them and use them on others but I can
only use them as many times as they were used on me.”

Maria stared at me, utterly dazed by my words. “All that time…and we didn’t
even know?”

Slowly, I shook my head. “As for Lillian being burned just now…remember
Wyatt? He was one of the gifted ones you brought around to test my skills. He tried to
burn me through physical contact.”

“And now we know why nothing worked,” Lillian said almost in a

condescending way.

“I’m sorry Lil. I haven’t gotten a hold of this yet,” she nodded her head but it
didn’t feel like my apology was accepted.

Still in a daze, Maria went back to the couch and sat down beside Jasper. She
let out several deep breaths, trying to calm down after that overwhelming load of
unexpected information. Then she did something I immediately knew would have
repercussions.

The moment I saw Maria place her hand back on Jasper’s knee, even though it
was subconsciously (I hope), I instinctively knew what was going to happen next. I
watched as Jasper went rigid upon feeling Maria’s touch then he stiffened further and
turned his head to look at Alice.

There was no warning, no alarm bell, and no announcement. Alice just sprang
into action, launching herself at Maria. They both fell over the back of the couch,
sprawled out on the floor. Much to everyone’s surprise, Alice started repeatedly
slamming Maria’s head into the floor and what was even more shocking was the fact
that Maria was laughing.
 “Keep. Your. Hands. Off. My. Husband!” Alice punctuated each word fiercely
with another slam of her head to the floor.

It seemed as if Maria couldn’t stop laughing, though I doubt she was even
trying. “Jasper, you definitely have your hands full with this one don’t you?” she said
suddenly. I was amazed that she even managed to speak at all with the way she was
laughing hysterically.

Alice growled ferociously and I was almost scared of the frightening demon
pixie. Before Alice could do more damage to the wood floor, he reached for his wife
and pulled her off Maria. Jasper held her firmly against his chest, arms tight around
her chest as she kicked and attempted to leap for the woman again.

Maria flashed to her feet swiftly then nonchalantly brushed off some
nonexistent dirt from her skirt. “Well, I guess that’s my cue to depart. Come along
Lillian, it’s time to leave.”

Lillian was still in shock from the sudden over-the-couch attack to do much of
anything other than stare dumbly at the people around her. When Maria started toward
the front door, Lillian followed slowly and dazedly.

Slowly, the six of us filed out onto the front porch, silence hanging above us
like a solid black cloud of uncertainty. Indecision was heavy in the air as we gathered
on the front steps. All of us stood on the front porch readying ourselves for the
eventual goodbyes. Maria leaned in and squeezed me tightly in her hug the released
me so Lillian could squeeze me just as tightly, if not harder.

“I don’t want to let you go. You’re my bigger little sister…” she rested her
head against my chest as her arms wrapped around my waist tightly.

I hugged her back, pressing my lips to the crown of her head. “Well you could
always change your diet and join us?”

She pulled her head back slightly and stared up at me, searching my face for
something, not sure what it was. Apparently, she found it since she let me go
completely and walked over to Maria. “Okay, I’m ready to go.”

I stared at her in surprise. I guess she didn’t want to give up human blood just
to be with me, well that sort of hurt. Jasper patted my shoulder and smiled
reassuringly down at me as Maria and Lillian made their way to the black Charger I
remembered so well.

Lillian climbed into the passenger seat but Maria stopped beside the driver
side door then spun around swiftly, glaring at us. “Fifty years, in fifty years you have
to come visit us!”
 Jasper and I stared gaping as Maria got in the car, started it and drove down
the long driveway, out of sight. The second we couldn’t hear the roar of the engine
any more, both Edward and Alice emerged from the front door and eagerly wrapped
their arms around each of us.

“Look on the bright side, we won’t be seeing her for another fifty years,” I
said in a flat tone, hoping to alleviate the tense we all had been feeling for the last
couple of hours. It seemed to have worked but only slightly since their laughs came
out forced, cynical, and doubtful.

All of us had a feeling that we would see Maria before the fifty-year deadline
and who knew what mommy dearest had planned for her next visit.

Chapter 23: I’ve Been Framed!

In all my yers of having to deal with high school and the stupid stuff they put
me through, this took the cake. Iknew they tweaked our schedules to keep Bella and
me apart, afraid that we would be affectionate during school hours and be a
distraction. Heck, we had been married for months before the school found out and
we hadn’t distractedanybody. Why they had felt the need to give us completely
different classes from one another was beyond me, the only class we did share was PE
and we were constantly apart during class. Since the school had seen fit to separate us
for the day, we had managed to find places during every break and lunch time to be
with each other. It was worse now than when we just had Biology together and we
could at least hold hands. Now, we didn’t even get the chance for any physical
contact. On more than one occasion, after class let out for the day, we made it as far
as the school parking lot before we were going at each other, the need to just touch
and feel the other was so strong and powerful.

It had only been three months since the start of our senior year and I was
already wish it was over by week one. Now that I had Bella in my life, I could care
less about the whole high school scene. Married men and women do not go to high
school!

It was currently the middle of the week, ‘Hump Day’ as I had heard it referred
to by the kids, also known as Wednesday. I walked from my fifth period class toward
my locker so I could get rid of my class textbooks before I went to lunch and then
sneak away with Bella. Another thing the school had done was place my locker in
building B and Bella was in building E. I heard in all the teachers’ minds how much
of a laugh they all had at the irony of the letters.

The entire way to my locker, I grumbled and growled unhappily at how cruel
the school was being towards us. I knew most of the teachers were married. Maybe it
was because they didn’t share the same intense bond as we did, that they didn’t seem
to care that the distance was driving us both literally insane.

I AM NEVER GOING THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL AGAIN!

I’m surprised I didn’t rip the dial off my locker as I twisted in the code. As
soon as the door was open, I threw my books onto the top shelf before slamming it
shut. A small folded piece of paper on the floor right below my locker got my
attention. I bent down and picked it up. A messy letter E in Bella's penmanship on the
top surprised me. I glanced up and down the hallway, looking for my wife. There
wasn’t a trace of her anywhere, which was odd. Eager to see what Bella had written to
me, I flipped the paper open and quickly read over her messy writing.

Meet me in our meadow during lunch.

B xxx

That was it! I flipped the paper over and looked over the back, nothing. Bella
wanted me to meet her in the meadow, no problem with that and I headed toward the
building doors. The moment I was outside, I zipped around the corner then leaned
against the brick wall, listening and watching for any students who might have seen
me change course from the cafeteria.

After waiting a good two minutes, just to be on the safe side, I flashed into the
trees at vampiric speed. No matter what direction I was starting from, I could find the
meadow with my eyes closed – which I tried once, and succeeded. I ran as fast as my
legs could carry me, eager to see my wife with my own eyes. I counted each leap and
bound until I reached the thick brush that bordered the meadow. With one last burst of
energy, I exploded from the trees and jumped into the meadow.

Unfortunately, the first thing I saw when I entered the meadow was the
ground. The second I emerged to our special spot, I found myself forcefully hauled to
the ground by some unknown entity. I attempted to move off the ground but a sudden
shot of excruciating pain consumed my body. It was as if my body my limbs were
being pulled from their sockets while at the same time I was being roasted on a spit
over fiery flames that were also ice cold.

“Jane, that’s enough…stop…” I cringed at the all too familiar voice that
echoed throughout the field. ‘Please be okay.’

I felt sick to my stomach when the pain ceased and a second later Tanya came
into view. I closed my eyes, willing the terrible woman away from me, to not touch
me, to not even look at me. I wasn’t so lucky. She kneeled down in front of me and
started to paw at me, checking to make sure I was in one piece.
 “Where’s Bella?” I barely choked out, my voice still riddled with the pain of
just a minute earlier. “How did I not hear you?”

Tanya hissed in annoyance. “She’s not here,” an evil grin appeared on her
hooker red painted lips. ‘Yet, anyways.’ “Simple, I told everyone to clear their minds
or you would know we were here.”

Due to the lingering side effects from swords of pain stabbing through my
body and throwing me violently to the ground, it was a slow process of getting back
to my feet. The second I was on my feet, I sprang at Tanya, growling, snarling, ready
to tear her apart. The same agony as I felt before cut me short of reaching the woman
and I fell to the ground again, writhing and screaming in pain.

‘Jane is having way too much fun…’ thought a young boy as he watched the
blond girl next to him. The girl wore a dark gray cape and a sinister smile as she
watched me roll on the ground in misery. “Come on sister, we’re here for a reason and
that mission isn’t to torture the accused without just cause.”

The torture cut off instantly, but this time I stayed panting on the ground,
unsure whether to tempt fate and try to kill Tanya again or not. I felt venom flood my
mouth at the mere thought of ending the woman, a woman who up until several
months ago I considered family. I remained on the ground for a number of more
minutes, waiting for all the feeling to return to my body and just listening to the
thoughts around me.

‘I never wanted Jane to hurt him. Alec should have killed his senses
first.’ Tanya's ramblings were confusing. Jane, Alec…there were only two by those
names that I’ve heard about before, from Carlisle. Crap, what was Tanya doing with
the Volturi and why are they here?

‘Tanya is going to ruin all our plans…’ Plans, plans for what. Wait, I know
that voice. James?

Upon hearing James’s mind, I sprang to my feet and crouched low to the
ground. My growl echoed throughout the meadow and the three pairs of ruby red eyes
gazed at me with crooked eyebrows.

‘Is he insane? Well that would make their jobs easier if he did charge after
us.’ My eyes narrowed at James as his mind continued to work through possible
scenarios for my ultimate demise, despite what Tanya wanted.

I remained in my crouch and shot a glance toward the two dark cloaked
vampires. “So how come the Volturi are here?” James and Tanya suddenly looked
nervous while Jane and Alec looked at me questioningly, as if I should know what the
answer already was.
 “You killed another vampire unprovoked and without just cause,” stated Alec
then pointed by nodding his head toward James then Tanya. “These two want justice
for their mate and friend.”

My arms fell to my side as I straightened up, shocked at what I had just heard.
Without warning and thinking, I burst out laughing. I was laughing so hard I stumbled
toward the ground a few times but managed to save myself.

“Are you guys serious? Do I look like I would kill anybody?” I pointed at my
golden brown eyes and continued to chuckle. “I haven’t killed anyone since the
twenties. I’m a happily married man. I have no reason to jeopardize that happiness.”

The two Volturi guards stared intently at me, scrutinizing every little aspect
about me. ‘He’s dressed nicely, he’s clean and he does have a wedding band around
his finger. Maybe this Isa girl they were talking about will have more insight into the
accusation?’

“It’s Bella, not Isa or Isabella…Bella,” the eyes of the two Volturi widened
and I knew I had just goofed up, big time.

‘So what Tanya told us is true. He can read minds,’ stated Jane in her head a
little too interestingly then here crimson blood eyes started to roam up and down my
body and she started to lick her lips. ‘Maybe he’ll willingly join up with the Volturi.’

As the images bounced around inside her mind, I cringed and shuddered. Can
no one understand the term married? I eagerly attempted to shift the conversation and
thoughts away from any imaginings if me, eighty years of Tanya was eighty years too
many as it is. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at the cloaked figures
defiantly.

“Let me get this straight. Tanya and James went to Italy and convinced the
Volturi I killed Victoria?” I paced slowly back and forth in a small line of about only
three paces, snickering the whole time. That sounded even more ludicrous aloud.

“Well no, actually they found us after an investigation in Kansas,” Alec said
plainly then remembered the numerous houses they were investigating.

“No big surprise there. James is a tracker after all.” Alec and Jane looked at
James, shocked by my words. James hissed and growled at the info I had shared about
him that he had neglected to tell the Volturi. “So, what did happen to Victoria?” I
smirked at James and waited for him to give an answer though I doubted it would be
verbal. He continued to snarl at me and I remained perfectly calm, there was nothing
for me to be afraid of, they had framed me after all.
 The sudden image of looking down at Victoria through James’s eyes as they
had sex nearly brought me to my knees. The mere thought of witnessing sex with
anyone other than Bella was sickening and I fought the urge to vomit. Just as James
reached his climax, off came Victoria’s head. He then watched her body burn while
still naked and thoughts of my Bella dancing around in his sick mind.

Honestly, I thought I was going to be sick. If they were true mates, there was
no way he would have been able to kill her. Which in the end I guess it proved that
Victoria was just an outlet for his pleasures. Victoria had honestly believed he loved
her. I was surprised that I felt sorry for her. I understood his fascination with Bella,
honestly I did. I felt it that first day in school…that need to know her, that urge to
touch her, that drive to be near her, and that longing to be inside her…but those
feelings were mine to have alone, no one else’s.

I stared at the tracker in horror. He stood up straighter and acted as if nothing

was different, that nothing had happened. “How could you kill her? She was your
mate!” I shouted at him and took several steps toward him. Rage was pouring out of
me like a waterfall over a cliff. “If you claimed she was your mate even though you
had personally killed her, you just lied to the Volturi.” Alec and Jane stiffened and
stared intently at James, questioning him with their eyes for the truth. “Is your
obsession with my wife that strong that you’ll kill and lie to get her? Bella would
never go for that, and if you think she won’t care, you don’t know her very well.”

The soft sound of a branch snapping behind me reminded me of another

presence that was trying to remain hidden and I snapped around quickly to see Tanya
attempting to tiptoe away. “As for you, what is wrong with you?” Tanya's shoulders
scrunched around her neck in terror at my sudden loud outburst. “I thought we were
cousins! Whom did you kill so you could try to get another shot at me? Kate, Irina,
Eleazar, Carmen or were you secretly thinking about ending Bella?”

Tanya spun around quickly, hands fisted at her sides, eyes burning with fire. “I
didn’t kill anybody Edward and you know it! I tried for eighty years to get your
attention and you didn’t even as much as a batted eyelash in my direction. Then this
girl shows up and you’re a drooling dog after her. You two even eloped and kept it
secret from everybody for months, not an easy task with Alice around.”

I looked between Tanya and James, irritation and anger clogging my already
venom-filled veins. “What is wrong with the two of you? Can’t you get it through
your rock hard heads that James will never get Bella and Tanya…you’ll never get
me? We love whom we love and there is no way you or anybody can alter that. Bella
and I are together whether you like it or not and if one of us perishes so too will the
other. Neither of you will get either of us.”
 “Are you saying that Tanya and James falsified information because they
wanted the two of you for their own?” Jane asked, disbelievingly, shocked that they
would use them this way.

“Looks that way,” I smirked when James and Tanya started to hiss loudly.

Alec stepped forward and glanced between the two lying vampires that now
looked rather nervous. “What did you think we would do? Hand Bella and Edward
over to each of you and that would be it? Because of what you told us regarding
Victoria’s death we would have killed Edward, leaving you both without from what it
sounds like.”

‘If he dies, Bella dies…god those two are annoying…’ James growled
viciously then charged at me, head on. He rammed me right in the stomach, which
sent us flying backwards onto the ground, cutting a giant ditch in the meadow floor.

I recovered and leapt to my feet then returned James’s favor and lunged at
him. Sadly, I found myself in pain again, falling to the ground. I witnessed James
dropping to the ground in front of me at the same time. At least I wasn’t the only one
enduring the damage this time.

“I think…we’ll wait for this Bella to arrive,” Jane’s voice was sinister and
wicked and I felt the venom in my veins freeze at the mental morbid thoughts going
through the small head of hers.

Unfortunately, I could do absolutely nothing to stop or help Bella before she

got here. Jane’s ability currently held me incapacitated on the meadow floor and all I
could do was writhe in agony as Bella approached who knows what.

Chapter 24: Turnabout Is Fair Play

How in the world can a place I loved spending my time be so cruel?

Practically over the summer, the school had planned and worked our schedule against
us, separating Edward and me during school hours. Edward had shared with me what
he had heard in their minds. How could the teachers be so vindictive at their students,
it wasn’t as if we got married just to hurt them. SHEESH!

I AM NEVER GOING THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL AGAIN!

 College, probably wouldn’t be a problem, they have several married couples
there. The high school was obviously biased on the subject. If they knew how long we
had gone without our true match, I hope they wouldn’t be so judgmental. But alas, all
they saw were two seventeen year olds that had snuck off and got married.

As I had done every day for the last three months of school, I stormed down
the hall after my advanced trigonometry class toward my locker to rid myself of my
books. I wanted the use of both my hands to touch Edward in any way possible during
lunch.

As soon as I reached my locker, my fingers latched on to the dial that held the
codes and started turning it a little too vigorously. I accidently broke the lock on my
locker as I attempted to rotate the dial around for the correct numbers. Once the door
was open, granted it hung cockeyed on the hinges I threw my books inside, denting
the back. A small piece of paper floated from the top shelf down to the floor. Curious
as to who was sending a married woman notes, I bent down and picked it up. A fancy
calligraphic letter B in Edward’s beautiful penmanship greeted my eyes. I looked up
and down the hallway for any sign of my husband. Eagerly, I opened the paper and
quickly read it over.

Meet me in our meadow, right now.

xxxExxx

Edward wants me to skip class and join him in the meadow. Normally I
wouldn’t skip but now, that’s not a problem anymore, what with the way the teachers
were acting toward us. I walked outside, acting casual and normal. I zipped around
the corner of the building and waited for any students who might have noticed me
ducking away from the cafeteria bound mob.

I heaved a sigh of relief and took off like a rocket into the trees, the need to
see and touch my husband for the first time today since getting to school, urging me
on toward our special place. Trees, bushes and boulders passed quickly at my frantic
pace to reach the meadow.

The last thing I expected to hear was the sound of my husband screaming from
the direction of our meadow. I came to an abrupt stop just on the inside barrier of the
tree line leading into the small clearing. I was shocked yet again when I heard two
unknown voices then the voices belonging to Tanya and James. What in the world is
going on out there?

Silently, I sneaked around the outskirts of the meadow, studying the situation.
Two cloaked figures stood off to the side, looking down at Edward and James as they
thrashed about on the ground. Tanya stood off to the side, gritting her teeth and
looking pissed.

Edward let out another heartbreaking scream and it compelled me into action.
I sprang from the trees and ran directly for my husband. Tanya stared at me in
surprised as I quickly approached. I didn’t care one iota about the blond skank
standing a few feet from Edward. All I did care about was the fact that she was in my
way. Without a word or an apology, I shoved her out of the way and continued on my
path toward Edward.

That annoying tickling feeling I always got when someone used a gift on me
struck in full force, but I had other priorities at the top of my list to give that irritating
tickle any attention. I instantly fell to my knees beside Edward, brushing his messy
hair from his eyes so he could fully take me in.

“Edward, please look at me…” I tapped him on the cheeks while I pleaded
with him to show me his gorgeous topaz eyes. “Please Edward, open your eyes…”

“Bella…” he hissed my name roughly but at least he spoke and for that, I was
grateful. My hands started to roam over the rest of his torso, making sure there wasn’t
any physical damaged that I hadn’t seen.

“Edward Cullen has been accused of murdering another vampire without

provocation.”

My head snapped around in an instant, glaring across the field to the ruby-
eyed girl that had just spoken. “What? Are you kidding me? The only thing he’s killed
in the last seventy plus years has been deer and cougar.”

The girl stepped forward, placing herself only a few yards away from us. On
instinct, I hissed in warning, wanting to keep her away from Edward. “That’s exactly
what he’s claimed. Where was he on October twenty eighth about noon?”
 I blinked at her in shock, surprised that she hadn’t figured out the timing
already. “Both of us were in class at school. Check into it if you must,” I snapped
aggressively at the girl then attempted to get Edward into a sitting position but I
couldn’t budge him. “Can you please release my husband from whatever hold you
have on him?”

The girl smirked evilly then Edward gasped loudly, most likely because she
released her power over him. I immediately wrapped my arms around his neck when
he sat up and I held on to him tightly. His hands found my cheeks and he held my face
tenderly before placing a chaste and sweet kiss on my lips. I heard a couple snarls and
hisses as soon as our lips met and knew immediately who the sounds belonged two. I
kept my arms tightly around Edward's neck but turned to look at the girl and boy
dressed in dark robes, ignoring the hissing from Tanya and James.

“So, who is this supposed victim?” I stared at them sternly, daring them with
my eyes to not tell me.

The look on both the girl and the boy’s face implied that what Tanya and
James had told them and what I had just told them regarding Edward's alibi confused
them. The boy looked sternly over to James who was still stationary on the ground but
not screaming. “James sought us out in order to get vengeance on his mate who he
accused Edward had killed for no reason.”

My brows shot to the sky and I stared at them blankly for several minutes. The
whole story was insane. One, that Edward would kill anybody, much less provoked.
Two, that James would get the Volturi involved when he could handle things himself.
And three, which I immediately knew what the motive was.

Edward's hand snaked around to behind my neck and he pulled my head

toward him so he could whisper in my ear. “James killed her.”

Why am I not surprised? The lunacy in this whole situation was laughable, out
right hysterical…and I let them know it. I couldn’t control myself, I did try, honest,
but the hysterical laughter ripped from my mouth. Edward wrapped his arms around
my waist in an effort to keep me upright so I wouldn’t fall over backwards since I was
laughing so hard.
 Another tickle hit me like a sledgehammer and I slowly came down off my
laughing high. I pretended to wipe away tears as I gazed humorously at James who
was now in a sitting position, staring at me with a confused look.

“Are you seriously trying to rip Edward and me apart by killing your own
mate and framing Edward for it?” James’s eyes started to dart around the meadow,
not focusing on one thing for more than a few seconds. “Did you honestly think I
would go to you with open arms if Edward was taken away from me, or worse,
dead?” James opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off, not wanting to hear his
unorthodox explanation. “It. Will. Never. Happen.”

James’s lip curled up, baring his teeth as a low growl rumbled from his chest
and his eyes narrowed at me. I never realized how mental James truly was until now. I
heard a hushed ruffling of leaves over grass and Edward visibly cringed at the evil
smirk that appeared on my face. I gradually got to my feet then turned my head
slowly, in a fashion reminiscent of the movie ‘The Exorcist’.

“Stop. Right. There. Tanya!” Tanya froze in mid-step and she visibly trembled
as I leisurely approached her. I stood before her, looking completely innocent and
naive. “I was wondering, could you tell me what fantasy planet you’re from?” She
stared at me perplexedly, trying to figure out what I meant. I started to examine my
fingernails, thinking they were the most interesting thing around and Tanya started to
fidget in front of me. “Personally, I’d love to send you back to that fake, delusional,
insane planet you come from…especially after this huge stunt you pulled.”

It became increasingly difficult to keep a straight face as I cast Tanya a

sideways glance and she actually looked paler. “Um…I…um…that is…I…”

I threw an arm around Tanya's shoulders and leisurely walked us over toward
the Volturi. “Tanya, Tanya, Tanya…I appreciate your fascination with my husband
but he is my husband. Look, don’t touch… actually, don’t even look,” I finished my
warning with an evil wink. “Edward is mine, he will always be mine and vice versa, I
am his and will always be his. You need to realize that no matter what the
circumstances; Edward will never go to you.”

Two words, she said only two words and they sent my inner animal into
overprotective she-demon. “He might…” she flashed her eyes toward the still sitting
Edward and I lost it. Not lost it as if you lose your keys but more like a homicidal,
seeing red losing it.
 As if possessed, which I was considering, my body swiveled around so I was
facing Tanya head on. I stood close to her and whispered in her ear. “Edward loves
me, I win…” I brought my right leg around the back of hers and at the same time, I
gave her a good shove backwards, causing her to trip over my leg and fall to ground
with a loud thunk.

I seriously debated using whatever gift it was I had been absorbing on her.
However, with the Volturi right here next to me, I voted against it. Based on what I
had heard about the Volturi leader and his fetish for collecting gifted vampires, I
wasn’t about to give myself away.

As soon as her back hit the grass, I was on top of her, straddling her stomach
as I reached for her hair and face. She tried to fend me off but I had the element of
surprise and the threat to my mate coursing through my body to spur me on. By some
kind of miracle, I managed to rip off a perfect ear and scalp a good portion of her hair
before two sets of arms wrestled me off her. I fought against the arms but it was futile.

One set of arms locked around my waist at the same time a pair of lips found
my neck, immediately sedating me. I slumped against my husband’s chest and we
both fell to our knees, Edward's hold on me didn’t loosen though. I glanced over to
the woman I had just been tearing at and she looked terrified as she glanced between
the two Volturi guards and they stared between Tanya and James.

“For the crimes of false accusations, accomplice to a murder and premeditated

murder…your sentences are instant death. Your past transgressions don’t help either,”
the girl said calmly and dispassionately. Her uncaring tone sent shivers down my
spine, telling me never to get on her bad side.

I was surprised, annoyed and grateful when Edward grabbed my face and
forced my body to turn around and he pressed my head into his chest, hiding my eyes
and ears. Despite Edward covering my ears, I could still hear Tanya and James
screaming in utter agony and terror. Metal ripping and stretching beyond its limits
reverberated off the trees and bounced around the meadow. The screams seemed to
have lasted for hours but it was probably only seconds then complete and deafening
silence.
 Edward released his hold on my head after the silence stretched on for several
more minutes and I turned to see what was going on. The sweet, woodsy smell
reached my nose before my eyes took in the sight of the bonfire that was spewing
forth a purple smoke. I watched in horror as the boy threw an arm onto the burning
pile of what I could now tell were the remains of James and Tanya.

I whimpered and returned my face to Edward's chest and he started to trace

soothing circles on my back. He buried his face in the hair hiding my neck and
whispered quietly into my ear, causing shivers of a different nature to spread
throughout my body.

“Everything is going to be alright.”

“Not totally,” the sinister female voice got my attention and I pried my face
away from Edward's chest, just slightly. The girl’s face was eerily serious, no evil grin
or mischief in her eyes.

Edward's grip tightened around my waist and a nearly silent growl vibrated in
his chest. “Jane, it’s not important-”

“I still need to ask,” her tone was flat as she kept her blood-red eyes locked
onto me. “How did you negate my power? No one has ever rendered my ability
useless…so how did you do it?”

Her question scared me. There was no way I could lie about how her gift
didn’t work on me, the proof was in the fact that I never fell to the ground screaming.
Wait. She doesn’t know the extent of my gift. Maybe I could use that to my favor.

“I’m a shield; abilities don’t work on me,” I glanced at her nervously, saying a
silent prayer that she wouldn’t figure out that my gift extended further than just
blocking. “Problem with my shield is I haven’t been able to expand it past covering
my own body, I’ve tried for the last forty years to cover others but it won’t budge.”

The girl Edward had called Jane, stared down at me intently, and scrutinizing
me. Her hard, crimson orbs glancing over every inch of me, as I remained tangled in
my husband’s arms. My skin crawled as her eyes pierced through me to the very core
of my being. What was she trying to find? Did she have an ability that allowed her to
know if I wasn’t telling the complete truth?
 After more than a few minutes of silence, numerous twitches from Edward,
and uncountable tickles to my system with abilities, Jane stood straight up and sighed
in exasperation. Her eyebrows scrunched together in irritation.

“Sister?” the boy asked in confusion as he walked over and stood next to her,
grabbing her shoulder.

Jane’s face returned to her serious, emotionless self. “Let’s go home Alec.”
She turned her back on us and walked back into the forest, her brother following close
behind; asking her what was going on. “Edward was right, it is nothing important.”

Edward and I sat in silence, stunned at what had happened in the meadow.
Everything that had happened, the accusations, the fighting, the killing…it took only
half an hour. In half an hour’s time, we had righted a crime, been rid of two other
vampires that threatened our bond and managed to keep the full extent of my powers
a secret.

Two strong hands reached up and cupped my face, forcing me to look into the
loving eyes of my husband. “I suggest we go home and we proceed to make love to
each other nonstop until the next century.”

The fire in his eyes instantly melted any frozen part of my body. I couldn’t
argue with him and he knew it. I threw my arms around his neck and held on tightly.
“I agree with you whole heartedly.”

Edward didn’t bother removing my arms from around him. As he stood up, he
placed an arm under my legs and the other at my back, supporting me. Then like a
bolt of lightning, he was dashing through the forest, straight for our little cabin. The
moment we were inside the home, Edward made a direct line for the bed and placed
me down on the mattress softly then started to lavish my neck in kisses.

I placed a hand on his chest and gazed up at him sadly. He looked down at me
confused and saddened. “There is something I have to do really quickly.” Edward
tilted his head in bewilderment then I closed my eyes and opened up my mind. I
imagined Alice driving the Eclipse here and dropping it off. I reopened my eyes and
smiled adoring up at the man I love. “Okay, I’m done.”
 He half smirked, half smiled and shook his head as if to figure things out.
“And what…”

“I just showed Alice that she needs to bring our car home,” I shrugged
casually and started to caress his chest seductively.

“Ah…” was the only reply I got before he started to give my neck and skin his
undivided attention. I was dismayed when he stopped to look seriously down at me. “I
love you, never forget that.”

I trailed my fingers over his cheekbones, loving the feel of skin. “As long as
you keep telling me, how could I ever forget? I love you too, always.” I then slammed
my mouth into his, silencing any other words that he thought about uttering. No more
words tonight, all I wanted was to feel my husband against me in every way possible,
no ifs, and, or buts.

Epilogue: Plans for the Future

~*~Bella~*~

After the demise of Tanya and James along with Jane and Alec returning to
Italy, everything went back to normal. Begrudgingly, Edward and I went back to
attending high school, hiding in broom closets and storage rooms just to get some
time alone together.

Over the last six months, everyone in the family helped me in training my
reversal ability. In that time I had learned to catalog what type of gifts they used on
me and how many times, which infuriated Emmett when I would read his mind. The
down side was there were only two others I could test that with though. I was shocked
when I discovered how many times the two Volturi had attempted to disable me when
they were here. The boy Alec was only nine times but his sister Jane was a whooping
fifty-seven times. No wonder there was a constant tickle while in the meadow.

Even though it felt like years, we were finally free from school and in two
weeks, Edward and I were going to have the big wedding. Every person in the family
and in town was excited. Edward and I were just along for the ride, we couldn’t wait
to begin our honeymoon honestly.
 This last month, I wondered if I had made a horrible mistake in letting Alice
have full control over the wedding. After finally deciding on the color theme of the
event, she hauled me around to florists, dress shops, tuxedo shops, stationary shops,
shops, and more shops, shops I didn’t even know existed. Two days before the event,
Alice dragged me to the main house and told Edward to stay at our place. There were
things that we girls had to do before the big day, in other words she wanted a
traditional wedding where the groom doesn’t see the bride until she walked down the
aisle. AKA: Torture for Edward and me.

Alice ordered me to do nothing to help get things ready, that Alice didn’t want
me messing up a single hair on my head. Therefore, I sat on the stairs, waiting and
watching while Alice and the rest of the family, minus Edward, decorated the house
and outside. It was two days of extreme boredom, even reading didn’t help to occupy
my time. I was too impatient for the wedding, to have Edward back in my arms and to
escape on our honeymoon.

They allowed me to phone Edward during my down time, thank god. I was
shocked to learn that he was in the process of packing up our house. He told me that
considering the length of our honeymoon that it would be best to put everything in
storage. In addition, it would also make things easier if the family had to move
quickly. What he said made perfect sense, it just seemed odd. How long of a
honeymoon were we taking exactly?

Edward kept the whereabouts and duration of the honeymoon top secret. Alice
couldn’t even tell me since his plans revolved around me. Not knowing the details of
the honeymoon were annoying but I trusted Edward and his choices.

Finally, it was my wedding day, again, but this time family and friends were
involved.

I lingered downstairs and greeted people as they showed up, happy to see
some of our human friends had made the guest list. Maria and Lillian were even
invited and both squealed in exuberance that they could come.

When I heard the Volvo approaching the house I headed for the front door but
Alice stopped me and ushered me upstairs. In a matter of seconds, Emmett and Jasper
were carrying me up to the second floor, kicking and screaming. Everyone downstairs
started to laugh quietly, knowing full well why I was acting the way I was. I. Wanted.
Edward. NOW!

My brothers dragged me into Alice’s bedroom and deposited me on the bed,

then stood with their arms crossed over their chests. They were playing warden and I
was the prisoner. A few seemingly long minutes later in walked the executioner and
the wardens left. Alice looked thrilled with herself that I her prisoner and at her
mercy.
 A few minutes into my torment, there was a knock on the door and three
unexpected women entered the room. The Denali’s were the last ones I expected to
see considering how things turned out with Tanya and the Volturi. Kate, Irina and
Carmen joined the rest of us girls upstairs to be primped and polished for the
ceremony. They told me that Eleazar ventured off to find the men.

Come to find out, they were totally on our side. After Tanya had learned that
Edward had chosen me she went a little psycho but when she learned we had married,
she went off the deep end. Right after we announced we were already married and I
had electrocuted her, she vanished; the Denali’s hadn’t seen her since. I was shocked
to hear that they weren’t surprised about Tanya's ending. Tanya had been lusting after
Edward for so long that it had turned into a sick obsession that would end badly and
they told her that repeatedly.

Despite them telling me not to worry about what had come about, I still
apologized for everything that had happened. I wasn’t apologizing for loving Edward
or marrying him but for what had become of their sister due to our union. Neither
Edward nor I thought Tanya would do what she did by getting the Volturi involved
with her and James’s insane plan.

Once everybody was done being pampered, including myself, they gave me a
few minutes by myself to relax and reflect. Not that there was anything I needed to
reflect on and the only way I would relax would be in Edward's arms. I did however
think over what everyone had done to get me, us to this day since we had graduated
high school and began planning the wedding.

Everyone had chipped in doing things, whatever they needed to do to get this
wedding done in a month, and they did it. The flowers, the seating, the music…there
was even stuff for the humans to eat.

It was decided a small buffet of food was adequate for the humans to munch
at, and then they wouldn’t wonder why there wasn’t any food to begin with. They
wouldn’t understand if we told them we preferred fast food. Alice had kidnapped
Angela on her taste testing run to Port Angeles. She told Angela that I was too busy
being fitted for my dress to do the tasting myself so Angela was roped in to
volunteering, she was the one with the human taste buds after all.

Alice was like a little mini tornado as she ran around doing ten things at once.
Edward had warned me that this is what Alice was like when she planned weddings
but I didn’t believe him. And rightly so, she was far worse than Edward made her out
to be.

She did my makeup at the same time as she confirmed the seating
arrangement. She did my hair while helping Rose and Esme get into their dresses. She
helped me get into my dress at the same time she got into hers. Mini tornado was an
understatement; she was scarier than a F-5 twister.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, astounded at how amazing I looked. My

dress was a satin A-line halterwith a split front, beaded lace and lace-up back and
a chapel train trailed behind me for about three feet. A thin sash of marine blue, Alice
stated the color vehemently, wrapped around my waist and twisted in the back then
cascaded down to the floor, over the train. The veil was simple, reaching to my elbow,
and was trimmed in the same marine blue as the sash. A pearl and crystal comb held
the veil in place on top of my head*.

If only my parents could see me. My mom would be thrilled while my dad
would probably grumble that I was too young. All I could really do was believe that
they were smiling down at me from heaven. I shook my head side to side in disbelief,
what a cliché thought that was.

As if, something had possessed my body. I giggled shyly then spun around,
letting the skirt of my dress billow outwards and wrap around my legs. I wasn’t one
for dresses but this type of dress in this situation was the one exception.

“Are you ready, sis?” I spun around toward the door to see Jasper leaning
against the doorframe dressed in his dove gray tuxedo and marine blue tie. He looked
amazingly handsome in his suit. I bet Alice was having difficulties keeping her hands
to herself right about now. Actually, thank to my gift and Jasper’s, I knew she was.

Jasper extended his elbow outward and waited for me to take it. Since my
father was unable to fulfill this one duty, Jasper took it upon himself as my brother to
walk me down the aisle. Excitedly, I took his offered arm and together we walked
down the stairs and toward the back door leading out to my future…now with
everyone’s approval.

The moment I stepped out the backdoor onto the patio, I saw Edward in his
black tuxedo with marine blue tie out on the lawn. He stood under the white wooden
archway covered in white roses and deep blue delphiniums. Everything around me
faded into oblivion the moment my eyes met his smoldering liquid gold orbs.

~*~Edward~*~

The instant Bella stepped outside and into my line of sight, I forgot about
everyone else, all I saw was the magnificent creature across the yard, I even forgot to
breath. My eyes and thoughts locked onto the incredible creature before me. I
couldn’t tell you anything about the ceremony I was so transfixed by the girl about to
be mine…again. I don’t even remember saying I do but I must have because we were
declared Mr. and Mrs. Cullen and then we kissed.

At this very moment, I was sitting at one of the tables, watching Bella as she
greeted and laughed with some of our classmates for the last time. She looked
exquisite in her wedding dress, but thanks to Alice kidnapping her two days ago all I
could think about was taking off said dress.

Jasper came up behind me and took a seat in the chair next to me. He eyed me
as if I had done something horribly wrong…or was about to. ‘You know, if you hurt
her in any way, I’ll personally dismember your limbs then kill you, right?’

I couldn’t suppress my eyes from rolling at his warning. Alice had said the
exact same thing to me before the wedding. “Please Jasper, give me some credit. I
would never hurt her and you know it.”

Jasper patted my shoulder as he stood up. ‘I know but I still wanted to warn
you, an older brother’s prerogative.’ He then walked off into the crowd, searching for
his petite wife no doubt.

At the start of a familiar tune, I stood up and walked directly for my wife. She
jumped in surprise when I took her hand in mine and pulled her toward me, slamming
her against my chest. “I believe they are playing our song.”

A smile from ear to ear appeared on her gorgeous face as I spun her out on to
the dance floor, only to have her twirl right back to my chest. We held each other
tightly as ‘Bella's Lullaby’ played in the background, courtesy of Rose on the piano.

Much to my dismay, Alice pulled Bella and me away from the dance floor as
soon as the song ended and over to the large pile of wrapped gifts, there were more
presents then there were guests. There was a small box to the side of the larger pile of
presents, one Bella and I put there, one that wasn’t for either of us but for our mother.
Before Alice could thrust the first package at us, I reached for the small purple gift
quickly. I took Bella's hand in mine and together we weaved our way through the
guests toward Esme who was sitting in a chair, grinning from ear to ear at the
festivities.

When she saw us approaching her, her smile actually got bigger and her eyes
took on a new type of sparkle.‘Edward, what’s wrong? You look scared.’

“Mother, we have a gift for you,” I stated nervously and Bella squeezed my
hand to steady me. Esme’s eyes became questioning when my voice cracked slightly.
Before she could do or say anything, I thrust the tiny box at her. I don’t have a clue as
to why I was so nervous, I just knew I was.
 She took the petite gift and smiled warmly at Bella and me before she started
to remove the wrapping from the box. Once she eliminated the wrapping paper, she
lifted the white lid of the box and let out an extremely loud gasp.

‘Oh my god, it’s…they…’ “Oh gosh! Thank you so much,” she pulled both of
us into her arms and sobbed happily.‘This is so sweet…thank you…’ she released her
tight hug on us and her dainty fingers found their way inside the box. She held up her
hand and in between her thumb and index finger, she held a small heart covered in
blue sapphires. “Now I have Bella's heart for my necklace. It’s now complete, just
like our family.”

Carlisle came up behind Esme and placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘That was a
really great thing you two did.’ I nodded in agreement then leaned down and gave my
wife a tender kiss on her cheek.

A very angry pixie stormed her way through the crowd, directly up to us.
Without a word, she grabbed our wrists and hauled us off toward the table with the
gifts. She forcefully shoved us down into the pair of chairs and thrust a package into
our arms for us to open.

We received a bunch of the usual wedding gifts. Albums, dishes, sheets…then

came the fun stuff. With each present we opened, my eyes got wider and my pants got
tighter as the fantasies invaded my imagination. Box after box of exotic nightwear, in
every color you could imagine but mostly in blues and blacks.

‘Why did they receive so much lingerie?’ I laughed internally at Angela’s

naïve question. If she only knew why we needed so much, her face would be crimson
red for a year. Negligee rips far too easily.

Just a few of my favorites were the black baby doll with silver rhinestones on
the breasts and the panties matched the top*. A deep turquoise, lace baby doll with a
very low cut V-neckline. The black push up bustier that accentuated her perfect
breasts, the garters and stockings came with it*.

One outfit that we opened, I credited to Emmett immediately. A black and

white French maid getup, including feather duster*. What was it with him and exotic
or sex oriented stuff? I shrugged it off; this was Emmett after all. Who knew why he
did half the things he did, Emmett included.

Then it was time to toss the bouquet and the garter. Bella was all too willing to
stand at the top of the stairs and throw her flowers over her shoulder to the crowd of
single girls below. It was a rather small group consisting of only Jessica, Angela,
Kate, and Irina. Kate and Irina promised to be extra careful with the humans. Without
looking, she threw the bundle of white roses and cobalt blue delphinium behind her
and over the staircase railing. It was a screaming, frantic mess once the bouquet was
within arm’s reach. After about five minutes of trying to calm everyone and pulling
the girls off one another, I located Angela in the fetal position on the floor, wrapped
around the flowers.

She slowly opened her eyes and realized she was unburied and she sprang into
a sitting position and blushed slightly. “Did I get them?” she looked around
curiously. ‘Oh please say I did…I wanna be the next one married and to Ben at that.’

I pointed to the flowers on the flower next to her. “Yeah, you got them.” The
room then burst into several fits of giggles and laughs. Bella descended the stairs and
helped her blushing friend to her feet.

Much to Bella's horror, a chair appeared in the open circle from where she had
assisted Angela just a moment ago. I took Bella by the hand and led her over to the
chair where I gently sat her down then kneeled on the floor before her. Her eyebrows
skyrocketed when an evil smirk crossed my face and my fingers started to play with
the hem of her dress.

“Edward, I know that look. What are you…?” I chuckled as she squealed
when I dived under the skirt of her dress. I could hear several laughs and giggles from
the crowd as Bella whimpered and squirmed as I made my way up her thigh. I found
the dark blue garter high up her leg but what was further up caught my attention.
Bella screamed and started pushing on my head the second my face made contact with
her white lace underwear.

“Edward, knock it off!” Bella hissed and continued to force me away. I

nuzzled my nose into her crotch deeper and inhaled her heavenly scent. She then
whispered her next hiss. “Stop it or we’ll never make it to the honeymoon.”

That stopped me in my tracks. The longer I teased her, the longer it would take
until we could be alone and intimate. I pulled away from my favorite place and
quickly relocated her garter belt and tugged it down her leg using my teeth. I emerged
from under Bella's dress and smugly started twirling the garter on my forefinger.
Bella rolled her eyes and tried to straighten out the front of her dress.

The single males gathered around waiting to catch the garter, even though
there was just Ben and Mike they were just as eager as the girls were for the flowers. I
stared between the two males, trying to decide whom to direct the garter belt to.

‘Please shoot it here. Maybe it will help get me laid!’ Mike’s thoughts were as
crude as Emmett’s at times.

‘Oh my god, it’s only Mike and me up here…and Angela got the
flowers…’ Ben’s cheeks reddened at his own innocent thoughts.
 In those two thoughts, I knew who should get the belt. I reached up with my
other hand and pulled the fabric back, ready to launch it. Not wanting to give away
my decision right off the get go, I pivoted my hand and aimed between the two boys
repeatedly. I fainted toward Mike then quickly shot the garter at Ben. He caught the
delicate piece of fabric in his hands after it bounced off his chest.

‘Oh gosh, does this mean Angela and I are the next to marry?’ Suddenly his
face was reminiscent of a ripe tomato and Angela was part of the same garden. They
looked at each other and they shared a radiant blush that got the whole room in a
laughing frenzy.

Alice got a photo of Angela with the bouquet sitting on Ben’s lap as he
proudly held up the garter. Both were a dark crimson color as the flash went off.
Angela then buried her face into Ben’s neck and mumbled something about being
embarrassed.

We did a little more visiting with our guests then annoyingly, Alice dragged
Bella up the stairs, stating it was time for her to get ready to go. Get ready to go, what
was wrong with what she was wearing?

‘I’m not about to let you rip up her wedding dress once you’ve reached your
destination. Plus it makes for easy movement in and out of the car.’ I grumbled
unhappily at my sister’s explanation. So, what if she was right about everything. It’s
her fault I’m so antsy to get Bella undressed and beneath me in the first place. She
didn’t have to steal away my wife two whole days before the ceremony.

When there was talk of my brothers decorating my Vanquish before we left, I

panicked. I quickly told them we would be taking the Volvo, scared of what they
would do to my precious Vanquish or Bella's beautiful Eclipse. My Volvo now sat in
front of the house, covered with canned cool whip, streamers, with several lines of
cans and blown up condoms – not really sure why they used condoms.

For the second time today, my breathing halted in my throat as Bella

descended the stairs in her casual leaving outfit. It was a simple navy blue jersey dress
fit for traveling but against Bella's pale white skin…it made me drool. After she
reached the bottom of the stairs, she made a straight line for me. I involuntarily liked
my lips hungrily as I watched her seductive approach.

“Are you ready to go?” She asked in a sexy whisper while her fingers teased
the hem of my jacket.

“Oh god yes,” I answered back gruffly then firmly took her hand and pulled
her toward the front door. We waved and said goodbye to everyone then laughed our
way to the car, happy to be on our way finally. I escorted Bella to her side of the car
and helped her inside then flashed to the driver’s side and hopped in, literally. I had
the car started before I even had my door shut, that’s how enthusiastic I was to start
our honeymoon.

Alice put me in charge of planning our honeymoon…thank god. I decided that

tomorrow would be the start of our main honeymoon. There was no more school to
get in the way or family with random thoughts interrupting. Tonight I was planning to
take Bella to where our joined lives first began.

I pulled the Volvo in to the parking lot surrounded by little cozy cabins.
Bella's hands flew to her mouth in surprise when she realized where we were going.
Her gold eyes sparkled with excitement and happiness as she gazed at the cabin on the
far side of the lot, the exact same one we stayed in after our first wedding and the
same one I was heading for. Bella started to bounce in her seat as the tires crunched
closer and closer to our honeymoon cabin.

“I figured we’d spend the night here then continue on for our next destination
tomorrow. How does that sound?” I was stunned when she squealed with excitement.
I was beginning to fear I had brought my sister not my wife. As soon as I parked the
car and cut the engine that fear was demolished.

Before I could even blink, she was out of the car, opened my door and was
hauling me toward the cabin. I was stunned when she hastily unlocked the door. Had
she just picked my pocket for the key? Within the next few seconds, she's was
shoving me up against the door and really planting her lips on my mouth, almost
violently. As she was assaulting my mouth, one of her hands found its way down to
my already impatient and firm cock.

A deep throaty moan escaped me and Bella pulled away slightly, tracing my
lips with her tongue. Oh god, I’m going to explode right here and now if she doesn’t
stop. “Can you get my small suitcase from the car please?”

I stared after her in shock as she turned and walked into the bathroom,
swaying her hips seductively. It took me all of two minutes to unload the car, lock the
doors, and hand the small case over to Bella. It was completely silent in the bathroom
as she did who knows what and it was driving me insane just thinking of the
possibilities.

Tired of waiting for my wife to reveal herself I went and investigated the lone
red suitcase mixed in with our black luggage. I started to remove my shirt as I
unzipped the top flap and flung it open. What I saw had me baffled. A note was
resting on top of a large piece of black silk that was covering something lumpy. I
picked up the note and recognized Emmett's crude handwriting.

Enjoy your honeymoon. ^_-

 Um, okay…why wouldn’t I? I balled up the paper and tossed it over my
shoulder then nonchalantly extracted the silk fabric away from whatever was beneath
it. My jaw hit the floor as my eyes took in the contents of my brother’s secret gift.
Vibrators, nipple clamps, plugs, dildos, ropes, cuffs, and rings…stuff I had only seen
courtesy of Emmett's mind, but now they were here before my own eyes. God, I hope
this isn’t second hand.

I heard the bathroom door handle rattle briefly then quickly zipped up the red
case and shoved it under the bed. I would have to ask Emmett about his generosity
later.

Bella emerged from the bathroom causing my jaw to drop to the floor. She
was dressed in a white corset top with a layered mesh skirt, garter and veil. She was
wearing a bride-style lingerie outfit*! She was sex warmed over a fire and topped
with chocolate sauce. I had always heard adding chocolate sauce to something turned
it into heaven and the sight of my wife was heaven.

Before Bella could open her mouth to say anything, I was on her like you
wouldn’t believe. My lips found hers and my hands roamed over her body hungrily. I
don’t know how or when but we ended up with me pressing Bella up against the wall
near the bathroom door, her legs dangling in midair.

I was thrilled to discover she wasn’t wearing any underwear beneath her frilly
skirt. I hastily undid my pants, just in case. Then my long fingers quickly found their
way into her entrance. Bella gasped loudly and clung to my shoulders tightly as her
legs locked around my waist. My fingers twisted and turned inside her, playing her as
if she was my piano but the music I got out of her sounded much sweeter.

Bella started clawing at my back, attempting to pull me closer and I felt her
muscles tightening around my fingers, she was close. I abruptly pulled my fingers
from within her and replaced them with a single, larger, firmer digit. If I weren’t
already made of stone, Bella would have torn me in half trying to get me deeper
inside her.

That was one request I wasn’t about to ignore. I grabbed her buttocks and held
her firmly against me as I pounded into her as deep as I could get. I felt like an animal
rutting right now but having gone without the touch of my mate for forty-eight hours,
it was expected. I’m positive Bella felt it too.

I felt her inside muscles clench around my cock to the point that it was almost
painful but oh, god it also felt so good. Three more times of having the life squeezed
out of me by my wife’s insides and I was a goner. One more thrust then the
overwhelming squeeze and I lost everything inside me. We growled and moaned into
each other’s necks, incapable of doing much of anything else. We stayed pinned to the
wall for a number of minutes as our breathing slowed and we gained control of our
limbs.

I slowly tilted my head to look at the dreamy gaze on her face and ran a single
finger softly over her cheek causing her to hum affectionately. “I love you so very,
very much.”

She hummed again and looked at me with her still blackened eyes. “I’ll never
tire of hearing that,” she then gave my nose a quick peck. “I love you too, more then I
can even describe…but I’ll have the rest of eternity to try.” We chuckled at her little
statement. Without leaving the comforts of her folds, I carried her over to the bed and
laid us both down.

After our excitement against the wall, I lay above Bella and caressed every
exposed inch of her body tenderly. “How do you feel about a decade long
honeymoon?” Upon seeing her huge and bright smile, I felt as if wings had just
sprouted from my back. My fingers naturally found their way to her cheek and started
to caress her silky skin. “How about we spend the first year on Isle Esme? Then we
can decide where else we would want to go.” Maybe England, France, or even the
present I have yet to give called la Bella Isle.

Her smile faltered and her eyes trailed off to the side in thought before
focusing back on me. “Don’t get me wrong, a ten year honeymoon sounds awesome
but won’t the family complain?”

I smirked sheepishly and scoffed. “Actually…they told us to take a decade

away. After we broke one of Esme’s favorite end tables, they felt we needed to take
some time away. At least this time it was a suggestion. They blatantly kicked Emmett
and Rosalie out of the house until they were past the newly mated stage.” Then after
our ten-year honeymoon, we would return to civilization. However, until then they
would only receive the occasional phone call from us, checking in on how they were
doing and if they had moved.

Her eyes widened as she whispered, “oh.” Then her smile returned in full
force and she laced her fingers through my hair, tugging slightly. “If that’s the case,
when do we leave for the island?”

My crooked smile turned wicked at the idea of us disappearing for ten years
and what we could do in that time. “We can leave tomorrow morning if you like?”

“Absolutely!” She pulled my head down forcefully and slammed her mouth
into mine. In no time at all, we were flinging bedding around the room and soon we
were a tangled, panting mess again. We made love repeatedly, slowly and sweetly this
time. Content in each other’s touch and wrapped in the other’s arms, surrounded in
our love for the other. Things could not be any more perfect, and for the next ten
years, we planned on staying lost in one another only.

We fully intended on staying well sated and well hidden.

The End