Welcome back to my story everyone!

Before I say anything else:

If you have not read my story 'Another Chance' then this fic will make no damn sense to you.

So, If you haven't read it…go do it right now! (And review my chapters too! =P)

OH!

And I don't own the characters or anything from the Twilight Saga.

But I do own Bethany. She's mah babeh. =D

Lol…I realize now that I never put a disclaimer in my first fic…I thought I had in my first chapter…but I guess not.

The above disclaimer is effective for the rest of this entire fic! So yeah…I'm not reposting it again.

Now that that's over…

I had planned to start writing again the next day after I posted the last chapter of the first one but I decided to take a few day s off first. When I write these, it's very time consuming and I wanted a few days just to try and keep my mind off Twilight and focus myself on other things in my life. (Which is EXTREMELY hard by the way…as you all may know)

But alas, I could stay away no more and I had this damn birthday planned for awhile now.

I couldn't get it out of my head because I kept thinking…

'Damn it, why can't I have a getaway like this with Edward freaking Cullen…??'

*pouts*

Anyways!!

Here's the long awaited (Not really that long…) sequel to Another Chance:

Lights! Camera! …Read!


June 20th 2009

Today is Edward's 18th birthday.

It's so unfortunate that we must spend it away from the family and in Volterra no less.

I'm determined to make his birthday the best I can possibly make it.

I wanted to do something special for him.

I want to get him away from the castle, away from everything.

We've only been in Volterra for 8 days now.

I easily adjusted to the familiar routines of the castle, but Edward…he's another story.

I'm given a lot more freedom here, of course.

I don't fully agree with all the new rules we'd been given, though I am grateful that we are still able to leave the castle at times.

One rule they've given us, is that anytime Edward would be leaving the castle for more than a day we must inform one of the brothers and have them approve of his departure.

So that's what brings me here, pacing in Aro's private office impatiently waiting for his return from feeding.

I finally decided on where I wanted to take Edward for his birthday, but we would be gone for two or more days.

It was going to get old pretty fast, to have to ask permission for things like this...

Aro has been, well to be honest he's been cooperative with most things, which is quite suspicious behavior for him.

I'm not sure what his intentions are at the moment, but I will be keeping my eye on him.

I was pretty sure he'd approve of my trip planned, but I was still a bit nervous.

There's always the possibility he would say no.

Suddenly, I heard nearly silent footsteps coming from the corridor.

I sighed and sat in the uncomfortable leather seat in front of Aro's desk, just as I heard the door behind me creek open.

"Ah, Isabella. I hope you haven't been waiting too long." Aro crossed the room and sat behind the desk. "What can I help you with, my pet?"

A small, cold shiver ran up my spine.

My pet.

I hated when he called me that.

"I come to ask for approval to a small trip I want to take with Edward."

He furrowed his brows.

"So soon, Isabella? You already want to get away. What is the occasion and where is it that you want to take him?"

"He turns 18 today. I want to take him to Genoa for his birthday. We can stay at San Remo or maybe Portofino."

"Ah, I see." His lips formed a cheeky grin. "Maybe we should have a big celebration for his birthday, as well as a welcome party instead."

I sighed and shook my head.

Aro loves to throw too many damn parties.

"He doesn't like parties much, Aro. Besides, so much has changed the last couple of months for him, especially in the last few days. I want to take him away from everything. He's very stressed out, I want him to get away and relax." I said practically pleading.

"You won't be able to do much there though, the sun will be out all weekend there…" he started.

"Yes, I know. It will be sunny for some of the trip. But I can use Kevin's gift to keep my skin shielded from the sun." I countered.

Since I left Volterra the last time, Kevin had practiced his gift and learned that by using it to change his skin, it would eliminate the sparkle we have in the sun. It only lasted for two hours but I could just make sure we weren't out in the sun longer than two hours at a time.

When I found out it was possible, the first thing that came to mind was that I wanted to take Edward to a beach.

Aro nodded.

"Very well. I will allow you to go then. I will arrange for you both to stay in San Remo. You will leave today and return tomorrow night."

I smiled.

It's not much time away, but at least it was something.

I thanked him and made my way back to my room.

It was 6am now.

Edward was still asleep in our bed.

I slipped back in next to him and lay my head gently on his chest.

About half an hour passed and suddenly his gentle rhythmic breathing became ragged. He whimpered and tossed a bit.

I moved off of his chest and held myself up on my elbows.

A few beads of sweat were falling from his forehead while his eyes moved frantically beneath his eyelids.

He was having another nightmare.

Every night since the first night we came to Volterra my Edward has had horrible nightmares.

He doesn't like to talk about them and I couldn't listen in on them either. He had blocked me from his mind shortly after Alice left.

He's even resorted to asking me not to use Jasper's as much because he didn't want me to suffer his own emotions while he had them.

His poor mind and emotions have been on overdrive lately, especially after the second meeting with the Volturi.

I caressed his face with my palm, sending him calm and happiness through my fingertips.

I couldn't help it. All I want is for him to be peaceful and happy.

His breathing evened out and he sighed.

I leaned in to kiss his forehead and nestled myself closer to him. He instinctively wrapped his warm arm around me.

"Bella…" he whispered. After a moment his eyes fluttered open and a beautiful smile graced his lips. A strong wave of love crashed over through me from him.

My Edward.

How can he still love me so much after I've brought him so much pain in his life?

I'm the cause of all his nightmares.

He wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me.

I sighed and snuggled closer, breathing in his heavenly sent.

How I became so lucky to have his love, I have no idea.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up, Hun." I said softly against the skin of his neck.

He stretched out his muscles then arched his neck to level himself closer to my face.

"It's alright, love. Waking up to the most beautiful face in the world looking back at me is worth it." He smiled and placed a soft kiss on my lips.

As he pulled away I quickly straddled him.

He laid back and smirked.

I slowly kissed my way up his body starting on his stomach.

When I reached his neck, I whispered in his ear. "Happy Birthday."

He stiffened.

I lifted myself up to look at him.

I furrowed my brows as I saw him shift his eyes away from my gaze.

"What?" I asked.

"I totally forgot it was my birthday…I'm surprised I forgot though. Everyone always made a big deal about it too. Alice always throws me huge parties." He sighed. "But I guess I don't have to worry about that this year though…" He turned to meet my eyes. "I'm not having a party…right?"

Such a silly thing to ask, he knows I hate parties too.

Hmm…

I bit my lip and shifted my eyes.

"Right?" he asked again.

"Well…about that. You know how I said Aro likes to throw parties…Well, he decided he was going to throw you a party. He invited nearly every vampire in the eastern hemisphere to come meet you on your birthday." I said in one breath without looking in his eyes. I struggled to keep in my giggles.

I chanced a look at him.

His eyes were wide and his jaw was at the ground. He looked completely horrified.

I lost it then.

I was in a fit of laughter.

"Bella…"

"Relax Edward!" I managed to get out between laughs. "I'm just messing with you. Aro did think about throwing a party but I told him no."

He smiled and relaxed in my arms.

"Good. I hate my birthdays anyways. I don't want to make a big deal out of it. It's just a day like any other."

I frowned.

He placed his hand under my chin and lifted my gaze to his.

"What's wrong, love?"

"It's your first birthday since we've been together. I wanted to make this birthday special…"

He closed the distance between us, placing his forehead upon mine.

"Every day is special to me, as long as your by my side." He said softly. His glimmering green eyes bore into mine.

"But…I-I have…for…and…" I stuttered.

His hot breath against my cool face made me weak. My breathing became heavier.

He chuckled.

I blinked and tried to collect my thoughts.

I pushed his chest slightly to bring some distance between us so I could concentrate on telling him what I have planned for today.

He pouted and it made me want to push him down on the bed and have my way with him.

Concentrate, Bella!

Oh right.

"Edward." I smiled. "I spoke with Aro earlier. I asked if we could leave the castle for a couple of days." He perked up and listened intently. "We're going to Genoa and probably staying at San Remo. It's about three hours or so away. There are lots of nice beaches, museums, and even a medieval market. We can leave as soon as you want, but we have to return by tomorrow night."

He grinned. "Let's leave right now."

I laughed and jumped out of bed.

I packed us a bag with some clothes and things we would need for our trip.

He took the opportunity to take a shower.

As soon as he got out we made our way to the front gates of the castle where Edward's Volvo was waiting for us.

Carlisle had Edward's Volvo and Aston Martin imported over a couple of days ago.

He was going to send my Audi as well but I decided to give it to Jasper as a gift.

He was more than happy to take it off my hands.

I drove since Edward had no idea which way to go.

The drive was mostly silent but it was in no way uncomfortable.

Edward was just so extremely happy about being able to get away from the castle.

When we got there we went to the hotel Aro had booked for us. It was a beautiful resort. The room we would be staying at was very large and comfortable.

The view out of our balcony was breath taking.

We have a beautiful view of one of the beaches of the Riviera di Ponente.

Everything was on the Volturi bill. If we needed anything else, all we had to do was place it on our unlimited tab.

"I'm going to change. I'll be right out." I said walking into the bathroom.

As I was changing into my bathing suit Edward called out from the room.

"I'll meet you downstairs in the lobby, love."

I put on a white sun dress over my bathing suit and slipped on my white flip-flops.

I took the elevator down to the lobby. When I walked out I saw Edward speaking to one of the clerks at the service desk.

Before I could try and listen in to what he was telling her, Edward turned around smiling and walked over to take my hand.

"What was all that about?" I asked.

"Nothing, I was just asking if there was anything interesting going on in town today."

"Is there?"

"Not really, but she did said we should go to the Acquario di Genova. Apparently it's the biggest aquarium in all of Italy."

"Oh, I've never been there."

"Well then we'll definitely have to go then won't we?" He smiled brightly.

Most of the places we wanted to go were close to the hotel so we decided to walk around town.

We shopped at the medieval market and at a couple of other stores.

We went to the Aquarium of Genoa and it was very big indeed. The dolphins they had there were definitely a sight to see.

The clouds in the sky were starting to clear up and I knew the sun was about to be coming out soon. I quickly shape shifted my skin to a slightly darker human tone.

"What did you just do to your skin?" Edward asked suddenly.

"You noticed?" I laughed. "I changed it. The sun will be completely out soon. Remember what I told you about Kevin's gift?"

He nodded and grinned.

He took my hand and led us down to the end of the street of our hotel, where the beach was.

We walked out onto the white sand and set out a towel to place our bags down.

I slipped off the sundress and flip-flops and lay them next to the bags.

When I turned around, Edward was smiling and looking down the length of my body.

"You like it?" I asked motioning to the blue two-piece Alice bought me a few weeks ago.

He closed the distance between us and ghosted his hand over my shoulders and down my sides.

"I love it." He said huskily.

I bit my lip and his heart fluttered.

His lips twitched into his crooked grin.

Next thing I know, he swept me off my feet and had me bent over his shoulder.

I wasn't complaining though, from this position I had quite a nice view of him.

He ran us into the water quickly and threw me into the water in front of him.

He waited above the water for me to resurface.

I stayed under a few feet away from where he was.

With my vision I could see him perfectly. I could tell he was getting a bit anxious and then a little worried right before he dove downwards after me.

When he saw me sitting Indian style on the sea floor with my arms crossed, he rolled his eyes and swam towards me.

But I was much quicker. I sped off before he could reach me. I should have known it would turn into a competition.

We raced off quickly out into the deeper parts of the waters, much further away from where the humans would be at.

Although Edward can run much faster than me now I, however, just found out that I can swim much faster than him.

We resurfaced and I couldn't stop myself from laughing. Edward looked at me like I was from another planet.

I reached over to him and pulled off a few pieces of seaweed that had been stuck in his hair.

He blushed.

"You know Edward, you look so cute when you blush." I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck

His blush deepened.

I kissed him and just as I was about to deepen the kiss I found myself flying in the air.

I fell back into the water with a loud crash.

When I resurfaced, I found Edward laughing like a maniac.

He was too busy laughing to notice me swimming back towards him.

I quickly picked him up to toss him in the air.

Right as I threw him up, he held on to my wrist and I went flying through the air with him.

We both came crashing back down into the water with a huge splash.

He had a big goofy grin on his face as he pulled me against him, still falling deeper into the sea.

Our lips met and we kissed until I knew he would need air again soon.

I took his hand in mine and we swam back up to the surface.

We lay on our backs and floated on the water. We let the waves pull us back towards the beach.

When we got back to the beach we decided to walk along the shoreline to the San Benigno hill where the Torre della Lanterna is.

It's a lighthouse from medieval times that is known to be one of the oldest standing structures in the world.

I wanted to see it again, and I knew Edward would like to see it. It really is quite beautiful.

The two hour mark for my changed skin was coming to a close and I knew I'd have to go into the shadows for awhile soon. Which was another reason why I wanted to come to the lighthouse.

We took a tour that lasted about forty five minutes. By then I was able to shape shift my skin again.

We walked back through the beach to get to the hotel. By now the beach was starting to empty and only a few local teens were out enjoying what was left of the sun.

When we got back up to the room, a warm bubble bath was waiting for me in the big Jacuzzi tub.

Apparently Edward had called ahead to have it ready for me.

I enjoyed the nice bath, but was a little bummed out that Edward had not joined me.

Half an hour later I got out and put on one of the hotel robes.

"Edward?" I called walking out of the bathroom.

Silence.

The bedroom was empty.

On the bed lay a dark blue sundresses I had seen in a store earlier and an envelope with my name written on it in his script. ***

Bella,

My love for you grows day after day.

Let me show you how much I love you.

Find my next gift; it waits for you outside your door.

Edward

I quickly dressed and made my way out the door.

Right beside the door was a small table. There was a small silver bag and another envelope.

Every thing about you invites me in –

Your voice,

Your face,

Even your smell.

I love everything about you.

In the lobby awaits your next gift, my Bella.

Edward.

I opened the bag and smiled.

Inside was a small bundle of three blue freesias pinned together on a hair clip.

I clipped it into my hair right above my left ear.

I took the elevator down to the lobby.

As soon as I stepped out I could smell Edward's scent but I didn't see him anywhere.

I followed the scent to a sitting area in the lobby. On top of a television were a small silver box and another envelope addressed to me.

Would you like to know what I think about most?

About you, my love.

Would you like to know why?

Because I have spent too much of my life with out you already,

I want to think about you every second to make up for lost time.

I love you, Bella.

Your last gift is outside.

Follow the candles.

Edward.

I opened the small box.

Inside was a picture of us laying in our meadow that night after prom. We were looking into each other's eyes laying on the blanket wrapped up in each other. In the background above us you could see the last remains of the lunar eclipse.

It was probably the most beautiful picture I had ever seen. I quickly put the picture and the box along with all the envelopes in the small silver bag I still had.

I made my way out through the double doors leading out to the private beach behind the hotel.

It was twilight now, the beach was empty.

I slowed my pace to a slow walk as I made my way out to find my last gift.

I began to follow candles that were half buried in the sand leading out further down the beach where a rocky cliff went out in to the sea.

The candles in the sand circled around a small dinning table for two with covered plates set out. There was a bottle of champagne buried in ice on the table. Next to it laid another envelope. ***

I picked it up and opened it.

It was blank.

"Well that doesn't make any sense." I whispered to myself.

I heard a soft chuckle behind me and quickly turned around to see my Edward in an unbuttoned blue dress shirt and airy white pants, barefoot.

He looked beautiful.

"I'm your last gift, love." He said as he grasped my hands in his.

"Saved the best for last." I breathed.

"Bella, I love you more than I can ever possibly imagine. Before you, my life meant nothing. And now, I live…I breathe for you, love. With you in my life, I'm the happiest I've ever been." He kissed my forehead and pulled away to search deep into my eyes. "Let me show you how much I truly do love you." He held one of my hands in his and reached around to his back pocket.

What he did next almost made my eyes bulge out and my legs turn into a gooey mess.

He pulled open a velvet box and kneeled before me.

"Isabella Swan, I promise to love you forever-every single day of forever. Will you marry me?"

I could have sworn my dead heart began to beat again.

I jumped onto him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

We went tumbling to the ground and I attacked him with kisses all over his face.

I kissed his cheeks, his forehead, each of his eyes, and finally as I hovered over his lips, I whispered to him my answer.

"Yes, Forever."

I crashed my lips on to his losing myself in the warmth.

Lol…ok seriously guys…I had no idea it was going to lead to this…

I started writing and it just ended up here, I swear!

I really had no intention on them even getting engaged or thinking about marriage at all…

I was just going for a romantic day at the beach with Edward and then I thought about the gifts…and then I was like OMC!

I thought it was the perfect moment…and it just had to happen.

Ok so maybe it wasn't the perfect moment…but when I got the idea I wanted to do it, so there!

Hahaha…Alright.

BUT

I do have to say I'm not going to go all out and have some crazy long ass boring chapter about their wedding. I'm actually planning on them having a very…long engagement. I will explain it in the next chapter.

Don't forget to check out the new pictures! And to review!

-Jan