The bright colors of Ilse Esme were beautiful, intriguing, almost. I smiled over the ocean, Edward's hand in mine. Everything shone around me, I felt like the happiest, luckiest person in the world. His skin threw rainbows in the sun, and they danced as he moved. Which he hadn't done, neither of us had done, in what felt like hours. I didn't feel the need to move. I was glad.

He had agreed that all we needed was practice. That was the most I could ask for. I'd won the battle, and won well. The powder white sand was in between my toes. I was worry free. We wouldn't be leaving for weeks. Two, at the least. Edward had happily agreed to that. We'd go back in August. The semester at Dartmouth didn't start until September. There was already a house there, anyway.

I wouldn't be changed until at least Christmas break. The thought made me worry. Even with two of the three biggest worries were knocked off the list, the Volturi were still coming and I would still be changed. Victoria was dead - I shuddered, remembering the night I'd kissed Jacob and Edward had beheaded another vampire - and Edward had married me, so he wouldn't leave. He loved me. That was my biggest worry, so I could be happy, be free of stress. As long as he was staying with me.

"Bella?" Edward called my name and I jumped out of my thoughts. I clenched my fist and gasped for air. I spun around multiple times, searching. His hand was gone. The rainbows had disappeared.

"Edward? Edward?" I gasped, "Oh no... Oh no..." I sank to my knees pathetically, but my pale knees never hit the even paler sand. They each landed in a dazzling palm. I looked up into Edward's face and held my breath. "Oh crap!"

His face twisted in tortured concern, "Bella, what is it? What?"

I threw my arms around his neck and tried to swallow the traitor tears back. How pathetic that was of me. "I'm s - sorry." I whispered, leaning my face against his shoulder.

He chuckled, but it was a strangled sound, "Bella..." he murmured. He pulled my arms off his neck and held my at arms length, "Are you sick? What is it? Don't be having a heart attack." The strangled humor was gone and he looked pained.

I giggled, but my voice choked and I began sobbing, "I'm not - not sick!" I wept, "I'm... I'm sorry. I thought you'd... you didn't, though..."

Edward's breathing escalated to hyperventilating and he pulled me against him, crushing me, "No! Bella, please. I will never... never! Do you hear me? It was inexcusable of me to... no, last year... Isabella Marie Cullen, you should have told me... I didn't know..."

I'd panicked. I thought he'd left again. It had probably just shocked me that his hand wasn't in mine, the way I'd thought it was, when I woke up from those thoughts that he loved me, he'd never leave me... His use of my full name, especially the 'Cullen' part, pulled me out of the clouds.

I began laughing, "No, Edward." - Giggle - "I just... I'm sorry... I think I'm just having... feelings..." It wasn't until the words had already escaped my lips that I realized how very wrong that sounded. And how Edward would take it.

He kissed my head. He wrapped his hands around my ribs and his face twisted in anguish, "I'm so sorry, Bella... You'll never get over it... I know, it's my fault. I'm just - just wondering... you could do it before... I'm so sorry, Bells! - '

That startled me. The Jacob drawer swung open and it's contents began spilling out, "No! I'm going to have a panic attack, Edward! Stop! Stop right there." I fell out of his grip and landed on my backside in the sand. I held the sides of my face, squeezing particularly hard on my head. In a flash, he was sitting on the sand and I was sitting on his lap, my hands intertwined, held in his one hand. The other hand held the back of my head, stroking my hair. My head spun, I could barely see his face properly. That sent me over the edge. My eyes rolled and everything went black.

***

"No, Carlisle... No, listen to me!" Edward's voice startled me, but I didn't move. My whole body was comfortable. "No, what does Rosalie know about this? What the hell - She didn't 'Just pass out'!"

He was arguing with Carlisle, which Edward never did. I felt a twinge of guilt... It seemed I was always ripping people apart. I waited...

"Esme, I'm sorry. Just - ' - pause - "I know, I lost my temper. NO! Not with Bella!" - pause - "Okay... yes. I told you what happened already... Oh, I said... 'I'm so sorry, Bells' - "

I heard shouting on the other side.

"Oh crap! So stupid! I'm bringing her home. She needs to see him.'

I jolted up, which made Edward spin around and whip the cell phone at the wall in surprise. It broke.

"You didn't need to do that!" The strength in my voice scared me, "I don't want to go home!" I crossed my arms and pouted, like a three year old. Wow.

Edward froze and his eyebrows furrowed, "OK, then. Are you sure you don't want to see... Jacob Black?"

The name stung me like a bee, but I sucked it up, "No way. I'm fine. He was being a jerk before we left and... well, you know, let's just stay. Whoa, I can't believe I passed out. Hah, that's funny. I feel fine now..." I jumped up, bit staggered a bit. Standing erect, I straightened out my hair and smiled at Edward.

"Am I decent?" I asked teasingly, twirling my hair in my fingers.

He chuckled, "Beautiful, as always." He closed the space between us with a blurry movement that took only 0.003 of a second, and his lips locked with mine. I tangled my fingers in his bronze hair. I hadn't tasted his mouth in a dozens of minutes. This annoyed me.

He took a fistful of my hair in his hand and pressed my face harder into his. His tongue traced my lips and he locked our lips together again. I reminded myself to breathe. My head began to spin. I had to free myself so as not to pass out. But my body wouldn't follow my brain's orders.

This act resulted the same way that our last had. I felt the soft, cloud-like bed under me.

***

"I'm good." I confirmed, smiling. I lay across his chest again. I traced my finger lightly across his chest and he shuddered. I marveled at his chest each time.

Edward chuckled, "Not trying to be subtle today. Sometimes I wonder if you don't trust me with this."

I decided to tease him, "With what?" I traced my fingers along his ribs and under his back. I squeezed him tightly, leaning my head against his chest.

He chuckled. The sound rumbled from his chest. He traced both hands along my back. "Love." He whispered, just loud enough for me to hear.

I had to laugh at that, "I trust you. You even said that I trust you too much. I'm checking myself off for your sake. For your sanity! Anyway, breakfast time?"

***

Riiing, riiiiiiiiing. I heard Edward's cell phone's ringtone, shrill and demanding, in the other room. Hadn't he smashed that phone? I didn't even realize he'd gone. He was suddenly sitting beside me, arm around me, as I lay my fork on my plate. I raised an eyebrow, "You have two?"

He nodded silently, concentrating on the other voice. He was suddenly outraged. He jumped up and kicked the chair. It snapped in two. I was suddenly a little frightened.

"Dammit!" he roared, storming to the other room. His roars stopped abruptly and he flew back to the kitchen.

His face was torn with grief, I could see that. I expected that. What I didn't expect came next.

"Wha - "

He flew to me... too close... with a blur and his lips touched my neck, almost a caress. I froze. We were both frozen for a second. Then, his teeth broke through the skin on my neck. I screamed.

The heat spread quickly through my body. I scrunched my eyes shut, but before that, I saw three ghost-like, drifting black cloaks. Three hoods were removed and I saw Caius, Marcus and Aro.

"Lucky, lucky Edward." Aro rasped, smiling.

The venom searing through my veins was so unexpected that I screamed and fell off the chair, thrashing on the tiled kitchen floor. I writhed in agony and Edward's face crumpled in pain at my pain, and he jumped to my side. I screamed, but mostly at the fact that my nightmare was real. The Volturi leaders gliding forth, poised to kill. I remembered a voice, in Volterra, a lifetime away, in the castle turret. The glittering Caius, Marcus, Aro and two women, standing in the natural light. The wooden thrones, the dark walls, Demetri standing behind Alice, Edward and I...

"We don't give second chances." I remembered.

The venom seared through my veins, but I noticed the fluttering of my heart, the heat in my chest and I clenched my fists. Each scream would torment Edward. I scrunched my eyes shut and shut away the pain. I waited for Aro or Caius's voice, but I heard nothing but my own heartbeat, beating like a helicopter.

And I settled in for three days of pain, leading to my immortality.