Chapter 1

Weeks later, Carlisle had seen how well managed Ellie had her thirst and getting the handle of her new strength, he let her go home again. Didn't help that Charlie was getting suspicious.

At first Charlie was taken back on how different she looked but she assured him that she was the same Ellie.

She felt weird being the vampire in the house now, but at least she can protect her father and sister from nearly anything. She just had to sneak out at night and go hunting, usually with Emmett but because she never had to sleep, that wasn't an issue.

But she usually was out all night at the Cullen's anyway. But this week was a special reason.

Bella's eyes snap open. She lies atop her bed. A book, 'Romeo and Juliet," lays open on her chest. Bella sits up, the dream still weighing on her…

A knock on the door. Charlie came into the room, carrying two gifts, one of which was not wrapped but the other was. Ellie was close behind him with her own gift..

"Happy birthday, Bells." Charlie and Ellie said at the same time.

"Dad, we agreed, no gifts." Bella said.

He looked at Ellie as she motioned for him to go first, "At least mine's not wrapped." he handed her the gift, it was a digital camera.

Bella's pleased, despite herself, "Okay, this is actually kind of great. Thanks, Dad." she thanked him.

He hands her the wrapped gift, "Goes with this one from your mom. We coordinated -"

"You mean she coordinated you" Ellie added in smiling.

"Yeah, yeah" was his response to his eldest daughter.

Bella opens the wrapped gift to reveal a scrapbook.

"To put your pictures in, record your senior year - man, senior year. How'd you both get get so old so fast?"

Bella and Ellie looked at each other, "Not that old.' Bella said.

"I don't know. Is that a wrinkle?" Charlie joked.

Bella panics and races to the mirror, searches her face.

"I was kidding." Charlie said.

Bella turned to Charlie, "So not funny, Dad."

"Hey Dad," Ellie said as she looked at him in the eye, "Why don't you go make breakfast. Don't worry about me, I have already eaten"

Charlie nodded, "Sure. I'll do that" he said as he left the room and went downstairs to start on breakfast.

Bella looked at Ellie, "I'm not sure how much longer you can get away with that" she said.

"We'll then throw him off with something else." Ellie smirked and then gave Bella her gift.

"You didn't have to Ellie, you already did enough when you saved me."

"Just open it" Ellie told her.

Bella smiled and opened it up. It was a photo album already filled with photos from the past year here. Most with her and Ellie, and the rest were photos of the group of friends they had made since being here, including the Cullens.

"This is amazing. How did you get a lot of these photos. They look great. You should become a photographer" Bella told her sister.

"Thanks. I just took them without people noticing. The natural shots are the best." Ellie explained.

"It's great. Thank you." Bella thanked her.

"Ok, I'll let you get ready for school." Ellie said as she got up.

"Ellie. How are you doing with the whole change?" Bella asked her.

"I think I am doing pretty well. Considering I'm still here. Carlisle wouldn't have let me come back here unless he was sure" Ellie said as Bella nodded and proceeded to walk out of the room.

After breakfast, Ellie had gone out to 'investigate' what she could do with her life moving forward for eternity while Bella went to school.

Bella parked her truck in the school parking lot and climbed out, shouldering her book bag.
She looks around the parking lot, seeking Edward -

"Wherefore art thou, Bella?" Mike quotes.

She turns as to see Mike, Erin, Angela and Jessica approach her.

"You finish the Shakespeare assignment?" Mike asks.

"He means will you finish his assignment?" Jessica added.

Mike gave a shocked look, "No, I don't - okay I do." he admitted.

"I can help you with it - but first - " she said pulling out the camera, "I need a picture. My mom's expecting a scrapbook full of memories."

Angela backs away, and holds up her own camera, "I take `em, I don't pose for `em." she said.

"You do today." Bella told her with a smile as she pushes Angela to the others and they arrange themselves.

"You'll photoshop my nose if it looks big, right?' Jessica asked.

"Don't worry, I'm in the picture; no one will be looking at you guys." Eric confidently said.

Jessica scoffs, Angela points her camera at Bella; Mike and Eric joust - Bella aims and the photo is taken. She looks at the photo on the screen and smiles but when she lowers the camera, their playfulness has dissipated as they see someone behind Bella. She turns to see Edward climbing out of his silver Volvo.

"Oh good. Cullen's here." Mike said dryly.

"Yay." said with just as much lack of enthusiasm.

"Check ya later." Eric said as the group moved off.

Bella doesn't register their tone. She was transfixed by Edward who approaches, eyes never leaving hers. He reaches her, washing away all her concerns -

"Happy birthday." he told her.

Her face falls, "Don't remind me."

"Your birth is definitely a day to celebrate." he told her.

"Not for me." Bella simply said.

"Eighteen is a little early to be worrying about your age." he told her.

"It's one year older than you." she pointed out.

"Bella, I'm ninety." he reminded her.

"True. Maybe I should be creeped out that I'm dating such an old guy." she stated.

Edward smiles, he is amused by this, "Yes, it's the age that's creepy, not the fact that you're dating a vampire." then he kissed her, tenderly, adoringly. She kisses him back... despite their restraint, the passion mounts... until he pulls away. As always, both are left wanting more.
Edward nods toward the school building -

"Class." he said.

"Right. Class."

Catching their breath, they start toward school... but Edward stops, hearing something in his mind. Irritated, "Someone wants you." he said when the heard a voice nearby.

"Bella!" Jacob calls out as he jogs up, carrying a used car part, long, black ponytail wagging. He looks 18 due to his tall, muscular body, but the gregarious Jacob is a little klutzy, still catching up to his growth spurt. He nods to Edward, who moves off to the side but eyes them.

"God, Jacob, what are they feeding you on that rez, steroids? You're huge." She said to him.

"Wouldn't seem so drastic if you came around more." he reminded her.

"I will, soon. But isn't your school, like, ten miles that way?' she asked him.

Jacob held up the car part in his hand, "Just here buying this for the Rabbit. I'm almost done with the rebuild. Gotta come take a ride when it's done." then he remembered, "Oh, and hey, happy birthday. Your dad told my dad. So…" he pulls from his coat a small woven dreamcatcher, feathers dangling from it. He hands it to her.

"I saw it the other day and thought of you - it catches bad dreams." he told her.

"This, I need. It's great." he said smiling.

"The bell's about to ring." Jacob warned and the bell rings. Jacob gives Edward an amiable smile, with just a hint of snark.

"Ooh, look at you, all psychic." Jacob mocked.

"I don't have that particular gift. But I can read a watch. I'm clever that way." Edward retorted back.

They share a tight smile. Bella intercedes, squeezing Jacob's arm, "Bye, Jake, and thank you." she said as Edward guides her away.

As they walk off. Edward said, "How come Jacob Black gets to give you a gift and I don't?"

"He's just a friend." she told him.

" 'Friends' don't spend two weeks looking for the perfect dreamcatcher." Edward mentioned.

"Stop reading his mind if he bothers you so much." she warned him.

"Little hard to tune out." Edward said.

She just laughs, but Edward looks back at Jacob with resentment. Jacob holds his gaze.

Edward and Bella enter the double doors - suddenly a small, wrapped gift appears in Bella's face. Alice presents it.

"Happy -" Alice starts but it cut off by Bella.

"Shh!" Bella said as Alice whispers in her ear as she hugs Bella -

" - birthday." Alice finishes.

Over Alice's shoulder, Bella sees Jasper, keeping his distance. He offers her a pleasant nod. She tries to hide Alice's present, hoping no one noticed - "Alice, didn't I say no gifts?"

"You did. I didn't. I've already seen you open it and guess what? You love it." Alice told her.

"You had a vision about my birthday." Bella asked.

"And about the green dress you'll be wearing to your party tonight. Great color on you." Alice mentioned.

" ... My party?" Bella asked giving her a look.

"Please? It'll be fun." Alice pleads.

Bella is beat, and confused, "I... guess I can deal -"

"- Great! See ya at seven!" Alice said as she hugs Bella before races off before she can change her mind. Which is when Bella realizes -

"Wait, Jasper, no fair with the mood control." Bella told him.

He offers an apologetic bow before Alice drags him away.

"Vampires. You can't trust them." Edward said smiling.

Edward and Bella as in Carlisle's office, he had been explaining who the Volturi were, how the came to be and what they were capable of.

But he stops, smiles, hearing something in his mind -, "I can protect you from... everyone but my sister and your sister." just then the door bursts open and the two come in. Alice dancing and Ellie jumping around, smiling.

"It's time it's time it's time!" Alice said.

Alice and Ellie tugs Bella and Edward to the top of the landing, then skips down the stairs. They look down into living room. Hundreds of pink candles and rose-filled crystal bowls. Rosalie, Michael, Esme, Emmett, Ellie, Carlisle, Jasper and Alice look up at her, all of them stunningly beautiful.

Bella would love to disappear, but Edward leads her down to the living room where Esme and Carlisle hug Bella warmly.

"Sorry about all this. We tried to rein Alice in, but once Ellie got involved. Well.." Carlisle smiled.

"Like that's even possible. Happy birthday, Bella. Esme said.

FLASH! Alice had snapped a picture of Bella with them, "Found it in your bag. Mind?" she asked Bella holding up the camera.

Emmett moves to Edward's side. Nudging him, "Dating an older woman. Hot." he commented but Bella caught that. Edward elbows him sharply to shut up.

"What?" Emmett said as Ellie comes up next to him, smiling and jumps on his back and wrapping her legs around him.

Rosalie steps up and shoves a silver package at Bella, "It's a necklace. Alice picked it out." she walks away, bored. Bella has to smile. She sees Jasper across the room. They wave to each other.

Alice aims the camera, "Show me the love!" she said as Edward pulls Bella into an embrace, they look deeply into one another's eyes. FLASH!

"For your scrapbook. Now open your presents!" Alice said and drags, Bella over to a table piled with elaborately wrapped gifts, a huge cake and a tall stack of china plates.

"Alice, I'm the only one who even eats cake. That thing could feed fifty." Bella pointed out.

"Hope you're hungry. Here, this one's from Emmett." The others crowd around... Jasper somewhat away. Bella, no fan of being the center of attention, opens the gift to find
an empty car-radio box.

"Um... thanks?" she said questionably to Emmett who Ellie was next to him.

"Already installed it in your truck." he told her.

"Finally, a decent sound system in that piece of -"

"No hating on the truck. Thank you, Emmett." she cut Edward off and thanked Emmett. She noticed the connection Ellie and Emmett had. She was happy for her sister.

"Open mine." Alice said as she hands her a box. Bella starts to open it, but Bella accidently cuts her finger.

"Ouch - paper cut." Bella thinks little of it, but then hears a disturbing grisly snarl, she looks up just as Jasper lunges toward her, teeth bared and eyes beyond reason.

Edward flings Bella behind his own body, causing her to crash into the table, plates shattering as Jasper slams into Edward, who pushes him hard making Jasper sail backward hitting the wall. But he ricochets off it and comes back at Bella.

Michael and Carlisle tackle Jasper from the side, dragging him to the ground - Alice helps hold him down , "Jaz... shhh -" but she suddenly stops, her head suddenly jerking toward Bella.
Then everybody's eyes snap toward Bella as they catch the overwhelming scent on Bella, who was lying amid the shards of broken china.

She looks at her arm, seeing now - it's been slashed by plate shards; bright red blood pulses out of her, pooling. She looks up. All of them now, including Edward stare down at her, at her blood, with fevered eyes. Eight suddenly ravenous vampires...

Carlisle jumps to Bella's side. Edward, though white as a bone, snaps out of it and
stands between her and the others.

"Michael, get Jasper out of here." Carlisle orders but there is no response, "Michael!"

Michael reins himself in, elbows Rosalie. They drag the snarling Jasper out. Esme holds her nose, politely exits with the others. Emmett guided the frozen Ellie out of the room too.

Alice looks at Bella, apologetic, "I'm sorry, I... can't…" she said as she slips out the door. Edward's still on guard as Carlisle examines Bella's arm.

"I'll have to stitch this up." Carlisle explained.

"I'll carry her to the kitchen." Edward suggested as he moved to pick her up, but his eyes dart to the blood.

Carlisle notices, "I'll take care of her, Edward." he said but Edward doesnt move, "Check on Jasper. Go." he told him.

Edward looks from him to Bella. Then steps back, allowing Carlisle to lift Bella and carry her to the kitchen. But just before the kitchen door closes, Bella sees Edward's agonized face. He turns away, unable to meet her eyes...

Bella sits in a chair opposite Carlisle who mops up her blood as he removes glass shards from her arm. He drops one into a bowl; She tries not to look at the blood.

"I sure can kill a party." Bella joked.

"It's not your fault. Jasper hasn't been away from human blood as long as the rest of us."

"What about Ellie? She just turned." Bella asked.

"Your sister is surprising us. It appears she has a high resistance to blood. That is why I believed she would be fine to return home"

"Seems like you're the only one it doesn't effect." Belle commented.

"Centuries of practice." Carlisle said smiling.

"Did you ever think of... living differently?" she asked.

"I enjoy my work too much. Helping people, saving lives. I'm hoping there's a point to my existence, even if I am damned.

"Damned? You're not damned." Bella defended.

"Then you and I agree. But Edward doesn't believe there's an afterlife for our kind." he looked at her and continued, "He thinks we've lost our souls."

Bella realized Edward's reason, "That's why he won't... He thinks he'd be damning me."

"If you believed as he did, would you risk it?" Carlisle asked her.

Bella didn't say anything, she only just sat there thinking…. Would she risk it.

A large red bow hangs from the new stereo in the dashboard. Edward drives in silence. Bella studies him, "Say something."

"What do you want me to say?" he replied.

"That I'm a klutz. That I should have been more careful -"

"You got a paper cut. Normal people get paper cuts. And a normal boyfriend wouldn't have flung you into a stack of plates. A normal boyfriend wouldn't have had to fight the urge to kill you -"

"Stop. I don't want normal, I want you." she told him

Edward doesn't respond, just pulls the truck into the driveway and brings it to a stop.

"You can't protect me from everything. Something's going to separate us - accident, illness, old age... as long as I'm human…"

Edward was appalled at what she had said, "That's your solution? My ending your life?" he questioned.

"Your giving me forever." she said quietly.

He faces forward again, jaw tight, mind working, tormented.
She reaches for his hand -

"Carlisle told me how you feel, about my soul, but I don't believe that -" she said as he subtly moves his hand away from hers.

"You should go in. It's late." he told her as he climbed out and was instantly at the passenger side opening the door for her.
She climbs out. He looks down at her face - he softens as he takes it in. Puts a hand on her cheek.

"I'll leave my window open for you." Bella told him.

"I won't be coming back. Not tonight." he said quietly.

"Then... can I ask for one thing? It's still my birthday." he nods at her question, "Kiss me?"

He lifts her face to his, and kisses her. He begins carefully, gently... but it changes, he becomes urgent, with an almost painful edge, as if it were goodbye.

Abruptly, he pulls away. With a last look, he turns walks off into the night. Bella stares off into the forest where Edward had gone for a moment before heading inside the house and to her room.

Bella was in her room, printing photos from her camera. As the printer spits out a photo. It's the picture Alice took of Bella and Edward's embrace. Bella, troubled, puts it in her scrapbook, her bandaged finger running over it.

Ellie was sitting on the balcony rail, looking out into the forest. A family conversation had just concluded on what the next steps are. She wasn't happy with the decision but because of what she is now, she had to do the right thing.

Emmett came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her while resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I know this is hard" Emmett told her.

"With me gone, I think she will be ok… But with Edward gone, she will collapse."

"But she will move on" he told her.

Ellie shakes her head, "I don't think she will." she said, "If she feels for Edward the same way I feel for you, she won't easily get over it... I have to go give them my excuse for leaving. I'll be back with my stuff." she turned and kissed Emmett with meaning.

She then jumped off the railing and ran into the forest to her house.

She quickly got to her house and went into her window that she had left open. She then quickly got her duffel bag and packed her clothes and her possessions she wanted to keep close to her. Once done, she zipped up her bag and went downstairs to break the news to her Dad first.

Charlie was sitting on the couch, a beer in hand watching the game on TV. She sat down next to him after she regained her composure. The events at the Cullen's house had put her a bit on edge.

"Hey El, what's up" Charlie asked her.

"Dad, I've been accepted into a Photography program in Alaska. I leave tomorrow" she told him.

"What?! In Alaska! Why up there?" Charlie asked.

"It was a last minute thing. They had someone drop out and I was next in line."

"Well, ok. Great. Congratulations. I… I didnt know you were interested in photography." he said.

"Yeah, well I have been taking some photos every now and then and Bella suggested I do it. So… I did. There are so many gorgeous sites up there. I can't wait."

"You be careful and good luck. I want phone calls." Charlie told her as he hugged her, but he wasn't too good at goodbyes, "Well you better go get some sleep." he told her.

"I'm actually going to Emmett's tonight" she told him and he just gave her a look.

"Ok. Well you are an adult now so I really can't say much. But what I can say is use protection"

"DAD! You don't need to tell me. Trust me. I'm just going to watch some movies with him and crash there. That's all"

"Ok, ok." he said as she quickly went up the stairs at human speed.

She got to Bella's room and knocked, "Bella, can I come in?" she asked as she heard Bella say yes.

She went in and sat on the bed, "Bella, I know it's your birthday, but I have some news."

"Ok."

"You know how you said I should do something in Photography, well... I got into a Photography program in Alaska. I have to leave tomorrow." Ellie said.

"Really! I'm happy for you but I will miss you" Bella said as she went to hug Ellie but stopped.

"It's ok Bella. I won't hurt you." Ellie said as she hugged Bella.

"I'm heading over to Emmett's now, I will call. Love you sis. Keep out of trouble." Ellie said zoomed over to her room to grab her bag and then went human speed downstairs to get go get in her car to head to the Cullen's.

End chapter 1