A/N This is a sequel to What Happens After Eclipse. Although that story didn't seem to finish completely, hopefully it will feel complete as this one progresses. Please review as you read. Suggestions are always welcome and if any of you are a beta with time on your hands, please feel free to allow me your services!
EPOV
It has been three months since Bella's inadvertent change. That first glimpse she got of her vampire self was amusing to watch. I walked into the bathroom and she was just starting to wipe down the mirror. She was so tentative in her movements; I could feel apprehension in the air. She hadn't heard me enter so I just observed her movements.
Gingerly, she took in her form. I uttered a silent prayer that she would finally see herself as I see her. She gasped and her teeny jaw dropped. I couldn't hold in the giggle that erupted from inside. She turned around to look at me. I was at her side immediately and turned her around toward the mirror again. I pulled her wet hair out of the towel on her head and let it fall down her shoulders. A strand fell over her crimson eyes and I pulled it behind her ear.
"Bella, look at yourself. My love, you are the most exquisite woman ever to grace the earth. Your skin is as porcelain – but not so breakable! Your features are more defined. Your cheekbones are high; the hollow below them is breathtaking. Your glorious neck is overflowing with feminine grace. Do you see now, what I have always seen?"
In an instant she had turned in my arms and had wrapped me up in her loving embrace. She took my mouth to hers and kissed me passionately. For the first time, we could release ourselves with abandon. I carried her to our bed and we spent the next several hours blissfully enjoying ourselves; filling ourselves with passion, love and desire.
Oh, the love I have for this amazing creature. The gratitude I feel in my heart that she gave herself to me so freely is incalculable. Our bodies molded together perfectly. I have seen a lot of people in my 100+ years on this earth and it is clear that she is the one intended for me, and only me. I relish holding her to me, smelling her, kissing her, becoming one with her.
OOOOOOOOOOooooooooooOOOOOOOOooooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooOOOO
She adjusted to our way of life with grace and dignity. She was a skilled hunter and had actually developed a liking for mountain lion! Hunting has become 'one' of our favorite pastimes. I was so reticent about her reaction to this part of our life but she is a natural.
We decided, as a family, to move to New York State. There is a beautiful town about an hour north of New York City called Brewster. Esme found a wonderful old mansion that was filled with the artistry of the 18th century. In some ways, this was similar to our home in Forks. Three floors with a river close by. Esme made some of her own changes to make the home bear her signature touch. The wall on the West side had been turned to glass. As with the home in Forks, there were metal shutters ready to close at a moments notice to protect us, if necessary.
We left most of our furniture in Washington. Esme had chosen a different palette for this home. Instead of varying shades of white throughout she chose colors reflective of the glorious autumnal colors native to the Northeast. Gold, Red, Brown, Green and every color that lies within their respective spectrums.
The furnishings were rich in upholstery reflecting tapestries of old. The floors were hand scraped mahogany. She had found some of the most beautiful oriental rugs to grace each floor.
Esme had prepared our suite as a surprise. She kept her thoughts very closed to me until we arrived and she unveiled this masterpiece. Our suite was on the West side of the house. The walls that weren't window were a deep, rich burgundy silk. I had never seen this application before and was certain that Esme had come up with this herself. The fabric had a light watermark which was brought to life from the light of the window. The most astounding observation was there were no seams in this fabric. It was as if this had been woven to fit this room. I still can't wrap my mind around that becoming a reality.
There was an enormous king sized bed with heavy, wooden posts. These were ornately carved. Draping from the bed posts was a glorious gold Dupioni Silk. The sheets and other bedding articles were also a deep gold silk of varying weights and textures. The bed was a sensual center to this room.
The bathroom suite had a huge shower with 16 different shower heads. A full-sized hot tub in the middle of the enormous room invited warm, loving evenings. Plush white rugs adorned the travertine floors. Hand forged rod iron graced the walls and held the softest towels I had ever lain eyes on.
Both Bella and I were completely speechless. Esme beamed. We just grabbed her into a bone crushing hug. There were no words adequate for our love and emotion. Esme left us to discover the rest of the home on our own.
Each couple had their own suite. Each suite design unique to its inhabitants and their taste. All of us felt as though we had entered our personal heaven.
Carlisle had found work at a prominent hospital in New York City. Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett were taking classes at State University of New York Purchase. They all registered as freshmen. Bella and I would be taking correspondence courses for the first year or so.
Bella was taking a full compliment of English, Math and Science courses. I decided to take some advanced music theory classes as well as one in 20th Century composition.
Alice and Rosalie had decided that they would be Bella's personal shopper since she couldn't enjoy the life of the city yet. It was extremely beneficial that our closet was bigger than my whole bedroom and bathroom ensemble in Forks. Bella was getting pretty frustrated with all of these great clothes and nowhere to go!
Our only concern about moving so close to the city was easily appeased when we started to explore our surroundings. Brewster is a VERY small community. A hamlet, really. The homes are far apart; yet awfully close for a newborn. We found that the 20 acres we had were rich in wildlife and we weren't far at all from other forests brimming with more challenging 'dinners.' Bears were plentiful. Mountain lion were scattered but available. We all made a commitment to hunt together whenever Bella needed to hunt as a precautionary measure.
One day in October we were hunting and Bella froze in her place. Her head whipped around and her nostrils were flaring in and out at an alarming pace. Jasper, Emmett and I got hold of her and restrained her. Man, was she strong! Suddenly, amidst her powerful struggle we all got the scent of three humans. Hunting. Under different circumstances it would be humorous. Humans hunting, while they were being hunted. We were only about fourteen miles from our home. The three of us could get her home, couldn't we?
Her eyes were black with bloodlust. She struggled mightily against our combined strengths. Desperately, I hummed her lullaby hopeful that she would respond. Slowly, the fog of bloodlust lifted and she fell limp in our arms. We commanded her to hold her breath and she did so reluctantly. Finally, the realization of what could have happened gripped her completely. She folded herself into my arms and sobbed tearless sobs from deep down inside. It broke my heart. When we were within about five miles of our home we told her she could start to breathe again. She took a deep, unnecessary breath and continued sobbing. She lifted her face to mine and looked deeply within my eyes. "Please, please just take me home. I am still thirsty but I can't bear the thought of hurting anyone. Please, bring me the sustenance I need. Please, Edward, Please!"
I looked at Jasper and he sent calming waves to my sweet, loving Bella. Emmett gave me a knowing look and he was gone in a flash. I took my love to our room and laid her on the bed. Within 45 minutes Emmett was back with four large containers of fresh blood. Greedily, Bella drank deeply until the burn of thirst left her for a time.
We didn't talk much. Words weren't necessary as we tenderly expressed our love in the most intimate way. Holding one another, skin to skin, she whispered so low that I would have missed it if I were human. "Edward, how did you do it? How did you NOT kill me?"
"My sweet Isabella. I loved you from the moment I saw you. I could never kill you. Sweetheart, it took 90 years of this life for me to find you. Yes, your blood sang to me in a dangerous and tempting tune but your eyes held the love I had no idea I needed. Sweetheart, we will be more careful in the future. We won't go when Alice is off shopping again. If we do, we will ask her to keep a keen eye on our futures, ok?"
"Edward, we need to start preparing me for human interaction. I have to be ready!" She plead with me. "Bella, I understand, but we need to talk to Carlisle. He will know how to proceed. Trust me, we will do it when it is the right time." With that, she snuggled closer to me and we held each other in silence.
After several hours, Carlisle returned. We dressed and met him in his study.