Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight characters. They are, of course, the property of Stephenie Meyer. If I owned them, I'd be writing awesome books, not posting on Fanfic :-P

BPOV:

We had been on our honeymoon for two weeks. Two amazing weeks. Our wedding was beautiful, thanks to Alice and her meticulous planning. I regretted being such a nuisance about the whole marriage thing. I failed to see the necessity of the ritual, but from the moment I heard the words "I do" pass through his lips, everything changed. From that moment on, I understood. I was Mrs. Edward Cullen and I loved everything about it.

We left immediately after the reception for Isle Esme, a surprise destination for me. It was absolutely breathtaking. That night, Edward and I made love for the first time. It was beautiful. It was also extremely tense and awkward, but mostly beautiful. And without casualty, except for the bed. There was but one more life-changing event to take place. This day, I would become Edward's for eternity, a fact that both excited and distressed me. Edward's family…my family came to Isle Esme for the day to support us. Edward spent most of the afternoon hunting with Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle, leaving me to spend some quality time with my new mom and sisters. When he returned, we excused ourselves for some time alone. We walked down the beach and my mind wandered to the discussion I had with Edward last week about this very day…

***

"So, Edward," I began nervously, "I was thinking we should talk about…about you changing me." I saw his jaw tighten and he clinched his fists. I knew this conversation wasn't going to go well. It never did. I was already prepared.

"Bella, be reasonable. We are not discussing your dea – we are not discussing this on our honeymoon."

"I say we are. Honeymoons are about romance, right? What can possibly be more romantic than discussing our being together for eternity?"

"You're being dramatic," he said dryly. "Please do not idealize this situation. It isn't romantic. It will be painful, Bella, NOT romantic."

"I want you to do it…next Sunday."

"Next Sunday? Are you out of your mind? This is going to take scrupulous planning. I've only just begun to think about the logistics of the situation."

"No, I'm not out of my mind. I have a plan..."

"Bella, please!" he interrupted me, his eyes filled with rage. "I was upset that you wanted to discuss this on our honeymoon and now you actually want me to…I can't even say it! Most people's definition of an ideal honeymoon doesn't involve writhing in pain."

"No, Edward. Listen to me! We can finish our honeymoon first. Next Sunday, we will have been here two weeks. That's a longer honeymoon than most can even ask for. The situation isn't going to get much better. You said we can stay here as long as we want, which is good since we can't really go back to Forks until I can control my thirst." I winced at the idea, but continued, "It's a private island meaning there are no other humans here, so there's no fear of my making a mistake. I can call Charlie and my mom. I'll let them know I'm safe and tell them we're staying here a while longer and then going house-hunting in Alaska before the semester starts. They will think we're starting this semester, although we know I can't start yet. It's really a perfect situation…" I continued.

"Bella, I can't do this."

"Eternity together, we already agreed! You said you don't want to do this because you think it's selfish. What about what I want? I want this and so do you! I know you do. I had my human experiences…I graduated, we got married, we made love…" I felt the tears welling in my eyes already and I willed them not to fall. I stomped away to our room feeling both angry and sad. I sat on our bed and called Carlisle, knowing that he would be easier to talk to than Edward.

"Hello? Bella?"

"Yes Carlisle, it's me. Edward and I were…discussing my transformation," I began. I explained my plan and why I thought this was the perfect place and time.

"It seems like you have put a lot of thought into this."

"Yes, well I am glad you think so. If you're not busy or working, perhaps you can come here…perhaps you should be the one…to do it…"

"Bella, you know I would be glad to, if that's what you really want but I sense that isn't the case…."

"What I want is for my husband to want to do this," I began to sob uncontrollably, "for my husband…to want to keep me…for forever…enough that…he will do it…." I managed between sobs. I took a deep breath. I felt Edward's cold hand on my shoulder try to comfort me. Damn vampire senses. Can't you just leave me alone?

"Bella…please don't cry," Carlisle consoled me.

I sobbed into the phone for several minutes. "I love him and I want to do this for us. But I need to know that he'll be there to comfort me and that he's just as eager for this as I am. That is the only way the pain will be tolerable. Why is he so hot and cold? He said he wanted this too but now he says he can't do it!"

"Edward is very sensitive when it comes to your life because loves you very much, you know that. He has a difficult time being realistic with you and he has quite a hard time understanding the capacity of your love for him. Sometimes, he still sees us as deplorable creatures and because of that he doesn't think he deserves you. Even more so, he is afraid that once you become what we are, that you will resent him for doing this to you."

"But I love him so much…I love him more than I ever thought it possible to love anyone. And all of you are so caring and compassionate…I can never see you as…monsters." I whispered the last word because it was so hard to even say it.

"I know, Bella. And you have been remarkable for him. You alone are responsible for bringing out the life in him that seemed to have faded long ago." I sobbed harder. "I'm sorry your feelings are hurt. Let me speak to Edward."

I handed him the phone and silently excused myself to the restroom, locking myself inside. I curled up on the floor and continued sobbing. Moments later I heard a knock at the door.

"Bella…" Edward called, hesitation in his voice.

"Go away!" I shouted. I heard him sigh.

"Bella, sweetheart…please?" I waited and he continued. "I'm sorry, love. You caught me by surprise. Please open the door. I want to hold you. And I want to talk to you."

I opened the door and in an instant he scooped me up and cradled me to his chest, stroking my hair. He placed his palm on my check and gently wiped my tears with his thumb. Still I said nothing. He carried me to the small sofa in our bedroom and sat down, brushing underneath my chin so that I would look up at him.

"Bella, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I wasn't prepared to talk about this yet. You surprised me and I responded poorly. Carlisle and I spoke for a while. He reminded me that this…what you're asking of me…is about you and me and our undeniable love for one another. What he said to you is true. Sometimes I can't comprehend the capacity of your love for me. And I am scared, very scared. What I meant to say…what I should have said is that I'm not prepared to do this without a plan. There are things that I need, one of which is to have Carlisle here with me. I need you, Bella. And I love you. And I do want you forever. How you don't know that is beyond me. Please forgive me."

"I love you, too. And of course I forgive you. Always. Don't be scared that I won't love you anymore. That will never happen. You don't see yourself clearly. I know what you are and I'm far from afraid of it."

"You really are ready," he said.

"Yes, I really am. I have wanted this for a long time but I see now that I really wasn't ready then. Not like I am now. We have been through so much and all of it had a purpose. When you came into my life, you taught me how to love. When you left me," I winced, realizing I should have chosen my words better, "you taught me the endurance of love, that it isn't something easily forgotten."

He tried to look away but I touched my palm to the side of his face. I continued, "Even my love for Jake taught me that one love isn't equivalent to another. What I have with you is something special, something unique, and no one can take your place in my heart. Finding you again taught me that we are meant to be together. And marrying you taught me that this is no longer my love, it is our love. We are in this together. It wasn't until now that I understood that love really is forever. And now, I'm ready to start forever with you."

Edward kissed me softly. He sighed, struggling with his words. "I thought I had learned so much in the century that I have been alive." He shook his head. "You have taught me everything…." He smiled wide at me and murmured, "I'm ready now too, my love. Next Sunday, you will be mine forever."

***

"You're terribly quiet, love. Are you alright?" he queried.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking about eternity." I smiled at him. He simply nodded.

He was being unusually quiet as well. He had been all day. I was sure he was thinking about the impending event as well. About a mile down the beach, we found a nice spot to sit for a while. I sat in front of him between his legs, leaning my head back against his chest, his arms wrapped around me. Exactly how long we sat that way in silence, I can't be sure but eventually the sun descended below the horizon and I knew we would return soon.

"Bella," he began, "I already know the answer, but I must ask one more time. I must give you one last chance out. Are you – "

"Yes, I am sure about this," I answered before he even finished. I knew what he would ask, and I knew all along that he would ask again. No matter how many times I reassured him that I wanted him for eternity, he still questioned me. Silently, we stood and walked hand-in-hand back into the house.