A/N A little Edward and Bella bonding

And for those of you who were wondering about Adam, never fear. You'll learn his story

Chapter Six

BPOV

Hunting with Edward was… peaceful. He didn't play with his food and only did what he was necessary. His grace and movement made me jealous. He was so beautiful when he hunted, despite the fact that he looked a little animalistic.

"See something you like?" Edward teased, looking up at me from where I was perched in the tree.

"No."

"Uh huh. I'm sure." He snorted and buried the carcass. "Aren't you going to hunt? You're the one that needs it more than me."

"I was just watching. I like watching your technique."

"Thanks." He flashed his crooked smile and I bit my bottom lip.

"I should probably start hunting now." I jumped from the branch and smiled at Edward. "Meet you back here when I'm done?"

He nodded. I turned my head away to keep from getting distracted and closed my eyes. I breathed in and listened closely. There, coming north east. A herd of five elk. While elk blood may not have been my favourite, at least it was something to quench the thirst.

I pounced on one, snapped the neck effortlessly and drank the warm blood, sighing in relief as it cooled the burning in my throat.

After two more elk and a mountain lion (I was lucky when the mountain lion came in my direction), I made my way back to Edward. He was in the same position I was when I watched him hunt.

"Good hunt?" he asked.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand before climbing the tree and sitting down beside him. "You can say that." I stretched my arms. "I feel better now. Not so weak." I peeked up at him from beneath my lashes. His bronze hair was tousled from the wind and the sleeves of his shirt were pushed up to his elbows.

To my surprise, it started snowing. I absolutely adored snow. It reminded me of the first time I'd ever seen it. Shortly after Jasper and I were married, we'd gone up to Boston to see my grandmother. She was sick and dying and I wanted to say goodbye to her before she died. Usually, she'd be the one coming to us but since we lived so far away, it was hard for her to come. That first day was so memorable. I smiled, just thinking about it.

Flashback

Jasper and I had just gotten off the train in Boston. We were walking through the train station when it started snowing.

"Look Jasper. It's snowing." I laughed and held my hands up like a child, trying to catch one of the flakes.

"Haven't you seen snow before?" he asked, staring at me with amusement.

I shook my head. "Papa and I always lived in places where its never snowed. Usually Gran comes to see us, not the other way around.

"Come on, my love. We should get a carriage before we have to walk to your grandmother's house."

I giggled. "Yes, Gran won't be pleased if we come dripping wet onto her expensive carpets." I slipped my arm through Jasper's as we walked. "I swear, sometimes I wonder if she loves those carpets more than me." I pouted.

"Now, now, Isabella. Why on earth would you think that?" Jasper drew me closer. "You are an angel."

"With the attitude of a hyena." I teased.

"Ah, that's not true." He kissed me gently and pulled me along.

When we got to Gran's house, the snow had already begun to accumulate. Jasper sighed and shook his head sadly. "I pity the man who has to go through this."

"Here you are sir." The chauffeur opened the door and moved so Jasper could get out.

"Thank you." he said, paying the man. "Come on, Bella." He held out his hand for me to grasp as we trudged through the snow towards the house. Jasper was a few feet in front of me, waiting for me to catch up. I was forced to hold up my gown so the hem wouldn't get snow.

If he says that to me one more time, he's going to get a snowball to the face, I thought grudgingly.

"Bella?"

With a sly grin, I gathered snow into my gloved hands and threw it at the back of his head. Jasper turned around in surprise.

"It wasn't me." I said innocently.

"Oh, really? Then, pray tell, who was it?"

I glanced around and noticed the empty area. "A ghost?"

He chuckled. "I don't believe in ghosts darlin. And even if i did, why would they just lob a snowball at my head?"

I put my hands on my hips. "Maybe because you're annoying your wife." I said.

"My apologies ma'am." He tipped his hat. "Now, to settle the score...

End of Flashback

I glanced over at Edward. I wasn't sure how long I sat, reminicing about the past but he hadn't said a word. "What has you thinking so hard?"

"You really want to know?"

"Of course."

"I was thinking about Jasper. He was with me when I saw my first snowfall. I threw a snowball at his head and blamed it on a ghost."

He chuckled.

"My grandmother was so mad when we walked into the house, dripping wet and shivering from the cold."

"I can imagine."

"It reminds me of the first time I met Adam."

Edward straightened and looked at me. "How did you meet Adam? I've been so curious about it."

"Well, Adam and I met in 1901. I was visiting the Volturi. Apparently they wanted to meet me so I went. I had nothing to do. I was just wandering with no real purpose. "I stared ahead, seeing it pass as I spoke. "I was in Florence when I first met him. I had come across a young girl. She had been brutally beaten and I needed to help her. So I took her to the hospital and told them what I knew twisitng some of the details. She was bleeding so badly and I hadn't hunted in a couple of days so the burn in my throat was incredibly hard to bear."

"But… wouldn't the hospital be even harder?"

"Absolutely. It was." I mumbled, leaning my head against his shoulder. I shivered from the memory.

"Go on." He urged.

"Well, when I got to the hospital, Adam came out. He was a doctor. I was surprised when he told me that he's seen this before. He told me there have been two other cases where the victim, both female girls between fourteen and twenty, were found in a similar, if not worse state. Except the only difference between the three cases was that this young girl survived. Apparently I found her just in time." I sighed. "Anyway, after they cleaned her and fixed her, I saw them. Bite marks. So I knew. Whoever had been killing these youngs girls were vampires.

"As soon as I knew she was going to be okay, I went out in search for this vampire. At first I thought it was a newborn. No one in their right mind would hunt humans and expose themselves so close to Volterra. Turns out, I was wrong. The vampire knew exactly what he was doing. He was trying to draw the Volturi out. He knew that if he left a wake of destruction by killing humans in the open, the Volturi would come. He wanted to overthrow them."

"Was it the Romanian coven that caused it?" Edward asked.

"No. I thought that at first too but I talked to Stefan. He didn't know anything about this and neither did Vladimir."

"Oh. That just seems like something they would do."

"They would try to overthrow the Volturi but not at the expense of humans. They don't hunt unless they need to." He nodded for me to continue. "So, I decided to draw him out. I shifted my image until I was a lone human girl, walking in the forest. He was surprised that I fought him back because I was still strong, even in my human form. But imagine my surprise when Adam, the very human, very breakable Adam, comes out, having followed me, believing that I was human."

Edward sucked in a sharp breath.

I ignored him. "Adam, my sweet, lovable Adam tried to fight off the vampire. Suffice to say Daniel—"

"Daniel?!" Edward yelled. "You fought Daniel?"

"Would you let me finish?"

He cleared his throat. "Uh, sorry." He said sheepishly.

"Yes, Daniel. He was an all powerful member of the Volturi guard. Aro sent him away when he thoguht Daniel wanted to get rid of them. Daniel was good at shielding his mind from Aro, something that made his suspicious so he kicked him out."

"Yeah, I know all about Daniel. Everyone does."

"All right. So Daniel bit Adam. He had every intention of draining him dry but I pulled him away. I can't tell you exactly how I decapitated him but I did and even had my own arm ripped off in the process. I didn't have time to suck the venom out of Adam because I had to burn the pieces that belonged to Daniel. All I could do to help Adam was push more venom through his veins. I sat with him, unmoving as I watched Adam burn and let my arm reattach itself.

"Adam didn't say or utter anything his untire change. It was the first time I've ever changed someone but I knew he wasn't supposed to lie there quietly. I was afraid I had done something wrong. Finally, after three days, he opened his eyes. I taught him how to hunt and I told him what he was. It surprised me, but ever since he opened his eyes, Adam has never had a problem with his bloodlust."

"Really?"

I nodded. "We came across a pair of humans during his first hunt. I was the one that wound up going after them and only because I have hunted in a week. It shocked the hell out of me when he caught me." I shook my head in awe. "We waited for a couple of months before he went back to the hospital. He didn't even feel the burn, Edward. He stared working and we've been together ever since. I don't think either of us were cut out for the nomad life. It felt good to have a companion."

Edward nodded his head. "I know. Carlisle felt the same way when he changed me."

I looked at him curiously. "How did he change you?"

So Edward launched into his story about how he was changed and why. I tried to imagine the beautiful boy beside me looking that ill. I found it hard to believe.

"That's quite the story." I said when he finished.

He laughed. "Not quite as exciting as yours. Or even Adam's."

"I think our stories define who were in this life." I said, watching the sky as the sun tried to peek through the thick clouds.

"Carlisle, as well." Edward looked at me. "Are you going to tell him about this?"

"No. I think I'll let Adam do that." I said, looking at him. "I only told you because I knew you wouldn't judge me. I didn't mean to bring Adam into this. He only followed me because he thought I was human."

"I don't think he'd mind that much."

"You don't know Adam."

He laughed.

JPOV

I followed Edward and Bella's scent through the forest until I stopped beneath a tree, where it just stopped.

Edward laughed from somewhere above my head and I looked up. Sitting on a branch, at least fifty feet in the air, was Edward and Bella. They were sitting side by side, laughing at something.

Ignoring Edward completely, I called to Bella.

"Bella? Can I talk to you?"

Bella looked down at me. "Sure Jasper." She smiled at Edward and jumped, landing softly and gracefully at her feet. "See you later, Edward."

We took off running until we came to a small meadow near the house. Bella sat down, unbothered by the snow. She leaned back and smiled, looking like an angel.

I sat down a little farther away, stiff and uncomfortable. "You know, I think this is the first time we've been alone since we first saw each other again." I mused, more to myself than to her.

She laughed, sounding like bells. "I think so too. You have such a large family, I'm surprised you haven't gone crazy from all the interruptions."

I didn't want to tell her that I did in fact lose my cool when I threw Emmett through the door. "Privacy is a privilege you learn to forfit with this family."

Neither of us spoke for several minutes. I was actually relieved. It was just nice to sit in the quiet with Bella. She had such a calming influence. You would think she was the empath.

Bella giggled softly. "What?" I asked, looking up at her.

"Uh, nothing."

"I don't believe you."

"You probably don't want to hear it."

"Try me."

"I was thinking about the first time you ever made love to me." She whispered with her eyes closed. "We were in the barn, a week before the wedding. The rain was pouring down so hard and we were soaked through."

I remembered that. But she was right. I didn't want to hear about that. "Bella—"

"This isn't what you wanted to talk about. I know, but you asked. So technically, it's your own fault."

I chuckled. Bella was always trying to pin the blame on someone else. "Bella, you know I love you right?" I watched as her eyes opened and she looked at me with those gorgeous topaz eyes.

"Do you?" she asked doubtfully. "Because you don't act like it."

I winced. Maybe that wasn't the best way to start this conversation.

"Jasper, just skip over all this. Please, just tell me what you came to tell me." She whispered.

Unable to look her in the eye, I looked down at my pale, scarred hands.

"I choose Alice."

Please don't hate me. I couldn't help me. I know you all want to kill me now but don't worry. I'll have the next chapter done ASAP.

In the meantime… please REVIEW.