A/N: Hello lovely readers. Sorry there have been some longer stretches between posts, know that I do write chapter by chapter, I don't stock pile what I've written, so when life gets busy, writing gets pushed down the priority ladder. This weekend was just really busy.

I have 1 month until my 3 boys get their new baby sister, so I'm going to try and get the bulk of this story done before that happens.

On a different note, in addition to the twilightawards (link is on my profile if you want to nominate either of my stories), there are some other awards going on–the EDDIE's and BELLIE's. The link for those awards is also on my profile, so if you want to nominate any story for that head on over there. They're accepting nominations until Jan 25th.

And now on to the story!

Chapter 7

Volterra, Italy

Aro stiffly paced in front of his throne. His movements were becoming more and more restricted. Without the crystal, the changes were occurring rapidly. Marcus could no longer stand, though he still had use of his arms. Caius was in about the same state as Aro, still able to move but just barely. If the crystal was not returned to them they would slowly turn into stone.

"Jane," the old master called, "I need you to return to Peru, you must try and track down the location of the crystal. Take Felix and go with haste."

The diminutive woman-child nodded solemnly and turned quickly out of the throne room. The two guards donned their heavy gray cloaks and made their way to the private air strip.

Iquitos, Peru

Victoria raced through the jungle realizing how narrowly she escaped the male vampire that was protecting the pitiful human girl.

She waited until cover of night to race through the city streets, stopping only for a quick drink from a man passed out in an alley way. Having sated her thirst she continued on to the old shack to report back to James. He would most certainly be in a foul mood.

As she crept into the darkened building she could hear the two steady heartbeats and even breathing of their human captives. She couldn't understand why James insisted they keep them both alive. When she turned the corner, she was intercepted by her blond haired mate.

"What of the girl?" He hissed.

"There is a problem."

"This is not the news I wanted to hear. Must I do everything myself?"

"There's nothing you could've done to prevent this issue. She has company."

"And why should that be a problem? Are you that inept that you can't handle a few extra?"

Her eyes flashed ruby red and she leaned in toward James' neck preparing to bite. Something that would've been painful, but certainly not deadly to him.

"Her company consists of three male vampires. No one I have ever come across, and all very strong."

"And how is it that they haven't drained her yet?"

"That is the curious thing. One of them made to attack me when I got too close."

"Perhaps he was protecting his meal, it's not as though you've never taken me down when feeding." He smirked.

"No, it wasn't like that, he was protecting her like she actually meant something to him, if that's even possible."

James blew out an exasperated breath. This greatly complicated things. He would need to take these others out.

"I'll have to call Laurent to come and baby sit our captives. I need to hunt these others down and get rid of them."

"There's one other strange thing I noticed. Their eyes-they were golden; all three of them."

"Animal drinkers? No wonder they haven't taken a bite yet."

James pulled his cell phone out and nearly broke the small device as he furiously dialed Laurent. Their brief conversation ended with a sharp snap of the phone closing. James turned to Victoria and said, "I'm going to eat, I'll be back shortly." Victoria nodded and watched as he slipped silently out into the dark night.

Peruvian Jungle

EPOV

It was late when Jasper and I returned from our hunt. The fury that I had felt when the she-vampire got away from me had lessened some. However, I was even more on edge now, having heard her vicious thoughts about Bella. I berated myself for losing my concentration for that split second when Jasper and Emmett arrived. Had I been focused, I could've ended her completely.

I looked over at Emmett who was trying to guard his thoughts by reciting baseball statistics from 1985. I narrowed my eyes in his direction and he half shrugged at me. I leaned into the entrance of the cave checking to see that Bella was in fact asleep. Her even breathing and steady heart beat told me she was. So I returned to my brothers.

"Did you guys have a good hunt?" Emmett asked casually.

"It was fine Em, what's going on?"

"What? I think I may go get me a little grub too. Anything good around here?"

"Not so fast Emmett, what's with the stats recap for Cal Ripken Jr.?"

"Nothing dude. Don't worry about it."

"If it's nothing then why are you hiding things from me? Is something going on with Bella?" I was trying and quickly failing to keep my tone even and quiet. Bella was exhausted and I didn't want to wake her up.

"She was just asking some questions about us."

"Us as in the Cullens, or us as in vampires?"

Us as in vampires. He thought and then ducked his head.

"What did she ask?" I was practically seething now. The last thing I wanted was to get her more involved in our world than she needed to be. But for some reason I couldn't stop that from happening. Every minute she remained with us she was falling deeper and deeper into our world.

Just stuff, like my favorite animal to hunt, and about all the stupid myths that surround our kind. You know like burning up in the sun and coffins and all that.

I could tell there was more. He was still holding out so I motioned my hand for him to keep going.

Andhowapersoncouldbechangedintoavampire. He cringed away and squinted one eye shut bracing himself for the impact that should've knocked him into next year.

I ran 200 yards away and found a basketball sized rock and crushed it between my hands. What is wrong with this woman. She has absolutely no sense of what is safe and what is dangerous. How can I hope to keep her safe if she doesn't help me? Never mind that her physical being is in constant danger around us, but her very soul is at risk. I'm sure Emmett didn't explain that part to her. I couldn't even entertain the thought of damning her soul, she was too much of an angel.

I heard Emmett chuckling and sighed as I pinched the bridge of my nose. As I came up to where he and Jasper were sitting, I could feel the waves of calm wash over me and tried to look thankful.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Bella was talking in her sleep. Something about not letting the giant cookie catch her. Edward, she's hilarious," Emmett whispered.

I moved a bit closer to the edge of the cave. Bella rolled over and I could see the creases in her forehead. I guess she was pretty worried about this giant cookie, so I crouched next to her and brushed some of the mud caked hair away from her face. Her face immediately relaxed and she seemed even more peaceful.

"Hey, Edward we're going to call the girls, so uh, don't do anything I wouldn't do." Emmett winked at me as he pulled the SAT phone from his bag.

Jasper passed me patting my shoulder, "I'm not sure what exactly she's dreaming about, but lets just say, she's putting off some very sensual vibes."

I looked up at him trying to figure out exactly what he meant while he just snickered and ran off after Emmett. I sat back down a little closer to Bella and soaked in every feature of her face. I stroked the outline of her jaw with the tip of my finger loving the warmth that radiated from her.

"Mmmmm, Edward..."

I pulled my hand back hoping I hadn't woken her. Did she just say my name in her sleep? Was she dreaming of me? Any annoyance I had earlier melted away with that one small utterance. I pondered those thoughts. What did it mean if she was having dreams about me? I moved back over to the dying fire and waited for my brothers. I'm sure I had a goofy grin plastered on my face as they walked back towards the camp.

"Edward, you've got it bad," said Jasper taking in my current emotional state. "But then, so does she I think."

I looked at him wide eyed and tried to shake off the euphoria I was feeling. Yes I was intrigued by her, fascinated even. But why did her saying my name send me into such a state. I felt like the 17 year old boy I should be.

"Whatever, it's just our proximity and the direness of this situation. People get infatuated about their protectors all the time, kind of like friendly Stockholm syndrome or something." I was trying to downplay what I was feeling, but I don't think they were buying it.

"Keep telling yourself that bro," chuckled Emmett as he got up to go hunt for himself. Jasper went with him just for safety sake and I was once again alone with Bella.

I turned to look at her more closely and I was transfixed. She was lovely when she slept. Even though she was smudged with dirt and there clumps of mud in her hair, the way her features demonstrated each emotion she was feeling in her dreams captured me. At one point she started to frown and her lips turned out into the cutest pout.

How I would love to taste those luscious lips. Where did that thought come from? Oh, from my lusty teenage alter ego. I shook my head trying to clear these thoughts. It would be ludicrous for me to even try. I was uncertain whether I could control my desire to sink my teeth into her flesh. To taste not only her lips but the blood that ran through them as well.

The sun was beginning to rise and I could hear Bella's heart rate starting to pick up. I took it upon myself to re-light the fire, figuring she'd probably be a bit chilly. She rolled over and let out a soft mewl as she grunted and stretched her arms high above her head. I couldn't stop the hormone driven youth inside of me from ogling the strip of pale flesh that peeked out from in between her shirt and her pants.

Of course she caught me staring and began to blush furiously. I probably would've done the same had there been any blood left coursing through my veins. I quickly dropped my head in shame and turned my back towards her. I could hear her getting up and stretching again letting out a groan as her back popped a few times.

"I think I'd like some fancier accommodations next time we stop."

"Not so comfortable sleeping on the ground huh?"

She threw me a glare and cocked an eyebrow, "do I look like the camping type to you?"

I shook my head. "Fair enough."

"So what did you do last night?"

"Oh not much. We hunted til late, chatted some with Emmett, then he and Jasper went out again to hunt. They'll probably be back soon."

"Oh, well that sounds good." She dug around in her bag and pulled out a granola bar and began to nibble at it. She cast her eyes down and seemed to be assessing her state of dishevelment. "Ummm, Edward?"

"Yes Bella?"

"Well, do you think there are any ponds or streams anywhere close by that I can maybe clean off a little bit? I feel really really gross right now."

I chuckled and nodded, "I think I passed a waterfall not to far away from here. It'll probably be a little chilly this early in the morning, but I think it'll serve your purposes."

"Okay, how far?"

I reached out my hand to help her up. She eyed me cautiously and stood up slowly. In one swift motion I had her pulled up onto my back and she screamed, "oh no you don't! Put me down Edward!" I was already off and running and reminded her to close her eyes. Immediately I felt her bury her face into my shoulder as we neared the waterfall I had passed during my hunt.

It was lush and peaceful. The falls weren't very tall, and the pool below them was a sparkling greenish blue. I spied some large parrots in the canopy above us, they had the most vivid shades of red, blue, and yellow plumage.

"Bella," I whispered, "you can open your eyes now, we're here."

She slowly loosened her grip on my neck and slid down landing softly on the bank of the pool. A quiet gasp broke the silence as she surveyed the scene before us. I pointed up to the parrot and again her eyes widened in amazement.

I would be happy watching her all day long, but we really did need to get a move on. We had a lot of ground to cover and I know she did not want to piggy back the whole time. And I, truthfully, did not want her to get sick on me.

"Well, I'll let you get cleaned up. The water isn't too deep, and I don't think there's anything dangerous in there either, so just enjoy yourself."

"Thank you Edward." She turned to unbutton her shirt but I was frozen, staring, like a perverted stalker. She looked over her shoulder and asked, "you're not going to watch me are you?"

I snapped out of it and shook my head. "No, sorry, I...uh...sorry. I'm turning around. I'll just be over here." Idiot, now she really does think you're a perverted stalker.

I turned on my heel and moved over to a large formation of rocks and sank down leaning up against them. I could hear her scrubbing her clothes close to the edge of the pool and laying them over a rock to dry a bit. I had to chuckle as she stepped deeper into the water. She must've gotten up to her hips as she started chanting softly, "cold cold cold." Once she had acclimated, she swam further into the pool and my mind ran away with images of a naked Bella.

I tried to redirect my thoughts back to the quest we had embarked on. The woman who had come for Bella earlier would be bringing others back with her, we would need to get moving and find that stone quickly. I was pondering over the map in my mind when a thought occurred to me.

It had been about 10 minutes and I decided maybe I'd do something nice for her. I was going to take her wet clothes and run around with them at vampire speed to get them dry. I inched my way back to where she had laid them, trying to keep my back squarely to the waterfall. I reached down and picked up her shirt and pants, I decided to leave her underwear, I didn't want to completely creep her out.

I was about to start running when I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned ever so slightly and nearly passed out. There was Bella, standing directly under the falls, water cascading down her creamy white skin. The rush of the water blurred her most intimate features, but after decades of images from my family, and two medical degrees, I had a pretty good imagination.

I quickly turned away from my Venus and began to run. Unfortunately my head was also running in its own direction. She was beautiful, perfect, a goddess. How could I be so deluded to think that someone as perfect and wonderful as she was would ever want anything to do with me. I cast a glance around me and felt the garments in my hands. They were pretty much dry so I headed back to the falls. Bella was just coming up out of the pool scrubbing the mud from her hair.

She saw me coming and sunk a bit lower in the water so that only her head was showing. I saw the questioning look in her eyes and explained that I was just drying her clothes. A little 'o' of recognition grew on her lips and I said, "I'll just go back and wait here for you."

"I'm almost done. Thanks." I thought I could hear a bit of quaver to her voice and wondered what she might be nervous about. It truly was maddening to wonder what she was thinking all the time.

I heard her get out and dress quickly. "You can turn around, I'm decent now."

"Bella, you are much more than decent." Her clothes were still stained, but at least not terribly muddy anymore. But her face was clean, and radiant. She truly looked like an angel, a nervous angel though. She began twisting her fingers together and moved a few steps closer to me.

"So Emmett and I were talking last night."

"Mhmm, he mentioned that." She looked up a bit surprised, but tried to suppress it.

"Well, I was kind of curious about the sun thing." She looked up with hopeful but cautious eyes. I kept my gaze trained on hers, surely making her a bit uncomfortable, but I couldn't help but be drawn into her eyes.

"What about the sun thing?" I murmured softly getting closer and closer to her.

"Ummm, will you show me what happens?" I thought about that for a moment. What would she think when she saw me in the sun? Would she then run screaming away from me? Nothing about the way she reacted was normal, so no, she probably wouldn't run, but I was still nervous.

"It's a bizarre phenomenon. I don't want to frighten you." She looked up hopeful again.

"Emmett kind of explained, but I wanted to see it for myself." Of course she did.

"Fine then. Come with me, but when you see what kind of monster I truly am, don't say I didn't warn you." We walked a short distance up a path and found a small clearing where the morning sun was filtering through.

She walked in to the circular clearing and lifted her face to the rays of sunshine. She is perfect. I could see her smiling at the warmth and light and for a moment loathed the creature of darkness that I was. I hesitated for a bit longer in the shadows, just enjoying watching Bella. I would lock this memory away forever, so when the running and screaming started, I would have this one perfect moment to remember her by. She opened her eyes and beckoned me in.

I took off my shirt and her small gasp was not lost on me. I tried to hide my crooked smile, but did a poor job of it I think. She seemed to be enjoying the view but as I stepped into the sunlight and the photons scattered off of my skin the gasp was much more audible now.

"This is why we can't be seen in the sun. It's a bit distracting don't you think?"

"Edward," she whispered, "you're magnificent."

Bella was staring openly at my shining skin. I sat down and, as if she was a puppet that mimicked my every move, she sat down directly across from me. We sat cross legged with our knees nearly touching. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about the million questions I wanted to ask her. Not the least of which was 'what are you thinking'.

She tentatively touched my upturned palm and traced each one of my fingers, sending delicious warm waves of energy up through my arm. I let the delight show on my face with the smallest of smiles. Her feather light touches began to ascend my arm and tickle the inside of my elbow. The actions were innocent, but ignited such a fire and passion with in me, I was overcome. With each touch of her hand, I could feel an invisible silken thread tie me to her, slowly but surely capturing me in a dangerous net woven by her soft fingers.

"Bella," I mumbled, driven to complete distraction by her touches, "you have no idea how amazing that feels." She pulled her hand away and I opened my eyes wishing she hadn't stopped.

She cast her glance down into her lap and just stared. I could hear her heart beating rapidly, her breathing more shallow. If my dead heart still beat, it would've leapt out of my chest long ago. Oh to taste those sweet red lips of hers. The teenager inside was screaming at me to just lean in and do it. But the rational man, the man of no real experience, was more nervous than he'd ever been before in his life.

I lifted her chin softly and looked into her eyes. "Bella, I want to try something, but I need you to hold still." She nodded and licked her lips quickly. Why did she have to do that? Does she not know how tempting she is?

I closed my eyes and tried to strengthen my resolve to do her no harm. I gently took her hands in mine and looked at her again. Slowly I leaned forward and listened to her heart beat nearly flying. Her eyes were opened wide as she seemed to be drawn closer to me. Slowly her eyes closed and she lifted her chin up expectantly.

I could feel her sweet breath washing over me as I brushed my cheek next to hers. The warmth of her skin was tantalizing; I was nearly bursting with anticipation. I pulled back slightly and just barely brush my lips to hers. She drew in a sharp intake of breath and began leaning forward with eagerness. "Don't move, please," I murmured against her lips.

She stilled and I moved in closer needing more contact I dropped one of her hands and placed mine on her cheek. I pressed my lips to hers again gently, relishing the heat, and enjoying the soft pulsating of the blood in her lips. Strangely, the desire to taste her blood was a dull throb, easily ignored. The moment my lips touched hers, I was transported to my own personal heaven. The soft silken threads that had woven between us turned into hardened steel cables and I fell completely under her power.

Our mouths danced together in perfect harmony, the rhythm was slow and languid, everything was perfect until we both started giggling. I pulled away and she started laughing, as did I. I was dismayed, because I knew this was not the appropriate reaction for either of us to be having. It was then that I heard the cat calls coming from up the trail a little ways.

Emmett was whistling loudly with both fingers pressed to his lips, and Jasper was throwing off strong waves of giddiness. Bella's face flamed red with embarrassment as I jumped up and ran headlong into my brothers. Emmett just laughed as I collided with him.

"Way to go little bro."

A/N: So there's the first kiss...hope it lived up to expectations...Let me know what you think! Your reviews are awesome! Oh and we'll hear about the rest of the fam's reaction thanks to Alice, hopefully in the next chapter.