DISCLAIMER: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight not me. I just love playing around with the characters we all know and love. :-)

AUTHOR NOTES: (PLEASE READ)

***I reached 2 out of the 3 goals I set for last chapter. AMAZING! I have hit over 110 reviews, 95 favorites, 164 followers and... I HAVE HIT OVER 10,000 VIEWS now. WOW!

***I got all different responses on my survey of what everyone's favorite chapter was. I was really surprised by all the different reasons too, it showed how different everyone is and what they love in a story. I'm still hoping for more comments about what everyone's favorite has been up to this point and why, so please respond.

***I was asked for my favorite chapter and I would have to say my personal favorite chapter would have to be a tie between "Beginnings", "Sanctuary", and "Beautiful Promise" because of all the alone time between Edward and Bella. All three chapters were so much fun to write. I loved showing that my Bella character, despite being meek, quiet, and even dependent, she has so much strength inside her. She certainly isn't weak and everything about her is Edward's perfect match. Someone he can care for and devote himself to entirely but at the same time someone strong and compassionate enough to stand by his side as a ruler of Olympia.

****THANK-YOU'S.**** I got Such great reviews this last chapter and I wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to respond, even with a short comment. I work so hard on each chapter and I really appreciate all of you taking the time to respond. THANK YOU SO MUCH pinklady34, prescottdane, midnight angels say goodnight, mtrevi99, Chrisstars1, and Arigato210 for the detailed reviews. I love the insights you all have as well as the compliments.

****SURVEY RESULTS.**** I got a lot of different favorite chapters through both reviews and private messaging. So far there is a tie between "Beautiful Promise", "Learning in Paradise" and "Blood Bonds". I was surprised by "Learning in Paradise" being a favorite as not to much happened that chapter but I discovered everyone loved Bella telling Edward she loved him first. It just fit as she was the first to initiate touching, hugging, kissing, and all other intimate acts too. She may be shy but she's certainly bold as well. LOL. (Honestly who wouldn't want to kiss Edward?) I loved that whole wardrobe scene and had actually had it in my head for a few chapters and was just waiting for the story to catch up. My favorite part is Edward glaring at the inanimate object in hatred because he wants her in his clothing not her own. It both cracks me up and makes me go "awww" when I read it every-time, despite having been the one to write it. LOL

THANKS FOR READING THE AUTHOR NOTES. NOW WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY...

CHAPTER #9: The Human Condition

EPOV

PREVIOUSLY in CHAPTER#8

"We can discuss the rest of this with the Queen and our future princess." My father stood as he looked out the window, towards the darkening sky. I followed his gaze and realized we'd been talking for hours about everything and it was time for our family meal. I ran from the room without a word, desperate to find that very princess...

AND NOW...

I raced past my father and brother as fast as I could, but not fast enough to miss Jasper chuckling at my eagerness or his mental comment. **In a hurry there, Edward?** I honestly didn't care if I seemed desperate to get to her. Hell, I was beyond desperate, but I wasn't ashamed of that. I got to the dining hall where my mother was already sitting and talking with Claire, waiting for us. I stopped but didn't acknowledge either of them. I cast my gaze around the room wildly and made note immediately that Isabella hadn't been here yet, as her scent wasn't present. "Edward." My mother greeted me with a smile while Claire bowed gently. "She's up in her room." I looked to my mother and she smirked at me in obvious amusement of my dependence on Isabella. She had wisely said 'her room', due to Claire's presence, when in fact it was our room. I nodded to them both and took off for the closest stairway without responding.

As soon as I was at our room, I didn't pause, think, or delay opening the door and racing inside at my top speed. Isabella was placing a couple of books on the bookshelf and my body relaxed upon seeing her, safe and sound. She turned and smiled at me before placing the rest of her books down on the chair and heading towards me. I closed the gap before she's d completed even one step forward and enveloped her into my arms.

I held her up to me so I could bury my face in her neck, just breathing in her incredible scent. She wrapped her arms around me softly,clearly as relaxed by me as I was with her. It still surprised me that she was never startled by my speed as I was at least twice as fast as every other vampire I'd ever met. She stroked my hair as I continued to breathe her in for a few more moments, before shifting my focus from reassuring myself to demonstrating exactly how much I'd missed her. I kissed her neck softly, working my way up quickly until I finally found her lips. The moment I did, I grasped her face with one of my hands, while I used the other to support her weight. I kissed her deeply, wishing with everything I had that I didn't need to stop, but unfortunately she had to breathe so I pulled back. I rested my head to hers as she breathed deeply in response to my powerful display. I lowered her to the ground but kept my hands in place, needing to keep touching her no matter what. I felt a powerful urge to touch her everywhere, to mark her with my scent just as much as I wanted her scent on me. I refrained from doing it though, not wanting to upset her in any way.

"Hi." She spoke softly and I let loose a small laugh while shaking my head at how cute she was.

"Hi." I spoke just as soft and she smiled cutely. I leaned in, wanting to give her a much better welcome home kiss. This one was just as long as the last but it was soft and sweet. I could tell she loved it as she hummed into it and held herself tighter to me. "I missed you." That was more than obvious by my actions but I wanted to tell her anyway. She didn't laugh at my ridiculously dependent words and instead she just nodded and sniffled slightly. She seemed to struggle to speak but I heard the unspoken words. She had missed me too.

We continued to just hold one-another for a few minutes, the only sounds being Isabella's occasional sniffle and deep breaths, and the only movement being me rubbing her side and face gently. "Is it supposed to be this hard... to be apart?" She whispered her question and I just held her tight, wishing I had a real answer for her.

"I don't know." I hadn't exactly been there during my parents courtship... obviously... and every other imprinted immortal I'd met kept their mate under lock and key, unwilling to place them in a potentially dangerous situation. Who was to know what was 'normal'? All we could do was follow what felt right, and the only thing 'right' was being together. However, this was where our situation was so unique from all the other pairs. Whereas all the other immortals with human mates had to keep their mate secluded to protect them from harm, I honestly had no real reason to be concerned for mine. My family would never dream of hurting her and in fact cared deeply for her. My people didn't hurt humans period let alone their princes imprint. Isabella was SAFE here. She could go out, learn, make friends All this meant we could... and probably would... be apart more than others ever would. Logically this was a good thing, her to be safe and happy, but the predator in me... the vampire posed to strike at any invisible foe, wanted her close all the time. I needed her there more than I needed anything else in the world. I needed to be her protector, and I needed to care for her, so being apart, even for a short time, made me feel sick and wrong.

I pulled back to watch her face. Her eyes were shimmering slightly with un-shed tears and I hated that our separation had upset her so much. I leaned in to kiss her cheeks before grasping her hands and kissing both of them. As usual, the chivalrous motion made her smile happily and I took the moment to distract us both. I looked toward the bookcase she'd been at when I entered the room. I pulled her with me to where she'd placed the remaining few books on the lounge chaise next to the bookcase. I sat down, pulling her to my lap gently, and grabbing one of the books. I placed it on her lap and smiled at the proud look on her face as she glanced between it and me.

She traced her hands over the cover then blushed when she noticed me starring at her. I chuckled before nudging her gently, silently asking her to tell me about her day. "Shouldn't we go down to your family?" She was still fighting a loosing battle with the blush and I couldn't stop chuckling at her human mannerisms.

"We have a few minutes. I want to hear about your day. Did you enjoy Utopia?" She nodded vigorously and immediately started telling me all about her day. From the sounds of it my mother had taken pride in introducing her to absolutely everyone at the school. Not as her future daughter of course but as a 'friend'. I internally laughed trying to picture the level of restraint my mother had to have practiced to accomplish that. She was an affectionate and honest person, so I was sure the truth was written all over her if people had even the slightest inclination to look close enough. Luckily for us no one thought pure's could imprint so we were safe for the time being.

"I even made a couple friends." She said the sentence shyly and I laughed. Of course she made friends. She was smart, inquisitive, beautiful, amazing, the list went on. Who wouldn't want to befriend her?

"I'm glad. Tell me about them?"

"I really like Angela." I had to laugh at that. Angela was an energetic little thing that had won me over the day she was born. It didn't surprise me that she'd won Isabella to her side as well. "The Queen also..." I cut her off before she spoke.

"You don't have to refer to her as the Queen, Isabella. Call her Esme or..." I caught myself before I said 'mom'. I didn't want to disrespect the memory of Isabella's own mother. It hadn't been that long ago she'd lost her in such a gruesome way and I knew how much Isabella loved her. She got past my slip gracefully and nodded while giving me a small smile. I gave her a quick kiss then urged her to continue. "Esme introduced me to some of the other humans new to Olympia." We hadn't had a lot of new arrivals lately but I knew we'd gotten about 10 or so in the last couple years. "They were all really nice."

**Edward, dinner is ready.** Jasper spoke silently through the door before heading back to the family, not waiting for my response. I sighed, more than a little disappointed to have our alone time interrupted.

"Are you hungry?" She nodded so we got up and made our way, slowly, to the door. I held her hand tightly as we got to the stairs. She was about to descend the first step but I stopped her. Before she could look at me, I pulled her close and kissed her softly. She started to respond by putting her arms around my neck and the moment she did I took advantage of her distraction. I pulled her quickly into my arms and raced down the steps as fast as I dared. She screamed and I laughed as she grasped me tighter. I stopped outside the dinning room and waited for her to release the impressively tight hold she had of my neck.

"Open your eyes, sweetheart." I cooed the words into her ear. She had buried her face into my neck and pinched her eyes closed tightly. She shivered slightly at my voice before she peeked up at me and I smiled in response. She glanced around, seeing where we were, and released her hold allowing me to put her down. I was about to apologize for running her down the stairs but she stopped me by laughing. It was soft, like her, but also genuine... also like her. She smiled through her laughter and I couldn't help but smile back and kiss her temple as I laughed with her. I placed my head against hers for a quick moment, getting my last bit of time with just her and me.

As usual Isabella surprised me. She grabbed my hand and waited patiently with an encouraging smile for me to open the door. She was leading the way in her own subtle way. I chuckled before grabbing the handle and opening the door. I gestured into the room with my hand while winking at her, making her smile wider. She stepped forward with me and both my father and brother stood in greeting. I nodded in response while she gave a very clumsy but adorable curtsy.

My father was seated next to my mother at the head of the table, while Jasper was sitting alone on the right side. I took a seat at the opposite end as my parents, of course taking Isabella with me. She went to sit beside me but I pulled her to my lap instead. I watched her face, looking for any sign that she didn't want to be there but she just smiled at me, through her blush of course.

My mother smiled at the two of us constantly as we waited for dinner and everyone made small talk. I wanted to shoot a glare at Jasper for lying about dinner being ready, but I didn't get the chance. My father had immediately jumped into conversation with Isabella about what she thought of Utopia, to which she happily responded to every question. She was so happy to be with my family, talking to them, that I couldn't begrudge them wanting to spend time with her. My father even got her to laugh, when he told her some stories about when the school first started.

Conversation was amazingly easy and a tension that I hadn't even realized I'd been carrying in me since I brought Isabella home, seemed to lift. I kept my arms wrapped around her waist the whole time everyone talked. I didn't really participate in what everyone else discussed, I just listened. I couldn't take my eyes of my imprint. Seeing her smile and be so relaxed with the people I loved most was beyond anything I could have hoped for. They really enjoyed her company and she enjoyed theirs.

"Is everyone ready for dinner?" I was so wrapped up in my families conversation that I hadn't noticed Claire enter the room again. It occurred to me now that it was probably a mistake to have Isabella in my lap, but it was to late to do anything as I certainly wasn't going to release her. Surprisingly I didn't even care. I knew Claire's mind, and she wasn't the type to gossip or betray confidences. She was a lot like Ben, her brother, in that way. They were loyal and would help in the small ways, without you needing to ask.

"That would be wonderful Claire, thank-you." My mother greeted her happily and she brought in a tray with two plates and two clear glasses of water on it. She placed one set in front of my mother then the other in front of Isabella and myself. She returned quickly with a second tray of drinks, these three in golden goblets. I tensed slightly as I caught the smell of blood. I don't know why I hadn't really thought about the fact that I would eventually need to feed in front of Isabella but I hadn't, and now that I was faced with the reality of doing it, I suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Claire placed a goblet in front of all three of the vampires and I continued to tense as I starred at the cup, as subtly as I could. It felt like a silent mountain in the room that I had no idea how to handle. Claire left wordlessly and the tension built as the seconds past.

I was thirsty and to both my pleasure and hatred the blood was certainly mountain lion, my personal favorite. This was most likely my mother's doing as this was our first family meal in a few weeks and she would want everyone to enjoy themselves. That would mean my fathers blood was deer, he was a simple man, and Jasper's was coyote. I hadn't had mountain lion in awhile as vegetarian animal blood was much more common, and I appreciated my mother's thoughtfulness.

My whole family dug right in. Both humans had some sort of chicken dish and they seemed pleased with it. I never really paid enough attention to human cuisine to notice differences in it but I would have to start now so I could learn Isabella's favorites. She seemed relaxed still in my lap but hadn't started eating with everyone else. I couldn't help taking in her every movement, no matter how small. After a few moments she looked at my goblet intensely. If it was possible, I tensed further. Always more than willing to surprise me, she picked up the goblet and looked inside. I didn't stop her as I knew she could tell what it was so there was no risk in her accidentally drinking it and making herself sick.

I tilted my head as I observed her and I realized everything else in the room had grown as silent as me, voices and even thoughts were non-existant. It was obvious everyone was observing her, though I couldn't say for sure as all my focus was on what she was going to do. She casually lifted it to her nose and sniffed gently before making a slightly disgusted face as she looked back at me. At that I couldn't help myself. The stress evaporated instantly and I started laughing... hard. She wasn't disgusted by my diet of blood, but by the simple smell of it. The thought was so beyond uplifting that I couldn't resist leaning in and kissing her head through my laughter. She was just to incredibly... and perfectly amazing.

I took the cup from her as she tried to smile at me, but it didn't reach her eyes and she continued to cast the cup a slightly disgusted face. "You wouldn't feel that way if you were a vampire, my love." Realizing there was no moment that could be more perfect than a humorous one such as this, I brought the cup to my lips and drank. She watched me with a still grossed out face before returning to her own food.

"I know exactly where you're coming from sweetheart." My mother shot me a smile as she spoke to Isabella. **She's so perfect for you Edward.** I smiled as I continued to drink calmly. "I still get horribly grossed out by the blood. Honestly I'll never understand how they can drink the stuff." She gave an exaggerated shudder and everyone laughed, especially Isabella as she cast me a playfully disgusted face as well.

"Your food holds no more appeal to us than ours does to you, sweetheart. The smell alone is... beyond unpleasant." My father smirked from his glass as my mother shot him a playful frown.

"What does food smell like to you?" Isabella's expression softened significantly as she asked the question. I shrugged not really knowing how to describe the smell.

"It smells old, decayed... Rotten I suppose. There's more to it then that but I'm not sure how else to describe it." She bit her lip as she looked at her plate then back to me. She went to move off my lap but I stopped her gently and starred at her in question. Where was she going?

"I don't want..." her eyes glanced down to her plate and she frowned at it before looking back at me. "... if the smell upsets you..." I stopped her words by kissing her. She was still in my lap, where I wanted her to be, and I held her head with one hand and stroked her thigh deeply, with clear meaning, with the other hand.

"You worry to much." She smiled softly as I shook my head at her. I leaned into her ear and whispered as low as I could so that only she would hear me."You're right where you belong." I rubbed her thigh a few times to illustrate my point and she lowered her red face while nodding and leaning into me.

…...

It was incredible how both surreal and easy everything felt. Us three vampires drinking blood while our 2 human family members ate their own food. I'd grown up having meals with my mother so food wasn't exactly strange to me but a new member was undeniably different. At the same time everything felt so perfect though. My mother spoke all about their day in Utopia and praised how well Isabella was already doing, despite having had zero education up until this point. Of course this praise only made her redden more but just about everything did it seemed.

My father asked her about anything in particular she was interested in pursuing, education wise, and to my surprise she had an immediate answer. "I want to work with children. I've always loved them."

It felt like the room went silent at that statement though honestly I wasn't... entirely... sure as to why. Yes children was a delicate issue due to the whole idea that pure's couldn't reproduce and since Rosalie was a vampire that meant she couldn't either. As a result of this, grand-children hadn't EVER been discussed, even jokingly, as a possibility. This was especially the case around Rosalie.

I glanced from Isabella to my family and everyone of them were starring at me, openly and obviously. I rolled my eyes at them and their plainly, even if I wasn't a telepath, silent comments. Yes my mate loved children. Yes I was well aware of that fact, and yes I had every intention of making her a mother someday. None of this was something I planned on discussing with them. Our children, even hypothetical, were for Isabella and I to discuss. No one else.

"You would be amazing with children, love." I ignored all their screaming thoughts as I gave her 100% of my attention. She smiled happily at my comment and I rubbed her arm comfortingly. "Do you think that you would like to become a teacher?" There was a lot she could do for children and there was always a need as they were a handful, even by vampire standards.

"Maybe someday." I accepted her shy reply and eagerly changed the subject before anyone could push this subject in the wrong direction.

…...

"I sent for Garrett and Zafrina to return home." My father had picked up my desire for a subject change and seemed to decide to get back on topic with the matter of the assembly.

"Really?" My mother seemed surprised but intrigued. He nodded and went over needing as much help as possible when it came to security.

"Why are you all so worried?" Isabella asked no one in particular but I answered.

"Our Kingdom is the most secretive of the 6 in regards to actually allowing other covens within our walls. We haven't housed a single non-Olympian in at least thirty years and we haven't allowed all of them to celebrate with us in about 5 centuries."

"But you all attend events at their Kingdoms?" It wasn't really a question as I had told her my siblings were currently in LaPush and her and I had met in Denali.

"We do, but we still don't invite others here." I watched her as I explained. "We have thousands of humans here that depend on us for their safety." I took a deep breath. "They don't have the choices they should. They can't just go as they please throughout... anywhere. They would be caught, hunted,..." I couldn't bring myself to say the last word. "...or worse."

"You're afraid for them." She whispered the statement. Truthfully I was terrified. One slip of the mind, or unforeseen complication and humans could die, and a war would start. There was no doubt that if even one human was so much as threatened we would retaliate in full. The other kingdoms thought of our feelings towards the humans as possessive. I knew their minds and I knew that many of them thought we protected humans only for the value of their blood. I could be offended by that but honestly it just made me want to laugh humorlessly. There was no point in arguing with them or trying to justify our intentions. I could try to explain that just because we aren't human that doesn't mean we have to lack humanity, but what was the point? It would just fall on deaf ears.

I didn't answer but she nodded as though I had. "How many people are coming from the other Kingdoms?" There was another terrifying point. How many would be coming?

"We have the largest numbers of any kingdom, by far, so all of them will want large numbers as well." Jasper answered her this time in a detached voice. I could read his mind swimming with all the possible problems.

"To many." That was the only honest answer I could give. The more I built myself up about every little thing that could go wrong the more I agreed with my father about bringing all of our trackers, spys, rogues, and traveling Olympians home. If there was ever a time we needed to unite, this was it.

"I have an idea, though a risky one." My brother was intense in his response and I was a bit worried to hear what he had to say. He was always careful in his choices so if he was acknowledging from the beginning that this route was risky, it most definitely was. I decided not to listen to his thoughts so I could hear him along with everyone else. "Before we worry to much about the gathering we still need to focus on our own people, and on their own... choices."

I knew exactly where he was going with this now. We hadn't increased our numbers in some time and we did have loyal humans that wanted to be turned. "You're considering a discussion about changing some of our humans?" My mother sounded shocked. None of us had anything against making new vampires but there were considerable risks.

"I wont allow newborns within these walls." I spoke no nonsense about it as I held Isabella closer to me. Newly created vampires were blood thirsty monsters and I would sooner die then allow one near my mate... my HUMAN mate.

"I said the plan has risks but allow me to explain." He leaned forward as he did this about and we all gave our complete focus. "Newborns have so much more speed and strength then a regular vampire..."

"And absolutely none of the control." I cut him off angrily, while maintaining an unbreakable hold of Isabella. I knew she had no real idea of what we were discussing but as always she tried to comfort me anyway. She held my caged arms with jer own softly, reassuring me that she was safe.

"Obviously they would be kept nowhere near any humans." Jasper disregarded my interruption easily.

"Our population is 80% human Jasper. NO!."

"I agree with Edward. The risk isn't worth it. I speak not just for the humans either. How would our newborn feel if they accidentally killed their own brother, sister, mother, father,..." He trailed off and I nodded along with him.

"That fear you both have right now..." His eyes flashed between us before glancing at Isabella and mom. "...the other kingdoms feel exactly the same way about newborns. We can use that."

"So that each of them want to bring even more threats?" I didn't mean to sound so malicious but I couldn't help it.

"No, so that they think twice before bringing ANY." I didn't exactly know how to respond to that. "If they knew we had freshly turned immortals they would be inclined to behave. They do not have the resources we have to create more immortals, nor do they have the blood to sustain newborn appetites. The advantage would be ours."

"Intimidate them?" Surprisingly my father sounded more curious than upset.

"If needed, yes." Jasper sill had the slightly detached tone and I knew he wasn't happy with his own idea, he just felt the need to express it.

"Do we not do that enough? Given our numbers, pures, imprints, access to blood,..." I trailed off, slightly curious as to where Jasper was going with this.

"This is our home." My mothers voice surprised me, given the force behind it. "They have no right to intimidate any of us, including our humans. Maybe we shouldn't invite any of them."

My father stroked her arm softly and leaned in to kiss her. "Hiding would just show that we are intimidated, Esme." He whispered the words but I heard them, as did Jasper. She nodded sadly in agreement while leaning into him. They both made good points. Hiding would make it seem like we are afraid of the other clans, like they have power we should NEVER let them think they have. I agreed that we needed to do this but I also agreed with my mother. This was OUR HOME. This was our humans HOME. Everything and everyone here was ours and we needed to take every step possible to ensure that was respected.

…...

It felt like we weren't making much headway on the subject and everyone seemed to sense that. Slowly other topics started to trickle in, and I for one was quite thankful. My parents received a message from Rose saying that they would arrive home within the next few days and I didn't know if the news cheered me up or worried me more. Of my whole family I got along with Rosalie the least, and our tense relationship was only going to be more strained with the news of me imprinting.

Jasper took the opportunity to discuss LaPush and why our presence had even been required. Admittedly I had wondered the same thing but had forgotten all about it due to my distraction of finding Isabella. LaPush was the closest ware coven to us so we tried to have a positive relationship but as a general rule wares stuck with their own. Of course humans and vampires did as well, to a degree, but for wares it was different. Humans stuck to themselves for obvious reasons and vampires were solitary creatures by nature, but easily formed small bonds if the chance arouse. Wares had a pack mentality. They functioned best with a division of labor and leadership. It was natural for them and it was essentially where they got their power, through their pack.

The fact that they had called for our aid at all was incredibly odd. LaPush was the most religious of the three tribes and our opposing lifestyles has always been a big source of strife between us. I was grateful that it had been Emmett to go as the last time one of us went to meet with them, Jasper, it had caused some problems. Emmett had a positive bond with the shifter clan and I knew he could keep things friendly. It was what he was best at and I loved him for his big heart and positive attitude. Of course I had my doubts about my sister's interaction with the 'disgusting dogs', her words, as she was more hot-headed then me. Emmett was very good at handling her though, one of the perks about being mated I suppose.

Nothing was fully resolved over dinner... except the decision involving announcing my imprinting to our people. My mother was adamant that we do it immediately. Her reasoning that we shouldn't keep such things from our own people was completely fair, but I knew her enough to know that wasn't her only reason. Her thoughts screamed her excitement about announcing my mate to the kingdom. I would have laughed at her enthusiasm had I not been feeling it myself. I wanted to introduce Isabella proudly to my people. We had a council meeting in two days that hopefully Emmett and Rosalie would be home for. We decided we would use the opportunity of having all our high up members, human and vampire, in one spot to tell our people.

My mother was extending the meeting to a full blown celebration. We would meet with the council first then have the celebration afterwords, where everyone would be welcomed to attend. Personally I didn't see how less than two days was enough time to throw a party of this size but my mother seemed optimistic and I wasn't going to stand in her way.

…...

"Whats it like? Being a vampire?" Isabella pulled me out of my thoughts with her question. We were back in our room, thankfully, and were laying together on the couch so she could look through her books. I knew she was desperately trying to distract herself from thinking of the party and I was happy to help. I readjusted myself so that I was laying down entirely and I pulled her to my chest. I took the book she'd been looking at, but not seeing, and set it aside. She rested her chin on her hands, which were intertwined on my chest, and watched me with eager eyes. I chuckled and stroked her hair back from her face.

"What's it like being human?" She blushed and I smiled seductively before pulling her forward so I could kiss her briefly. "Remember I was born a vampire, Isabella. This is all I know, so I have nothing to compare it to."

She nodded as she thought through my answer. "Do you ever wish you were human?" She was such a curious little thing. I was silent for awhile as I pondered how to respond. Many vampires had regrets involving what they were and for many reasons. Blood lust being one of the most common and procreation being another. I had never felt such a thing though, strangely enough. I watched her eyes as I stroked her hair. I loved her hair, the deceivingly brown strands that hid the richest shade of red. I smiled as a small flush went through her cheeks. I wondered if she would always have some level of shyness with me. As ridiculous as it sounded, I hoped she would. I loved her blush and the only thing that made it better was when I caused it. She continued to watch me expectantly, which pulled me from my oogling of her fetures. "No. I was born this way, the first of my kind, and I have always known that was for a purpose." She watched me so closely as I explained myself. Our eyes never left eachother as I spoke and continuosly stroked her hair. Her big eyes held so much curiosity, kindness, and beauty that I could stare at them forever. "Because of what I am; I'm strong, fast, powerful... enough to protect my people, from a world full of threats." She smiled at that and I just starred at her, loving that smile more every moment of everyday. "That alone could never allow me to regret what I am. I was meant to be this, to do what I can do."

That slight pinking in her face distracted me from my thoughts, causing me to pull her head to me and give her a powerful kiss. For the first time a kiss wasn't nearly enough for me so I deepened it by stroking her bottom lip gently with my tongue, tasting her soft sweetness. Her breathing picked up dramatically and all that did was make me pull her closer to me. Her body melted into me and her breathing stayed heavy until she opened her mouth softly, granting me access for the first time. I kissed her with all I could till she was breathless, forcing me to pull back. I couldn't tell who's breathing was more intense now, hers or mine. My whole body was tense and alert, wanting to get even closer to her, needing it more than I had ever needed anything. I held her face to mine, ghosting my mouth over her lips, cheeks, and forehead before finally resting my head to hers, letting us both calm down. "Because of what I am, I found you. My heart, my soul, and my life. My people give what I am a purpose, they give ME a purpose for exsisting... but you give me a reason."

END NOTES:

*PLEASE REVIEW!

*COMMENTS NEEDED: I'm planning a minor time skip for the next chapter. I want to introduce Emmett and Rosalie but want to get to get to the good stuff too. I don't know if I should skip the council meeting/ introduction of Isabella to the Olympian people or not. I'm eager to get to the assembly and I'm sure you're all excited to read it. Lol

*I know not much happened in this chapter but I really wanted to have a family dinner where Edward would have to feed in front of Bella. I wanted to show that it didn't bother her... besides the smell of course. I was originally going to put Rose and Emmett in this scene but it wasn't realistic time wise, given how far away LaPush is and everything. Next chapter should introduce a lot of people.

*I completely made up what Carlisle and Jasper's favorite blood was as only Edward's and Emmett's is mentioned in the books. I chose deer for Carlisle because I remember in the canon story that Edward had told Bella that their tastes in blood seemed reflective of their fighting style. Since Carlisle is a pacifist I chose a docile vegetarian animal for him. I chose coyote for Jasper because they are indigenous to the south... Texas. Since I couldn't exactly make Jasper southern in this story I still wanted to do justice to his canon roots. Lol

*I will be working on the next chapter of my other fanfic "I second that EMOTION" next but hopefully I will get the next chapter for "The Royal Imprint" soon.