Twilight owned by S. Meyer. Beta'd by MidnightCougar.

Sappy A/N at the end of this final chapter! *sniffs*

Chapter 10

Bella and Edward walked hand in hand, slowly through the ever darkening woods, back toward Demetri's cabin. There were still many things to discuss, but Edward was more than thankful the most important one was decided.

Bella was his. Forever and always.

It warmed his cold body to the core, his soul felt lighter than it ever had. He had found the one thing he never knew he even wanted. Finding a mate hadn't been on his list of priorities. Edward saw the love Carlisle and Esme shared, but he enjoyed living life as a single man. Of course, there were times he was lonely, but he had always found things to keep himself occupied. Listening to live music was one of them. And it ended up being the one thing that changed his life for the better.

Edward glanced over at the beautiful woman beside him; she was amazing the way she handled the change. Not only the actual transformation, but the complete life adjustment.

Feeling his eyes on her, Bella turned and returned his gaze, giving his marble hand a light squeeze. She was trying to remember that at the moment she was stronger than him. The thought was powerful and it went straight to her raging libido. It seemed her thirst for blood was easier to control than her desire for this gorgeous man beside her. She tried to quell those yearnings for the time being, knowing they needed to return to the other men soon.

When the cabin came in to sight, Edward pulled Bella closer to his side and kissed the top of her head. Bella reveled at the intimacy of it all and quietly hummed her enjoyment of his tender gesture.

"We need to let Carlisle and Demetri know the immediate danger has passed and that we are both fine," Edward told her softly. "And then I think you and I need to talk some more."

Bella nodded her approval of the plan, but asked the one question his words brought to mind. "Um, was I the immediate danger?" Her eyes were downcast as she spoke softly, feelings of embarrassment and guilt coursing through her.

Edward gently took her chin in his fingers and tugged her face to look at his. "Hey, you are handling this new life better than anyone I have ever heard of. There is no need to be ashamed."

He kissed her quickly on the lips and clasped his hand in hers once again, dragging them both inside the cabin. It wasn't like his fellow vampires couldn't hear them coming, or their conversation outside, but it was still polite to speak to them face to face nonetheless.

"It's good to see you two both made it back unscathed," Carlisle said as they entered the small living room. Demetri didn't make any acknowledgment that Bella and Edward had returned. He continued to go about his business as if they weren't even there at all.

"I think we got over the first hurdle, but we still have a few more technicalities to work out." Edward gave Bella's hand a squeeze while he spoke, hoping to calm her insecurities. Newborn vampire emotions were a roller coaster of a ride, one he remembered all too well.

"But I wanted to thank you, both of you, for everything you've done to help Bella and me through this time of transition. It truly meant the world to me, knowing I had your support," Edward continued.

The snort from Demetri wasn't all that quiet, but Edward chose to ignore it. He had only just met the man, but had come to learn he was one of few words.

"Yes, thank you both for taking me in," Bella said timidly. "I'm sorry to be an inconvenience. We'll leave as soon as possible."

Carlisle came around to stand before Bella, stopping only briefly to lay a firm hand on Edward's shoulder, acknowledging his kind words. "Bella, as much as Demetri would love to have his home back to himself, there are a few more minor details before that can happen."

"Which is why Bella and I need to talk, so we can get everyone back to their own lives. We just wanted to check in with you and give our thanks. We'll be outside if you need us."

Settling themselves on an old, wooden porch swing outside the cabin, Bella and Edward snuggled close, his arm around her shoulders. It was astonishing how well she fit into his side; they were the perfect companions.

"Bella," he said to her peacefully, stroking her glossy hair. "We need to decide where we are going to go after we leave here."

"Why can't we go to one of our places?" Bella asked, confused. It was a simple enough solution in her mind.

"Baby, you're not quite ready yet to be around humans," Edward answered her. "And your friends are going to be worried about you. They might already be looking for you. Our best option, at this point, is to go somewhere remote for a while."

"Oh shit! I didn't even think about that!" Bella exclaimed, her body jolting upright in a flash. "Do you think I could call them? At least to let them know I'm okay?"

"Yes, I think that would be fine, but we need to think up an excuse for why you won't be around for some time."

"Can't I just say I met the man of my dreams and he swept me off my feet?" Bella asked with a teasing tone.

"Hmmm, something like that," Edward said quietly, but Bella heard the shame in his voice immediately.

"Don't," she said sternly, and his eyes flashed up to hers. "Don't you dare feel guilty about this. No, it's not what I would have chosen, but we both know now there are some things beyond our control. And this apparently is one of them. So, let's embrace what we have and don't look back."

She took his face gently in her hands and looked deep into his amber eyes. The love that shone from her bright red ones was fierce, and Edward almost wanted to look away. But deep down he knew she was right and there was no point living the rest of eternity in remorse. He needed to seize the moment and relish in the fact he had found his mate, and she loved him unconditionally.

He brought his lips crashing down on hers, kissing her with everything he had in his soul. The passion he felt was met tenfold as Bella drove her tongue into Edward's mouth, their bodies melding as close as possible to one another's. Bella climbed onto Edward's lap, pressing the warmest part of her cold body to his impossibly hard dick, and then she began to rock her body over his erection. Bella moaned into Edward's mouth, her hands roaming, as Edward thrust up against her and she returned his actions even harder.

CRACK!

The sound of the swing breaking from the force of Bella's strength and the tumble to the ground caused both Bella and Edward to break in to a fit of giggles.

"You owe me a new damn swing!" Demetri called out from inside the cabin, his voice gruff and irritated.

"Sorry!" the twosome hollered back and began to laugh again. Edward rested his forehead on Bella's and smiled at the ease to which they had become so attuned.

It was in that moment, he knew no matter what the future held; the two of them could handle it together. All of his questions and concerns faded in to the background as he stared at the woman he loved.

"Thank you for making me the luckiest vampire alive, Bella." He leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss, so as not to ruin any more of Demetri's cabin.

Bella laughed as she answered, "Thank you for giving me the greatest birthday present ever. But there is one thing I still need?"

"What's that, baby?"

"A decent picture with Bobby Foster," she replied with a gleam in her eye.

"Let's wait on that one. We want to make sure the guy can play another gig after your visit." Edward chuckled as he spoke, watching Bella's look of horror cross over her face.

She hit him lightly on the shoulder and he winced. This vampire thing was going to take some getting used to. But she wouldn't change it for the world.

Best birthday ever, she thought, looking into the yellow eyes of the love of her life.

Her mate.

And she was more than happy to spend eternity with him.

She knew, in her now immortal heart, she'd found her happily ever after.

Yes, this is it. *sigh* We have come to the end of this little story! Thank you all so much for the love and support you've had from the beginning when it was a simple flashfic. Knowing you loved it and wanted more put a huge smile on my face and I hope you enjoyed the continuation.

Someone asked about a sequel, and at this time I don't see that happening. BUT, I could possibly do a futuretake or two. So keep this story on alert!

And lastly, but certainly not least, I want to thank Midnight Cougar for all of the love and devotion she puts in to every single one of my pieces. She is the peanut butter to my pretzel! I love you, lady!

OH! One more piece of info! I wrote a little something for the Age of Edward contest. Entries are still being posted and it's anonymous, so I can't tell you more than that. But head over there and check out the entries.