AUTHOR'S NOTE: Another chapter rated M for langugage and sensual situations.

Stephenie Meyer owns the original Cullens, I own the original characters. No copyright or slander intended. Please review!

Chapter Fourteen:

It was all set. The trip to Esme's island was happening and I had absolutely no objections.

Michael's visits to the house were becoming more frequent, which meant that I had to disappear more and more. In my anger and hatred, I'd become all but immune to the scent of his blood. I already wanted to kill him, I'd argued, so what was the point in me leaving the house?

In fact, he was still there. I could hear his voice clearly through the two levels separating us. I tried to block it out though, grinding my teeth together as I stared helplessly at the mound of clothes Alice had laid out for me. My entire human wardrobe had been thrown away to get rid of my human scent. And Alice hadn't disappointed when she replentished my clothes. The closet in Edward's and my bedroom barely managed to fit the clothes she'd given him and as a result, my clothes were being stored in the vacant room right next to ours. Probably a good thing if Michael got nosey and tried to snoop around my bedroom. He wouldn't find any human artifacts of my existance. Just the framed wedding photo that Esme had all but glued to the wall, along with my diploma, which hung right beside Edward's with my maiden name still embossed on the thick parchment. The walls were still shrouded in dark gold fabric, the carpet a shade lighter. But there were more things that had interested me in the space. A couple of posters baring the names of my favorite bands had been framed and put up, and the bed I'd woken up on was still situated right in front of the glass wall. The couch was pushed all the way back against its wall, but the stereo had been shoved underneath the shelves of CDs that now contained my and Edward's music. The room looked much more lived in than it had when I first came into the Cullens' lives. Just by looking around, I could see the influence my human self'd had on my vampire. This room was now as much mine as it had been his. He'd given that to me while I burned.

I heard a quiet sigh come from the door and looked over my shoulder to see Edward smiling sadly at me. His face was still strained with fabricated grief, but smoothed out by the time I crossed the room and threw my arms around him, not bothering to sound discreet as I closed the door behind him.

"How bad was it?" I asked, hiding my face in his neck as I kissed the exposed skin of his collarbone. He was dressed much simpler now than he did when it was just us. He really seemed to be laying it on thick with this new role. After all, how many grieving husbands looked so put together? That had grated Alice's nerves a bit, seeing Edward's clothes disheveled, rumpled, and horribly simplistic. But she knew it was for a greater reason. My existance was at stake. Literally.

"Bad." He sighed and kissed my temple before leading us away from the door. I groaned almost mutely when I was facing the stacks of clothes again and promptly turned my back on it. I wasn't in the mood to pack, even though I would need to be ready. We were set to leave right after Michael left and I hadn't even begun to pack yet.

"What'd he say?" I asked, finally extricating myself from him so I could blindly shove clothes into the bag that had been laid out for me.

"He blames me for your death." Edward sighed and dropped down on the edge of the bed, looking perfectly at ease seeing me so domesticated.

I grimaced at his words, my hands tightening into fists before I remembered that I was holding one of Edward's button down shirts. Not wanting to ruin it, I just set it aside then stepped in front of him. His arms wound easily around my waist, pulling me closer as I laid one hand on his shoulder and the other against the back of his neck. "You better not be taking anything he says to heart."

"But it's true." He replied then grinned up at me conspiritously. "I did, after all, kill you."

"Be serious." I groaned and moved to twist away from him. I wasn't fast enough, probably because I wasn't even trying, and instead of moving away from Edward, I was being pulled into his lap. Straddling his thighs, I just huffed and stuck my tongue out childishly at him.

A purely evil grin transformed his features as he leaned up and nipped at my exposed tongue, then sighed as he relaxed and began to rub my sides. The cotton of my tee shirt moved with his fingers and temporarily distracted me before a low groan filled his throat. "I can't wait to be alone with you again, Houston."

"I can't either." I replied quietly, staring helplessly into his eyes as I reached up and ran the hand that had been clapped against the back of his neck, through his unruly bronze hair. "It's getting tougher for me to remember why I can't just jump you."

His laughter was pure honey and made me feel like my insides were turning to jelly. "All in due time, my love. I promise, pretty soon you will have me all to yourself. And then you can act on every single desire you've been repressing."

A huff resonated without my consent, but it ringed in falseness. "Jasper so told on me, didn't he?"

"He did." Edward laughed with a small incline of his head, clearly amused by the joke of all this. "He told me, in confidence, that he's never seen a more horny newborn in his entire life."

"Well he should try to resist someone like you for the past year and half and see how well he does!" I bridled, my fingers tightening in his hair before I remembered where I was sitting. But before I could force myself back under control, Edward took the chore right out of my hands. His lips were on mine before I could even get my fingers to relax their grip in his hair. A low moan built in my chest as my lips crashed against his. They no longer conformed to the shape of Edward's. They held their own shape now, but felt surprisingly soft against his. I didn't let myself think about that as the kiss deepened for the very first time. I could feel his lips part against mine and wasted no time in my next series of actions. My hand tightened ever so slightly in his hair as my tongue slid past his lips. My back arched and pushed my chest into Edward's as my senses went into frantic overdrive. I could actually taste him now, and kissing him with no worries was better than I could've ever imagined. Instantly, I wanted more. To feel the satin of his skin underneath my new fingertips, to feel his hands explore the new, frozen curves of my body that had been concealed since I woke up the last time.

I couldn't think as an uncomfortable sensation started vibrating in my chest, dimly aware that my lungs were only pretending to ache for oxygen. I didn't need to breathe anymore, and neither did Edward. We could kiss one another until someone pulled away. That inspired me, spurring me on as my arm slid under his then molded against the side of his body, up to his shoulderblade. Our lips moved a little more frantically against one another and my hips rolled into his as I strained to taste as much of him as I could. His own thoughts seemed to be on the same wavelength as mine, his fingers forcing my back to arch even more, which just pushed me into the curve of his body even more. He was everywhere, his fingers burning through the thin fabric of my shirt, his chest rumbling against mine with held-in growls, his tongue dueling mine for space in my mouth. And most importantly, I could easily feel his arrousal against the inside of my right thigh. The rest of the world didn't matter right then as I whimpered and began to grind my hips into his mercilessly.

A growl finally made it up to his throat and vibrated it's way between our lips, making me shiver in response. His fingers became fists against my back, keeping me even more secured as I tormented us both with the motion of my lower body. He finally pulled away from me then, both of us panting for air with his hands holding my face a couple inches from his. "You're going to be the death of me, Houston Cullen."

"Good thing we're both indestructable." I breathed, smiling dizzily at him before a new sound brought me out of my little reviere. Someone was coming. That had been why Edward finally pulled away from me. "Who?" I barely got the question out before I was being picked up and set back on my feet. I huffed but resigned myself when Carlisle suddenly opened the door and swept into the room. I blinked in surprise when the door closed shut behind him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." He started, looking very uncomfortable when he saw the expressions on our faces. "Michael is trying to come up here. He wants to see the room Houston supposedly died in."

"What, he wants me to recreate it for him?!" I bit out, swearing fluently in my mind at the man downstairs, keeping me from enjoying new experiences with my husband.

Carlisle chuckled in spite of himself and squeezed my arm before returning his attention to Edward. "I've told him that you won't allow anyone else up here, but he isn't buying it. If you two want to make your...destination on time, I need you to come convince him yourself."

"I don't want him up here anyway." Edward frowned and once again looked like the vampire I'd always been slightly fearful of. "He'll probably try to steal something and use it against us."

"More than likely." I muttered before Carlisle could then held my hands up innocently as I turned to face my husband. "I'll be as quiet as I possibly can in case he makes it to the landing. But just give me some warning in case he bursts into the room?"

"He won't." Edward promised then leaned forward and kissed me quickly, a familiar sparkle in his butterscotch eyes. "Now get back to packing." Winking at me, I just grinned and successfully rolled my eyes before what I saw next lurched my stomach. I'd never seen his eyes the way I did just a split second before he turned away from me and strode from the room. His eyes, beautiful pools of liquid gold turned flat and solid with no warning. Eyes that I would never want to look into if I could possibly help it. Those were the eyes of a man who no longer had anything to live for. A man who had lost every single thing that cemented him to reality in one shot.

I did as I'd promised, moving deceptively quiet as I began to blindly shove clothes into the large duffel that had been given to me as a present by Esme. Carlisle had also left the room when Edward did, acting as moral support for his grieving son. I bit my lip to keep from cussing violently at the top of my voice. It would do no good to give myself away, even though the thought of just letting it all out vocal felt damn near heavenly.

Instead, as I stood there waiting for my husband's return, I thought about unleashing my pent-up frustrations on Edward's perfect body. If Alice was right, and we couldn't hurt one another, what harm would it do?

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice I was no longer alone in the room. Carlisle had come back and his arrival brought the strained voices of Michael and Edward to my ears. They had reached the third level landing and a low growl threatened to erupt past my lips. I forced it back though and smiled sadly at Carlisle as he came to stand beside me.

"I'm sorry for all of this." I muttered and looked down at the dark blue blouse I'd picked up to stuff into my bag.

"There's nothing to apologize for." He replied with a small shake of his head as he turned and smoothly sat on the edge of the bed, right where Edward had been just moments before. "I just want you to enjoy your time with Edward. We were already planning on enticing you two to slip away, so Michael's unwanted surprise has just sped up our plans."

I laughed quietly in spite of myself and shook my head. "Already in a hurry to get rid of me, I see how it is."

The expressions on Carlisle's face shifted quickly, first contrite then amused when he caught the joke in my voice. "Insanely anxious to get rid of you so that you can have some fun. You both deserve it after everything you've been through, Houston."

"Was it hard?" I asked suddenly, forgetting all about packing as I turned to face the man I now considered my father. "Was it difficult for Edward to watch me change?"

"It was." I would always be able to count on Carlisle Cullen to never lie to me. There were no secrets in our large family. "He had no idea how the change was affecting you and I think your transformation reminded him of the pain he'd felt during his own. But you did beautifully, Houston. Yes, it hurt him to hear you scream when your heart gave out, but I think I succeeded in convincing him that it would have been much worse. He had expected you to cry and beg him for death, he was ready to talk you through absolutely anything. Just as I'd talked him, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett through theirs. But you just laid there, perfectly still and silent. That unnerved him but Alice didn't stray far from the library either. She was always there to convince him that you would be just fine. He was consoled with the images he saw in her thoughts."

"Do you know what the images were?" I couldn't help it, the questions were forming faster than I could ask them.

"Some of them dealt with how you would look when the change was complete. He was able to see your skin change for himself, and the more accelerated changes in Alice's mind. She saw a wide myriad of senarios as you lay there. She saw no complications, that you would be even more beautiful to Edward than you were in your human life. She also saw you finally becoming comfortable with your physical appearance. When you woke up, you looked nothing like the young woman whose heart had given out shortly before the venom injection."

I breathed an almost silent sigh of relief as I nodded, sure that I would have been crying right then if it were still possible. "Thank you for telling me." I breathed and braved a small smile at him as I finished packing. The duffel was zipped and set on the floor beside Edward's bag before I sat down next to Carlisle. I could still hear Edward and Michael outside the door and frowned. My thoughts were quick though, and I turned to look at my vampire father as new questions were created. "Can I ask you something...personal?"

"Of course." His smile was patient as he laid a hand over mine and squeezed my fingers reassuringly.

"You know that I have no...human experiences with sex. And I've been wondering about it, wondering...."

"What it will be like when you and Edward are able to be physical with one another?"

I groaned in spite of myself and covered my face with my hands. Carlisle laughed quietly and pulled my hands back to my lap. "He's already asked, Houston. So don't be embarrassed. It's natural to worry, which is what I assume you're doing. As far as I can tell, human physicality and vampire physicality is very much the same. You won't have the same worries or anxieties." He grinned slyly at me then continued. "But it's still the most natural thing between two consenting beings that are in love. I do think it will be more...emotional for you and Edward because of everything you two have experienced. Your attractions to one another are unlike anything I've seen, because I haven't ever really seen love experienced the way I have with you two. You fell in love with him as a human, brought out a side of him that we all feared was gone. Your journey was very much the same, even with the differences, and he experienced everything just as you did. For the very first time. You know that I always feared he had been too young when I changed him, right?"

I nodded and swallowed the invisible lump that formed in my throat. A small pocket in my mind noted the new volume of voices outside the room and I was vaguely aware that Edward was moving Michael back downstairs. But I brought myself back into the current conversation and nodded again as I looked up at Carlisle again. "He told me about that when I was still human. That...he'd only thought of joining the war. He didn't find love or anything even close to it while he was still a human himself."

"He didn't." Carlisle sighed and suddenly sounded very ancient. "Even though he's lived for over a hundred years, there are still things about Edward that are very much child-like. You've changed a lot about him, Houston. You've given him things that he wasn't granted while his heart still beat. He loves you with every single cell in his body, and that passion is much stronger in a vampire than it is a human."

"You can say that again." I muttered darkly, absently remembering how I'd felt when I woke up and saw my husband for the very first time. "I used to think that loving Edward as much as I did would break me. That I wasn't strong enough...as a human, to experience it all and make it last. Now, everything feels so new. It's completely different from how I felt to him just a couple of weeks ago. It's so much stronger now than I thought it could've ever been."

"And that's completely natural." Carlisle patted my hand again and the grin remained on his face. "Your heightened senses make everything that much more powerful. And the same will be true when you two are together for the very first time. I doubt you will have very much success in staying restrained. Not just you, but Edward as well. This will be every bit as new to you as it is to him."

"Because we both died as virgins." I snorted quietly, still not used to that term applying to both of us. I couldn't see anyone as beautiful as Edward with that word applicable.

Carlisle nodded instead of responding to my injection. "You're going to be just fine, sweetheart. Just take things as they come and remember that we will be right here, waiting patiently for your return when it's safe."

I sighed and nodded, blinking in surprise when Carlisle's timing became perfectly. Edward entered the room just seconds after our father's final word and his expression instantly lightened when he saw us on the bed.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked, his eyes dancing brightly in the limited light from the moon outside.

I scrambled to my feet, very ungraceful for a vampire in my opinion. Of course, Edward and Carlisle laughed, causing me to stick my tongue out childishly at both of them then I joined my husband so we could make our hasty escape. But just as I reached his side, I remembered a thought that had occured to me during the family meeting.

"Uh, Edward?" I asked and looked up at him curiously. "What did you do with my wedding rings?"