I am SOOO sorry for the ridiculously long wait! I really had neither the time or energy to update. Again, my greatest apologies. But on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't want my two front teeth for Christmas, thanks. I want Twilight!

BPOV

We ran back at breakneck speed. Well, breakneck for a human. It felt to me like an enjoyable jog back home, which was a little strange for me considering that during my human life I was never a runner. But now, it was refreshing.

Suddenly, something flew at me from behind, tackling me to the ground. I was not alarmed, though, sensing the sweet smell that came with the flying object. I tumbled to the ground, rolling right into an unlucky oak. I heard a thundering crack as the trunk snapped. I looked up into the topaz eyes of my attacker, who was hovering over me, his limbs forming a cage around me. He leaned into me, capturing my lips in a kiss, before picking me up and swinging me onto his back.

Edward sensed my confusion. I was perfectly capable of running. I was even faster than him.

"It felt wrong not having you riding on my back," he explained. "I missed your presence."

That comment just made my dead heart swell as gently squeezed his neck and kissed his jaw.

Edward raced through the trees, occasionally jumping into the branches, only to leap through the air and back down to the ground, chuckling the whole time. He was showing off, I knew it. I could even imagine that crooked smile that I loved so much spread across his face. I wondered why he never showed me all that he could do before, but then I remembered that I was not quite as…resilient when I was human.

He made a final leap across the stream and a few more bounds before we were right back in the yard. The Cullens were all there waiting for us. I was surprised, however, at what else was waiting, too.

Lined up next to them was every kind of cleaning tool imaginable: brooms, dustpans, vacuums, mops, washcloths, bathroom cleaner, dusting spray, laundry detergent, they had it all. I gulped, feeling a little intimidated by the collection.

"Wait, I thought that Carlisle said that we needed to prepare for the Volturi," I said. I was thinking more along the lines of learning how to defend myself against a vampire attack.

"Oh, but this is getting ready for the Volturi," Emmett whined. "We have to clean up all the human smell." He pinched his nose and waved his hand in the air for effect.

"Why? I'm already a vampire."

All eyes turned to Carlisle. He was the Volturi expert, after all. "You're a very young vampire, Bella. That fact will not make them too happy. Fortunately, you already act as if you're much older. But the strength of your human scent is an obvious indicator of the fact that you were changed only days before. They will not appreciate this, and it is not in our best interest to irritate them. Also, they would find out that another human has been staying here for the past few days."

Right. Jeri would automatically be on their hit-list if they found out about her. I remembered going to the Volturi to save Edward, only to be sentenced to death of either two fashions. It was a blurry memory, but not enough to keep a shiver from travelling down my spine. That couldn't happen to Jeri.

Esme broke the silence that was becoming exceedingly uncomfortable. "Alright, everyone, let's split up. Alice and Jasper will take the third floor, Emmett and Rose can do the second, Carlisle and I will clean the first, and Edward and Bella can take the basement. When you're done, come outside so we can fix the yard."

We all grabbed a set of cleaning devices and made our ways to our assigned floors. I had never been in the Cullens' basement before, and I had to admit that I was very curious as to what I would find down there. As ridiculous as it was, I kept thinking that I would find cobwebs and bones and who knew what else. But then I remembered that Esme would never allow such an unsanitary thing to happen in her house.

Edward linked his hand with mine and led me down the stairs where I saw…nothing exciting at all. Exact duplicates of the living and dining room furniture as well as copies of everyone's beds were scattered around the expansive area.

I looked up at Edward, raising my eyebrows in question.

There was uncertainty in his golden eyes and he grimaced back at me. I held back a giggle when I realized that Edward was embarrassed about all this.

He ran his fingers through his tousled bronze hair. "Well, sometimes…accidents happen and things don't survive the accidents."

I remembered Edward throwing the flatscreen over a year ago a year ago after taking the vote deciding my mortality. I was sure that the other things could be destroyed just as easily. It made sense to me then why Esme was always so strict about playing or fighting taking place outside. It must have been irritating to replace a whole room full of furniture. My eyes flickered to the bed and I realize why those were down there, too. I was suddenly grateful that I could no longer announce my embarrassment by blushing.

"So, I guess they haven't made vampire-proof furniture yet?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

He chuckled and squeezed my waist. "No, obviously not."

But something occurred to me. "Wait, why do we have to clean down here? I've never been down here before."

Edward shook his head, a smile playing on his perfect lips. "Bella, use your nose."

I inhaled deeply and immediately noticed a mouth-watering scent. It was so much more appetizing than the deer from an hour ago and it made my throat burn uncomfortably.

"You're right," I admitted. "But why is Jeri's scent here? And how come I couldn't tell before? Shouldn't I have gone crazy with the scent? It just feels painful."

Worry flooded his eyes. "Is it too much for you? We can trade floors with Alice and Jasper. They shouldn't mind."

"No, I'm okay," I told him, shaking my head.

"That's very odd, now that you mention it," he pondered. "You should have become extremely thirsty, but instead, you acted just like you were at least a decade old. Carlisle will be very interested."

"So are you saying that I have some kind of really good resistance against human blood?"

Edward ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. "I guess."

"Alright, but why is her scent so…potent down here? It's stronger here than in the rest of the house." I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She had been somewhere in the Cullens' house that I hadn't, even though I had spent countless days here.

"This is where she stayed for the past week," he reminded me. "You've always stayed in my room when you've had 'sleepovers,' so there was no need for you to be down here." A gleam came into his eyes that confirmed the fact that he enjoyed me sleeping in his room as much as I did.

We got to work, stripping off the white slipcovers off the sofas and the bed sheets. Edward said we couldn't take any chances, even though Jeri had only used our extra bed.

I watched Edward out of the corner of my eye as he was reaching over one of the sofas. He was so beautiful and unsuspecting. Completely silent, I took a pillow from the spare bed and threw it, hitting my bronze-colored mark. He was sent tumbling over the arm and into the couch cushions face first. I burst into laughter, finding it hilarious to see him so disoriented. Usually that was my job.

Quick as a flash, Edward righted himself and pinned me on the bed, a playful growl escaping from his crooked smile. He leaned down to whisper in my ear, "Do you think that is funny, Mrs. Cullen?"

I was still shaking with laughter when I nodded. I really couldn't help myself. The image kept playing over and over in my mind.

Edward smiled dangerously and his eyes smoldered at me. He spread his arms across the bed and grabbed fistfuls of sheets while giving me a quick yet passionate kiss. Using his lightning-fast vampire speed, he took the other two corners and gathered all four up in his hands with me inside. He then proceeded to sling the Bella sack over his shoulder and started walking over to the other side of the basement where the washing machine and dryer were.

"Edward, what are you doing?" I asked as I squirmed and pretended to struggle against the cloth. I could have easily ripped it, but I decided to let Edward have his fun. I also didn't think that the rest of the Cullens would appreciate it if we broke more things than we cleaned.

He looked behind his shoulder just as I found an opening and poked my head out. I was met with the full force of his eyes and smile. If my heart was still alive, it would have definitely stopped.

"Well, since you insist on fooling around, I figured that I should clean everything down here, seeing that you won't do your part."

"Oh, and do I count as 'everything'?" I challenged as I raised my eyebrows.

"Yes."

I rolled my eyes, only for him to chuckle back at me.

Suddenly, we were being bombarded by slipcovers and pillowcases and blankets galore. A Loud, mocking voice came with it. "Stop messing around, you two, and get those in the wash!"

I looked over and there were all six of the other Cullens at the top of the stairs with big grins on their faces. I ducked my head back into my sheet confines in embarrassment. I would let Edward deal with this.

"None of you are any closer to being finished," he shot back. I guessed it paid sometimes to hear their complaints of cleaning the house.

"Hurry up, Edward. We wanted to finish everything before twilight so we could have enough time to go hunting before sunrise," Alice whined. I looked back up in confusion. Why did they need to go hunting? They went the day before the wedding.

Edward frowned for some reason. "Alright. We just have to wash the floor and then we're done."

"What was that for?" I asked when he gently set me down on the mountain of laundry. "They aren't thirsty already, are they?" Their eyes were all still a clear butterscotch.

Edward became very interested in separating the laundry by color. "It's just a precaution," he replied a little too quickly.

"For what?"

"Nothing. It's just in case."

"In case of what?" I had a feeling as to where this was going, but I wanted my fears to be confirmed.

Edward paid careful attention to pouring the exact amount of detergent and fabric softener into the load.

I waited until he started the washer before I got up, grabbed his chiseled face, and turned it towards me so I could look right at him. "Why do we need to take precautions against the Volturi, Edward?" When he didn't answer right away, I continued, "You have to tell me these things. I'm your wife now. I can handle whatever it is and there's no need to protect me."

Edward sat down with me and draped an arm around my shoulders. "It's nothing to worry about, Bella. We just want to be as strong as we can when the Volturi arrive. It will show them that we are not ones to start a fight with. And feeding as much as possible makes us stronger." He sighed and pulled me closer to him. "I just don't want to take any risks. Not when we've finally gotten our forever."

I hugged his waist and lightly kissed his cheek. "Don't worry. They'll come, see that I'm one of them, and leave," I assured him as I rested my head on his shoulder, my body fitting perfectly against his.

I hoped that it was as easy as I made it out to be. Judging from my last encounter with the Volturi, nothing was simple with them.

"I know," he whispered into my hair. He pulled me onto his lap and held me tight, as if he would never let me go. I just hugged him back, trying to convey all my reassurance in my embrace. We already went through our tough times. Wasn't it our turn for a happily ever after? I sure thought so, but Edward's fears were only watering my seeds of doubt.

But I wouldn't tell him that. It was my turn to be strong and supportive for him. So I sat with him in somber silence, rubbing circles into his back.

After a few minutes, I decided it was time to take his mind off things "Come on, let's finish up so we can join the others outside," I suggested. I felt a smile grow on my face. "Besides, we wouldn't want everyone to think that we were slacking off."

Edward let out a low chuckle as he stood up with me still in his arms. "Don't worry; they already think that, love."

We finished up cleaning the floors while the washer and dryer took care of the slipcovers, sheets, and blankets. After putting everything back into its place, we went outside to join the rest of the Cullens, who were all waiting for us, some more patiently than others. Rosalie was tapping a high heeled foot with her arms folded across her chest. She shot us an impatient glare when she noticed us come outside hand in hand.

"Finally," she sighed exasperatedly, not bothering to lower her voice, the message being sent to everyone.

"Come on, Rose," Emmett tried to reason with her. "We've only been waiting a couple of minutes and Alice told us when they'd be up."

"I know, but I wanted to work on my car before we went hunting," she said. "Whatever, the sooner we get this done with, the better. I'm sick of cleaning."

Esme, who had gone into the house while Rosalie complained, came back out with huge water guns in her hands.

"Esme, I thought we were going to clean the backyard," I said.

"We are, dear," she replied with a smile. "Water is a great way to dilute human scent. So everyone take one and spray everything," she ordered while taking the water hose in her hands. Attached to the end was a nozzle with different settings of water flow.

"Everything?" There was a wicked gleam in Emmett's eyes as he pointed his weapon at us.

"Emmett, don't you dare," warned Alice. "This is a brand new outfit."

"Aren't all your clothes brand new?" he retorted.

"Yeah, but this is my favorite!"

"Well…I guess you'll just have to go shopping!" Emmett shouted as he sprayed water at Alice. Luckily for her, she jumped out of the line of fire just in time.

Alice glared at him, her gun at the ready. "You almost got me!"

He laughed at her. "That was sort of the point."

She let out a shrill shriek and squirted an unsuspecting Emmett right in the face.

"Hey!" he yelled, a big grin on his dripping face as he aimed at Alice, but instead of getting her as she ran across the yard, he nailed the rest of us.

"Emmett!"

"Oh, it is so on!"

"You are going to pay for this!"

And then Rosalie, Jasper, and Edward were all on the prowl after him. I looked behind me to realize that Carlisle and Esme had joined in the fight. Everyone was under the cover of nearby trees and shrubs, no doubt, because I was the only one in the clearing. I felt like a sitting duck.

Suddenly I was bombarded by seven jets of water, one more powerful than the others, which I concluded was Esme's hose. I dashed into the trees, shielding my eyes from the constant spray of water.

"You guys are in trouble!" I screamed.

"What'cha gonna do about it, Bella?" Emmett chided back, being cowardly and staying well hidden in the trees.

They were all going to get it. Even Carlisle and Esme were not innocent. I felt seven distinct streams of water when they got me. I was going to get them all back, but how would I do that without being seen.

I cannot be seen, I cannot be seen, I thought repeatedly to myself as I silently crept out of my hiding spot. I let myself pay attention to every sound and every smell that I had ignored before. I could hear seven pairs of lungs inhale and exhale. I suppressed a giggle. It was almost too easy to pinpoint them out within the trees. The fools should have stopped breathing if they wanted a fighting chance.

Getting into the spirit of the game, I debated over my attack. I decided to get them all as fast as I could and catch them all unaware.

I could not be seen. I could not be seen. I sprang through the trees, hitting one, two, three, four, five, six, seven of my targets. They tried to fire back, but they weren't even close.

They all rushed back into the yard, spinning around to look for me. I bounded out of the woods after them, a silly grin spread across my face.

"Bella, where are you?" Edward called.

"Yeah, c'mon, Bella. You win, alright?"

I furrowed my brow. "I'm right here."

"Where?" Carlisle asked with worry laced in his voice.

"Right here next to Edward," I stated the obvious. I hadn't moved from his side.

They all turned their heads to me and jumped, clearly startled.

"Whoa, you came out of nowhere," said Jasper, completely shocked.

"What do you mean?"

"I was looking right where you were and then suddenly you appeared out of thin air," he explained.

That was weird. "But I was here the whole time you guys were," I muttered. "You really couldn't see me?"

Jasper just shook his head with bewilderment plastered on his face.

"And I saw absolutely nothing when I got squirted," added Alice. "I tried to look for the source, but I saw nothing. I could hear you, Bella, but I definitely couldn't see you."

The rest of the Cullens muttered their own affirmatives. Edward put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his side protectively.

Carlisle stepped up to me. "Bella, was thee anything that you thought right before you snuck up on us?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, really. Just that I couldn't be seen by you guys."

"Could you do that again?"

I thought it again as hard as I could. Edward jumped back away from me and all the Cullens gasped in surprise.

Carlisle regained his composure first. "Bella, did you move at all?"

"No. Still here."

Edward reached tentatively toward me and his fingertips traced my face, but not purposely. It was as if he was blind. "She's here," he concluded.

"Of course I am," I retorted, but couldn't stop my voice from trembling a little.

"Bella, love, look at yourself."

I looked down and shrieked. I saw nothing. Absolutely nothing. "What happened? Where am I?" I panicked. I wasn't where I should have been.

"You're right here, but…you're invisible," Carlisle stated. "We've found your talent."

I willed myself to become visible again and watched my body reappear.

"That's so awesome! Imagine what the Volturi would think when they see Bella in action!" Emmett exclaimed. "They wouldn't stand a chance!"

"There will be no need for Bella to use her power against the Volturi," Carlisle told him firmly. "If we can help it at all, there won't even be a negative word exchanged between us. They are just visiting."

I liked Carlisle's plan of action much better than Emmett's.

"Besides, we don't want them to become too envious of Bella's talent," Edward muttered darkly, his arm circling my waist tightly.

Carlisle nodded. "I agree."

Alice looked anxiously at the sky. The sun was rapidly dipping down into the trees, giving off all different shades of orange, pink, and purple. With my new eyes, they were more vibrant than I'd ever seen them. I could hear crickets chirping and the nocturnal animals prowling. Nighttime had come.

"Can we go now?" she pleaded. "I wanted to find a really nice coyote by the border tonight. You know that they're my favorite."

"Alright, everyone, let's go. Alice is right," Esme said with a glance to the sun as she followed everyone into the trees. She then turned back to me and Edward. "Are you sure you'll be fine by yourselves/"

"Yeah. We'll go in the morning. I want to make sure Bella gets used to hunting before we go at night. She might not do as well," he added with a chuckle.

"Hey, I can see perfectly well, thank you," I snapped.

"I know, love," he smiled into my hair.

Esme grinned at us and shook her head. "See you two in the morning!" And then she disappeared into the thick forest.

We walked back to the house, hand in hand. Edward opened the door for me, like the perfect gentleman he was, and scooped me into his arms to bring me into the living room.

"So, what do you want to do?" he whispered huskily in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. I would never get used to him.

I kissed his lips, hoping that would tell him my answer. It sure did.

As he brought me to the couch, I noticed something different about the room. On the mantle above the never-used fireplace was part of Jeri's wedding present. The framed cross-stitch leaned against the wall, giving anyone in the room a great view of what it read: Time passes, but love never dies. I thought it was so fitting for me and Edward. Surrounding the message was an intricate pattern of knot work.

"Did Esme put that up there?" I asked.

Edward looked to the frame and nodded. "Yes. I love it there, don't you?"

"Yeah," was all I could muster.

As we lay on the couch kissing and professing our love to one another, I realized something. No matter what would happen, our love would never die.

OK, I'm not going to lie. This is by far my favorite chapter. But what did you guys think about it? I know that I don't deserve it (I should get coal instead) but a review would be a wonderful Christmas present, or whatever you guys celebrate. I will definately have at least 1 more chapter before school starts, maybe 2. Maybe. We'll have to see how confident I'm feeling about calculus. So keep on the lookout!

--Loie