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On The Road

Edward POV

Boy, did it ever feel good leaving Forks this morning. I could tell you it felt fantastic to me.

After we had gotten home from the party, our parents had been filled in on what had happened; Bella and I then went up to our room. I wanted time to really look her over without her being suspicious of what I was doing. As always, she reminded me of how perceptive she was.

"Edward, not that I have anything against getting naked with you, baby; but I am well-aware of what you're doing, mister," she scolded me.

"You know I can't help my worrying tendencies, love. I just wanted to make sure that idiot didn't hurt you or our child by trying to squeeze you to death. I was literally ready to kill him," I told her.

"As much as I can't stand him, I'm glad you didn't. That's trouble we don't need, honey," she replied back.

Had I ever said how smart my wife was? I might have been on earth longer than she had, but sometimes she was far wiser than me.

Bella POV

I was so glad to be getting away from Forks and away from the drama and problems that went with it. I knew Edward was relieved as well. I could hardly wait to get to Virginia and see our new house. My mom said it was very grand and beautiful.

This was going to be a great trip. Carlisle had said we had to pass through several states to get there. If we drove straight through with no stops, it would take about two days; but since my mom, dad, and I were still human and with the fact that I was pregnant, it would take longer.

I felt bad about that and told Carlisle that they could go ahead; and I would drive with my mom and dad, but he wouldn't hear of it.

"No, we are a family, Bella; we do things together as a family. Besides, it will be fun for us to do something we don't always have an opportunity to do when we travel. We will actually take the time to stop and see the sites along the way," he explained with that fatherly smile he always had for me.

"Besides, I wouldn't dream of leaving you behind like that, honey. I'm looking forward to making this trip with you. I don't care if it takes the next two weeks or a month," Edward told me and placed a kiss on my cheek.

I was okay then and didn't feel bad anymore. I was just simply looking forward to spending time with my whole family.

"Where are we stopping first, baby?" I asked Edward, as I rubbed my hands over my belly.

I wasn't quite starting to show, where other humans would be able to tell. That was another reason I was glad to be out of Forks, before that happened. I was in no mood to hear all the gossip that would surely spring up. I wanted to enjoy being pregnant without having to endure all that.

Edward smiled as he reached over and placed his hand on top of mine and caressed my belly with me.

"Well, love, we are going to pass through 10 states, including Washington and Virginia. We will hit Montana after leaving Washington, and then we will pass through the corner of Wyoming. We will then travel across South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and next there will be Indiana. After that we will go through Pennsylvania, and then at last, Virginia," he told me.

"Are we going to stop in all of those states?" I asked.

"We'll stop either out of need or just for the fun of it. You've never had a chance to really experience how adventurous the Cullen family can be, if they want to be. You and your parents are in for a really good time on this trip," he told me.

That brought a smile to my face. I was ready to just sit back and enjoy myself. So that's what I did.

Our first tourist stop we made was at Moss Mansion in Billings, Montana. I was able to see what a household looked like when Edward was human. The house was still original from its early 1900s origins.

Our next stops were in South Dakota. We got to view Mount Rushmore first. Jasper bet Emmett that he wouldn't climb the monument, but Emmett never refuses a bet. We got picture proof for our scrapbook. We toured the Black Hills caves; but I didn't want to do too much walking, so we took a short tour. My favorite stop was The Mammoth Site; it was great getting to see the displays and an actual dig site. It was like watching history in the making. Of course, Emmett was wishing that he had an actual mammoth that he could take down. He did, however, get to experience some large prey while in that area. I think they all enjoyed getting to hunt buffalo. They were so plentiful in that area that you had to worry about hitting one on the road.

Our next big stop was Edward's original home. It was still standing, and he said it looked the same as it did when he lived there. He showed us around the neighborhood and pointed out all the changes that had taken place.

When we got to Pennsylvania, we made an out of route stop in Hershey, PA. I knew I would soon not appreciate the sites and scents of this town. So mom, dad, and I spent the day in Hershey and the rest of the group went hunting. While the chocolate smelt wonderful to us humans, I was told it was rather putrid to the vampires. That night we met back up and stayed in a hotel away from the chocolate.

We had enjoyed our trek across the states. We had stopped many times and explored different cities and, of course, took thousands of pictures; I loved it. I didn't even argue or fuss when Edward spent money on me for items I saw that I wanted for souvenirs. This trip was as much about having fun, as getting to where we needed to be.

All in all, the trip took us roughly about two weeks. No one complained though, we just simply enjoyed being together and happy.

Alice and my mom worked on planning her and dad's wedding. They were going to go on a second honeymoon; dad planned on taking her to Hawaii. Esme said that she and Carlisle would pay for them to go as a wedding present, and mom was thrilled at the idea.

Edward POV

I couldn't tell you how much I loved our trip from Forks to Virginia. I actually had a lot of fun. I loved watching Bella's reaction to seeing the different states and places we stopped in. I loved the fact that she didn't argue when I bought her things. I loved the way she got excited about taking pictures.

She and Renee were planning on doing a scrapbook together after we got settled in our new house. It truly filled my heart with joy to see them having a good time together and planning things to do together. I was over the moon about the fact that Renee had taken everything in stride and had decided to join Bella and Charlie on their chosen paths. It gave me confidence that our future would be happy and bright.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading this story; please leave a review and let me know what you think. Pictures and links of the tourist stops mentioned in the story on the blog. Check out the blog at http:/ /markingbella .blogspot .com/

Beta'd by melanieintn