Carlisle extended his hand and helped Esme aboard the boat that was just big enough for the two of them. The night seemed to shimmer with a exquisite collection of whites and blues of all shades as they began their journey atop of the icy Alaskan waters.

Esme had the same repeated thoughts. She felt as if she was living a real-life fairytale. Had anyone predicted this as her future, she would have told them they were crazy. How drastically different her immortal life was from her human life. Esme felt as if she had been given this second chance at happiness, and in return she would not waste a minute of it.

"Where did you get a boat like this one?" Esme asked. She was aware that Carlisle had managed to save money, but she wasn't aware of exactly how much. No one has their own boat, she thought to herself.

"I, uh, just recently purchased it," he told her with a smile, "While I was away."

"I've never been on one before." Esme couldn't help but beam as she spoke every word. Her eyes scanned the clear, starry sky above them as the boat drifted away from the shore.

"Well, I hope you enjoy yourself," Carlisle told her, still smiling. "And consider the boat a wedding gift."

Esme raised her eyebrows at him.

"It's yours," he told her.

She shook her head, "It's yours."

"I bought it for you," Carlisle informed her, "I suppose it's for us really, but..." He shrugged subtly and then gave a light laugh as Esme looked stunned. He leaned in and kissed her lips gently. "The house is yours, too, Mrs. Cullen."

Mrs. Cullen. Esme could have died right then and her life would have been complete. He's the first person to address me as Mrs. Cullen... his wife. She smiled wide, finding more pleasure in the way he addressed her than in the fact that he had purchased a house and a boat for her.

Esme didn't know how to top the words he spoke to her and so she kissed him as a response. Carlisle only broke it to steer them in the right direction.

He linked his hand tightly with hers and Esme cuddled her body against his as he steered with the other hand. "I have friends that have lived in Alaska," he told her, staring off into the distance as they went.

"You do?" Esme smiled, "Who?"

"They live as a family like we do, and they hunt animals."

"Really?"

Carlisle nodded, "There are five of them. They often reside in Denali. I passed through on my travels, but they weren't there when I visited. If they had been, I would take you to meet them."

"What are their names?"

"There are three sisters, Irina, Kata and Tanya. Another couple who I'm very fond of, Eleazar and Carmen, also live with them."

Esme smiled, "It's good to know there are others like us."

Carlisle nodded again and winked, "I've tried to spread the idea of feeding on animals to others, though they haven't been as receptive. Tanya had started doing it on her own the way I did, and the others in her family were influenced."

"That's wonderful."

He nodded, "Not all vampires as the monsters they're made out to be."

Esme studied the features of his angelic face, "I already know that."

Carlisle looked at her and smiled, and the two of them shared another kiss. "Thank you for believing in me. I know it's not easy."

"It is now," Esme told him, "Because of you."

He couldn't keep himself from kissing her at every chance he had. While Carlisle truly wanted to show Esme all the beauty that Alaska had to offer, he was beginning to wish he'd planned the activity for the following day or night.

Esme's eyes flickered open, feeling flighty and on-top-of-the-world they way she always did when Carlisle kissed her. She glanced into the distance and saw a collection of lights amongst the darkness. They were pale and uniform, though were perfectly illuminated in the darkness.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing up the way.

Carlisle grinned and directed the boat in a straighter direction than he had been. "There's a little town up there," he said, "It's small; quaint. When there's a snowfall like the one they've had recently it's a beautiful sight to see."

Esme smiled and the words 'winter wonderland' played in her mind.

Carlisle took in her expression and smiled, cupping his hand around her shoulder while she continued to lean into him.

While the lights could be seen from a distance, it took nearly twenty minutes to get to the area.

"How adorable," Esme gushed as they eased passed the small cluster of homes that seemed to be tucked away from the rest of the world. "You'd never know this was out here."

Carlisle nodded, "It's nice... quiet."

She agreed with a nod, catching glimpses of humans inside a few open windows. They were easy to see, a bright speck in the darkness.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'm more than okay," Esme assured him, "I think I'm still full from that elk. Was it elk I had?"

Carlisle snickered and nodded.

"Look," she pointed, "Someone way back there is having a fire outdoors." Esme took in a deep breath, "I love the smell of firewood."

He couldn't keep himself from grinning, happy that Esme was thinking of the smell of burning wood rather than the scent of human blood that lingered so close.

"Gosh, why haven't you lived here?"

Carlisle half-smiled, "Never had anyone to share it with it." He turned, still partially grinning.

"We might have to make this one of our many destinations in the next one hundred years." She laughed at how crazy the phrase sounded.

"Of course," he told her, "We do own property here now."

Esme couldn't fully process that this was her reality. She actively told herself to stop thinking about how or why she ended up where she was and just lived in the moment. She allowed Carlisle to show her all the beauty of Anchorage that they could see from the water and promised that the next day he would show her what the land had to offer. She didn't object and couldn't wait to see what the foreign area had in store.

An hour-and-a-half went by before they were back at the dock. The round trip was well worth it, and Esme was left feeling awake and alive.

Carlisle tied the boat to the dock and then joined Esme back on the snowy landscape that lead up to the house. As he pushed open the door, he asked her, "So, what'd you think?"

"I think I want to move to Alaska," she said with a laugh.

Carlisle laughed with her and then closed the door behind them. "I'm glad you enjoyed the boat ride."

"I loved it."

He smiled and then released her hand only to walk toward the fireplace where a small stack of wood waited to be placed inside. "Since you liked the smell of the campfire so much..." He held up a piece of wood.

Esme smiled back and nodded. A few minutes later, the friendly aroma of burning firewood took over the cabin.

Carlisle rejoined Esme across the room, where she still stood only a few feet in from the door.

"You can make yourself at home," he reminded her, "This is yours afterall."

"It's ours," she reminded him, slowly pulling his body so it was up against hers.

Carlisle touched his lips to hers once and the fire popped. The two of them glanced to the side at the same time and he towed her by the hand toward it, before using a long skewer to push a piece of the firewood back.

"This house is amazing, Carlisle," Esme told him.

"Feel free to make any changes you want," he said, "I've seen some of the sketches you've done of houses in your spare time."

"You have?"

He nodded, "You're really talented."

Esme smiled shyly, self-conscious about her work.

Carlisle tilted her chin gently upward using his thumb and pointer finger so they could make eye contact.

"I love you," she said quietly to him.

"I love you, too."

"This is better than anything in my dreams," Esme went on, "And my dreams were pretty... good, to say the least." She grinned, and then looked him in the eye again, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Esme stood up on her toes to kiss him, and Carlisle reciprocated her actions. Within a minute or two their passion for one another had escalated and Esme stopped herself to ask a simple question.

"Should we go... down the hall?"

Carlisle felt his jaw tighten and he nodded, "If you'd like to."

Esme breathed in and out once through her nose. She hadn't separated herself from him, "Yeah." She could tell Carlisle was about to check again to make sure she was positive about her answer, and so she kissed him again with same level of enthusiasm as before.

Carlisle pulled her against him for a moment before he allowed her to lead him down to the hall to the bedroom.