Fred stopped running and put Bella down. She gave him a confused look, as they were still in the thick of the woods. He gave her an encouraging smile and pointed her in the direction of the break in the trees. She quietly and carefully trudged along until she passed the last tree. The water of the lake shined a magnificent blue.

Bella's eyes widened as she finally understood why Fred had her go out first. There were a few dear lapping up water on the other side of the large lake. Bella quietly made her way closer to the water, placing her bag on the ground and slipping out of her shoes. She made it to the edge of the water and placed her feet in, eyes glued on the animals in their natural habitat.

Fred leaned against a tree at the edge of the clearing and watched Bella lazily kick her feet out. The wide smile on her face made him chuckle silently. She was a gorgeous woman. Her rich brown hair shined auburn in the sun. It fell down her back in waves and complimented her milky complexion very well. He could imagine her skin being a few shades lighter and sparkling in the sun as he did.

One thing he had a hard time imagining was her eyes. He loved her rich brown irises and wondered how different they would look when they were blood red. He knew that she wouldn't lose the depth and emotion that he got lost in every time he looked at her. He was still a little fascinated by how unbothered she was when she looked into his eyes. He never saw a moment of hesitation, fear, or judgment when she looked at him.

She turned to meet his gaze and reached her hand out in his direction. He pulled his repulsion into himself, hoping that his vampire aura wouldn't cause the animals to flee on instinct. Once he'd met her at the edge of the water and taken his shoes off as well, he slowly sat down beside her.

His arm brushed against hers and quickly raised goosebumps. She ducked her head, letting her hair cover her blushing cheeks. They watched the dear drink for a little while longer before they stopped and trotted off in the opposite direction of them. Bella was quick to begin to wade into the water. Fred took another moment to watch her before catching up.

The water was cold and refreshing with the sun beaming down on them. Bella took small steps along the pebbled floor. The waterfall was about forty feet high. Bella watched the water come down, bouncing off of jagged edges that poked out of the cliffside. Turning to see what Fred was doing, her foot slipped on a loose pebble and she fell into the water.

For two seconds she was fully submerged in the four-foot deep water. Her face hit the floor right as she was pulled up to the surface by two ice-cold hands. Bella could tell he was saying something to her, but between the roar of the waterfall and the water in her eyes, she hadn't the slightest idea what it was. Once she'd coughed up the water she'd swallowed and gotten her hair out of her face, she was met with his adorably concerned face.

She couldn't help but laugh at his furrowed eyebrows and sad eyes. "That was embarrassing." She chuckled, hoping to make light of the situation. Fred pulled her into his chest and bent down, bringing his lips to her ear. "Are you okay?" He asked again, having figured out that her lack of response earlier was because she couldn't hear him. He watched as her skin turned pink, quite impressed that she could still blush while shivering. She nodded, slowly catching her breath. She turned back toward the waterfall, keeping a tight grip on Fred's hand. He wrapped his arm around her waist and walked with her.

When they reached the falling water, Bella reached her hand out, testing how hard the water fell. She found it not too harsh and quickly stepped directly under it. A squeal of delight left her lips as she danced around. Fred dipped under the water, enjoying the feeling against his granite skin. Bella popped out on the other end and leaned against the rock, looking out at the lake through the curtain of white water.

Fred blocked her view, removing the space between them and trapping her between the rock wall and his hard chest. She looked up to find his eyes darkening, a look of longing on his face. She watched his eyes dip to her lips as his hands came up to cup her face and grip her waist. She reached her arms around his neck, bringing them closer together.

"Fred." She spoke his name softly and with longing, knowing that he would be able to hear her. He quickly closed the distance between them, bringing their mouths together for the first time. Bella's whole body was on fire instantly. Her grip on him tightened as she got lost in the feeling. His lips were impossibly soft, for how hard the rest of his body was. He was always gentle with her, but she knew his skin had no give. His lips, however, molded to hers perfectly. They were warm and sweet and intoxicating.

She pulled away after a long while and was immediately hit with the sound of the water. It was as if she'd lost her hearing during the kiss. Fred's eyes were even darker now, though his goofy grin seemed to contradict with their black intensity. He brushed his nose against hers playfully before capturing her lips again, this time poking his tongue out to get a taste of her. Bella moaned into his mouth, pulling at the hair on the nape of his neck. His hands quickly scooped her up, pressing their chests together. Bella wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed her against the rocks again.

They stayed in that position for even longer. Bella rested her head against the rock as she caught her breath. She looked up at rushing water as Fred laid his head against her chest. There was no stopping the smile on her face. She looked down to see a matching grin on Fred and they both burst into laughter.

They'd made their way out of the water and basked in the midday sun to dry off. Bella was lounging on a towel as she ate the food she packed. Fred laid in between her legs, resting his head on her stomach.

"What's your favorite food?" He asked suddenly.

Bella took her time chewing before answering. "Hmmm. . . Maybe pasta, ravioli? Definitely Italian." Bella placed the rest of her food back in her bag and began running her hands through Fred's damp hair.

"How about you? Do you remember?" He closed his eyes to the sensation of her nails against his scalp. "Not really. I tried to eat a pizza after I was turned. It tasted like dirt." Bella giggled at the disappointment in his voice.

"That's not funny!" Fred objected. Bella clamped her mouth shut to keep the laughter in, though her bouncing belly poking him in the back of the head gave her away.

He turned around in an instant and brought his wiggling fingers to the sides of her stomach. Bella screamed and tried to squirm away from his tickling. He pinned her down, bringing both of her hands above her head before he dipped his hand under the hem of her shirt and started his assault again.

Bella laughed until there were tears in her eyes. Fred released her hands and placed his elbows on either side of her bright red face. She found his eyes, once she'd calmed down, peering down at her inquisitively. She sighed contently, watching him watch her.

"What else do you want to do today?" Bella leaned her head against his arm as she thought about it.

"I want to watch the sunset. I know it'll be even more beautiful, once I'm turned, but I never really made a point to look at it while I was human." He nodded at her, already deciding on the perfect place to watch it from. "Anything else?"

Bella brought her bottom lip between her teeth as her eyes traveled down the expanse of his bare chest, stopping at the hem of his swim shorts. Fred could hear and smell her body's response to her new train of thought. His eyes were black in an instant. He dropped his arms and pressed his weight onto her. He ran his nose along the crook of her neck, stopping at her pulse point and placing the softest kiss on her jumping vein. Pulling back, he met her half-lidded eyes with a sly smile and teasing red eyes. Bella rolled out from under him and grumpily ate the rest of her food as he laughed behind her.

Fred scooped her up again and brought her to the top of the cliff that the waterfall was on. He ran her further down the plateau before placing her at the edge of the cliff. She leaned into his side, letting her feet dangle over the edge. The sky was free of clouds, and they were well above the treeline, giving them the perfect unobstructed view.

The bright yellow sun was just nearing the horizon. The edge of the sky was a deep purple that blended seamlessly into a saturated red-orange. Bella rested her head against Fred's shoulder and he rested his head atop hers. They sat in silence as the colorful sky shifted in pigmented hues until the sun had dipped past the tree line, leaving the sky a beautiful dark blue.

"Thank you," Bella whispered into the night.

"Anytime," He offered in response, placing a kiss on the crown of her head. "Always."

Hey, guys!

Long-time, no post!

So sorry about that.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get back into a schedule soon.

I have a couple of chapters that I'm debating just dropping all at once to catch up.

Regardless, I'll definitely be more active from now on.

Promise!

Well, there you go.

A cute little last-day-alive date.

Just a heads up, next chapters gonna get steamy.

This story is rated M for a reason, after all.

I will try to keep it tasteful, though.

Till next time!