Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters. Although I would not mind owning Edward ;)

It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

The Changeling – Chapter 2

After the first time riding Edward (for lack of a better term) I learned to bring a hair elastic so my hair would not be a mess when we arrived at our destination. My reaction was never as bad as the first time, during which I honestly feared puking on him during the trip. His running is so fast that it is impossible to tell that we are moving as long as my eyes remain closed. It is so easy to imagine that we are not traveling at an ungodly speed.

"You can get down now," he said. I had not realized how tightly I wrapped myself around him. If he were human, my fingernails would have undoubtedly left distinct marks upon his skin.

I gradually opened my eyes, careful not to send my body into shock. As much as I trust Edward, the fear remains in the back of my mind that I will have an unfortunate collision with one of the many trees in the forest.

I took in the beautiful surroundings that made up the clearing. I had not been back here since the night of "Thunderball," and it is so different in the daytime than it was during the storm.

"It is even more wonderful than I remembered," I said, taking in the area of tall grass and flowers enclosed all around by the thick forest.

At that moment, the small patch of clouds moved away from the sun. Edward's skin reflected the light, sending it in every direction possible. It bounced off the wildflowers, still slightly damp from the early morning dew.

"Wow," I gasped. He looked at me questionably, but it was apparent that he knew what I was gaping at. I would never get used to his … magnificence.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. "I could always take you back …"

"No!" I screamed.

The next thing I knew, we were both lying together in the tall blades of grass. My body was on top of his, and his arms surrounded me, in an unbroken promise to never let go.

"How does it feel to be 18?"

"Well, I am not technically 18. At least not yet."

He looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I was born at 8:30. At night," I confirmed.

"Hm, then we only have ten hours to go. Shall we count them down?"

I sat up in the grass. He let go, but looked at me, waiting for me to say something.

"You know, I do not have to ever be 18. I could stay 17. With you. Forever."

"Bella, have we not been over this enough? You deserve so much more than this … half life I am forced to live. I love you, but I could not bear doing, that to you." His eyes looked sad. As if he wanted to change me, but something was holding him back.

"Do you mean you do not want to be with me forever?" My voice cracked, on the verge of tears. "Because by not changing me, you are inadvertently giving me that 'half life' you claim to so adamantly detest." By this point I was sitting Indian style in the grass, my arms crossed firmly against my chest.

"Bella," he pleaded, "do we have to talk about this, today? I brought you here for a purpose – not to relive the conversation we have been having at least once a week for the whole summer. Can you give it a break? Just for this one day?"

I looked into his eyes. Although they were visibly the same light topaz of earlier this morning, they felt noticeably darker.

"Fine," I said. "But what is this so called 'purpose' you are referring to?"

He reached into the pocket of his light jeans and pulled an object from them.

"Happy birthday," he said.

I felt my heart plummet to the bottom of my chest. I suppose something inside of me believed that he took me here, today, to do what I had been asking of him all summer. To change me into one of his kind, into a vampire. Obviously, that was not going to happen anytime soon.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Keys!" He said. "I decided it was about time you had something besides that old truck." I started to protest. "Admit it Bella, we both know it is beyond repair. And how were you expecting to get to school on those rare sunny days?"

I pouted. He made a point. As much as I did not want him to get me anything – let alone a car – it was an extremely nice gesture.

"Edward," I began, "you know I did not want you to spend any money on me." He began to object. "But – you make a good point. So, thank you. Although you must know, this makes me feel rather awkward. I have nothing for you."

His eyes got suddenly serious. "Bella, would you give me anything right now? Anything at all?"

I watched him carefully, with a sharp suspicion of what he was about to ask. "It matters," I started, "what is it you want?"

"You know what I want."

"I cannot stop asking, Edward. Because it is what I want, more than anything in the world." His finger swiftly moved against me mouth, silencing me from saying anymore.

"Don't you want to know what kind of car I got you?"

I looked at the keys, knowing immediately that it was some sort of Volkswagen.

"I have an idea … the giant VW on the front sort of gives that away."

"Oh Bella, do you not know how many possible models of Volkswagens there are out there? Just to inform you, it is a Jetta. I was very close to getting you the Bug – I believe it fits your personality quite well – but decided against it. Knowing you, you would probably end up killing yourself in that small thing. The Jetta did remarkably well in safety tests."

I thought that maybe a car accident would not be so bad. Assuming that I made it to the emergency room, I am pretty confident that Carlisle would grant what would surely be my final wish. Even if Edward did not do it himself, which is of course what I would prefer, anything is better than getting older, without him.

He dropped the keys into my hands. "The car should be outside your house tonight. Rosalie is currently – pimping it out – not to sound too much like the teens in the school. And do not worry, Charlie pitched in. So you do not have to worry about any more gifts."

I leaned toward him, very carefully, aware that any sudden movement could catch him unprepared. His eyes met mine in understanding, and I felt the coldness of his lips gently brush against mine.