Okay. Okay. Okay, I know. I said this would be an extended wedding chapter, and it isn't, but by the time I wrote this, I realised the chapter would be over 12000 words long if I just carried on, and it would be better to split it into two. I do think that when you read this, you'll get why I split it, and I think there might be some excitement along with it. I'm certainly INCREDIBLY excited about this chapter!

P.s. if you add thin straps, lower the slit a little, and turn it gold, this is Leah's bridesmaid's dress: i. pinimg 564x/38/7a/20/387a209f8f0a614c586586f82946e62b. jpg

Eclipse, Chapter 31

God, but she was happy.

Carys couldn't remember many times of being happier in her life than she was at that moment. It was the most glorious sight. And it was hers. All hers. Of course, she'd have to share her joy, but-

"You know," Carlisle interrupted, his arms snaking about her waist from behind, resting his cheek against hers, "if you looked at me with half the obsessive need as you do that damned chocolate fountain, it might scupper tomorrow's plans. And it's not even on yet."

Carys grinned and squeezed his arms - not that it made any impact physically - but didn't immediately respond. She might have said something funny, but she had an inkling he was telling the truth. It wasn't on yet, but the mere thought of it...

He turned, kissing her cheek once before he left her to return to Garrett, his best man for the day ahead. To their own amusement, they'd immediately agreed to Carys' joking suggestion to play upon the fact that Garrett had long sandy hair and would be wearing contacts to make his eyes brown, by telling people they were half-brothers rather than cousins. As, though since they'd been together he'd altered his accent to let more and more of the English through, he'd told so many people that his origin story included having family in America, it wasn't too much of a stretch.

Garrett had arrived early that morning, seeking them out at their little house, having been directed there by Rosalie.

"Irate," he'd called the blonde woman when relating his story. It was filled with interruptions, observations, and a slight deepening to the faint, well-fed flush of his alabaster cheeks when he explained how he'd interrupted Rosalie and Emmett "in the act".

Irate was how Carys would have expected she would feel, woken after a long night at 5 am by their low voices downstairs, but instead, she'd felt...

Well, nothing short of glorious.

Carlisle had been right about a night away from everything. Her hair and skin had agreed with the choice, surprising her when she'd checked herself in the mirror before going down, by being bouncy and hydrated, and dewy and firm respectively.

Garrett had greeted her with open arms, and then a warning to stay three feet away.

Because of her arm, she'd thought, but she'd been wrong.

It was healed enough not to tempt him, but they could air-hug, nothing else, he'd told her. He'd fed - Carys tried not to dwell on that; it was part of his nature, of being a vampire that she couldn't quite bring herself to judge against human standards - on his way, but he would be spending time that evening with humans, and the majority of the next day to boot.

He'd then offered Carlisle as a willing intermediary.

Carlisle had clapped him over the shoulder, then drawn him into an affectionate hug in which they'd swayed from side to side in an exaggerated motion, before he drew away, grinning gloriously, the expression beaming from within him. Carys had bounced on her toes, wrapping her arms around herself a mere second before her soon to be husband had repeated the friendly gesture to her.

"Twelve-hour weddings may still be par for the course for the British," Garrett had told them, narrowing his eyes, referencing the fact that the wedding would take place at two, and the reception would be ending the same time the following morning, "but there is a reason - and a very good one at that - that Americans shortened the things."

Carlisle had raised a brow, stepping back to stand just to the side of Carys. "Because vampires are invited to so many weddings, aren't they?"

Garrett had scoffed and jumped onto the sofa, making himself comfortable. "I've been to four Cullen weddings, I recall, and they just seem to get longer every time. This is the last one, you hear?"

"He said that last time," Carlisle had observed, grinning down at her. "And the time before. And... Oh, you know? I do believe, he said that-" he paused, wrapping his arms around her once again, grinning against her temple as he cast his friend a pointed look, "-each and every time. And here we are, back again. Funny, that."

"What can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment."

It was now twelve and, following another nap and breakfast for the human, they had gone to view the wedding site, set on their land a mile from the main house.

Carlisle and Garrett were outside, occupied by the wooden arches, curving high, coming to a pinnacle above the pews, flowerbeds, and aisle, around each of which flowers and garlands spun and weaved, and from some of which small chandeliers hung, one for every five feet.

The aisle itself appeared, at first glance, to be a long, clear rectangular pond, flanked by perfectly trimmed flowerbeds. Though it had been Carys' pipedream to install such an aisle, it became Rosalie's coup de grĂ¢ce when she had revealed it could be done. The glass covering the pond was crystal clear enough to appear absent, and textured enough to provide a non-slip surface. More for Carys' benefit than the vampires' or Leah's.

By contrast, it was the barn - for that was how it appeared from the outside, and what Carys was calling it - that had now stolen her focus. She turned, slowly, around and around on the spot, taking it in again.

The barn was more along the lines of a traditional English ballroom than anything else. From the instant you entered, it was difficult to reconcile the wooden facade with the interior. A high-ceilinged two-storey structure, it boasted both a ground floor and a deep balcony which wrapped around the space, accessible by any one of four spiralling staircases off to the corners of the expansive space. Cream with accents of gold, silver, and deep green velvet drapes, it seemed almost overlarge to her when empty, but would be filled well - almost too well - the next day.

Large chandeliers hung from the ceiling, adding to the light from the various sconces. Tables set for drinks dotted around the large, polished dancefloor to one half of the room, whilst the other half was reserved for dining. The round tables were bare for the moment, but would be draped with crisp white linens and ironed, then set with flowers, candelabras, and silver service in the morning.

The chocolate fountain she'd been admiring sat to one side of the room, between the dining and dancing areas, mirrored in position by what would be a champagne fountain. Spaced equidistant between the two, a large round table would hold the wedding cake.

"I'm only getting legally married once," Carys whispered to herself again. "This life, anyway."

Her excitement was occasionally juxtaposed by embarrassment and awkwardness, based upon her warring desire to have everything she'd ever dreamed of in the only party she'd ever had (save the two house-parties she'd co-hosted at university, and the recent graduation one, but those had never belonged to her, perse), and the fear that she might have gone a little overboard.

It hadn't only been her doing, of course.

Carlisle had been just as bad. Worse, even.

It was for him that the wedding was split into two spaces. He'd wanted to be married in something reminiscent of a church-like structure - thus, the wooden arches outside, leading to an altar - and it had been his wish to create a ballroom for the reception. His planning had led to the balconies. His thought to Jasper and Emmett leaving for a few days to scour the various houses they all owned to retrieve all the chandeliers they could ship in time.

Carys' input had added, on top of her other selections, warming lamps outside, so that guests could smoke, chat, mill about, and explore the immediate area without becoming cold as the night wore on.

The combination of the two of them, their minds so in sync and yet different, had led to this... This grandness.

It wasn't too extreme, she'd been pleased to discover. It fell on the side of awe, rather than a touch too much. Edward had assured her of that. It was what the caterers, florists, all the vendors for the day had thought when they'd seen it. One outlier had scoffed, but Carys knew that would happen and as long as most enjoyed it, it wasn't quite so bad.

Carys paused her slow twirling, coming to a halt and lowering her arms when she caught sight of Rosalie striding quickly towards her.

"Problem," was all the blonde said, grabbing Carys' wrist and towing her back towards the entrance.

"What kind of problem?" Carys asked. Her heart lodged itself in her throat. "Something we can sort out?"

Rosalie remained tight-lipped. They made quick work of exiting, and Carys found herself left alone after being propelled toward a group.

Seven vampires, stood with their backs to her, in a tight semi-circle around Carlisle and Garrett, between the closest pews and the barn. The fresh, softly flower-scented air cleared her senses as she approached cautiously.

She recognised none of them from behind. Carlisle was grinning easily, however, obviously pleased. They must have been his friends.

"Carys!" he called, excusing himself for a moment, to move through the group.

The others turned. Eight pairs of red eyes settled on her, all set in impossibly beautiful faces, and then he blocked her view for a moment.

"Come, meet some of my friends. Garrett's been busy, it seems, but he couldn't track them all down."

She interlaced their fingers when he took her hand, needing the connection when he moved to her side, to pull her with him. The vampires' lips blurred, one by one and then two or three at once. Her heartbeat sped up a little, causing a tall olive-skinned man, and a slightly taller, far paler, woman to chuckle.

Carys' cheeks burned.

She looked around the group and, apart from Garrett, could only confidently name two of them, though she had ideas over some.

Amun and Kebi.

She'd never seen them - either in photographs or real life - but she recognised them immediately. They looked Egyptian, as they were. Their skin was as Carlisle had described to her weeks before. Kebi looked to have been darker-skinned than Carys when changed, not by much, and so she could almost see what she would look like. She felt instant relief to know he'd told the truth. Their skin was only slightly paled by the bloodless undertone, and they appeared, as he'd said, simply to have spent a winter in a cold, dark climate.

Carlisle raised his hand and Carys decided to focus only on those she was introduced to as they went. It made it easier to block out the rest of the unsettling red eyes, all rolling over her, assessing, judging, making their minds up.

He indicated the tall, dark-haired olive-skinned man first, introducing him as Luca.

Carys' eyes shot, of their own accord, about the space, looking for Esme. She'd yet to arrive.

"It's nice to meet you," she said, "I've heard great things." Eyes widening, she let out a strangled sound and clarified, "I mean, about your coven. Your family and how you give your descendants the opportunity to join you. It's incredible."

Lucas threw his head back and roared with laughter, then winked at her as a small red-headed teen cleared her throat and shook her head.

"It's nice to meet you, as well," he said in accented English. He set to wagging a finger. "This is not all you have heard, I am sure."

He was just as Esme had told her when she'd described her time spent with him. Gosh, he had a lovely accent. Maltese. She could understand why Esme had-

"Moving swiftly on," Carlisle teased, squeezing her hand, interrupting her thoughts. He swept his arm, indicating three, this time. A tall man, the small red-head who had cleared her throat, and the tall woman from before.

"Carys, allow me to introduce Siobhan-" the tall woman "-Maggie-" the girl "-and Liam."

With the names to add, Carlisle's descriptions floated through her mind, and she recognised them, too. The Irish Coven. Esme had designed a house in Ireland with them in mind to stay once in a while.

Maggie, the beautiful red-head teen who the older mated pair viewed as a daughter, was small and thin, around a foot shorter than Siobhan, owing to her having been starved in the midst of the Irish Potato Famine.

Liam was tall, as tall, broad and imposing as Emmett, and hard-faced. He was older than most of the others, in his mid-30s when he was changed. A soldier. He nodded his head when her gaze fell on him, and she smiled warmly before she moved on.

Siobhan was as tall as Carlisle, the leader of their little family. She was the closest of all of them to Carlisle. She possessed beauty to equal Rosalie's in a different way, Carys thought, with long black hair and a muscular, shapely build. Her strength was owing to a life spent as an apprentice to her father, and then a blacksmith herself, all long before female blacksmiths were generally accepted, and before she was changed at twenty.

"Hello, I've heard even more about you." Carys waved nervously beside her hip, her gaze lingering on Siobhan. There was something about the way Maggie was looking at her that got under her skin. She avoided her intent gaze.

"You're really cool. Awesome," she added before she could stop herself.

Maggie grinned and, when the others glanced at her, she nodded. Their smiles grew.

Voices blending to one, Liam's the quietest of all, they greeted her.

"I'm a quarter Welsh, and half-Caribbean," Carys said, once they'd said hello, glancing at Liam, remembering something about his blood preference being the English. As the only human one in the immediate area, she felt the need to joke that, "I'd only be a quarter of a good snack."

Maggie nodded again, and Siobhan laughed, while Liam snorted loudly, caught himself, and tamped down his grin.

"No bother," Siobhan replied, her scarlet eyes twinkling. "I wouldn't give any'a us ideas, mind."

"No, indeed," Carlisle drawled, smirking before his face cleared and he shifted on to the next. "My love, this is Randall."

"Hello," she said with a pleased smile. "I'm about to sound like a broken record, but it's nice to meet you."

Randall chuckled quietly, keeping his distance a little more than the others.

"It's nice to meet you," he echoed.

He, like Garrett, was American, but Carys knew less about him. She couldn't quite place the name, but she didn't want to admit it.

He was a teen, that much was obvious. Late teens, she reckoned. She tried to remember if she'd heard about him before... Perhaps. In passing. She seemed to recall he was younger, truly younger, than any of the rest, but she couldn't think of anything beyond that. His brown hair fell slightly into his bright red eyes. He'd hunted recently.

They all had.

Her inability to place the middling-height vampire must have shown, because Carlisle's hand released hers, sliding around her waist and coming to rest against her hip. He squeezed gently, and she looked up at him.

"Randall was born in nineteen forty-five," he told her, his smile indulgent. "We met in the sixties, shortly after he was changed. He's as close a friend as any others you'll find in this group."

"I'm hurt you didn't tell her about me," Randall told him, clapping a hand to his chest. "What does a guy have to do to get a mention? Join a coven?"

"Not really," Garrett supplied, twitching his sleeve. "Carlisle told her all about me."

Randall shot him a glare, though his smile ruined the effect.

"Sorry," Carys said, subtly moving closer to Carlisle. "I'm sure Carlisle's told me about you, I'm just a bit..."

"Preoccupied?" Randall suggested with a hint of a smile.

Carys nodded, and he chuckled.

"Wait... Nineteen forty-five... That makes you-" pausing, she twitched two fingers as she calculated "-sixty-one! You're only sixty-one!? That's like... I'm... You're thirteen years older than my mum. You're so young."

The vampires stared at her while she bent over a little, pressing her hands to her knees. He could still be alive. Not just 'lived a good life' alive, but 'retiring in a few years' alive. He was changed in the sixties, which meant he was changed when her mum was alive. Why did this matter to her? Why, all of a sudden, was her breath coming in quick pants? She couldn't be sure, but...

"You alright there, love?" Carlisle asked, rubbing her back.

Carys shook her head. "I'm sorry," she panted. "Gimme a sec?"

"Of course."

Swallowing thickly, she straightened up and then took a deep breath as Carlisle pulled her closer until half her back rested against his chest, his arm wrapped around her entirely, coming to rest on her other hip, the one directly before him.

"I'm sorry, I'm just used to vampires being... Old, you know? Or really young."

"That's alright," Randall assured her kindly. "It's nice to know I'm still considered young." He looked around the group when they, almost to a vampire, raised their eyebrows and scoffed. "To a human, at least."

"Sorry again."

"Stop saying sorry," said Maggie.

"Sor-um." Carys sucked in a breath through her teeth. She was so used to being more confident these days. Their presence had sent her completely off-kilter. Especially Maggie's. Whenever she looked at her, it made her uncomfortable.

"Do you have a power?" she asked the teen.

Her delivery was blunter than she'd planned but appeared not to cause offence.

Maggie nodded. Carys glanced at Carlisle, who smiled and avoided her eye. He'd not told her about her power. He'd said that he suspected Siobhan may have one, but he'd not mentioned what that was, either.

Carys turned back to Maggie. "You don't make people say what they're thinking, do you?"

"No."

"Is it... It's to do with that though, isn't it? 'Cause you kept nodding or..." Carys snapped her fingers. "Truth, right? You make people tell the truth?"

"I don't make them do anything."

Strange... Carlisle was no help when she glanced at him. Neither were any of the others. Maybe it was... She'd noticed when she was-

"You know when I'm telling the truth or a lie?" she suggested.

"Right you are," said Maggie with a small, nervous smile. "Makes you uncomfortable, does it? You wouldn't be the first, I can tell you that for nought."

"No," Carys lied, then corrected herself quickly. "A bit. It's... Not..." They waited while she thought about her answer. "I just want to say what's on my mind now, is all. Rather than risk not saying anything and kinda lying by omission."

"That, I wouldn't know."

"Oh?"

"No. I can only tell if someone is telling the truth or not."

"Oh. Well... I'll keep my trap shut then."

Maggie grinned.

Siobhan caught Carys' eye, tilting her head as she assessed her. "You could tell."

"Well, yeah, I mean... It's all itchy, isn't it?" She rolled her shoulders and shifted uncomfortably. They stared at her, non-plussed. "Maybe... Maybe you guys don't get it 'cause you can't sweat, but I'm all hot under the collar."

Liam turned his face away, covering his mouth with the back of his hand as his chest shook. Garrett had no such reservations. Carlisle's free arm closed over her, pulling her against him as he raised one of her hands and kissed it.

"You're right, she's a gas," Randall laughed.

Carys willed confidence back into herself.

Straightening her spine, she turned a bright smile on Amun and Kebi.

They had been part of the Egyptian coven the Romanians fought, the one the Volturi massacred, but they had escaped before the second war. They were, as far as she could remember, both the sole survivors and the oldest vampires she'd ever met. The oldest who still lived anywhere, save for Athenodora.

They were in their thousands.

Carlisle believed their coven may be the oldest ever. They'd been turned around two thousand five hundred BC. And, to add to it all, Amun had changed Demetri, the Volturi's tracker, and trained him. After he'd left them for the Guard, they'd become more reclusive than ever. It made them a little more intimidating than the others. It was a coup to have them visit, she knew, and she couldn't help the wonder she felt. They had lived through so much. Seen so much. Done so much.

Amun stood proud, close to Carys' height, she thought, while Kebi reached his shoulder and had a far more sombre demeanour than any of the others, even more than Liam.

Amun said something in a language she couldn't recognise - it certainly wasn't Arabic; ancient Egyptian, she presumed - and Carlisle bowed his head a little, replying in the same language.

Carys felt a jolt of horror.

She'd not thought about Luca speaking in English rather than Maltese. Or Siobhan, Liam and Maggie, all of whom likely spoke Gaelic at home, judging by their age and accents.

She should have asked Carlisle to teach her something. Anything. Greetings at least. Just in case one of these moments arose. She kicked herself. His friends had come to visit. They'd come to meet her. And she had nothing to offer them, not even a word in their own language.

"As we said to Carlisle, we will not stay for long," Amun told her with a heavy accent after they'd greeted each other in English. "We wished to meet you, as Carlisle's mate, to welcome you and share in-" he looked at Carlisle "-your celebration. Do not worry, have no plans to be... Gate-crashers." He used the term as if he'd only recently learned it, which, judging by his age, he may well have.

The others in the group agreed with his sentiments.

It pleased him, clearly, to be deferred to in such a manner. He smiled a little, his chest lifting further. Kebi looked at him and then smiled as well, just a little less than he did.

They apologised, each of them, for having not been contactable when the newborns struck. It was strange, to tell them that it was fine, that she and Carlisle were sure they would have helped if they'd known, but that it had happened so quickly, and they hadn't wanted to stray too far from home.

The subject of the Denali coven wasn't raised. Carys wasn't sure if they would attend the next day. Their invitation had been all but officially revoked, but... It hadn't been verbal or written, and they hadn't RSVP'd no. She wondered if that meant they would come, or if it meant they would know to stay away. She was still hurt by their actions, but it was equally Carlisle's decision and he'd remained stoically silent on the subject.

Garrett alone knew about the wolves living nearby, and that a couple would be present at the wedding. That, amongst other things, made Carys glad the others wouldn't be staying for too long.

"Shall we give you the tour?" Carlisle offered genially, barely suppressed excitement lifting his words, and eight vampires - Garrett included, though he'd seen it all already - nodded enthusiastically.

Carys was just as caught up in him as the others were.

Her hand in his, he took them around the clearing, pointing to this, showing off that, describing their plans; why this was chosen; how humans tended, if they remembered seeing a wedding more recently, to have those; the symbolism of flowers Carys had thought were pretty, but held significance which the others grasped immediately; stopping briefly to discuss the structural integrity of the building with Siobhan; answering a litany of questions from Garrett; agreeing with Amun that the opulence fell short of what he'd seen in Egypt; telling Randall and Maggie about the band they'd booked.

She found herself almost mute, answering questions when they were directed to her, or when Carlisle turned them to her to respond. She returned their smiles, their nods, their interested stares. But for the most part, she was simply fascinated by him.

His friends were so different, and from what they said, it was obvious some of them had never met. They occasionally cast each other distrustful glances or insinuated themselves between him and one another, if he'd spent too much time focused on any one person or coven. Yet, he acted as if he didn't notice any of it. His serene excitement, once it had fallen over him, never wavered, but it did shift ever so slightly with each person he talked to.

It was there in the subtle changing of his gestures, the small incremental adjustments to his tone of voice. Each was so slight they were hardly noticeable, but Carys could see the impact they had. He put them all at ease. Each person felt as if, when they had his attention, it was undivided.

Feigning tiredness, Carys retreated from the group after around two hours, to sit for a little while at the side of the ballroom.

Alice appeared in an instant, looking her over with a slight glare before she zeroed in on Carys' under eyes, and then nodded, leaving her to skip across and greet the group. Most of them knew her if their greetings were anything to go by, but not all of them, Carys noticed, seemed to like her. She was happy to take their attention for a little while, regardless, and Carys was happy to let her.

Carlisle turned sharply to look at her, then. He stared at her for a little while and then disengaged. Snatching a chair from one of the tables he passed, he set it down next to her and sank down, taking her hand.

"Is anything the matter?" he asked, staring deep into her eyes. "I thought you were feeling better again. Do you need more than rest?"

"I'm better, I am. I'm just..."

How did she say this? She was in awe of him? No, that didn't sound right. Seeing him with his friends had reminded her how she felt before they'd been together - before she'd become so used to him? No, not that, either. She'd forgotten just how incredible he was? No, because she hadn't.

"Carys?"

"I love you."

He melted with a smile reserved for her and her alone and palmed her cheek. "I love you too."

"You're..."

"What, darling?"

'More than I deserve,' she wanted to say. 'More lovely than I give you credit for sometimes. Lovelier than most. I've become so used to being with you, I forgot just how singular you are, and I shouldn't have.'

"Remarkable," she said instead. Her eyes flooded and she sniffled, batting at them.

Ignoring the stares she felt from the other side of the room, she leaned to the side of his face they couldn't see and whispered, so low she could barely hear herself, against his ear, "I want to spend eternity with you."

He chuckled. "I want to spend eternity with you," he murmured.

"No," she breathed. "I mean I'm ready. When you are. And not just because of my arm, if that's what you're thinking, lovely. I reckon it'll take an eternity to learn everything I want to about you. I'm ready to do that now."

He pulled back, his eyes narrowed in question. "What? I mean-" he shook his head "-why? Why now, all of a sudden?"

She glanced towards his friends and found them focused on Alice again. Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Esme had joined them. She didn't believe for a moment that they weren't listening, or weren't trying to, at the very least. They'd likely caught every word.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully, staring deep into his eyes. "I just am... Can you understand that?"

"No, not really."

"Well... Darn."

He chuckled again, stealing the briefest of kisses. "I can't... I'm unsure... That is..." he whispered hesitantly. "Can you wait a little longer for this conversation?"

"I'm not saying today," she admonished with an incredulous frown, "I just mean when it happens."

"That works for me."

"Why...?" she queried, noticing the strange look in his eyes.

He darted a glance towards the floor, and when he looked at her again, the reticence, fear and insecurity she'd glimpsed had vanished. He turned his head so that his lips were concealed from all but her.

"Not now," he mouthed, slowly enough for her to decipher, "not here. When we leave on our honeymoon. After you've had the day you deserve." Then, speaking normally, he said, for the benefit of the others, "I'm sure people will think me mad, but I'd like to enjoy our honeymoon first."

Carys favoured him an accepting smile and nodded.

He was keeping something from her, she thought. But then, of course, he wasn't. It was just that he wasn't ready as she now was. She'd thrown it at him out of nowhere, just as the realisation had struck. She hadn't forgotten that he only changed those who were dying and that this would be far harder than him than anything else, for that fact and the fact that it was her.

"I didn't mean to put you on the spot," she murmured worriedly, leaning in. Another glance towards the group told her that they'd moved on. There was no one in the immediate vicinity, but she didn't raise her voice. "I just meant I won't be sad about it when it comes, not that I want to force it to happen sooner than it has to."

He smiled sweetly, and raised both her hands to his lips, kissing them in turn.

"I know, darling."

His phone buzzed against his thigh.

Lowering their hands to his lap, he tipped his head toward the entrance and said, "Edward will be here soon. He said he'd let me know when he left Bella's. Shall we return to say goodbye? Or would you prefer to sit a while longer?"

"No, I'm good now," she promised, allowing him to draw her to her feet as he stood. He and Edward had plans to hunt nearby before her family and friends arrived that afternoon.

They would be meeting at Port Angeles airport, where a small bus would collect them and take them to the nearby resort. They wouldn't mind that, she was sure. There was lots for them to catch up on with her parents and Shauna, who would be getting in at the same time, Carys' step-grandparents with them.

As they made their way, their joined hands swinging between them, to the entrance, Carlisle joked:

"I don't think I need Alice's powers to guess you'll be having blue steak and chips at the rehearsal dinner tonight."

Carys blushed. Why had he said that? It was such a strange thing to say, out of nowhere. Maybe they were making a habit of such things now.

"I can't," she said, sadly now that she realised she did want some after all. "Mum has this thing about it. If anyone orders it within a three table radius, it puts her right off her food."

"Ah. Well, maybe I'll bring back a nice bloody piece of deer to sear up for an afternoon snack."

She laughed, pushing up against his side. "You're rotten! I'm not a vampire quite yet, thank you very much!"

A/N: Don't mind me, just introducing some characters for later... I really loved writing this chapter. It just flowed out, just like the story used to back in the day. Really fun and super easy to write.

Thank you to: KkSsVv, BMBMDooDoo-Doo-Doo-Doo, chellekathrynnn, Guest (No, don't worry, in none of the ways I thought about him finding out has it ever crossed his mind. He trusts her completely, so he'd think the impossible must be true before he'd question the parentage!), Momochan77, NeonKat (Ahh! Thank you so much! :D), Shelly J88, Books-n-Harleys, Guest (Thank you!), KEZZ 1, Rosiekay, BubblyYork, Guest (*unzips lips* well one of them is going to find out very soon... (yes, that's purposefully cryptic) *zips lips*), Jane (Thank you so so so much!), and seconddragon for your reviews!