Author's Note: I was very amused by the mixed reactions on that last chapter. Seems we're split between a love of dominant, angry Edward and a preference to calm, friendly Edward. haha! Let's have some fluff after all that drama. I didn't forget about this story, I promise. Home has just been holding most of my attention lately. But here's an update for you!


EPOV

Bella slept peacefully in my arms once she was thoroughly sated to the point she couldn't stop yawning and could barely hold her eyes open. I held her until I was confident she would stay asleep, then took a quick shower out of respect for my family before going downstairs to apologize to them for my anger. Unsurprisingly, they were quick to forgive, understanding the absolute desperation of having their mate threatened in any way.

As she dreamed, I reflected on our evening together. I was certain my rage had scared her but she only responded with need for me. How did I ever get so lucky? Perhaps things were as she said and this was really the life she had chosen for herself. I couldn't wait to change her and keep her at my side forever.

My mind finally relaxed and drifted to the thoughts of her buying a wedding dress. For our wedding. I wondered what she had chosen but wouldn't dare sneak a peek in anyone's thoughts, though they assured me they hadn't seen it either. There were only weeks until the ceremony. Until I could keep her forever. Rogue vampires would no longer threaten her, especially at first with her having newborn strength. I would see that she knew how to take care of herself, though I would never expect her to.

I should have felt some guilt for the lives lost, but they were already lost the moment they were changed. None of them felt remorse or any desire to change their murderous ways. I wouldn't allow myself to feel bad about once again doing what was necessary to protect my mate. And I definitely didn't regret killing Victoria.

Bella rolled over a little and snuggled closer to me, her head moving from the pillow to my hard chest. I tried to gently encourage her back to the soft bedding, but she groaned a protest even in her sleep and wrapped her arm around me more tightly. I certainly wasn't going to fight it, so grateful to have her safely with me. Yet, I marveled as I always did at her love. She knew that my hands could murder, yet she didn't flinch when I touched her or removed her clothing. I had to kill yet again, but still she wanted me near her as she slept. She still trusted me not to harm her. Her love was the most beautiful thing in the world.

The clouds overhead moved aside, causing a beam of moonlight to filter through the window and hit the diamond charm resting on her chest. I smiled at the sparkles it cast across the bottom of her face. She was going to be a lovely vampire, not that I ever had any doubts about that. Though I hated to hurt the rest of her friends and family losing her so soon, I was more grateful than ever that only a short time remained until her change. I wasn't lying when I told her I was about to go crazy with the repeated threats to her safety. The part I kept to myself included the overwhelming desire to finish our usual mating process, to fully taste her blood, though I was still anxious that I would somehow mess up and kill her. I did the best I could to push those thoughts aside. She trusted me. I should trust me too.


When she awoke the next morning, smiling at me and curling up even closer despite the previous night's anxiety, I swore I could feel my dead heart beating in my chest. I ran my fingers through her hair, my other arm wrapped firmly around her small waist.

"I missed you while you were asleep."

"I hate that I still have to sleep."

"Enjoy it while you can. There isn't much longer now." I said, closing my eyes and enjoying the feelings of her humanity, the blood rushing through her veins, her warm breath and fast heartbeat.

"You're looking forward to it, aren't you?"

"Very much so. Especially after the events of the last few days. I worry that even that won't be enough to keep my little danger magnet away from trouble."

"I wasn't trying to find trouble. I swear."

"I know. I talked to the family last night. Naturally, Esme, Alice and Rosalie tried to take all of the blame. They love you, you know. But I told them it was really my fault. I should not have overreacted as I did. They never would have let harm come to you. They meant well."

"But we disobeyed you."

"Yes, but I'm just their brother and son. I'm not some overbearing rule maker. And you and I…we're equals. Although my demand was in hopes of guaranteeing your safety, I still regret the way I acted."

"You more than made up for it last night." she said, grinning and running her fingers along my jaw. "But you can do it again, if you'd like."

I growled before I could stop it, but as always, she wasn't afraid. "Do you ever need rest?" I asked, overjoyed, but incredulous.

"I just woke up." she insisted with a pout.

"And are you sure you're still human?"

"I need to use the restroom, so yes, unfortunately."

I laughed and helped her sit up, watching sadly as she walked into the other room and shut the door. I tried not to listen, focusing instead on what to make her for breakfast. As always, Esme was the perfect mother. She knocked softly on the door to the bedroom.

I almost told her to come in, but remembering the sound proofing I jumped up and threw on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt before opening the door. She laughed, though trying hard not to, the second she saw me.

"You look nice in pink, son. I brought Bella some breakfast."

I had accidentally grabbed Bella's discarded nightshirt from the floor. "Oops." I said, smiling shyly and running into the closet to change into one of my own. "I'm really glad it was you at the door and not one of my brothers."

"Me too, for your sake." she grinned, setting a tray of human food down on my nightstand. "I thought you two might like some privacy today. The family is home, but I hear humans enjoy breakfast in bed. You can come downstairs when you're ready. I called Bella's father on my way to the store and let him know she's spending the day with us. He actually asked if he could bring by some of her clothes and things this evening to spend the week with us."

"The whole week?" I asked, thrilled to not have to share her attentions in the evenings.

"Yes, it seems someone tried to break into her room last night-" I growled, but she continued. "Don't worry. We've already checked it out. She's safe." I saw Jacob Black in her thoughts.

"Tell me everything, please." It was hard to stay polite, but I could never be rude to Esme intentionally. Bella walked out of the bathroom just then and smiled at Esme.

"I brought you breakfast, dear."

"Thank you. It looks amazing!" Bella settled down to eat and Esme indicated I should sit beside her. I did. She knew how it calmed me.

"I called Charlie this morning and he asked if you could spend the week with us. He's going to bring you some clothes by this evening."

"Sounds amazing. Is everything OK?" Bella asked.

"Yes and no. Someone has been trying to break into your house, but I already sent Emmett and Jasper to check it out before we terrified poor Edward with the news. They smelled wolf, so naturally Carlisle called the Quileute elders. They weren't going to harm you. They wanted to sneak in unnoticed and make sure we hadn't bitten you yet, but one of the new wolves wasn't as careful as he should have been and left evidence around the door. We're going to let Charlie think it was a human to protect our secret."

"Oh. I'm not afraid of them. I told Jacob to stay away from me after he tried to kiss me."

"We heard about that. That does raise one thing we'll have to discuss though. Do you want to tell her Edward?" I hadn't considered the treaty, though I already knew we would have to move away when I changed Bella to avoid the suspicions of her friends and family.

"I will."

"Alright." Esme said, smiling at us and leaving the room. "Don't worry, Bella. We all want you to join our family, no matter what it takes. We don't mind."

Bella looked at me questioningly as she took a bite of a strawberry, the way her lips wrapped around it…

"Edward?"

I shook my head to try to clear my thoughts. "Sorry. We have a treaty with the Quileutes. They won't harm us and we won't harm them and we'll stay off each other's land. It's broken if one of us bites a human."

"You only drink animals though."

"I didn't say kill. Bite. I'll have to bite you to change you."

"Oh. Do you think they would come after us when we move?"

"No. They only care about protecting Forks and La Push. But we could never return to this area again one you're changed."

"Not even a hundred years from now?"

"No. It would be too dangerous."

"I was prepared for that." she said. "Though I hate to give up our meadow and our memories here."

"We won't be giving up the memories. I will always remember them in perfect clarity and I will tell you all about them even if you forget. I will miss our meadow though, although you're the reason it's magical." I hated to tear her away not just from her friends and family, but her home as well. The location we first fell in love. Our first kiss. But if I could keep her forever, the trade was more than fair. I would have given anything.

"It had no magic without you either." she agreed.

"Are you sad?"

"I'm alright. I didn't expect that we would ever be able to return in my lifetime. I hate to hurt my dad though. Does he have to know I'm dead right away?"

I had spent a lot of time thinking through scenarios for this, hating to disappoint her with the news that we would have to fake her death almost immediately to avoid suspicions over her changed appearance. Perhaps it was the optimism she brought to my life, or maybe it was the amount of time I spent daydreaming of our future together, but I was willing to take a small risk. A compromise. "I don't see any reason why you can't email your friends and family for at least a few years. We can practice making your voice sound less different and call them on occasion. Would you be amenable to telling them we're traveling the world for a few years so they don't try to visit?"

"I would love that!" Her smile filled me with joy. This was something I could do for her and for her friends and family as well. "And when I'm safe to be around humans, could we actually travel a bit?"

"I would love that as well." I said, returning her grin and admiring her as she ate breakfast.

"They don't have to believe I'm dead. They just have to know that I'm happy." she said, almost as if convincing herself that it could really happen. "You put a lot of thought into this for me. Thank you."

"For me as well. It's one less thing I have to take away from you, at least for a while. It makes us both feel better."

"I get to spend the whole week with you." she said, this time deliberately wrapping her tongue around a large strawberry before taking a bite. The reddish pink liquid dripped down her chin, sending a jolt right to my groin and making her laugh at my changed expression.

"You're going to kill me."

"That's not part of our deal." She giggled as she buttered her toast. "But it sounds like fun."


After she finished eating, I dressed and carried the dishes downstairs to wash. I couldn't bear watching her dress without fear of pouncing her and never emerging from my room again, school be damned. She joined us in the family room a few minutes later.

"Thank you, Esme. As always, that was delicious."

"It's my pleasure, dear. I don't often get to do things to actually take care of my children. And someone has to eat these groceries."

"You must get so bored having to go grocery shopping all the time."

"It's the best way to get up to date on the latest town gossip. Not that human gossip thrills me much. Did you know that Mrs. Webber planted marigolds in her garden even though it's too early in the season? And that Mr. Cheney has been spending weekends out of town?"

"I don't exactly consider that essential knowledge." Bella said, shyly smiling at my mother.

"Me neither." Esme said with a laugh.

Bella settled in beside me on the couch and I happily wrapped and arm around her and kissed her hair. The feeling of her warmth against me was delightful. I could never get enough of her touch.

"We are going to watch a movie. Anyone care to join us?" Jasper asked from where he sat beside Alice.

"What kind of movie?" Emmett asked. "The kind with sexy ladies?"

"Define sexy." Jasper teased.

"You know, tall, curvy-" he paused as Rosalie walked in the house from the garden. "Blonde."

"Good answer. What kind of movies do you like Bella?"

"My tastes in movies would bore you all. I like the classics."

Jasper was trying hard to fight a smile so as not to make her uncomfortable, but it slipped through as a grin and a twinkle in his eyes. "Define classics."

"I really like mysteries and dramas from the 40s and 50s."

"And you think we would find those boring?"

"Most people do."

"How old do you think we are?" Emmett interrupted, laughing loudly. "Hell, some of us-" he shot a deliberate glare at Jasper "are older than a few of us put together. Did they even have books when you were born?"

"Hey, I'm not that old!" Jasper insisted, throwing a pillow at him. "Besides, if you want to talk about old, Edward isn't that much younger!"

"Hey now! I'm only one oh nine." I corrected. "That's a baby in vampire terms. Now, if you want to talk about Carlisle…."

"Kids!" Esme shouted, shaking her head. "Don't scare Bella acting like barbarians."

"You're just mad we insulted your husband." Emmett said.

"I didn't insult him. I said he's old. That's the truth."

"Yeah, way older than you!" Emmett added.

Esme smiled and looked at Bella. "This is what you get to put up with for eternity."

"I look forward to it." she said, and for once, I did as well.

"Hey Edward, did they even have these fancy motion pictures back in your day?" Jasper teased.

"Some, but not many. It certainly wasn't like it is now." I answered. Bella looked awed and baffled at the same time. "What is it, sweetheart?"

"The classics aren't classics to you all."

"Some are, but not in the same way. We remember them being modern. Some of them were terrible when they came out too and just got popular later. Carlisle and Jasper both can remember some of the very first movies being made, pictures being taken, the first automobiles."

"I forget how old you all are sometimes."

"Oh, we're all old now, huh? Is that how you want to start this week off?" Emmett asked, flexing his arms, and pretending to pop the bones in his hands.

"Hush, Emmett! We are old. And no one lays a hand on Bella." Esme said.

"You hear that, Eddie boy?" Emmett asked with a laugh. "No hands on Bella. That means no kissing, no snuggling, no se-"

"Too late!" Bella said, laughing and also choosing to throw a pillow at Emmett.

"Oh? That's what you want to do, huh?" he grabbed the pillow tightly and looked as if he wanted to throw it at her.

"No harming my human."

"I wouldn't hurt her."

"Yes, you would. You don't know your strength."

"With a pillow?"

"I forbid it."

"I forbid it." he mocked, sticking his tongue out and throwing the pillow at Jasper instead with such force that bits of cotton and fiber filling went flying everywhere, especially in his hair. Jasper laughed, Emmett laughed, but most importantly, Bella snorted laughing so hard and her joy was contagious.

Esme didn't even fuss about the mess, smiling in return. She fits right in. she thought to me. "How about Casablanca?"

"I like that one." Bella answered.

"It's one of my favorites." Esme agreed, looking for the DVD in our collection. "And why on Earth are the DVDs no longer alphabetized? This order is so random."

"No, it isn't." Emmett snickered.

"What? Oh. My. Word." she said, her eyes growing wide as the realized the first letter of each DVD spelled out vulgar words and phrases, such as 'fart' and 'boob.' "Emmett McCarty Cullen, you get up here and fix these this instant!"

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Who else would do this?" she said, rolling her eyes dramatically as she found the one she was looking for, put it in the player and went into the kitchen to make some popcorn for Bella.

"I hope you like chaos." I said, gesturing around me at Emmett rearranging DVDs at super speed and Jasper plucking feathers out of his hair.

"I love them." she said, leaning her head against me and snuggling closer. Everyone's thoughts were kind, unexpected to hear such simple honesty. Alice and Rosalie joined us for the movie, sitting on a couch across the room and spreading out huge stacks of fashion magazines around them.

"And I love you." I replied, kissing her forehead, and relaxing into her touch as she gently rubbed my back, light as a feather.

"I love you too." she answered as Emmett made fake gagging noises. "Shut up, Emmett."

"OK, now she's one of the family." he said, laughing again as he finished his work on the shelf and returned to his seat with a big grin. He could be crass, but he loved her too.