My body hit the ground with a very loud thud. I closed my eyes against the impact and then opened them very quickly, trying to figure out who had just brought me to the ground and was powerful enough to keep me from their mind completely.

Solid gold eyes stared back at me with a smirk.

I tried to sit up but Bella held me down to the forest floor, a teasing smile on her perfect lips.

"Isabella Marie that was not funny," I told her. It really wasn't. I had thought the worst. I had assumed she was hurt, taken, dead. And then I had thought that someone was waiting for me as well, someone with enough will and power to keep me from hearing their thoughts. The logical thought would have been that I could smell Bella and I couldn't hear her mind so of course it was her. But I was in such a panic I didn't put two and two together.

Bella laughed and it was the most wonderful sound in the world. How long had it been since I had heard her laugh? Too long.

"To the contrary, Edward, I think that was rather entertaining," she replied, still keeping me flat on my back.

"Do you have any idea what I thought when I couldn't find you?" I asked. Her eyes softened from mischievous to apologetic. She realized that I had feared the worst. As she opened her mouth to apologize she also loosened her hold on me. I took the opportunity to flip her so she was the one trapped on the ground.

In the split second it took for her to realize what I had done she growled and then laughed again.

"What was quite unfair," she protested, trying to wiggle out from under me. I did not budge. She tried to contort her face into a look of exasperated frustration but she couldn't help but smile. Her eyes were almost glowing with intense joy.

"Will you get off me now?" she asked, her eyebrows rose in amusement.

"No, I don't think I will," I said. I leaned down and touched my lips to the line of her jaw. I lowered my mouth to her neck, touching the place her pulse used to race gently. Her fingers tightened around mine as I kissed her collarbone. She squeaked and wriggled, trying to escape.

"I give up! This is pure torture! What do you want, Edward?" she cried, mock pain in her lovely voice. I raised my face so it was directly above hers. I lingered there for a long moment, taking in every detail of her features, admiring for the hundred thousandth time how exquisite she was.

"A kiss," I replied softly. She smiled gently, the mischief gone from her expression. She raised her face off the ground for a moment, touching her lips to mine in a tender loving gesture. She sighed as I moved my hands from hers to hold her face between them lightly. Without warning she placed her hands on my chest and pushed so I was off of her. I blinked in shock and then she grinned at me, already on her feet.

Then she took off running. Well perhaps she did not know, but no one was faster than me. So I was on my feet a moment later, chasing after her. She laughed as she wove between the trees, avoiding them with ease. She did not get very far before I caught up with her. This time I tackled her to the ground. We skidded a few feet before coming to a complete stop. We accidentally knocked over a small tree on our slide across the ground. Bella was laughing as I pinned her to the forest floor.

I sat astride her, holding her wrists down to the ground.

"Did you really think you would get away from me?" I asked her, an eyebrow arched. Her smile widened.

"I thought you enjoyed the chase?" she asked back. I smirked and leaned down to cover her face with kisses. This time she simply gave in, relaxing as I held her, showered her with affectionate kisses, tried to demonstrate exactly how much I loved her, worshiped her very being.

"Enough," she finally panted, trying to push herself upright.

"Remember what happened last time you tried to do that?" I inquired, my lips at her ear. She growled playfully but remained still until I sat up. She sat up as well and giggled.

"What are you laughing about?"

"Well usually the guy doesn't sit on the girl's lap," she pointed out. I was still sitting on her. In the next second I switched our positions, pulling her onto my lap, surrounding her with my arms. She gently pushed me back, resigning me to the position she had occupied not to long ago.

I lay back, my hands behind my head, waiting for her to move. She simply sat there for a while. She looked at me, her eyes full of affection. Finally she leaned herself down and rested her face in the crook of my neck. She sighed.

"Do I still smell good?" she asked, her words mildly muffled because her lips were against my skin. I quivered as she pressed them very gently to my neck for a single kiss.

"You smell wonderful, just like always. I don't want to drink your blood now, but that doesn't change how enticing your scent is," I told her. She nuzzled closer to me and inhaled.

"Did I ever tell you how good you smelled to me? Even as a human it was sweet and intoxicating. When you very close to me it was hard to concentrate, let alone actually have a thought process," she admitted.

"I think I know the feeling," I said, amusement coating my voice. She laughed softly and I could feel the vibrations of her body as she lay atop me.

"What about when my family first got to Volterra? You were trying to make me forget what I was saying," I told her. She said she didn't remember doing anything of the sort. Her human memories were fading. Some things still stuck out to her, like my scent, but the other things were vanishing fast. It made me a little sad to realize that the moments that we fell in love with each other were leaving her. Obviously she knew whom I was when she awoke. She realized that she knew who I was and that she loved me. But did she remember the first time she saw me? Did she recall the first few days we spent together when I fell so hard and so fast I didn't even know what was happening?

So I told her about the incident where she slipped her hand up my shirt to try and distract me on purpose. She laughed and admitted it was something she would have found amusing. Some things never changed.

"What do you remember about your human life Bella?" I asked her.

"I remember my mother. Her name was Renee. I don't remember her well but there is a…vague outline of her in my memory, like seeing someone in a dream. And I remember where I used to live in the scorching heat and endless brown of the desert. And I remember you," she admitted. She sat up and I with her.

"What of me?" I asked. I was curious.

"I think because you were one of the…last things that happened in my human life I have the clearest memories of you. I remember the first time you held me. I was crying so hard and I don't even recall why, but…you were there with your arms firmly around me. I remember I didn't understand why you were trying to comfort me. The whole day I had been frantic with fear, trying to keep calm. And then seeing you absolutely broke me. And then you put me to bed. I remember sleeping.

"And then things get a little blurry for a while. I know I met your family shortly thereafter. I know you tried to convince Aro to let us both go. The next real memory I have is of being in the hall. It was…you were on the ground in agony. I could see it on your face. You weren't screaming out loud but it was like I could hear it in my head. I wanted to help you but…I couldn't.

"After that I don't remember anything until I woke up from the change. I knew though, right when I saw you, who you were. Everything was so fuzzy and out of focus but as soon as my eyes opened I felt this…swell in my chest. I knew I loved you. It was like getting to fall in love all over again."

Her eyes were staring off into the forest, watching the movement of a tree in the wind or a bird in the air. I turned her face to mine, wanting to look into her face fully. She reluctantly met my eyes, as though she was embarrassed by her confession.

"Why are you acting so shy?" I inquired. This was not the Bella of the moments before.

"Its…embarrassing. I remember so little of the first seventeen years of my life. But you I remember clearly. I can't recall if I had any pets, if I got along with my parents, the location of my home, if I had friends or not, if I enjoyed my life…but I remember you. Not that I am complaining about that, its just…I wished I knew more about myself," she said softly.

"Would you like me to tell you what you were like?" I asked her. Her face brightened. She nodded vigorously.

I told her a myriad of things, both those she had recounted to me and my own thoughts about her. I explained how she came to be in Volterra, why I had come to be in charge of her, our predicament and how all our efforts had finally left us here. I told her of the past she had explained to me. I explained the life she had shared with me, the memories she had mentioned.

"So in summation, you did not have any pets, you got along with your mother but you hardly ever saw your father, you lived in Arizona, you had some friends but none you thought you would stay in touch with in college, and you very much enjoyed your life. That was why I was so reluctant to change you. I didn't want you to miss out on anything. But I came to realize that whether I changed you or not you would miss out on things. It was either be a vampire or be cooped up in Volterra as a human in constant danger."

She nodded, biting her lower lip. Apparently, human or vampire, she kept her habits. I leaned forward and kissed her, gently taking her lip in my teeth instead. She gasped and pulled away in shock.

"You bit me!" she accused. I shrugged.

"Habit," I replied. She opened her mouth as though she was planning on protesting and then just sent a playful glare my way.

"What time is it?" she asked lazily. I took my cell phone out of my pocket, amazed she had not broken it when she tackled me. The screen was cracked but it still read out three o'clock. Our flight left in three hours.

"Time for us to go," I said as I brought myself to a standing position, bringing Bella along as well. She began to brush herself off but I realized that after much rolling around on the forest floor and then skidding across the ground we were both filthy. There was dirt all over her clothes, staining them. I could tell from the way she laughed at me when she turned to look at me that I was similarly covered in soil. She reached out her hands and brushed some dirt and pine needles from my hair with a smile.

"I think perhaps we board our flight this evening we should get some clothing that has not seen a forest floor," I said as we began to depart from the shelter of the trees.

"Edward, I hate shopping," she informed me. I looked over to her.

"Is that even possible? I thought all women loved to shop," I mused. She shook her head.

"Not this one."

"Alice will be disappointed. She was probably intending for you to be her new shopping partner."

Bella shuddered in mock disgust and I laughed at her.

"Don't worry, dearest Bella, I wont make you shop much. We just need clean clothes. I am sure buying a pair of pants and a shirt is not too much shopping, right?" I asked. Her face twisted.

"Why, miss Bella, are you afraid of going shopping?" I challenged. I knew I was pushing her buttons. Her worried expression suddenly turned into one of confrontation.

"I know you did not just imply I am afraid of something," she stated, her tone one of warning.

"Well I am just saying…"

"Continue just saying and you will be flat on your back again, mister," she replied before I could elaborate. I grinned wickedly.

"Is that a promise?" I asked. She looked over to me in horror.

"Now is not the time!" she said as we drew near the edge of the forest. We were bordering on a town and already I could smell the humans, hear their thoughts and voices. I was only joking around with her, but I enjoyed the look of pure shock on her face because she thought I was seriously propositioning her.

"And why not?" I asked, trying to be as serious as I could. I wouldn't consider myself a sexual deviant—how could I after only just being with someone the night before?—but this was amusing. She honestly believed I wanted to make love to her here and now. Not that if she had offered I would not have taken advantage of her suggestion, but certainly not here. What kind of man did she think I was?

"There are people here, Edward. Lots of people. And we are outside. I don't know about you but I am all for keeping it in a bedroom, thank you very much," she stated. She looked so shocked and humiliated. This was a moment she would have blushed if she could. I lowered my lips to her ear, touching them gently to the hollow just below it. She shuddered.

"Stop it," she whispered, swatting me away. I laughed.

"Oh Bella, I was only kidding. I'm not some sexual deviant you know," I said, beginning to walk again. She walked along with me and I heard her sigh in relief. I laughed again.

"You sounded so serious!" she claimed, as though defending herself. I sighed and kissed the top of her head. We walked into town hand in hand, trying to ignore the strange looks and thoughts that we got as we passed by, covered in dirt and looking thoroughly disheveled. Some of the people thought we had been doing what I joked about doing and that only made me chuckle.

We got to an expensive boutique where we purchased new clothes for the plane ride home. When we got back, no matter how much Bella might protest, Alice would insist on buying her a whole wardrobe. Which of course she needed, but she would not like it regardless.

I rented a car to drive us to the airport. I couldn't help it; I rented a very nice and expensive car. I had a love of driving fast, in very fast cars. It was a universal love, it seemed, in my family. We used to race all the time.

The car was a Lamborghini. Bella took one look at it and laughed. She muttered something about compensating and then got in without a fight. I scowled as her as I slid in the driver's side.

"Oh you know I am just joking," she said teasingly. We sped down the countryside and through the towns and cities that led to the airport. I was having someone pick up the car there because obviously I could not drive it back myself. I did not go below ninety miles an hour through most of the trip, only slowing down twice when the police were nearby.

"You are lucky that if we get in an accident I could just walk away." Bella said as she looked out the window at the world rushing by.

"Why is that?" I inquired, looking over to her.

"Because if I were human I would probably have had at least one heart attack by now. Would you please look at the road?" she begged. I turned my attention from her lovely face—as hard as it was—and concentrated on driving. I felt her put her tiny hand over mind and I flipped my palm, twining my fingers into hers. She sighed and leaned back against the seat.

The normally two hour drive took an hour and ten minutes. By the time we got to the airport the person who was supposed to be there to pick the car up had not even arrived. I let one of the curbside attendants take the car and told them that someone would be here for it shortly. I slipped him twenty Euros for his troubles and then went into the large airport.

After checking in and waiting in the terminal for a little over a half an hour we finally got aboard the plane.

"These are occasions when I wish I could sleep," I told her. She shrugged.

"We'll just watch the movies," she suggested. We did just that. The movie was moderately entertaining. After that they turned off the TVs and most people shut off their lights to get some sleep. Bella pulled up the little armrest that separated our seats and unbuckled her seat belt. She snuggled against my side sighed.

"Pretend to sleep with me," she whispered. I looked over to her head on my shoulder and she had her eyes closed. I reclined my seat the whole inch and a half it allowed and she did the same. I rested my head on top of hers and closed my eyes along with her, feigning something I had not had in over a century. But it was nice to pretend, even just for this little while, that I was human. She always brought that out in me, even if she didn't know she did it.

Instead I concentrated on people's dreams. Humans had no idea how strange their dreams were. Even if they remembered them it was in a haze. But listening in to them was hardly ever a boring experience. One man dreamt of a dinner party with his in-laws where a large penguin ate all the food and attacked his mother-in-law. He was horrified. I could feel Bella trying to suppress laughter beside me as I did the same.

When we finally landed Bella and I did our best impression of someone waking up. She stretched as though she was stiff from sleeping in such a strange position and I faked a yawn. She did look cute, trying to be human. She was far too amazing to simply be mortal. Not that she wasn't extraordinary as a human, because she most certainly was, but now…her perfection was accentuated in a myriad of ways.

We stepped off the plane and into the dreary London airport. The sky was a dreary and gray as I remembered it being on my last trip here.

As we exited the airport I was about to call Alice to get the address of the house when I realized Bella already knew it. She had been living here for quite some time. She hailed a cab with expertise and we got in, Bella giving the driver directions. As we drove my stomach knotted. I was so close to home. I was so close to the life I had wanted from the moment I realized exactly what Bella meant to me.

I just couldn't shake the feeling that we were not about to get the happy ending I wanted so badly.

So a few things here.

The first: I know this chapter was more or less, pure fluff. I understand. Perhaps you were looking for more plot. But I feel as though Bella and Edward needed a break from crazy plot twists and just needed some time to be happy.

The second: sometimes I get reviews like; well I hope you aren't getting sick of my reviewing…DON'T EVER THINK THAT! There are a handful of you that review more or less every chapter, and strange as it might seem, I love those reviews. Because its like, oh I know you like this last one, or how you reacted. Feel free to inundate me with reviews if you feel like you want to. :)

The third: I am desperate for this not to end! I love this story; it may very well be my favorite story I have written. But I feel it drawing to a close… to which I say NO WAIT! I have some ideas of how I could keep it going, some drama to introduce to the mix. If you are having a thought like, well hey THIS could totally happen! Feel free to send me a message/review with such an idea; I would be delighted to hear…er…see them.

Thanks so much as always.