We never called Carlisle. How could we? Human once more, we were free to explore, free to be true lovers unfettered by fear. His body full of warmth and passion, rather than the hidden, brutal strength he once possessed. Our new physical compatibility was a distraction beyond all distractions and throughout the following morning, the concerns and implications of Edward's transformation fell to the strange, compelling demands of our bodies. The other times, his honeyed eyes were tightened with concentration as he reined in his strength and his anxiety. His body was light, cold, graceful, but always, always restrained.

No need for that now. We were free.

It wasn't until a body was found on the beach that the consequences of Edward's change confronted us once again.

We had grudgingly left the room to enjoy the beach for the first time in the sunlight. I jokingly told Edward that I wanted to see if he would tan now. He laughed, but I could see in his eyes that his mind was still far away from here. Having lost his frozen, statuesque face, it was harder for him to hide his emotions from me. I don't think he realized this yet, preoccupied as he was.

I was admiring Edward's features as we walked, hand in hand, under the midday sun. I thought I would miss his golden eyes, but his emerald ones were just as breathtaking. And in them, I could see him, my Edward. Even as a human, he was painfully handsome and that smile of his that I always loved was firmly a part of his human face, not a glamour from being a vampire. These two features, his eyes and his smile, were the anchors that kept my Edward in place for me. His other features, his body, they had been altered in his fall back to humanity. I could see the connection, how one set of features became the other, but it was like seeing the features of a father in his son. They were there, but uniquely different, a mix of both the father and the mother. In Edward's case, as a vampire, his features were a mix of what I now saw and the deadly beauty of the vampire.

I felt that hunger for him again as we walked. The hunger that blotted out all reason. Why hadn't we called Carlisle yet? Oh, that's right. His perfect green eyes….

He stopped and those perfect eyes widened.

By the time we reached the beach, it had already become a crime scene. An 18 year old girl had been brutally murdered, someone in the lingering crowd had told us. Parts of her body were missing. I didn't have the stomach to ask which.

"Bella, I'm not much in the mood for the beach anymore. Let's head back." And we did, because, honestly, I didn't want to be at the beach, either. We put the television on, waiting to see the news and if the incident today had made it on. Edward's face was twisted in concentration, his head resting gently in his hands. He seemed tired.

"Do you want to get some rest?" He gave a humorless smile.

"I forgot that I would need to." I guess I would have to just dive right in and ask him.

"Edward, are you upset that you're human?"

"I haven't even had time to really process that. I'm more worried about the girl on the beach.

"Why?" What could be more important then this inexplicable change he'd been through?

"I think it was a vampire." Crap….

"Edward, what vampire in his right mind would come here to a tropical island?" He stared at me for a moment. "You had a good reason!"

"That's part of what's bothering me. Is it just a coincidence that I am freshly human and a very thirsty vampire shows up here?" He didn't wait for my response, not that I had any kind of defense for that. He turned up the volume on the television as news of the slain girl was broadcast.

"Isabella Swan, 18, was last seen at the Tiki Bar and Grill late last night before her body was found on the beach early this morning."

Whoa.