For the second time in my life, I found myself in city hall for a wedding.

With so much money spent on the move, Renee and Phil decided the simpler their wedding was, the better. No beaches in Mexico, no skydiving, no faraway or crazy destination wedding. Just the two of them.

It made me smile. Maybe Renee and I were more alike than I thought.

Though the room for the ceremony was plain, it was packed with all the new friends they'd made in Arizona. I held the bouquet and stood behind my mom as her maid of honor. By the end, there were tears in my eyes. I was happy that she was happy. After years of standing by my side, I was finally able to stand by hers.

I couldn't stay the night, though. I spent a long weekend helping them prepare for the wedding, but I had to fly back to Forks tonight. I danced with each of them at the reception, then kissed them both goodbye.

They stood and waved as the cab pulled away. I waved back, smiling through the tears. A sudden feeling of finality struck me, and I wondered if this might be the last time we were all together for a long time.

I was relieved they had each other. I wasn't needed anymore.

I found a sleepy Charlie waiting for me in the Port Angeles airport.

Edward was with me the next morning. Charlie had to work, but from the note Edward found in the kitchen, he had graciously called me out of school. It was only my second absence in Forks so far. It was practically a miracle that I went this far without time travel.

Despite my happiness, I was still worried. Call it intuition or gut instinct, but I was sure something terrible was coming. Some darkness creeping on the horizon. It always felt like for every long period of sun and joy, there was a storm approaching to wash it all away.

Only Jasper agreed with me. That might have been because he sensed my emotions. Whenever I managed a Charlie-approved "sleepover with Alice" at the Cullen house, Jasper would knock on the door of Edward's room in the middle of the night, feeling my nightmares along with me. The two of us didn't sit easy, but we were the only ones. Everyone else took the absence of time travel as a good thing. I felt paranoid to think this way, but my gut had never failed me before.

When the weather warmed, I finally went down to First Beach with the other kids. None of the Cullens were invited or even allowed. The treaty they made so many years ago forbade them from entering those lands. But with Angela, Ben, and Mike, I didn't feel lonely. I even saw Jacob Black. He sat with us at the bonfire and introduced me to his friends from the reservation.

Everything seemed perfect.

But as it turned out, my intuition was right.

"I'm really unprepared for this midterm," Angela was saying as we filled up our trays at lunch one day. "Why do I need Biology if I want to be a history teacher?"

"Beats me," I shrugged, reaching for an apple. "Maybe we can study together."

"I'd like that," she grinned. "Maybe we can scrape a B."

I nodded approvingly. "B's get degrees."

We were turning to head back to the table when I paused. A shiver went down my spine.

It was probably the worst place to time travel. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable, but it never came. It was a completely different feeling. I thought I might have been moving, but frozen at the same time. Every noise around me had become a high, buzzing sound. Like static. The only sound that I could distinguish from the static was my tray crashing to floor.

Suddenly Angela was leaning over me, but her face was blurred. A familiar voice cut through the buzzing. It was my name. It was Edward.

The buzzing began to soften into pitches and voices. I turned my head and realized I was exhausted. My whole body was quivering like electricity was going through the veins. It felt like time was dragging me backward, but I was stuck to the floor.

"Human bodies aren't supposed to behave this way. Isn't it obvious? We all shut down someday. It just comes faster for us."

All the faces above me sharpened almost painfully. I was lying on the floor of the school cafeteria. The apple was still clutched tight in my right hand, but there were little half-moons in the red skin. My fingernails, I thought absently.

"She's coming around."

I tried to ask what happened, but my tongue didn't seem to get the message. I turned my head helplessly toward Edward, but he was arguing with someone. I recognized the reedy pitch of Mr. Banner.

"Mr. Cullen, the ambulance will be here any minute—"

"The ambulance will take too long," Edward snarled.

A few people near him edged away. He let the vampire peer out for a moment, I knew. The iciness in his tone scared even me.

Then he was cradling me to his chest. In moments we were in the Volvo with Rosalie speeding toward the hospital.

"It's called a grand mal seizure," Carlisle was saying, my chart pressed to his chest. "Does your family have a history of seizures or epilepsy, Charlie?"

Charlie shifted uncomfortably. He didn't know that the Cullens knew about my condition, and I could see the gears turning in his head. For his sake, I tried to look anxious. Considering what I just learned, it wasn't all that difficult.

"No," he said after a moment. "Nothing like that on my side." "And her mother? Renee?"

Charlie nodded hastily. "I'll call and ask her."

I watched Carlisle follow my dad out of the room and close the door behind them. Edward immediately took Charlie's vacated spot next to the bed and gripped my hand.

"Oh Bella," he whispered. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," I said honestly. I let my eyes fall to his wedding ring, thumbing over the cold band. "I'm tired of this stuff. Time travel. That's what caused this, you know."

When he said nothing, I continued, "Remember what Elliot said? We don't live long. This is it, Edward."

"It isn't," he murmured, but he looked stricken. I knew we both were wondering if another episode like this would occur. The fainting spells grew to be frequent events. I cursed my past self for not interrogating Elliot further. He might have known this was coming.

Maybe that's why he was ready, I thought, remembering his weariness in the diner. He was tired of suffering. I had called him pathetic, but he wasn't pathetic. Elliot had been tired of these kind of disruptions. He just wanted everything to end.

My voice quavered. "We tried to be normal, and this happened. I knew it. And you know it, too."

I had gone over two months without a trip through time. It was completely against what I knew in the past decade of travel. A complete reversal of what happened after Denali. First, it was too many trips at once. My body reacted painfully, and the time travel stopped for what we thought was indefinitely. But now my body was reacting to the lack of time travel. There was no middle ground.

I envisioned future seizures, every one worse than before. Daily episodes and attacks until my brain and body just gave up. I could almost hear the flatline now.

"It's because of your condition," he murmured. "Not us—not the life we're trying to lead. We didn't cause this."

"Something did," I whispered. "And I'm done."

Eventually, he agreed with me. A new sword hung over us now, but it wasn't Victoria or the Volturi. It was my own human body. I imagined a ticking clock hiding in my ribcage.

Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Time was running out.

"Wouldn't you rather die quickly? I'm thankful."

I spent the night and most of the next day in the hospital. Charlie doted on me, bringing fast food and magazines and all the good stuff. We watched the morning shows together and fell asleep during General Hospital. It was the most time we spent together since I got to Forks.

My dad went home briefly to change clothes, then came back that evening to take me home. I called Renee while he was gone. Charlie had already filled her in, but she still cried a little over the phone. I was glad Phil was there with her; I didn't have to worry about her.

Edward stayed away until he was sure Charlie was asleep. It was late, but I knew my dad was trying to be as available as he could for me. I hated that he was worried. I hated what we were planning to do.

When his snores found a steady rhythm, Edward appeared in my room. We drove to the Cullen house in silence. Later that night, the eight of us came up with a plan of action. My heart was breaking for my parents already, knowing the pain we were about to cause them.

"Our last night of normalcy," I said softly when we returned to my room at three. "Kiss me."

He did.

We waited two weeks to act. I went back to school and tried to ignore the fresh staring. It felt like everyone was waiting for a new episode. I thought they might have caused one if Edward wasn't with me all the time.

Two weeks after the seizure, I stood with my arms folded, watching Emmett and Rosalie push my Chevy onto the shoulder of the road. To the people who found it in the rain that night, it would appear that I had another seizure and lost control of the truck. The storm would have washed away tire tracks and footprints. Finally, with the river just below the shoulder of the road, it would look like I landed in the water.

They would never find my body.

From that day on, I was confined to the Cullen house. I knew Charlie was frantically organizing divers and search parties . . . all for nothing. It was the most selfish thing I had ever done, and I loathed the entire production of it. But I had to make a choice. I didn't want to live this kind of life anymore.

Esme stayed at the house with me while the others joined the search parties. She held my hand while I cried. I thought she might have cried too if she could. She knew both sides of this tragedy, from being the parent of a lost child to the trials the human body endured.

Edward had to look the part of the concerned boyfriend. I asked him if it was difficult to lie like that, knowing that I was actually safe.

"Those ten years without you gave me a lot of practice," he answered grimly.

I couldn't take hurting Charlie like this. In a moment of weakness one night, I tiptoed from the living room to the front door. It was after nine and already dark.

I only made it halfway down the drive when Esme appeared in front of me. She looked disapproving.

"Bella, where are you going?"

"I just want to check on my dad," I begged. "Just a peek."

"I don't think that's a good idea—"

"Please," I insisted. "Just one look. This is the last time I'll ever see him."

"All right," she said reluctantly. "But don't tell my son. He'll be upset."

"I won't."

She ran to my house with me on her back, then let me off gently at the back door. When she confirmed he was sleeping, I snuck in.

Charlie was stretched across the sofa. Takeout containers and maps lined the coffee table. The television was on mute.

My eyes filled with tears. He looked so old on the couch. New worry lines had appeared on his forehead, along streaks of gray in his dark hair. I pulled the blanket over him and kissed his forehead.

"Goodbye, Dad," I whispered. "I love you."

"They'll never stop," I said sadly as Forks grew smaller in the mirror. "My parents, I mean. They won't find my body, but they'll always assume I'm in time. Lost but coming back."

"Maybe . . . in twenty years or so . . . you can go back. Just so they know you're all right."

Twenty years from now my parents would be in their sixties. It seemed so cruel. I was knowingly keeping them in the dark. Running away from them.

But to protect them, I argued with myself. Even if I survived more seizures, they'd never be safe. Edward found a small, two room cabin for my transformation.

It was the only shelter for miles. As we ran, I was uncomfortably reminded of landing in the woods near Denali. I nearly died out there. But tonight . . . tonight I actually would.

It was an odd thing to plan my last night on earth.

Carlisle and Esme were hunting to give us some privacy, while the rest of the family went north to Tanya and her coven. In three days, I would be as fast as any of them.

Edward bought food for me, but I wasn't hungry. The sadness over leaving my parents and the fear of what came next made me quiet. Edgy. I knew I had wanted this for so long, but the immediate losses were still fresh on my mind.

"Will it look different after my change?"

We were sitting on the roof of the cabin to watch the sunset. Some of the trees were still capped with snow, and when the rays hit them, they turned gold.

"Very," Edward said, taking my hand. "Your eyes will be sharper. More defined."

"Will I look different?"

"Yes," he hesitated, watching me absorb the information. "Yes and no."

"And you'll help me?" I whispered. "Help me remember who I am?"

"I'll do nothing else," he vowed, kissing my hand.

An hour later, I sat trembling on the cot. Edward was preparing a large needle with the morphine. When Emmett was changed, they attempted to inject morphine to dull the venom. They thought it would help me withstand the pain.

"I'll be right here," he told me when everything was ready.

"I love you."

I felt his teeth pierce my neck, and then everything went dark.

Edward warned me that my memories would become hazy, but during my transformation, I saw so many of them. They played through my mind like a movie reel.

Our first kiss, the first time we made love, our perfectly simple wedding. When we first laid eyes on each other again in Forks. Darker thoughts wove in between these images, too—James and his coven, Elliot's bitter smile, Jerry on the bus, time traveling at warp speed.

Fire coiled around my bones, charring me inside out. I would take freezing to death in Alaska over this any day. Seizing for three days. Time traveling every other minute. All were less painful—and more desirable—than this agony. The only thing I was aware of was Edward's arm around my waist. He was humming—humming a lullaby.

The morphine and my own stubbornness kept me immobile.

I knew I was as still as a stone on the cot. No whisper of the suffering escaped me. It was all I could do for him. I couldn't make any promises for when the morphine ran its course.

The only indication of time passing was Edward breathing. He never had to, of course, but I think after so many years of playing human, it came naturally to him. I counted each breath, yearning for this to be over. Praying for an end to the flames.

Gradually, though, the burning began to fade away. I could hear things beyond the cabin walls. Every sense was growing stronger. I could even smell Edward beside me, a lovely mixture of sunshine and honey. Dimly, I recalled loving the smell of him as a human. My poor senses back then had nothing on this.

The fire was going out, inch by inch. Only my throat seemed to stay hot. We could both hear my heartbeat picking up speed. This was it—the last part.

I heard myself gasp at the surge of heat. White hot fingers were squeezing my heart, forcing it to be stop. With a final, shuddering beat, it went still.

Edward's hand smoothed down my cheek. The sensation was completely different than before. With a start, I realized our skin was now the same temperature. I gasped again.

"Bella, love? Can you hear me?"

Even his voice was amazing. Melodious. He was right when he said everything would be more defined. There was even a faint cadence of his accent that I never picked up before.

I opened my eyes to meet his own. They were an old gold, a middling color between yellow and black. They searched mine cautiously. I started at the strange new timbre of my voice.

"Is it over?"

"Yes," Edward said softly. "How do you feel?"

"Thirsty," I breathed, rising to my feet. It took less than a second. I looked down at him in the cot and immediately leapt on top of him.

"Oh," he grunted in surprise, catching me around the waist. An amused smile grew on his face at my look of horror.

"Oh, Edward, I'm sorry!"

"I'm fine," he assured me, steadying us both. I stood quietly, listening to the harmony between our voices. High and low. Chiming bells. "You're just a little stronger than me now."

My hand rose to touch my throat. I was parched, but a part of me still longed to stay in this bed with him. "Later, then."

"Later," he grinned.

I remembered wanting to see Edward hunt. As a human, it was such an odd image for me to think about. Now I was finally getting my wish.

I stood watching as he took down a frightened stag. I was supposed to be watching for technique, but I caught myself watching the strain of muscles through his shirt. The way his eyes went flat with thirst. I studied the red stripe of blood on his lips and shuddered.

I couldn't decide what I wanted more—him, or the blood.

"Bella, were you even paying attention?"

"Yes?"

"To the stag?" he asked, exasperated. A flash of humor darted across his face.

"Oh . . . no. Not really."

"An instinct learner, then," Edward decided, coming to stand in front of me. I found myself distracted again as he turned my body away from him and instructed me to close my eyes.

"What do you hear?"

"Everything," I murmured. It was true. Outside of the cabin, everything was magnified tenfold. I could hear the heartbeats of the birds flying above us, the whisper of the wind on our skin, even the bristle of tree branches knocking together. Then, in the distance, I heard a low growl.

I shot off like a rocket, chasing after the noise. It had a wonderful scent, too. Heady and deep. I felt myself coil into a spring and jump for the mountain lion. He shrieked angrily and struggled. We landed on the forest floor together, a snarling mess of marble and fur.

I finally understood what Edward meant. My thoughts and emotions funneled into one need—quenching my thirst. I closed my jaws around his neck and felt the blood slide down my throat. A moan rumbled through me. It was just what I needed.

The burning faded slightly as I drained the cat dry. I shoved away from it and wiped my mouth. Still thirsty.

"Hmm," Edward said in a thoughtful tone. I looked up. He was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. I had never seen him so relaxed. And so . . . hungry. I fought back a shiver.

"I thought it would be more difficult for me to watch you hunt, but . . . it's not. I suppose you've been protecting yourself for a long time."

Oh. My powers. I hadn't given much thought to time travel since my change was complete. I wiggled my fingers but nothing happened. Hmm.

"I finally see why Emmett enjoys hunting with Rosalie so much," he continued, shrugging off from the tree. He reached out to touch my face; it was smeared with lion's blood. The urge to jump him was almost impossible to ignore.

He appeared to sense my desire. I could smell it on him. There was an electricity in the air between us, crackling and surging. I desperately wanted to tear his clothes off this instant, but my throat flared up in rebellion. The thirst ruled all, it seemed.

"Come on," Edward sighed, holding out his hand. "We have an eternity for love."

I avoided his hand and ran for the nearest slope. I flashed him a cocky grin over my shoulder. "If you can keep up, Cullen. You've got some new competition for speed."

"You're on, Cullen."

Carlisle and Esme found us later. They were happy to see me. I made a face when Esme opened her arms for a hug, afraid to ruin her crisp white shirt. She tutted and hugged me anyway.

"You're dazzling," she beamed, kissing my brow.

"Immortality suits you," Carlisle added, hugging me as well. "And the transformation? How did everything go?"

"Exactly to plan," Edward grinned, his hand pressed to my back. If I was still a human, I would have slouched.

"I don't remember much of it," I lied, working to maintain a poker face. "After the bite, everything was dark . . . it was almost like being underwater."

"Fascinating," Carlisle exclaimed. "If the need should ever arise again, morphine seems to be the best option."

I'd have to find a moment alone with him. To tell him the truth. Edward would die if he knew I suffered in silence the entire time. He hated to see me pain . . . but I wouldn't put another person through that. Rosalie once said it did no good to scream, but I probably would have appreciated the release.

"How are things in Denali?"

"Everyone is settled in nicely," Esme smiled, but then it faded. "Only . . . it appears Irina has left them."

"Why?" I asked in surprise. From my dim human memory, the blonde Denali women were inseparable. Sisters in practice if not by blood. She looked uncomfortable.

"Well, Irina . . . she never really approved . . . "

"Of me," I finished, frowning. "I never meant to break them up."

"You didn't," Carlisle assured me. "Irina has been feeling stifled for some time. Tanya tells me she's been meaning to become a nomad for years now."

Still, I didn't like that I served as the catalyst. They knew I was coming to them as a vampire. I felt the guilt pressing down on my shoulders. Not only had I torn my parents' lives apart, I was doing the same thing to the Denalis.

Carlisle and Esme took most of our bags with them. We decided to stay in the cabin for a few days to give me time to adjust. There was plenty of game . . . and privacy.

We stood listening to their running feet for ten minutes. Even my powerful senses couldn't track them after that, which meant we were truly alone.

The thought occurred to him a second before it did me. At once he was kissing me, parting my lips for his tongue. I moaned, pulling his entire body closer to me. I loved I was strong enough now. Now we could really love and not worry.

I heard him gasp when I pushed him back into the bed, the springs squealing in protest. His shirt tore instantly under my hands and I stared down at him greedily. Mine.

"Yes," he nodded, looking pleased. I hadn't realized I said it aloud.

"Mine," I repeated, straddling him. He kissed me, hard, our teeth knocking together. I heard my own clothes tearing and wrapped my arms around him.

Edward thrust into me with a growl, the muscles of his neck standing out. I pushed him into a horizontal position and started to move, slamming down on him with little fear of the consequences. He never complained, though. His eyes were wide with lust.

An eternity of this was all I wanted.

"Fuck," I hissed when I finished, digging my nails into his skin. He groaned, a long and low sound in his throat, pressing his face against my chest. He quickly started to nuzzle there, peppering my skin with kisses. I giggled.

"You sound like the lion."

Edward laughed. "That's better than a grizzly, I guess."

"Thank you," I told him when the laughter subsided. It was the only thing I could say to express the emotions surging through me. "Thank you for . . . for coming into my life. For everything."

"I believe you came into my life," he chuckled, skimming a finger along my lips. "Appearing out of thin air! I'll never forget it."

"Do you think I'll still travel?"

"I don't know," he confessed. "I hope not. But now . . . now at least you don't have to run. Or fight. You'll never die."

"We have an eternity for love," I repeated his words from the hunt. He smirked, flipped us over, then kissed me.

"I told them we'd need three more days. For hunting, of course."

More like fucking each other senseless. I flipped us back and pinned his arms over his head.

"Make it a week."

A/N: How about another Ameeeennn that they can get it on without consequences? Finally.

Thank you guys for sticking with me for this story. There's TWO more chapters left. (I'm in denial about this.) As always, thanks for reading, and I'll see you next week!