Chapter 19

Many Happy Returns

I am stunned. Every time I move my hand it catches the light and reflects it around the room. Engaged. I can't believe it. He wants to marry me. A part of me is overjoyed, but the realist keeps telling that part to shut up. He wants to marry me because it's written on who he is, because it's just the way things are done. We've gotten several things backward and mixed up, but he feels that marriage will set it straight. I've gone from fear, to attraction, to confusion, to denial, to love, and intimacy, and now he wants marriage.

He doesn't say he doesn't love me, instead he scoffs at love. He says it doesn't matter, but what really doesn't matter is the marriage I've agreed to. Nothing will change except that I will belong to him on paper. Still, it's worth agreeing to be his wife just to see him happy. I find that I can't deny him a thing, and that should scare me. But it doesn't. In some ways he's right; love is a trap, and I'm caught tight. I feel this almost desperate need to make him happy, like I can make up for fifteen hundred years of heartbreak.

But there are some rare glimpses of the man. Not the monster he's acquiesced to becoming, but the human side of him. It's in his golden eyes. I know he fed on animals to keep me from seeing his red gaze. Maybe it is to manipulate me, but that he is willing to go to that length for me gives me hope. It's in his childlike glee over my agreement to be his wife. This isn't just a convention for him no matter what he says, and I don't even think it's about possessing me. The simple fact is, I love him.

The flowers are starting to wilt, but they go unnoticed in the new arrangement of our room. The flat TV is sitting on his antique dresser and the DVD player is hidden inside a drawer. We sit in a loveseat he's moved in and watch movies until my eyes dry out.

I think he's addicted. I thought he would enjoy the historical dramas I chose, but they only made him angry. He shouted at the screen and pointed out every historical error and inaccuracy to the point that they are impossible to watch with him. Instead he is more of a guy than I ever would have thought. He loves Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, insisting that 'Bruce must be one of our kind,' and Jackie must have been taught by one. He loves movies where things blow up and men outrun or dodge bullets. Also the ones that have what he calls 'good lines.' He drives me nuts with "I'll be back!" from the Schwarzenegger movies. Every time he walks away from me he says it, and he sounds exactly like the governor. He loved all the Star Wars movies, and he is convinced that the writer must have had the Volturi in mind when he created Darth Vader. He does like personal stories of triumph like Breaking Away and Remember the Titans, but sad stories make him introspective and quiet.

When we're not watching movies we're exploring restaurants, shopping, and looking at tourist attractions. All this is for me of course; his way of trying to keep me interested and fill my too short life with memories. I keep trying to tell him it isn't necessary, but each day he has something planned to show me – some part of his adopted homeland. And of course he's insisting that I learn the language. He's a good teacher, but his hearing picks up every nuance of a word and he will insist I repeat something until it's perfect. I would tell him where to step off if he didn't show such delight when I get it right.

He's already having my wedding gown designed. I have no idea why, since a public affair would be pointless even if it were possible. We have set a date. It's October 16, when my gown will be finished and his chosen honeymoon destination will be at it's best. I tried to encourage him to go for Halloween, but he doesn't appreciate the humor of a vampire wedding on that date. It's hard for me to get excited about a wedding, since I'm really only going through it for him. Every time he suggests a detail for the wedding I simply smile and agree.

I've even seen him looking at wedding sites online though he insists they came up accidentally. I wanted to show him that I can go back and look at all the sites he's visited, but he already knows I know he was lying. Some of the things he wants to do for a wedding surprise me since he knows the historical significance of each tradition. I know I won't be wearing a veil on that date, since it indicates a virginity which is long gone, even though he was my first. I would be happy to just let things stay the way they are: No new language, no sightseeing, and no wedding. I guess I have no room to criticize him for refusing to change.

His own new wardrobe has arrived and it's almost heartbreaking for me to see him dressed so differently. He is so beautiful to me, and the custom cut of his clothes gets my attention every time I see him. His looks are not lost on other women either, and when we go out I have to fight hard not to become jealous over the looks and even the propositions he receives.

More than just his clothes have changed. Physically he's different from when I first saw him. His skin and eyes have changed most notably, but there's also a vitality to him that was missing before. I would never mistake him for a statue today. It's as if he is more alive.

He has taken to the computer very well. I know he sends messages to his house mate Vladmir, though he hasn't told him about me. He gives me updates on where his friend is in the world and I try not to worry what it will be like when he returns. He has an account on Facebook, and his friend recommended a group to join. It seems 'his kind' have their own group where some of them keep in touch. They write in Latin among themselves, which I find so appropriate – a dead language for the living dead. Even Stefan understands that joke.

He has such a dry sense of humor and I sometimes miss his joking entirely with his deadpan delivery. And there are times I want him to understand a joke and I'll have to stop and explain the whole meaning behind it while he looks at me in complete incomprehension – then he'll laugh like crazy long after the moment's passed. A couple times I think he understood perfectly and was only playing with me.

It feels like we've spent a lot of time just learning about each other. Because I'm with him all the time, it's as if we have crammed many months worth of dating into our time together. And I love him, even more than before now that I can see who he really is beneath his beauty.

A few days ago I put on a bathing suit and sunbathed in the yard. I had left him inside with the computer, browsing some site on history or politics; which are his favorites. The lawn is very private and except for the handful of days each month when a lawn service comes to mow and maintain the landscape, it's like my personal paradise. I was lying on a blanket with the ties of my bikini unfastened, feeling the sun warm my back, nearly asleep. I didn't hear or see him, but somehow I knew he was there. I opened my eyes and he was lying next to me, just looking at me. It always takes my breath away to see what the sunlight does to his skin. His face was radiant, making my ring seem dull in comparison. He had come to warn me that the workmen were due to begin repairs on the parts of the mansion that were damaged in his fight with Carlisle. Still when I touched his face he was warmed by the sun, and his fingers were also warm as he tied up my bathing suit for me.

When the contractors came to do the work, Stefan asked that I stay out of the areas where they were working, and I agreed. "I would not want to have to kill any of the men for being improper with my fiance," he joked. At least I hope it was a joke, but with Stefan I am never entirely sure.

The work is finished now and I can go into the basement again if I want to. He has given me permission to look through the boxes and crates around this enormous place and I have spent a little time trying to find the paintings Daniel painted. I've found the ones that Vladmir painted, and I disagree with Stefan; they're actually pretty good. Maybe he was just saying they're good only by human standards. Vladmir seems to like bright colors, which gives his paintings an animated look.

I find that in my explorations I need to be very careful, as some of the boxed and crated things haven't been touched for decades, maybe even longer. I've seen evidence of insects and larger vermin, and I wonder if I find the paintings, will they still be recognizable. I recommend to Stefan that he and Vladmir should have their collections appraised by an antiques dealer. Not necessarily to have them sold, but to get an accurate inventory of what they have and better preserve what they'd like to keep. He only laughs at the suggestion.

I have been with Stefan for almost a month. It's a month that has changed my life, and yet I think I have changed him more. Not just his looks, but his golden eyes tell me that he is hunting animals exclusively. I've learned to discern the intensity of the color to know when he's hunted while I was sleeping. I hate that he kills. I can't help but mourn the animals he's feeding on, but at least it's better than thinking that a human being has died the eight times he's fed since Lucien. I know I've caused that change in him. I remark on his beautiful golden eyes at least daily, and I'm pretty sure he understands why.

One other change is in our lovemaking. The box is almost empty. The one thing that embarrassed him so much in the beginning now concerns him as it relates to my safety. He talks about buying a second box; one hundred more barriers between us, and I assure him that it's unnecessary. I've looked up the specifics on my own birth control and I know I've got almost three months. I think I hate them even more than he does and I am looking forward to their absence. Funny how even with his old-fashioned sensibilities, he has not given up our times together. The attraction that drove us together is still strong between us and shows no sign of letting go.

I have contacted my friends in California and let them know that I'm not planning on returning any time soon. The loft I shared with dad belongs to me, and one of my best friends offered to go in and clean and pack it up. I accepted the offer, warning that the fridge will likely be a mess. I share that I've met someone and we are planning a wedding, which gets me a flurry of messages to my email account. How did I so easily forget the number of good friends I have?

It's these emails that make me believe that maybe a wedding will be possible. I mention to Stefan how my friends might want to come to our wedding. "As guests or part of the menu?" He asks without cracking a smile. Sometimes his jokes are just so bad and yet I have to laugh because I know he is teasing me.

Yesterday we went to the vet to pick up the dog Aro. It is still recovering and limps around the yard with bandages around it's middle and it's leg needing to be in a cast for a few more weeks. I've taken over caring for the animal and made friends with it. Now that he no longer sees me as a threat or an intruder, I have no trouble petting him and being around him. Fortunately he is well behaved enough he doesn't require a cone to keep from licking his wounds.

It's the dog I hear that makes me feel uneasy. Stefan has gone to his post office box because he is waiting for new DVD's. He's looking forward to watching a series of movies I recommended – Indiana Jones. He is never gone longer than an hour, unless he's hunting, which he does late at night. He's made me breakfast and it's on a tray with a note to tell me where he's gone. I'm happy to see his note, in his careful calligraphy instead of a text message on the computer. I finish and set the tray aside and step into the shower. I'll have to check to see what's got Aro so disturbed when I'm dressed for the day..

The dog is quiet as I step out and I put on another sundress, since it's warm today and Stefan seems to like them especially. I take time to dry my hair, brushing it into the long, loose waves he likes. Sometimes it bothers me that I have given over so much of myself to him. But I've discovered that some things just don't matter when I consider how happy such small changes make him. I pick up the book I've been trying to read for days and settle back onto the bed. The sound at the door snaps my head up and I smile at him.

The smile dies on my face as the man in the doorway is not Stefan. He leans casually against the recently repaired door frame and at first I think it's Carlisle. Gray slacks, pink shirt, silk tie, pale skin, and blond hair. But red eyes! He's taller than Carlisle, and his smile is more a parody than the real thing. I've heard him described enough and I whisper his name before I can catch myself. "Vladmir."

Before another thought has time to form he is beside me, sitting casually on the edge of the bed with his arm around me not so casually. He inhales deeply as his other hand combs through my hair and ghosts down my cheek, finding it's way to my throat. "Sweet Goldilocks, I think you have found your way into the wrong story." He smiles at his humor and I'm painfully aware of the threat those smiling teeth are to me. His voice is deep and rich, and with an accent that darts in and out of his words. His arm around me is immovable as I try at first to free myself.

"Of course I had to wonder why there was porridge in my house. But the chairs have indeed been tested and one is indeed broken. And the beds have been tested, and now here you are in Baby Bears bed. Too late for Goldilocks to run away. In this story the bears will have a much better meal than cold porridge." He laughs loudly at his own joke. He pulls my head back to better expose my throat.

"Stefan!" It's all I can think to say, a one word prayer that he would hear me and come to my rescue. Vladmir pauses and looks at me.

"So Goldilocks knows the names of the bears. Interesting. You'd better speak now little girl since you don't have long to live." He doesn't loosen his grip on me, but he lets go of my head and I can breathe a little easier.

"I've been here almost a month, and Stefan knows I'm here. I'm his... I love him. Please don't do this, it'll only hurt him. He's coming right back and he'll tell you I'm not lying."

He presses his nose against my throat. "Oh, I believe you. But you see, you obviously know too much, and I'm afraid that's just not allowed." I feel his lips brush my skin. "There's something about you that's just so... irresistible. You're not singing my song, but..." His lips press against my throat.

"Please Vladmir wait." He stops and raises his head to look at me. "I can't stop you; I know that. But don't hurt him, please. Hide my body and don't let him know it was you. Lie to him and tell him it was the Volturi. You're the only friend he has; please don't ruin that. Just don't let him know it was you who killed me."

He lets me go, and I fall back against the bed. He is pacing he room. "You do know him, and if that's not love then it's madness! Who are you?" He takes in the room and seems to notice the computer, the TV and all of my things for the first time.

"My name is Summer Browning, and I'm from California. I came to look at this house because my grandmother once lived here. He almost killed me too, but instead he took me captive. We are attracted to each other like magnets His friend Carlisle came and explained what was happening..."

"Wait! Carlisle came here? What did he look like?" He doesn't believe me.

I smile. "He looks like you, only shorter, and his eyes are gold, and his face is rounder. He's warm, and kind and calm."

"What did Carlisle do here?" He is suddenly interested in my every word.

"He examined me and asked me a lot of questions. He observed me and Stefan together. Then he fought with Stefan and took me away from him. He borrowed your car and drove me to the airport and told me to get on a plane and never come back here. He warned me that Stefan wanted to turn me." My words drop his jaw just a bit.

"Why are you here then?" He comes closer to me, like he wants to study me.

"I couldn't leave. I don't want him to turn me, but I couldn't stand the thought of never seeing him again. I was already in love with him." He sits on the edge of the bed again, just looking at me.

"Are you lovers?" My blush answers his question better than I can. "Fascinating!" He looks at me closely. "Is he in love with you?" My head drops and I can feel tears suddenly in my eyes.

"He says love is a trap for the young and foolish. He wants to marry me, but I don't know why." I wipe the tears away.

He looks at me strangely and smiles. "You really do know him. He's been building those walls for hundreds of years, and you've gotten past them in one phase of the moon. I never would have though it was possible." The bed shifts as he moves closer.

"You are such an alluring girl, Goldilocks." He touches my hair. His red eyes are burning so intensely and so close to mine. "Your heart beats so strong." He is in my personal space, hovering over me in a way that makes me want to run, but I know he would catch me.

"You make love with him. I have never taken a human lover... I've never even been tempted... until now." His kiss is not soft enough and I feel bruised. His scent is sweet, but there is a difference I notice and it makes me want Stefan more. He pulls back suddenly, looking at me in confusion. "What are you? I would never steal his woman!" I open my mouth to try to explain, but his eyes narrow in anger and I feel his mouth once again on my throat.

"No please!" I feel his lips sealed on me, his tongue and the venom on my skin.

"NO!" The graze of his teeth stops before it breaks my skin as he is yanked back by a strong arm around his throat. Stefan! I'm torn between wanting to run to him and needing to flee from the one who still looks as if he wants to finish me. I'm limited on where I can go since they have the door blocked. I retreat to the far corner of the room where I cower and watch them struggle.

"Stefan, let go of me, I won't hurt the girl... trust me." Stefan loosens his arm from around his throat and I scream as Vladmir lunges across the bed toward me.

"STOP!" His command reaches Vladmir an instant before he is able to grab him and fling him back toward the doorway where he destroys the newly repaired wood. Stefan wraps me in his arms, almost bruising me himself.

Vladmir steps slowly back into the room and looks at us. "So brother, you've finally let a woman come between us." He makes no move to come closer.

"You lied me. To me! How can you accuse me of failing our friendship when you manipulated me so casually?" I hear the hurt in his voice.

"I didn't lie. I wouldn't have hurt her; it would have been painless. It still can be if you'd just see reason. Talk about manipulation – she is manipulating you! Stefan, stop being a fool and end this. She is trouble. Haven't we had enough trouble in our lives?"

"You don't understand Vladmir. I promised I'd protect her. She's mine... "

"She's human Stefan. Oh she has an allure, I'll grant you that, but she's so frail. And if she won't let you turn her then she's dangerous. Haven't you learned? We're not strong enough if they move against us. I won't be able to protect you if they come for you. You saved me from myself once, is it my turn to return the favor?" He steps closer, and his crimson eyes are on me.

"Stop! Don't come any closer Vladmir. Don't force me to fight you."

He laughs; a deep, full sound like the bass notes of an orchestra. "You think your command will work on me?" He takes another step. "Give her to me, old friend." He beguiles. "She's not good for you. Already you're feeding on animals; weakening yourself for her. Her blood will make you strong again. She's dangerous to you – to us." He reaches for me and Stefan turns, pulling me out of his reach.

"She's mine. You don't understand – she is not manipulating me. Get away from her Vladmir, I will fight you for her!"

"Why? What is she that you would go against everything we are? All these centuries I've known you and you would test our friendship over... a girl? Stefan, I have to believe that she has bewitched you somehow." I hear his voice drop. "Summer, you know you need to come to me." I feel his words crawl up my spine and reverberate in my head. It is the truth; I need to go.

I step away from Stefan before he realizes, and then I'm in Vladmir's arms. I feel his hand on the back of my head, holding me still and in place... "Just like Lucien – Oh god!" I look at Stefan as he recognizes what Vladmir has in mind for me.

He drops to his knees. "Please! I'm begging you, don't do this!"

"What has she done to you?" He looks down in shock and confusion.

"Nothing... Everything... I need her Vladmir!" He looks up at us. "I love her." He looks stunned. "Oh god, I love her Vladmir! I'm in love with you Summer – God help us both!"

He lets go of me. In an instant I'm in his arms, holding him and kissing him through exchanged 'I love you's' and apologies. He pulls me up from the floor and we stand together. There are tears in my eyes and a smile on my face and I hold him as tightly as I can as they face each other.

"This can't work, you know that don't you? You couldn't save her from me, what do you think the Volturi will do? They won't be content to merely end her. Stefan, you are my brother and you're putting your own life at risk." Vladmir looks at me then and my smile disappears. "Summer, be reasonable. If you love him you should take Carlisle's advice – leave and never come back here. They will kill you. They will kill you both."

"Enough! You don't know that, Vladmir. She's not a threat to them."

"But you are. You know how they work, Stefan. She is an excuse they will use to finish you. They've lost too much to the Cullen's and we have always been against them. They know without you I am not even worth their notice. They know you have the power to turn any confrontation between our kind and they would like nothing better than an excuse to send you to the flames."

His words aren't working on Stefan, but they are working on me. I feel the truth of what he's saying and I can't help but feel that I'm sentencing the man I love to death. "I'll go." I'm already anticipating the loneliness that will crush me as soon as I tear myself away from him.

"No, you're not going anywhere, amore della mia vita. Vladmir, they don't need to know about her. We are away from all the others and they have no reason to even think anything has changed. If they find out I'll take her away and hide her." He holds me possessively.

"So old friend, you would make me complicit in your crime. Your reasoning would certainly delight Aro; two for the price of one. Where do you think you could take her to hide? Demetri can track you anywhere." He sits down by the computer, toying with the mouse to wake it up. "You're wrong too about no one having a reason to suspect anything has changed. This is why I came home early. Stefan entering the modern age is noteworthy to me, I only wonder if it's as interesting to any of the others."

He looks up at me and smiles. "You've been busy. I have no idea how you've gotten him to change when I've been trying for the last ninety years." He glances at the screen . "Of course, a word processor – why didn't I think of that?" He stands again and comes close as Stefan pulls me protectively away.

"Relax Stefan, you know I won't hurt you. If Goldilocks means that much to you then I can't hurt her either." He puts his arm around Stefan's shoulder and pulls him into a hug. When his other arm comes around me I'm wary, but feel he's trying to include me. We stand together in a three way hug and both of their heads are together. "I've missed you Stefan. You're the only family I've got. We'll find a way around this. They won't win, I promise." He kisses him on both cheeks, then he kisses me too; a light brush on each cheek as Stefan stands guard.

He looks me in the eyes. "Summer, you need to always stay with him as long as I'm here. You tempt me like a siren when you're alone, but now it's not much at all." He smiles warmly at both of us. "Let's go someplace where we can talk, we have a lot of catching up to do, obviously." He notes the stack of DVD movies on the way out. "Unbelievable!"

Before we even begin the conversation he asks what happened to the dog, Aro. We have to go and check on him and he's overjoyed to see Vladmir. Stefan tries to apologize but Vladmir brushes away his apology when he hears how I forced him to have the dog treated. He's also surprised that the dog accepts me so completely.

We finally go to the library and Stefan pulls me onto his lap as Vladmir sits close . "This is going to take some getting used to, Stefan. You look so different. Your eyes and your skin, and the clothes – Armani suits you very well. She has good taste." His smile is genuine and I can see why people like him.

"I know you've traced my travels around the world for the last couple weeks, but before that I have made some interesting contacts. There were many of our kind who witnessed the retreat of the Volturi in Washington and I have been able to locate at least a dozen who have been in hiding since then. I've been able to get a little support for our cause from them, but you know how hard it is getting a definite commitment from anyone. Everything is conditional. Of course one of the things that seems to be universal is that no one trusts the Volturi. The way they handled Irina as well as how they all went against the Cullen's. I do believe that family is the key to bringing down the Volturi. They are more highly regarded than the Volturi and I think next time there will be more support rather than just witnessing.

The conversation takes many different twists and turns. Often they talk about things that confuse me and leave me in the dark, but it's fascinating to watch them together. I know that if either of them had been female I would likely be witnessing a marriage relationship, they are so close. In many ways they are as different as night and day, and yet they balance each other out, like opposite sides of the same coin. I love watching Vladmir. He's so animated in everything he says and does, and I laugh at jokes and stories even if I don't understand the humor. By contrast Stefan is so reserved and deep, but nothing gets by him. He's the perfect straight man to their duo, the one who sets up his jokes and asks just the right questions during his stories. It's like watching a dance; Stefan is the one who leads, but Vladmir is the flamboyant showman. I feel a strange guilt knowing I've come between them.

Then he turns his questions to me. He asks me about my life and how I've managed to convince Stefan to give technology a try. He has a way of opening me up with his smiles, the look in his eyes, and even the way his body moves in anticipation of an answer. He's got charisma to spare and I find myself warming to him even though hours earlier he wanted to kill me. Maybe he still does.

From technology we talk about movies and before I know it we are laughing and joking like I am one of them. As soon as Vladmir finds out we were planning on watching Indiana Jones next he insists that we watch it together. "You're going to love this Stefan; it's so much fun!" Because Vladmir is so taken with the new flat panel TV we go to our room to watch. I sit next to Stefan on the love seat and Vladmir stretches out on the bed, which makes him seem uncharacteristically human to me. When Stefan tries to point out the historical inaccuracies of the movie, it is Vladmir who shushes him. We watch the first two of the series and I am the one to break up the party; I'm hungry.

It is Vladmir who suggests we go out to lunch together. And he drives the beautiful red Ferrari, insisting that I sit next to him. "I have never driven this car with a beautiful woman beside me." He flashes me a smile that would have easily won his choice of women to ride with him. As we ride, I reach back to hold Stefan's hand in my right as we speed through the town.