Hi all, here is another chapter for you all to enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they belong to the stupendous Stephanie Meyer, I am merely playing with them.

Sunlight shot through the window hitting me directly in the face, stained green and gold by the leaves of the tree that grew outside our window. I no longer slept as a vampire but I had reached a state as close to sleep as vampires get once night fell, eyes closed, not paying a lot of attention to the rest of the world, thought process slowed down to the point where it barely moved at all. I didn't need to pretend sleep, but the years of human habits still hadn't worn off. Most of my 'dreams' (or as close to them as I got) now focused on Edward. I missed dreaming, it was the one part of being human I missed, the feeling that anything could happen, the freedom of imagination, but now I was a vampire, I could make almost anything happen, even if it wasn't the same. I lay perfectly still, not needing to even breathe, watching the play of light and shadows across my pillow. They were the only way to measure time, I had not concept of it, I did not need to shift to relieve a limb that had fallen asleep, to take a breath, to blink. To humans I might have been a statue, Snow White or Sleeping Beauty, one in her glass coffin, alive but unmoving, the other in her tall tower, asleep for one hundred years yet both had not aged at all, but I had found my Prince Charming before I had become unchanging and beautiful.

Finally, the absence of Edward drove me from his bed, surrounded by his scent; it was torture for him not to be there with me. I decided to visit Alice and Esme since the men were out hunting. I rolled off the bed, still marvelling in my own grace and glided into the walk in closet. Alice kept it stocked with the latest fashions I never would have found, let alone bought, most of the items in the closet. The smell of silk and cashmere filled my nostrils and there was a faint rustling, inaudible to humans, as the slightest breeze from an open window gently stroked the gorgeous garments. I choose an emerald silk summer dress that hugged my curves beautifully and complemented my ivory pale complexion and dark hair perfectly. An elegant silver necklace and matching bracelet completed the look.

I slipped, sylph-like, out of the cottage, catching sight of a vase of wild flowers. Renesme loved flowers and probably had collected the colourful spray, travelling for miles around to find the most perfect blossoms. The smell of wild flowers filled the small cottage, that was the only point of breathing now, to smell things. I wandered up the garden path to the main house, my family's voice reached my ears, they were speaking at a speed that was too fast for humans to pick up, but now I could hear them perfectly, although I was too far away to catch what they were actually saying. The white walls of the house gleamed in the sunlight, almost as bright as a vampire's skin. The flower beds immaculate patches of colour, tended to by Esme's caring, motherly hands. A botanical fortune. The flowers were untouched by Renesme who preferred the wild variety and loved Esme too much to break her heart by picking her beloved blooms. My heightened senses relished the feel of the silk on my bare skin and a cool breeze caressed me.

I caught sight of my perfect, angelic daughter sitting on the steps of the house, wild flowers braided into her silky locks, dressed casually in a white cotton summer dress that stopped just abover her knee, reading a book. I glanced at the title, Northanger Abbey, an Austen book, I had never read. I paused as I reached my daughter, sitting beside her and kissing her forehead.

'Any good?' I asked.

'Yes. It's a social commentary on the facetiousness of social mores in Victorian society and a parody of a gothic novel,' she replied, glancing up from the novel and leaning into me.

I blinked.

'It's a comedy.' she added burrowing her head gently into my chest having set the book aside. I hugged her petite frame, felling not an ounce of softness. Her body was unnaturally hot through the silk of my dress, the only thing that set her aside as a half vampire. I kissed the top of her head, again breathing in her wonderful, sweet smell.

'Do you know where your Aunt Alice is?' I asked, reluctant to untangle myself from her. I rested my chin on the top of her head.

'She's somewhere in the house, mother.' She replied in her musical voice.

Now that I was closer to the house I could distinguish between the voices, I heard Alice talking to Esme and Jasper, and Rosalie and Emmet together, not really talking. Suddenly it dawned on me that Jasper and Emmet were back, so Edward must be as well. The fact I couldn't hear him didn't mean anything, if he wasn't breathing and sitting still it would be hard to hear him, and I was still getting used to my heightened vampire senses. I gently untangled myself from my daughter, who picked her book back up and continued reading, and stood up. I resisted the urge to run inside to my beloved husband. I walked slowly into the kitchen. Esme and Alice were sitting at the scrubbed wood table with Jasper leaning against the counter. His scarred features no longer even registered as horrific anymore, and he smiled as I entered the room. Alice and Esme turned to follow his gaze. Alice looked a little peeved as she saw me.

'Your husband took my car. I would like it back in one piece,' she told me as I entered the room. 'But that dress looks fabulous on you, so I'll forgive you, it's so nice to see you finally taking an interest in your appearance.' As she began complementing, she started speeding up until her words started tripping over each other. Esme smiled benevolently and Jasper moved from his position to gently place his hand on her shoulders, shooting an amused look at me.

'Did you have fun hunting?' I asked Jasper. His amused look shifted to bemused before eventually settling on confused.

'Hunt?' He asked quietly. 'The last time I went hunting was with you, a couple of days ago.'

'Oh.' Now I was confused as well. 'Edward said he was going hunting with you, Emmet and Carlisle.' Then I smelled the lack of Edward. The house smelled of him, but it was even weaker than in the cottage, where we now spent the majority of our time. 'Where is he then?' I asked, not really expecting an answer.

'Carlisle's been at the hospital, on call since yesterday morning.' Esme told me gently, her beautiful face serene.

'He isn't in trouble, I would have seen it.' Alice said, mainly to reassure me. But I knew there was an element of truth, she would have seen trouble unless it involved the werewolves and then she would have seen nothing, even if she had looked really hard, but that in itself revealed something. 'He's probably planning something really romantic.' She added conspiratorially with a lusty wink added in for good measure. I smiled, reassured by her behaviour.

Just then I heard the roar of an engine approach the house, I knew that engine, it could only have been Alice's ferrari. Minutes later, the garage door was opened and I could suddenly smell that fresh Edward scent that was so unique to him. I relaxed and sat down at the table, it felt odd not the reach out and eat one of the apples that were in the bowl placed in the middle, but I knew these apples were not real, they were just there to look nice. The kitchen looked like it was the model that was pictured in the catalogue, unlived in, barely real at all.

A beautiful fake.

Little did I know how this much applied to other aspects of my life.

Then Edward entered the kitchen, and with a small cry I ran into his arms and buried my face in his chest, looking up only to snag his lips in a kiss.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

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