This is the last chapter, and it is short. It should have been part of chapter 21, really, but I didn't think I would get it finished so soon, and didn't want to make you wait any longer. Also, Vampire Justice, Jasper and Emmett style, never made it in. It just didn't fit in with the rest of the chapter, and would just have been filler, sort of hanging there. I may write it as a flashback as part of the sequel.

Bella:

I was starting to have trouble keeping my focus on Eleazar's words. The world around me was a constant, roaring distraction. Admittedly, almost everything was easier to deal with now that I had quenched my thirst; I was better able to filter out all the background noises and focus in on only a few particular sounds or voices. This did a lot to calm my anxieties, but still, it was unsettling. I had never had to work so hard at paying attention.

Though I would never admit it to anyone, there was a moment there, when everyone was pressuring me to hunt, that I almost – but not quite – regretted becoming a vampire. It was only Edward's presence in my life, and Jasper's ability that kept me from completely losing it. It was then that I understood for the first time how precarious the newborn state was. This was what they had all warned me about, what they told me I would not be able to understand until I lived it. No wonder they hovered around me like I was filled with liquid nitrogen. I made a decision right then to try harder, to never think I new better than they did, and to truly listen and take their advice to heart. I sensed this would prove to be difficult for me, but I never wanted a single one of them to regret taking me in to the family.

I turned my attention back to Eleazar, which wasn't exactly a chore. He was the quintessential hero of romantic fiction; tall, dark, and devastatingly handsome, with dark amber eyes, and tousled black hair. Though nowhere near as beautiful as Edward, his presence nonetheless made coherent thought a little difficult. Not helping either were the fact that I could still feel his touch, light as a cobweb, where he had drawn his thumb sensuously back and forth across the back of my hand, and the intense, searching way he looked at me every time his eyes met mine.

I shook off his spell, and made the effort to focus on what he was saying. It isn't every day that a girl finds out that she has shielding powers that sound like they belong in the realm of science fiction. I couldn't believe my luck when he offered to help me develop them, and was extremely disappointed when he said he did not have time right away.

Forgetting to be intimidated, I put my hand on his arm. "When will you have time?" I asked, not even trying to hide the eagerness in my voice.

He looked down at me, laughing quietly and chucking me gently under the chin. "Patience, querida," he said softly, unleashing his lazy grin on me. "Take your time getting accustomed to your new body and senses. I will be there for you when the time is right. You have an eternity to develop your skills, there is no need to rush into it."

"Can you give me a time-frame?" I insisted impatiently, almost pulling an Alice and bouncing on my feet.

"Bella!" Esme chided me gently while Eleazar chuckled at my enthusiasm. "Don't be pushy. He will help you when it is convenient for him, and that should be enough for you."

It should be, but it wasn't. I felt three distinct emotions at that moment: irritation at not getting an answer to a simple question, profound embarrassment at having been rude and publicly reprimanded for it by Esme, and relief that I couldn't blush anymore. Because I would have been beet red by about now. I snuck a sideways glance at Jasper, only to see a knowing look on his face as he sensed my shame.

Now I was annoyed on top of everything else. I kept quiet though, remembering my earlier resolve to try harder. There was no sense getting into a fight with him over something neither of us had any control over.

I had never particularly liked the idea that Jasper was privy to my every emotion, but I hadn't let it bother me too much. Not that I had ever interacted much with him; his difficulties with me as a human kept him at a distance, which made it easy to for me to forget that he new exactly what I was feeling at any given time. Now that I was a vampire, he had no reason to keep away from me. Unfortunately, now that I was a vampire, I was also experiencing emotions that I would rather keep completely private - an immortal catch 22. For that reason alone, I really wanted to learn to block him at will; I wanted it even more than I wanted to let Edward in.

I had been so busy wishing I could just make it happen that I almost didn't notice the very subtle shifting in the air around my body; a tightening akin to being slowly enclosed in a vacuum. I shot another glance and Jasper and caught the look of confused annoyance on his face. By that look, I deduced that I had probably just blocked him again, and he was perplexed and irked by it. I realized this just might mean that the tightening I felt had something to do with my 'activating' my shield, in a manner of speaking. I was incredibly excited; now that I had pinpointed an actual physical sensation to go along with the raising of the shield, it might become easier for me to turn it on at will. I decided not to mention it to anyone until I was sure, and turned my attention back to the conversation.

"…Jasper can sense Bella's emotions because of his gift. How do you explain the fact that Edward can sometimes sense her emotions too? He has never been able to do that with any one before!" Alice said, squirming in Jasper's lap in her excitement.

Eleazar thought for a moment. "That is an interesting question, and the one that I am the least certain about. I don't believe it is related to her gift. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say it has something to do with her being his Singer. Since vampires rarely resist those who sing to them, let alone have a relationship with them, it is impossible to say. I know of no existing relationship between a vampire and his Cantante. It is possible that as his Singer, Bella may have the ability to project her emotions onto Edward."

"So Bella has two powers?" Emmett said, sounding almost dejected. I guessed he was thinking that my skills would make me harder to pick on. He had been so excited to have a little sister to tease that I almost felt sorry for him. I shot him a wry grin, shrugging my shoulders and leaning further into Edward, who hadn't let go of me since he had removed my hand from Eleazar's.

"No, it is not a gift in the way that her shield, or Alice's ability to foresee the future, or Edward's mind reading is. It is something different, solely related to Edward and the fact that she is his Singer. Possibly some sort of connection we know nothing about. We are in unknown territory here."

Eleazar fell silent, having reached the end of his knowledge on the subject of my new-found power. The rest of us seemed to have run out of questions, which was probably a good thing, as I was already mentally over-stimulated as it was.

"What are your plans for the immediate future?" Eleazar asked, addressing his question to Carlisle.

"We will withdraw from the world for a time, before slowly reintroducing Bella to humanity. I have property in Upstate New York that will meet our needs. It's the largest of my homes, and is in a remote location. There are enough cloudy days to make it tenable, and the hunting is excellent. We will stay here for a couple more weeks while I make arrangements for travel and to prepare the house for our arrival. You are welcome to stay with us as long as you wish.

"Thank you, but I must get back to my mate. Carmen not only sent you her regards, but also instructions to send me back to her as soon as possible. I will take my leave tomorrow at sunset. But I hope to visit you in your new home, once you are settled in. I would like to see how your daughter's talent develops."

"Our door will always be open to you and your family, my friend." Carlisle said.

"How are you feeling, Bella?" Edward asked softly against my lips, his hands wandering sensuously across my back, under the wet ropes of my hair. "Are you happy with me?" He pulled back, looking at me searchingly, absolute adoration shining in his eyes. "Are you truly happy with your new life?"

Now that the danger had passed and Eleazar had left with promises to be in touch, Carlisle had allowed Edward to take me down to the hot spring for some alone time. Since they were so close to the house, he felt that an exception to his rule about having at least two people with me when I went outdoors could be made. I was relieved; I had underestimated how hard it would be, going from being an only child with one parent at a time, to being the youngest of a family of eight. It was both wonderful and difficult at the same time – and I had only been a vampire for a few days! It really was hard to be truly alone in a family of vampires, especially a family with the talents these guys had. It was even harder if you were a newborn and not allowed to go off on your own – so I relished my time alone with him. I knew these times would be few and far between, for the next year at least.

We were sitting in the growing twilight, Edward kneeling on the floor of the springs, water up to his shoulders, with me sitting on his lap facing him, my legs wrapped around his hips. We had finished making love only minutes before, and he was still buried inside me, holding me against him as if he were afraid I would disappear if he let go.

It hadn't been our intention to make love in the springs; at least it hadn't been mine. I had expected our first time as two vampires to be a gentle event, taking place in bed, in a candlelit room. At least that is what Edward's treatment of me as a human had led me to expect. Instead, it happened suddenly and unexpectedly, a short, rough coupling that would have been brutal by mortal standards.

I had just waded into the water, marveling at how different it felt now that I was no longer human, when Edward grabbed me from behind and spun me around to face him. After a searing, territory-marking kiss, he had fallen to his knees in the water, pulling me down by the hips astride his thighs and fitting me onto him with dizzying speed and accuracy, forcing a drawn-out moan from between my parted lips. He was all rough hands and possessive snarls, one arm eventually snaking around my waist to trap me against him, the other hand finding its way into my hair. Arching my head back and to the side, he fastened his teeth over the juncture of my neck and shoulder in an animalistic show of domination. A few bucking thrusts later, we both climaxed in a splashing spray of water, crying out to the indigo sky. It was quick and frenzied, and better than anything I could ever have dreamed of on my own.

"Bella?"

I brought my attention back to the present and the naked hope on my love's face, and did him the courtesy of carefully considering my answer. I did not want to automatically reply in the affirmative; I wanted my voice to ring with sincerity. Since changing, I had been so mired in a sea of powerful emotions that I hadn't taken the time yet to see if happiness with my new life was one of them. I did it now, looking simultaneously deep within myself, and into Edward's fathomless golden eyes, finding true happiness in both places.

I smiled a slow smile of discovery, and touched a hand to his cheek.

"Yes, Edward," I murmured, my voice thick with emotion, "I am."

Very short epilogue:

Somewhere, USA.

Bella:

"What is this?"

Alice and I were standing in front of the washing machine, preparing to wash a load of clothes we were going to be donating to a women's shelter. I was sorting the lights from the darks, and Alice was going through the pockets before placing the clothes in the washer.

I looked over at her. She had a pair of my old jeans in one hand, and a small rectangular card in the other. Curious, I plucked it from between her fingers and looked at it. It had clearly been through the wash a couple of times, but it had been somewhat protected in the back pocket, so the writing was still just about visible.

It was a domestic abuse hotline card.

I frowned, casting my mind back to my human life. The thing about vampire memory was that it was so vivid, so accurate, and so complete, that human memory paled in comparison. It wasn't that we forgot our mortal lives; it was more like our mortal memories seemed fractured, gray and washed out compared to our vampire ones, and thus were hazy and appeared to be fading from our minds. As time went by, I was told, human memories became harder to recall. Which is why shortly after I had been turned, I decided to keep a mental journal going of my human life. I didn't have to maintain a written journal; I knew that everything I remembered as a vampire would be permanently etched into my memory. I spent a lot of time dredging up as many memories of my mortal life as I could, so as to fix them in my vampire memory and never forget them. I did it now, quickly searching my mind for the memories associated with this card.

When I finally located them, I experienced a powerful sensory flashback. Suddenly I was back there. I remembered it all: the garishly lit parking lot by a bank of phones where Edward had discovered the bruises on my arms, the kind-hearted woman who had misunderstood what she had seen, and a small card given to me in a spirit of caring concern. I remembered the ghastly pallor of Edward's tortured face, and the faint smell of exhaust and gasoline carried on the cool night air.

"Bella?"

I shook my head, shaking off the past, and looked at her. "It's nothing, Alice," I said, locking the memory away again. Tearing the card into four pieces, I threw it into the waste basket. "It's just a remnant of another life."

The End

But...click on the next chapter for the sequel preview.

Well. This has been an interesting experience, fun and frustrating at the same time. I can say with confidence that if it weren't for the fact that there were people reading, this would have never made it past chapter 14, if even that. I couldn't have done it without you. Cliché, but true.

So long, and thanks for all the reviews. And adds.