Birthday

Though you couldn't see the sun behind the dense blanket of clouds, it began to brighten the sky as it rose over the horizon. The light slowly broke through the window blinds in Seth's bedroom.

Tara lay curled up next to him on the bed, watching his chest rise and fall as he slept. Her body pressed tightly up against his bare back as he lay facing the wall. His one arm was tucked under the pillow beneath his head. Tara began spending more time there ever since Sue married Charlie and moved in with him. Seth finally had the place to himself now with his mother and Leah both gone giving them the privacy they desired.

As Tara ran her fingers along the side of his body, the tips barely touched his warm bronze skin while they drifted over his shoulders and then down his arm till she reached the borderline of his boxer shorts at the waist. She let them circle and then retraced her pattern again back to his shoulders and neck while taking in the view. Though she always admired gazing at his physique, there was something about watching him sleep that gave her hours of enjoyment; something so entirely peaceful about it. She missed the ability to wind down and simply relax and no longer remembered what it was like to experience the feeling. Each night she'd imagine it though, watching him and wondering what he dreamt about. Occasionally he'd talk in his sleep which amused her. Vampires are so easily entertained by the simplest things that humans take for granted.

She patiently waited for Seth to wake so she could celebrate his twenty-first birthday with him today. He never really made a huge deal out of birthdays since he stopped aging. It was just another number to him but to Tara, it was another year and years were all vampires knew. They measured time in the same way days measure time for humans. Though Seth's body wasn't currently aging, she knew there would be a day that his body would begin to, meaning it was only a matter of time until his life would one day expire and she would be left here alone to live the remainder of her existence without him. Though she pondered these thoughts frequently, she never let it be obvious to Seth that it bothered her. It was a secret she kept to herself.

The cool touch of her fingertips finally began to awaken him. "Mmm, you are truly so much better than any alarm-clock," he spoke softly with his eyes still closed.

"Of course," she replied. "I seriously can't imagine how anyone can enjoy waking up to that electronic nuisance. It would put me in a bad mood for sure."

Seth shifted his body, slowly opening his eyes as he rolled over. "Probably why most people arewhen they wake up…. you however, make my mornings very enjoyable," he admitted.

"I aim to please. Happy birthday by the way," she smiled

"Thanks." He grinned back at her as she leaned in, softly touching her lips to his. His hand slid up to the base of her neck, eagerly accepting her kiss.

"Mmm," he moaned notice a pleasant scent on her. His lip parted from hers slightly. She could feel his warm breath as he spoke. "You smell delicious. Were you bathing in chocolate this morning?" he kidded.

"Um, well not quite but, you're close."

Seth pulled back a bit giving her a confused look. Tara suddenly sat up enough to expose the giant cake that sat across from them on his desk. The three-layered pastry was nearly a foot tall, covered in a satin chocolate frosting with a coating of walnuts all the way around the sides and fresh berries on top.

"Wow! That all for me?" he asked though he really knew it was of course, all for him. The delicious smell of it lured him in now, making him sit up.

"Yup," she replied. "All yours. Like it?"

"It's awesome! Where'd you get it?"

"I made it." She looked at him smugly.

Seth returned a glance that clearly said Yeah right".

"What?" She couldn't believe he doubted her.

"Oh, nothing, except for the fact that you hate anything to do with cooking. Um, no offense but this hardly looks like something you whipped up."

"Okay, okay, I admit Esme helped but we really made it ourselves. It's all from scratch too, no boxes." She gleamed with an excited expression, hoping he'd really like his surprise as he went over to the cake and scooped up a finger full of frosting, then stuck it in his mouth. His eyes widened as the creamy spread slid down his throat.

"Good?" she asked.

"It's fantastic!"

"Honest?"

"Yeah! You seriously made this? You're not joking?"

"No joke. In fact I even did all the toppings myself."

"But… how?" He looked at it wondering how she could have sculpted such a fine cake that looked like something off the cooking network.

"Esme gave me a ton of books on cooking and baking, and I even looked up some stuff on line. I've been working on this for a while. I wanted to surprise you and I'm glad I tried doing it myself because I also discovered I really love to cook! It like making art!" Her eyes beamed as though she discovered a new pastime.

"Um. Well. Yeah. Culinary arts…"

"I know I know, but I never thought of it that way until now. It's just like sculpting…but with food. I loved making this, especially for you though. "

He just laughed shaking his head. He was completely amused by her sudden thrill in cooking techniques.

"What?" she asked.

He smiled. "Oh nothing. You're just adorable when you're excited."

"How about I cut you a slice. Oh wait...you can have cake for breakfast can't you?"

"Oh yes… I highly encourage cake for breakfast." He grinned.

"Good. I'll go and get you a plate." She started to head for the kitchen but Seth grabbed her wrist before she left the room.

"No, I don't need a plate, I'm good." Then he pulled her close and cupped her face in his hand. "Thank you," he said just before he kissed her.

"You're very welcome." She smiled. "Do you want more?"

"I most certainly do," he said as he scooped a finger full of icing and rubbed it on her neck.

"Um…," Her eyes panned up at him and her eye brows scrunched together giving him a confused look.

"Is this some sort of birthday tradition?" She recalled the moment Jacob and Renesmee each smashed cake all over each other at their wedding reception though she couldn't recall any birthday ritual however that had the same tradition.

Seth grinned. "Oh yes, in fact…it's my favorite one." He spoke softly into her hair. Then he leaned in and licked the frosting off her neck starting at the base and letting his tongue slid all the way to the back of her ear.

The sensation made Tara suck in a breath and her eyes practically rolled to the back of her head before she squeezed them shut and let out a sigh. "Uh, you do realize if you continue doing that I will end up wearing this entire cake, don't you?"

"Mmm, well… I certainly won't complain about that," he said.

She looked at him with the most devilish grin using every ounce of strength she had not to rip his clothes off that moment and shove him onto the bed.

"Perhaps you should take off these clothes so we don't get them all dirty then?" she suggested.

"Ding!" he chimed. His plan worked. "Aaand that makes birthday gift number two," he added.

Tara chuckled realizing what he had in mind all along. He grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head and tossed it over his shoulder. Then she reached out and dabbed her finger into the cake, rubbing frosting on her lips and then trailed down her neck and over her breasts. Seth pulled her close and pressed his mouth to hers tasting the sugary coating on her lips.

The cake didn't stand a chance.

The bed ended up looking like a cake bomb exploded on it. Both of them were giggling as they lay in the bed, picking pieces of cake out of each other's hair. Tara never imagined birthday's being that much fun.

"Hmm, I think these are toast," Seth said as he stuck his finger through the giant hole on the sticky, icing-covered sheet.

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting to get that sort of reaction from a cake. You can be sure I'll be making you one every year from now on though."

"I'd like that," he said as he wrapped his arm around her bare body and kissed her shoulder. It still tasted like chocolate.

She sighed not wanting to leave just yet. "Must you go to work today?"

"Yup, someone's gotta open the shop while Jake's not here."

Jacob felt really bad, not only leaving Seth alone on his birthday to work but also not being able to be there to celebrate with him. Seth of course, being the good friend he was, selflessly told him not to worry about it and to just enjoy his honeymoon.

Seth was perfectly content with the way his birthday started out so far however.

"It doesn't seem like a very fun way to spend your birthday though," Tara complained.

"So far… my birthday is perfect and if you'd like to spend the day with me at work, it will be even better."

"Done," she said without hesitation. "Are you sure there isn't anything else you'd like for your birthday?"

"Nope I got everything I want right here," he said while brushing his fingers over the front of her body.

Then he paused thinking.

"I take that back….there is something I want."

"Really? What is it?" She rolled over, curious of his request.

"I want…" He leaned in and quickly kissed her lips before finishing his sentence. "To pick a date."

"A date?"

"Yes, a wedding date."

"Oh!…Sure, sure."

"Really?" he smiled. It worried him that she might not be ready yet since she hardly ever brought up the issue.

"Of course, it's your birthday. Whatever you want."

He grinned. "That was easy. Okay then…" He reached over to his nightstand to grab his phone and opened up a calendar to look at dates. "Let's see…I really don't want to do anything elaborate…well…that is unless you prefer to?"

He looked over at Tara. She was shaking her head and scrunching her eyebrows together. He chuckled.

"Good," he grinned again. "But I supposed we won't be able to keep Alice from crashing our wedding plans, so we should probably allow some time for her to plan something…you think?"

He looked at her again.

"It's unavoidable, trust me." She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah you're probably right. Sooo... maybe something in…August? How about, August twenty-seventh?" he said still eyeing his calendar. "It will still be warm enough for…"

"No!" she loudly interrupted. Then Tara quickly sat up and her smile completely disappeared.

Seth looked confused. "Um, no? No… you don't like that day, or no you don't wanna get married?"

"No, I mean, not that day. Pick something else, anything else. Something not even close!" Her face looked horrified.

"Okay, okay! But why? I don't understand why you're so upset? What wrong with that day?"

Her face was stone cold. She didn't even look him in the eyes and the silence started to annoy him.

"Tara! What's wrong with August twenty-seventh?"

Her eyes panned up to his face. "It's my birthday," she said reluctantly.

Seth finally understood. It was the date her family was murdered and also the date she was born a vampire. Before now, he was forbidden to even know the date. She'd always refuse to tell him, fearing he might try to surprise her with something on that day. It was a day she swore to never celebrate again and the last thing she wanted was to be married on that date.

He sat up and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"I know." She sighed. "What are the stupid chances you were going to pick that day?" She shook her head in disbelief.

Seth put his hand to her face and stroked her cheek. "I changed my mind."

"What do you mean?" Her eyes panned up at him.

"I decided I want something else for my birthday."

Now she felt a horrible guilt for spoiling his birthday present. "Seth I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin…"

He put his finger to her lips to quiet her. "I want to marry you…today."

Her eyes widened.

"Would you be opposed to that?" He took his finger off her lips so she could answer.

"But… what about the wedding…and Alice…and all our friends?"

"We can still have one for them. This is just for us. We'll get our marriage certificate today and get married tonight. No one has to know. Then we pick a later date for the families so they have time to plan something. Maybe October?" he suggested.

The corners of her mouth turned up. "I love that idea."

"Really? You do?"

She nodded smiling.

Seth leaned in and kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you too. I can't think of a better way to end the day," She told him.

"Me either. You don't know how happy you just made me."

"Happy birthday," she said again and then chuckled as a second thought came to mind.

"What's so funny?" he asked

"Oh, I was just thinking about how comical it would be to make Alice plan a wedding for a

Vampire and a werewolf right on Halloween."

He laughed at the idea. "That is pretty funny. I'm really more of a shape-shifter though."

"Yeah, but I think werewolf just sounds better."

He agreed.

Once they both showered the brown goo off their bodies, they dressed and got ready to head to the auto shop so Seth could open. He was in charge while Jacob was gone on his honeymoon. Tara spent the day with him as usual. She helped customers in the front who came in, organizing the paperwork and handling the bookkeeping. When it was quiet, she usually stayed in the garage with him helping and keeping him company. She made the day fly by much faster so he could finish early and head out.

Seth had a slight suspicion when she asked him to make a detour to the Cullen home however. He told her not to plan anything but she warned him that she had no control over her party-planning-manic-sister. Without giving too much away, she advised him to be totally ready for anything.

It was completely quiet as they walked into the Cullen house. No lights appeared to be on, nor did they hear the usual sound of the TV anywhere. Tara shrugged her shoulders when she looked over at Seth's reaction. He was totally un-fooled by the façade however.

"Hmm, gosh…I wonder where everyone could be?" he said with a sarcastic undertone.

Tara elbowed him in the ribs making him chuckled and yelled "Ow" at the same time. She heard Edward's tiny chuckle off in the other room. Then she grabbed Seth's hand and dragged him into the living room, when suddenly the lights came on and everyone in the room yelled "Surprise" at him simultaneously.

Seth smiled. His suspicions were correct.

The room was entirely decorated with balloons and streamers. In fact it was a little too over-decorated for his taste but he also realized who was behind it all.

"Thanks Alice!" he shouted right away.

Then when Esme hugged him he thanked her, as well as the others when they all wished him a Happy Birthday.

"Is that pizza I smell?" he asked.

"Yup, Tara said she took care of the cake and specifically told Alice to order you pizza instead."

He smiled at Tara. She knew exactly what he liked. "Thanks," he said kissing her on the forehead.

"Welcome. I figured you'd be pretty hungry after work."

"You guessed right. I'm starving."

"Well go ahead, you're the only one eating here!" Emmett blurted.

Seth headed straight for the stack of boxes on the table. There was one of each kind of pizza.

"Holy cow guys! I'm a good eater but I don't think I can tackle this much."

The Cullen's never skimped on anything. Bella had learned that early on when she first met them.

"Just do your best. You can always take the rest with you for later," Carlisle told him.

Seth figured he would have to call some of the guys over to his place to finish off the rest of this much pizza. He knew they'd come running to his house for free food any day. Left-overs were usually scarce in his home.

"We didn't think you'd mind if we threw you something small. I know you didn't want to make a big deal out of your birthday but I couldn't let your twenty-first pass by without a little something."

"No of course I don't' mind Esme. This is really great. Thank you."

"You're welcome. You know you're like family to us." She smiled and gave him a hug.

"Hey wait…where's the cake Tara?" Alice interrupted.

They all looked at Tara, waiting for an answer but Seth suddenly spoke up.

"I um…actually already ate it." He confessed while running the morning's events though his head and the he winked at Tara.

"Already? The whole thing?" Alice question.

Edward groaned from behind them. There were several moments in life he wished he didn't possess the ability to read minds and this was one of them.

Emmett chuckled. "Well from the looks on Edward's face, it must've been a pretty damn good cake."

Tara noticed a hint of red in Seth's cheeks now. She felt pretty good about herself.

As Alice glanced over at her decorated table she noticed something else was out of place. "Okay wait a sec…who stuck these paper plates out? Where the heck did all the crystal one go?"

"I did." Emmett confessed. He stood with his arms crossed.

Alice out her hands on her hips. "And why?" she growled.

"Cuz…I hate doing dishes!"

"Seriously Emmett? It's only one dish."

"So? You put like ten of them out here. And besides, you should know better to put crystal out, especially after the last birthday party you threw!" Emmet winked at Bella when he said it too.

Suddenly Bella snapped. "Emmett! You. Will. Pay!"

Seth chuckled. He'd heard the whole story about Bella's birthday many times before but he was the only one besides Emmett that found humor in it. The others were a little sensitive about the incident still.

"Um…sorry. I thought it was funny," Seth said as the other all stared at him for laughing.

Bella was already on the other side of the table as she chased Emmett. He headed for the front door as he laughed too. He still loved getting under her skin whenever he could. It was his favorite part of being her big brother. The others finally loosened up and laughed too as they followed them out front to watch them wrestle. Bella still had a strong arm over Emmett and managed to get him in a head lock until he finally had to give in and apologize. Edward laughed as he proudly watched his wife beat Emmet for a second time.

Once they finished and headed back into the house, Edward's mind reading picked up on the fact that Tara's eagerly needed to talk with Carlisle privately. He suddenly thought of a distraction for her so she could speak with him. Edward also had his own reasons for keeping Seth busy so they could get his other surprise ready without him knowing.

"Seth, I don't mean to bother you on your birthday but since you were here I was hoping you could look at something for me real quick. My engine seemed to be making a funny noise during start up. I was wondering if you could take a look and see what it might be?"

"Um, sure." He looked at Tara. "Do you mind?"

"Nope totally fine. You go ahead. I'll wait for you."

"Ok be back in a few." He gave her hand a squeeze before they parted.

Once Seth was out of sight, Emmett ran back outside and disappeared. And before Carlisle could get far, Tara took him aside and requested to speak with him privately. He lead her to his office so they could be alone.

When Tara entered the study, she noticed the room had been given a make-over since the last time she saw it. The furniture had been rearranged and the room smelled of fresh paint. The wall that once had a very old painting on it was now gone and replaced with shelves and stacks of books and art. She clearly remembered the missing painting was the one of the Volturi. It had hung there for many years, but once they returned from the last trip to Italy, Carlisle took it down and stored it away in another room. She noticed something else in the room though. It was the object that Caius used to try and destroy them; the same one that took out Irina. She wasn't sure of its origins, but she knew it possessed a power great enough to turn one of their kind into ashes with the blink of an eye. She was relieved to know it was not left for anyone who might've returned to the ancient palace and possibly seek revenge. Carlisle figured that might be one of the reason's no one had dared to come to Forks looking for them. None of the guard nor any of the wives bothered to seek them out. They all seemed to disappear. Alice always keeps watch for them in case one of them does decide to make a move, but who would dare challenge them now? Their coven possessed so many powerful talents; a shield, a mind-reader, a fortune teller, and a cloak and all backed behind a pack of vampire hungry wolves. Who would confront such a combination?

As Carlisle sat down in the leather chair behind his desk, he motioned for Tara t take a seat across from him.

"So what can I do for you Tara? Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes everything's fine."

"Are you and Seth alright? "Yes, we're fantastic. Actually, we just set a date for our wedding this morning. We were thinking sometime around Halloween."

"That's wonderful news!" He smiled. "So, what's troubling you then? I can see you still have something on your mind."

She paused for a moment trying to think where to begin. Then she just decided to throw a question out there. "Do you believe in God?"

"Yes, yes I do."

"And the afterlife?" she asked.

Carlisle knew where this conversation was going. He's had it many times before with each of his children at some point in their lives. He knew it was only a matter of time that Tara would ask as well though he wasn't expecting her to be so concerned with the issue.

"I do."

Her expression was very serious. "What do you believe?"

"Well I was raised as an Angelical like my father. It was a rather strict form of Protestant beliefs but we followed all the basic doctrines of the Christian bible. My faith has always stuck with me through the years."

"Do you think we can ever go to heaven?"

"Of course I do. It's also one of the reasons why we don't kill Tara. I can only hope that God will find forgiveness for us some day, for what we've become."

"But…you've never killed anyone." It seemed odd to her that Carlisle would seek forgiveness because he was such a good man.

"That's correct."

"Well…what about the rest of us, who have killed. I've done horrible things. Things I regret."

"You'll always have to live with that but I do believe you can be redeemed, like the others. They've all struggled with this issue before, especially Edward. He's still unsure that there is any place in heaven for him, but I disagree."

"Really?"

"Yes. …But, let me ask you Tara, why are you suddenly so concerned about this? Especially today of all days…I would think this would be the last thing on your mind."

She wasn't prepared for him to ask that. "Um, well… its Seth's twenty-first birthday."

"Yes?" Carlisle still didn't quite understand at first but then in the few seconds of silence he remembered the issues Bella had with her aging.

"Oh, I see but I thought Seth isn't aging."

"He's not, but someday he will and none of them truly knows how long they can live. I mean, after all…they're still human. Their bodies can't last forever."

Carlisle knew this to be true. Unlike vampires, the wolves were still human and at some point in time, their bodies would need to begin to function normally again and age naturally. Even their elders before them passed on. It was inevitable.

"I see your point."

"What about us?" Do you think we will ever stop…existing? I mean what's the longest you've known our kind to live?"

"Oh gosh, hundreds, maybe even thousands of years before one gets tire of life and simply gives up. Aro was the oldest I had ever met, not that there wasn't older than him prior. I just never met any."

Tara knew what Carlisle meant by "giving up". The only known way for a vampire to end its existence was to be destroyed by another vampire. The older the vampire, the weaker and they usually never fared well in battles, especially against the younger ones. Those who were as old as Aro would be easily taken out in a fight and many fights did break out over things such as food or territory, or even power. This was one of the reasons Aro collected vampires with special talents. He kept himself protected by a powerful group of vampires so that no one would dare challenge. He obviously never predicted one day he would face a resistance more powerful than his own. He knew Tara's abilities could protect him greatly which is one of the reason's he valued her talents so much and desired for her to return to Italy. He certainly didn't like her siding with the Cullen's or the "infestation of wolves" as he called them, knowing he may one day face another challenge by them again. He didn't realize that he pushed his limits though, when he tried to rip apart an unbinding love and destroy their family. Aro only knew the love of power, but the Cullen's possessed the power of love; a much greater force than all his strengths combined because love is worth fighting for and even worth dying for which makes those who are fighting for it all the more aggressive.

There were cases where Carlisle witnessed vampires that simply gave up on life and no longer wanted to go on for countless years on end. The only solution they had was to go to the Volturi and beg for their life to be ended. When Aro saw it fit, he would grant this wish to them.

Tara clearly remembered the story Edward told her; the one where he believed Bella to be dead and he no longer wanted to exist without her. He too went to the Volturi to have his life ended by them, but that option is no longer available now. The Volturi were gone, wiped out two years ago in a battle to save her life. And now Tara was devising her own plan for her future but she wasn't quite sure how she was going to complete it without help.

"I'm not quite sure where you are going with all this Tara," Carlisle said.

"Well... I was just thinking…if I made things right with my maker then when the time comes, we could still be together…forever….right?"

"I think you have a very long time head of you to be thinking about all this don't you? Seth will probably live at least one hundred years, or more perhaps. You shouldn't be concerned about this sort of thing. Especially on his birthday."

"I'm sorry. I just can't get it out of my head… and the fact that it is his birthday seems to make it all the more real to me. After nearly losing him once, and even seeing that Jacob almost died at the hands of a hunter it made me realize that he's more vulnerable than I thought."

Carlisle started to put the pieces together now. "Tara, please tell me you're not contemplating some sort of suicide mission with the hopes that I would support this action."

"No I would never ask you for such a thing." Tara knew Carlisle would never consider following through with such a task.

He seemed relieved.

"But maybe I'll find someone that will," she said.

In the garage, Seth was bent over the hood of Edward's car looking at the engine, trying to see what might be wrong. The car was purring nicely however though Edward swore to him he was experience troubles with it in order to detain him long enough for the surprise. As Edward stayed tuned into Carlisle and Esme waiting for their signal, he picked up on the disturbing conversation between Carlisle and Tara. He was hoping Emmett would return quickly so he could release Seth and put an end to their conversation.

Seth was explaining what he thought about Edward's car to him, but at the moment he wasn't truly listening to him and failed to respond. Seth noticed the disturbing look on Edward's face.

"Edward?" Seth said trying to get his attention.

"Sorry, I was um…just realizing that Tara was looking for you. You might wanna go see what she needs."

"Oh…uh, 'kay." He wondered why Tara wouldn't just come out to the garage knowing exactly where he was.

After Seth wiped of his greasy fingers he headed back into the house to find her. When Esme caught him approaching, she met him before he could get to the window, blocking his view from another surprise that they had for him outside.

"Hey Esme, you seen Tara," he asked her.

"Yes she's in Carlisle office." She pointed her in the right direction even though he knew where to go. She was trying to keep his attention away from the window.

"Thanks."

The door was closed so he knocked and then entered upon hearing a "Come in" from Carlisle.

"Hey? You looking for me?" he asked Tara.

She was surprised to see him. "Uh…no." she shook her head.

"Oh, that's weird cuz Edward said you were looking for me."

"Oh… right." She realized he was probably listening in and also probably not very happy about what he over-heard.

She made up an excuse. "Oh yeah…I was just thinking about you is all. He must've misunderstood my thoughts. He really shouldn't be so nosey!"

Seth thought he might've interrupted something important from the looks of the situation. Tara quickly changed the subject as a distraction. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pull you away. Did you figure out what was wrong with the car?"

For the moment, the distraction worked.

"Nope it seemed just fine to me." He replied with a shrug. Then spotted Carlisle's empty chair at the desk. He hadn't even noticed when Carlisle snuck out of the room. His suspicions returned.

"So, ah…what's going on?" he asked wondering why she was in Carlisle's office having a private conversation with him.

"Nothing she shrugged." Just talking to Carlisle about some stuff.

"Stuff?" he cocked one eyebrow up. "What kind of stuff?"

"Vampire…stuff," she said defensively.

He knew what that meant. "Oh, I see. You don't want me to know, hmm?" He folded his arms.

She had to think of another excuse. "You really shouldn't be so nosey about things on your birthday." She frowned.

"Tsk! More surprises? You really don't need to give me anything else. I already got the best present this morning."

"I could never give you too much." She leaned in and kissed him.

It couldn't have been better timing when Carlisle came back and interrupted to announce he had yet another surprise for Seth. Tara raised her eyebrows and shrugged at Seth.

Carlisle waved a hand at them. "This way," he led.

Seth followed him outside where everyone stood waiting out front in the driveway. He looked around but the only thing he noticed was a shiny new Lexus parked out front.

"Surprise!" Everyone shouted.

"Um… what?" he shrugged not getting it.

"What do you think Seth?" Esme asked.

"Of… ?"

"The car, dummy!" Emmett uttered.

Seth looked at them stunned and still a bit confused.

"It's yours!" Esme nudged him.

Seth was stunned.

"What? For real? You guys got me a car?"

"Yes. We figured it was about time you had a decent vehicle to drive around, consider this a combination birthday gift and early wedding present from us. Tara was just telling me the good news that you set a date, congratulations." Carlisle smiled.

Another good save by Carlisle, Tara thought. Edward gave her a sour look though. She knew she would have to deal with him later. But for the time being, she was just as surprised as Seth and equally thrilled when she saw the new car. She hugged Esme.

Then Alice fluttered over. "Halloween? Really?"

Tara detected agitation in her voice and she chuckled. It was the reaction she'd hoped for.

Carlisle pulled out a set of keys and dangled them in front of Seth.

"I …I don't even know what to say. I can't believe you got me a car," Seth said, still in awe.

"Just say thanks and go check it out already!" Emmett said impatiently.

"Thank you!"

Seth took Carlisle totally by surprise when he hugged him. It was something he'd never done before but Carlisle's stunned expression quickly turned to a smile and he patted Seth on the back.

"You're very welcome."

Seth hugged Esme as well, something he'd done many times being that he was so fond of her. She was quite the cuddly-motherly type, even for a vampire.

"You're like family to us Seth and pretty soon, you will be too!" she said to him knowing about their fall wedding plans also. Carlisle had made mention of it to everyone.

At that moment, Seth realized he would be their son-in-law. It didn't feel strange to him at all however. He grabbed the keys from Carlisle and jotted over to his new car. It beeped when he hit the unlock button on the remote. He beamed with excitement. He'd never been given such an elaborate gift in all his life.

All the others followed to watch him start it up, except for Edward who waited back when he noticed Tara hadn't moved just yet either. She just watched and smiled as Seth excitedly opened the door and hopped in the front seat. Edward glared over at her, displeased by what he overheard earlier.

Tara noticed the angry expression on his face. "Don't give me that look Edward. I already know what you're going to say."

Edward hissed through his teeth. "I can't believe you suckered me into taking Seth aside so you could talk to Carlisle about that! If I had any idea I would have never…"

"You obviously wanted Seth out of the room anyway, and besides… it was private business. You shouldn't have been listening anyway."

"I couldn't help it. I had to listen to Carlisle because he was supposed to be letting me know when Emmett returned with the car. Honestly Tara, I truly regret even telling you that story about me in Italy. I had no idea you would actually consider doing the same thing someday."

"Well, don't feel bad. You didn't give me any new ideas. It's not like you're the first vampire that's ever gone to the Volturi to commit suicide before. Eventually the thought would have crossed my mind. You just stimulated it."

Edward grimaced even more.

She rolled her eyes. "Well I guess this means I can scratch you off the list of people I was going to ask for help," she said.

He let out a growl. "Yes! And don't think about asking my brothers and sisters to help you proceed with this absurd plan of yours either."

"Why not? I have every right to ask them, I'm part of this family too!"

Suddenly their voices were carrying and the others were looking over at them. Seth was the only one didn't pick up on it right away until he looked over and saw she was standing by the house still.

"Hey Tara, come on! Come check it out!" he called to her.

She stopped mid sentence and looked at Seth, putting a smile on her face.

Mind your own business Edward. She thought just before she zipped over to the car and jumped in the passenger seat.

It smelled of a new car aroma when she got in.

"Take it for a ride Seth! Have fun!" Esme said to him.

He buckled up and then revved up the engine, putting it into gear and then pulled out onto the windy road.

After a few minutes of silence and noticing Tara's mind was elsewhere, Seth thought he'd ask if she was alright.

"Hey, everything okay back there? You and Edward looked like you were having an argument."

"Oh… yeah, it's nothing." She quickly changed her disposition, not wanting him to worry.

"You sure? He looked pretty upset."

"Eh…you know Edward, he's so over dramatic. Hey, how fast can this thing go?" she quickly said as a distraction.

He grinned devilishly. "Wanna find out?"

She smiled and nodded at the same time. Seth pulled out to the 101 and pushed the pedal to the floor.

After giving the car a thorough test drive, Tara and Seth headed into Seattle to find wedding chapel and luckily they found one that stayed open late. The tiny chapel conveniently offered a variety of packages to couples to include cakes, photographs, scrap books, rings and even tuxedo and dress rentals. They each decided to stick with the most basic of course, with one exception, Seth insisted on a tribal blanket for their ceremony. He'd found one in a Native American shop on their way to the chapel. The ordained man seemed familiar with the custom and was happy to oblige his request. Tara was extremely glad Alice would never be able to see what they were about to do. They chose their vows from a list and were given a copy of them in a small memory book with a photo and a copy of their marriage certificate. A small token from their special day that only they would know about, though they knew it was probably unavoidable that Edward would find out about their secret. Seth knew it wouldn't be an issue however. He knew he could trust Edward not to expose them.

The entire process, including the ceremony was over within fifteen minutes.

Once all the documentation was signed, the vows were said and the rings exchanged, they were pronounced, Mr. and Mrs. Clearwater. Tara couldn't think of a happier moment when the clergy announced her new title. She also couldn't take her eyes off the shiny new band on her left hand that accompanied her engagement ring. It all happened so fast, she almost couldn't believe it to be true.

Seth took notice of her silent stare as he kept glancing over at her in the passenger seat of the car. He wondered what was going through her head at the moment.

"You're quiet again. What are you thinking?"

"I think I'm stunned," she said.

"Are you happy?"

She looked at him with a huge grin on her face like a child that just got exactly what they wanted for Christmas and she nodded. "More than ever."

Seth took her hand in his and held it. "Good." He smiled. "So what shall we do now Mrs. Clearwater?"

She thought for a moment trying to decide.

"Hmm, remember that place you took me on our first date? You think it's still open?"

"The mini-golf?" Seth chuckled. He liked that she was simple and easy to please. "Let's find out."

Sure enough, he found the place and it was still open. They stayed until it closed at the end of the night and ended their evening on the beach, but this time they stayed until the sun rose.

As the ball of light crept up from the ocean's distance edge, it cast a reflection on the water. Beams of light glistened off its surface.

Seth still lay asleep on the soft bed of sand rolled up in the tribal blanket like a burrito while

Tara lay completely motionless, watching him. All was peaceful until a noisy seagull landed beside them. She hissed at the filthy bird and it squawked before it flew off but the sound woke him.

"Mmm, what time is it?" Seth mumbled.

Tara reached over and grabbed his cell phone looking at the time. "Six twenty-two," she said.

He groaned as he stretched. "We should head out. There's gonna be people on the beach soon."

He opened one eye spotting the empty Champagne that lay in the sand. Then he lifted his head and focused on Tara's shimmering body. It lit up as the sunlight touched her skin and the thousands of tiny facets over her sparkled in the morning glow.

"And I'm pretty sure they have laws against nudity on the beach." he gazed at her naked physique.

"It's only against the law if someone can actually see me though."

Seth realized she cloaked herself. "I suppose that's true."

"Besides I think we broke a lot more laws than public nudity last night on the beach." She grinned.

Seth smiled and scooted closer to her touching her face and kissing her cold lips.

"Mmm, I'm positively too cold for you right now," she warned him, trying to pull back.

"That's fine, I will warm you up. It's like a billion degrees in this blanket right now." The steam visibly rose off him as he exposed his skin to the cool brisk air.

She hesitantly scooted forward allowing him to wrap the blanket around her.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

His body quivered when her skin made contact. "Ah…Okay. I may need some pants." He chuckled.

She smiled. "Thought so… lemme go find them." Then she stood up and looked up at the trees hanging above them. Seth's pants were hanging from a branch above.

He wondered if he was having so much fun he'd forgotten half the events. "Uh, we're we in a tree last night?"

Tara effortlessly leaped straight up and grabbed his pants landing back on the ground.

She strolled back over to him and handed them to Seth. "Nope. I uh, kinda tossed them a little too far."

He laughed not quite remembering how he got out of his clothes since they all came off so quickly.

Tara gathered hers up and started to dress while Seth sat up and slid his jeans on. Then he stood and shook out the blanket, neatly rolling it up.

"Ready to go home?" he asked.

"Mmm, I suppose." She leaned close to him and his lips met hers for a long kiss.

"I kinda wish I didn't have to take this off." She admitted as she looked at her ring finger.

Seth removed a chain from around his neck, slid the band off her finger and put the chain through the ring. Then he fastened it around her neck. "There. Now you can wear it and no one will know."

"Thanks. What about yours though?" she asked.

Seth took his off and took her other hand in his trying it on each finger. It fit over her thumb perfectly.

"Would you mind holding it for me until I can wear it? It will be too hard to wear on a chain if I phase. I might lose it."

"I promise to keep it safe."

"Thanks for giving me a great birthday by the way." He wrapped his hand around her waist.

"Welcome," she grinned.

Seth dangled the car keys out in front of her. "So… you wanna drive us home then?"

She snatched them out of his hand quickly. "I thought you'd never ask!"