Please don't murder me for taking so long. ANYWAY:

PREVIOUSLY:

We covered the distance between the Cullen's residence and the Idaho-Washington-Oregon corner quickly. Within half a mile of the five remaining Volturi vampires, I slowed to a walk.

Major, sensing my unease, reached for my hand again. We walked the remainder of the distance in silence, and, finally, I stopped, facing Major.

"Stay here. Please." I murmured, quietly enough that only Major could hear me. He grimaced, but nodded, quickly pressing his mouth to the palm of my hand.

"Remember. I still have something I want to talk to you about, darlin'. So, again, don't do anything stupid." he pleaded. I rolled my eyes, but nodded. I smiled at him, and went to face the five.

I straightened my spine, and began walking in the five's direction, schooling my face into an angry, irritated mask-which wasn't hard. They tended to irritate me like no other.

As I stepped into the miniscule clearing they'd chosen, Jane and Alec whipped around, snarling, then relaxed when they saw it was me. Jane sank into a reluctant curtsy. "Forgive me, Milady. You startled me."

"Mmm. Still, the next time you try that, you more than likely won't survive. Just a fair warning." I said coolly. Her eyes narrowed, and I grinned at her. Aro cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Milady. Are you now ready to tell us why you were gone?" he asked. My eyes narrowed this time. "I do not owe you anything. I don't have to tell you if I don't want to; keep that in mind." I retorted.

Aro's face froze. "I know, Milady. But I do ask for an explanation." he said softly. I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. I left because I was getting smothered by your damn obsessiveness with me. And I stayed away so long because I found my mate. My permanent mate." My voice was terse, and I spoke quickly.

The five of them froze, stunned. Finally, Aro pasted on a smile that looked even faker than his normal ones.

"Congratulations, Milady. It is indeed a day for celebration when our leader has found her consort." he said sweetly. "I assume that the lucky man will be returning with you to Volterra? You-"

I held up my hand. "Wait a minute, Aro. I never said I was coming back to Volterra." "Milady-y-you're abandoning us?" Aro actually looked scared. Though they had only put me in charge because they were scared shitless of me, I still protected them. Honor left over from being Bella, I supposed.

I took a deep, calming breath. "No, Aro, I am not abandoning you. What I am, doing, however, is leaving to be alone for a while. Alone with my mate. I seem to remember you, Marcus, and you Caius, taking vacations to leave with your mates as well. Do I not deserve the same, seeing as how I am, A) so incredibly younger than you, and B) just found my mate?"

Marcus and Caius narrowed their eyes, but didn't deny it. I could see them gritting their teeth, but Marcus finally said, "Very well, Milady. Do you know how long you'll be gone? And where we will be able to find you, if required?"

A snarl rumbled from my chest. "No, I don't know how long I'll be gone. And the point of having alone time with my mate is to be alone. Where we can be secluded. And not worry about any interruptions. Understand?" my voice was irritated enough for each of the five to take a step backwards.

Another deep, unnecessary breath. "Fine. Look, Jas and I will remain at the Cullen's home for a while, most likely. Then, we will strike out on our own. Is that satisfactory information?" I gritted out.

Jane tilted her head. "Jas?" she asked, voice flat. I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Jane dear," I said, voice condescending. "Jasper Whitlock. The Major. Ex-lackey of Maria. My mate...?" I trailed off, looking at her to make sure she understood.

Once more, the five were stunned into silence. "Your mate is the Major?" Caius finally choked out. I looked at him in confusion. Had I not mentioned that? After a moment, though, I shook my head.

"Yes, Major is mate." before they could say another word, I hastily added, "And, now that we're done with this fascinating little conversation, you and your minions can leave. And not come back. You bother the Cullen's again, and you will regret it. I will make you regret it."

"Why do you care so much?" Alec whipped out.

"Because my mate loves them." I answered, voice quiet. A long moment passed, then Three nodded in unison, and they and their lackeys faded back into the trees.

Major jerked his head up the second I got within fifteen yards of him. He shouldn't have been able to hear me, let alone see me, but he looked straight at me anyway. I didn't bother wondering why.

"Izzy." his voice was tinged with relief. "You were gone a long time." he added. I noticed his hair was messier than normal, like he'd been running those long-fingered hands of his through it. I sped up, not saying anything in reply, and when I got within feet of him, I sped up even more, throwing myself into his arms.

He laughed, hugging me back. "Missed you too, darlin'. Did somethin' happen?" he asked, voice quiet and wary. I shook my head, burying my nose in his chest.

"Nah. I just forgot how much being in their vicinity make me wanna bash their heads together." I mumbled. He laughed, kissing the top of my head. "That's my girl." he said quietly.

I laughed too, mainly just because he had-I was fast learning I couldn't resist his laugh. For a few long minutes, I was content just to stay in his arms, just to be close to him. Finally, though, I leaned away, looking up at him.

"What'd you wanna talk to me about, Major?" I asked, tilting my head. His eyes narrowed sightly as he considered me before he pushed me back half a step. His gaze never leaving mine, he reached into the pocket of his jeans, and pulled something out, holding it tightly in his fist. And, slowly, gracefully, he knelt down on one knee.

If I'd had a still-beating heart, it would've been bursting out of my chest by now.

"Izzy, I know you don't really consider marriage necessary when two people are mated like we are, but I still want to do this right. So, Miss Isabella, will you marry me?"

His voice was steady, his eyes even more so as he stared at me, waiting for my answer.

I took a deep breath, and opened my mouth. "I-"

Ta Da! The end (Of this chapter). Sorry about the cliff hanger. Not that it's a real cliffhanger, ya know, but hopefully this will propel me to update sooner. Love y'all who've stayed with me this long, and those of you who haven't turned haters for me taking a million and two years to update. SO...yup.

Reviews much appreciated. Love y'all. Bye.