Disclaimer: All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

Chapter 19 Yellowstone

BPOV

"This car is really amazing, Bella! I can teach you to drive a stick anytime you like! On the way home maybe?", I told her.

"That might be fun, if we have time! How long will it take us to get home?"

"Well, that depends on where all you want to go, Bella!", he told me with a bit of a smirk in his voice. It made me wonder just what he had in mind!

"What do you mean? Aren't we headed home to North Carolina?"

"Bella! You once told me you had never been East of Albuquerque! I know you traveled some with Dale and Jacob, but there must be some things you'd like to see aren't there?"

"I suppose, but you do everything for me already, Edward, I don't want to ask for more things or places to see!", she said fidgeting with her fingers and looking out the window.

"Yes . . . but there is a lot of ground to cover between here and there and lots of things to see! Bella! Listen closely. You are my wife. We have, literally, forever together. You now have a personal fortune in the millions of dollars and can go to or buy almost anything you could ever want. How about a little help here, some clues about things you would like to see!"

"Okay, I'll tell you one and you tell me something that you want to do or see, deal?"

"Deal!"

"Okay, I want to go and walk around on Liberty Island and see the Statue of Liberty up close!"

"Good! I want to see you naked on the beach on a private island!"

"Edward! I didn't know we were going to go there . . . but I'd like to fool around out in the middle of some deep woods somewhere in the mountains!"

"I want to take you on a boat ride down the Rhine river and spend the night in all the five star hotels that are built in the castles on the sides of the river!"

"Oh, that one sounds like fun! Let's see, I would like to see the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone Parks and go to see the Rocky mountains in Colorado!"

"Excellent! We have a cabin in the mountains just east of Yellowstone! Lets stay there for a few days!"

"Are you serious, Edward! You have a cabin there!", I marveled at the snicker on his face, "Edward Cullen, when we get home I want a printed list of all real estate owned!"

Edward actually veered the car a few centimeters off the center of the lane he was laughing so hard. "Oh now you get demanding, lists of all properties! I see how it is!", he continued to laugh.

The phone rang, Alice of course was on the other end, "That's a great idea! We haven't been to that house in years, Edward! I'll call and have it opened and cleaned while we drive there. If we stop over tonight to let Bella sleep, we should be there tomorrow afternoon!" You could hear her excitement peeling through the phone!

When we stopped for dinner, I convinced them that since they were all stopping for us to go into restaurants three meals a day so that I could eat, we would drive all night and not go to a hotel. Edward objected, but I reminded him that if sleep was what he wanted me to get, I had a better chance of sleeping here in the car with him driving than I would ever have in a hotel in bed with him! He went along with my idea, but he was not happy about it, something about me needing my rest, but I am quite sure the real problem was that it meant he would go a whole entire day without having sex! I had to admit, I didn't like that idea either!

The 'cabin' they had referred to had four large bedrooms and a huge den, completely furnished including a large flat screen! It seems Alice had indeed been busy on the phone on the way here, as the cabin was perfectly clean and stocked with food for me and Emmett and Rosalie were en route to join us! I was so excited, we were going to Yellowstone to sight see!

"So, where should we go first, Alice?", I asked as she put some pamphlets on the table. "Shouldn't we wait for Rose and Emmett?"

"Absolutely not. Rosalie hates sightseeing in things like parks and they won't be here till tomorrow night at the earliest! That gives us all day tomorrow to explore the geysers and smudge pots and hot springs in the park!"

"We can even eat lunch at Old Faithful Inn if you want, sweetheart!", Edward said as he returned from putting our things into one of the bedrooms. "If you don't mind, we have had dinner and it seems we have a full day planned for tomorrow, so I would really like to shower and go to bed with my wife!". he said as his arms circled my waist and he nuzzled his face into my neck!

"You guys are just so cute together! It's just so very odd to hear my uptight prude of a brother complaining that he needs to shower and go to bed with his human wife! What other vampire could do that, and not kill her I mean!", Alice mused!

"Looks like a fun evening!", Jasper added as the mood in the room became thick with anticipation, "Good grief, Alice, let them get behind closed doors before he jumps her right in front of us!" The lust from Edward was about to consume everyone in the room!

"Lets go for a hunt, Jasper! We can give them some privacy and I need to feed!", Alice told him as she pulled him out the front door!

"Edward! How embarrassing! You might as well have just said we were going to have sex!", I said as I elbowed him in the ribs! He was laughing, pulling away from me as I elbowed him so that I wouldn't bruise my elbow by hitting his stone hard ribs.

"Okay, next time I'll just say we want to have sex! There! Will that make you happier?", he said with a glint in his eyes and the biggest crooked smile ever crossing his face.

"EDWARD!", I nearly yelled at him as I felt my face flush bright red!

His face was glowing with amusement, his eyes twinkling as they slowly seemed to grow darker. Out of nowhere, I was over Edwards shoulder and we were headed to the bedroom!

"Edward Cullen! Are you going all caveman on me! Put me down!", I yelled as I smacked his but repeatedly, having no more effect than air, other than my hand turning red!

He was laughing as he tossed me unceremoniously onto the bed and started to crawl up the bed on all fours!

"I have gone a an entire day without, wench, and I will wait no longer!

"What! Edward, these are not the dark ages!", I said looking at him playfully, ". . . did you just call me 'wench'?"

"Yes, 'wench', now quiet!", he said as his lips covered mine, making talking impossible!

I loved this man! He had gone from the prudish uptight gentleman that would not allow buttons on his shirt undone or tongues to meet, to announcing we were having sex and carrying me to the bedroom over his shoulder calling me a wench! I had a feeling that eternity with this man was going to be really amazing!

I lost count of how many times we made love that evening . . . I think Edward was trying to make up for the day he felt he had been cheated out of! He was sweet and gentle with soft kisses and slow caresses some of the time and almost frenzied with need others. We kissed and held every part of each other and it seemed that we were trying to have as much skin touching as we possibly could at all times!

I finally drifted off to sleep, exhausted but content. Edward left momentarily to get the electric blanket out of the car to cover us with so that he could hold me even after I was asleep. It was necessary because if my activities were not heating up my body, my teeth would start to chatter after a few minutes of having his body wrapped around mine! The heat from the blanket warmed him as well and by morning we were always about the same temperature, giving a whole different feeling to out morning lovemaking!

I awoke to feel Edward, my leg hitched over him and his arms around me holding me tightly to him. My body responded to him even in my sleep. The combination of his being so close and the heating blanket made his body feel warm, the same temperature almost as mine! I could imagine no place in the world I would rather be. I opened my eyes to see his only a few inches away, starring at me, waiting for me to wake up!

"Good morning sweetheart!", he said as he peppered soft kisses from my ear to the corner of my mouth. "I love you so much, Bella, I just haven't told you enough lately, I just really love you", he told me with such a serious look on his face, almost desperately willing me to understand. I think if tears were possible for him the man would have been shedding them!

"What brought this on?", I said softly as I cupped his face in one hand and softly scratched his scalp, my fingers running through his silky hair. His purring was loud now, as it had been since its onset. His rhythm was constant, he was just holding me completely against him and licking and nuzzling my neck as we continued to gently rock together.

"Baby, what is it? . . . Edward?", I asked as the silence, other than his purring, continued from him. I put my hand on his chin to bring his face to mine so that I could look at him and he finally allowed me to lift it. He looked up and met my gaze, "Edward, talk to me!"

"Everything is fine, sweetheart, I am just so in love with you, sometimes it overwhelms me. I . . . I don't know what I would do if I lost you Bella, I can't be without you, I love you so much . . .", he spoke the words to me so quietly, almost whispering.

"You never have to find out. You never have to be without me, Edward. I told you, we discussed this already . . . I want you to change me after Christmas and I'll be with you always!"

He looked up at me, stared really, his eyes wide.

"Bella, you don't really understand what you're asking. I don't think you want this, to be like me. It's a lot to give up, sweetheart and a lot to take on."

He paused for a long moment and I waited, sensing that there was more, "I want you to see me hunt before you decide, before you make that commitment. You don't have to become what I am, I'll stay with you your entire life regardless, Bella. I'll never leave you even if you don't want this . . . unless a time comes when you want me to go . . ."

"Edward! Where is this coming from? What is going on, you know I'll never leave you, right . . . you know that!"

He starred at me another long minute, "Bella, I want you to see me hunt. Here, on this trip. Emmett and Rose are coming out here to make sure nothing happens to you in the process, I wanted them here to help. I want you to go on a hunting trip with me."

"I thought it was too dangerous for me to be around you when you hunted, that you could not let a human be near?"

"I came up with an idea and Alice saw that it would work. I'll feed first then we'll all go out and Emmett will carry you so that you can keep up!"

"Edward that's wonderful! I can't wait . . is that what this is all about, are you upset about this?"

"Bella, I'm just afraid that when you see me for what I am, like I really am . . . a vampire hunting and feeding . . . you won't want to be with me anymore. I'm afraid you will be frightened of me!"

"Well, I can't wait to prove you wrong Edward Cullen!", I told him curtly, "We have had this discussion before. I didn't shy away from you after you unceremoniously claimed me as your mate the first night in our new house, or when you went all vamp on me against a tree in the meadow or even when you decided that you would be a great substitute for tampons and there is no way that the simple act of you feeding yourself is going to have that effect on me!"

He must have been caught off guard with the forcefulness of my voice or with my words themselves, as his body stilled and he starred at me, not moving. Obviously it was going to be up to me to pull him out of this! I pulled him to me with the leg that was wrapped around his hips. I ran one hand down his side, feeling the long planes of his back muscles as they joined his hips. I brought my lips to his and kissed him softly, first on the top lip, then the sides, then gently tracing them with my tongue and deepening the kiss. He kissed me back with the intensity of a man dying of thirst having found water, consuming them.

He rolled over full on top of me, snaking his hands underneath my arms and up over my shoulders from behind. This was his favorite position as he could hold onto me while stroking my neck and throat, have the feeling of his arms around me and still keep some of his weight off of me by propping up on his elbows. I loved it when he held me like this as well, as I had access to putting my arms around his neck and playing with his face and hair or putting them around him below his arms to encircle his back and play with his shoulders and even his behind. This was my husband and I loved feeling his like this, he was so completely mine.

We became more intense, our movements more forceful, more frenzied . . . perspiration beading on my forehead and chest from the effort I was expending. Edward loved it when that happened, he seemed to try and lick every drop like it was a gift of some sort! We came together, his growl filling the room and me screaming his name over and over.

"Never think I would ever leave you, do you understand me . . . I will never leave you!", I told him as I held him tight with every fiber of my being.

EPOV

I heard her as she approached the door, but hot in time to stop her.

"You should scream out names if you really want to be an effective alarm clock, Bella!"

Alice yelled through the door. Bella froze, stone still beneath me, not even breathing. I thought for sure she was going to be so embarrassed, mad even, and I was about to get up to go tear my sister limb from limb. My wife never failed to amaze me. She broke out in laughter so hard she shook me as I lay still on top of her! Riotous, full blown hysterical laughing.

"I'll work on calling out your name or Jaspers while I make love with my husband, Alice! How will that be!", she yelled at the door!

"You will so not call out my brothers name!", I whispered menacingly in her ear!

"Well, if it has this effect on you, maybe it might be worth it!", she teased, stroking my jawline with her thumb. "I love you, silly vampire!", was the last thing she was able to say before my lips occupied hers.

~oooOooo~

Bella was so excited about going to the park, and our lust had had such an effect on Jasper and therefore on Alice, we left home without remembering to feed the human! After entering the park from the Northeast, we decided we would have breakfast, brunch really, at Mammoth Hot Springs just before we would get to the first geyser field that we wanted to walk through. No one was eating but Bella, of course, but we sat at a large table by the front window in the restaurant and all ordered.

Apparently the meal was good, as she really seemed to be enjoying herself and I even ventured to swallow a sip or two of coffee, just to try it! Ugh! Disgusting really, worse than eating dirt! As we ate, we noticed a large herd of elk were quietly munching on the grass of the front lawn. We had seen signs coming in telling us that that was a normal occurrence, warning us to admire them from a distance while they grazed. Bella was ecstatic and raced out the front door to take photos.

"She is really enjoying this, Edward", my sister Alice noted, "How long should we wait before we go out there to join her?"

"Let's give her time darlin' . . . no need to spoil her fun right away", Jasper added with a laugh.

"I agree with Jasper, Alice, she'll be back in here in a minute wanting me to come see it with her, we can wait till then!"

I laughed with my siblings, knowing that showing Bella new things and exploring the park with her was going to be amazing! She still really did have a lot to learn about vampires! Sure enough, I had just paid the bill as she came excitedly back into the building wanting us all to come outside with her. Apparently the entire herd had settled in on the lawn, some lying down to rest and the others peacefully grazing, showing not a care in the world or any fear of the humans.

I asked Alice to 'see' before we walked out, to pick a time when no one would get hurt by the event that would ensue. She delayed us for just a bit in the gift shop as I noticed a couple with small children herding them in from the parking lot and down the path by the elk. Once the family was inside, Alice said, "Bella, I thought we were going outside to see the elk!"

We chose to go out on the deck attached to the building, slightly up off of ground level. We stepped out into the fresh air and the breeze from the herd caught my nose. It was only a moment before the wind shifted and every nose on every elk was in the air as we became upwind from them. Bella looked on amazed that all the animals seemed to move in unison. They all stiffened, tensed and sprang away, clearly spooked and running for cover as though their lives depended on it. The park visitors that had been admiring the heard looked astounded and the rangers looked around, expecting to see a grizzly or some other predator to come into view, explaining the actions of the herd. They saw none . . . at least they didn't know they were looking at a predator that was even higher on the food chain than the grizzly! Jasper and I nonchalantly leaned on the railing with our elbows, hands clasped, just watching the view.

Bella looked at us, realization dawning on her face and broke out laughing.

"You guys would be a riot at a zoo wouldn't you!", she said amid her laughter.

"Actually darlin', Emmett talks me into going quite often, he thinks the reaction is hysterical to watch when the animals are caged!", Jasper added.

"That's just mean! I can see Emmett laughing about it though!", she added with a chuckle.

"Is this why you all sat there and let me come outside by myself?", she asked, "I thought something was up! Edward is usually where I am!"

"I just wanted you to be able to enjoy seeing the herd up close, love, before they smelled us and fled! It was just luck that we were already inside when they arrived and you got to see them, they never would have come around if we had been outside!", I explained as we watched the last of the herd disappear into the woods.

We found the Jaguar, we had brought it instead of the R8 as we could all ride together in the four door car and it was large enough for us all to be comfortable. We headed out to one of the many geyser fields and took the drive through tour before deciding to actually park and take the foot path to see the paint pots. The hills of colored mud were amazing to watch as they bubbled and let out puffs of steam! Each 'pot' was a slightly different color and I wondered if Bellas eyes could discern the infinite variety of textures as well as color that the landscape offered.

"This is amazing!", Bella said as she took out her cameras to take more photos. She photographed the landscape, Alice and Jasper with their arms around each other, she and I together . . . she even got a stranger to take photos of the four of us in front of the steaming brew! I loved watching her like this and wondered if she would be like this as we explored the world together. She had not yet fully embraced what her existence was going to be like - eternity was a difficult concept.

As we walked back on the decking constructed beside the hot pools, the small walking cast that Carlisle still had her wear if she planned to be standing for long periods of time caught on one of the uneven boards in the walkway. She fell forward and grabbed for the rail. I caught her, of course, there was never any danger that I wouldn't, but her camera slid down the rail and landed a few feet away on a rock out cropping the other side of some of the steaming pots.

"Damn it!", Bells exclaimed.

I looked at he with mock shock on my face, "Did you just say damn it? Bella, I'm shocked!"

"Edward! I couldn't help it, all my photos are on that camera and now I can't get it!"

"Oh Bella, really! I'll get it!", Alice chimed in.

Alice took her shoes off so as not to get them wet, protecting the designer shoe at all cost! She looked around to ensure that no humans were watching or even in sight as she put a foot into the bubbling water at a point where the water cascaded over rocks, taking a step or two to reach the camera and dancing back across to us. Bellas mouth hung open in amazement. Though she surely knew the boiling water was no problem for us, I guess she had not really considered it before!

"Thanks, Alice!", Bella said in disbelief.

"Your welcome. Try very hard to be careful here, Edward would expose us all to save you!", she said chiding me as she gave her brother a sideways look, but I knew that there was truth to what she had said. Apparently the largest concern for Alice was not the temperature of the water she had just stood in but the fact that her feet were now wet and might damage her shoes! She carried the shoes and walked barefoot to the car!

The day progressed uneventfully, Bella viewing wildlife and then viewing their escape as the wind always seemed to shift, taking them our scent. She elbowed and kidded me about scaring things away, but she just continued to chuckle to herself saying things like,

"Why would anything be afraid of you, Edward Cullen!"

I rally hoped that were true at least whee she was concerned. After all, she would see me hunt tomorrow and her being frightened of me was one of my greatest fears.

"Old Faithful! Yea! I bet you are all ready for lunch, right!", Bella exclaimed.

Jasper looked around laughing, "Is there a herd nearby that you see and I don't?"

We walked into the main dining area and sat down to look at the menus. When the waiter came over and took our drink order and asked if we needed a few minutes before ordering our meal, Bella chimed in, "I think we have decided". She folded her menu and handed it to the waiter saying,

"We will all have the elk, please!"

It was all Jasper and Alice could do to stay seated as laughter overtook them. It was the waiters thoughts that had me in stitches. He thought we were laughing because we were all vegetarian or something and she was making a joke! I had to get in on this one so I said to the waiter,

"Yes, we would all like the elk, were vegetarian, you know!"

Alice had seen and she could hardly contain the peals of laughter that she and Bella were consumed by! A very confused waiter left to place the order for 4 meals of elk, three rare and one well done. I had to admit, my wife had a great sense of humor and I loved it. This little human girl was having a great time making fun of her vampire family!

"Well, this isn't the way I remember elk tasting", Jasper commented as he actually tried a small bite, "Didn't we tell him to cook this rare?"

"I'm not sure that they would consider 'live' as 'rare', Jasper", Bella managed to say with a straight face, triggering another round of up roaring laughter from our table! Good thing they had seated us off in a corner by ourselves, we would have been disturbing everyone had we been out in the populated portion of the restaurant!

BPOV

God I loved my new family! They were amazing people and I truly felt blessed to have met them and been accepted by them. Then there was Edward. My Edward. I did truly love this man beyond all reason and by some miracle he felt the same for me as well. As I took his hand and we rode along the bumpy, winding roads through the beauty that was Yellowstone Park, I knew that there was nothing this man could do that would push me away from him and nothing the vampire could do as well.

I knew he killed to live.

I knew he drank blood.

The thought of blood was abhorrent to me, but then . . . I was not a vampire . . . yet! As we crossed the open pastures near Fishing Bridge, a herd of bison was grazing, blocking the road.

I admired them for a long moment, then lowered the window of the car.

"So, you're through watching them I see!", Edward said to me with a smirk as the herd headed off into the distance.

"I thought I would just clear up the traffic jam some, that's all!", I said with a smile, knowing that the heard would move as soon as it caught wind of the predators that even the bison feared!

We had one more stop, a place called Grand canyon of the Yellowstone, before we headed to Roosevelt lodge for dinner. We parked and headed down the path that led to the viewpoint. I had been to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, of course, living only a couple of hours from it in Phoenix, but it was in the desert and there was little vegetation surrounding it. It was magnificent in its fall display of color in the trees! Though there were far more evergreens than hardwoods here, mostly lodge pole pines, the deciduous trees that were here were in full color, yellows and oranges and reds dotting the landscape as we looked into the depths of the canyon that the Yellowstone River had carved over the last few centuries.

"Will we be able to tell a difference, Edward, in a hundred years?", I asked.

"What love?", Edward answered.

"If we come back here in a hundred years will we be able to tell a difference in the canyon?"

"Well, the difference would be imperceivable to human eyes, but since we have photographic minds and total recall, then yes, I suppose we could tell a difference in a hundred years. Would you like to make a point of coming back here then to see?", Edward asked me.

"I would . . . I really would. This trip is very special to me, Edward. It's out first adventure together since we were married - kind of like a honeymoon!"

"Bella, we wouldn't have my sister and brother with us on a honeymoon! Besides, we have that trip to Isle Esme to take whenever we want and I for one would like to go as soon as we can arrange it!"

"Do you want to go before Christmas . . . I mean . . . you know, before . . .?"

"That's up to you, sweetheart. We can go now and then again after Christmas! It would actually be a great place for you to be for a few months, away from all humans! If we go now, you can still sunbathe nude and get a tan from it though!", he smiled seductively as he gazed at my chest.

"Edward! I could turn red while you just sit there and sparkle! What fun would that be for you?"

"Bella, you naked on a beach or in a swimsuit or alone on an island, come on . . . you have to see what fun that would be for me - I'm a guy, Bella!