isclaimer: Twilight and all associated characters are not mine...don't sue me...blah blah blah.

Oh, and Evening Falls is a teen rated fic. We're not going hardcore here but it does contain violence, adultish situations, and moping. Lots and lots of moping.

This chapter is dedicated to Navirae. Thank you for all the late night timed writes and making sure I got this out.

And also thanks to Amy, who continues to inspire me. Moar Alice, dammit.

Evening Falls

Chapter 20

Bella

Glorious, strong, immortal…

When I was still human, those were the words that came to me when I tried to imagine my new life.

Now different words repeated in my head, over and over, an endless loop with no off switch.

Monster.

Predator.

Beast.

How had it gone so wrong? How could I have been so arrogant to think I would be immune to the bloodlust? How could I have even imagined that I would be strong enough to resist?

The forest around me was in a constant state of transformation. Small animals streaked by in panic only to blunder across my path again. Trees rose up to meet me and then fell away. Birds shrieked, wings frantically pummeling the air and whirled around just to reappear. Ferns crumpled underneath my feet only to grow upwards and be trampled once more.

At least that is what it seemed like, like I was standing still and everything else was moving around me. This couldn't be running. Running required effort and air. It stole energy and cramped my muscles.

This felt like nothing, there wasn't any effort behind it at all. It was wildly frustrating. I had too much energy, too much power, and nothing to funnel it into. What was left now to rein me in? What could exhaust me enough that I wouldn't still burn for the blood, that I wouldn't still want to turn around and go back?

But he was with me. I felt shamed then, that I'd almost forgotten. Every step, every breath, every time a new and pungent blast of heat and blood pulled at me, he was my anchor. It was the feel of his smooth hand in mine, the light pressure of his fingers that kept me in one piece. He was a living memory of who I had once been. Who I still wanted to be.

How far had we gone, how long had my surroundings swelled, shrank, and bloomed again before he finally stopped me? It didn't feel far enough. How long did one have to go before they could outrun themselves?

"Bella," the sound of my name on Edward's lips was a thousand wind chimes ringing at once. "It's safe here. We can hunt now."

Hunt? Hunger and panic mingled together at his words, threatening to overwhelm me. I couldn't hunt, I couldn't think of feeding, not after –

"Bella?" The haze was building around me, swallowing me whole, the hunger pouring once more into every cell of my body to become my only reality. His voice was a thin thread connecting me to the last shred of my humanity.

"This will make it easier, I promise," Edward's words seemed to come at me from a long distance away though he was standing right next to me. His hand was pulling at me now, leading me. I thought perhaps I should resist but I was afraid to let go of him, afraid of what I would do if I did.

He stopped again too soon. Frustration forced a growl from my throat, and he made a reassuring noise in response. To my horror, he dropped my hand. No no no no…but then he was speaking again, and the sound of his voice was almost as good, a lifeline. "Look,' he urged, and I tried to focus on what he was saying. "There."

I released the breath I had not realized I had been holding and immediately the scent filled me, hot, savory, wild… It enfolded me, pulled at me and I had to find it.

Through the strand of trees I saw and smelled her at the same time. The doe lifted her head from where she had been grazing, her enormous black eyes fixed on us for the merest fraction of time before she bolted.

I was after her just as fast. She tore through the thicket like a streak of lightning and every step she took I shadowed. She leapt and she bounded, she twisted and darted through the maze of trees and foliage in desperation,, but she couldn't shake me.

The chase was exhilarating, nothing like the unsatisfying run of before. It thundered towards victory, a finish line to cross and a reward to claim. Even as my hunger peaked, I deliberately allowed her to escape me time after time, drawing out the anticipation. I gloried in her every panicked breath, letting myself get close enough to brush against her with the lightest of touches before deliberately slowing long enough for her to jump away again.

But my fragile self control could only allow the game to continue for so long. The doe stumbled over a fallen log, injuring her leg. Still she refused to give up, limping back to her feet. Her breath came in agonized pants, her flank quivering and dotted with sweat. I closed in on her, savoring her scent, the fear making her pumping blood even sweeter.

The rush of satisfaction as I closed in on her was indescribable. I was salivating, venom pooling eagerly in my mouth, and satisfaction was a centimeter away. Her wild flailing was no match for my steel grip.

And then I made the mistake of looking into her eyes.

She stared up at me and I saw myself as she did, reflected in twin black mirrors. My teeth were bared and I was snarling, red eyes aflame.

Monster.

Predator.

Beast.

The doe fell out of my grip and to the ground. She stayed where she had landed, shock and fear immobilizing her trembling form.

I half crawled away from her even as every cell of my new body screamed to go back. It was only when Edward's hands reached for me, pulling me to my feet, that I felt I could maintain any semblance of control.

"Bella, what is it?"

I shook my head wildly. Why was he making me stand here, so close to her, couldn't he see that we had to get away? Couldn't he see that she was innocent, that she didn't deserve this, that if I killed her, I would be more than a monster, that I would become Death itself?

No, he didn't see, because he was urging me forward now, but he couldn't move my immobile form.

"You have to, Bella, you need it," he was nearly begging. The hunger raged again at his words, trying to propel me forward, but I dug my feet in, shaking him off.

"I can't," It was a silent plea as I stared at him. I'll get lost if I do, and I remember how deep that abyss is. I don't know if I'll be able to come back this time…

Edward looked from me to the doe. Resolution hardened his features, his mouth setting into a grim line.

He was next to the doe now, too fast for me to understand what he was about to do. "No, Edward!" I tried to cry out, but it was too late.

The snap of her neck was like the gunshot at the start of a race, signaling to me. I tried to fight it still, forcing myself not to rip the limp body out of his arms, but he ran a knife sharp fingernail across her neck and drops of red immediately appeared like a macabre necklace.

The scent of fresh blood caught me up in its spell and I had no more will left to fight. It called me like a Venus Fly Trap calls to its prey, luring me with the sweet smell. Her still warm body was back in my arms as if I'd called her to me and the trap separating me from my humanity snapped shut.

She was empty all too soon. I pulled at her neck for the last few drops, grunting in disappointment when no more was forthcoming. Sudden anger consumed me, like a flame lit match that goes out as quickly as it ignites, and I threw her away from me.

I backed away into firm hands that turned me around. "Shhh, Bella, it's alright, you're alright…" His voice was nearly crooning and it was only then that I realized I was sobbing.

It wasn't better, not at all, even with my burning hunger somewhat banked. It was all coming back to me, every memory, and it wasn't like human memory, some things dim or easy to shut out. It was all crystalline and vivid, playing in my head as if I were standing next to myself watching it happen all over again; slamming Edward through the front of the house, throwing Carlisle out of my way, and Esme, oh God, what I did to sweet Esme who had loved me like a daughter... I had wanted to tear her apart and all because she had gotten in my way.

And Elisa…I had hunted her the same way I had hunted down the deer and she had meant nothing more to me than a steak on a plate would mean to a human. Elisa, the girl who was like a little sister to me, the one who had looked up to me so much, who still saw the world in shades of black and white where everyone was a good guy or a villain, the one who still believed in princes and princesses and fairy tale endings. Why did I have to be the one to shatter all that for her?

I couldn't stand it anymore, this remembering. I just wanted to sit down, some place quiet, but everything around me was a maelstrom of color, smells and sounds. I could hear it all, the sound of small animals crawling and slithering through the underbrush, the rush of the wind, the beating of wings, the chirps, trilling, screeches, and cries as the creatures of the forest communicated with each other. The more I listened the more was added to the cacophony.

All of it was crowding into my head at once, each new piece of the puzzle screaming for my attention, too many, too much, each new scent and sight and sensation pulling me into different directions and I needed it to stop, just for one minute, make it stop so I could breathe and think.

But it wouldn't, I realized. It would never end. Silence was lost to me forever.

I clapped my hands over my ears but it didn't help in the least, I didn't recognize the feel of my own skin, and Edward was saying my name and the sound of it on his lips was like a discordant symphony, beautiful and horrible at the same time.

I closed my eyes but even the familiarity of the darkness behind my lids was stolen from me. It shimmered with a thousand glimmering facets of color I'd never comprehended, almost alive. Still, it was a vast relief from the chaotic assault the world had rendered on my senses.

That gave me hope. If I could shut some things out, maybe I could shut out others.

It took a massive, near painful effort, but I forced myself to concentrate, just one piece at a time, one sound, one smell, one wisp of air. One by one, I cut them off. I could visualize it now, one door after another slamming shut and locking.

As the dark descended it touched me, its grasp tentative, and I floated away on it, a leaf on the water as shore got further and further away.

Awareness did not come back slowly, as it did to humans after a long sleep or a particularly interesting daydream. No, it happened all at once, like a light coming on and flooding a pitch black room.

I was perfectly aware of everything around me. My eyes were still closed and there was no rush to open them, not with so much newness to take in already. I was still trying to grasp this new awareness and not let it overwhelm me. It was almost bewildering to come to the conclusion that there was no danger of that. When I thought that I shut down, locked myself away, I'd really been processing, taking in every new bit of information and examining it with my new mind.

I could feel myself...my body felt granite hard, and yet ridiculously light at the same time and it rippled with so many different sensations I couldn't even name them all. I felt everything...every strand of hair on my head, the weight of my closed eyelids, every single wisp of air that touched me.

I felt him. I felt his hard arm around me, embracing me, I felt his body against mine, I experienced each breath that came out of him as it was my own. Just taking in his nearness was riveting and it was enough just to be near him, just to breathe him in.

Even as I reveled in his nearness, Edward seemed to realize that something had changed.

"Bella?" I heard him whisper. No, it wasn't even a whisper...it was one of those silent movements of his lips that I could never hear before, but now his voice, like everything else, was so much clearer, so much stronger, full of a melody unfathomable to my former self.

I opened my eyes then and the world surged in. I was a bit surprised to find that it was night. Not night as I had known it before; the loss of the sun merely changed the colors of my surroundings instead of hiding it. Everything was translucent and bright, fascinating, and I didn't remember to answer Edward until he moved forward.

As soon as he filled my sight the rest of the universe fell away and I could only look at him. His black eyes, the sheen of his skin, the perfect ski slope shape of his nose, the perplexed curve of his lips, all of his previously unseen shades and nuances were entrancing. It was only the faintest of lines breaking through the beauty that disturbed the spell. I traced one with my eyes, from where it snaked out of his hairline to race down his forehead and curve across his face until it disappeared underneath the collar of his shirt. Regret pierced me sharply at the sight

."Bella, I'm so sorry," The breathed apology was barely more than a sigh, but the words, so close to what I'd been thinking myself, snapped me to attention, shattering my spellbound state.

"What?" My voice came out far louder than I had meant it. "You're sorry?"

Edward was kneeling in front of me now, a fraction of a centimeter away. I waited with bated breath for him to close the distance between us. He didn't. I could not understand the regret in his eyes.

"I shouldn't have done this to you, Bella. I should have let you go in peace, but I wanted you so badly and so I made myself believe that you knew what you were doing, that you really wanted this existence. It was so selfish of me, but I promise you I will make immortality bearable for you if it's the last thing – "

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

He jumped back at my roar. I was startled myself, but vampire emotion didn't seem to work like human emotion and I couldn't bottle it up. Impatience was too close to anger; they bled into each other effortlessly, and propelled me onto my feet.

"Are you sorry you made me a vampire? Is that what you're trying to say? You're sorry you didn't just let me die?"

"No! Well, not sorry, but you… You closed down on me, Bella. You shut me out. This isn't what you wanted, is it? It's not what you thought it would be." He stared at me and I could see how hard he was fighting to keep himself implacable, but there was the tiniest of lines around his mouth.

I was searching for the right words, but I hesitated too long. Indescribable pain burned in his eyes and he turned away. "I've caused you so much pain."

"Edward, no! Listen to me, please!" I wanted to pull him back around to face me but a part of me warned that if I touched him now, I would not be able to put together what I needed to say. "You're right, " I told his obstinate back. "I couldn't have imagined this. It's more than any mortal could even dream of."

I stepped towards him, but he still refused to face me. "I would have died if not for you, more than once. You've saved me for the last time now. You've given me forever. How could you think for a second that I don't want it?"

Slowly he turned. The pain was still in his face but there was a spark of something like hope in his eyes. "But – when you – "'

I shook my head impatiently. "It's not you or any of this – " I gestured at the brilliantly colored world around me, " – that I'm disappointed in. I'm disappointed in myself." I stared downward now, unable to meet his eyes. "I wanted to be strong. I failed you and your family and everything you believe in."

"Bella, what are you talking about?" The genuine astonishment in Edward's face stopped my tirade short. "You were amazing! You have no idea how well you managed to control yourself. If you'd been any other newborn, Elisa would be dead right now, and probably a lot of other people with her."

I winced at that. He noticed, and his voice became gentler. "Bella, I'm not exaggerating to spare your feelings. You're remarkably advanced, so much more so than I could have ever anticipated. We may not have to stay isolated for nearly as long as I'd first anticipated before you're able to integrate with humans once more."

I had serious doubts about that, especially considering how the mere memory of the scent of Elisa's blood was making my mouth water.

"Don't do that," I shook my head. "Don't act like it's no big deal. I was completely out of control. I attacked you!" I couldn't suppress my unhappiness, no matter how hard I tried. How could I have been so weak? After all, I'd known what I was in for, right? I had advance knowledge that so many others didn't but in the end, it didn't matter. It was like my worst fears were true – what if I really wasn't strong enough for this life?

"Bella!" Too late I realized I'd slipped away into my own thoughts. I don't know how long I'd been unresponsive, but Edward was shaking me lightly, his eyes alarmed. I realized immediately that he thought I was losing my grip again, like I had earlier.

I smiled shakily at him, and his breath left him abruptly in a relieved sigh. He touched my face lightly and I shivered at the sensation, but he must have misunderstood the gesture, because to my disappointment he immediately dropped his hands. "Please, listen to me. You couldn't have been prepared. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Carlisle and I had so many plans. We were going to get you to our house in Alaska, far away from any humans, we were going to take our time and make sure you were ready, try to control the pain…" His eyes turned far away and he wasn't really talking to me anymore as much as remembering. "I should have never left you alone. It was the stupidest – why wasn't I more careful? I wanted you to cross over peacefully and instead your change came about under the worst of circumstances because I was foolish enough to overlook – "

"Edward!" I broke into his diatribe, putting my hands on either side of his face. The sensation of his skin underneath my palms was so distracting that I lost my train of thought and had to look away from the endless depths of his ebony eyes to collect them again.

"Let's make a bargain," I suggested when I'd finally collected myself again. "I'll try to stop beating myself up over what I did and you agree, for the sake of my flimsy newborn self-control, to stop saying stupid stuff about regrets."

I put a finger to his lips when he started to speak. "We're going in circles around the same thing, over and over. Can't we just – stop? Neither one of us can change the past." I dropped my hands down to his and laced our fingers together.

He smiled then but it was still pained. I sighed, moving closer to him, keeping our fingers still intact. "Do you remember all the things you said to me while I was changing? About us, about our future, how it would be when it was all over?"

I was instantly sorry I'd mentioned my change. An expression of pure agony flashed on his features. I was about to back track when it dissolved into a look of surprise. "You…remember? You heard me? But you were in agony – "

"I don't remember that part," I shook my head.

Disbelief shadowed his face and I hurried to explain. "I don't mean that literally. I do remember it; I remember the pain but it's…it's like a faded, grey snapshot. Your voice, on the other hand…it was the only thing that kept me sane. I don't think I would have made it through if you hadn't been then. You gave me a reason to wake up again."

He still looked as though he didn't quite believe me. I couldn't help but wince, knowing why. "I remember everything I said to you too," I admitted, chagrin spiraling within me. "I screamed at you. I cursed you. I asked you to kill me."'

"Of course you did,"' he answered, looking at my downcast expression. "It's perfectly understandable. I did too, during my change. All of us did."

"Then you should know I didn't mean it," I smiled then, neatly trapping him with his own words.

Edward looked taken aback. Then he laughed and I was instantly in his arms. "Oh, Bella,' he whispered. "I love you." He didn't say any more but I understood completely.

"I love you too. We promised each other forever,' I whispered into his neck as he embraced me. "This is it. And maybe I should be sorry, maybe I should spend the next few decades pondering the moral ramifications of what we've done but I can't bring myself to care. This is our happy ending, Edward and maybe it's selfish of me, but that's all I care about now."

"It's not an ending,' his responding whisper was fierce, 'but it certainly is happy."

I sighed contentedly and his arms tightened around me. We stood there for a long moment. It was only when a light rain began to fall that I lifted my head.

"Where are we, by the way?" For the first time, I took in my surroundings. All around me the beauty of the terrain was astonishing. It was surprisingly flat and open, with minimal tree coverage, not like the miles of forest I recalled. The sky seemed endless, alternating between blue and gray and stretching on and on.

"Gros Morne," Edward replied immediately.

My knowledge of Canadian geography wasn't that immense yet. "Where?"

"It's a national park,' Edward explained, 'on the west coast of Newfoundland."

"A park?" Agitation spiked my words, making my voice rise. "As in, a tourist destination? Where people go?"

"I know," Edward sighed. "It's not ideal. I had only planned to take you here to hunt, then move on, but then you – "

He smiled crookedly at me and I forgot to be embarrassed over my mini breakdown. "It's not tourist season anymore, and we're isolated enough to easily avoid trouble, but I'd still rather not linger here. We've chanced it long enough already."

"Yes,' I agreed. "The less time we spend near populated areas, the better." I sighed. "We're still a long way from Alaska."

Edward nodded. The smile that curved his lips now was peaceful, almost lazy. "It will be quite the journey, Bella." I had a feeling he wasn't talking about our trip now. "I have so much to teach you." He straightened up suddenly, apparently preparing to get down to business.

"Do you remember, when we first returned from Italy, and I told you that the Volturi perceive time differently than humans do?"

"Yes," I wondered what he was getting at.

"Well, I really meant us – vampires, I mean, not just the Volturi. Time doesn't limit us in the way it does for humans, so we don't feel it pass the way they do. For example, how long do you think we've been here?"

I looked around, slightly perplexed. "A few hours?"

Edward smiled. "We've been here for nearly two days."

Disbelief churned within me. How could that be?

"You were unresponsive for almost a day," His voice was quieter now.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

His smile brightened again. "Don't be. I just want you to understand how easy it is to lose yourself and come back again only to realize that weeks have gone by. We are quite reliant on human technology to keep us from losing track." He tapped his watch. "It is one of the reasons we attend school and why Carlisle works. It keeps us aware when we are forced to pay attention to the days and the seasons. Of course, it can also make time pass excruciatingly slowly."

School. I frowned at the thought. We were definitely going to have to address some issues down the line. There was no way I wanted to spend my eternity writing papers and dodging horny football players.

Edward laughed at my expression. "We can discuss it later on. There's plenty of time," he promised.

"All the time in the world," I whispered, my voice husky as he pressed his lips to the palm of my hand. A surge of an entirely different kind of hunger was shooting through me. Out of long habit, I fought my reaction to his touch. Instantly though, it occurred to me, with a jolt of unbridled excitement, that I didn't have to restrain myself anymore. I was no longer Breakable Bella. Edward couldn't hurt me with just a touch. There was nothing at all to stop me from throwing myself at him if I wanted to.

I was about to throw a whole lot at him, too, but Edward was too busy completely misinterpreting my expression to notice. "Bella, you're hungry," his voice was suddenly that of a father trying to talk a recalcitrant child into swallowing a spoonful of medicine, "We need to try hunting again."

It wasn't only his accidental rejection that caused my stomach to plummet as he pulled me to my feet. The memory of last night was suddenly all too clear, the crack of the doe's neck as he snapped it, her glassy, glazed over eyes, the smell of death, on me, in me... Sudden panic had me pulling away, but my vampire gestures were so much more unintentionally dramatic than my human ones. I was several feet away from Edward in the space of a second, and he was staring at me, confused and perhaps a trifle alarmed by my reaction.

"Edward, I just don't know if I – " I stopped abruptly. The breeze had picked up as I spoke, and a strange, bestial scent was tickling my nose. The scent was clearly animal – it wasn't nearly as appetizing as the scent of human blood had been and yet it was still potent, teasingly delicious…

"You see?" Edward's touch on my face was briefly distracting. "You're beginning to understand your instincts now. To feed is natural, nothing to be afraid of. Let me show you." He held out his hand.

The hesitation was gone, and I reached out to take it.

The scent changed slightly, becoming more distinct, tantalizing, as adrenaline caused the animal's heart to pump faster, the blood to circulate more quickly. It knew danger was near. The ground vibrated the slightest bit below my feet as it fled.

As one, we began the chase.

"I see Emmett isn't the only one who likes bear," Edward's voice was light, teasing as he looked down at me. We'd come to a stop in an entirely different part of the park. "I wonder what he'll make of the competition."

I sighed contentedly as I leaned against a nearby tree. I felt full for once, the burning quelled at least temporarily. Edward's eyes were golden again as well. He'd fed at my insistence, after I refused to let him hand off his own catch to me. Hunting had been far easier this time around. The bear I'd killed had merely been a bear. I suppose I should have felt a bit guilty about that but I'd eaten meat as a human too and never sobbed over the cows that made up my hamburgers. Was this really so different?

Neither of us felt the need to fill out the quiet. It was enough to be with him, listening with my new ears, and seeing with my new eyes.

"I can smell the water," I realized. And I could hear it too. It was much easier now to separate sounds and differentiate them from each other, and the sounds of waves crashing against a distant shore was quite distinct.

Edward nodded. "We're close to the shore. From here we will have to cross the water."

I looked at him. "We have to swim?" A long ago voice came out of my memory, him telling me the story of how Carlisle had swam the English Channel. Then, the mere idea had seemed so farfetched but now it felt like a perfectly natural suggestion.

"Yes," Edward was looking apologetic, as if he were forcing me to do something greatly uncomfortable, but I was intrigued by the idea. To be in the water with him, to explore the undersea world with no need to breathe… I felt a rush of excitement just imagining it.

"After we come ashore again in Labrador, we'll have to get a vehicle. We still have a very long distance to travel, and being inside a vehicle is the best way to avoid human contact. It will be tricky, trying to keep you away from people and find a car at the same time so you'll need to – "

I had stopped paying attention to his words as he continued. The shapes and movements of his lips as he formed each syllable was just too fascinating.

Belatedly, I realized he had stopped speaking and was waiting for a response from me.

I thought back and was pleased to realize that I could recall his every word even though I hadn't been really listening. I was about to repeat his careful instructions but the patient quirk of his mouth was distracting all over again and the few inches between us was suddenly much too wide a gulf.

"What is it?" His voice was worried all over again. "Should we hunt again? Are you – "

"Edward, please shut up," I murmured as I closed the distance between us. Before he could put voice to the objection I used my own lips to show him a much better use for his.

I was not prepared for his response. Long practice had me prepared for his caution, so it was a shock when he pulled me so tightly to him that it almost hurt, in the best way possible. His mouth moved roughly against mine, needing and exploring in a way that I'd almost been afraid to imagine before. My gasp remained silent when he lifted me off the ground and I wrapped my legs around his waist. His responding groan was the sweetest music I'd ever heard.

I could never have imagined this while I was still mortal. It was beyond human comprehension, the way I felt, how my whole being vibrated with a pleasure so fine that it was nearly unbearable. I didn't care if it was dangerous to linger here. it didn't matter to me if the sun came out and lit us up like human shaped disco balls and a busload of tourists came along and took pictures. I would lose my mind if we stopped now.

Wherever his fingers touched me, points of electricity spread, pulsing beneath my skin. I didn't want to rush but I couldn't wait any longer. My fingers were tearing impatiently at his shirt, bringing back memories of our wedding night. Fabric was so much more cooperative now then it had been for me then though; one little tug and it ripped right off of him. I exulted in his breathless laugh. There was a similar ripping sound and the cool, water tinged breeze was whipping across my bare skin. He stopped then, staring at me, and the torn nightgown was snatched out of his hand by the breeze and went sailing past the trees.

Our laughter was abruptly silenced as our lips crashed together again and we sank down onto the ground. It felt as welcoming as the softest feather bed. Every single one of my enhanced senses were filled, with the sight and smell and touch of him and I never wanted it to stop. This had to last forever.

It was a never ceasing thrill to realize it could.

The sky had changed color again when we finally became aware of something beside each other. I was lying in his arms in the shadow of a huge boulder and the sky above us was a surprisingly clear and rapidly lightening midnight blue.

"It's almost dawn," he whispered into my hair.

Dawn of what day? I had no idea. "How long we were…?" I let the question trail off.

"A while," His voice was deeply smug.

I chuckled, then sighed, adjusting myself on his chest so I could better see his face. "I suppose we have to go, don't we?''

It did my heart good to see that he looked just as reluctant. "We've pushed our luck too far already. But we have time," he reminded me, "loads and loads of time."

I marveled at how light his face looked as he spoke, how free of pain and care and worry. He was…happy. In spite of everything, I'd made him happy. I almost missed human tears then. If any occasion was worth shedding them, this was it.

"Thank you," I whispered instead, hoping it was enough. I forced myself to sit up then, before I could give in to my desire to see how much more time we could make pass here in this beautiful place.

He mirrored my action and the sight of his bare skin in the moonlight made me ache with longing. I spoke quickly to distract myself. "I'm sorry about your clothes." The giggle at the end of my words gave away how truly unrepentant I was.

Edward laughed. "I'm sorry about your gown," He sounded equally insincere but suddenly his smirk faded into a look of minor concern.

"What?"

Edward's look changed again, into deep amusement. "It's just that….those were our only clothes."

"Oh," I said, looking down at myself ruefully. "Oops."

I looked back at Edward's perplexed expression as he pondered the problem of our accidental nudity and I couldn't help it. My peals of too loud laughter rang across the landscape. A fraction of a second later, he began to laugh as well.

He stood up, pulling me with him and we began to run, still laughing.

To be continued…

a/n

Wow, what a relief to finally get this chapter out. I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm sorry it was a day late, but when I estimated that it would be out on Friday I didn't realize that everyone in my family was uniting in a grand conspiracy to make sure I didn't have a moment's peace to write. I wish I was kidding. Even the cats were in on it.

I won't be writing for the next week because I promised to give my real life my undivided attention but after that, all systems are go. I am absolutely thrilled to be back into the groove and so, so grateful for all of you that are still continuing to read. Your feedback means the world to me. Thank you again.

Oh, and a heads up: Bella and Edward will not have an extensive POV for the next several chapters, although we might look in on them ahead of time. Right now all is well for them and their lives are a fairly consistent pattern of hunting and sexing. (What? They're newlyweds!) Elisa, on the other hand, has TONS of stuff going on so the story is all hers for a while.