Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, I just enjoy borrowing her characters for a while.

AN: Thank you all for your support. You are amazing. Hope you enjoy…

Life Goes On

We'd spent the past month moving from town to town, building up Bella's exposure to humans. At first we kept to the outskirts of each town, where there were few people and their scents were diffused. We watched and waited to see how Bella would cope and as I'd predicted, her self-control was strong. It wasn't long before she was able to identify individual heartbeats and scents and pick out qualities of those scents that gave clues about the human it belonged to, like their age or the state of their health. With practice she could focus past the scent itself and notice other smells mingled with it that might indicate their occupation, who they had been spending time with or what they'd eaten recently. This was impressive and I how she didn't understand how difficult the things she was achieving with relative ease were. It took most vampires years before the scent of humans close by didn't become all-consuming and some never really mastered it.

We passed the time as she was developing these essential skills making up stories about the humans we were watching. The stories started simple but became more and more outrageous and elaborate. I learnt so much about Bella as we wove those tales. She was kind to her core. She always saw the best in people and was predisposed to give them the benefit of the doubt. She had a kind heart and that was a rare quality in a vampire but also it was a potential problem that might one day leave her vulnerable. I didn't like the thought of that and it triggered my protective instincts. I disliked the idea of the nameless, faceless vampires in her future that could hurt her either emotionally or physically.

The stories I made up were tales of cunning, villainy, adventure and treachery. I loved to make her laugh with the calamitous endings and unlikely vigilante justice. Her sadness was muted again and her smiles were easier to win.

I'd wanted to take things slowly but after Bella realised she wasn't going to drain every human she met the instant they got too close, she wanted to push herself. I wasn't worried about her control, just the pain it was undoubtedly causing her. She was determined to be better and didn't let the pain hinder her at all. Her stubbornness and determination was admirable but frustrating, my instincts were to protect her but she didn't care how much it hurt her as long as she didn't hurt anyone else. It did wonders for her self-esteem though, so I let her have her way. After a few weeks she could already walk into town centres. In the beginning I would hold her close to me, my arm around her ready to pull her back if I needed to, but I never did. I'd gradually reduced our contact and now she could walk freely, although I was always close by and I still loved to hold her hand whenever I got the chance.

Currently we were working on crowds and confined spaces and Bella was excelling as she always had. It was overcast and the cloud cover was thick enough to be out in the day and were waiting in line at the bank. Bella was wearing sunglasses to hide her red eyes. That was another advantage of animal blood diet; I no longer needed to hide my eyes. I'd always hated anything that affected my vision and it was liberating not to have cover them any longer. I had my arm draped over her shoulder, just in case, but I knew she would be fine. I was extremely confident that I wouldn't need to restrain her but Bella insisted on taking precautions. She was a little tense as she always was in a new situation. I rubbed her arm gently and she relaxed slightly.

"How can I help you?" the man at the counter asked Bella when we eventually reached the front of the line, completely ignoring me as if I didn't exist. I let out a low growl, inaudible to him but it made Bella smile and then the guy was practically drooling. He looked like he was about to fall to one knee and propose. Annoying human. I briefly considered how he would taste as I drained him.

"I'd like to access my safety deposit box, number 603," I told him and his head turned a fraction in my direction but his eyes never left Bella. I held up one of my IDs for him and he barely looked at it before leading us away. Probably a good thing. He might have pissed himself if he'd seen the expression on my face.

Whenever I passed through a town where I'd stashed money, I always moved it. It was unwise to leave it in one place indefinitely and I had little stockpiles here and there all over the world. I wanted Bella to have access to them whenever she needed it, in case there came a time when we were no longer travelling together. I couldn't imagine leaving her voluntarily, but I'd promised her she could leave whenever she wanted to and I would honour that. If that day came, I didn't want her to have to start with nothing as I had so I would need to re-evaluate some of the hiding places and start telling her where to find them. This was a good a place as any to start. This bank held one of my highest value stashes and could only be accessed by someone called 'Anthony Cleland' who had the key to it. It was time to shut it down so I took out all the cash and the rest of the valuables. A few uncut diamonds, some sapphires and an eclectic collection of jewellery and trinkets of varying value. Bella's eyes widened but she said nothing. I replaced the empty box, not wanting to deal with the annoying human for the increased length of time it would take to sign it back over to the bank or add a female name and get a second key.

Once we had left the bank and had come across a deserted street she turned to me, with her hands on her hips. Her expression was mock stern and her eyes were dancing. "Are you a pirate, Garrett?" she asked. "Because that looked suspiciously like a treasure chest!"

I smiled at her teasing expression because there was the tiniest hint of truth there. "I have done some occasional wreck diving in the distant past…no comment on the reason they sank."

"Seriously?" she asked, shocked.

"Not recently," I told her. "The last time was well over a century ago."

"And you've been living off the proceeds since then?" she was understandably curious. I don't think she'd thought much about money before now. We didn't need any when we were travelling and keeping away from humans, but money was very useful when you wanted to interact with them.

"No, I've found lots of different ways to get money and I've been trying to make sure I can get access to currency wherever I end up," I explained. We talked about the benefits of having wealth. It was easier to blend in with humans when you could afford the material things they valued. There were many nomads that kept to the fringes, looking wild and when humans saw them they sparked curiosity, fear or disdain. I started to tell her my hiding places but her interest was simple curiosity. I don't think it occurred to her that I was telling her so she could find them if she ever needed them.

"What was your favourite way of getting money?" she asked, genuinely fascinated.

I hesitated to answer. There was one way that was a clear favourite of mine but I wondered what Bella would think of me if I told her. I wanted to be honest but I was wary of her reaction.

"You don't have to tell me," Bella said apologetically, sensing my reluctance.

"No, it's alright," There was no point in pretending to be someone I wasn't. I was still hoping Bella would share her past with me. It would be hypocritical to hide myself from her. I wanted Bella to truly know me. "I just need to try and explain it so it doesn't seem ridiculous," I hesitated again. It would definitely seem ridiculous. I had never told anyone else about this part of my life. Most vampires would be mocking and incredulous, and it was none of their business. No way to start that didn't sound bad so I practically blurted it out. "Over the years, I've won a lot of money fighting humans." She looked bewildered but didn't jump to any instant judgements, just waited to hear the rest.

"It sounds crazy, I know, but there is actually a lot more skill to it than you might think. It takes precision and control. To land a punch with enough force to hurt but not kill. To move in the appropriate way when they hit you so they don't break their hands or notice how solid we are. To act like you can feel pain. To resist killing them when they start to bleed. It was a challenge and I have always loved a challenge. There are very few things that are truly difficult for vampires to master and this was one. I had to study human anatomy. To learn all their fighting techniques so I could anticipate their moves and react in a way that would appear human. I have participated in many different types of underground fighting all over the world. Some are more profitable than others, but some had huge prizes for winning them. I suppose you could consider it cheating; I was indestructible and they had no chance of beating me but I was putting myself at risk too. I had to utilise such skill and control and I had a lot to lose. If I had slipped up and exposed us, the Volturi would have come after me."

"Do you still do it?" Bella's expression was unreadable, but at least there was no scorn or derision that I could sense.

"Not for years," I told her.

"Why not?" She asked. Was it my imagination or did she seem slightly disappointed?

"There are too many recording devices around now. Most organisers ban them but people are always trying to sneak in cameras or camcorders. I can't afford for photos or videos of me to go into circulation. What people miss in a fast paced fight would be easily identified in a slow motion reply. Some organisers have video surveillance for their own security. It would be a disaster if a video of me fighting ended up on the internet. I do miss it though."

"How many fights did you do?" she asked, always curious.

"I never kept an exact count. Hundreds over the years, I suppose. There were one-off fights, but some tournaments as well. Some with just a few spectators and some with large crowds." I remember them all vividly but had never really kept score. Sometimes I fought for others because it was necessary to even get invited to some of the highest stake tournaments. Did the training fights count in my total? Or the street fights I had to have to get noticed by the right people?

"You are always telling me how good my control is but yours is amazing. I can't imagine being in the middle of that fighting and bleeding but still managing not to kill them."

"I didn't always not kill them, Bella. There were accidents, especially when I started out and some of them were actually fights to the death." Bella was watching me with wide sorrowful eyes. "I know that you won't understand it. It is not in your nature to be brutal but I have never dwelled on the losses. My opponents knew the risks when they stepped into the ring. Humans kill each other often in those environments. I always did my best to avoid killing them. It has definitely honed my control around humans. I am certain that now I would never slip and kill someone accidently, no matter the circumstances."

"I'm not judging you, Garrett," I could tell that she truly wasn't and I was surprised.

"I thought you would be appalled," I said.

"Yet you told me anyway," she gave me a rueful smile.

"There's no point in dishonesty. It's like a parasite that sucks trust and respect from any relationship." I'd always felt so strongly about this and it was why I'd always ended up travelling alone. Others always seemed to have their own agendas or ulterior motives and eventually trust between us was eroded. For the most part there was no animosity and we had parted ways on good terms. I had many connections across the vampire world and a few true friends but no one I trusted enough to form a coven with and travelling alone had always been preferable. Until now.

"Garrett," Bella whispered. "There are things in my past that you should know. I want to tell you, but…" She faltered and looked a heart-breaking mix of distressed and dejected.

"I'm not pushing you for your history, Bella. You don't have to tell me if you're not ready," I wanted to know so badly but I could tell that if she could cry she would be on the verge of tears and it pained me to see her in such distress. "There are many things about me that you don't know either. We will learn more about each other as time goes on. When you are ready to talk about, I will be here to listen and I hope that you will trust me enough to be honest. I will work on earning your trust and hope I will eventually have it"

"I do trust you, Garrett, but I hate to remember." She wasn't ready and I was patient. I would rather she told me because she wanted to, not because she felt obliged to.

"Let's plan what to do with our money," I changed the subject.

"Your money. Where to put it next?" She grasped the distraction.

"Our money. And no, not where to put it but how to spend it." I had some ideas. There were still things about interacting with humans it would be useful for her to practice. They could be fun and I was looking forward to seeing if she would enjoy them too.

"Your money," she insisted. Turns out Bella was very stubborn about that so I let it go but I had more than enough money and I would share everything I had with her if she would let me. Against my nature, I had fallen deeply in love with her but she had warned me right at the start that she didn't think she could open her heart to me that way, so I would accept whatever she could offer and be grateful for every day I got to spend in her company.

AN: For those of you wishing Bella would hurry up and tell Garrett everything, it's coming soon. Within the next few chapters, but there will be consequences and I'm not ready for those just yet.

I'd love to hear what you think.