A/N: It's been a while, so here's a little refresher on the end of the last (BPOV) chapter…

He pulled away, just enough for his nose to brush against mine.

I forced my eyelids open and watched as his blissful, hooded eyes widened.

The reflection of my own eyes were clear in his, strands of silver intertwining through the amber.

CHAPTER TEN

Leave with my head hung, you are the only one

Who seems to care

~ Taylor Swift, Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince

EPOV

My long dead heart threatened to stop for a second time as I watched the amber of her eyes swirl with silver.

I was a fairly young vampire by most standards, but spending nearly a century in Volterra gave me invaluable experiences and a unique look into the vampire world. A world where there was not one record or story or rumor of a vampire with silver eyes.

"Is–is that not normal?" Bella breathed out, her voice soft and hesitant and scared. Scared enough to snap me out of my own shock.

I would have lied. If I hadn't known she could hear every thought in my head, if she couldn't taste my lie on her tongue, I would have told her it was normal. Nothing to worry about.

She winced, eyes drooping as we slowly disentangled ourselves.

We stood, both of us eying the useless scraps of clothing left over from our tryst.

"We have to stop tearing all of our clothing," she grumbled to herself, taking off in the direction of our cottage.

Esme and Alice were thankfully gone by the time we both got to the modest place settled in the middle of the rockies. There was a small river nearby, close enough for the flowing water over the rocks to be heard. This cottage was far nicer than her first glorified hunting cabin. It was warm and inviting, the lights left on by Alice and Esme welcoming us home.

All of the furniture was uncovered, a soft leather couch and seating area in the living room along with a fully furnished bedroom and–thankfully–a full closet.

Bella was already dressed in a flowing lavender sundress by the time I caught up to her.

I quickly pulled on clothing of my own, jeans and whatever t-shirt my fingers touched first, before getting a firm grip on her chin and forcing her eyes on me. Those beautiful, gold and silver eyes.

"How do you feel?"

"I feel," she huffed out. "Like I'm a walking science experiment."

My eyes softened, my palm cupping her cheek. I shook my head, unable to take my eyes off of hers. "Physically," I pressed. "Do you feel different physically?"

"Besides the creepy silver eyes?"

My thumb brushed against her bottom lip. "Focus, love."

Bella sighed, straightening herself and placating me as I watched her take stock of herself. She rolled her shoulders and neck, clenched her fists and settled herself back in one place. Then those beautifully unique silver-streaked eyes met mine again.

"I feel more… stable."

My head cocked to the side. "Stable?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Before, especially before you found me, I constantly felt like I was on the edge. Of losing control, of losing my mind. Both, probably. I don't know. It's hard to explain. I just felt very…"

"Malnourished," I breathed out.

Bella's eyes widened, swimming with fear and panic. She fell to the edge of the bed, dropping her head in her hands.

I knelt in front of her, carefully pulling her hands from her face. "Our eyes change solely based on our diet, our appetite. Darken with hunger, lighten when fed. A vampire's natural eyes are red based on the human blood lingering in our system after the change, and usually our subsequent diet of human blood after. The only known variation in eye color is amber when we feed on animals. I–"

I hesitated, sighing as I ran a thumb across her cheekbone. Looking back, it made sense. Almost. The way her body burned through animal blood so quickly should have been the first sign. Human blood would likely hold her over longer, it did for the average vampire as well. But venom… venom was very obviously another food source for her. One that was more substantial than animal blood based on how she felt.

It changed nothing, not really. Was useful information if the addition of venom kept her more stable, less likely to overexert herself.

"So now I'm a cannibal too?" she squeaked, looking at me with big doe eyes.

"No," I said firmly. "You're a predator."

Bella shook her head. "That's a nice way of saying cannibal."

"If you want to get technical about it, all vampires are cannibals."

"Humans and vampires are different species," she countered quickly, shoulders sagging and head falling back between her shoulders. "Although I suppose if we're arguing about vampires the fact that I'm a cannibalistic vampire isn't that outrageous in the grand scheme of things."

I gave her half a smile, standing up and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "No matter what, it's good to know. Especially now that we're training. It'll help keep your strength up."

"I'm not going to… feed off of you. Or anyone else."

I raised a brow, letting myself remember the satisfying sting of her bite not an hour ago followed by the marvelous memory of her coming on my cock at the same time.

Her eyes met mine sheepishly, her teeth digging into her bottom lip. Her cheeks would have been burning were she human. "That's… different. Recreational."

I coughed out a laugh. "So recreational bites are okay, then?"

She shrugged, but the momentary lighthearted moment faded quickly as her eyes fell to the floor.

I brushed my fingers underneath her chin, tilting her head up. "What is it?"

"It's just… a lot," she whispered. "It's one thing to have to get on board with the whole vampire thing but everything else… It's just a lot."

I heard the soft patter of rain start to splash against the windows.

There was no shortage of things we should do at any given moment. Training being at the top of the list. But training while she was overwhelmed and scared would do nobody any good.

"What should we do tonight, then?" I asked, sitting beside her on the edge of the bed and grabbing one of her hands. I kept it firmly sandwiched between mine.

Bella's head cocked to the side.

"Just you and me," I told her. "No vampires or powers or training or cannibals," I told her with a wink. "We could go for a run, find a little lake for a swim, whatever you'd like."

A hint of a smile tugged at her lips. "You're going to think it's stupid."

"I highly doubt that."

"Sitting in bed with a book sounds nice," she shrugged.

I knew the word she wasn't saying was normal. Her life had changed in a million unimaginable ways in the last six months. So if an evening in bed with a book made her happy, that was what she would get.

"You get in bed. I'll see what kind of reading material I can scrounge up for us," I told her, pressing a kiss to her cheek and heading out to the living room where I had spotted a modest bookshelf.

The cottage was too small for all of the Cullen's to ever have stayed here together. It was likely a place Carlisle and Esme came to alone, which meant our choices were mostly medical textbooks and interior design magazines.

I grabbed a few of each and by the time I got back to the bedroom Bella had herself tucked underneath the plush comforter and had changed yet again into a slightly oversized lounge top.

I raised my brow at the black sweatpants she had tossed on the other side of the bed.

"It's cozy," she said with a smile.

I dropped the stack of books on the bed, tossing my t-shirt back into the closet and pulling on the sweatpants. Bella was shuffling through the books as I got into bed beside her.

"It's not the most riveting reading material," I sighed.

Bella shrugged, pulling one of the larger medical textbooks into her lap. "If I had ever read Diseases of the Human Body before, I would have convinced myself I was dying in a dozen different ways. Now I can happily read it and not have to worry about a thing."

I shook my head, pressed a kiss to her shoulder, and relaxed into the copious amounts of pillows behind us.

Becoming a vampire tended to kill that human desire for things like cozy sweatpants or fluffy pillows. Our bodies didn't necessarily feel the difference the same way a humans did. We could feel every texture on a fabric, but jeans were no less comfortable than sweatpants. Our bodies didn't process comfort the same way.

Bella, however, looked happier than I had ever even her as she wiggled herself into bed and tugged at the sleeves of her sweater.

She was, without a doubt, the most powerful being on the planet and she wanted to spend her evening in bed with a book, even if it was a slightly outdated medical textbook.

"The medical textbook wouldn't have been my first choice," she told me softly, answering my thoughts. "But it'll do."

"What would have been your first choice?"

"You're going to laugh."

"I won't."

Bella shot me an incredulous look. "I was…before my change, I was in the middle of this, well, vampire series."

"Oh, my love," I sighed, swallowing back a laugh at the irony as I pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

We read our respective textbooks in a comfortable silence. Even in the quiet, as time ticked on, there was never a moment when her legs weren't intertwined with mine or her head not rested comfortably on my shoulder. There was always at least one point of contact between us if not more.

So while there were thousands of questions still lingering in the air, hundreds of other things we should have been doing, I cherished every moment I got to spend by her side.

After a short time, Bella sighed and shut her book. In a movement as natural as breathing to a human I lifted my arm, eyes still flickering over my own medical textbook, and she curled herself into my side.

Carlisle had been right. I would like to go back to medical school. Eventually.

"Edward?"

I twirled one of her curls between my fingers. "Hmm?"

"Why haven't you asked me yet?"

I set my book aside, settling myself into the bed until I was left nose to nose beside her. "Asked you what?"

She rolled her lips together and for a fraction of a moment I was graced with the presence of her thoughts, and one of mine in particular from a matter of days ago.

I brushed my nose against hers until that anxiety of hers that lingered in the air disappeared. "Because I know how overwhelming everything still is for you."

Bella sighed, delicate fingers resting on my chest. "You're not overwhelming."

I was already hers in every sense of the word. Mind, body, and soul. Had been from the moment Alice showed her to me.

But there was still part of me that wanted it. A part of me that still had the teachings of Elizabeth Masen in my core and longed to finally commit myself to the woman beside me. To finally give my mother, wherever she may be, the daughter-in-law she had wanted so many years ago.

"I didn't want to rush you," I told her quietly.

She pressed herself impossibly closer. "I know," she hesitated. "But I also know nights like tonight are going to be hard to come by."

I tensed. "You don't know that, Bella. Aro–"

"I know," she said firmly. "I can feel it."

My eyes met hers, still swimming with silver strands that gave me no choice but to believe her.

"And I just–no matter what happens, I think it'd be nice. Even if it's a silly little piece of paper that isn't actually legal because we're both technically dead, it'd be nice. To know you're my husband. No matter what. A nice memory to have."

It was on the tip of my tongue, an argument about how nothing bad was going to happen. That nothing and no one would ever get between us.

We both would have known it was a lie. Something I had no right promising.

I pressed a firm kiss to her forehead before sliding out of bed. I rummaged through the pile of clothing scraps in the corner where I had safely stashed the box Carlisle had stored for me for so long.

Bella peered over my shoulder, sheepishly pulling away when I turned around.

I grabbed her hand and walked us to the center of the room. My palm cupped her cheek, my thumb brushing against her soft lower lip.

It had only been a handful of days since I found her in that meadow. Such a short and insignificant amount of time compared to how long I waited for her. But never in my hundred-plus years on this planet had I ever felt as content. As complete.

"No matter what," I told her softly, my forehead resting comfortably against hers. "No matter what happens tomorrow or next week or next month, I am yours, and you are mine. Whether you're wearing this ring or not, whether I'm at your side or not. It doesn't matter what Aro or the rest of the Volturi say or do. You, Isabella Swan, will be unquestionably mine just as I will be unfailingly yours until the world stops."

I dropped to one knee, carefully opening the ring that had been waiting for her. "Until then," I said with a small smile. "Will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

Bella beamed down at me, eyes not bothering to glance at the ring as she nodded. "Yes."

I had her in my arms before she finished speaking. She giggled against my neck as I spun her in a circle.

"No matter what happens," I breathed out against her neck. "I'll always find you."

Her arms tightened around me, nearly to the point of pain until she corrected herself.

I set her back on her feet, grabbing my mother's engagement ring out of the delicate box it had been sitting in for nearly a century. Bella held her hand out, her fingers clenching into a fist before I could slide the ring on her finger.

"I don't want to break it," she sighed.

"You won't," I assured her, sliding the ring into place.

It was recently cleaned, and I had a feeling I had Alice or Esme or both of them to thank for it.

My father had spared no expense on the ring. It was the topic of many discussions amongst my mother and her girlfriends if my hazy human memory was accurate. The round diamond sat in the center, surrounded by smaller diamonds of various cuts and sizes, all of them making an oval-shaped cluster of sparkles nestled in the center of the delicate golden band.

It slid perfectly into place, as if it had been waiting for this moment as long as I had.

—Miss Americana—

I tried not to be too fascinated by it, but I was coming to learn that controlling my thoughts without the threat of Aro's invasion into my mind was easier than simply controlling them around Bella. Every flash of those amber eyes swirling with strands of silver had me speechless.

She was very obviously more stable as she had put it. More complete in her transformation, more settled into her new existence. She had spent three months essentially malnourished and unknowingly starved. One small round of recreational feeding of venom and she was showing no signs of lethargy even as we approached twelve hours.

It was almost laughable, that the power she had shown thus far had been when she was objectively at her weakest.

"You don't know that," she argued quietly.

I grabbed her hand over the console and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, love."

"I'm not ashamed of it," she countered. Frowning to herself as she seemed to search for the right word. "I'm… apprehensive about it. And you. No offense, but I don't exactly think you ever had to take a driving test in 1918."

I breathed out a laugh against her knuckles. "I might have been in Volterra, but I did learn how to drive."

Bella looked less than convinced, eyes studying the road as she sped down the winding hills. A car had been left for us on the outskirts of a camping ground in the Rockies for whenever we needed to visit the rest of the Cullen's in town.

A trip most of us, myself included, thought would have been months if not years down the road.

Newborns were volatile and unpredictable. And while Bella and her powers were still new and untrained, I had little doubt that she would pose a danger to any human. We wouldn't be walking down Main Street, but a drive down to the rest of the Cullen's would be a good starting point.

"They're going to think I'm a freak," she sighed.

"I think most of them would have the courtesy to wait until you were out of range to think anything of the sort," I told her with a wink.

Bella frowned over at me.

I scraped my teeth along the back of her palm. "No one in the family of vampires who has been wandering the planet for decades is going to think you're a freak."

Bella grumbled to herself as we pulled up to the house.

It was a good five times larger than our little cottage, nestled on the edge of a tiny town with no humans around for miles. The driveway to the house alone was nearly a mile long.

Alice was waiting on the porch, frowning in our direction as we got out of the car. "We need to figure out how you're blocking me. It's… unsettling, not knowing where you are," she sighed, hopping down the steps. She froze a few feet away, eyes locked on Bella and her silver-streaked eyes.

The rest of the family wandered out, each with questions on their minds about what we were doing here, why we risked bringing Bella so close to civilization. Each of them froze as soon as they saw her.

Carlisle was the first to gain his composure. "How?"

"Vampire venom," I told him, squeezing Bella's hand as she pressed her lips together and seemed to fight the urge to squeeze her eyes shut so they would stop staring.

Emmett shot me a smirk that was quickly erased as Rosalie smacked the back of his head.

Carlisle cleared his throat, making his way closer. "The venom–it sustained you?"

Bella nodded. "It's been nearly twelve hours and I feel fine."

"But did it taste good?" Emmett asked bluntly. "The bite I get. We all do, but the taste of the venom tends to… burn on the way down if you know what I mean."

"You don't need to say 'if you know what I mean' after bluntly saying exactly what you mean," Rosalie groaned.

Emmett shrugged, attention still on Bella.

If a vampire could blush, she would have been bright red. "I didn't… mind it."

Carlisle was searching through centuries of memories, trying to find a single moment when the idea of a vampire with silver eyes had ever been mentioned. I was confident enough he would come up empty.

"Perhaps we should move this conversation to the cottage," Esme said softly. "Humans hike nearby on occasion–"

"Bella poses no threat to them," I told her confidently as my attention drifted back over to my mate. "She wasn't created to hunt humans. She was created to hunt us."

Alice gasped, most of them gasped, but Alice's was the most dramatic as she ran up to Bella and fearlessly grabbed her left hand. "You're engaged?"

"I–well–yes," Bella answered, eyes wide as she looked between Alice and I. "You're not–I mean, Edward just said–"

"Not being told immediately when my best friend gets engaged is more upsetting to me than finding out said friend would like to eat me," Alice huffed.

Bella huffed out a mixture of a laugh and a gasp. "I don't want to eat you."

"Don't," Rosalie hissed. I was fairly certain I heard Emmett whimper as he tried to hold himself back from making an inappropriate joke.

His mind was full of them.

"Lucky for you I've been designing your wedding dress for ninety years," Alice told Bella wistfully. "I'll just need a week or so to get it perfect."

Bella sighed. As if waiting a week, longer than we had technically known each other at this point, was devastating.

I leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"We could celebrate tonight, though. It's supposed to storm. We could play a game?"

"It's not supposed to storm," Jasper said quizzically.

Alice beamed over at Bella. "Doesn't mean we can't make it."

As plans were made for what was apparently a Cullen tradition of a ball game in a thunderstorm, Bella relaxed into my side.

Alice unknowingly gave Bella the reaction she desperately needed to her newest development. Caring more about her ring than her eyes was another sliver of proof for her that the Cullen's were her family, not concerned with her power or abilities more than her personal wellbeing.

Carlisle, however, was having a harder time coming to terms with the latest development. With a small nod toward the woods, I gave Bella's hand one more squeeze before I followed him.

We slowed to a leisurely walk once we were out of earshot.

His mind was uncharacteristically cluttered. No one in Italy has ever heard of such a thing?

I shook my head. "No."

Carlisle stopped abruptly.

"She was made to overturn the Volturi. Keep them in line."

I nodded. "Yes," I sighed solemnly. "It appears she was."

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this one! This story is so fun to write. I honestly don't have a lot of concrete plans for it, I just see how I'm feeling and go with it. But I adore these two so so much.

In case you missed it, I've got my short holiday sequel to 'tis the damn season up and posting for the winter. It's called Snow On The Beach if you're interested!

I hope you guys have a happy holiday season, and I'm happy to say this story will be back to more regular updates now (likely every third week as I update my stories on a rotation)!