Moonlit Meadow

Disclaimer: I own nothing of the genius that is the one and only Stephenie Meyer.

Warning: Spoilers for "Breaking Dawn" and rated M for future chapter/s.

Warning you now - if you don't like lemony goodness (which will come by the fourth chapter) - please refrain from reading this fic :) Thanks.

Edward had been acting a little strange lately.

It's been nearly a year since that confrontation with the Volturi, the confrontation that could have turned disastrous and taken all that I loved away from me in one fell swoop. We'd been able to stay a while longer, with less frequent appearances down in Forks. I wanted to be close to Charlie as much as possible before my never aging appearance started to cause suspicion with Forks' residents. The rest of the Cullens had to be wary as they'd been here for a while - a year ago Carlisle was finding it more and more of a strain to keep working in the hospital with thanks to our abilities.

Renesmee had grown so much it was hard to tell exactly what age she would be had she been born human. I'd guess around nine or ten years old. Her intelligence soared through the roof and it had been a few weeks ago that she'd begged Edward to let her play his piano. Now she was playing the classics with such ease that I'm still amazed by her. Not a day goes by when she doesn't amaze me. I'd have it no other way, I love her with all of my heart, as do I love Edward. They each possess me and I, them.

Jacob had taken to taking Renesmee out of the house. He'd always be back just after sun down, he knew she was still young, but that didn't stop him from wanting to be with her every single moment of every single day. It would have annoyed me a year ago, his devotion to her, but I owed him that much and he really seemed to becoming a part of the family. Rosalie still bore a grudge against him. She hasn't forgiven him yet for getting food in her hair. A wonder how little things such as getting a little food in her hair always offended Rosalie the most.

My newborn strength was starting to deplete and I found it harder to keep up with Edward when he ran. I also found it harder to attest Emmett's strength. He was starting to beat me more often in our arm wrestling matches. He'd insisted upon them, the way he got frustrated with anyone being stronger than him.

I'd mastered pulling my protective shield from myself for longer periods of time after the first few months. Edward still distracted me and more often than not I'd forget about keeping my shield apart from me and it'd snap back before he could get all of what I was trying to show him with my thoughts. Needless to say, he always felt very... uncomfortably frustrated until we did something about it.

But recently, Edward was acting strangely. He was spending more and more time with Emmett and Jasper, going off on hunts. "Guy time" he'd called it to put it humanly. I was getting frustrated by the day. We still hadn't been able to go a single day without having to have our hands all over each other. It was becoming a part of something we just did, something I knew I couldn't exist without.

So he was frustrating me beyond belief! The more time he spent away, the more I wanted him. It was crazy. I felt like I was literally losing my mind. And when he'd come back from these hunts... he wouldn't always come straight into my waiting arms.

A few times, I had to find him. After one outing, I hadn't even known he was back - I found him in the main house after I'd made sure Renesmee had had some breakfast before going out again with Jacob. He had been playing pool with Jasper and Emmett. Esme and Carlisle were seated a little way away from them, their eyes on the television screen but not really registering what was on.

"A, 'Hello honey, I'm home - I missed you' would be nice, Edward." I said a little peeved at his back, my hands resting upon my smooth hips clad in a blue summery dress.

Without turning to acknowledge me, Edward grunted a quick, "Hey hun..." before continuing to take his shot.

The number 7 ball went into a corner pocket. Emmett whacked his stick against the table, breaking it in two.

"Come on Edward! Stop showing off your amazing pool skills and let us intermediates have a chance! You friggen glory hog." Emmett whined with a slight edge of sarcasm.

Edward grinned.

I snarled.

But now he was going days without telling me where he was going or what he was doing. I was beginning to think I had done something terribly wrong. I kept the cottage neat and tidy. Our bed was made every morning, the gardens were tended to (I thanked Esme for her gardening tips) and Renesmee was simply a dream to look after.

Tonight, Edward was out again, over at the main house locked in a room conversing with Carlisle. I was at our home, our beautiful little cottage kept running by me. Renesmee and I were seated at the table. In front of her was a plate of spaghetti I'd made and an opaque cup of O+.

She still wasn't exactly used to our no-human-blood-drinking lifestyle. We made the exception since Carlisle assured us he was perfectly able to keep a secret supply for us. Though, Renesmee only had to drink it with a meal - she could do without if she had the willpower. It was something to her as... drinking coke becomes an addiction for humans. It wasn't inherently serious that her hunger for blood had become out of control - she could control it.

"Mum, where's Dad? He's always away." Renesmee asked between bites of spaghetti.

"I don't really know anymore..." I sighed.

Renesmee placed her fork on the wood of the small table and reached across to touch the tips of her fingers to my cheek. Images of a blissfully happy Edward and I embracing came rushing through my mind followed by images of Renesmee and Jacob in the same embrace. I smiled.

"I know, I want that again too." I responded sombrely.

As I bid Renesmee goodnight from her doorway and closed her bedroom door I remembered something fairly important. Tomorrow was our first wedding anniversary. My heart would have been flip flopping about if it weren't eternally dead. I rested my back against the cool wood of Renesmee's door, becoming as still as a statue. It was easy to simply fall back into my mind, to forget about everything around me and retreat to my memories. I'd stand a statue for hours on end.

The first time Edward could hear my thoughts instantly came to mind. All the feeling and emotion and love I felt for him, I'd tried to convey in a few simple seconds. It surely hadn't been enough. The love I have for him, knows no bounds and couldn't possibly be expressed in a few short seconds. So for him to have distanced himself as he's done recently, it was almost too hard to bear. I was reminded of that time, when I was human, when he'd left me. My world had collapsed the moment he flitted out of my sight and out of my life for that insanely long period of time. I tried not to dwell on that part of my human life for too long, it was painful. I couldn't imagine being away from Edward. Couldn't imagine my life without him by my side. At this very moment, he wasn't by my side. I resented that.

As the first light of morning peeked over the horizon, the cottage was thrown into dazzling light. The window at the end of the hallway I'd stayed in all night sent erratic bars of sunlight toward me. My skin sparkled in the onslaught. No matter how hard I tried, it still amazed me how much change I had truly undergone and I still marvelled at the smallest of differences.

I heard a rustling of sheets in the room behind me. Renesmee was waking. I shifted out of my statue like state and flitted into the kitchen in less than a second. I pulled some eggs and bacon out of the fridge and fried them up for my daughter. The aroma the food created sent my senses tingling. Even though I had no need to eat the food, it still set my mouth salivating.

Renesmee waltzed into the kitchen, a spring in her step and dressed in a breezy ensemble of a flimsy scarf, summer dress and flat cerulean shoes. Renesmee prepared herself a cup of O+ blood as I set her plate of eggs and bacon in front of her.

"So, what's on the agenda for today then?" I asked her, curious.

"Mm, nothing much, Jacob's picking me up very soon though. I'll be out for most of the day." Renesmee replied, a little too structured with her response. This peaked my curiosity, but I didn't let it show in my emotions. I was getting good at hiding them.

Almost as soon as Renesmee had mentioned her all day outing with Jacob, a hard knocking came at the front door. I went to answer it, my abnormal speed getting me there in time to open the door just as the knocking ended.

The door flung open and in it's frame stood an extremely tall Jacob Black. He'd grown over the past months, every time he came to our cottage - he'd have to duck his head considerably to get through the doorways. More often than not, he'd complain about how short Edward and I were and I'd counter with the fact that the cottage hadn't been built with Werewolves in mind.

"Hey, Bella." Jacob greeted with that mischievous grin of his etched into his face.

"Jacob." I greeted, the happiness in my tone unmistakable.

"You know, it's good that we're still friends... it's like you never turned into a blood sucking dead hearted creep." Jacob observed mockingly.

I punched him in the arm. Jacob flinched, pain suddenly flickering across his face before his deep booming laugh resounded throughout the cottage.

"It's good you heal fast, the amount of times I've punched you or otherwise since I changed, you'd be permanently black and blue." I shot back.

Jacob kept chuckling as he ducked to get under the door, pushing past me and into the kitchen where Renesmee was finishing off her drink. The last slurp sounded sharp to my ears. It was definitely good that I didn't feel the urge to feast upon human blood. I didn't want to begin to imagine how my first year would have gone otherwise.

"So, you all set then, Ness?" Jacob asked, pulling Renesmee into a rib cracking hug.

Renesmee giggled and smiled, "Course I am, couldn't wait for you to get here."

Her smile positively brightened up the room in an instant. It was remarkable.

"We'll see you later then, yeah Bells?" Jacob directed at me.

"Yeah sure, you two have fun."

"Oh, and I'm not exactly sure what time we'll be back - don't wait up for us." Jacob added with a hint of mysteriousness.

"Now I'm jealous." I huffed, crossing my arms to prove my point.

Jacob chuckled, Renesmee laughed.

"Oh, Mum I'm sure you'll have a good day regardless." Renesmee reasoned.

"I'm not so sure." I added.

"You will." Jacob said, with a little too much conviction.

"You two are acting strangely today. What on earth is going on?" I unfolded my arms and placed my hands on my hips instead.

"Nothing, nothing - you have a fun day, Bells."

"Yeah Mum, don't have too much fun." Renesmee added with a grin.

With that, Jacob pulled Renesmee by the hand out the door, leaving me behind with hands on hips. I stood like that until I couldn't hear them anymore, when they went past that point of my hearing range. I'm sure they were talking about me behind my back. I'd have to think of a way to get back at them.

I didn't have anything to do today. Instead, I busied myself with menial tasks to while away the time. I washed Renesmee's dishes at what would be an infuriatingly slow human pace. It was just right to keep my mind busy. I soon was distracted by the dancing of dust motes that swirled in front of my eyes when the dishes were cleaned and dried. I slowly wiped my hands dry on the plain blue dress that I wore when a light knocking came from the window. I twisted my neck to get a look behind me. Nothing was in the window, nothing out of place, no face. I screwed my eyes up in suspicion.

I walked away from the sink, stealthily walking over to the window when I heard the front door crash open. I whirled around, my eyes firmly fixed on the hallway that led to the front of the cottage. No-one appeared. Creases of frustration bunched upon my forehead as I headed slowly toward the hallway. In a blur no human's eyes could decipher, a tall figure whirled into the room, catching me by surprise and deviating around me. Before my reflexes could react, which was saying something considering my enhanced reflexes were usually terribly good, a pair of hands clamped down over my eyes, blocking my sight.

"Hey!" I exclaimed at the top of my voice, I tried throwing off the person behind me but it was near impossible. All I was able to do was lift them a few centimetres from the ground. I took a moment to recollect my bearings. The person behind me was a little larger than Edward. Definitely not Jacob - the heat wasn't there. No, this person was no human either. I started to get agitated when I heard a chuckle. My temper flew. And then a warm sensation of calm washed over me.

"Jasper, stop toying with me. What do you want?" I asked, lowering my hands in defeat.

Sensing my surrender, Jasper released his hands from my eyes and instead turned me to face him. The close proximity would have sent me blushing if my cheeks could display that red tint anymore. The smile that graced his dashing good looks would send any girl's heart soaring. Mine pumped no longer. Despite the calm, I was still annoyed. I stood waiting for him to answer me.

"Fine, fine. I've been sent to take you somewhere." Jasper resigned.

"Where exactly have you been sent to take me?" I asked, suspicion overtaking.

"Nowhere you need to know right at this very second. I've only been given orders to have you presentable and ready for a trip." Jasper revealed, that arrogant grin growing by the second.

"Well if I'm going to be presentable then you're going to have to let me go, I'll need to change."

Jasper seemed to be warring something over in his head. My feeling of calm annoyance was punctured with indecisiveness. It made me feel a little better to know he was having trouble. I smiled a little.

"Go, get dressed. You have... 30 seconds before you're to be back here or I'll make you feel like you have to get dressed in a monkey suit."

I scowled. Jasper laughed. I scowled some more. Jasper tapped his watch.

"28, 27..." Jasper counted.

"Ugh." I replied. I flew into my bedroom, ripped the closet doors open, found the first bag that caught my eye, containing a light baby blue dress that cut low enough to show a bit of cleavage, that trailed low enough to flounce just at my knees. Thin straps held the billowy dress onto me. It accentuated my figure perfectly.

I briefly entertained the idea of breaking a hole in the wall and escaping Jasper. But curiosity got the better of me, so I returned with 13 seconds to spare.

"Well done, Bells. You look positively ravishing." Jasper complimented, a wave of happiness washed over me.

"Thanks." This would have been the second moment for me to blush if I could have.

"So, ready to go?"

"Still not willing to tell me where exactly that will be?"

"Nope."

"Fine." I crossed my arms again, despite the continuing barrage of calming waves rolling in my direction.

"Oh, one more thing." Jasper noted before moving so fast, even for my reflexes - Jasper appeared to be a blur, he wrapped a thick black cloth around my head, covering my eyes and nose.

"Ugh. You suck."

Jasper laughed heartily. The cloth smelt like old mouldy cheese. It reeked. It was going to be a problem if I had to try and find out where he was taking me, if I couldn't rely on my sight or smell to figure it out. My hearing was slightly affected but I could still hear Jasper's breathing.

"Okay, now, follow me." Jasper took my hand in his and led me through the house, enough of a gentleman not to let me bump into anything in the way. Not so much to protect me from getting hurt, rather me destroying whatever was in my path. He knew I'd be pissed. He knew Esme would be pissed, that would've held more sway than myself being annoyed with him.

Jasper led me out of the front door and across the garden path, out the gate and into the open space between the cottage and the surrounding forest. He brought my hand to rest upon something smooth and hard. I heard the sound of a door being opened. Okay, so we were taking a drive. Harmless, right? When it came to the Cullens, who knew? I chewed on my bottom lip to distract me.

Jasper grabbed my hand again and led me around to the side of the car, helping me in and buckling the seatbelt. It was the Volvo. Jasper shut my door and in a second, the driver's door opened and Jasper had the engine started. I felt the pull of the car and I knew we were driving away from the cottage.

"Still no hope of finding out where we're going?" I asked, a little hopeful.

"Nope, it'll take a lot more than that to get me to spill."

"Okay, how about..."

"No bribery will make me reveal to you prematurely, where you will be going." Jasper chortled.

I turned away from him, I would have been looking out of the window if it weren't for this stinking blindfold! I wasn't at all comfortable with this, excursion of sorts. Maybe I should call it a kidnapping. Though I wasn't technically a kid. A vamp-napping? Maybe. I'd feel more apprehensive if it weren't for Jasper sitting right beside me, sending calm vibes with that talent of his.

After a while, the Volvo slowed to a stop and I had to wonder where we were. There was no hope of finding that out. I could go to remove the blindfold myself only to have Jasper put it back again and maybe strap me more securely into the seat. I heard his door open and felt the car tilt slightly as his weight was removed. He shut the door again and I heard the silence of the car. It was slightly unnerving. I heard muted whispers through the framework of the Volvo and after a couple of seconds, the door opened again and someone different sat in Jasper's place. The tilt of the car was too light to be Emmett or Edward. No, it was too little a shift of weight proportion.

"Alice?" I ventured.

TBC...

This is my first Twilight fanfic, review? Let me know what you guys think :)

(Thankyou to linder08 - I've made the change :) and thankyou guys so much for the support so far! It's phenomenal!)