"I think she's done," a voice I didn't recognize spoke from the left of me. "Listen, her heart has stopped now."

I listened, I couldn't hear anything but I could hear everything. I could hear the hum of the lights. I could hear muffled noises beyond the room I was in. I could not hear a heartbeat. I could not hear breathing.

I opened my eyes and could see everything, but nothing I recognized. I could see the grain of the concrete on the wall to my right. Could I see that before? I turned to my left, towards the voice I had heard and saw three men standing there, watching me. Suddenly I was off the bed and crouched against the grainy concrete wall and hissing at the men.

"Hey, it's okay," one of the men said, although he looked more like a teenager, "we're not going to hurt you."

I looked between the men and looked at the door, then I was suddenly at the door and reaching for the handle. Before I could get a grip on the door the biggest man of the three blocked my hand and I was back in the corner of the room by the bed.

"I'm sorry, you can't leave this room yet. We need to talk to you first, everything is okay," the teenager told me. "I promise."

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice unrecognizable to me. Has my voice always sounded so...musical?

"My name is Alec," the teenager, Alec introduced himself first before motioning to the tallest man, then the other one, "this is Felix and Demetri."

"Where am I?" I asked before I had a chance to think. What was going on?

"You are in Volterra, Italy," Alec answered, "Do you know your name?"

His question confused me. Of course, I knew my name, but why and how was I in Italy?

"Do you know my name?" I asked, I wasn't going to give my kidnappers any more information if they didn't already have it themselves.

"Of course, we know your name, you came to us, Bella," he replied, obviously intentionally using my name.

"I came to you? I don't even know who you are!" I was starting to panic. Who were these people?

Alec put his hands up in surrender. "We're not going to hurt you, Bella. You came to the Volturi to help you, and we did. It is completely normal to not remember everything before your change, but I need you to trust us."

I couldn't help the strangled laugh that erupted at the thought of trusting these strangers. "The Volturi? My change? I don't understand any of this. Please just let me go."

There was a sudden knock at the door and I was crouching and hissing again, backed up against the wall. The door opened and a woman entered the room. Before I could even think, I was in front of her, sinking my teeth into her neck and draining her blood. Just as fast as it happened, I was back in my corner.

What the hell did I just do?

EPOV

Edward, you need to calm down. Carlisle's thoughts kept repeating to me.

It had been eighteen hours since Bella had claimed me as hers and then took off and ten hours of pacing the living room trying to get past my family to go and find her.

She'll come back. Sit down! Alice yelled through her mind.

I wasn't convinced. Bella was able to manipulate Alice's visions, there was no way we could rely on her sight to track Bella. Everyone knew this, yet they continued to stop me from going to follow her.

"You don't know that! You can't see her, Alice," I growled, fed up with being held back.

"I might not be able to see her through my visions, but I saw her before she took off. She'll be back, Edward. She's no longer capable of staying away from you," Alice explained. Unless we've completely underestimated the amount of willpower she has.

After hearing Alice's thought slip out, I took off. I had to dodge Emmett and Jasper as they tried to stop me, but I was too quick for them this time and was able to brush off their attacks.

I ran out to the woods, following the direction I had seen Bella leave by. I knew she was an expert at evading being trailed if she so chose, so I was surprised when I easily caught her scent and was able to follow it north east. It was maybe five minutes before I found her lying on the ground staring up at the sky.

"Bella," I sighed as I fell to my knees beside her, relieved to find that she hadn't gone very far.

I watched as she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, her chest rising with her breath as a small smile formed on her lips. She was so beautiful. Slowly, her eyes opened again to stare at the sky and a look of confused concern replaced her smile.

She was clearly trying to figure something out with herself so I decided to lay down beside her to watch the same sky. No sooner had I settled against the ground did she re position herself to use my stomach as a pillow and take my hand in hers to rest on her own. It was so innocently intimate that I couldn't stop myself from bringing my other hand up to play with her hair.

Hours passed and we remained in the same position. At one point, Bella had begun purring and it was easily one of my favourite sounds in the world. I was still in disbelief that she was alive and here with me. I had never allowed myself to envision us in this future, I couldn't, it wasn't realistic. Being here now though, there were so many things I would have done differently in the past.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," Bella finally whispered, breaking me from my own thoughts and musing.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, Bella," I promised, bringing our entwined hands up to kiss her knuckles.

"You're right, there's nothing wrong with me, that's why I've just spent the last however many hours lying here contemplating my existence," she snapped.

She quickly untangled herself from our cocoon and stood up to brush herself off. Gone was the purring and vulnerable girl of the past few hours, back was the untrusting, sarcastic Bella I had come to know over the past few months.

I didn't know what to say, I wanted her to trust me, to let me know what she was going through, but I was afraid that there was nothing I could say that wouldn't push her further away.

She sighed deeply, as if she was preparing to deliver bad news and I couldn't help but begin to panic. This was it, she was leaving.

"Alec told me I was going soft and then he went on about something about me, but he wouldn't tell me what it was. He said it was something I had to discuss with you or figure out on my own and I've tried to figure it out, Edward, I went over anything I could think of that he would be able to see from what I had told him and I can't figure it out! Now I'm frustrated and confused and I don't even have control over my shield. I'm sorry for whatever display that was back at the house. I don't know what happened there either, I don't know anything, it seems," she ranted, ending with a huff.

"Well let's discuss it then. You don't have to apologize for anything, there was nothing wrong with what you did earlier. Your only memory of Celia is seeing me protecting her and your instincts kicked in to make sure she knew that I'm your mate, not hers," I explained.

"My mate?" she asked, her eyebrow cocked.

"Well, yes," this wasn't exactly new information.

She was quiet for some time and I could practically see her brain working before she began laughing.

"No," she said as she shook her head between giggles.

"No?"

"You're not my mate, Edward. I don't have a mate. That's just…no," she denied.

I was hurt that she thought the idea of me being her mate was so absurd that it was amusing to her, but I knew she would have to come around to it eventually. Although, if it wasn't for the show she put on earlier I would be wary.

Suddenly she stopped laughing and pulled out her cell phone.

"You're delusional," she told whoever answered her call.

"So you figured it out, huh?" Alec's voice answered.

"I did and you're wrong," she told him as she turned her back to me.

"I'm not wrong, Bella, you just don't want to admit to yourself the truth."

"You don't even have a mate so how would you know if someone like me did?" she argued.

"Ouch, Bells. If you don't believe me you can always come back and talk to Marcus."

"Did he say something?"

"He might have mentioned some things when we had our little 'Edward, Bella' discussion,"

Bella stabbed at her phone, abruptly hanging up on her friend, before turning to face me again.

I didn't say anything, unsure of how she felt about the information she was just given.

"So, it would appear that everyone believes that we are mates," she spoke evenly.

I didn't know what to say. Of course, everyone believed that, it was the truth.

"That would explain a lot of things," she nodded. She looked lost in thought, as if her statement was to herself.

"Like what?"

"Like why I haven't killed you," she responded bluntly.

"Oh."

"Yep," she said, popping the p. "So, I suppose this changes some things."

"What does it change?"

"Everything, it changes everything," she said quietly, again as if she were speaking to herself.

"It doesn't have to change anything if you don't want it to," I told her, attempting to console her.

"How can it not? I mean it explains why I stopped the attack on your coven, why I felt so compelled to bring you back to Volterra, why I didn't maim you and why, even though I kind of hate you, I need to be here, I need to be around you," she explained.

"You kind of hate me?" I couldn't help but ask, and once again I realized that I was dealing with a completely different Bella. I knew she was different, I knew she saw the world differently now, thanks to being 'raised' by Aro, by the Volturi, but I knew the truth she spoke in her statement. If we were not mates, my whole family would have been killed in the clearing, no questions asked. It was a bit unnerving. Almost as unnerving as hearing her say she hates me.

She rolled her eyes. "I mean hate may be a bit strong, but other than this uncontrollable desire to be near you I haven't figured out yet how we fit, you know? If you want this to be a purely physical thing, I can make that work, but something tells me that your views on relationships and...relations...haven't changed over the past half century. I take back saying that I hate you, I'm sorry, that was the wrong word choice. I don't know yet how I feel about you."

"Just because we're mates, it doesn't mean that we have to rush into anything, physical or otherwise. I don't want you to feel pressured, to force yourself to feel something you're not ready for," I promised, relieved to hear she didn't hate me after all. "I want us to find what we had before and I know we will."

She sighed deeply and, in an instant, the rough and tough Bella Volturi was gone and in front of me stood the Bella Swan I had known and loved.

"I just don't know where to go from here," she admitted. "How do we get back to that?"

I reached out to her, unsure of how she would respond to the gesture, and was pleasantly surprised when she accepted my hand and allowed me to pull her against me.

"You don't have to go anywhere, Bella," I assured her, "just do what you feel you should do."

"Can we just stay here for a bit longer?" she asked.

I felt my heart try to beat. As if that was even a question. I wanted her to stay for eternity.

"Of course, love. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

We stood, wrapped up in each other for most of the day. I knew better than to think this calm would last but standing here with Bella in my arms again felt like everything was right in the world again.

BPOV

I, Bella Volturi, have a mate. Edward Cullen is my mate. I have a mate.

What the fuck?

It really does explain this whole...whatever I've been since that day in the clearing, when some, hopefully most, of my memories came flooding in. What else could explain why I stopped the Guard from taking out the Cullens? Why I wanted to bring Edward back to Volterra with me? And why I kept my torture of him fairly tame? But how messed up is it that some baser instinct made all of that and more happen without me even realizing it?!

I couldn't deny that being here, being in Edward's arms, flooded me with a sense of calm I didn't even know I was missing. How does the rest of this all work though? We obviously couldn't spend the rest of eternity standing here wrapped up in each other. Eventually we would have to talk, we would have to go back to the house, he would have to go back to whatever I'd interrupted by coming here. Where would I fit in? And why did I even care?

"Celia is coming," Edward announced softly, breaking the hours of silence we had been standing in, but not breaking our embrace. "She's worried, more importantly she wants to meet you."

"Well that's ballsy of her," I griped as I stepped out from his arms, not that I was ready to do that quite yet. I also wasn't ready to meet this 'Celia' yet either but apparently I didn't have a choice in the matter.

"She's a good person, Bella," Edward told me, taking my hand in his and bringing my hand to his lips for a chaste kiss. "We like her."

"Just because the Cullens like her, doesn't mean I do. Or even that I have to." No sooner were the words out of my mouth that Celia appeared at the edge of the meadow, slowing to a human paced walk the rest of the way towards us. There are still no humans around, weirdo.

"Hey guys!" Her voice was raspy but light, and a little too friendly for my liking. "Against the judgement of literally everyone else I wanted to come and check on you two. I also wanted to introduce myself without the peanut gallery. Hi, I'm Celia."

I rolled my eyes and dropped my shield for Edward to hear. Sometimes the judgement of a group is better than the judgement of just one. And the peanut gallery? Seriously? I had to stifle a smirk when I felt Edward squeeze my hand. This telepathy thing was actually super convenient.

"Bella," I replied cordially, amused when I saw her eyes dart to Edward then back to me.

"Well, Bella, it's nice to finally meet you. I've been hearing about you pretty much my whole vampire life," she continued on just as friendly despite my less than enthused greeting. "I never thought I'd actually get to meet the legend."

"Well now you have," I clipped back, the legend? "I can't say I've heard really anything about you."

"How about we all go back to the house and we can tell you everything there is to know," Edward suggested, giving my hand a tug in the direction of the house.

"Do I have to?" I was not interested in this plan at all. I had enough of my own shit to deal with never mind learning about this new girl and her story about how she took my place in the Cullen family. Shit. Edward heard that, well shield up now. I take back what I thought about Telepathy.

"Bella, that's not what happened at all," Edward explained, putting himself in front of me and lifting my chin to meet our eyes. "You know, we should actually talk, just us, first."

"No, it kind of is what happened, but whatever. Let's just go," I argued, stepping away from his gaze to run back to the house. There was no use in prolonging the inevitable.

Edward and Celia were next to me in seconds and we ran in silence back to house where we found everyone sitting around the dining room table, everyone plus a new guy and Jacob of all people.

"Bella, oh I am so happy you are here," Esme was the first to greet us, wrapping me in her arms for an embrace I had no intention of fighting. "I have missed you dearly."

"I've missed you as well, Esme," I replied before I reluctantly pulled out of her hug and stepped back towards Edward.

"My word, you were always beautiful, but you are absolutely stunning now," she gushed, her eyes were wide and so sincere. She was the epitome of good.

"I am, aren't I?" I winked with a smile. I rolled my eyes as I took in the reaction of the others to my reply. No old blushing Bella here, folks. Damn right I'm gorgeous. Convince me I'm anything less. I lowered my shield for a moment to give Jasper a dose of my confidence and saw his eyes dart to mine in disbelief.

Edward cleared his throat, from reading Jasper's thoughts on my surge of confidence or not, I had no idea but it made everyone settle into a chair or lean against a wall to set up for the discussion to come. I opted to hop up and sit on the counter Edward was leaning against. No one was behind me and I could easily access all exits. Let's do this.

"So, Jake you're a wolf now?" I bluntly broke the silence "How the hell does that work? And have you always smelled like wet dog? Seriously, it's called a shower."

Most of the room chuckled, including Jacob, and also Celia who was sitting awkwardly close to him. Apparently, her sense of smell did not heighten during her change, there's no way she would be practically on top of him right now if it did.

"Uh yea, I'm a shapeshifter. Most of the tribe is," he shifted slightly in his seat and glanced at Celia.

"No shit? When did that happen? I do NOT remember you being a shapeshifter from my human memories, as shoddy as they are," I scowled at myself for having to question my memory of him. "And seriously, how are you sitting so close to him? Our senses are supposed to heighten when we change."

"Jacob why don't you start with the when and why of your shapeshifting and go from there," Carlisle suggested. Was that my queue to stop asking questions? I rolled my eyes but kept quiet.

"Sure sure, so before you left, it turns out that redhead, Victoria, was tracking you. She wanted to kill you for Edward killing James. Mate for Mate," he began to explain. Edward's, hand went to my knee when he mentioned mate and I swear I felt my knee tingle. "Her friend came around first, he was here just before you left actually, and his presence triggered the gene to kick in and start changing us. We killed him and eventually she showed up. You were long gone by then though and your scent was weak so she was quick to leave, we never had the chance to catch her."

"So, she's still out there?" I asked, I could be down for some unfinished business.

"As far as we know, she's alive somewhere, but we haven't heard from or of her since," Carlisle explained.

"And you can kill vampires?" I should have asked that first. That was a more important question. We're not supposed to have someone higher on the food chain than us.

"We can, and they can kill us," he answered, "it's not without a battle though."

"Fascinating," I couldn't help the curiosity in my voice. The Volturi know nothing of these guys. And we know everything. "Why are you sharing this with me? This would be something of very high interest to my coven and I feel like it's not something you would want them to know about."

The room went silent and eyes were darting every which way. Did no one think of this?

"I'm not going to," I continued, "but you don't know that. You should be more careful with your secrets."

"I think what Bella is trying to say is that The Volturi, who are known for knowing close to everything that goes on in our world, do not know that shapeshifters actually exist, and the less who know, the better. The Volturi do not take surprises well, nor threats to our existence," Carlisle furthered while looking at me pointedly.

"Yes, that," I agreed with a nod. I needed to learn more about this wolf business but I had become distracted by Edward's hair, plus I think I just kyboshed any further secret sharing about that anyway. "So, what about those two?"

I had pointed to Celia and the man I didn't recognize and instead of my hand coming back to rest on my thigh, it somehow made its way to the back of Edward's head, my fingers absently playing with his hair. I definitely remember loving his hair as a human.

"Instead of mates, shapeshifters, imprint. When Celia was still human, she met Jacob and he imprinted on her. When she changed, the imprinting held through," Carlisle explained, I was half paying attention now. Her and Jacob are wolf, vamp imprinted mates. Cool. Edward's hair is so soft. "Stettson is Celia's brother and she changed him, not wanting to live forever without him."

Edward's hand on my knee tightened enough to pull me out of his hair trance, I guess I was supposed to reply to the story? I was barely listening, let's be real. I still didn't want to hear about how not one but now two humans were changed after they all left me while I had to resort to the Volturi to be changed. I dropped my hand from Edward's hair and wrapped my arms around my middle as I felt the sting of rejection start to consume me. Would I ever get over this? I looked at Jasper and let him in, hoping that he would hurl some counter emotions at me before the rejection turned into anger. His eyes shot to mine right away, he looked devastated. Yea, welcome to the shit show, buddy.

"Bella," Edward sighed, stepping in front of me, cutting off the eye contact Jasper and I had been holding.

Don't. I pleaded through my thoughts for Edward. "Jasper, hit me with some calm please."

I immediately felt Jasper's efforts as he honored my request and sent me waves of calm and peace. Slowly my arms loosened from their place around my stomach and I relaxed. "Thank you."

"Bella, I need to apologize to you," Jasper began as Edward moved back to my side, "while it was ultimately Edward's decision for us to leave, I know what happened at your birthday and my...reaction...played a major part in his decision. I'm sorry I tried to attack you and I'm sorry our departure causes you that pain."

It was taking everything in me to keep my shield lowered to be able to keep receiving Jasper's calm and not close up to wall myself off, but I pushed through. "Well, I mean I didn't remember any of that until recently, but thank you, Jasper. Know that I never once blamed you for what happened, not when I was human and certainly not now. You should never apologize for who you are, it was a completely natural instinct. I thought that then and obviously I think that now. Besides, I was fine, you didn't hurt me."

You and I are not doing this conversation right now. I pushed through to Edward. I wanted to hold on to this calm and reasonable Bella I had right now.

I felt Edward shift next to me but he didn't say anything, even after everyone's eyes went to him, clearly sending him their own thoughts.

Wanting to shift the conversation off of myself and before I knew what I was doing, I was asking Celia, "So who changed you?"

The room went absolutely silent, not that a room full of vampires normally made much sound but it was as if even Jacob's heart stopped beating after I asked my question.

No. No, there was no way Edward changed her. Not after everything. No, no, no.

Jasper upped the calm he was sending to me but I was done, I snapped my shield up and let my own emotions rage.

The room exploded with sounds of explanations, of apologies, of 'Bella, please' but I wanted nothing to do with any of it. With every last shred of control I had I calmly slipped off the counter and walked out of the house with one thought directed to Edward. "Do NOT follow me."

I was livid. And hurt. But mostly livid. I got outside and I had no idea what to do. All I saw was red. I wanted to hurt something. I picked up a boulder and hurled it at Edward's car. The sound it made when the boulder absolutely crushed the vehicle was music to my ears. I needed something else though. I wanted to hurt him as much as he had hurt me. How were we supposed to be mates when it seems all he ever does is cause me pain?

I heard an argument begin inside the house and was surprised when Jacob came out, slamming the door behind him as he made his way over to where I was standing along the driveway.

"She was dying, Bella," Jacob explained calmly. I didn't know if he was nominated to come talk to me or if he volunteered himself. Either way I didn't want to hear it.

"I don't care!" I screamed, he didn't understand. No one seemed to understand.

I felt the rage course through me again and I picked up another boulder and threw it as far as I could manage, letting out a pained scream as I released the rock.

"Please, Bella," he tried again, "she was dying because of me. I hurt her. I brought her to the Cullen's for Carlisle to help her but he wasn't here. No one was here, only Edward. It was a split-second decision, Bells. Do you really think I wanted my wife to become a vampire? That that was the plan? To make her into the very thing I am meant to destroy? My one natural enemy?"

I paused, that was actually reasonable. It didn't change my attitude though. "I. Don't. Care."

"Well then get over it," Jacob barked back at me. "Edward didn't change her to hurt you. Hell, no one even knew you were still alive until a few months ago."

"Jacob, that's enough," Edward said as he approached us along the driveway.

I was silent. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to feel. I was exhausted from this emotional rollercoaster I'd been on since I'd come back, since I had remembered my human life. I suddenly wished I could cry.

"You were supposed the be the one to change me," I whispered for Edward to hear. I was jealous of Celia. She got what I wanted all along. She got the family I was supposed to join. She was changed by the vampire who held my heart.

Edward stood in front of me now, his eyes piercing into my own, into my soul, "I am sorry, Bella."

"All those times I asked you to change me, every time you told me no. Then you left me completely. You told me you didn't want me, that I didn't belong in your world, and you disappeared taking everyone with you," I spoke without thinking, I wanted him to know how much he hurt me because I knew it would hurt him. "For months I did nothing. Life was just a series of days and nights, but it never stopped hurting. It was never like you never existed, it was only ever that you left me.

"Eventually, I went out with Jessica Stanley and I made a choice to do something reckless and I saw you. I did more things to be able to see you. I built a bike with Jake, I crashed the bike I built with Jake. But then I had a plan. I had the bike to get me to the airport, it was easier to ditch than the truck, and I had enough money to get a one-way ticket to Italy. You said I didn't belong in your world, but I knew you were wrong.

"It took longer than I expected but eventually I was able to meet Aro. I didn't tell him about you or anyone else, but I told him I knew about vampires, that I needed his help and I asked to be changed. He nearly had me killed on the spot, humans aren't supposed to know about vampires. He wanted to know how I knew though, who had been the one to share the secret, who was breaking the law. When he wasn't able to read my thoughts, he decided I was worth changing, and keeping. I didn't remember anything when I woke up, so I didn't remember the deal we had made before he changed me, it didn't matter in the grand scheme of everything.

"I woke up in a bare, small, cell of a room with little to no memory of my human life. I didn't know where I was or even what I was. They brought a woman into my room minutes after I woke up. I drained her without a second thought. I was terrified at what I had done but I couldn't deny that it felt and tasted like nothing I could remember experiencing ever before.

"You know, I didn't know it at the time but your words had come true after I had been changed. It was finally as if you never existed," Edward had been watching me, his eyes wide while I shared my story and I could see the pain I was inflicting. There was a small part of me that felt guilty, even though I got exactly the reaction I had wanted. "You'll have to forgive me for my reaction to finding out that you of all people changed her, to finding out that someone else got the very thing I had begged you for. That I went to the Volturi for."

Edward ever so slowly, to give me a chance to deny him I guessed, stepped towards me and pressed his hand to my cheek. "There is nothing to forgive, Bella. I should never have left you in the first place, I should have changed you when you first asked, I should have looked, searched for you when I found out you were no longer here in Forks."

My eyes closed and I breathed him in. He was saying everything human Bella had ever wanted him to say, telling me everything I had ever wanted him to do. I felt his hand leave my cheek as he pressed his forehead against my own.

"I will never forgive myself for underestimating you, for not listening to you. You were a human, I didn't...I couldn't comprehend that you could feel what I felt," he continued on. "I didn't want you to regret your choice to be changed, to end up despising me for taking you away from your family, from your life. I was so caught up in what I didn't want for you that I couldn't understand your choice of this life, of wanting to be with a soul-less monster."

I couldn't help but to smile and roll my eyes at his description of himself. "You've never been soul less, Edward. Do you still believe that about yourself? About our kind?"

"Honestly, I don't know what I believe anymore. You have single-handedly made me question so much about this life, about everything," he admitted and I could hear the smile in his voice as he brushed my hair that had fallen and tucked it behind my ear.

"I could say the exact same thing about you," I whispered. Knowing of his existence, of everything he was to me had turned my world upside down.

These moments with Edward were quickly becoming everything to me. They were the only time I felt calm, without Jasper's influence, the only time I felt like I was where I was supposed to be. It was everything in between these moments that seemed to send me on a tailspin. We needed to go somewhere where there wouldn't be others interrupting to figure out us before I tried to reintegrate with his family.

"Could we go somewhere? Just us?" I asked.

He laughed, "Alice is already on it. She doesn't know what to pack for you. It's quite entertaining, actually."

"I heard that!" Alice yelled from inside the house.

"I have a whole suitcase of my own things in my rental, Alice!" I said as I stepped back from Edward. "Oh, I owe you a new car."

We both looked over to the crumpled metal that was once a vehicle and I bit my lip, my emotions were out of control.

"Don't worry about it. I didn't really like that one anyway," he replied. "Alice will have a new one here by the time we come back."

I didn't argue. There was no point. Human Bella would have argued, although Human Bella could have never caused that kind of damage in the first place. I knew he was right, that Alice would have a new car for him when we returned from our trip and more so, the purchase wouldn't make a dent in their net worth for me to feel guilty about. So I let him win this one.

"Alright, well then, shall we?" I asked as I began to make my way to my car.

Alice was definitely on the ball as she met us outside and popped a suitcase in the trunk. "You two are all set. The weather will be overcast for the drive but it will be sunny for a couple of days once you get there. Have fun! We'll see you both in a few weeks!"

"Thanks, Alice," I said as Edward held the passenger door open for me. "Oh no, I don't think so. My rental, my driving."

Edward held his hands up in surrender, smiling as he sat in the car and closed the door while I made my way to the driver's side.

Alice stopped me before I could open my door. "Bella, take it easy on him. I know he hurt you but he hurt himself as well. We haven't seen him this happy since you were human, he hasn't really shown any emotion since then actually."

I didn't have any reply for her. I couldn't promise I could take it easy, I didn't feel like any of this was easy or was going to be easy so I simply smiled and nodded as I opened the door for myself.

"You ready for this?" I asked Edward as I started the engine.

He smiled and brought my knuckles to his lips. "I'm ready for anything with you."

There was that absolute calm feeling again. I pushed myself towards Edward to kiss him and purred when he kissed me back. You have no idea what you do to me.

I pulled away and sat back in my seat before glancing over at him as I put the car in gear. This was definitely going to be an interesting trip, that's for damn sure.