Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.

A/N: Okay so here's the much anticipated sequel to my Reading Twilight. I would just like to say that this book (or at least the few chapters that I've started) are a lot harder than the last ones, and it's probably going to be repetitious at some parts and really hard to write the parts where the Cullens are gone not to mention Edward will likely be depress the entire time (though I'm sure that Emmett will find plenty of things to laugh at) but I hope that I'll get it out right.

Thanks to Angelinia who beta this story. (4/9/2010)

Chapter One

Party

"Here it is, New Moon," Alice said appearing in the dining room seconds after she had left. "I wonder..."

"No, you're not reading the back this time," Edward said as he snatched the book out of her hand. "You'll just have to be as surprised as the rest of us."

"Argh... I hate that," Alice groaned, she wasn't used to being surprised about anything.

"Good," Edward said, smirking at her.

"Now that that's settled, I believe it's my turn to read," Jasper said, holding his hand out for the book.

"Just don't let her read the back," Edward sighed, knowing full well Jasper was likely to give her what she wanted.

"I won't," Jasper smiled.

"Preface," Jasper read.

I felt like I was trapped in one of those terrifying nightmares, the one where you have to run, run till your lungs burst, but you can't make your body move fast enough. My legs seemed to move slower and slower as I fought my way through the callous crowd, but the hands on the huge clock tower didn't slow. With relentless, uncaring force, they turned inexorably toward the end–the end of everything.

"Why do these books have to start out so tense?" Edward groaned.

"To build suspense," Alice said, though she too looked worried. "But it can't be worse than what happened in the last books, so calm down."

"I'll try," Edward sighed.

But this was no dream, and, unlike the nightmare, I wasn't running for my life; I was racing to save something infinitely more precious. My own life meant little to me today.

Edward hissed at that.

Alice had said there was a good chance we would both die here. Perhaps the outcome would be different if she weren't trapped by the brilliant sunlight; only I was free to run across this bright, crowded square.

And I couldn't run fast enough.

So it didn't matter to me that we were surrounded by our extraordinarily dangerous enemies.

"I really don't like this," Edward said gritting his teeth.

As the clock began to toll out the hour, vibrating under the soles of my sluggish feet, I knew I was too late–and I was glad something bloodthirsty waited in the wings. For in failing at this, I forfeited any desire to live.

"There's nothing worth that," Edward hissed.

"There's only one thing that I can think of that she would say that for," Alice said, looking nervously at Edward. "You must be in trouble."

"What kind of trouble can I be in that she could help me with?" Edward hissed back.

"I imagine that we'll just have to wait and see," Alice said, her voice annoyed for more than one reason.

The clock tolled again, and the sun beat down from the exact center point of the sky.

"Quite the introduction," Jasper muttered and then read. "Chapter one: Party."

I was ninety-nine point nine percent sure I was dreaming.

The reasons I was so certain were that, first, I was standing in a bright shaft of sunlight–the kind of blinding clear sun that never shone on my drizzly new hometown in Forks, Washington–and second, I was looking at my Grandma Marie. Gran had been dead for six years now, so that was solid evidence toward the dream theory.

"I think she might have it right then," Emmett muttered.

Gran hadn't changed much; her face looked just the same as I remembered it. The skin was soft and withered, bent into a thousand tiny creases that clung gently to the bone underneath.

Like a dried apricot, but with a puff of thick white hair standing out in a cloud around it.

Our mouths–hers a wizened picker–spread into the same surprised half-smile at just the same time. Apparently, she hadn't been expecting to see me, either.

"She has the most peculiar dreams," Carlisle said, though he looked thoughtful.

I was about to ask her a question; I had so many–What was she doing here in my dream?

What had she been up to in the past six years? Was Pop okay, and had they found each other, wherever they were? –but she opened her mouth when I did, so I stopped to let her go first.

"Of course," Edward said smiling. "Always polite."

She paused, too, and then we both smiled at the little awkwardness.

"Bella!"

It wasn't Gran who called my name, and we both turned to see the addition to our small reunion. I didn't have to look to know who it was; this was a voice I would know anywhere– know,

"Ah Eddy, you've made your way into her dreams again," Emmett said and Edward's smile grew.

and respond to, whether I was awake or asleep… or even dead, I'd bet. The voice I'd walk through fire for

At that, with the preface still in the front of his mind, Edward frowned again.

–or, less dramatically, slosh every day through the cold and endless rain for.

"It's not that bad," Edward groaned, hating to think that his presence was making her unhappy in any way.

Edward.

Even though I was always thrilled to see him–conscious or otherwise–and even though I was almost positive that I was dreaming, I panicked as Edward walked toward us through the glaring sunlight.

"Well that's not really surprising," Edward smiled. "She always panics more than she needs to."

"Yeah, it's one of her best qualities," Emmett laughed.

I panicked because Gran didn't know that I was in love with a vampire–nobody knew that–so how was I supposed to explain the fact that the brilliant sunbeams were shattering off his skin into a thousand rainbow shards like he was made of crystal or diamond?

"Just say, Gran, this is my boyfriend, and don't worry about the shine… he just does that," Emmett laughed.

Well, Gran, you might have noticed that my boyfriend glitters. It's just something he does in the sun. Don't worry about it…

"Exactly," Emmett said pleased as he continued to laugh.

What was he doing? The whole reason he lived in Forks, the rainiest place in the world, was so that he could be outside in the daytime without exposing his family's secret. Yet here he was, strolling gracefully toward me–with the most beautiful smile on his angel's face–as if I were the only one here.

"Oh," Edward sighed, rolling his eyes.

"What is it?" Emmett questioned.

"She would worry about that…" Edward muttered to himself- as if the room full of vampires couldn't hear him. "You'll see."

In that second, I wished that I was not the one exception to his mysterious talent;

"I wish it could work like that," Edward said.

"Don't you wish you could hear her all the time?" Emmett smirked.

"Of course," Edward said smiling back at his brother. "But I would take anything I could get, just to hear her voice in my head."

I usually felt grateful that I was the only person whose thoughts he couldn't hear just as clearly as if they were spoken aloud. But now I wished he could hear me, too, so that he could hear the warning I was screaming in my head.

"Geez relax Bella, it's just a dream," Emmett said. "And if it wasn't, I think your already dead Grandma would just have to deal with it."

I shot a panicked glance back at Gran, and saw that it was too late. She was just turning to stare back at me, her eyes as alarmed as mine.

Edward–still smiling so beautifully that my heart felt like it was going to swell up and burst through my chest–put his arm around my shoulder and turned to face my grandmother.

Gran's expression surprised me. Instead of looking horrified, she was staring at me sheepishly, as if waiting for a scolding.

"That's weird…" Emmett said looking confused.

And she was standing in such a strange position–one arm held awkwardly away from her body, stretched out and then curled around the air.

"Oh," Emmett said and everyone else seemed to know what was going on now. "It's her. She's her Gran," he added laughing hard.

Like she had her arm around someone I couldn't see, someone invisible…

Only then, as I looked at the bigger picture, did I notice the huge gilt frame that enclosed my grandmother's form. Uncomprehending, I raised the hand that wasn't wrapped around Edward's waist and reached out to touch her. She mimicked the movement exactly, mirrored it. But where our fingers should have met, there was nothing but cold glass…

With a dizzying jolt, my dream abruptly became a nightmare.

"Is growing old really that bad?" Edward hissed.

"Not always," Alice said. "But when your boyfriend is going to stay young forever… it has got to be taxing."

"So I'm going to be torturing her just by staying with her," Edward groaned, that odd glint back in his eyes.

"You're going to make her happy," Esme said. "Happier than she's ever been before or will ever be without you."

"Thanks," Edward smiled; it was hard to not listen when she put it that way.

There was no Gran.

That was me. Me in a mirror. Me–ancient, creased, and withered.

Edward stood beside me, casting no reflection,

"Vampires have reflections," Emmett said rolling his eyes. "Where did they even come up with that myth?"

"I'm not really sure about that one," Carlisle said thoughtfully. "I'll have to research it," he muttered excitedly.

excruciatingly lovely and forever seventeen.

He pressed his icy, perfect lips against my wasted cheek.

"Happy birthday," he whispered.

"It must really be her birthday," Edward said.

"Yeah it would make a kind of sense for her to worry about that on her birthday," Alice said.

I woke with a start–my eyelids popping open wide–and gasped. Dull gray light, the familiar light of an overcast morning, took the place of the blinding sun in my dream.

Just a dream, I told myself. It was only a dream. I took a deep breath, and then jumped again when my alarm went off. The little calendar in the corner of the clock's display informed me that today was September thirteenth.

Only a dream, but prophetic enough in one way, at least. Today was my birthday.

"I was right," Edward beamed. "And now I know her birthday."

I was officially eighteen years old.

"Oh, and now she's older than you," Alice said.

"Only technically," Edward said, rolling his eyes.

"Still, that helps to explain why she's so bothered," Alice shrugged.

I'd been dreading this day for months.

All through the perfect summer–the happiest summer I had ever had, the happiest summer anyone anywhere had ever had,

"See, if that doesn't say she wants you around, I don't know what would," Esme beamed.

"I get it, I get it," Edward said impatiently, but he had a huge grin on his face.

and the rainiest summer in the history of the Olympic Peninsula–this bleak date had lurked in ambush, waiting to spring.

And now that it had hit, it was even worse than I'd feared it would be. I could feel it–I was older. Every day I got older, but this was different, worse, quantifiable.

"Come on Eddy, just take it as one of her quirks and laugh," Emmett said, who was indeed laughing right now.

I was eighteen.

And Edward never would be.

When I went to brush my teeth, I was almost surprised that the face in the mirror hadn't changed. I stared at myself, looking for some sign of impending wrinkles in my ivory skin.

"Argh, she's only eighteen," Edward groaned.

The only creases were the ones on my forehead, though, and I knew that if I could manage to relax, they would disappear. I couldn't. My eyebrows stayed lodged in a worried line over my anxious brown eyes.

It was just a dream, I reminded myself again. Just a dream… but also my worst nightmare.

I skipped breakfast, in a hurry to get out of the house as quickly as possible. I wasn't entirely able to avoid my dad, and so I had to spend a few minutes acting cheerful. I honestly tried to be excited about the gifts I'd asked him not to get me,

"She doesn't like gifts!" Alice nearly shouted, looking incredulous.

"Apparently not," Emmett smiled. "I wonder how that's going to play out."

"But… I want to give her things," Alice whined and she looked at Edward. It appeared that he was having similar thoughts.

"That's why this should be interesting," Emmett laughed. "Like you'd ever listen to anyone."

"That's right, "Alice said immediately perking up, but Edward just frowned more… he couldn't say the same thing.

but every time I had to smile, it felt like I might start crying.

I struggled to get a grip on myself as I drove to school. The vision of Gran–I would not think of it as me–was hard to get out of my head. I couldn't feel anything but despair until I pulled into the familiar parking lot behind Forks High School and spotted Edward leaning motionlessly against his polished silver Volvo, like a marble tribute to some forgotten pagan god of beauty. The dream had not done him justice. And he was waiting there for me, just the same as every other day.

Despair momentarily vanished;

"Just seeing you…" Esme started.

"I do get it," Edward interrupted.

wonder took its place. Even after half a year with him, I still couldn't believe that I deserved this degree of good fortune.

"I'm the one who's getting the better end of the deal," Edward said.

His sister Alice was standing by his side, waiting for me, too.

Of course Edward and Alice weren't really related (in Forks the story was that all the Cullen siblings were adopted by Dr. Carlisle Cullen and his wife, Esme, both plainly too young to have teenage children),

"Yes, much too young," Carlisle chuckled. "I'm only three hundred and sixty two years old."

but their skin was precisely the same pale shade, their eyes had the same strange golden tint, with the same deep, bruise-like shadows beneath them. Her face, like his, was also startlingly beautiful. To someone in the know–someone like me–these similarities marked them for what they were.

"Vampires!" Emmett shouted boisterously.

The sight of Alice waiting there–her tawny eyes brilliant with excitement, and a small silver-wrapped square in her hands–made me frown.

"See Alice, you didn't listen to her," Emmett laughed.

"Good," Alice smiled.

I'd told Alice I didn't want anything, anything, not gifts or even attention, for my birthday. Obviously, my wishes were being ignored.

"Because we love birthdays, and it's been a long time since one actually mattered," Alice explained.

I slammed the door of my '53 Chevy truck–a shower of rust specks fluttered down to the wet blacktop–

"Argh," Rosalie groaned. "I think we should get her a new car."

"She definitely wouldn't take that," Edward laughed.

"We could get her the cheapest one…" Rosalie tried to argue.

"I really don't think it's going to work," Edward smiled. "You know how much she loves that rusty piece of bolts."

"Argh," Rosalie groaned again.

and walked slowly toward where they waited. Alice skipped forward to meet me, her pixie face glowing under her spiky black hair.

"Happy birthday, Bella!"

"Shh!" I hissed,

Emmett burst out laughing.

glancing around the lot to make sure no one had heard her. The last thing I wanted was some kind of celebration of the black event.

She ignored me. "Do you want to open your present now or later?" she asked eagerly as we made our way to where Edward still waited.

"No presents," I protested in a mumble.

"I won't let that deter me," Alice said confidently.

She finally seemed to process my mood. "Okay… later, then. Did you like the scrapbook your mom sent you? And the camera from Charlie?"

I sighed. Of course she would know what my birthday presents were. Edward wasn't the only member of his family with unusual skills. Alice would have "seen" what my parents were planning as soon as they'd decided that themselves.

"Yeah. They're great."

"I think it's a nice idea. You're only a senior once.

"Right," Emmett scoffed and the other four 'teenage' vampires snorted.

"I almost wish that was true," Rosalie said.

Might as well document the experience."

"How many times have you been a senior?"

"That's different."

We reached Edward then, and he held out his hand for mine. I took it eagerly, forgetting, for a moment, my glum mood. His skin was, as always, smooth, hard, and very cold. He gave my fingers a gentle squeeze. I looked into his liquid topaz eyes, and my heart gave a not-quite-so-gentle squeeze of its own.

Edward was smiling broadly knowing that he had that kind of effect on her.

Hearing the stutter in my heartbeats, he smiled again.

He lifted his free hand and traced one cool fingertip around the outside of my lips as he spoke. "So, as discussed, I am not allowed to wish you a happy birthday, is that correct?"

"Which is pretty much my way of wishing her that," Edward smiled.

"Yes. That is correct." I could never quite mimic the flow of his perfect, formal articulation.

It was something that could only be picked up in an earlier century.

"Just checking." He ran his hand through his tousled bronze hair. "You might have changed your mind. Most people seem to enjoy things like birthdays and gifts."

"When are you going to learn that Bella isn't most people?" Alice asked.

Alice laughed, and the sound was all silver, a wind chime. "Of course you'll enjoy it. Everyone is supposed to be nice to you today and give you your way, Bella. What's the worst that could happen?" She meant it as a rhetorical question.

"Getting older," I answered anyway, and my voice was not as steady as I wanted it to be.

Beside me, Edward's smile tightened into a hard line.

"Yes, I know that feeling," Edward sighed.

"Eighteen isn't very old," Alice said. "Don't women usually wait till they're twenty-nine to get upset over birthdays?"

"No," Rosalie scoffed incredulously and unsurprisingly.

"It's older than Edward," I mumbled.

He sighed.

"Technically," she said, keeping her tone light. "Just by one little year, though."

And I supposed… if I could be sure of the future I wanted, sure that I would get to spend forever with Edward, and Alice and the rest of the Cullens (preferably not as a wrinkled little old lady)…

"But that's the best option for her," Edward said, convinced that he was right no matter how much Bella wanted the other option. "It is," he added, glaring at Alice.

"I already agreed that I wouldn't change her," Alice glared back. 'But that doesn't mean that I have to agree with you… especially when it's in my own head.'

"You're right," Edward sighed. "Sorry."

then a year or two one direction or the other wouldn't matter to me so much. But Edward was dead set against any future that changed me. Any future that made me like him–that made me immortal, too.

An impasse, he called it.

I couldn't really see Edward's point, to be honest.

"I should explain it better to her," Edward said thoughtfully. "Maybe if she understood better she wouldn't want it so much… or at least stop fighting me so much."

What was so great about mortality? Being a vampire didn't look like such a terrible thing–not the way the Cullens did it, anyway.

"She has such an idealization of vampires," Edward said, shaking his head. "She has no idea how hard it is for us just to sit next to a human… the constant pain."

"Another thing you should tell her if she ever voices wanting to be a vampire after you meet her," Jasper said. "The more she knows, the less likely she'll want to be one of us."

"True, but I really hope it never comes up," Edward said. "Besides, I don't know if I want her to know how much I really have to suffer being around her."

"What time will you be at the house?" Alice continued, changing the subject. From her expression, she was up to exactly the kind of thing I'd been hoping to avoid.

"I didn't know I had plans to be there."

"Oh, be fair, Bella!" she complained. "You aren't going to ruin all our fun like that, are you?"

"'Our fun,'" Edward laughed. "Don't you me your fun?"

"Probably," Alice smiled, unashamed. "But I'm sure Emmett at least would find fun in this."

"Definitely," Emmett said. "Especially seeing how adverse she is to it."

"I thought my birthday was about what I want."

"I'll get her from Charlie's right after school," Edward told her, ignoring me altogether.

"I have to work," I protested.

"You don't, actually," Alice told me smugly. "I already spoke to Mrs. Newton about it. She's trading your shifts. She said to tell you 'Happy Birthday.'"

"I–I still can't come over," I stammered, scrambling for an excuse.

"Whatever it is, just give up," Emmett laughed. "Nothing can stop Alice when she's like this."

"I, well, I haven't watched Romeo and Juliet yet for English."

Alice snorted. "You have Romeo and Juliet memorized."

"But Mr. Berty said we needed to see it performed to fully appreciate it–that's how Shakespeare intended it to be presented."

Edward rolled his eyes.

"You've already seen the movie," Alice accused.

"But not the nineteen-sixties version. Mr. Berty said it was the best."

"Does she really think an excuse that thin is going to work?" Emmett laughed.

Finally, Alice lost the smug smile and glared at me. "This can be easy, or this can be hard, Bella, but one way or the other–"

"You're not going to drag her there," Edward glared at Alice.

"No," Alice said. "I'll pick her up the normal way and carry her there…"

"Alice…" Edward growled.

Edward interrupted her threat. "Relax, Alice. If Bella wants to watch a movie, then she can. It's her birthday."

Alice was now the one glaring at Edward.

"So there," I added.

"I'll bring her over around seven," he continued.

"That works," Alice said smiling.

"That will give you more time to set up."

Alice's laughter chimed again. "Sounds good. See you tonight, Bella! It'll be fun, you'll see."

She grinned–the wide smile exposed all her perfect, glistening teeth–then pecked me on the cheek and danced off toward her first class before I could respond.

"Why am I always dancing?" Alice asked, looking amused. "Is that how I really walk or is that just Bella?"

"You do have a fluidity in your step that seems almost dance-like," Carlisle said. "But I don't think anyone but Bella- and us of course- would notice."

"Edward, please–" I started to beg, but he pressed one cool finger to my lips.

"Let's discuss it later. We're going to be late for class."

No one bothered to stare at us as we took our usual seats in the back of the classroom (we had almost every class together now–it was amazing the favors Edward could get the female administrators to do for him). Edward and I had been together too long now to be an object of gossip anymore. Even Mike Newton

Edward frowned at the mention of Mike.

didn't bother to give me the glum stare that used to make me feel a little guilty.

"I hope he's stopped thinking about her too," Edward muttered.

He smiled now instead, and I was glad he seemed to have accepted that we could only be friends. Mike had changed over the summer–his face had lost some of the roundness, making his cheekbones more prominent, and he was wearing his pale blond hair a new way; instead of bristly, it was longer and gelled into a carefully casual disarray.

"I think he's trying to imitate you, bro," Emmett laughed.

It was easy to see where his inspiration came from–but Edward's look wasn't something that could be achieved through imitation.

As the day progressed, I considered ways to get out of whatever was going down at the Cullen house tonight. It would be bad enough to have to celebrate when I was in the mood to mourn. But, worse than that, this was sure to involve attention and gifts.

"No doubt," Alice smiled. "And you better get used to it if you want to be part of our family."

"She'll be part of this family whether she gets used to it or not," Esme said. "Though it would be nice if she would accept the gifts we want to give her."

Attention is never a good thing, as any other accident-prone klutz would agree. No one wants a spotlight when they're likely to fall on their face.

Emmett laughed hard at that.

And I'd very pointedly asked–well, ordered really–that no one give me any presents this year.

It looked like Charlie and Renee weren't the only ones who had decided to overlook that.

"She such a pushover when it comes to herself, it's easy to disregard that," Alice smiled.

I'd never had much money, and that had never bothered me. Renee had raised me on a kindergarten teacher's salary. Charlie wasn't getting rich at his job, either–he was the police chief here in the tiny town of Forks. My only personal income came from the three days a week I worked at the local sporting goods store. In a town this small, I was lucky to have a job. Every penny I made went into my microscopic college fund.

"That she won't let me pay I'm sure," Edward groaned.

(College was Plan B. I was still hoping for Plan A, but Edward was just so stubborn about leaving me human…)

"She seems the sort that would want to go to college though," Carlisle frowned.

"I bet she is," Edward sighed. "She's just convinced that she wants to be a vampire more."

Edward had a lot of money–I didn't even want to think about how much. Money meant next to nothing to Edward or the rest of the Cullens. It was just something that accumulated when you had unlimited time on your hands and a sister who had an uncanny ability to predict trends in the stock market. Edward didn't seem to understand why I objected to him spending money on me–why it made me uncomfortable if he took me to an expensive restaurant in Seattle, why he wasn't allowed to buy me a car that could reach speeds over fifty-five miles an hour, or why I wouldn't let him pay my college tuition (he was ridiculously enthusiastic about Plan B).

"Of course," Edward chuckled while Emmett laughed.

Edward thought I was being unnecessarily difficult.

But how could I let him give me things when I had nothing to reciprocate with?

"But money means nothing to me, remember?" Edward sighed. "And you have already given me so much. I don't ever think I could repay you… and I haven't even met you yet."

He, for some unfathomable reason, wanted to be with me. Anything he gave me on top of that just threw us more out of balance.

"You know that's really funny," Alice said laughing ridiculously loud. "You two seem to be thinking the same thing as the other and not even realizing it."

"Funny," Edward glared. That's right, the fact that he couldn't hear her thoughts was kind of taboo.

As the day went on, neither Edward nor Alice brought my birthday up again, and I began to relax a little.

We sat at our usual table for lunch.

A strange kind of truce existed at that table. The three of us–Edward, Alice, and I–sat on the extreme southern end of the table. Now that the "older" and somewhat scarier (in Emmett's case, certainly)

"Actually, I'm the scariest one," Jasper said, his voice was even, but there was a little shame there- like every time he thought he was weak- or at least weaker than the others. "They realize that I'm the most potentially dangerous and they stay even farther away from me than the others."

Cullen siblings had graduated, Alice and Edward did not seem quite so intimidating, and we did not sit here alone. My other friends, Mike and Jessica (who were in the awkward post-breakup friendship phase), Angela and Ben (whose relationship had survived the summer), Eric, Conner, Tyler, and Lauren (though that last one didn't really count in the friend category) all sat at the same table, on the other side of an invisible line.

"That's different," Edward said.

"I guess with Bella as a buffer, they don't mind us so much," Alice said looking sceptical, but it didn't really matter.

That line dissolved on sunny days when Edward and Alice always skipped school, and then the conversation would swell out effortlessly to include me.

"It appears that we're not the only ones that are going to be drawn to Bella," Jasper said smiling.

"Well, she is an amazing person," Edward smiled too. "Who wouldn't want to be near her?"

Edward and Alice didn't find this minor ostracism odd or hurtful the way I would have. They barely noticed it. People always felt strangely ill at ease with the Cullens, almost afraid for some reason they couldn't explain to themselves. I was a rare exception to that rule.

"Thank God," Edward smiled.

Sometimes it bothered Edward how very comfortable I was with being close to him.

"Yes, it would," Edward chuckled. "Everything to do with her is usually both good and bad for me… but I wouldn't have it any other way."

He thought he was hazardous to my health–an opinion I rejected vehemently whenever he voiced it.

The afternoon passed quickly. School ended, and Edward walked me to my truck as he usually did. But this time, he held the passenger door open for me. Alice must have been taking his car home so that he could keep me from making a run for it.

"I wonder if I saw her doing that," Alice laughed.

"Nah, she wouldn't actually do something like that," Edward said as Emmett laughed in the background. "I just can't be apart from her."

I folded my arms and made no move to get out of the rain. "It's my birthday, don't I get to drive?"

"Looks like she still has problems with your driving," Emmett laughed.

"I'm pretending it's not your birthday, just as you wished."

"If it's not my birthday, then I don't have to go to your house tonight…"

"You better not give her her way," Alice glared at him.

"All right." He shut the passenger door and walked past me to open the driver's side. "Happy birthday."

"Shh," I shushed him halfheartedly. I climbed in the opened door, wishing he'd taken the other offer.

Edward played with the radio while I drove, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Your radio has horrible reception."

"Any reception in that piece of junk is good," Rosalie said.

I frowned. I didn't like it when he picked on my truck. The truck was great–it had personality.

"I'm beginning to see why she likes the truck," Emmett laughed. "She has quite the personality too."

"You want a nice stereo? Drive your own car." I was so nervous about Alice's plans, on top of my already gloomy mood, that the words came out sharper than I'd meant them. I was hardly ever bad-tempered with Edward, and my tone made him press his lips together to keep from smiling.

When I parked in front of Charlie's house, he reached over to take my face in his hands. He handled me very carefully, pressing just the tips of his fingers softly against my temples, my cheekbones, my jawline. Like I was especially breakable.

"Well, you are," Edward sighed.

Which was exactly the case–compared with him, at least.

"You should be in a good mood, today of all days," he whispered. His sweet breath fanned across my face.

"And if I don't want to be in a good mood?" I asked, my breathing uneven.

His golden eyes smoldered. "Too bad."

My head was already spinning by the time he leaned closer and pressed his icy lips against mine. As he intended, no doubt, I forgot all about my worries, and concentrated on remembering how to inhale and exhale.

His mouth lingered on mine, cold and smooth and gentle, until I wrapped my arms around his neck and threw myself into the kiss with a little too much enthusiasm.

"As always," Edward sighed.

"You probably don't mind so much though," Jasper smiled.

I could feel his lips curve upward as he let go of my face and reached back to unlock my grip on him.

Edward had drawn many careful lines for our physical relationship, with the intent being to keep me alive. Though I respected the need for maintaining a safe distance between my skin and his razor-sharp, venom-coated teeth, I tended to forget about trivial things like that when he was kissing me.

"Argh," Edward groaned. "She's so backwards sometimes."

"Be good, please," he breathed against my cheek. He pressed his lips gently to mine one more time and then pulled away, folding my arms across my stomach.

My pulse was thudding in my ears. I put one hand over my heart. It drummed hyperactively under my palm.

"Do you think I'll ever get better at this?" I wondered, mostly to myself. "That my heart might someday stop trying to jump out of my chest whenever you touch me?"

"I hope not," Edward smiled, then sighed. "Though it can't be good for her that it does."

"I really hope not," he said, a bit smug.

I rolled my eyes. "Let's go watch the Capulets and Montagues hack each other up, all right?"

"Your wish, my command."

Edward sprawled across the couch while I started the movie, fast-forwarding through the opening credits.

When I perched on the edge of the sofa in front of him, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest. It wasn't exactly as comfortable as a sofa cushion would be, what with his chest being hard and cold–and perfect–as an ice sculpture, but it was definitely preferable. He pulled the old afghan off the back of the couch and draped it over me so I wouldn't freeze beside his body.

"You know, I've never had much patience with Romeo," he commented as the movie started.

"Edward, she has the play memorized. I bet she likes Romeo," Alice said.

"I know," Edward said smirking.

"Argh," Alice groaned, rolling her eyes.

"What's wrong with Romeo?" I asked, a little offended. Romeo was one of my favorite fictional characters. Until I'd met Edward, I'd sort of had a thing for him.

"How can you have a thing for a fictional character?" Edward scoffed, maybe a little too broadly for the circumstance.

"Ooh, it happens," Alice smiled.

"The bigger question is how can you be jealous of that?" Jasper teased.

"Shut up," Edward said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, first of all, he's in love with this Rosaline–don't you think it makes him seem a little fickle? And then, a few minutes after their wedding, he kills Juliet's cousin. That's not very brilliant. Mistake after mistake. Could he have destroyed his own happiness any more thoroughly?"

Edward shivered for some reason at that.

I sighed. "Do you want me to watch this alone?"

"No, I'll mostly be watching you, anyway." His fingers traced patterns across the skin of my arm, raising goose bumps. "Will you cry?"

"Probably," I admitted, "if I'm paying attention."

"I won't distract you then." But I felt his lips on my hair, and it was very distracting.

The movie eventually captured my interest, thanks in large part to Edward whispering Romeo's lines in my ear–his irresistible, velvet voice made the actor's voice sound weak and coarse by comparison. And I did cry, to his amusement, when Juliet woke and found her new husband dead.

"I'll admit, I do sort of envy him here," Edward said, drying the tears with a lock of my hair.

"She's very pretty."

"As if I care about the girl," Edward scoffed. "Haven't I told her she's the only one I'm interested in?"

He made a disgusted sound. "I don't envy him the girl–just the ease of the suicide," he clarified in a teasing tone. "You humans have it so easy! All you have to do is throw down one tiny vial of plant extracts…"

Everyone was now looking at Edward incredulously.

"Do you think of that often?" Carlisle asked in a shaky voice, which wasn't like him at all. Esme was sitting by his side looking like she wanted to cry- the two of them, knowing more about suicide, than the others.

"I don't think about it at all," Edward said, looking just as shocked as everyone else.

"Oh," Carlisle said, letting out a breath.

"What?" I gasped.

"It's something I had to think about once, and I knew from Carlisle's experience that it wouldn't be simple. I'm not even sure how many ways Carlisle tried to kill himself in the beginning… after he realized what he'd become…" His voice, which had grown serious, turned light again. "And he's clearly still in excellent health."

"Are you out of your mind?" Alice said, turning on Edward. "First of all, you should never be thinking about that…"

"I'm not," Edward said, looking almost frightened himself.

"And second, how could you bring it up to her like this?" Alice asked. "Talk about your death like it's no big thing, when you know how much she cares about you!"

"Er…" Edward really didn't have anything to say about that.

"You're a complete idiot," Alice growled.

I twisted around so that I could read his face. "What are you talking about?" I demanded. "What do you mean, this something you had to think about once?"

"Last spring, when you were… nearly killed…"

"Aah," Edward said. "The thought of losing her was horrible then… worse for him… I can see why it would come to my mind…"

"Edward," Alice growled, not an angry growl, but a painful one, and Edward's head snapped up to see his family looking terrified. "Is this what's going to happen… are you going to want to kill yourself when she dies?"

"I don't know," Edward answered truthfully. "Probably not… as long as it's not my fault."

'Are you just saying that to make us-' Alice thought, and then looked pointedly at Esme, who looked beside herself in despair. '-feel better?' His pointed stare made her think that it meant no… but it was hard to tell with Edward.

He paused to take a deep breath, snuggling to return to his teasing tone. "Of course I was trying to focus on finding you alive, but part of my mind was making contingency plans. Like I said, it's not as easy for me as it is for a human."

For one second, the memory of my last trip to Phoenix washed through my head and made me feel dizzy. I could see it all so clearly–the blinding sun, the heat waves coming off the concrete as I ran with desperate haste to find the sadistic vampire who wanted to torture me to death. James, waiting in the mirrored room with my mother as his hostage–or so I'd thought. I hadn't known it was all a ruse. Just as James hadn't known that Edward was racing to save me; Edward made it in time, but it had been a close one.

Edward shivered just at the mention of that.

Unthinkingly, my fingers traced the crescent-shaped scar on my hand that was always just a few degrees cooler than the rest of my skin.

I shook my head–as if I could shake away the bad memories–and tried to grasp what Edward meant. My stomach plunged uncomfortably. "Contingency plans?" I repeated.

"Well, I wasn't going to live without you." He rolled his eyes as if that fact were childishly obvious. "But I wasn't sure how to do it–I knew Emmett and Jasper would never help…

"No, we would not!" both Emmett and Jasper shouted looking appalled and still worried.

so I was thinking maybe I would go to Italy and do something to provoke the Volturi."

"You're really serious about this… or at least you will be in the future," Carlisle said.

"It's a future that won't happen, Carlisle," Edward said, sounding a little more convincing than he did a minute ago. "If I never endanger her like that… where she almost dies… I won't feel this way."

"And after seventy or so years, when Bella dies of naturally causes… what then?" Carlisle asked. "You are already not willing to live without her and it's only been a few months…"

"Look," Edward sighed. "I don't know the future… But if I have those seventy odd years- happy years where she doesn't get hurt or threatened- they should be enough to make me happy."

"It seems like he means it," Jasper said, giving Edward a suspicious look.

"Ah," Alice said, suddenly smiling. "If Bella asked him to stay alive, made him promise to go on living after she dies, he would do it."

"You know, he could just lie to her," Jasper said.

"That's true," Alice sighed. Then another idea came to her mind and she immediately thought, 'Edward, I promised that I wouldn't try to turn Bella because we all want her in your life- yes, I want her to be a part of my life too, but really, I know she will make your life better. That being said, it is easy to see that you would try to end your life once she was gone, so I have a proposition for you.'

"I'll listen," Edward said, making it seem like he was talking to everyone else, but Alice knew better.

'If I promise not to change Bella, you have to promise not to kill yourself after she dies,' Alice thought and Edward frowned. 'I know what you're thinking- it doesn't take a mind reader to know that. I've already promised not to turn her, but that was before I knew that you would kill yourself when she was gone and that's just unacceptable. I might have suggested that you never meet her… but even now, it might be too late for you. I would hate to lose you in the end and not have you at least know the real joys of loving someone… someone that you can actually see and talk to. Besides, I don't want to lose Bella either… I want to know her for as long as possible. So, if you don't give me this option… then I'll have no choice but to try and change her.'

"I won't," Edward said looking angry… but it still looked like he was talking to the others.

The warning was clear… he wasn't going to let that happen no matter what. 'Do you think I want it to happen that way?' Alice screamed in her mind. 'If it comes to that, she won't even know what's coming… and even knowing that, she would still love you… that she would come to accept the change, but she would never be who she was to me. But even knowing this, it's still better than you killing yourself! Edward, I love you too much to lose you like this. Please, promise me you won't hurt yourself!"

"As long as Bella has her seventy odd years, I promise I won't hurt myself after she's gone," Edward said aloud, staring into Alice's eyes the whole time.

'Good, and Edward, I'll know if you ever change your mind,' Alice said, the threat behind the thoughts real. "Okay Jazz, you heard him, you can read again."

"Should I even bother asking?" Jasper asked, looking highly amused.

"Nope," Alice smiled and the rest of the family seemed to take that to mean that Edward was going to do as he just said.

I didn't want to believe he was serious, but his golden eyes were brooding, focused on something far away in the distance as he contemplated ways to end his own life. Abruptly, I was furious.

"So are we, sister," Emmett said grumpily.

"What is a Volturi?" I demanded.

"The Volturi are a family," he explained, his eyes still remote. "A very old, very powerful family of our kind. They are the closest thing our world has to a royal family, I suppose. Carlisle lived with them briefly in his early years, in Italy, before he settled in America–do you remember the story?"

"Of course I remember."

I would never forget the first time I'd gone to his home, the huge white mansion buried deep in the forest beside the river, or the room where Carlisle–Edward's father in so many real ways–kept a wall of paintings that illustrated his personal history. The most vivid, most wildly colorful canvas there, the largest, was from Carlisle's time in Italy. Of course I remembered the calm quartet of men, each with the exquisite face of a seraph, painted into the highest balcony overlooking the swirling mayhem of color. Though the painting was centuries old, Carlisle–the blond angel–remained unchanged. And I remembered the three others, Carlisle's early acquaintances. Edward had never used the name Volturi for the beautiful trio, two black-haired, one snow white. He'd called them Aro, Caius, and Marcus, nighttime patrons of the arts…

"Anyway, you don't irritate the Volturi," Edward went on, interrupting my reverie. "Not unless you want to die–or whatever it is we do." His voice was so calm, it made him sound almost bored by the prospect.

"Please stop talking about this," Esme said, it looked like she was in great pain just thinking about what was going to happen. "Edward, don't you realize how much these words are hurting us?"

"Yes," Edward sighed.

"It's worse for her," Esme said quietly. "As much as I love you… I know it's worse for her."

"I can't believe I'm such an idiot," Edward said, nearly growling… growling at his other self.

My anger turned to horror. I took his marble face between my hands and held it very tightly.

"You must never, never, never think of anything like that again!" I said. "No matter what might ever happen to me, you are not allowed to hurt yourself!"

"I knew she would say something like that," Alice smiled, albeit sadly.

"I'll never put you in danger again, so it's a moot point."

"Put me in danger! I thought we'd established that all the bad luck is my fault?" I was getting angrier. "How dare you even think like that?" The idea of Edward ceasing to exist, even if I were dead, was impossibly painful.

"What would you do, if the situation were reversed?" he asked.

"That's not the same thing."

He didn't seem to understand the difference. He chuckled.

"Chuckled!" Alice said through gritted teeth, and Edward seemed to flinch, though not because of Alice's anger.

"What if something did happen to you?" I blanched at the thought. "Would you want me to go off myself?"

"No," Edward said immediately. "I would never want something to happen to you."

A trace of pain touched his perfect features.

"I guess I see your point… a little," he admitted. "But what would I do without you?"

"Whatever you were doing before I came along and complicated your existence."

He sighed. "You make that sound so easy."

"It should be. I'm not really that interesting."

He was about to argue, but then he let it go. "Moot point," he reminded me. Abruptly, he pulled himself up into a more formal posture, shifting me to the side so that we were no longer touching.

"Charlie?" I guessed.

Edward smiled. After a moment, I heard the sound of the police cruiser pulling into the driveway. I reached out and took his hand firmly. My dad could deal with that much.

Charlie came in with a pizza box in his hands.

"Hey, kids." He grinned at me. "I thought you'd like a break from cooking and washing dishes for your birthday. Hungry?"

"Sure. Thanks, Dad."

Charlie didn't comment on Edward's apparent lack of appetite. He was used to Edward passing on dinner.

"Do you mind if I borrow Bella for the evening?" Edward asked when Charlie and I were done.

I looked at Charlie hopefully. Maybe he had some concept of birthdays as stay-at-home,

"He better not," Alice glared.

"Knowing you, you already talked to Charlie about this," Jasper said trying to calm her down… knowing that she didn't want his normal ways of doing that right now.

family affairs–this was my first birthday with him, the first birthday since my mom, Renee, had remarried and gone to live in Florida, so I didn't know what he would expect.

"That's fine–the Mariners are playing the Sox tonight," Charlie explained,

"Or, there's a baseball game on," Emmett chuckled.

and my hope disappeared. "So I won't be any kind of company… Here." He scooped up the camera he'd gotten me on Renee's suggestion (because I would need pictures to fill up my scrap-book), and threw it to me.

He ought to know better than that–I'd always been coordinationally challenged.

"Good thing Eddy's there to save it," Emmett chuckled.

The camera glanced off the tip of my finger, and tumbled toward the floor. Edward snagged it before it could crash onto the linoleum.

"Nice save," Charlie noted. "If they're doing something fun at the Cullens' tonight, Bella, you should take some pictures. You know how your mother gets–she'll be wanting to see the pictures faster than you can take them."

"Good idea, Charlie," Edward said, handing me the camera.

I turned the camera on Edward, and snapped the first picture. "It works."

"That's good. Hey, say hi to Alice for me. She hasn't been over in a while." Charlie's mouth pulled down at one corner.

"It looks like Bella isn't the only Swan who's going to like you, Alice," Edward said, starting to look like himself again.

"What can I say, I'm loveable," Alice smiled back and it really looked like things where better between her and Edward.

"It's been three days, Dad," I reminded him. Charlie was crazy about Alice. He'd become attached last spring when she'd helped me through my awkward convalescence; Charlie would be forever grateful to her for saving him from the horror of an almost-adult daughter who needed help showering. "I'll tell her."

"Okay. You kids have fun tonight." It was clearly a dismissal. Charlie was already edging toward the living room and the TV.

Edward smiled, triumphant, and took my hand to pull me from the kitchen.

When we got to the truck, he opened the passenger door for me again, and this time I didn't argue. I still had a hard time finding the obscure turnoff to his house in the dark.

"But I thought she noticed everything," Emmett said, trying to pout, but his laugh ruined it.

"I guess she only has human observational skills when it's dark out," Jasper laughed.

Edward drove north through Forks, visibly chafing at the speed limit enforced by my prehistoric Chevy. The engine groaned even louder than usual as he pushed it over fifty.

"Take it easy," I warned him.

"You know what you would love? A nice little Audi coupe. Very quiet, lots of power…"

"Please listen to him for once," Rosalie said.

"There's nothing wrong with my truck. And speaking of expensive nonessentials, if you know what's good for you, you didn't spend any money on birthday presents."

"Not a dime," he said virtuously.

"Good."

"Can you do me a favor?"

"That depends on what it is."

"Ah, she's getting better at that," Alice smiled. "Not agreeing to a request until she knows what it is."

"I liked the other way better," Edward groaned.

He sighed, his lovely face serious. "Bella, the last real birthday any of us had was Emmett in 1935. Cut us a little slack, and don't be too difficult tonight. They're all very excited."

It always startled me a little when he brought up things like that. "Fine, I'll behave."

"Ah, all you have to do was tell her it was for someone else's sake and she's fine with it," Jasper said smiling.

"I probably should warn you…"

"Please do."

"When I say they're all excited… I do mean all of them."

"Everyone?" I choked. "I thought Emmett and Rosalie were in Africa."

"Why are we in Africa?" Emmett asked, almost looking sad.

"It's probably my fault," Rosalie sighed.

"It's all right," Emmett said. "We have these books."

The rest of Forks was under the impression that the older Cullens had gone off to college this year, to Dartmouth, but I knew better.

"Emmett wanted to be here."

"But… Rosalie?"

"I know, Bella. Don't worry, she'll be on her best behavior."

I didn't answer. Like I could just not worry, that easy. Unlike Alice, Edward's other "adopted" sister, the golden blond and exquisite Rosalie, didn't like me much. Actually, the feeling was a little bit stronger than just dislike. As far as Rosalie was concerned, I was an unwelcome intruder into her family's secret life.

Edward was now glaring at Rosalie.

"I don't know her thoughts, Edward," Rosalie said. "If I knew how much she cared about our family, I would be better."

"But you still don't like her," Edward said.

"You know I have reasons for that," Rosalie said, a little threat behind her words. "Mostly the fact that she wants to be a vampire when she could… It's not important."

"So you're never going to like her," Edward sighed.

"I wouldn't say never," Rosalie said. "In a way I already like her… I don't know, Edward."

"Okay," Edward sighed and then smiled. "As long as you keep an open mind, I'm happy."

I felt horribly guilty about the present situation, guessing that Rosalie and Emmett's prolonged absence was my fault, even as I furtively enjoyed not having to see her Emmett, Edward's playful bear of a brother, I did miss.

"She likes me," Emmett said, almost giddy.

"Didn't she say that at the end of the last book too?" Edward asked, smirking.

"It's still nice to hear," Emmett pouted.

He was in many ways just like the big brother I'd always wanted… only much, much more terrifying.

Edward decided to change the subject. "So, if you won't let me get you the Audi, isn't there anything that you'd like for your birthday?"

The words came out in a whisper. "You know what I want."

"She had to pick that," Edward groaned.

A deep frown carved creases into his marble forehead. He obviously wished he'd stuck to the subject of Rosalie.

It felt like we'd had this argument a lot today.

"Not tonight, Bella. Please."

"Well, maybe Alice will give me what I want."

"Not an option anymore," Alice sighed and Edward grinned.

Edward growled–a deep, menacing sound. "This isn't going to be your last birthday, Bella," he vowed.

"That's not fair!"

I thought I heard his teeth clench together.

We were pulling up to the house now. Bright light shined from every window on the first two floors. A long line of glowing Japanese lanterns hung from the porch eaves, reflecting a soft radiance on the huge cedars that surrounded the house. Big bowls of flowers–pink roses–lined the wide stairs up to the front doors.

"You went all out," Emmett laughed.

"Well, this one really counts," Alice smiled. "It looks like I'll be able to throw tons of parties in the future."

I moaned.

Edward took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "This is a party," he reminded me. "Try to be a good sport."

"Sure," I muttered.

He came around to get my door, and offered me his hand.

"I have a question."

He waited warily.

"If I develop this film," I said, toying with the camera in my hands, "will you show up in the picture?"

"Oh Bella," Edward chuckled.

Edward started laughing. He helped me out of the car, pulled me up the stairs, and was still laughing as he opened the door for me.

They were all waiting in the huge white living room; when I walked through the door, they greeted me with a loud chorus of "Happy birthday, Bella!" while I blushed and looked down.

Alice, I assumed, had covered every flat surface with pink candles and dozens of crystal bowls filled with hundreds of roses. There was a table with a white cloth draped over it next to Edward's grand piano, holding a pink birthday cake, more roses, a stack of glass plates, and a small pile of silver-wrapped presents.

It was a hundred times worse than I'd imagined.

Emmett laughed hard at that as Edward groaned, "I'm the one who's going to have to deal with her afterwards."

"That just makes it even better," Alice smiled.

Edward, sensing my distress, wrapped an encouraging arm around my waist and kissed the top of my head.

Edward's parents, Carlisle and Esme–impossibly youthful and lovely as ever–were the closest to the door. Esme hugged me carefully, her soft, caramel-colored hair brushing against my cheek as she kissed my forehead, and then Carlisle put his arm around my shoulders.

"Sorry about this, Bella," he stage-whispered. "We couldn't rein Alice in."

Rosalie and Emmett stood behind them. Rosalie didn't smile, but at least she didn't glare.

"That's… nice," Edward said slowly, but the corner of his month was twitched up so this amused him.

Emmett's face was stretched into a huge grin. It had been months since I'd seen them; I'd forgotten how gloriously beautiful Rosalie was–it almost hurt to look at her.

"I'm liking her better already," Rosalie smiled.

And had Emmett always been so… big?

"You haven't changed at all," Emmett said with mock disappointment. "I expected a perceptible difference, but here you are, red-faced just like always."

"Great Em, make her remember that," Edward groaned.

"Thanks a lot, Emmett," I said, blushing deeper.

He laughed, "I have to step out for a second"–he paused to wink conspicuously at Alice–

"Whatever it is, why did I have Emmett do it?" Alice asked, shaking her head.

"Maybe, you wanted Bella to see it," Jasper suggested.

"Or you knew that she was going to notice even if it wasn't obvious so why not let Em have his fun too," Edward laughed.

"That must be it," Alice joined him.

"Don't do anything funny while I'm gone."

"I'll try."

Alice let go of Jasper's hand and skipped forward, all her teeth sparkling in the bright light.

Jasper smiled, too, but kept his distance. He leaned, long and blond, against the post at the foot of the stairs. During the days we'd had to spend cooped up together in Phoenix, I'd thought he'd gotten over his aversion to me. But he'd gone back to exactly how he'd acted before–avoiding me as much as possible–the moment he was free from that temporary obligation to protect me.

"It's okay love, you'll get use to it," Alice whispered to Jasper, seeing how he was looking a little down by this.

"I know," Jasper said. She didn't have to be a mind reader to know that he was depressed not only because he was staying away from Bella, but because he was incapable of being around a human… that he hadn't gotten over this yet.

"I'm still over protective," Edward said. "That must be the reason…"

"Maybe," Jasper said, making it obvious that this subject was closed before he started to read again.

I knew it wasn't personal, just a precaution, and I tried not to be overly sensitive about it. Jasper had more trouble sticking to the Cullens' diet than the rest of them; the scent of human blood was much harder for him to resist than the others–he hadn't been trying as long.

"Well, that just makes me feel better," Jasper said sarcastically, but he was smiling at the same time, so it did seem to help a little or at least it didn't hurt.

"Time to open presents," Alice declared. She put her cool hand under my elbow and towed me to the table with the cake and the shiny packages.

I put on my best martyr face. "Alice, I know I told you I didn't want anything–"

"But I didn't listen," she interrupted, smug.

"That sounds about right," Edward muttered, his mouth going thin.

"Open it." She took the camera from my hands and replaced it with a big, square silver box.

The box was so light that it felt empty. The tag on top said that it was from Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper. Self-consciously, I tore the paper off and then stared at the box it concealed.

It was something electrical, with lots of numbers in the name. I opened the box, hoping for further illumination. But the box was empty.

"Um… thanks."

"Yeah, we thought you really would like a box," Emmett laughed hysterically and everyone else was laughing too. "After all, you didn't want us to spend money on you."

Rosalie actually cracked a smile. Jasper laughed. "It's a stereo for your truck," he explained.

"Emmett's installing it right now so that you can't return it."

Alice was always one step ahead of me. "Thanks, Jasper, Rosalie," I told them, grinning as I remembered Edward's complaints about my radio this afternoon–all a setup, apparently.

"Thanks, Emmett!" I called more loudly.

"She needn't have bothered," Emmett laughed.

"But you'll be amused that she did," Edward laughed too.

I heard his booming laugh from my truck, and I couldn't help laughing, too.

"Open mine and Edward's next,"

"Ah, so Eddy didn't even give her a present of his own," Emmett said, shaking his head. "I'm very disappointed in you, kid."

"She doesn't want anything," Edward glared at him. "I was just listening to her."

"You shouldn't always believe what girls tell you when they say something like that," Emmett said, this time more seriously- it's likely the only pearl of wisdom he had about girls.

"Don't worry Edward, I think Bella is the kind of girl that actually means what she says when it comes to this," Alice smiled.

Alice said, so excited her voice was a high-pitched trill. She held a small, flat square in her hand.

I turned to give Edward a basilisk glare. "You promised."

"Hey, I'm not back yet," Emmett pouted. "I want to see Bella's glare."

Before he could answer, Emmett bounded through the door. "Just in time!" he crowed. He pushed in behind Jasper, who had also drifted closer than usual to get a good look.

"I didn't spend a dime," Edward assured me.

"Yeah, he had Alice spend everything," Emmett laughed.

"I don't think I did that either," Edward said laughing too.

He brushed a strand of hair from my face, leaving my skin tingling from his touch.

I inhaled deeply and turned to Alice. "Give it to me," I sighed.

Emmett chuckled with delight.

I took the little package, rolling my eyes at Edward while I stuck my finger under the edge of the paper and jerked it under the tape.

"Shoot," I muttered when the paper sliced my finger; I pulled it out to examine the damage.

A single drop of blood oozed from the tiny cut.

The room got extremely quiet at that and no one moved a muscle… everyone knew something terrible- something in ways much worse than what happened at the end of last year- was about to happen.

After a minute, it became clear that Jasper wasn't going to read. He couldn't. So, Alice took the book from his hands, taking his other hand in hers and squeezed it in hopes it would comfort him, and started to read.

It all happened very quickly then.

"No!" Edward roared.

He threw himself at me, flinging me back across the table. It fell, as I did, scattering the cake and the presents, the flowers and the plates. I landed in the mess of shattered crystal.

Edward groaned at that, knowing that it would only make things worse.

Jasper slammed into Edward, and the sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock slide.

"I'm sorry…" Jasper said, his voice full of agony.

"Don't," Edward said. "It's me… I shouldn't have…"

Alice didn't like where he was going, didn't like where Jasper was at either, but knew that she should finish before she dealt with either one of them; it would just cause them to get agitated again if she did that now.

There was another noise, a grisly snarling that seemed to be coming from deep in Jasper's chest. Jasper tried to shove past Edward, snapping his teeth just inches from Edward's face.

Jasper tensed even more at that and his expression became even worse than before.

Emmett grabbed Jasper from behind in the next second, locking him into his massive steel grip, but Jasper struggled on, his wild, empty eyes focused only on me.

Beyond the shock, there was also pain. I'd tumbled down to the floor by the piano, with my arms thrown out instinctively to catch my fall, into the jagged shards of glass. Only now did I feel the searing, stinging pain that ran from my wrist to the crease inside my elbow.

"And I even hurt her," Edward muttered, his voice devoid of emotions again. "Made it worse..."

Dazed and disoriented, I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arm–into the fevered eyes of the six suddenly ravenous vampires.

"That's it," Alice said, putting the book down and everyone looked terrified.

"I can't ever be with her," Edward said and unlike the last time, he looked like he really meant it.

"No," Jasper said, his voice so full of self-disgust that it was even strong enough to make Edward look at him. "You can't do that… not because of me."

"It's not because of you, Jasper," Edward said. "It me… this world… she doesn't belong here."

"Edward," Jasper said, the plea was obvious in his voice. "I'll figure a way to handle this…" he went on after a minute- he had obviously thought more arguments to Edward in the meantime- his voice was more determined than ever.

"We were all affected Jasper… anyone of us could have hurt her," Edward said; set in stone.

"I swear to you Edward, I will never let this happen," Jasper said, looking straight into Edward's eyes. "I won't hurt Bella."

"Jasper…" Edward said, faltering a little.

"And you don't have to worry about the others," Jasper said. "I'm the only one who acted…"

"But…" Edward tried to interrupt.

"And I will make sure that will never happen, even if I have to sit next to humans for hundreds of hours on end to get desensitized," Jasper said, still staring into Edward eyes determinedly.

"Edward, please listen to him," Esme begged. "This family will not be the cause of any harm to Bella…"

"I'll think about it," Edward said, and that was the best they were going to get for now.

A/N: The entire conversation between Edward and Alice about his suicidal tendency took me a little by surprise. When I started this chapter I didn't realize that something like that was needed (I mostly don't have any plans for how things happened, I just add what I think the character would be thinking at that time and this is what comes out). Anyways, it just seemed like it would be necessary for them to have this conversation as soon as it came to that part and the solution to the problem just came that way too. I hope I did a good job and stay true to the characters.

Oh yeah, I don't know if anyone has noticed this but I've been trying to write this from Alice's pov, that's why she is the only one who has thoughts which Edward can read. When I started this story (being someone that believes in keeping things the way they were originally written) I was going to make this some kind of vision of her's. However, that's not what I'm planing on doing this anymore (hence why I feel free to tell you this now), though I'm still not sure if I'm going to write a story of Edward (and the rest of the Cullens) meeting Bella for real, I will be ending this on a different note then I originally planned (we'll all just have to be surprised by how it ends now).

Oh and to the few of you that have reviewed saying that they didn't want anything changed, you could just imagine that Alice did have that vision I originally planned for her and she keep the books hidden from everyone (since Edward was going to have to somehow react badly to this and decided not to get close to Bella) and even she doesn't really know most of the details (most importantly Renesmee and the whole end of the book with the Volturi coming to Forks), but knowing she wanted things to happen that way. And in that way I would imagine that Alice... once everything got settled after the Volturies come... would then show these books to Edward, Bella and everyone else.