Edward slipped his hands tightly around my waist, and began humming my lullaby into my ear.  I felt like my heart might burst in that moment--a confetti-shower of love covering us both--but instead it settled into a slightly elevated pattern as we swayed side to side in rhythm with the music.

I turned to look at his face as his humming came to a close.  His eyes were closed, and his mouth was formed into a smile.  I reached up and kissed him gently on the lips, whispering, "Thank you," into his mouth.

I leaned my head back and onto Edward's shoulder as I looked up into the clear night sky.  The sky looked like a kaleidoscope of stars centering around the moon.

I felt my eyes get heavy as I tried to focus on the image above me, my gaze slowly dropping to the glassy water, and then the smooth sand at my feet.  My eyes were sore from all the crying I had done that day, so I decided to close them for a moment to allow them to rest, knowing I would probably fall asleep in the process.

"Bella? Did you just say something?"

I was nearly asleep when I heard him speak, and it took me a moment to pull myself out of the fog to understand his words clearly. I adjusted myself so I could look up into Edward's eyes as I responded.  "What was that, love?"

His right eyebrow had lifted and his mouth was formed into my favorite half-smile, which sent my heart into full overdrive.  He looked as though he was nearly giggling as I tried to figure out what I could have said unknowingly to cause him this sort of amusement.  Had I actually been asleep and dreaming already?  I quickly looked away, hiding the blush I felt creeping up my face.

Edward's slight giggle turned into a full belly laugh as he whispered in my ear. "I've never heard you beg for me in quite that way, Bella, but it is extremely sexy."

My breath caught in my throat as I turned to look at him, still wondering what words I could have said to elicit that response.  "What did I. . ." my question was interrupted by a sharp gasp from Edward as he shot to his feet, pulling me up with him.  Before I realized I was standing, I was shoved behind Edward and he was crouching in front of me in a protective stance as a hiss escaped through his teeth. 

His eyes were scanning the water in front of us as he muttered, "What business is that of yours?" almost too quickly for me to hear.

I felt so many emotions running through me at once I almost collapsed.  The most obvious emotion was fear--who could possibly be here, on our honeymoon, hiding under water?  A vampire.  Beyond fear was infuriation.  How many problems could we possibly encounter in one day?  Evidently more than I had expected.  I felt another gust of anger toward Jacob as I realized what I assumed was happening.  If he hadn't changed his mind, thwarting my plans, I might have been in transition by now, causing whatever nomad this was to leave us alone.

I considered asking Edward to bite me--right then and there--until I felt his phone buzz in his pocket.  He remained frozen in a crouch, still fixated on the deceivingly calm water.

I figured it was most likely Alice calling to tell us what was happening.  She would know that Edward was already conversing with whoever it was out there, yet she was still calling, which meant there was more to this than Edward knew.  I waited a few seconds to let Edward answer before reaching into his pocket and pulling the phone out to answer myself.  To my surprise, Edward didn't even flinch.

"Alice?" My voice was tight with stress and uncertainty.

The line was silent for a moment, and then I heard Alice's voice, much calmer than I would have expected.  "Thank you for answering, Bella. Tell Edward to relax, she is gone, on her way back to Rio."

Edward heard Alice and relaxed slightly, straightening from his crouched position but maintaining his fixed stare out toward black nothingness.

"I'm so sorry, both of you.  I didn't see Aro's decision until just a moment ago--he must have been hiding it from me. "

My mouth fell open and my heart stopped for an instant when Alice mentioned that name.  "Aro?" was all I could manage.

Edward snatched the phone from me before I could hear Alice's response.  "So, it's true?"

"Edward!" I reached out to retrieve the phone but Edward caught my hand midair, gently moving it back to my side as he continued his conversation with Alice.  I felt completely left out of the situation, yet again, but decided to sit and wait for them to finish before I demanded more information.

Moments later Edward disconnected and grabbed my hand, tugging slightly to indicate we were going back to the house.

"Edward, please tell me what happened just now."  I didn't want to move until I knew exactly what was happening, and where we were going.  If he wasn't going to include me in the discussions, I was going to include myself.

"Bella, love, we need to go back to the house.  We need to discuss some things with Carlisle and the family."  He kneeled next to me but his stance and expression were hard, still stressed from the mysterious visitor.  "Bella, please come with me.  I don't want you to be this close to the water, it's not safe."

I rose hesitantly, still wishing Edward would tell me who was here, but realizing that he was right about my proximity to danger.  I would feel safer when we were back in the house.

Edward needed no further permission, and swept me up onto his back before I had gotten completely to my feet.  In a flash we were back in the house and heading to the couch.  I thought back to our first journey from the beach, and realized he must have gone agonizingly slow to let me admire the landscape on the way.

Edward set me gently on the couch as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Carlisle.  A moment later the phone was on speaker and on the coffee table in front of me, Edward pacing on the opposite side.

"Hello, Bella. How are you doing?"  The last time Carlisle had spoken to me I was in the middle of a colossal screaming-match with Jessica, who wasn't even present for my ranting.  I felt mortified.

"I'm doing better, thank you. I'm sorry for earlier, I don't know what got into me."  I heard a laugh boom in the background, ended abruptly by a hard slap and an, "OW, Alice!"

"Don't apologize, Bella.  You were understandably distressed.  We have all--" He deliberately cleared his throat, the sound pointing away from the phone, probably at Emmett. "--felt that way at one point or another."

"Sorry, Bella."  Emmett's apology sounded forced.  I pictured Alice holding his ear in a death grip between her thumb and forefinger, the thought causing me to giggle to myself.

I was quickly pulled from my amused thoughts as the intended conversation began.  "Bella, has Edward told you what happened this morning on the beach?"

I took a deep breath to relax myself before responding.  "No, he hasn't."  My eyes met Edward's, and my frustration faded when I saw the panic plastered on his face.  "Would you mind filling me in on our unannounced visitor?"

"Well, I only know what Alice has told me.  I think she and Edward might be able to better explain the situation."

There was a short pause and then I heard Alice's voice, not as cheerful as usual, break the silence.  "Bella, your visitor was a member of the Volturi.  She was sent by Aro to find out whether or not you had been changed.  She is back in Rio now, and is reporting to Aro that you are still human."

I took a moment to process her words before responding. "She, doesn't that mean it was Jane?"

"No, Bella. It wasn't Jane."  Edward moved to sit next to me as he continued.  "She is new to the Volturi,  I have never met her before.  She didn't provide any information beyond what Alice told you - she was sent by Aro to check on you.  She did mention that she was quite disappointed.  She had hoped to be able to tell Aro of your abilities."

I leaned into the soft cushion behind me while keeping my eyes on Edward, waiting for more information.  None came.

"What is going to happen next?  I mean, surely Aro gave her some indication of what was going to happen if I was still human.  Didn't you see that in her thoughts?"

Edward shook his head and let his gaze drop to his lap.  "I can't hear her thoughts.  I only hear what she wants me to hear.  I'm lucky she didn't make me do anything..." He buried his face in his hands as he muttered, "How can I possibly keep you safe now?"  His chest heaved with dry sobs.  I reached over and ran my hand along his back, trying to comfort him as I asked Alice for more information.

"Alice, what does he mean?  Is he blocked out from her thoughts like mine?  And how could she make him do something?"

Alice took that moment to reassure us of my safety instead of to answer my question.  "Edward, don't worry.  I can see her--it's not clear, but I can see bits and pieces.  She is in Rio, she is talking to Aro, and he hasn't made any solid decisions.  You have plenty of time to leave, she isn't coming back yet.  I don't even know that she will." Edward lifted his head and pulled me into his arms as Alice continued.  

"Bella, she is what we call a 'Pusher.'  No, Edward can't read her thoughts.  She can push a thought into someone's head as though it were their own.  With this ability, she can convince someone to do nearly anything."

The phone fell silent and I looked at Edward, my eyes begging him to help me understand.

"It's similar to Jasper's ability to influence emotion.  You still have some control, especially if you are aware that he is affecting the situation, but his manipulation of your emotions is very overpowering, and he is usually able to elicit the response he intended."  He smoothed the crease between my brows before adding, "But she can't reach you."  His face softened slightly and I felt the relief of that knowledge wash through me, helping me to relax into Edward's hold.

I was mostly silent throughout the rest of the phone call, lost in my thoughts about my conversation with Sam.  I knew it had to be soon, and I knew it had to be convincing. 

I was marginally aware that plans were being made for us to return to Forks, but I didn't regain focus until they mentioned a time, "One forty-five PM." Not followed by a day.

"Wait, are we leaving today?"  I had no intention of leaving so soon.  My idea of soon was within a few days, maybe a week.  This was more urgent than I had anticipated, which caused my previously-calm state to shift into a slight panic.

"Yes.  We will leave this afternoon.  I'm sorry--I know you wanted to stay longer.  We will come back, though, once everything is sorted out."

I looked at the clock and saw the time.  Six oh-five.  I jumped from the couch and headed for the stairs, thanking everyone for their assistance in this issue, and letting them know I would see them all very soon.  We didn't have much time left, and I wasn't going to let our anxiety dominate the rest of our time on Isle Esme.

When I reached the loft I darted to the far wall and dug through my bag, immediately finding a royal blue and black lace negligee.  When I heard Edward say goodbye I shuffled into the bathroom, closing and locking the door.  I brushed through my hair and applied the first gloss I could find to my lips.  I dressed as quickly as possible, yanking the lingerie over my head while trying not to rip the delicate fabric.  After a few minutes I emerged from the bathroom to find Edward packing our suitcases.  He looked over his shoulder and his breath came to a halt, his jaw dropping open in shock.

I stayed still for a moment, enjoying Edward's reaction to my very compromising outfit before crossing the room to stand in front of him, my eyes wide with anticipation as I waited for him to make the first move.  He closed the space between us, pulling me into a kiss that may have steamed the windows downstairs--I didn't check to see.  His hands held my face to his as mine wrapped and tangled in his shirt, pulling him with me as I backed toward the bed.

He didn't budge from his position, but instead leaned back breaking our kiss and scanned over my body with his eyes.  He sighed, a small Mmm escaping his lips before picking me up by the waist and tossing me onto the bed.  I landed with a bounce, giggling the whole way.  The idea that Edward could be so rough with me, tossing me onto a bed, was exhilarating.  I knew he was in no way being rough given that he could have thrown me all the way to Rio from here, but it was still amazing to see this side of him.

He evidently noticed this response from me and let out a deep, rumbling growl as he approached the bed.  He circled to my left side, crouched like a tiger ready to pounce on its prey.  This only made me giggle louder, causing him to break character with the most amazing laugh, which I very rarely heard from him.

He dropped to my side on the bed and brought his head directly above mine as he ran his thumb across my forehead and down my temple.

"You are amazing.  I'm the luckiest vampire who has ever existed.  Do you know why?"

I bit my lip and shook my head, the smile on my face defying my mock-innocence.

"Because I have you all to myself.  This--" He waved his hand, gesturing to my attire--"is mine.  You are mine."  He leaned forward, resting his lips on mine as he uttered the phrase, which I would have hated about a month before, he knew to be my favorite.

"My wife."

I sighed, "My husband," into his lips before resuming the kiss he had so suddenly halted before.

They were the perfect words, followed by the perfect display of affection, to bring our rollercoaster-ride of a honeymoon to a close.