1: Skinny Love (Ed. Cullen)

47

Edward stands with his arms around Bambi's waist next to Bella and Connor.

"The Volturi are a very old, very powerful family..." Connor tells them looking up at an 18th century painting, depicting Grecian figures in swirling robes writhing among pillars and balconies. In a high balcony, four calm figures look down upon the bacchanal; two black haired, one snowy white, one golden haired. "The closest thing our world has to royalty..."

"Francesco Solimena painted this; he often depicted the Volturi as Gods" Edward adds. Bella examines the golden haired "God."

"Is that... Carlisle?" She asks.

"Yes. He lived with them for a few decades. He describes them as very refined - for killers" Connor answers.

"The Volturi are also what you might call enforcers" Edward adds, Bambi looks to him.

"Of what?" she asks.

"The only rule they have: to keep secret the existence of our kind" Edward answers. "We don't make spectacles of ourselves, or kill conspicuously"

"Unless we want to die" Connor adds. Bella spins on Connor.

"Don't even -- talk about that. You can't let anyone hurt you" Bella looks to Edward and Bambi. "Either of you" Bella looks back to Connor. "The Volturi or anyone else" Connor frowns a little.

"Who else would hurt us?" Connor asks Bella.

"You said there were more dangerous things out there than you" Bella argues. "And I know you have at least one enemy.....You said she'd come after you for killing her mate"

"Victoria?" Connor asks. "Yes, some day. But Alice will see her coming. And she won't win" Bella looks up at him, pained.

"I hate that I can't protect you" Bella complains, Bambi looks to Edward who shrugs at her raised eyebrow. Connor laughs, amused, Bella is not. "That was me being serious" Bella counters, Edward nudges Bambi and they leave the room leaving Connor and Bella to it.

"What was that about?" Bambi asks Edward, he pulls her closer and shrugs. "I know you know" she argues, he stops and turns her to face him.

"Bella....she wants to...." he starts giving her a significant look. Bambi scoffs and shakes her head.

"She wants to be a vampire, doesn't she?" she asks, Edward nods, Bambi sighs. "Of course she does..." Bambi grumbles and looks away and then back to him. "I'm not going to change to be with you" Bambi tells Edward. "So..." she sighs. "If you're expecting me to ask that of you too..."

"I'm not" he stops her. "I don't want you to be a vampire as much as you don't want to be one...I love you, just the way you are, alive" he strokes her cheek. "And warm" she leans into his hand. "And just so you know....Connor doesn't want her to be a vampire either, he's fighting her on this" Alice appears close by, she clears her throat. Edward looks to her.

"It's time!" she tells them before bouncing into the room they'd left. Bambi and Edward share a look, he smirks and kisses her.

.............

Alice tugs Bella and Connor to the top of the landing where Bambi and Edward wait, then Alice skips down the stairs. They look down into the living room, hundreds of pink candles and rose-filled crystal bowls. Rosalie, Esme, Emmett, Carlisle, Jasper and Alice look up at them, all of them stunningly beautiful. Bella would love to disappear, but Connor leads her down the stairs where Esme and Carlisle hug Bella warmly. Bambi and Edward follow behind them.

"Happy birthday, Bella" Esme tells the younger twin.

"Sorry about all this" Carlisle offers hugging Bambi, he pulls back. "We tried to rein Alice in"