Chapter Twenty Seven – Zealous

Summer vacation. It had been a blessing when I was a human—a reprieve from the tedium of school. But now... it was merely an extension of my rapture. Whether we were locked in school or boundless in summer vacation, I was undeniably happy with my family. It was the fourth of July, the summer before my first official college tour would begin. Edward and I would be attending Dartmouth, this time legitimately, in exactly two months. The whole "acting human" thing became easier as time went on. Senior year was surprisingly fun. It certainly was more complete than my first time around. And graduation seemed a little lackluster in comparison, having experienced it before. Every second of the summer had been as blissful as I could have hoped for.

Once it started getting dark out, Edward brought me to the roof, but refused to say why. With the fairly decent weather lately, we'd been forced into reclusion again, not that I would ever complain. Locked in a room with Edward was hardly punishment. But the fresh air felt good against my skin.

Night was our cover. I climbed onto the roof without fear or worry.

Up there, he had a blanket spread like a cushion for us. He settled into a sitting position first. And I climbed into his waiting arms, nestling to the most comfortable position.

"Are you going to tell me what we're up here for?"

He said nothing. In the distance, soft blasts turned into loud explosions. The sky illuminated with showers of gold and silver. Of course—Fourth of July, fireworks.

"I want to marry you." Edward whispered, out of the blue, his voice absolutely zealous.

"But...we're...already...married." I sputtered, wholly confused by his...request? I couldn't quite phrase the way he asked it properly. Confusion eradicated all rationality.

He laughed, adding music to the boisterous explosions far off. "I know that, silly. I mean, I want to marry you again. Before we go off to Dartmouth."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Wow, I just got the strangest sense of déjà vu." It was suddenly twelve years ago.

That elicited more glorious laughter from him. "You don't have to let Alice plan another spectacle. Just me, you, and the family. That way, when we're at Dartmouth, I won't have to pretend you're anything other than my beautifully perfect wife." He was kissing the palm of my hand. Sucking up was the better description.

"Can't we just use wedding pictures from our real wedding?" I asked, and Edward frowned promptly.

Once again, I was being unreasonable while Edward was just being as romantic as ever. I amended the situation quickly. "What's in it for me?"

He smiled earnestly after I kissed him for the one thousandth time. "Whatever you want."

It was hard to argue with him when his voice was that tantalizing.

"I think I've got an idea." My head filled with countless thoughts of how I could be properly compensated. And from the look of things, Edward would have no problem obliging any of them. These whims I would be asking for would benefit us both.

Wrapped up in Edward like a warm blanket, I watched the fireworks with newfound curiosity (my memory of fireworks had been vague). And the two of us began to envisaged our future. College...Another wedding...What would most definitely be happening tonight... Yes, my life as a vampire was perfect.

And it had only just begun.

The End.

Writing this has been a blast, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. And once again, thank you for all of your support--I probably would not have finished this story without all of your kind reviews! :) The bad news is, I will be taking a break from the Twilight fandom as I work to finish some other stories. But hopefully all you awesome Twilighters will enjoy my other stories. :D Happy reading!

~IWillBeThereWhereYouAre