Changing our forever.

Changing our forever 20

BPOV

Esme had wisely kept herself, Emily, and Kim busy preparing a feast for our return, anticipating a celebration. She had put Jared and Seth to work outside, setting up tables and chairs, manning the grill, and other preparatory tasks. They all ran out to greet us as we approached. Emily and Esme eagerly approached their lovers, finding themselves wrapped up in their mates' embraces, happy to be safely back together again.

Laurent unconsciously took a step toward Kim and Emily, but was stopped by a chorus of growls. "Humans?" he asked in disbelief. "You keep human pets along with werewolf pets?"

"We're not pets, leech!" Sam snarled angrily. "We're friends."

Laurent just looked confused, glancing from Carlisle and Esme to Sam and Emily. "Friends? With humans?"

"You were human once too, Laurent. Don't forget that," Edward reminded him. "Would you feed on and kill your own mother, your own child? Every human is somebody's child, somebody's family. Humans are sentient beings and without them there would be no vampires. It is important to preserve humanity. Besides, life is a lot more interesting with humans around." He smiled at me, then kissed me gently.

Laurent gasped and wrinkled his nose. "You are intimate with a werewolf? Doesn't the smell alone repulse you?"

Edward laughed. "She is actually a human, not a werewolf. She smells amazingly delicious for a human, which is why we have disguised her scent with werewolf odor. Normally, her scent is the most tempting I've ever smelled. She's my singer. She's also my soul mate."

"If she is your soul mate, why haven't you changed her yet?" Laurent wondered.

"There are still a few experiences I would like for her to have while she is still human. I would like to get married, for example, while she is still human, so her human mother can attend and her natural father can walk her down the aisle. Most of us don't have a choice in becoming what we are. We don't usually get the chance to get closure with our loved ones before we are dead to them. We want to leave her family and friends with the best possible memories of her, so they can know she was happy when she 'died'."

Laurent nodded in understanding, looking at me in a whole new light. I could practically see the wheels turning in his mind as he processed all he had learned this evening. "I would like to have a mate," he whispered, "to give meaning to my existence."

"You'll find one, if you are strong enough to stick to animal blood. You see, animal drinkers are stronger, not weaker. Perhaps not physically so, but certainly mentally. It takes a great deal of effort, self-control, and self-discipline to maintain an animal blood diet, since the blood doesn't taste as good and isn't as satisfying. Not many vampires have what it takes to succeed at this life. Only the elite few can handle it. The rest just take the easy way out. They are the ones who are weak, who have no self-control, not us," I declared loyally. I knew he might be confused by me saying 'us' when I was clearly still human, but I was already a member of the Cullen family, and I would be a vampire someday. When that happened, I would proudly join their diet. I was determined to follow Carlisle's example and never drink human blood.

I could see him processing my words, as his admiration and respect for me grew.

"How can a human be comfortable around all these creatures who could easily kill her in seconds, simply by accident?" he wondered.

I smiled. "Laurent, I'm a danger magnet. I'm used to trouble chasing me down and having its wicked way with me. Honestly, I could get struck by lightning, or get hit in the head by a stray meteor. I could slip in the bathtub, for that matter. Death and injury are always lurking right around the corner for me. If I never did anything that might hurt or kill me, I might as well do nothing at all. Do you know how many people pass away peacefully in their sleep? There is nothing that is truly safe for humans in this world, not even breathing. So frankly, I am comfortable with all of these people here, because they are my family. I love them and trust them and enjoy their company. I don't judge people by what they are, but by who they are. Most of us don't have a choice as to what we are, but we do have control over who we are. Every day we choose to be good or evil, to do right or wrong, to be selfless or selfish. Those choices are ours whether we are human, vampire, or werewolf." Laurent's eyes were wide with amazement by the time I finished my lecture. Interestingly enough, so were Edward's. I don't think he had ever considered that aspect before. The real test would be if this caused him to go psycho with a complete nervous breakdown, freaking out with every breath I take, searching the sky for stray meteors, and trying to watch me in the bathtub, or would he finally relax and realize that getting hurt and risking death is a natural part of life. Risks could be minimized, but not removed completely. Would he be on the internet later, trying to find a bubble to contain me to keep me safe from the world, or would he finally take each day as it comes and help me enjoy our time together. Of course, if he wanted to stay in the bubble with me, I might not mind too much. I would prefer if he would just relax a bit and live on faith that we are meant to be together, and whatever happens between now and my change we'd handle together as a team.