"Alice?" Bella asked, deciding now was as good a time as any as she was allowing Alice to do a make-up practice run. Bella had suffered through the entire dress fitting without complaint, and now she was hoping to pull some information from her best friend.

"I already know what you're going to ask," she retorted, her tongue stuck between her teeth as she leaned down and carefully applied eyeliner to Bella's lower lids. "He'll kill me."

She tried to shake her head, but Alice had a vice grip on her. "No, he won't. Besides, if I'm going to go through with it, isn't it only fair that I know ahead of time what I'm getting into?"

Alice sat the make-up brush down, admiring her handiwork. "He'd say 'no' to that argument, too, since none of us knew what was going to happen."

Bella groaned in frustration under her breath. "Did he tell you not to tell me?"

Alice looked at her, surprise on her face. "How did you know?"

"Just a hunch," Bella grumbled. "Come on, please? Best friends wouldn't allow each other to go into something like this blind."

"Bella…" Alice moaned under her breath. "Edward will murder me."

"You can't be murdered."

Her perfect features scrunched into a scowl. "You know what I mean."

Bella stood up suddenly. "You know, I'm beginning to have second thoughts about this wedding stuff. Maybe I will just let Edward take me to Vegas and get married in a drive-through chapel in my sweats –"

"No!" Alice shouted and maneuvered Bella back into the vanity chair. "Fine, I'll tell you." She gritted her teeth.

Bella smiled innocently. "Oh, thank you, Alice! You are such a good friend. Now, tell me everything you know about vampire conversions."

Alice sat gracefully down in the floor and folded her legs underneath her. "Well, I've never done it before…you know, make one. And I don't remember anything about my own transformation. I just know that I woke up one day and was like…this." She gestured to herself.

"I know you've heard them talk."

She nodded. "What I do know is that the change takes three days and is said to be the most excruciating experience one ever has. Human memories will fade, but those three days will be burned into your memory for eternity."

"They weren't for you."

Alice shook her head sadly. "I know. But I don't remember anything about my human life. Everyone else has some memories, usually strong ones, but I don't recall anything except from the day I woke up and was a vampire. I have no idea who made me or why…I don't know if I had a family, friends…children. Nothing."

Bella felt her chest tighten at her friend's emotional display. This was as personal and raw as Alice had ever been with her. "I'm sorry, Alice."

She shook herself. "Oh, well, it's all in the past and now I have Jasper. But I do remember the newborn phase and it is very difficult to refrain from killing people and drinking human blood. That's all you'll be able to think of. Nothing else will matter."

"Yes it will!" Bella retorted. "Edward and Ben are, and will always be, the most important things in my life!"

Alice wisely kept silent. "To create a new vampire, one has to bite, but not drink. Many attempts fail because the so-called creator ends up drinking the person dry. It's very difficult to have that type of restraint."

"Edward will."

She nodded. "I believe he will as he loves you too much. He's actually an oddity in that he chose you over human blood, a feat that is basically unheard of."

"Then what will happen after he…bites me?" Bella asked nervously. This part was not sounding so great.

"Then, you will feel as if your entire body is engulfed in flames, although you won't actually be on fire. The venom causes a torturous burning through the body as it changes the cellular structures, organs, blood, tissues. But eventually, the burning will begin to subside and when you wake up, you will be one of us," she finished with a smile.

No wonder Edward did not want her to know. Actually, though, if he did not want her to become a vampire, he should have told her this part from the beginning. She had a high tolerance for pain, but she was no masochist. "Oh."

Alice shook her head. "I knew I shouldn't have told you."

Bella shook herself from her dream state and touched Alice's cold, granite arm. "No, I'm glad you did. Thank you."

"So does that change your mind?"

Bella suddenly had a thought. "Alice, do you see me becoming a vampire?"

She sighed. "I can't see anything for sure. One minute I do, and the next minute, I don't, which says to me you haven't completely made up your mind."

"Of course I've made up my mind," she snapped.

"See? You have not or I'd see you as one of us plain as day. Bella, don't rush into anything. Remember, once you do it, you can't go back."

Bella was becoming confused. "I thought you wanted me to become a vampire." She was slightly hurt.

Alice embraced her carefully. "Of course I do, but you're my best friend and I just want you to be completely sure, because once it's started, it can't be undone.

"Bella?" They heard Edward call from downstairs.

"Shit," Alice whispered. She pointed her finger at Bella as if to say 'not a word' and then called out, "we're up here!"

Edward was immediately at Alice's bedroom door. "Bella?"

"For heaven's sake, Edward, I haven't killed her, but you can't come in."

"Why?"

Alice sighed. "Because we're doing wedding stuff and the dress is out," she said slowly, as if he were stupid.

The knob started to turn, and Alice was at the door in a flash. "If you open that door, Edward Cullen, I swear I will rip your hand off."

Bella was beginning to giggle at the verbal sparring between the two. "I'll be down in a minute, Edward," she called.

"All right."

Bella swore he muttered 'bitchy' under his breath, but she was not sure.

xXx

"So, Bella, when's the big day?" Emmett asked, plopping down on the sofa next to where Bella, Ben and Edward were watching Toy Story on the large television.

Bella shot him a surprised look. "Huh?"

Emmett nudged her with his elbow, blatantly ignoring Edward's murderous glare. "You know. The day," he said, adding air quotes with his fingers.

Bella nodded infinitesimally toward Ben, hoping that Emmett would take a hint, but, as always, no dice.

"Emmett, can we discuss this later, when little ears are not within hearing range? If you were to be the cause of someone to have nightmares…well, let's just say that Rosalie would be putting you back together again." Edward raised his eyebrows so that Emmett would understand his threat was not without promise.

"Like Humpty Dumpty?" Ben interjected, looking up at Edward from where he was snuggled against the vampire's rock-hard side.

"Exactly like Humpty Dumpty," Edward replied, his golden eyes trained on his sibling.

Emmett held his hands up in surrender. "Fi-"

Before he could finish, however, Bella interrupted. "Wait a minute! They couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again, remember? 'All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again.'"

Edward stroked his thumb across her cheek. "That's correct, he didn't get put back together. Remember that, bro."

"I was just askin'!"

"Trust me, we'll let you know when we've decided," Edward said with finality.

"But I might be of some help…I thought I could have some input."

"Emmett," Bella growled. "You don't get input into my life choices, okay?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You might be singing a different tune later, little girl."

"Oh, bite me," she muttered.

Ben sat straight up. "Don't bite my mom! You'd have to sit in time out. Danny, my frien' at daycare, bit Becky an' he hadda sit in time out."

Edward glared at Emmett again. "See what I mean?"

Emmett threw his hands up. "I didn't say it! She did!"

Bella just smirked at him and hugged Ben closer.

"Damn, I can't win for losing," he muttered before turning back to the movie.

"You said a bad word, Uncle Emmett," Ben whispered.

Rosalie swooped in suddenly and picked Ben up off of the couch. "How'd you like to go finish this with me and Nana Esme in her room?" She glared at Emmett. "That way, if Uncle Emmett slips another bad word, your ears will be safe."

"'Kay!" he said, grinning, and lifted his arms for Rose to pick him up.

Bella watched as her son was nuzzled softly by a vampire and again wondered at her reaction to the entire situation as she had no reaction. She knew Rose would rip her own teeth out before she harmed Ben. "Be good," Bella instructed him.

He waved at her as he exited the room, safe in Rosalie's arms. "I always good, Mom!"

"Now," Edward drawled, staring at Emmett with a death stare.

Bella put her hand on his arm. "Let it go, Ben's fine. He's just stuck on the bad word thing and he's heard me say far worse."

"I think we need a swear jar," Jasper piped in, walking into the room. "Five dollars for every curse word said."

Emmett groaned. "Hell, I'd be broke all the time."

Jasper held out his hand. "Five bucks."

"For what?"

"You said a curse word."

"I didn't agree to it."

Jasper shook his head. "Doesn't matter, bro. Fact is, little ears are around here now, and we all need to watch what we say."

Emmett grumbled and handed over a five dollar bill.

"We'll use it to start Ben's college fund," Bella said helpfully.

Edward looked over at her. "Bella, Ben's college is already taken care of."

She glared at him. "Oh, no you –"

He put his finger over her lips. "Nope. We'll be married by then and what's mine is yours, so I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary."

"And I imagine you've already planned on his first car, too," she said sarcastically.

"Of course."

She sighed in frustration.

"Love, as I've said, when you don't ever sleep, work all of the time, and have a sister who can predict the stock market, money is never a problem. So let me use it on what I want."

"Damn, Bella, most girls are dying to have their man spend money on them," Emmett quipped, then groaned when Jasper held his hand out. "Shit."

"Ten now."

"This sucks, just for the record."

Jasper looked over at Bella. "Are we counting 'sucks' as a bad word?"

Emmett was frantically shaking his head at her, causing her to burst into laughter. "Not for now, unless it becomes a problem," she said, looking at Emmett.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Now, let's talk business before I'm completely broke."

"What do you want to know?" Bella asked.

"Are you changing to one of us or not?"

Bella bit her lip, her conversation with Alice still fresh in her mind. Alice had told her she could not see clearly if Bella would become an immortal, which meant she was still somewhat undecided. "Of course," she answered crisply.

"So, when are you gonna do it? On your honeymoon?" he asked, batting his eyelashes at her comically.

She burst into laughter. "What we do on our honeymoon is none of your concern."

"Oh, I gotcha." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Stop it," she begged, gasping for air.

"Emmett," Edward admonished, and Bella could tell from the tension running through him that if he could have, he would have been blushing furiously.

Bella was brought up short by this. Exactly what would they be doing on their honeymoon? She needed to talk to Edward…now.

xXx

Bella paced back and forth across the golden carpet in Edward's bedroom. She was unsure how to broach the subject. The last time she had been brave enough to even mention their potential sex life, Edward had told her it was impossible, and she had felt she would die of embarrassment. But, if they were married…how would they consummate it?

"Bella, darling, you are going to wear a path in the carpet. Now, will you please sit down and tell me what's on your mind?" Edward was sitting back comfortably on the leather couch and finally, Bella sat next to him.

"I was just thinking about the…honeymoon. After Emmett brought it up," she quickly added.

"Oh."

Bella knew what she wanted to say. She wanted to say "take me!" and jump him right then and there. But, she was afraid of his reaction – and rejection; she had alluded to them making love the other night, but now, she was not sure if he realized she had been talking about that. He had said that they had to be married first, but did he think she was referring to him changing her? She decided to just jump in feet first. "Edward, will we be able to…be together…physically? On our honeymoon?"

"Bella, we've already talked about this –"

"But that was before we were getting married! Edward, we can do this, I know we can!" Don't beg, don't beg…

Edward sighed. "If something happened – if I hurt you – I couldn't live with myself."

Bella pulled herself into his lap. "But you won't hurt me. You can't…I know you can't. You have such a good grip on your control now. And it will be fine." Sounds like begging…

"I very well could hurt you and might – or even kill you."

She groaned. "Stop being so fucking pessimistic, Edward! Jeez, what happened to thinking positively?"

"Fine. I'm positive I'll hurt you," he snapped.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Don't be an ass. I just want us to try…please?" Now you're begging for sure.

"Bella, if you need that part of your life and want to look elsewhere, I'll stay blind to it."

She wanted to punch him in those perfect lips of his, but knew it would only end up with her having a fractured hand. "Fine." She got up from his lap. "If that's what you want."

He stared at her as if she had just grown an extra head. "Wh-what?"

"I said fine," she said stoically, calling his bluff. "Since that is what you want."

Edward was up in a flash. "I don't want that! The thought of another man touching you… I'd have to kill him."

Bella sighed. "Then why did you bring it up?"

"Because I thought you'd say no," he spluttered.

"Look, you obviously don't want me in that way, and you just gave me permission to find someone who does."

Edward growled and before she knew it, Bella was being pushed up against the wall, his mouth at her ear. He breathed his sweet breath on her skin while he allowed his lips to graze over her throat, stopping at her pulse point.

Bella was already becoming lightheaded and wrapped her arms around him, her fingers clinging to his hair. "Edward…" she moaned in frustration.

"Don't ever say that I don't want you. Ever. If anything, I want you more than I should."

"Then let's try it," she finally begged, moving her mouth over his, allowing her lips to barely brush his. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"I could kill you."

She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "Then you'll just have to change me right then, no more worries. Either way, it all works out."

Bella had wrapped her legs around Edward's waist, and he now ran his palms up the inside of her thighs. "I'll have to talk to Carlisle first."

"Fine," she panted. "Just make it quick."


End Notes: Thanks to everyone who is following this story so far! Please hit that little review button and let me know what you think.