Disclaimer: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long! I wanted to have it up as soon as possible after the preface, but I ended up staying longer than I expected at work, so I got right down to writing as soon as I got home. I hope you enjoy it! Please R&R – my preface got 76 hits, and 0 reviews; I need to know whether you like it or not!

A quick recap from the end of Eclipse:

"…it's time to go do something that will be very unpleasant and possibly even highly dangerous."

His eyes widened in alarm.

"It's a good thing you're bulletproof." I sighed. "I'm going to need that ring. It's time to tell Charlie."

1. ENGAGED

I hesitated for a moment outside my front door, and looked up into Edward's eyes. He lightly squeezed my hand and smiled. As much as his presence comforted me, he also served as a reminder for what I was about to do. I shuddered, not wanting to think about it.

"Charlie's thoughts are relatively calm." He reassured me. "There will never be a good time to break the news to him. Now is as good a time as any."

I took a deep breath, and pushed open the door. I was mentally running through lines to start with, but somehow they all sounded wrong, even in my head. Hey Dad! Just wanted to let you know that I'm repeating the worst mistake of your youth. How was fishing? I shook my head a little, trying to calm myself.

"Bells?" Charlie called from the other room. I could hear the game in the background, and I hoped he would be distracted enough to not want to get up to strangle me.

"Hi, Dad," I called, my voice shaking a little. Edward wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, and gently kissed the top of head. I sighed and took his hand in mine and led him into the next room. Charlie sat silently watching the game for a few seconds, then muted it and turned around to face me. He could tell by my uncomfortable silence that there was something I needed to say.

"So…um, are they winning?" I hedged awkwardly, glancing at the silent screen. Charlie wasn't falling for it.

"What have you done, Bella?" He looked warily from me to Edward and back again.

"Don't worry!" I said quickly. "It's good news…sorta…" I trailed off, giving up. I knew that he would definitely not perceive this news as anything near good. He eyed me impatiently. He wanted me to get on with it so he could go back to the game.

"Okay, well, we…that is, Edward and I, have an…announcement to make." Charlie's eyebrows furrowed together in what must have been a mix between disbelief and anger. He was starting to see where this was going. I started talking faster.

"See, Edward proposed to me a few nights ago and I said yes so I guess we're going to get married we set the date sometime in August but you know you'd have to talk to Alice about exactly…" I bit my cheek, trying to stop my rambling. I could feel Edward behind me trying not to laugh. Charlie had stood up and frozen, staring at me with eyes the size of dinner plates.

"What?" He managed to sputter out, still gawking at us in disbelief. My stomach twisted into a knot.

"We're engaged, Dad." I bit my lip nervously, holding out my left hand as evidence. Engaged. The word seemed to echo endlessly in the empty room. Charlie's face turned a deep shade of red-purple, in record time.

"You're WHAT?!" he exploded. "Have I taught you NOTHING, Isabella Swan? Have you listened to a WORD your mother and I have tried to tell you all these years? How could you possibly be so stupid?!" He was on a rampage, crashing through the door into the kitchen. He continued yelling as he snatched the phone off the hook and started dialing, but it was less coherent.

"Irresponsible!!…just not like her…I can't believe you!..." He continued to grumble until the person on the other end picked up. I had a pretty good idea who it was.

"Renée…" he began, trying to compose himself. Yep, I was right. He continued, "Your daughter has something she wants to tell you." He handed me the phone, his eyes angry. I took the receiver gingerly, knowing that my mother's reaction would most likely be even worse. Charlie collapsed in a chair and dropped his face into his hands. I looked away, at the wall, and spoke into the mouthpiece.

"H-hi mom." I said, trying to sound normal.

"Hi, honey," she sounded uncertain. She had no idea why Charlie had called. "You had something you wanted to say?"

"Yeah, um, well, I just told Charlie, and…you should know too. Edward and I are engaged." I pulled the phone away from my ear a few inches, prepared for the yelling to start. Instead, I heard a soft sob coming from the other line. She was crying. I put the phone back to my ear.

"Mom…look, I know you don't approve. I know you think I'm making a mistake. If I was you, I would be disappointed too. But…Edward is my everything. I love him with everything I have and I can't imagine a future without him." My argument sounded weak, but it was all I had. She kept crying, but I could tell she saw how much I meant it.

"I believe you Bella," she said quietly. "I just wish you had taken some more time to think this through –"

"Mom, I've though about this for –"

"I'm not going to stop you, Bells. You're 18, and you can make your own decisions. I just don't want you to go through what I went through at your age, honey." She sounded sad; she didn't like to think about that part of her life, if she could help it. "Please just think about it, Bella." And with a soft click, she hung up.

I put the phone back on the wall and looked at Charlie. He was still frozen in the same posture, head in hands, staring blankly at the table. I hated to leave him there like that, but I couldn't really think of anything to say.

"I-I'm going to bed, Dad." I said softly, not wanting to surprise him out of his stupor. "I'll see you in the morning."

I turned on my heel and headed up the staircase. Edward left out the front door, but I knew it would only be a few seconds before I saw him again. I opened my bedroom door and lay down on the bed, my head in Edward's lap. We sat quietly for a long time, and I let a few silent tears escape. I had so many thoughts flying through my head, it was hard to focus on just one.

I was eternally grateful that Edward could not read my thoughts when I started to feel the doubt eating away at the edges of my stomach. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the related questions, but they would not go away. What if I'm making the wrong choice? I know I feel certain about my love for Edward now, but Renée and Charlie obviously thought that they felt the same way. The decision I was making now was much more long term and much less undoable. What if he changes his mind? What if I do? What if something goes wrong?

And, to the tune of my softly hummed lullaby, I fell asleep in the arms of my one true love, who had no idea that I wasn't sure if I really wanted to do this.