Disclaimer: Not owned by me, managed by me, or claimed by me in any way, except in my daydreams.

Alice had a number of hair styles she wanted to try out. All of them looked far too formal to Bella's eyes, but she kept the ice wrapped around her fingers and her mouth shut. Still, after the last style failed to impress, Alice seemed to finally give in.

'Too...much?'

'Yeah. They're just not me. I know I promised that it was your decision, but I want Edward to see me when I...walk down the aisle,' she said, choking slightly on the end of the sentence.

'You're right. Hum,' Alice said; eyes far away and looking thoughtful. 'Do you trust me?'

'Um, in theory, yes.'

'Close your eyes then and don't you dare open them!' the pixie ordered.

Bella gave her a measured look, but finally sighed and did as she was told. Arguing took too much energy.

She could feel Alice's cold fingers twisting and separating and then gentle tugging on one side that suggested a braid. Still, it all felt looser and less formalised than the other styles Alice had so far tried. Bella kept her eyes firmly shut and resisted the urge to look.

Finally, the tugging and fingering ceased and Bella felt her hair brushed softly around her head, to fall into its usual waves.

'You can open your eyes.'

Bella blinked into the bright lights of the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and saw the same reflection that had looked back at her earlier in the morning.

'I don't get to see it?'

Alice rolled her eyes. 'I said you'd have to trust me. You can see it on your wedding day. It'll be a surprise.'

'Alice, everything about my wedding day is a surprise.'

'I know!' she giggled. 'Isn't it wonderful?'

Bella decided not to answer that question.

'Now, off you go. Edward's downstairs playing your lullaby, which means he thinks I've taken up too much of your time.'

Alice had closed the door to prying eyes when they had started the styling session, so Bella had to strain to hear the sounds of the piano notes stringing out her favourite music.

'Thanks Alice,' Bella told her and meant it. She stood too fast, eager to be free of the room and her stylist, and a cold hand reached to steady her. 'He's not going anywhere,' she reminded Bella.

Be that as it may, Bella still missed seeing him. She hurried out to the stairs, marvelling that she was actually allowed to walk down them on her own. Usually, one of the Cullens was always a step away, careful to make certain she didn't fall. Honestly, it was like she didn't use the stairs in Charlie's house a dozen times a day.

Apparently that wasn't enough practice. She reached the fourth step down before her stocking feet slipped out from under her. Not completely stupid, Bella had kept one hand on the railing and it was all that saved her from a tumble down the steps to the landing below. Instead, she landed hard on her backside, the unexpected jolt causing her to bite her tongue.

'Ow,' she whispered when it was over. A sudden change in the air and Edward was beside her.

'Bella?'

'I'm okay,' she decided. Her backside hurt in a throbbing way and she could taste the blood on her tongue. Hurriedly she swallowed.

'You're bleeding,' Edward told her, matter-of-factly.

Which of course was all it took to bring the others running. Blessedly that didn't include Rosalie and Emmett, and Jasper obviously took it as his cue to step outside. But Alice, Edward, Esme and Carlisle clustered around her on the stairs.

'I'm fine,' Bella said, well aware she sounded like a whining teenager telling her parents to butt out. 'I just bit my tongue. It's not life threatening. I don't need help.'

'You landed on that step pretty hard,' Alice helpfully put it. Of course she'd seen it happen, but only after it was too late to stop it.

'It's alright. Please,' she begged. Alice seemed to take the message at least and returned to her room. Esme took a few steps back to the landing below, but she still looked worried. Bella gave her a helpful smile.

'Bella, are you quite certain?' Carlisle asked.

'Pretty sure yes. My dignity is bruised more than anything else. And that will survive,' she quipped.

The blonde doctor smiled. 'Very well. If, however, you change your mind...' he trailed off, the rest of the sentence clear.

'I'll be sure to let you know if I bruised anything else.'

Edward frowned.

'Can you just help me down to the sofa? The stairs are sort of hard for sitting,' Bella implored him.

He seemed about to say something and then clearly thought better of it. In a breath she was in his arms and then on the sofa, propped up against pillows and with a blanket over her lap. The icepack, which she had dropped in order to avoid the tumble down the steps, was replaced with Edward's cold fingers, which was fine by Bella, since the ice was mostly melted anyways.

'How does your tongue feel?'

'Sore. It's fine. Humans do that all the time.' He raised a questioned eyebrow. 'Alright, I do that all the time. It'll be fine by tomorrow. As will my fingers and my...backside.'

Edward smirked at that.

'Can I just stay here for the rest of the day? I don't think anything can hurt me on the sofa.'

'That is a plan I agree with. And should something deign to attack, I'll protect you. Now, how about some hot chocolate?'

Bella smiled. 'With marshmallows?' she asked, a bit louder than necessary to make certain Esme heard her from the kitchen.

'How else?' Edward wondered, well aware of what Bella thought of hot chocolate without its fluffy white sugar topping. About the same way she felt about cake without icing. 'We can watch a movie. That should be safe enough,' he offered.

'Sounds good. Your pick.' And then she turned to thank the newly arrived, hot chocolate bearing, vampire. 'You guys are really too good to me.'

'Well, someone has to make up for Nature's penchant for injuring you,' Esme reasoned.

'Yeah, she really is out to get me, isn't she? I must have done something really, really bad. Or maybe she doesn't like that I hang out with vampires.'

The corners of Esme's eyes wrinkled she smiled so wide. 'I do hope you're keeping score of all these mishaps, you know. Soon enough, dear, Mother Nature will have no control over you.'

'There's something to look forward to,' Bella laughed.

Edward frowned again. As she always did when he turned morose over her future – or non-future – as a human, she ignored him. Esme did as well.

'I hope she realises that revenge is sweet. And I'll have eternity to get it,' Bella decreed, the warning evident in her voice, as was the laughter.

'Emmett, I'm certain, will be happy to help.'

'I'm counting on it. Thanks for the hot chocolate, Esme.'

'You're welcome dear,' the vampire mother said and wisely left them to it.

'Stop it,' Bella told her fiancé.

'I'm not doing anything.'

'Yes you are. You're thinking. Stop it. Don't ruin my day anymore than it already is.'

Edward seemed to take that one to heart. 'Alright. Movie?'

'Yes,' she said, smiling at him, one hand wrapped around the warm mug of chocolate, the other encased in his frozen grip.