I was walking through wet grass and leaves, my shoes squelching unpleasantly on the sodden ground. It was dark, but in the moonlight I could make out the shapes of trees and, in the far distance, the faint, glimmering movement of waves. I was near the ocean.

At some level, I knew I was dreaming, but as in many of my dreams, I still felt I had to keep going, trying to find out why I was there, what was going on. I squinted into the gloom, and was able to make out the vague, grey shapes of houses, off in the distance. I realized I was at LaPush. I changed direction and started walking toward the town.

Something, a faint sound or a glimpse of movement, caused me to turn toward the ocean. To my surprise, I saw a gigantic wolf trotting along the shoreline. I knew from experience that this was not an ordinary wolf, but a member of the wolf pack, as they called themselves - Quileute spirit warriors in wolf form. But they usually travelled together, and this one was alone. The words lone wolf came into my mind, then took on visible form and appeared in front of me for a few seconds, like a neon sign. It had a significance I couldn't quite grasp.

I stood still and watched as the wolf ran into the ocean, swam a short distance, then returned to shore and shook itself dry, like a dog after its bath. It began trotting again, this time toward the town, turning sharply to the right before reaching it and travelling in a wide counter-clockwise circle around the dark roads and houses. I waited, with almost no sense of time passing, until it...until he completed his circuit. Somehow I knew the wolf was a he, not a she. He was a pretty russet colour, with shaggy fur. I was sure I'd seen him before, during our alliance with the wolves.

The wolf stood still a moment, his eyes moving over the sleeping town, looking watchful. He was guarding it, I thought. Suddenly he turned and looked at me. He seemed to be waiting for something. "What is it?" I asked. "What do you want?"

"Bella."

I opened my eyes and blinked. It was no longer dark. There was bright sunlight - or as bright as it ever got in Forks - coming through my bedroom window.

"You wanted me to wake you at eight."

I turned to face Edward, who was lying beside me on my narrow single bed. "Right. Thanks." I jumped up and ran to the bathroom.

I returned and sat back down beside him. "Good morning."

He smiled. "Good morning, love." He gently kissed me. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, but I had the strangest dream just now." I sat still, trying to remember the details.

"What was it about?"

"One of the werewolves." He looked concerned. "No, it wasn't scary. It was just kind of odd, and a little bit sad. I was near LaPush late at night, and nobody was around except this one wolf. I recognized him from the...you know." From the strange alliance we'd made against Victoria and her home-made army. "He had this reddish brown fur, almost like this colour." I ran a hand through Edward's hair, then stroked it again, momentarily distracted.

He moved closer, bowing his head so I could run the fingers of both hands through his unruly hair. I sighed and cradled his head against my shoulder. "What was I saying?"

He chuckled. "You recognized the wolf with the extremely elegant fur."

I snorted. "Well, the wolf was watching over the town. He'd walk around the perimeter, guarding it. But there was no wolf pack; he was by himself, and for some reason, that seemed important. You know how it is in dreams." He nodded. He knew very well, if only second hand. "Then the wolf saw me, and kept looking at me, like he was waiting for something, but he couldn't tell me what it was. It seemed important, like a message. You know, like it sometimes does in dreams."

"You speak as if it were a common experience. You've described dreams to me that were almost like visions, instructive messages via your subconscious. Accurate messages, too, it seems."

I shrugged. "They're just dreams. You know, the kind where you figure out things you didn't know before."

"Bella, I don't think people normally have dreams like those."

"Really?"

"Have you ever heard anyone describe a dream that provided accurate information they didn't have before? Apart from fortune-telling charlatans and such, that is?"

"Well...no."I frowned. "So maybe that's another way my brain doesn't work right?"

He laughed. "I consider it, rather, another way in which you're special." I rolled my eyes, but he grew serious, gently pulling me closer. "One of many," he murmured.

I broke the kiss a few minutes later, needing air, and drew a couple of deep breaths. His sweet scent seemed to warm me from the inside, like a sip of whiskey. Not that I'd know what a sip of whiskey felt like. "Why do you...?" He began kissing my throat, and I lost my chain of thought.

"Why do I...what?" he murmured against my skin. I didn't answer, and he finally raised his head to look at me.

"It doesn't matter." I pressed my lips to the beautiful little hollow at the base of his throat, and he sighed and shifted a bit to grant me better access.

"Tell me," he insisted, but without attempting to break contact.

"Um...I was just going to ask why you smell so good. It's not like any regular nice smell. It affects me. It's like the smell of happiness." I shrugged, embarrassed at the silly metaphor.

"That's nothing," he said dismissively. "It's just lure."

"Lure?"

"Yes. I told you before that I'm the perfect predator. Even my smell is designed to draw you in."

I shook my head. "It's more than that. A predator's scent might be used to attract its prey, or have a calming effect. But why would your scent make me want to, you know...be with you?"

"Does it?" he asked, seeming intrigued in spite of himself.

"Very much so," I said, blushing. "And for the record, none of your family's smell has that kind of effect on me. They just smell sweet and pleasant, and maybe a little soothing; but their scent doesn't get into my head the way yours does. And it certainly doesn't affect me, er, that way."

He stared at the wall a moment. "Interesting."

"Is it? Why?"

He smirked. "You're acting like a vampire again." I raised my eyebrows. "What you describe is the way vampire mates respond to each other's scent."

I stared at him. "You're serious? Vampire couples carry around matching individualized pheromones?"

He laughed. "You could put it that way."

"But will my scent work for you that way - after? I mean, it will be different after I'm changed, right?"

"It will work. Remember, I've known couples who first met and fell in love before one of them was transformed." His hand cupped the back of my head, and he gazed at my face. I stared back, instantly mesmerized. "I'll be with you as you go through the change. While you endure the pain..." He winced and looked away.

"The pain is unavoidable," I said firmly, although I was far from sanguine about the prospect. "It will be over in a few days." He nodded grimly. "But go on. You'll be with me...?"

"Yes. I'll be watching the changes as they occur, and I'll be following the gradual changes in your scent. When it's over, you'll have the distinctive scent that will identify you, more clearly than appearance, to any other vampire. It will be the essence of Bella. And to me, it will be like a distillation of everything alluring about you. Every breath I take in your presence will be like a love potion, one that never loses its effect. And my scent will be the same for you. The way it is now, but much more potent."

I swallowed. I'd never thought of the sense of smell as particularly erotic, but I was rethinking that. "And my scent will no longer make you thirsty."

He smiled. "That's something I look forward to. I will no longer have to restrain the urge to bite. And...I will no longer have to take care not to injure you."

There was a world of promise in that last statement. I could almost hear my heart beat. "That will be wonderful," I said inadequately. I couldn't think of a better way to put it. He finally lowered his head and kissed me, and I threaded my fingers into his silky hair, thankful that Edward and I had reached a compromise on certain premarital activities.

Later, Edward helped me dress - not because I needed help, just for recreational purposes - and we went downstairs. "What time did Charlie leave for work?" I asked. I checked the refrigerator to make sure he'd taken his lunch with him.

"Six forty-five." He snickered. "Did you know Alice is planning to take him shopping?"

"You're kidding!"

"She wants to help him pick out a new suit for the wedding. She doesn't trust his judgment where clothing is concerned."

"Poor Charlie! I hope Alice takes it easy on him." I finished a bowl of cold cereal, rinsed my bowl, and picked up my handbag. "Ready when you are."

Today's errand was to the county auditor's office, to apply for a marriage license. "What I especially like about this errand," Edward confided as we drove toward Port Angeles, "is that our marriage will be completely legal within the state of Washington. I don't have to falsify records to get a license."

"You don't?" I asked. "Won't you be presenting yourself as an eighteen year old?"

"No birth certificate is required in this state," he said. "Just photo ID. My driver's license is perfectly valid. I have to confirm that I'm over eighteen, which I most definitely am; and that I don't already have a spouse, which I most definitely do not. No information is required that I'd have to lie about. I can even use my real name."

"I see. So the marriage will be airtight. No weaselling out." I looked at him sternly.

He grinned and took my hand in his. "That is the least of your worries."

The application process was pretty painless, and Edward and I laughed together over the questions on the forms. Another couple, people in their twenties, were filling out their own documents nearby. The woman caught my eye and smiled at me. "When's the wedding?" she asked me.

"June 28."

"Ours is the Fourth of July weekend. Are you having a big wedding?"

"No, just the family."

The young man looked up from his forms. "We're having two hundred people," he said, mostly to Edward. "Big reception and everything. Crazy expensive, but my girl wants it, so..."

"Say no more," Edward said, giving the man a fraternal grin.

"So you guys aren't doing the big party?"

"No, a small church wedding, then a reception at my parents' home."

The man gave Edward a look of mock envy, and we all laughed. "No," he added quickly, "I don't really mind. I get to marry Donna, that's the important thing."

"Yes, it is," Edward agreed, looking at me.

Donna and her beau took their paperwork back to the auditor's desk. "I feel like one of them," Edward said quietly. "That doesn't happen often."

"One of them? You mean human?"

"Yes. Usually, we're very much apart from humans, even while we're living among them. But right now, I'm just another man making preparations to marry his bride."

"I'm glad you don't have to lie on the application," I said impulsively. "I'm glad our marriage will be official. I'm not even sure why I'm glad, but I am."

He kissed me gently on the forehead. "Esme said you're more traditional than you realize."

"I guess that's a good thing," I said, embarrassed, "if I'm marrying a man born during the reign of Queen Victoria."

We finished the application process and left the building, running into Donna and fiancé in the parking lot. "Good luck!" the young man called to us from his car. "Best wishes, and lots of kids!"

"You too!" I called back. Donna waved to us, and they drove off.

Edward seemed thoughtful as he steered through downtown Port Angeles. "Is something wrong?" I asked him.

"Not really. I was just thinking about what Michael said."

"Who's Michael?"

"The young man who just wished us luck."

"How did you know his name was Michael? Oh, never mind." I sometimes forgot I had a mind-reading boyfriend. Excuse me, fiancé. "What did he say?"

"He wished us many children."

I looked over at him. "You still feel badly about that?"

"I'm still a little worried that you do. Or that you will, in the future."

"We've talked about this before, Edward. Can't you believe what I tell you?"

"I can. I'm trying to, at least. It's just that, I know how much that loss means to Esme and Rosalie."

"But not to Alice," I pointed out. "Not everyone is the same."

"No, I see what you mean. But there's also..."

"What?"

He grinned sheepishly. "I'm a little sorry to miss the experience. That's something I never thought of before we met. You'd have made such a wonderful mother."

I rested my head on his shoulder. "You'd have been a wonderful father, too. If we'd met when you were human, I suppose I'd have wanted to have children with you. But at the same time, I don't feel any regrets."

He put an arm around me. "Neither do I, love. I'm done with this speculation."

Edward stopped to pick up food to go, then proceeded to our meadow. We finally had the picnic we'd postponed earlier. We talked a while, then spontaneously lapsed into more premarital activities, then lay together quietly in the long grass for a while. At last, we picked ourselves up, adjusted our clothing, and Edward ran me back to his car at the foot of the mountain.

"Shall we drop by the house?" he asked.

"Yes, let's do that," I agreed. "Alice wanted to talk to me again. I hear she's been to the church."

He laughed. "Yes. Poor old Reverend Hughes!"

As expected, Alice was ready for me with a stack of bridal magazines and some sketches. "Come on. Sit," she said, the second I was through the door. "We have planning to do."

"Alice!" Esme protested. "Bella, have you had lunch?"

"Yes, thanks, Esme. We had a picnic."

Rosalie winked at me. "A little rendezvous al fresco, hmm? A little splendour in the grass? Nice." Emmett snickered. I blushed, but returned Rosalie's smile. She was apparently having one of her good days.

"Look." Alice pulled me to the sofa. "I thought we'd do something like this for the front of the church." She opened a magazine to show me an illustration of an openwork archway, festooned with white flowers and twining leaves. "And this for the pews." Another picture showed church pews, their side panels decorated with pretty, drooping sprays of pink and white, with pale pink ribbons hanging from them.

"Pretty," I agreed. "Will you be able to do all this in time?"

"Not a problem. And how about this for your bouquet?" She opened another magazine to a picture of a bouquet of white roses, in a tight cluster with minimal greenery.

Rosalie sat down beside Alice and looked at the illustration. "Isn't it lovely? You're not wearing the white dress, so it's not like there's an overdose of white," she remarked.

"No, that's true, but..."

"Speak up, Bella," Rosalie said. "Don't let Alice bully you. You should get what you want for your wedding."

"I'm not bullying anyone!" Alice protested.

"I didn't want to carry a bouquet," I told her. "I wanted my hands free during the ceremony. And it's just one more thing for me to drop at the wrong moment."

They both laughed. "You may have a point there," Rosalie agreed.

"But I think my bridesmaid should have one."

"Oh! I can deal with that," Alice said happily.

We covered corsages for the ladies and buttonholes for the gentlemen, table settings and flowers for the reception. "What about music?" Alice asked. "No processional, because apparently you're going all modern and not doing the march up the aisle." She pretended to glare angrily. "Which means your bridesmaid doesn't get to march up the aisle, either!"

"Sorry, Alice," I laughed. "But you can lead me back out of the church afterwards, all right?"

"That will do. What about before and during the ceremony?"

"Edward is the authority on music. I think he should decide."

"Fair enough."

"Where's this music supposed to come from, anyway? Does the church have an organist? I forgot to ask."

"It does," Carlisle confirmed. "I don't know if she's available for weddings."

"We have a family of musicians," Esme pointed out. "I'm sure one of us can play."

"Edward says Rosalie's the best pianist - after himself, of course," I said. Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Would you mind playing during the wedding?"

"I'd love to." Unexpectedly, she reached out and hugged me - more carefully and gently than was strictly necessary.

"Thanks, Rosalie."

"Meaning you and Edward will have to work together on the musical programme," Alice pointed out slyly. "Now, about food for the reception. Bella, that's one subject where you're the resident expert."

"Yes. I'm sorry, I guess you're all going to have to pretend to eat."

Alice shrugged. "We'll be fine. Besides, we're planning to serve the food buffet style. That makes it fairly easy to take food and discard it, so we don't have to actually swallow anything."

"That's a relief," Emmett said. "Did Edward ever tell you how we have to deal with it afterwards?"

"I chose to avoid that topic," Edward said.

"I figured it out for myself," I said, "after I heard the kids at school gossiping about Rosalie. They said she's bulimic." Everyone thought that was hilarious, including Rosalie herself.

"So," Alice went on, "if you, Charlie, and Sue are the only humans there, you might as well choose food the three of you would like."

"Well, Charlie likes fish, and any kind of red meat. He's not that keen on vegetables, although I've been working on him. I don't know about Sue."

"What about you? Do any of these sound good?" She handed me three printed menus, complete with illustrations.

"You've been busy!" I studied the options. One was much too elaborate. The second included a lot of exotic foods I wasn't familiar with, and that Charlie wouldn't trust. "The third one would be just right."

"Thank you, Goldilocks." Alice took menu #3 and studied it. "No problem. Now, what about a wedding cake?"

"Is that really necessary?"

"Just a little one?" she wheedled.

"Okay," I conceded. I found I didn't even mind any more. "Could it be mocha flavour? With buttercream icing?"

Everyone beamed. "Don't you love it when she actually tells us what she wants, just like that?" Alice asked.

"Makes a nice change," Emmett agreed.

"I'm getting better at that." In fact, I loved the way this family enjoyed doing things for one another. I looked forward to the time I could reciprocate.

"What else?" Alice asked.

"Well...no tiny little bride and groom on top, please. Anything else is fine."

"Noted," Alice said briskly. "Now. About the guest list."

"I thought that was settled," I said nervously. "Just the family."

"Well, your father wanted to invite one or two close friends," Esme said. "It might look odd if there's no one included from our side. And...we thought of including our cousins from Alaska."

"You should meet them, Bella, and soon," Carlisle added. "They're like extended family to us, and they'll be part of your life as well."

"I understand. But didn't Alice say that Charlie's friends are probably not coming?"

"That's what I see at the moment. Unless they change their minds. Still a lot of resentment from some of the Quileutes."

"In that case, what if we didn't ask anyone outside the immediate family? What if I met your, er, cousins right after the wedding instead?"

"Met them in Alaska, you mean?" Edward asked. "Yes, I suppose we could make a visit there, before we go to New Hampshire."

"They wouldn't be offended?" I asked. "I don't want to start out on the wrong foot."

"A wedding involving humans and cooked food would be less fun anyway. The honeymoon visit would be more comfortable for them."

"It would," Carlisle agreed. "And the Denali family will appreciate your taking their feelings into consideration." He winked, and I understood that was how he'd present the decision to his friends.

"Sorry. I guess I'm being kind of selfish."

Everyone laughed, and Alice cast her eyes at the ceiling. "By expressing a preference?" Rosalie asked. "For what may be the first time? And about your own wedding? Yes, horribly selfish." She shook her head in mock disgust. "But we'll let it pass, this once."

"Thanks, everybody," I said meekly.

"Don't mention it," Emmett said. "You're family now."

Before taking me back home, Edward brought me a large envelope full of printouts. "I thought you might like to see this," he said. "It's the house I bought in Hanover."

"Oh!" I pulled out the sheets of paper. It was information from the realtor, including photographs. The house was described as New England style, with a clapboard exterior and wide front porch. The interior was beautiful, with high ceilings, double hung windows and a big, sunny kitchen. Photos of the second floor showed a master suite with a dressing room and an enormous bathroom, and two other bedrooms. "That's amazing! We won't actually be living there, though, will we?"

"Probably not, unless our plans change drastically. But our cover story requires that we have a place to live close to Dartmouth. And I did enjoy the experience of purchasing a home for myself and my future bride."

"We'll have to arrange a hideout for you and Edward in New Hampshire," Emmett said, "for after."

I nodded soberly. His simple comment contained a greater significance. 'After,' of course, I would need to hide from the human population for a time, for their own safety, and because I would be red-eyed and unable to control myself well enough to pass for human. And I would have to remain out of sight because I would be presumed either dead or missing. I didn't think too deeply about that part of it. I was trusting the Cullens to deal with it as they saw fit.

"I thought you might like to see the house anyway," Edward said. "And...maybe you'd like to show it to your father. It might give him a little more reassurance."

Charlie was, in fact, very much reassured. Maybe Edward had picked up on his worries about what kind of house this boy might be moving his daughter into.

"This is where you'll be living?" he asked, when I showed him the realtor's papers later than evening.

"This is it. It's close to Dartmouth, and walking distance from the shops and things in the town centre, but on a nice, quiet street. Big maple trees everywhere."

He looked at the printouts. "It doesn't say that here."

"I looked the place up on Google Maps." That was slightly over Charlie's head, so he let it go. "You don't have to worry about me, Dad."

"I know, I know," he said, replacing the papers in their envelope. "Anyway, you're just getting married and going off to college, right? It's not like you're going to disappear off the face of the earth."