Chapter 9: Bridal Shower

I was standing with Charlotte, Abby, James, Edward and Jasper in the Cullens' front yard watching Rosalie prepare Carlisle's Mercedes for the road trip to California. Emmett was waiting nearby with a silly grin on his face, decked out in his pirate bandana and t-shirt.

My aunt had decided that Liam and James would return home to acquire the waters from the Fountain of Youth. I didn't understand the whole process at all, but Aunt Elizabeth said something about two people needing to be present to bottle the source. She said they would be dividing it and bringing half here, but it was still very confusing. I trusted that they knew what they were doing. Uncle Jack had volunteered to "lead the shore party," as he put it. No one actually laughed at this, but I could see the twinkle in my aunt's eye and the way she and Uncle Will avoided looking at each other for a while. My cousins were unable to completely banish the amused smiles from their faces.

I had told my pirate family that Emmett really, really liked Pirates of the Caribbean. None of us had expected Uncle Jack to insist he accompany the others. The idea of an eighteen hour car ride with one of his heroes and the children of the other two was too much for my big, teddy bear-like, brother-to-be. The goofy grin he was currently wearing had been plastered on his face since the invitation was extended yesterday. He had taken to randomly calling, "Argh."

"You know we don' actually say that, right mate?" Uncle Jack asked him after the seventh time he startled me by jumping out from some hiding spot and yelling. "You did see the first movie an' how pr'post'rous young William looked wif the 'Aye, Avast!' nonsense didn' yeh?"

Emmett had shrugged and headed off in the other direction. I looked over at him and had to stifle my laughter. He was now bouncing in anticipation.

"Emmett is starting to look like an enormous version of Alice," I murmured to Edward.

Edward looked from me to Emmett and back again with my favorite crooked smile. "Indeed he is, love. And he keeps thinking nothing but the pirate song over and over and over."

"I'm glad I don't have to hear it over and over and over," I said truthfully. The song had a tendency to get on my nerves if I heard it too much. It was so repetitive! And why anyone would be proud of the actions it described was beyond me.

I turned to look at Charlotte when she made a noise. "Come now, Bella. If you're a Swann, and you are no matter how you spell it, you have to like the song. It's really not so bad!"

"It's better when you're drunk though," James added with a smirk. Abby hit him.

"I'm just glad I won't have to sit in the car with him," Jasper shuddered at the thought. "You guys think Alice is bad – what she felt when you agreed to let her plan the wedding doesn't compare with what he's broadcasting right now." Despite this, Jasper was in an excellent mood. We all were. So I had a feeling he was reinforcing our happiness and we were reinforcing his. It was a strange circle of emotions.

"I already confiscated the eye patch and foam sword," Rosalie closed the hood of the Mercedes and joined us. "You look ridiculous, honey," she informed Emmett as she passed him. I could tell she was kidding and not at all annoyed. If it was possible, she looked more beautiful than ever now that she was happy.

"I love you too, Rose," he grinned before singing to himself, "Yo ho, yo ho a pirate's life for me."

"I love that song!" Uncle Jack announced as he hurried out of the house to join us. "Really bad eggs!"

Jasper muttered, "I have to go now. So… excited…" He turned to enter the house but was stopped by a small black and white blur zipping out the front door.

"Change of plans!" Alice announced when she stopped. The others had followed her outside, curious about her speed and enthusiasm. I, on the other hand, dreaded what she would say. "All the men have to go so we can do wedding things."

Edward stared at her, no doubt hating the idea of leaving me. "Like?" Apparently Alice was blocking him again.

"A bridal shower."

His annoyance disappeared immediately and he smiled. I groaned, knowing there would be no way for me to get out of what she had planned with Edward on her side.

Rosalie gave me a wicked looking smile and my stomach clenched. "You have two choices, Bella – bridal shower or bachelorette party."

I nearly swallowed my tongue in my hurry to respond; the words couldn't come quickly enough. "Gak! Shower! Bridal shower, please!"

Leaving the group to chuckle at my reaction, Carlisle called the hospital. He was so important to them he could basically do whatever he wanted, not that he often exercised that right. It was quite easy for him to get away. I knew Jasper was almost as reluctant to leave Alice as Edward was to leave me. Our experience in Volterra made any kind of time apart difficult for them too. I also pitied the boys being stuck in a car with Emmett while he was obsessing over pirates. But I think everyone recognized it would only be for a little while and the trip was well worth it.

Alice had convinced someone at the chamber of commerce to lend the family one of the city's thirteen passenger vans for the occasion. I had a feeling this convincing had included a sizeable bribe. Edward growled a little when he realized he wouldn't be able to push the van the way he could push the overly modified engines of the family cars, but he soon got over it.

"Be safe!" and "Keep a weather eye on the horizon!" echoed back and forth between our two groups as Uncle Will started down the driveway. The white monstrosity was soon swallowed by trees.

"What does that mean?" I asked Abby, who had taken Edward's place beside me.

She looked at me confused. "What does what mean?"

"The eye horizon thing," I hoped it wasn't something obvious that I was just being clueless about.

My cousin turned with soft look on her face. "It's kind of an old family tradition, I suppose. It means a lot of things: Don't ever lose hope. I'll see you soon. I trust you implicitly. I love you. And so much more, too. It sounds kind of strange if I try to explain it though."

I shook my head in disagreement. "I think it's wonderful. You can say so much with so little like when Edward reminds me 'be safe.' It's sweet. Thank you for telling me."

"Family, Bella," she scoffed playfully. "But tell me why you groaned over the shower. They're fun!"

"She doesn't like to be the center of attention, do you dear?" Esme answered for me, putting her arm around my shoulders. The others had retreated back into the house. "I will do my best to reign Alice in for this. But at the same time I will warn you that even though they said having a shower means you won't have to go through with a bachelorette party, they probably lied, Bella."

I nodded, already knowing that to be true. "I just hope they won't get too crazy." I tried to suppress a shudder over what that 'too crazy' might possibly entail.

Abby smiled deviously. "What if you let me plan that? I promise to keep it minimally embarrassing."

I hesitated, not sure if my agreeing would hurt Alice's feelings thereby causing a bigger to do at the wedding. "Um, why don't you talk to Alice. It's not that I want to say no, but I promised her she's in charge." I swallowed the rest of what I feared.

"And you're afraid she'll go overboard with your wedding if you take this away from her?" Abby prodded with a knowing look. I must have looked every bit as astonished and morbidly curious as I felt because she explained, "Charlotte is a bit like that too. She doesn't understand that not all of us like to be in the spotlight. I will talk with Alice. Perhaps guaranteeing your participation without complaint will be enough for her."

Of course once Abby made the decision to ask Alice, Alice knew it was coming and so raced back out to the yard again.

"Would you really?" she demanded happily.

Abby looked almost bewildered. "Of course, if that's alright with everyone."

Alice's face lit up even more. "Excellent. I don't know what it is you plan or how you do it, but if you take care of the bachelorette party, she won't complain and we'll all have fun. If Rosalie or I try to do it there will be lots of grumbling.

"Now, Bella, we moved the bridal shower to tomorrow because your mother wouldn't be able to come no matter when it was. She sent your gift already. I already talked to Angela and she'll be here, as will a few other girls from school. I realize you aren't great friends with any of them, but it's only a few people and we'll be here to run interference."

I nodded my head stupidly. If the guest list was minimized to my family and a few others it couldn't be that bad. Alice had already moved on.

"Abby, I've already spoken with Elizabeth, Kate and Charlotte, but I want to ask you too – will you help us with the rest of the wedding preparations? We need to work on place cards for the reception tonight."

"Certainly, Alice."

My tiny, spiky-haired sister-to-be clapped her hands in excitement before taking our arms and leading us back inside. "Esme is taking care of dinner and once you've eaten we can get down to business."

The Cullens sat with us while we had pasta for dinner. I was immensely pleased they didn't have to pretend to eat this time.

Aunt Elizabeth smiled at me from across the table. "So Bella, how did you meet Edward?" she asked.

Alice nearly fell off her chair laughing. I missed the others already, at least Jasper could have calmed her down.

"We met at school. I transferred here second semester of my junior year and we had biology together," I answered. "Alice is laughing because it was extremely difficult for him not to kill me that first day."

The alarmed looks on their faces had me stumbling over my words again to explain. "I am what some call Edward's 'singer'. My blood smells much better to him than an average person's. He described it to me by likening it to a heroin addict who is offered a particularly enticing brand of the drug. I don't suppose there's really a human way to understand it. Obviously he has much more self control than he will admit," I argued, though he wasn't there to hear it.

"We first realized he was either in love or seriously deranged when he saved her from an out-of-control car," Rosalie offered.

Alice looked mildly affronted. "Speak for yourself, Rosalie. Some of us knew they were destined to be together."

"Not everyone is clairvoyant, Alice," the blonde retorted. "I thought he was deranged. The others seemed to recognize the feelings behind his actions."

Kate spoke up, "If you don't mind my asking, what happened?"

"I was in the parking lot at school and there was black ice everywhere. One of our classmates lost control of his van and it skidded toward me. I would have been crushed between it and my truck if Edward hadn't stopped it," I explained.

"I thought you drove the Guardian," she looked confused.

"That is Edward's idea of an appropriate replacement for my truck. It died about a week ago. Anyway, that was the first time he saved my life."

"First time?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "Do go on."

"Well, he argues the first time was really when he managed to not kill me in biology that first day. I don't count it. The second time I got lost in Port Angeles and was nearly attacked. The third was when a vampire tracker decided to kill me, though that was definitely a family effort. The fourth time I cut myself and he threw himself between me and another vampire," I realized after the words 'I cut myself' left my mouth that I should have glossed over that one.

Aunt Elizabeth noticed the slight difference in my tone, of course, and gave me a look. "Bella, what really happened?"

I shook my head, unable to bring myself to explain my calamitous eighteenth birthday party or the unspeakably painful months that followed. Thankfully, Esme and Rosalie stepped in, fielding all the questions that came up while I tried to think of other things. Across the table, Alice was watching me carefully, trying to gauge my emotions without Jasper's help. I stubbornly kept eye contact with her, hoping it would help. Something worked because I was not an emotional mess when they were finished with the story.

"And after that he saved me from the tracker's vengeful mate while the rest of the family and the werewolves took care of the army of newborn vampires she had created for the sole purpose of destroying me," I tried to laugh off the situation with Victoria, but it came out sounding serious anyway.

"You really are a danger magnet, huh?" Charlotte asked. One of her sisters must have kicked her under the table because she gasped and shifted to rub her shin. "Sorry."

I tried not to laugh. "With Emmett around I've heard much, much worse at my expense. Besides, it is true."

Dinner was cleaned up quickly and Alice brought out the materials for the place cards. I was, again, forbidden to touch any of it because my handwriting was deemed atrocious. This wedding task was much quieter than the last few since the boys were gone. I tried not to dwell on that for fear that the ache in my very soul that plagued me whenever Edward was away would return.

"Alright, so you heard my story," I deliberately refocused. "What about you all?"

"You first, Mother. It'll be easier that way," Charlotte encouraged.

Aunt Elizabeth nodded but the movement did nothing to her perfect calligraphy. "As you all know I met Will when he was ten and I was eight on the crossing from England to Jamaica. I will not bore you by rehashing those facts that are in the movies. With the exception of perfunctory and necessary words, Will and I did not speak to each other from the time we were in Tia Dalma's cabin until we were well on our way to World's End. He didn't know the truth and felt betrayed. I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone what I had done. Of course, the first time we did speak I compounded the situation by bringing up Jack right away.

"He approached me, when the truth came out, and we did finally talk then. There is a brief scene in the third movie, but it does not really encompass everything that we discussed. Neither of us knew where to go from there. The first time I really had hope for us as a couple again was after I found out my father had been murdered. Will did everything he could to comfort me then.

"We each took time to think things through and realized we needed each other, even while he was dealing with Lord Beckett and I was elected Pirate King. As Jack said, we were married on the Black Pearl in the middle of a battle with the East India Trading Company and Davy Jones. Will was murdered shortly thereafter, but Jack ensured he would survive as captain of the Flying Dutchman. We had twenty four hours together before he had to leave to ferry souls between worlds.

"About a month later I realized I was pregnant with Liam and became quite depressed. It concerned Jack so much that he petitioned the sea goddess, Calypso, for her help. She changed the rules of the curse so Will could at least visit me. What we did not know was that she was testing us and planned to intervene and free him early. The curse was lifted the day Liam was born. We've traveled with Jack ever since and found the Fountain of Youth."

Kate nodded and smiled before launching into her story. "Now imagine hearing all that and having no idea that the supernatural existed outside of your imagination. That's how it was for me. I told you, Bella, that I fell off of my father's ship once. I did not tell you that that's how I truly met Liam. He saw the whole thing happen and dove in after me. We had seen each other in passing in the city, but never spoke before.

"My father was a merchant sailor. With all the taxes levied by the British King, he was finding it increasingly difficult to stay in business. We were outside of Boston Harbor, which was still technically closed after the Boston Tea Party when it happened. To this day, I'm not sure what exactly occurred. I do recall the current carrying me further and further from my father's ship and no one noticing I was missing. And then I assume I passed out.

"The next thing I knew I was on the deck of a ship I'd only seen from a distance soaking wet and coughing up sea water. My petticoats were missing and my dress and corset had been cut off of me. I heard people speaking, but their words didn't register. Nothing did until your aunt and cousin wrapped me in a blanket. When I could think again, they explained what happened and introduced me to my rescuer. I never looked back. He courted me for a short time and we were married within a year."

I sighed, seeing similarities between her story and my own – though I sincerely doubted my cousin had ever felt a nearly uncontrollable urge to murder his wife.

"I suppose you could say the first of the Turners I met was actually Charlotte," Abby began. She had set aside her work and was staring at the table. I had a feeling her story was not as happy. "War had broken out again between the United States and Great Britain. My father and brother were off fighting, leaving me alone with my mother. One of our neighbors was injured and my mother hurried to help.

"While she was gone some American soldiers came, led by a neighbor whose marriage proposal I had declined. When I answered the door they dragged me out of the house and set it on fire. They had seen my mother leave and were waiting for the opportunity. There was a forest just outside of town and they seemed determined to get me there, no matter how hard I fought. About the time we reached the tree line, I gave up and shut down. Charlotte quite literally pulled one of them off of me before the others even got there. They were all so angry I didn't quite know what to do. I was so upset I couldn't think straight.

"Rather than focusing on the men, James focused on me. He wrapped me up in his coat and took me straight to the Pearl. It took me three weeks before I could even speak, I was so terrified. The others continued to fight in the war, but he stayed with me on the ship. He never approached me, he always waited for me to make the first move. I suppose that's why I felt comfortable around him. And over time I fell in love. My family assumed I had died in the fire. As horrible as it sounds, that was for the better because we were married five months later."

Wordlessly, Rosalie stood up from where she was sitting and walked around the table to hug my cousin. When she pulled back, she whispered something too low for me to hear. Abby nodded in understanding, hugged my sister-to-be again and whispered something else. I knew they were bonding over their shared experiences, horrible as they were.

Despite the sad story, the room remained calm and quiet. If I hadn't known Jasper was with Edward, the pair of them suffering through Emmett's insanity on I-5, I would have assumed he was responsible for the almost unnatural mood. Instead, I supposed it had something to do with the sense of kinship that had been building since the truth came out. Though I knew it was an almost futile hope, I wished the boys were experiencing something similar.

"Well that's that then," Alice announced when the last of the place cards was finished. She had a mischievous glint in her eye I was coming to know quite well. "Who's up for a slumber party?"

Charlotte clapped her hands together in delight, "Wonderful! How fun!"

Why was it the only slumber parties I'd ever been a part of included supernatural, immortal beings? Was I so weird? Did it really matter? If I made the effort to get past the annoyance and anger I'd been feeling when Alice kidnapped me in the past, I had enjoyed myself.

"Are you going to torture me again?" I asked teasingly.

"Painting your toenails does not equated to torture," Alice informed me before racing off, presumably to retrieve her slumber party supplies. "I have pajamas for everyone!" she announced as she danced back into the room.

I was tormented again, only this time it was Abby wielding the nail polish. She took the opportunity to ask me all sorts of questions about my likes and dislikes, probably to get a feel for what she should plan for the bachelorette party.

All of a sudden, the brush was back in the bottle and Alice was hugging my cousin. "That's perfect! They'll both love it!"

I gaped at them in confusion.

"Don't tell her yet," Abby begged. "I have to clear it with the boys first and they have to get Jasper and Emmett to agree. Not to mention Uncle Jack."

"Huh?" I finally managed.

"Get Jasper and Emmett to agree to what?" Rosalie asked from across the room.

Alice's lips moved, but I heard none of what she said. Stupid vampire abilities.

Rosalie, of course, heard every word. "I think we can pretty much guarantee they'll agree," she responded with a smug smile. This did not bode well for me.

"Abby, you know full well how to get Uncle Jack to agree to anything. Send in Charlotte. It just takes a pleading smile from her and some rum and he's putty. So I suppose you can consider the bachelor/bachelorette parties settled then," Kate nodded as if that was final. "Who's up for a movie?"

They turned on The Wedding Date again after learning that the only scene I had seen was the short snippet from Saturday. I sat down on the couch and tried not to think about how much I missed my Edward. It felt almost unnatural to miss him so much, though I did understand the cause. I certainly hoped it would not be this way for eternity, but I recognized the very real possibility that it would always be painful to be away from him.

I fell asleep before the others and at some point someone carried me up to Edward's room. I woke up the next morning curled around his pillow. Before I even opened my eyes, I knew someone was in the room with me because I could hear the stifled giggles.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Charlotte literally jumped onto the bed to sit next to me. "So he bought this just for when you sleep over? Nice."

I could feel my face was all scrunched up as I tried to focus on hers. The bed shifted again as Kate and Abby sat down on the edge of it.

"Sorry about her, Bella," Kate offered. "How did you sleep?"

"Um, not great," I answered, shaking my head to clear it. I never slept well without Edward beside me.

Abby patted my hand sympathetically, "He'll be back tomorrow."

I nodded sleepily, "Yeah…"

"Alice banned us from going back downstairs," Kate explained. "We're supposed to be getting you ready for the shower."

I tried not to wince, but the prospect of Barbie Bella with my cousins was little better than with my sister-to-be.

"Surely we're not that bad," Charlotte chided, bouncing up and down. "Just go get in the shower already. We've got an hour and a half."

I did as they asked, dragging myself into the bathroom.

"Don't bother drying your hair – we'll do that!" one of them called. I didn't know them well enough to distinguish their voices through a closed door and over running water.

It seemed Alice had let me sleep in, giving my cousins the chance to get back to their hotel and get ready before tackling the mess that was me. The light blue sundress they had me in was pretty, though it didn't feel very me. My hair was curled softly, half of it pulled off my face with a ribbon. Thankfully, the white shoes I wore were flats.

Ninety minutes later I was deemed ready to face the world. The four of us headed downstairs together and Kate kept her hand on my arm. I could not wait to be less clumsy, but greatly appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

The living area was decorated in shades of blue and silver, the colors Alice chose for the wedding. Elegant white and blue tablecloths were spread over two long tables. One held an array of hors d'oeuvres and the other a small pile of gifts. I had a brief flashback to my birthday, but managed to push it aside. Light blue and white votive candles resting on circular beveled mirrors with blue and silver confetti scattered between them served as centerpieces. Alice was flitting around the room, clipboard in hand, making small adjustments to various things. I had a feeling I was getting a preview of what my wedding day would be like.

The doorbell rang as soon as my foot hit the bottom landing, announcing the arrival of the first guests that weren't related to me.

"Hi Bella! You look very pretty!" Angela smiled genuinely as she hurried over to hug me. "Are you excited?"

I blushed lightly at the compliment and nodded.

"Go introduce her to everyone and I'll handle the door," Alice instructed, waving the clipboard at me.

"Angela, these are my cousins Charlotte, Kate, Abby and Elizabeth," I explained. We decided that age-wise it was best to introduce my aunt as a cousin.

"It's nice to meet you all," Angela nodded at them and shook their hands.

The other guests turned out to be Jessica Stanley, who was alternately bubbly and cool throughout the afternoon, and two girls who I had shared several classes with but did not know very well; Cindy Parker and Melanie Jones. I took care of more introductions before making the mistake of glancing at the clipboard, which was currently waving me toward the food table.

I obeyed Alice's clear instruction to start eating and nibbled on some fruit. The others followed suit, making small talk. It did not escape my notice that one of my family members was always at my side. I don't know if they were keeping Alice's promise from the day before or if they were concerned I would bolt if left alone.

"Your cousin looks a lot like Keira Knightley," Jessica informed me. "Weird how her name is Elizabeth and Keira's playing an Elizabeth."

At that moment, the phone rang and Esme disappeared into the kitchen to answer it. I found that very strange, having never heard anything but a cell phone ring at the Cullens' before. I hoped it wasn't a problem in California.

"Bella, dear?" Esme called from the other room. "It's for you!"

My sneaky sister-to-be had arranged for my mother to call me just as the shower was starting. I learned later that not only was it so I could speak with her, but it served as a distraction for me while they played their first shower game. While I sat in the kitchen relaying every detail Reneé asked for, Alice passed out paper and pens and had everyone write out what I was wearing in as much detail as possible. It seemed ridiculous to me considering at least three of those in the room had perfect memories and three others had been responsible for dressing me. Yet none of them won, the cheaters.

When I returned, Angela's description was deemed both most detailed and most accurate. After declaring her the winner, Alice handed over a small gift basket full of lotions, candles, and bath salts.

"Now for our next game. Before he left, we asked Edward twenty questions about himself and Rosalie has his answers. I want each of you to write down how many of them you think Bella answer correctly. Then we check to see how well she really knows him," Alice was fairly giggling over this.

As usual, I blushed. My mouth went dry at the prospect of trying to get these answers right in front of others. And Alice was setting up a white board, presumably to keep score. Great.

"Alright, Bella. Where was Edward born?" Rosalie asked.

I looked from her to Esme to Alice, trying to discern whether to try to guess at made up answers or not. I went with what I knew. "Chicago."

Alice made a mark on the white board.

"Before he died, what did Edward's biological father do for a living?"

"He was a lawyer," I answered, receiving another mark.

"And if Edward doesn't wear his contacts, what color are his eyes?"

That question threw me for a moment before I realized what they meant. "Green." Or at least they were. And would be again soon. That would take some getting used to.

The game continued for the next ten minutes, Rosalie firing questions at me and me answering, usually after some amount of hesitation. When we were finished, there were twenty tally marks on Alice's white board. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Abby was the only one who actually guessed I would get them all right, winning her a gift basket as well.

"One more game and then we'll break for presents," Alice announced. "I have here a list of fifteen famous couples from television shows and movies. Some of them have to be inferred, but you all have five minutes to write down last names and origins."

She handed us each a piece of paper and I glanced over the names, identifying a few right away. When she called go and started the stopwatch, I filled in the answers I knew and started trying to remember the rest. The five minutes flew by and the next thing we were done.

"Remember, I said some of these had to be inferred meaning they weren't necessarily married in the movie, but we all know they got there," the pixie reminded us before giving the answers, emphasizing the last names. "Scarlett and Rhett Butler from Gone With the Wind. Ward and June Cleaver from Leave It to Beaver. Anakin and Padmé Skywalker from Star Wars. Lucy and Ricky Ricardo from I Love Lucy. Chandler and Monica Bing from Friends. Mike and Carol Brady from The Brady Bunch. Samantha and Darrin Stevens from Bewitched. Laura and Rob Petrie from Dick Van Dyke. Han and Leia Solo from Star Wars. Lily and James Potter from Harry Potter. George and Jane Jetson from The Jetsons. George and Mary Bailey from It's a Wonderful Life. Howard and Marion Cunningham from Happy Days. Noah and Allie Calhoun from The Notebook. And last, but not least, Will and Elizabeth Turner from Pirates of the Caribbean – I will not hear arguments on that one, thank you very much. None of this Jack Sparrow nonsense."

I didn't look at her directly, but out of the corner of my eye I could see my aunt trying not to smile at that last little bit.

Melanie and Cindy tied for first place, though again I knew there was cheating on the part of my family, and walked away with movie-themed gift baskets.

Alice clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Before Bella opens her gifts, I have bingo cards for everyone. Mark whatever she unwraps and we'll see who wins. Standard bingo rules apply, of course," she handed out more cards and pens.

And then all attention was turned to me as I was handed the first gift. Suppressing the memory of the last time I had opened a wrapped present in the Cullen home, I checked the tag. It read: "To Bella (and Edward) Best Wishes, Angela (and Ben)." I thought was very cute.

"I didn't know where you were registered, so I hope this is alright," she offered.

"I'm sure it will be great," I assured her, not mentioning that I hadn't registered anywhere. There had been absolutely no need to when the plan was to become a vampire. Now, on the other hand, we would actually use kitchen appliances, flatware, silverware, household items… I tried not to dwell on the inevitable shopping trips ahead of me with Alice. Bed, Bath and Beyond was going to really appreciate my aunt and uncle's wedding gift, even if they didn't know why.

I crumpled up the wrapping paper and examined the box in my lap. Angela had gotten me, or us, really, a can opener.

"I know you can be a little clumsy sometimes, Bella. And this model has magnets so you don't ever have to touch the edge of the can," Angela explained, sounding unsure. It was almost as if she was now concerned I would be offended by her gift.

I was touched by her thoughtfulness, even though I rarely had klutzy moments in the kitchen. "Thank you! I really appreciate that. Anything to keep me out of the ER!" I made a little joke at my own expense, still hoping that the promised grace would come with the waters from the Fountain of Youth.

One by one I unwrapped a set of knives, a food processor, a fancy white tablecloth, a stoneware set and various other home essentials. The final gift was from Charlotte, but I never saw what it was. As soon as I slid my finger under the flap, I saw Alice wince and her mouth move rapidly and soundlessly. I could tell that she, Esme and Rosalie stopped breathing and waited for the pain that would tell me I had cut myself.

"Ouch!" I exclaimed, trying not to shake my hand. With my luck it would have sent blood droplets across the room.

Aunt Elizabeth recognized what happened immediately and was at my side in an instant. I think she realized how dangerous something as minor as a paper cut could potentially be around vampires.

"Where's the first aid kit, Bella?" she asked me with a quick glance at my soon-to-be in-laws. They had tight smiles on their faces and I didn't feel threatened, but it couldn't have been comfortable for them. I could smell the blood myself and felt my head start to swim.

Alice answered for me, "There's one upstairs in my bathroom."

With Aunt Elizabeth on one side and Kate on my other, I made my way out of the living room.

"Bella really doesn't do well with blood," I heard Angela explain.

The cut must have been deeper this time or maybe it was a lack of adrenaline since no one tried to pounce on me, not I blamed Jasper at all for what had happened nine months ago, but I could definitely smell the blood and it was turning my stomach. There was nothing else to think about. I made a small whimpering sound.

"Are you alright, Bella?" Kate asked me, concern coloring her tone and expression.

"Blood makes me really sick," I explained quietly.

"Try not to think about it," Charlotte said from behind me. She must have followed us out of the living room without my realizing it. "Think about Edward. Think about the wedding. And if all else fails, grin like an idiot. It suppresses the gag reflex so you won't throw up."

I did smile, though it was definitely weak. "I tend to just pass out."

"Oh, then I've got nothing."

They got me up the stairs and into Alice's enormous bathroom. For once I was thankful for the chair that never seemed to leave. Though it was normally the bane of my existence during Barbie Bella time, I needed to sit. While Kate found the bandages and peroxide, Aunt Elizabeth stayed with me. Having seen me safely up the stairs, Charlotte ran to the kitchen for some water. I heard the sink running and assumed Kate was washing her hands.

"Put your head between your knees, honey," Aunt Elizabeth instructed, laying a cool, wet washcloth on the back of my neck and sitting on the floor so she could keep an eye on my face.

Kate expertly cleaned the cut, which was indeed deeper than average. She then bandaged my finger and put the supplies away.

"Breathe in 2 – 3 – 4. And out 2 – 3 – 4," Aunt Elizabeth counseled, counting the time it should take me to inhale and exhale.

Charlotte reappeared with Abby in tow and handed me the glass of water.

"Alice sent the others home. She said you wouldn't be feeling up to coming back downstairs," Abby explained.

Alice was right, as usual. The minor, almost non-event downstairs had triggered graphic flashbacks that I was struggling to push aside. I heard the front door close and in an instant, Alice, Rosalie and Esme had joined us. I was panting heavily, trying to get control of myself and failing.

"Don't think about that," Rosalie instructed, realizing what was going on. I didn't realize it at the time, but she probably had experience with flashbacks and post traumatic stress disorder. Despite her gentle but firm order, I couldn't focus on anything but the remembered pain of Edward leaving me. I was vaguely aware of the others talking as I slipped further away.

Suddenly, my cheek stung. I brought my hand to my face to rub it and realized someone had slapped me. "Focus on me," Abby commanded. "That's it, Bella. Look at me. Focus." She could see I was coming around, able to pull myself out of the spiral. I knew who I was and where I was. I even knew that, though Edward was not with me, he would be back the next day.

Unfortunately, I also remembered something we hadn't considered in regards to the Fountain of Youth. The Volturi would certainly not be pleased with this turn of events. And with them expecting me to be changed, they would be checking up on us.

"Volturi," I finally managed.

If it were possible for vampires to pale, I'm sure Esme, Alice and Rosalie would be even whiter than normal.

"I hadn't thought of that," one of them whispered. I was too panicked to identify who it was.

"What's a Volturi?" Charlotte asked. The others wore matching confused expressions.

"The vampire ruling family. They're expecting us to change Bella. They're responsible for making sure that humans don't know about vampires and probably won't take kindly to us changing back," Rosalie explained.

I looked up at Alice, who had her eyes closed firmly, a look of intense concentration on her face.

"They have ways of tracking us down," Esme elaborated, sounding flustered.

"I'm sure we'll think of something," Elizabeth assured us. "There is no reason to get all worked up now, especially when half of the family is not here and could very well have an easy solution. We're not going to think about the Volturi. We are going to go back downstairs and find something to occupy our evening."

I could hear the Pirate King come out in the way she issued orders. With a mother like that I had a feeling my cousins obeyed all of the time. Then again, with an uncle like Jack Sparrow, maybe not. We did as she suggested, trying to distract each other from the problem at hand for the rest of the night. They spent the night again and Abby insisted on sleeping on the couch in Edward's room. I think she was afraid I wouldn't be able to sleep.

The next day, we only had to wait until about ten in the morning for them to return. Alice had the exact time pinpointed, of course. We all found ourselves so anxious we couldn't help but wait on the front porch for the arrival of the big, white van and the other half of our family.