A/N: Hey guys. Sorry I haven't uploaded anything for eons. I've had a very stressful time because my mom's been ill and I've been worried sick. But I'm writing more of this story now and will start frequently uploading new chapters again.

Here is the next chapter in the story. I know it's not very exciting but the drama will start soon! And thank you so much for reading. I would love to hear your thoughts on anything to do with this story: whether you like or dislike my writing style, the plot, the characterization...anything! Please share your thoughts by leaving a review.

Copyright disclaimer: The Twilight series and its characters are the creation of and copyright of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing and this is purely a not-for-profit work of fan fiction. No copyright infringement intended

Chapter Ten

– Announcements –

"Hi Mom," I said.

"Bella! It's great to hear your voice. How are you?"

"I'm great, yeah. But I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" Renée said.

"I'm marrying Jacob."

There, I had said it. Three simple little words. There was a silence on the end of the phone and I waited with bated breath to see what my mom would say.

"Oh my! Congratulations, honey!" was the last thing I was expecting to come out of her mouth.

"Thanks," I said. "But I thought you'd be…"

"What?" she laughed. "You thought I'd scold you? Honey, you're twenty-one. You're a fully-grown adult and you can make your own decisions. You're much more mature than I was at your age and I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Mom. That means a lot."

"When's the wedding?" was the next thing that she said and I smiled at her eagerness.

"Jacob and I are engaged to be married," I said, addressing the room of expectant faces. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Esme and Carlisle all burst into congratulatory messages, hugging me and smiling

"I'm so happy for you, Bella," Esme said, her beautiful face glowing with gladness and love.

"And we have an announcement of our own to make, Bella," Carlisle said, when we were calm and Alice had finished excitedly trying to make me agree to wear a vintage gown on my wedding day. "We're moving to Canada."

I was taken aback by the shock of his words. My throat was too tight for me to force out any words.

"It's okay," Alice said soothingly as Jasper used his powers to bring calm to the atmosphere around me.

"We have to go," Esme said gently. "None of us is aging and people are starting to notice. We can make excuses about having had cosmetic surgery but it's not possible to make excuses forever."

"We'll miss you, Bella, but you are part of our family now and nothing is going to change that. You are welcome to visit us in Canada whenever you want to," Carlisle added.

"As long as you don't bring the dog with you," Rosalie said.

Esme scolded her, "Don't speak of Bella's fiancé like that!"

"So what shall we do about the wedding?" Alice said, her voice tinkling with the expectation of helping me prepare.

"We won't be able to attend the wedding," Carlisle said.

Alice's face fell.

"As soon as we leave, the wolf pack will begin to lose their powers. After a few days away from the vicinity of our kind, they will no longer be able to shape-shift or imprint," Carlisle said. "And this fact is especially important for Jacob."

"It's okay," Alice said. "But you must promise to have a wedding video made so that we can all see it that way."

"Of course I will," I said. "I just wish you could be there. It feels wrong that you're not. How are we going to explain it to everybody else? My mom and dad are going to think it's strange that you're not there."

"Oh, we'll think of an excuse," Carlisle said. "Don't worry about that."

"Okay," I said, before continuing, "Do you know how long it will take Jacob to stop being able to phase?"

"Well, the ability to phase is fundamentally a defense mechanism when our kind is in the area of the Quileute people," Carlisle said. "So it shouldn't take too long to evaporate. You know when you are nervous and your body instinctively prepares for fight or flight by releasing adrenaline?"

I nodded and Carlisle continued, "I think that phasing is probably similar to that natural defense mode. In the same way that your body can quickly react and adjust to external stimuli, the ability to phase should easily adjust within a short period of time."

"So you mean that as soon as you leave, Jacob will lose the ability to phase?" I questioned.

"Probably not as soon as we leave but I would imagine that it won't take long to react, a day or two maximum, in my opinion," Carlisle said.

"Okay, that's good," I said.

"And until then, it would be wise to make sure Jacob stays in isolation for a couple days, away from any women, apart from you of course. Just in case he imprinted on someone before his ability to phase wears off," Carlisle finished.

I nodded, "I'll make sure that he does. And when are you moving?"

"Hey, just listen to her," Emmett laughed. "One minute she can't bear for us to leave and the next, she wants us to leave ASAP."

"No, Emmett," I flushed, feeling embarrassed. "I didn't mean that."

"We'll move by tomorrow, since it will make everything easier for you, Bella," Esme said.

"So soon?" I exclaimed. "I am going to miss you all so much."

"We can stay longer," Alice said but Carlisle interrupted, "No. It's best that we leave sooner rather than later."

"Otherwise Jacob will be breaking down the doors to get out of house arrest," Esme joked.

My cell phone buzzed, alerting me to a new text message, and I flipped it open.

Hey beautiful,

Come over to La Push for dinner tonight.

Jacob. xxx

"I think your fiancé wants you," Esme said softly. "It's time to say goodbye."

The goodbyes were painfully sad. It felt like the end of an era and although it was a cliché, my life would never be the same again. The people who I loved as my family and who felt like my last tenuous link to Edward were leaving. My heart jolted in my chest as I realized just how much I would miss them.

"Wait," Alice said, as she darted up the stairs and then swiftly returned, carrying a garment bag over her arm. "Promise to wear this on your wedding day. It's vintage Chanel and I want you to have it."

"I promise," I said, embracing her. "Before I go, there's just one thing I want to do."

I headed for the stairs, climbing them slowly as I remembered the first time that Edward had brought me to this house. When I reached the door of his old bedroom, I braced myself against the tears and went inside the room. Nothing had changed since his death. His huge CD collection was carefully arranged and the big gold bed still stood in the middle of the floor. I walked to it slowly and lay down on top of the eiderdown, my face pressed to the pillows. It still smelled of him and I remembered the night he proposed, the nights when we lay beside each other and talked and the nights when he rocked me to sleep, singing softly to me. When I quietly closed the door and went back downstairs, I felt as if something had changed. I had finally allowed myself to accept what had happened and although tears were flowing freely down my face, I was serene.