Hello everyone. Thank you for all the great reviews. The story is getting more...emotional as I go along, and I wanted to share this chapter with you. One thing; next chapter, LOTS of stuff happens, so wait in suspense. This chapter is kind of hinting at events in chapter eleven, so bear that in mind as you read it. PREPARE YOURSELF for the grand finale, because it is fast approaching. If you don't understand my writing or what I'm trying to say, message me or write in a review. PLEASE keep reviewing, I love reading your thoughts. Thank you.

Chapter ten: "I'm always the last to know everything."

Only a couple of days later we were planning on going to look at houses out of the state. We wanted to move as soon as possible, now that the idea had been planted in our heads. We were ready to go, and would leave once I'd said goodbye to Mom. Once I'd said goodbye, and announced my engagement to her. I mentally cringed at the reaction I knew she'd give. In hindsight, I probably should have introduced Riley to her before I told her that I was going to marry him. Oh well. Riley had driven us there in the new car that the Cullens had bought for us as an engagement present. It was a Mercedes, and it was fast, that much I knew.

"Riley, please. Don't come in with me. I can handle it by myself."

"No, I want to come in with you."

"But...you haven't been around any humans since...Well...Y'know. And this is my mom we're talking about, not some random stranger."

"I know it is. I can handle it, I swear. If I start to lose control then I'll just leave. Your mom won't question the speed or anything will she? I mean, she knows about vampires right? She knows that I'm a vampire, doesn't she?"

"Um...Yeah, about that..." I started.

"You didn't tell her? About my being a vampire?" Riley asked incredulously.

"Well. To be honest, I didn't tell her very much at all about you. Just your name."

"Oh." Riley said, leaning back in the chair.

"She knows I imprinted. So she knows that this love is real, and it's powerful. I'm sure she won't mind about the whole vampire thing. She's cool like that." I took advantage of Riley's apparent lack of concentration, quickly opened the door, and got out of the car. But as I did so, I was overcome with a wave of nausea, I swayed on my feet, and I felt a pair of cool hands catch me before, for the second time in Riley's presence, I blacked out.

Cold and warm merged into one. All over me, it felt like ice was being pressed with fire against my skin. Then I realised that it was Riley's hands and Mom's hands, checking my forehead and holding my hand. My eyelids twitched, and I took a deep breath. I heard a sigh of relief, and quiet murmurings.

"Leah! Hey, can you hear me?" A deep, concerned voice asked.

"Hmm," I replied.

"You've got fast reflexes, I'll give you that," a familiar voice said.

"It comes with the territory," Riley replied dryly. My eyes opened to the wooden beams of the living room in my mom's house.

"Honey, are you okay?" Mom asked me, peering into my face.

"Yeah. I'm just...hungry." I heard Mom tut, and she spoke quietly to Riley, saying,

"That's your fault. You've been neglecting all her human needs because you don't need them!"

"M-o-m," I complained, "It's not his fault. It's mine. I've just not been hungry recently."

"Hmph," she replied, and I heard her slippers pad away towards the kitchen.

"Sorry about her," I whispered to Riley as he stroked my face.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're okay. You scared me then. You've really got to stop fainting in my presence. There are healthier ways to say you love me."

"Mom will come round. She's just not too fond of vampires," I told him, ignoring what he just said.

"That doesn't bother me."

"She just needs to get to know you. She won't be able to resist you. She'll fall hook, line and sinker."

"Well, I hope so." I frowned, then said to Riley,

"Wait, why are you here? How are you still here? Mom is a human and you're..."

"A vampire who swore to his love that he would not hurt her mother? I keep my promises, Leah."

"Are you sure you don't...you know..." I started. Riley interrupted me with a smile, saying,

"Honestly, I'm fine. Seeing you pass out sort of knocks any other thoughts from my mind." I sighed deeply, having to accept that Riley would not hurt my mother. I trusted him. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the hunger I was feeling. When Mom came in with a plate of bacon and sausages I nearly cried out with relief. Seeing her worried face nearly made me hesitate in my decision to tell her about my engagement. What if she had a heart attack, like Dad? I inwardly cursed myself. Mom was stronger than Dad, both physically and mentally. She would be able to handle it. God, I was only telling her I was engaged! It's not like Riley was an axe-murderer or something like that. (Though I'm sure 'vampire' doesn't score too highly either.) My stomach churned at the thought of what I was about to do. I was about to tell my mother that I was going to marry a man who she'd just met. Oh, and he wasn't even a man; he was a vampire. Once I'd finished my food, after a few deep breaths I met Riley's eye, and he gave a tiny nod.

"Thanks for the food Mom. It was great. And, you know what? You're always so great to me! Always so...supportive. And I have just this teeny matter I need to tell you about," I moved my thumb and index finger together to show just how 'insignificant' the matter was, "Well, you see, the thing is...Riley is...Riley and I are...We're getting married." There was silence for a few seconds, and then Mom slowly nodded. Riley began to speak to her,

"I realise I probably should have asked your permission first. But it wasn't really planned. It was more of a spur-of-the-moment thing." Mom's mouth dropped open, and Riley hurriedly corrected himself, "Not that it's one of those whirlwind romances! No, that's not what I meant! I meant that I'd been kind of subconsciously thinking about it for a while, and then the moment came, and I asked your wonderful daughter if she would do me the greatest pleasure in the world, of becoming my wife." He made it sound like I was doing a favour for him, in marrying him. I waited for a few seconds for Mom to speak. When she did, it seemed like she was choosing her words very carefully.

"I see. You haven't known each other for very long at all. I can see there's...something there between you. Well, I'm not going to stop you. I'm not going to give you my blessing though. But there's nothing stopping you getting married." Riley and I looked at each other, trying to think of what to do. Riley spoke again,

"Leah is the most fantastic person I have ever met. She makes me laugh, she makes me feel alive. When she smiles, I feel like the world has set on fire. I love her with all my heart, mind, my whole being. And-" Mom held her hand up to stop him, and then said,

"Save it for the church." She smiled at me, and I stood up, saying,

"That's it? You're giving us your blessing?" When she nodded I bounded over to her and gave her a huge hug, whispering 'thank you' into her ear. After a while, I looked at my watch and said apologetically,

"We're going to have to leave now. But don't worry. I'll be back. Love you Mom."

"Love you too," she replied with a smile.

"Thank you for the blessing. And goodbye, I hope to see you soon," Riley said politely. He stood by the door, and his jaw was strained away from me. I looked at him confusedly, and then the penny dropped,

"Oh. Oh." I walked quickly away from Mom and Riley and I hurried out of the door together. When we reached the car, Riley looked less strained, and he turned to me, saying,

"Sorry about that. I just...became aware of your mother's scent. I'm sorry I'm so weak." My eyebrows shot up in surprise, and I corrected him quickly,

"Weak? No Riley, you're not weak. The way you handled everything today was amazing. It was your first time around a human. I am so, so proud of you." He bit his lip and shook his head, and started driving. I rolled my eyes at him being a martyr.

The next few days were a whirlwind of events. We started looking for houses, but none of them were particularly special. We were planning on finding a place out of state, but still close enough to La Push. Also, I had been taken shopping by Renesmee, of all people, to find a wedding dress. Luckily, I had been more successful there than with house-finding.

Bridal Boutique was a small shop. It wasn't lit up with bright white lights, and we didn't get offered free champagne as we walked through the door like we had for other shops. The dresses that hung from the walls were not the puffy, lacy monstrosities I had been forced to try on earlier. They were simple and elegant, and I hoped I would find a dress there. It wasn't long before I was in the dressing room, trying on a gown that was optimistic about. When I stepped out of the cubicle and into the main shop, I heard gasps. Nessie rushed over to me, saying,

"You have to have it. It's looks perfect!" She grabbed my hand, careful not to touch the dress, and turned me round so I was facing the three way mirror. The colour, very slightly off-white, looked great against my skin. The trumpet sleeves were not what I would have normally chosen, but looked good. The bodice was silk, with a simple heart-shaped neckline, on the back was a criss-cross of ribbons, like a corset. The bodice stopped at my hips, where it began to spread out into an A-Line skirt. The skirt was long, creating a small train at the back. I stood, staring at my reflection for a while, marvelling at myself. When I tore my eyes away, I looked at Nessie, who actually had tears in her eyes.

"You look beautiful," she said with a sigh.

"Thanks," I mumbled. Then I added with a smile, "We're going to need to find a dress for you too. What with you being my bridesmaid and everything." Nessie's jaw dropped, and she squealed,

"Really? Oh my gosh! Thank you so much!" I laughed, and with one final glance in the mirror, I went back into the dressing room to change back into my jeans and t-shirt. Back to reality.

We had been spending a lot of time at the cottage, whilst surfing the internet and scouring the newspapers for house details. It was about five o'clock in the evening one day when Riley suddenly said,

"Leah, look at this. Doesn't this sound good?" I wandered over to him, putting down the pack of Pringles I had been devouring. He was sat at the laptop, a picture of a house on the screen. I read the information aloud,

"'Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, joint kitchen and dining room, living room, storage cupboard.' Sounds good. Hold on; let me read this, 'Fir Tree Lodge is the perfect house for those who prefer the quiet life. Situated in St. David's forest, which is known for its abundance of deer and elk, this little wooden cabin is full of charm and character. Previously a hunting lodge, the house has phone reception and relatively nearby is internet signal. The nearest shop is located around 8 miles away, and the lodge is definitely not situated on the beaten track. However, if you are looking for a life of peace and quiet then the house is most certainly worth considering.'" I finished reading and started to nod, a smile spreading across my face. Riley spoke first,

"Plenty of elk for me."

"And it's a good size." I added.

"Only about forty-five minutes from here."

"I think, Riley Biers, that we have found a house!" I exclaimed.

Then he frowned, saying, "Now we need a date for the wedding."

"To be honest, I'm not too fussed. I'd just like it to happen soon."

The next day, I realised that I was missing Seth. I hadn't spoken to him in a while. I walked into the forest, preparing myself to phase. I hadn't been in my wolf form for a while either, and it felt kind of strange. I felt the tremors ripple through my body, and I waited for the moment when my other form would burst out of me. I waited, but it never came. I tried again, but still I could not phase. I frowned in confusion. Seth would know why I couldn't phase, or Jake. Or Sam. In that moment I decided to go and speak to Sam. Hopefully it would be easier to talk to him now I had Riley. And so I set off for Sam and Emily's house.

I arrived outside the house, and Emily met me at the door. She had always greeted me warmly, even though I had been so mean to her. She looked kind of confused when she saw me, but she still let me in. Her stomach was even larger than when I had last seen her, and she looked radiant. I was actually jealous of her, but I wouldn't admit that.

"You look great!" We said in unison. We laughed together.

"Seriously, you're glowing!" I said to Emily, trying to make up for all the times I had been mean to her.

"So are you! You're happy with Riley, are you?" She asked concernedly, walking towards the kitchen, where Toby was sat at the table.

"Yes. I'm very happy. And I'm-" I was cut off my Emily saying,

"No, Toby, don't draw on the table. That's what the paper is for!" When Toby had successfully moved his crayon to the paper, Emily continued, "Sorry, Leah. Please carry on."

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for all the...drama I've caused. I'm sorry for being rude to you in the past. I was an idiot." Emily shook her head and said,

"No, it's fine. You were hurting, that's all. And now you're not. Everything's okay."

"Really? Are you sure?" I asked.

"Honestly, it's fine. All forgotten." The oven timer went off and Emily moved to the counter. I moved so I could see Toby's drawing. It was a dinosaur, clearly.

"You're a good little artist aren't you?" I asked him.

"Me? No, I'm not little, I'm a big boy."

"You'll be a big boy when you eat all your dinner," Emily said to him.

"That is a great dinosaur," I said, pointing at the picture.

"It's not a dinosaur! It's a house!" He cried.

"Oh," I said.

"Haha, tricked ya. It is a dinosaur. It goes RAAAAH!" He shouted.

"It is one scary dinosaur. Does it have a name?" I asked.

"He is called Dino the dinosaur. What's your name?" He asked interestedly.

"My name's Leah."

"Hello Leah, I'm Toby. How do you do?" He held out his little hand, which I shook, laughing. Emily walked over to the table with a plate of muffins and two mugs of tea.

"Toby, why don't you take your colouring over to your bedroom?" Emily asked him. He picked up his pack of crayons and paper, jumped off his seat, ran to the doorway, then turned around and shouted 'RAAAAH!' before going into his room and closing the door. I chuckled at him; he was cute.

"You're good with him. Maybe you can babysit him. Anything to keep his shouting quiet. Do you want children?" Emily asked.

"Um. I don't know. Maybe? I didn't before I met Riley, but then it changed. I wouldn't mind having a child if he was the father. But then, I'm not exactly sure how possible it is for us, what with my being a werewolf and him being a vampire."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be happy, whatever happens," Emily said kindly. At that moment, the front door opened, and Sam walked in, bending down to get through the doorframe. As he caught sight of me, his eyes widened in misunderstanding.

"Hi, Leah," he said confusedly. Suddenly, the reason for my visit reappeared in my mind; I had forgotten all about my phasing problem while I had been speaking to Emily.

"I, uh, needed to ask you something. About phasing," I said. Emily smiled and left us to talk, and I heard her speaking to Toby in his bedroom.

"Tell me," Sam said concernedly.

"Well, earlier, I tried to phase, and I...couldn't."

"Just...couldn't?" He asked.

"Yeah. I tried a few times and I couldn't do it. Do you know why?"

"Well. Some people stop phasing when they decide that they want to stop being a protector and keep ageing, others that they've found their imprint and want to grow old with them," Sam explained.

"But, I haven't decided I want to age! Riley is immortal, staying the same all the time, and I want to do that too. So it can't be either reason," I pointed out.

"Then I'm sorry. I don't know why. Maybe you just weren't putting all your effort into it, or your mind was elsewhere. Try again another time, it was probably just a one-off," Sam told me. I shrugged, not entirely convinced. There were a few moments of silence, and then Sam broke it, laughing, "Hey, I told you that you would find someone. It was my Alpha senses." I rolled my eyes, remembering our last conversation, and then said,

"Okay, you keep believing that. Now I have to go and see my fiancé. So thank you for your kind-of help. And will you thank Emily for the food for me? See you soon Sam," I smiled, ducking out of the door.