At my request, no rings were offered and no announcements made for the time being. Edward was ecstatic over my acceptance, to a degree that would have been adorable in other circumstances. He used words like engaged and fiancee and marriage and bride far more often than I was comfortable with. However, he agreed to keep our plans a secret while I got used to the idea.

"I have to say something to Alice," he told me. "Otherwise, she'll see it coming, and tell everyone."

"Oh, fine. Tell Alice. But ask her to keep it to herself for now."

Alice did, in fact, keep my secret, but was unable to control her enthusiasm when we were away from the family. She took to visiting me on weekends and spending time with me in my room, where I had to endure some unrestrained bridal talk. She didn't understand my reluctance.

"I'm just not ready for this, Alice. I've never thought about getting married, and it's kind of a weird idea for me. And weddings make me queasy. All the fuss, the poofy dress, the embarrassing toasts, the attention!"

She laughed. "You face being changed into a vampire without a qualm, but walking down the aisle in a white dress - eek!" I shrugged. "Maybe you need preparation. The more you know what to expect, the less afraid you'll be, right?"

"Right," I agreed. But her comment had made me think of something else; another request I wanted to make before going through with the wedding.

I spoke to Edward about it that night, after he'd come through my window and we were settled together on my bed. And after we'd indulged in all the kissing he was going to allow for that night. I was greedier since he'd come back, for some reason. I lay quietly for a minute, trying to calm down. It had already crossed my mind that weddings were usually followed by a honeymoon of some kind, and I was considering the possibilities. I might, down the road, make a proposal of my own, but only after my plans and my strategy had been fully formed.

I turned on my side to face Edward. He smiled, touching my cheek. "What is going through your mind? You look concerned."

"Not exactly. I wanted to ask for your help with something."

"Anything."

I smiled at the predictable reply. "I was thinking about what will be happening soon. After we're...married."

He laughed. "You're getting better at saying that."

"Practice, practice. But about afterwards. When I'm changed, and the time immediately following that."

His face grew serious. "You're concerned about that?"

"Well, it's just that I realized how little I know about it, about what to expect. I think it would be easier if I had some advance preparation."

"It's not really possible to prepare yourself for the experience, love. The pain is...well, it can't really be dealt with. It can only be endured, and waited out." He looked distressed, and put an arm around me protectively.

I gulped. "Yes, well...I didn't mean the change itself so much. I meant what comes after. I don't know that much about life as a vampire. How things work, what I'll feel like. Especially, what I have to do to keep from hurting anybody. I'd like to understand more about it."

"I suppose that makes sense."

"I know you've always tried to keep these things from me." He smiled ruefully. "I thought, maybe, your family wouldn't mind helping to fill me in."

"Information seminars?" he asked drily. "I can imagine Emmett putting together a very exciting power point presentation."

I gave him a shove. "Nothing quite that official. Just let them know that I'd be very open to knowing more. About what, exactly, I can't say, because I don't know enough to know what's missing - if you see what I mean. I just want to go into my new life as prepared as possible."

Edward passed the message along, and the response from the Cullens was more than I'd hoped for. I began to visit the house more often, and whenever I did, I was provided with new insights into the life I was contemplating.

Emmett was content to provide anecdotes. They were mostly intended as humour, but they did indirectly reveal a great deal about vampire life.

Alice filled me in on practical, day to day matters, like convincingly pretending to eat food and avoiding direct sunlight. There were more details involved in passing for human than I had ever dreamed. Rosalie sometimes joined in on these discussions. We hadn't exactly become best friends, but she seemed to respect the way I'd stood up for myself. She was trying to be civil to me, and although the effort was all too apparent, I appreciated it.

Carlisle's contributions were the most formal. He explained what he knew about the physiology of the vampire, the nature and function of venom, the differences in strength and perception between vampire and human. He was a willing and patient teacher, and took even my most trivial questions seriously.

Esme described the actual change, the feeling of burning alive yet never dying. She assured me that I would be able to hear others talk to me, and take some comfort in their presence and the knowledge that it would eventually be over. She told me about her experience as a newborn, the intense thirst and the struggle to subdue it. Again, she promised the family would be with me to help me control myself, and to ensure I was kept safe - or rather, that others were kept safe from me.

When Edward went hunting on a rare cloudless Saturday, I stayed around the house with Charlie, doing the chores together and just hanging out. I knew I'd been spending a lot of my time with Edward and his family, and I didn't want him to feel neglected. Especially since I might, before long, be leaving him behind forever. The Cullens had been discussing the possibilities, and letting Charlie think I'd died was still considered the most promising. My resolve didn't waver, but I felt the weight of my decision more each day.

Sunday, I spent a quiet afternoon with Edward's family. While he and Alice were playing checkers, Carlisle took me through a partial history of the Volturi and his time among them. As the conversation came to an end, I caught Alice's eye. "You never did tell me what happened with Jasper's investigations."

She and Jasper exchanged a look, and Edward said resignedly, "They've been planning on telling you about it."

"About what?" Remembering my instruction on the nature of newborns, I braced myself for more horror.

Alice turned toward me. "You remember that I told you a vampire had been killed nearby?"

"I remember. You said he wasn't killed by another vampire." I leaned forward, intrigued.

"No, he wasn't. And first of all, you should know that it was Laurent."

"Laurent? You mean the same Laurent who...?"

"That's right. He did go up north to visit the Denalis, and stayed with them for some time. We got the story from Tanya. He told them he wanted to try living the way they did, but it looks like he was cheating a bit."

"Cheating? Oh!" I swallowed. "But what was he doing around here?"

Jasper answered me. "We suspect he was contacted by the other member of James' coven. Victoria."

"Victoria's been coming through the area periodically since James was killed," Alice explained. "She'd be driven off, disappear for a while, then turn up again."

"Driven off by who? By all of you?"

"No," Jasper said. "By...well, we'll get to that in a minute."

"Okay, then why does she keep coming back here?"

"The most likely explanation is, she's looking for revenge. We killed her mate. That's not something easily forgiven by our kind."

"She's coming after all of you?" I was appalled.

"There's no real danger to us," Emmett said. "Seven of us, one of her. It's just a pain trying to keep track of her. And, of course, there's the off chance that she's really after..." He broke off suddenly, glancing at Edward, but no explanation was forthcoming. "Anyway, she's got to be extra careful around here, because she's being tracked by the same ones who killed Laurent."

"The same what?" I burst out. "Who killed Laurent? Alice said it wasn't another vampire."

"No, it wasn't. You actually know already, Bella," Edward told me. "You recall the stories you were told while visiting LaPush? The ones that led you to certain conclusions about me?"

"The stories Jacob Black told me? Sure." I frowned, not seeing the connection.

"There was more to the story, if you recall. About the Quileutes themselves."

I thought back. "Well...he told me they met the Cold Ones many years ago." Edward waited. "That the Quileute were supposed to be descended from wolves. That they became spirit warriors in wolf form to fight the vampires." I shrugged. "I can't remember much else."

"You've got it," Jasper said. I looked at him, confused. "They take the shape of wolves, gigantic wolves with supernormal strength. What they call spirit warriors, with enough strength to destroy a vampire."

"You mean..." I searched their faces. "You're not saying those stories are true?"

They all laughed. "Bella, you already know they're true," Edward said. "Those stories are what confirmed your suspicions about us."

"Oh, that part, I know, but...super-powered phantom wolves?" They just sat there, grinning at me. "You're telling me the Quileutes all transform themselves into giant vampire-fighting canines whenever they want, then switch back again..."

"No," Jasper corrected. "Not all of them."

"Only a select few? How do they choose who gets to be super-wolf and who doesn't?"

He and Carlisle looked at each other. "That's one of the things we've been trying to discover," Carlisle said. "I'd theorized that the anomaly had died out many years ago, but they are appearing once again. We're not sure what the direct cause is."

"You're really serious?" It was finally sinking in.

"Completely," Carlisle said. "I was there, along with Edward, Esme, Rosalie and Emmett, when we first encountered the Quileute and made our treaty with them. A treaty which still stands."

"The treaty - that you stay off Quileute land, and they leave you alone and don't tell anyone about you. That's real, too?"

"It is. And the promise to leave us unharmed was an important one. They consider all vampires their enemy. The werewolves could quite possibly destroy us if they wished."

"Werewolves?"

"That's how we usually describe them."

I shuddered, and turned to Edward. His eyes were on Jasper, who seemed to be relaying something to him silently. Edward sighed, and nodded. Jasper turned to me. "Bella, we were hoping you might be of some help to us in this matter."

"Me?"

"Yes. You're acquainted with some of the Quileutes, are you not?"

"A few, yeah. Billy Black is a good friend of Charlie's; he's over there visiting all the time. I know Billy and his son Jacob, and Sue Clearwater's family." I looked around at them. "Why?"

"We might need an emissary," Carlisle explained. "Someone they trusted more than they trust us. We're hoping to persuade the Quileutes to work with us against Victoria, or at least inform us when they encountered her."

"Who would I talk to?"

"Billy Black. He's aware of our situation, and his son..." Carlisle glanced at Edward.

"His son - Jacob? What about him?"

Edward turned to me. "He's one of those select few."

I was stunned. "Jacob Black? Jacob is a werewolf?"

He nodded. "Jasper saw him transform, along with two others."

Things fell into place. "So that's what killed Laurent?"

"Yes."

A memory suddenly popped into my head. "Where and when was he killed?" I asked. Jasper told me the date, and the place - a state park. "I think I may have heard it happen."

That got their attention. "Heard it? How?" Edward asked.

"I was, um, bike riding on the trails near the eastern entrance to the park. I stopped for a minute, and heard this weird noise off in the distance, in the woods. It was a kind of roaring and growling, like a pack of huge animals, and then this strange metallic sound. It sounded just like when...when James..." I stopped, but they seemed to understand. "I turned around and left."

Edward shook his head almost angrily. "You attract danger like a magnet!"

I grinned at him. "So you want me to be a go-between?"

"We would appreciate your remaining open to it, if you don't mind. It could become very useful, if the Quileutes are reluctant to talk to us directly, or if we need someone to approach them on their own territory," Carlisle said.
"We would like to ask for details of Laurent's demise. Irina has been inquiring about it.
"We also hope to engage their assistance in dealing with Victoria.
"Finally, we need to discuss a matter which concerns you directly, Bella. We have to be sure that fulfilling your request will not be considered a breach of the treaty."

"Will you agree to do it?" Jasper asked.

This was scary and weird, and kind of an imposition. And nothing could more clearly show that I was considered part of the family.

"Sure. Why not?"

Life was about to get a lot more peculiar.