If I was a flower growing wild and free
all I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee.
And if I was a tree growing tall and green
All I'd want is you to shade me and be my leaves
All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the hand and stand by my side

-Barry Louis Polisar "All I Want is You"

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BPOV

My relationship with Jake had truly become as easy as breathing. It felt so good to be able to have a normal relationship. We stayed in and snuggled up together to watch a movie after work, he would come and visit me at the bakery, we would occasionally go out to eat when it was affordable, we took walks by the water hand-in-hand, he would attempt to cook for me, we made love often and I discovered we were both pretty insatiable. I often made him all different kinds of cupcakes with messages now as well.

One night he got me to go out to a baseball game. Hoquiam boasted the Olympic Stadium which was quite unusual; it was a wooden stadium and the outside of it resembled a warehouse. They hosted a number of events and football games there as well. It was small so we carried in our snacks to watch the game. I was caught off-guard by the stab of grief as I remembered the last baseball game I watched.

"Are you okay, Bells?" Jake had asked worriedly.

He didn't need to know about this. It would only upset him that he inadvertently reminded me of them. I could enjoy the game with him and just let myself remember the Cullen's on my own. I squeezed his hand and murmured, "I'm fine, Jake."

I had relaxed and ended up having a good time watching the game while eating my hot dog.

I had also convinced Jake to help me with our little patch of garden space and we had prepped and got it ready for planting. I was sitting on the window seat, watching him as he watered the few things we were able to plant; the rest would have to wait for warmer weather. He had unwound the hose and was sprinkling what we had planted. He glanced up toward our window and saw me. He was half-turned away from me, and he held the hose at the front of his crotch and innocently sprayed it around.

I snorted with laughter at the immature display, secretly loving that he still had a playful attitude after everything. The phone rang at six 'o clock on the dot, and I picked it up knowing it was Emily.

"Hey Bella!" she said cheerfully.

"Hi Emily," I said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling really good actually. The baby has started kicking more and Sam just got to feel him or her last night."

"That's great! I'm sure it must be really exciting for you," I said and mouthed her name at Jake as he came in.

"Definitely. Anyway, I know I told you that I didn't want to make anyone buy a traditional bridesmaid dress. It's too hard economically for most us, but I did search a few shops in Port Angeles and Hoquiam for anyone who needs to buy one and found some good prices."

She rattled off the information. It didn't matter what style dress as long as it was some form of green. We talked more about the food, and she seemed pretty decided on salmon. Price wasn't an issue because I knew most of the salmon would be caught fishing by my dad, Billy, and a few other guys.

Dana, Jamie, and Brian would be bringing the wedding cake and a couple other desserts and were of course invited to have fun at the reception. Emily had really wanted to invite everyone I worked with, but they needed at least three people to stay at the bakery, so Samantha, Clarissa, and Elijah said it was fine and they would man the bakery. It was getting too close to the busy time to close down for the day and orders were already in.

Once the details were given I hung up and Jake pulled me onto his lap on the couch. "So is Emily freaked out over everything yet?" he murmured as he nuzzled his face under the curtain of my hair to get at my neck.

I giggled as he blew a raspberry. "Not too much. She's getting a little anxious, but she wants to stay as relaxed as possible because of the baby."

"Mmmm," he mumbled as he nipped at my earlobe.

"It'll be nice for you to see the guys' again," I commented and felt a shiver dart up my spine as his mouth opened and I felt the moist heat against my skin.

"Mmmhmm," he mumbled again.

"Where are we going to stay, though? Billy will be happy to see you, but I don't know if he'd want us both there," I mused and squirmed as his fingertips dipped below the waistband of my jeans.

"Bells?" Jake said as his other hand cupped my jaw, tilting it to get better access to my throat. "You're kind of killing my hard-on talking about the guys and my dad," he said and we both began laughing.

I wound my arms around his neck, allowing him to scoop me up and carry me upstairs to have his way with me.

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The day of the wedding was now just a mere few days away and I had taken Emily up on her suggestion of this particular store near the apartment. They had a pretty light green dress that was strapless, though it came with a little top to cover up. It fell to about my knees and was cinched in at the waist showing off my curves. Since I had gained some of the weight back that I had lost they were starting to show again. Jake had made a point of tracing them and I bit my lip at the memory.

When I got home the day before we were supposed to leave I heard Jake talking on the phone. He was being pretty quiet, but I didn't pay too much attention until I heard him say, "You know I still care about you, so only when you're ready."

A frown curved my mouth a little and a moment later he came into the kitchen. "Who were you talking to?" I asked making sure to keep my voice level.

He looked a little worried, but admitted it was Lindsay. My heart stuttered a little at the admission. "Um… oh… well, okay," I said hesitantly. I wasn't sure how to react, though it upset me a little.

Jake reached out and lightly stroked my hair. "Honey, I wasn't planning on hiding it from you. I care about her, but I'm in love with you. What you think matters most to me, so if you're really bothered by my possibly seeing her…"

I relaxed a little. I knew Jake wouldn't do anything to hurt me; it was just the thought that she really had meant something to him that kind of bothered me, though it shouldn't. He was allowed to care about other people.

"No, its okay," I said looping my arms around his waist. "Just let me know when you do and where?" I asked looking up at him.

He leaned down and kissed me. "I promise. She's not ready yet, though, so it's a moot point. I love you, Bells."

I smiled at the devotion in his eyes, feeling so grateful yet again for this opportunity we were given. "I love you, too."

The next day I was up early to make breakfast, pack my dress and an extra set of clothes and toiletries. I also got Tinker's carrier and food ready. Jake was in the shower as I buzzed around downstairs and then he came down to help me finish up and we ate a breakfast of green pepper and tomato omelets, toast, and fruit. I also packed up some lean beef that I had shaped into patties for Billy that could just be thrown into a pan and cooked up easily.

I called Dana to finalize the time frame they would arrive and set-up, and we were on our way. Jake drove right through Forks to La Push and parked at his dad's. Charlie and Billy had been up really early and were just arriving back at the house with a couple other guys' with coolers of fresh caught salmon.

"Bells," he said giving me a hug.

"Hey dad," I said with a smile. "You caught a lot it seems."

He smiled proudly and so did Billy as they showed us. Billy looked a little tired, but it looked like he had enjoyed himself.

"You should probably rest for a little while," Jake told him with his usual concern at Billy overdoing something.

Billy sighed indulgently. "When did my son become the parent?" His speech was improving slowly and surely.

We laughed, Charlie promising he made sure Billy wasn't overdoing it and wearing himself out too much, but Billy acquiesced easily to Jake's suggestion; he must have been tired. Jake helped him inside and got him into bed so he'd be rested for the wedding. Jake planned to take Tinker to Sue's – where we were told we would be staying since she was staying with Charlie for the night – so we parted ways and I headed over to Emily and Sam's house to help set up and get ready.

Sue was pulling a monstrous dish out of Emily's oven with some difficulty. It was potatoes with onions and peppers and it smelled delicious. "Hi Sue," I said giving her a shy smile. "It smells great in here."

She gave me a sunny grin. "Hi honey," she said easily. "This is my second one, but thankfully someone else is doing more. It wouldn't be so difficult if our resident wolves didn't have such voracious appetites!"

I laughed. "Yeah, Jake has had to buy something extra for himself or make do with what we have for awhile now."

I chatted with her for a minute, thanked her for letting us use her spare room, and then she told me to head into the living room where everyone had gathered. My eyes widened as I took in the scene; make-up scattered over the coffee table, the sofa, and the floor, decorations scattered in between, and the rest of the space was taken up by Emily, Kim, Leah, Rachel, Emily's little cousin Claire, and now myself.

Claire was coloring on the floor, but the rest of them were digging through the make-up matching colors to Emily's face. Well, Leah wasn't, she was sprawled on the sofa looking a bit sour.

"Bella!" Emily exclaimed. She jumped up to give me a hug which I returned.

"Wow… it's kind of like…" I trailed off.

"A bomb exploded in here?" she said with a giggle. It was nice to see her look so happy. She also was sporting a belly bump and it was making her glow with radiance.

Everyone greeted me warmly – Leah gave me a grunt and half nod – and soon I was immersed in everything. Overwhelmed, I didn't say anything when the focus shifted to matching color to my face, but I suggested we get the decorations set up at the tribal center and then worry about everything else.

There were already a bunch of people at the center and it didn't take long to set up the little lantern candles and various sizes of vases with daffodils on the tables. We got the tables up for the food and once finished everything looked bright and pretty. It was getting close to the time so everyone took fast showers and got dressed.

"Ooh, I like that dress, Bella. It's really pretty," Kim said.

"Thanks. It was from the shop that Emily had recommended."

"I bet Jake will like it, too," Emily said slyly.

My face heated as usual and they all laughed. Rachel recounted Charlie overhearing her comment at our apartment and imitated his expression making everyone laugh some more.

"I'm really glad for the both of you," Emily said sincerely. "He really loves you."

"Yeah, glad you came to your senses," Leah mumbled. "Hopefully you don't lose them somewhere along the way." I took offense to that, but I was never great at confrontation.

"Leah," Rachel scolded lightly.

"What? You can't say you aren't thinking the same thing. You're his sister."

"I love Jake," I said just managing to meet Leah's eyes. "I don't know what the future holds, but things have changed."

She raised her eyebrows at me, sliding her foot into a high-heeled shoe, and said, "Jake gave up a hell of a lot for you, moved away from his family and his pack, so I really hope things have changed. Though you know, he hasn't imprinted." Her tone wasn't cruel, but it wasn't friendly either.

That brought back the niggling fear that was always in the back of my mind and the idea that had come to me one night over the past month that I hadn't had the nerve to think about or mention to Jake. It would have to be talked about eventually, but I didn't want to worry over it. It wasn't fair to Emily and Sam, and I just wanted to enjoy the day.

"Leah, that's enough," Rachel said quietly. "We don't know the whole story and it isn't the time or place to be discussing this."

That seemed to snap Leah back. She looked genuinely contrite as she laid a hand on Emily's shoulder and said, "I'm sorry Emily."

A little surprised at the gesture, I realized they must have hashed things out over the months that Jake and I had been in Hoquiam.

"Its okay, but I do think you owe Bella an apology. I know you care about Jacob, but they're happy," she said gently and with a small smile to smooth over what she had to say.

Leah nodded, but her face was still a little tight as she apologized to me and I nodded my acceptance of it. The girls' smoothed over it, helping each other with hair and make-up. Emily squeezed my hand as we headed over to the tribal center and I let go of the upsetting feelings, determined to be with Jake and have a good time.

When we got there, we got in position, and I saw Jake and felt my nervousness ease. God, he looked beautiful dressed up and I felt a little flutter at the sight of his hair pulled back in a ponytail with a strip of leather. He smiled at me and I slid my arm into his, waiting for our turn to walk down the aisle. "Don't let me trip," I whispered.

He laughed softly. "Never," he promised.

We watched Leah and Embry walk down the aisle, Kim and Jared, Quil holding Claire's hand as she sprinkled her flowers proudly amidst the coos of the crowd, Rachel and Paul, and then it was me and Jake. I saw Dana, Jamie, and Brian sitting together and all three of them gave me a little wave. The wreaths of daffodils at the front where the tribal council was perched were beautiful. The Elders wore the traditional outfits and looked very regal.

Once we reached the front and took position everything went quickly. I watched as Sam and Emily couldn't take their eyes off of each other. It went by so quickly and then he was leaning down to kiss her scarred face gently before kissing her on the lips. His hand rested on her stomach the whole time and I felt a pang of something I wasn't able to identify. It was a beautiful moment.

Once they were husband and wife, they were showered with birdseed and pictures were taken of the wedding party. Jake dipped me down while kissing me deeply, and I heard a whirring of a camera. Laughing I smacked his arm and he grinned happily.

When the pictures were taken we filed into the area set up for food and dancing. The salmon was fresh and delicious with asparagus shoots and Sue's little potatoes to go with it. It was simple fare, but it was perfect. I don't think I've ever seen Sam smile so much.

Dana, Jamie, Brian, and I got the cupcakes out to set-up. My writing on the one's I made for Jake had become popular with my co-workers and our clients so they spelled out Congratulations Sam and Emily! And they were surrounded by the rest with little hearts and doves on them. We also came out with a simple vanilla cake with vanilla frosting that was decorated with fresh fruit. After the cake and cupcakes were consumed, the standard wedding music was played first. I knew the drumming would come later around the bonfire and the more traditional dance so everyone took to the dance floor.

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JPOV

I pulled Bella out for the wedding party dance, and she rested her cheek on my chest, watching everyone dancing and looking happy. "Did I tell you that you look beautiful?" I murmured tightening my arms around her.

I had only told her every five minutes, so she giggled. "Um… I'm not sure…" she teased.

I grinned. "Well, you do."

"So do you," she added. "You know you're sort of beautiful." I chuckled at the memory that evoked.

When the song was over, I watched as she danced with her friends from work. I led her over to a chair afterward to watch everyone else, but mainly so I could have Bella on my lap. She perched there, her head tucked under my chin. She smelled so damn good; like some kind of flower with her usual hint of strawberries.

Charlie came over and sat with us. He looked a bit uncomfortable with slacks and a tie and he kept tugging at it until Sue would give him a look of amusement and exasperation.

"I can't stand these clothes," he said with a sigh as Bella reached behind me to hand him a cupcake.

"I can't wait to change back into jeans and a t-shirt," Bella told him with a little grin. He laughed and I smirked at how alike they were.

"You kids having a good time?" he asked. "It's nice to see you smiling," he added to Bella.

She gave his hand a squeeze. "I am, Dad." And then she caught sight of Sue and stifled a giggle. "Uh-oh, Dad, looks like you're being summoned to the dance floor."

I started laughing at Charlie's pained expression and gave him a slap on the shoulder. "Have fun, Chief," I said and was rewarded with a half-hearted glare as he reluctantly got up.

Bella snuggled back into my lap and I began stroking her knee, casually brushing my hand a little higher each time. I had just reached her inner thigh when she smacked my hand.

"Jake, we're in public," she said trying to look annoyed, but barely succeeding.

I grinned. "Yes, but no one can see what's going on below the waist since we're behind this table."

She rolled her eyes as I continued. Just as she was beginning to squirm, Embry came out of nowhere and plopped down across from us. Bella grabbed for my hand, but I had already retreated.

"You two are nauseating," Embry said cheerfully. "But it's preferable to hanging out with Quil and Claire. Toddler-speak is nauseating," he added rolling his eyes.

I sniggered at him. "Oooo, how sweet. I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to hang out with him."

We watched Quil spin Claire around again, unleashing a few more little-girl squeals. "You know, he says he wants the imprint to remain as friends. He wants to try and lessen it with pushing that angle when she gets older so he can date. I think you inspired him."

I raised my eyebrows in shock and Bella stared at him. "W-what do you mean?" she asked. "Can he really do that?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but he's going to try. He definitely wants to be in Claire's life, but he decided he wants to choose how it should be. He wants to be like Jake; to be able to do what he wants with his life and choose who he falls in love with."

I was surprised, but I didn't understand imprinting fully. I hoped it worked for him because it would certainly help me. Quil had imprinted before we had all stopped phasing, as was the case for some of the others, but that didn't mean the imprint stopped. It wasn't a subject Bella and I had discussed, but the more time went on, I knew it would have to come up eventually. It was not likely to happen solely because I wasn't phasing, but I knew it was possible I would have to again. With the situation with the Cullen's being what it was, I knew the danger wasn't over.

We all watched Quil in silence. "I hope he does it," I said.

I tightened my arms around Bella again and she turned to face me. The mood needed to be lightened, and since it wasn't an immediate concern for us, I stood and smiled down at her. "Let's dance," I said.

Embry came out with us and danced with one of Emily's friends from the Makah reservation while I danced with Bella. When Embry smoothly slipped her away from me, leaving me with the Emily's friend, I couldn't help laughing as Embry spun and dipped Bella in an exaggerated fashion until she was hanging on to him for dear life. Seeing her smile and laugh like this was something that never failed to make me happy, and I was grateful to Embry for helping to smooth over some of the uncertainties.

When the festivities began to wind down in the hall, the drizzling outside had let up enough for the bonfire to be lit. Dana, Jamie, and Brian had to head home so we chatted with them for a bit before they left. Charlie had checked in with Billy and pushed him to the beach, though Quil and Embry came over to help me carry his chair to where the bonfire was lit. I could have easily done it, but we were all in tune enough to know that would be a bit suspicious. It was one thing to carry just Billy, but another to lift him and his chair by myself.

Once Billy was settled, the Elders began drumming, and I let the rhythmic sound reverberate through me. The sound was so familiar to my childhood. My brothers' were up and shedding their shirts, so I followed suit, and laughed as Bella's eyes widened.

"For special occasions such as a birth, death, marriage, etc, we always do this," I told her and with a quick kiss I was joining them in a dance as old as our tribe.

Hair loose, shirt off and barefoot, we spun in a wild, but coordinated dance for Sam and Emily to the beat of the drums. After it was over, Emily had a huge grin on her face and we all gave her a kiss. I turned to walk back to Bella and her eyes were wide with surprise… and something else.

"You looked beautiful out there," she whispered, curling into me. I laughed and kissed her and realized along with the surprise was lust. It thrilled me to no end that I could do this to her.

There were stories and songs, and then laughter and camaraderie with various friends and family. I had missed this and in some ways I had missed La Push, too. I had always wanted to get away and explore, and I still wanted that, but somehow I knew I would end up back here one day. And I hoped Bella would come with me.

Everyone was dancing with their girlfriend's now, and I realized that was what Paul and Rachel were becoming. It didn't thrill me, knowing Paul, but she did have a way about her that seemed to settle him. I would maim him if he hurt her, so I decided to keep tabs on that as much as I could. Bella didn't want to dance at first and told me she felt strange being the only white person – besides her father – there.

"Bella, you know you're welcome here," I said dryly. "We have welcomed the twenty-first century and it's not a big deal because everyone knows and trusts you."

So she allowed me to lead her closer to the bonfire where I wrapped my arms around her. I led her through some of the shuffle dancing everyone was doing and then we settled into just being wrapped around each other. Humming quietly, I tilted her backwards, leaning over to kiss her and making her smile.

As I pulled her back up, we both saw Charlie shaking his head and rolling his eyes. He looked faintly amused, though, and I snickered as Bella blushed beet-red. We sat with Billy and Charlie for awhile, and then as things wound down, I was ready to head back to Sue's.

"Bella, thank you so much," Emily exclaimed giving her a tight hug.

Bella laughed and lightly rubbed her hand over Emily's belly. "You're welcome. I had a great time, and I'm really happy for you and Sam."

We managed to escape and headed back to Sue's house. Tinker was fast asleep on her bed and we got ready for bed quietly. "It feels weird to be sleeping here knowing she's staying at Charlie's," she said as we climbed into bed. I laughed as she wrinkled her nose a little.

"I kind of like it," I confessed tugging her into me. "It just means I can ravish you in peace."

She gave a little screech as I hauled her on top of me. It shifted easily to soft moans as I did just that.

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AN: Just to let you know, I am ignoring the Rachel/Paul imprint (unlike Quil/Claire because it was mentioned prior to where this story started unlike R/P) in favor of them having a normal relationship progression. There will also be a little more on imprinting later.

Also, since this chapter is centered in La Push, I thought I would share this with you... http:/www[dot]youtube[dot]com/watch?v=nYksWOoP9pU It's an informational video on how they need tsunami and flood protection… it's just shocking. There's a vote on this bill in the House of Representatives for the Quileute Tribe Tsunami and Flood Protection to go along with this if you're interested in signing: https:/www[dot]popvox[dot]com/bills/us/112/hr1162. Don't mean to preach...it's all up to you… but wanted to make everyone aware.