A/N: Lines from Twilight in bold.

Chapter 21 Doubts

Bella POV

I never could get the nerve to try to ask Edward about my visions again. I took Tanya's convenient interruption as a sign that I shouldn't tell him. Maybe when the right time comes I will. But for now, I'll keep it to myself.

I'm currently getting tortured by Alice again. All the couples were doing something for Valentine's Day. Alice apparently knew what Edward was planning and was especially bouncy today. She also took the liberty of dragging me into her closet to get ready.

Alice dressed me in a short pale purple skirt with white leggings and a matching vest over a white long sleeved shirt. She was working on my hair, twisting and curling until it flowed in waves. Only a part of the front was pinned back, and she was arranging the curls. She applied a light layer of pale purple eye shadow and a hint of blush for my makeup. When she finished with that, she disappeared for a second before appearing again. She handed me a matching scarf, a pair of slippers, and a pair of earmuffs.

I took them from her but held up the earmuffs skeptically. "Really, Alice? Isn't this a bit much?"

"They go with the cute outfit! Just put them on." She mock glared at me.

I smiled and put on the slippers and scarf. I would put on the earmuffs later. "What, no gloves?" I asked sarcastically.

She giggled. "Nope. No gloves." I looked at her suspiciously. "Oh wait!"

She dashed off again and tossed me something. I caught it and opened the case. "Colored contacts?" I asked.

She smiled sweetly. "Your eyes were brown. He would love to see them again."

"Again?" I raised an eyebrow.

She looked nervous. "Well, you know, we went to school with you when you were human." She started babbling. "So the contacts shouldn't hinder your sight too much. They might be a little uncomfortable at first but you'll get used to them. The venom in your eyes will dissolve them eventually but they'll last long enough."

"Long enough for what?" I interrupted.

"Just long enough. Um... Jasper's waiting for me so I'll just go now." She started for the door. "Have fun with Edward," she called just before she walked through the door.

I sighed, lightly studying my reflection in the mirror. Hmm... the outfit would look cuter with the earmuffs. I shrugged and walked downstairs where Edward waited, carrying a smile and a heart as light as a feather. His smile widened as I approached him. He was a few feet away, standing tall and statuesque at the edge of the staircase holding a bouquet of red roses.

"You're beautiful," he said, gently stroking his hand beneath my chin.

"You know, this guy once told me the exact same..." I muttered with somewhat of an underlying rebellious tone buried in my voice.

He saw where I was going and cut me off. "This guy you're talking about had better be me or I just might have to beat him to a pulp."

"You don't have to beat yourself up for me." A shadow of pain flickered through his eyes for a moment.

He handed me the flowers. "These are for you, though they pale in comparison with the angel holding them."

"They're wonderful. I'll just-" I turned to see a vase filled with water on a nearby table. I shook my head. "Put the flowers in some water," I said quietly. I turned back to Edward. "So where are we going tonight?"

He took my hand and we walked out the door. We continued walking at a human pace through the forest, enjoying the white scenery around us.

"So you're wondering where we're headed." He smiled crookedly.

Wondering? What does he mean by that? I thought.

"Wonder Lake?" I asked. He nodded. "But it's probably frozen over right now."

"I know. And it will be for at least a month and then it'll thaw out," he replied calmly.

"So what are we going to do then?"

"You'll see."

"I hate surprises," I huffed.

"At least I told you where we were going."

"I would have figured that out eventually since we're going in that direction and we're walking there."

He kissed my forehead. "We're almost there anyway," he whispered encouragingly.

We continued walking leisurely. Within a minute, there was a small, square white tent in view which stood in the middle of our little hideaway. I raised an eyebrow at Edward questioningly, but he said nothing and led me to the tent.

Once inside, I saw that there was an off-white divan taking up almost the entire space inside the tent. There was a bag on top of the divan. Edward gestured for me to look inside.

"Ice skates?" I looked up at him.

He smiled. "Well we do happen to have our own personal ice rink right outside."

"What if someone sees us? This is a national park, you know."

He tapped his head. "Built-in radar detector." He wrapped his arms around me. "No one is around, I promise. Now, are you ready to go ice skating?"

I looked at him sheepishly. "I've never been ice skating before."

"I'll teach you. You'll get the hang of it quickly."

"Sure." We exchanged our shoes for the ice skates and stepped outside.

I stepped onto the ice. I was wobbly and clumsy, but Edward balanced what I couldn't. When I finally kept my own body in balance above this glass mirror and its slippery tactics, I crept up close to him. I tucked the tips of my hands into his front pockets and my head into his chest. He instinctively put one hand on the small of my back without pressure. Almost as slow as I could fathom, he kissed the top of my head and I lost breath and time ran away.

Soon enough, I was gliding effortlessly across the ice, twirling in circles around him as he stopped and watched me skate rings around him. We skated in unison for a while and then he let me explore my newfound skill while he stood by and watched.

As I was skating, closing my eyes and enjoying the feel of the ice beneath my feet, I heard a soft POP. When I opened my eyes, Edward was skating towards me. He slid his hand beneath mine and we made our way toward the center of the lake.

As we skated in these amazing formations and patterns in the middle of the lake, hand in hand, snow began to fall. And I could tell he noticed my brown eyes. There was a small but significant change in the way he looked at me. It was almost as if he was looking at me with even more power than before. I stopped and looked up at the light snowfall falling down ever so gently upon my skin. I looked more closely. Something was falling, but it wasn't snow. A small velvet box with its cute little parachute floated down and landed in the palm of Edward's outstretched hand.

"What's this?" I asked quietly. He grinned and opened the box, revealing a gorgeous diamond ring.

"Bella, I'm in love with you with all my heart and more. Will you do me the honor, and me only, of becoming my wife?"

I was breathless. Edward was staring at me in apprehension. I tried to recover enough to answer him.

"Yes," I said smiling.

His eyes sparkled. "Really?"

"Yes, I will marry you Edward Cullen, and only you." I smiled again widely. He returned it with his own crooked grin and picked me up to swing me around while I laughed happier and louder with each passing moment.

He put me down and brought me to his lips. And with that, my whole world changed.

Edward POV

I can't believe it! My angel, my Bella agreed to marry me! I swung her around in pure joy and kissed her passionately.

When I finally pulled away, her face was worried and upset. My eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"What's wrong, Bella?" I asked.

She blinked several times and sucked in a breath before answering.

"N-Nothing. Everything's fine." She smiled weakly but it didn't reach her eyes. "But you know that Alice is probably going to attack me once we get home, right?"

I smiled and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer. "Don't worry. I'll make sure she doesn't go too far. Let's sit down for a while just in case the snowing gets worse."

She nodded and we skated back to the tent. We put our shoes on and sat together on the divan. I held her in my lap, immersing myself in her scent. She looked out to the falling snow. A wistful smile was on her face but her eyes were blank as if she didn't see the snow.

Bella POV

I can't believe it! I don't believe it! He wouldn't do that to me. Even if he were truly mad at me. He wouldn't, would he? I tried to keep an innocent look on my face while I thought this through. I replayed my vision again.

I walked into a classroom. Edward was sitting at a table next to the center aisle. He stared at me again, meeting my eyes with the strangest expression on his face — it was hostile, furious. I looked away quickly, shocked, and then the image blurred but not before I'd noticed that his eyes were black — coal black. I was seated next to him now. He was leaning away from me, sitting on the extreme edge of his chair and averting his face like he smelled something bad. I couldn't understand what was happening. I could see his hand on his left leg was clenched into a fist, tendons standing out under his pale skin. What was wrong?

Did something happen between us to make him so angry? But even if he were angry with me, he wouldn't take it that far. What did I do to make him so angry?

My eyes widened slightly as realization came to me. I told him about my visions! Maybe he was mad that I never told him earlier. I didn't have any other secrets from him besides this. I sighed mentally. Now I'm sure I can't tell him anything. If Tanya's interruption that one time I was ready to tell him was a sign, then this was a blaring warning not to tell him.

But even if I did tell him about everything, he would forgive me, right? We've been together for so long. Would he really be that upset if I told him? I bet even Alice would forgive me for keeping this from her. Best friends can forgive each other for almost anything. Shouldn't that apply between me and Edward?

Or does he not love me as much as I thought?

A/N: Only six chapters and an epilogue left so we're close to the ending. Sorry if it's short but it's around the average length of the chapters before the holidays. Tell me what you think! Review please!