Disclaimer: I do not own any of the SM's character, SM does : ( All new plots, characters and their powers are from my mind vault though.

Chapter 36: Bella POV

'They're engaged. They're engaged. They're engaged. She said YES Bella…YES!' Alice sang in her tinkling voice as she skipped in circles around the kitchen island, Maddy was mimicking her mother's steps and skipping equally as gracefully behind her as she giggled. It was indeed one of the cutest things I had ever seen.

'What's got my beautiful wife and daughter so riled up?' Jasper chuckled as he came in and caught Maddy half-way through her next lap, heaving her into his arms and tickling her.

'Apparently Charlie just proposed to Sue and she said yes. Isn't it wonderful' Esme smiled from the pantry where she was putting away the groceries that a couple of years ago would have only been for appearances, but was now a necessity in our house.

I felt a blossom of happiness burst to life in my chest for my dad, he would never admit it but he had felt lonely for years now, it had gotten better when I came back to Forks but there had always been something missing from his life. I was elated to see that sparkle in his eye, even stronger now than the dimmed memories I had of his happiness from my childhood that paled in comparison to his now ever present joy. Jasper had told me that his mood was so nice to be around, in fact I was surprised he hadn't creeped my father out with the way he seemed to gravitate towards him, though they had a lot in common to talk about so it usually went unnoticed by my dad.

'Oh but please, act surprised when they come over tomorrow. Sue wants to be able to tell everyone and we don't want to take that away from her' Alice smiled, still spinning around in small circles.

'I'll keep my mouth shut Alice, but you're the one whose most likely to jump on her and let slip that you've known for so long' I chuckled and she pouted at me, making her look so adorable that I had to laugh, 'why aren't they coming over to tell us tonight though?' I asked.

'Oh they're busy…celebrating' she winked and I felt the urge to blush even though I couldn't.

'ALICE! That's just…ew…my dad! Ew ew ew, gross. Why'd did you tell me that?' I yelled, as I slapped my hands over my ears and squeezed my eyes shut in a vain attempt to stop the unwanted onslaught of mental images that she had planted in my head.

'You're the idiot who asked Bel-la' she laughed, drawing out my name and ducking when I threw a loaf of bread at her head, thankfully Jasper caught it before it could smash into anything and I shot an apologetic look over at Esme who rolled her eyes and mumbled something about children.

'What's this I hear about Charlie and Sue having raunchy sex? Hey do you think they role-play, I'm sure Rose and I have a few outfits they can borrow' Emmett laughed as he came in; receiving an angry slap from Rose when she realised that Maddy was in the room.

'EMMETT!' I ground out, glaring at him; I swear I was a second away from using all my left over newborn strength to render him incapable of having any type of sex, raunchy or not, ever again. His laughter died in his throat when he saw my murderous glare, I got an approving look from Rosalie, she was always the best when it game to the evil eye. I huffed and stomped with unnecessary vigour into the living room, being careful to keep my stink eye trained on Emmett until I was around the corner before I shuddered and tried to erase the last five minutes from my memory. I heard him laugh again and hissed as I made my way upstairs, the sound of Rose's slap still resounding in my ears as I walked up towards the music room.

I could hear the gentle tinkling of keys as I paced down the hallway towards Edward's sanctuary. The soft music came to a sudden stop only to be replaced by rusting and whispers as I neared the door, the sweet laughter of my daughter drifted towards my ears as I burst in, hoping to catch them in the act.

'GOTCHYA!' I yelled, causing Nessie to jump and look up at me, her large brown eyes swimming with mischief and excitement as she tried to control her laughter. 'What are you hiding from me my little loch ness monster' I whispered, crouching down so I was eye level with her; she grinned at the use of her nick name…I had only decided to use it because it made her laugh, if I had my way then she would stay Renesmee forever, no matter how much of a mouthful Jake thought it was.

'Nothing momma…me and dad were just playing around' she giggled, shooting Edward a conspiratorial look as he smiled down at her.

'Oh really? Well you're forgetting one very important thing little girl, it's your bed time and if you really want to go to Seattle tomorrow you're going to need to sleep soon' I smiled, she stuck her lip out and rolled her eyes looking so much like her father that I felt my frozen heart almost start again as she crossed her arms and pouted at me in protest.

'You best listen to your mother Nessie, you know she hasn't hunted in a while and she might just get hungry' Edward grinned, bearing his teeth in a menacing way that would make a normal person faint in fear but only caused my daughter to giggle before she ran off to get ready for bed. I sighed and settled myself on the bench next to Edward leaning into him as he kissed my temple.

'I wasn't just saying that love, you really do need to go hunt tonight' he whispered into my ear, causing shivers to run down my spine.

'Hmmm' I breathed, placing a gentle kiss against his hand, 'how about you come with me and afterwards we can visit our meadow' I smiled, hearing him chuckle.

'Deal' he laughed, getting up and grabbing my hand before forcefully pulling me to my feet and into his arms. I melted into his embrace, unhappy when the burn in my throat dampened my good mood and I groaned, stepping back and dragging him out towards the hallway.

'How was your meal m'lady?' Edward smiled, still looking impeccable after his own hunt whereas I still couldn't get through a single one without massacring my clothes.

'Delectable m'lord, and how was yours?' I asked, jogging over and placing my arms around his neck as he ran his hands over my clothes with a raised eyebrow.

'Cleaner than yours by the looks of things, I think Alice would throw a fit if she was to see you right now' he laughed, gesturing at my ripped shirt. I shrugged and bit my lip, burrowing into his chest to breathe his scent.

'Alice schmalice, I can just change as soon as I get home and she'll never need to know. It'll be out little secret' I whispered, placing a soft kiss against his throat.

'Oh she'll find out, they'll be no escaping her wrath' he chuckled, 'I say we escape to our meadow and avoid the inevitable as long as we can'.

'Sounds like a plan' I sighed, taking his hand as we began the familiar path towards our own little fortress of solitude. It only took a couple of minutes to get there, seeing as our favourite hunting ground was nearby and I felt the familiar warmth of contentment as the trees parted, revealing a beautiful expanse of flowers that looked majestic even in the night. We took our usual positions in the centre of the meadow, lying down on the soft but slightly damp grass side by side. The peaceful moment soon turned into something else however when Edward began to trail soft kisses down my jawline, making my stomach flip and twist with each feather light kiss. I turned in his arms and decided it was time to take the lead, letting out a chuckle as I flipped him over and landed on top of him.

'Someone is in a good mood' he murmured into my neck causing me to laugh.

'Oh I'm just being my usual happy self' I smiled before attacking his lips again, revelling in the velvet softness of him.

After what felt like only a few minutes but was really more like several hours, at least according to the rays of light that were streaming through the trees and telling us it was morning, we decided to make our way back to civilisation and the rest of the Cullens. We weaved our way through the trees at a leisurely pace, stopping occasionally to share kisses with each other whenever the mood found us and I had a hard time remembering that we should really try hard to be back in time for when Nessie woke up.

Apparently Charlie and Sue were coming around for dinner tonight to surprise us with the news of their engagement, even though we all knew thanks to Alice, vampire hearing and Charlie. I wanted to get the ordeal of shopping over and done with before they got to the house, shopping was hardly fun for me at the best of times, it was even worse when Alice was with me and the only reason why I was going was because Nessie wanted some new clothes and she had unfortunately taken after her aunts in that respect.

'Morning sweetie' I whispered as Nessie began to wake, she stretched and yawned in an adorable way that made my cold heart feel warm in response.

'Good morning momma' she sighed, rubbing her tiny fists in her eyes to wake herself up, she let out another yawn and then smiled a bright smile, all tiredness gone as she hopped out of bed and ran over to the closet.

'I see someone's excited' I laughed, moving over to help her get dressed.

'I haven't been shopping in so long momma' she sang, pulling a brush through her hair as she hopped up and down on the balls of her feet in excitement.

'You're spending too much time with your auntie Alice' I smiled as I tied her shoes up.

'My ears have been burning' Alice chirped, dancing into the room with Maddy bouncing on her hip, she smiled at me in a way that told me she was planning a multitude of tortuous outfits to force me to try on today.

'I was simply stating that perhaps Nessie is turning into a shopaholic just like a certain somebody' I said, raising an eyebrow as she scrunched up her face in a false pout.

'It's a lot better than having no fashion sense at all Bella, perhaps you could take a page out of your daughters book and stop wearing jeans everywhere' she quipped, sticking her tongue out at me and causing Nessie's bell like laugh to join in with Maddy's.

'Whatever pixie, let's get going, I want to be back by dinner time and I have a feeling that it's going to take most of the day for you torture me' I sighed, rolling my eyes and heading out the door.

By the time we arrived in Seattle, the midday sun was high in the sky, thankfully covered by enough clouds that meant we wouldn't be caught sparkling when we got out. We had taken my Ferrari F430 which could only fit me and Alice while Rose followed behind in her Bentley with the kids. I wasn't very happy with the amount of attention we were gaining as we drove through the streets of Seattle, I could only be glad that their human eyes couldn't penetrate the tinted windows and reveal my embarrassment as we pulled into a large parking structure in the city centre.

It could be worse. It could be worse. It could be worse. I muttered to myself as we traipsed through the shopping centre with countless bags from almost every single store in the mall. Thankfully I had managed to talk Alice out of buying me more than the bare minimum, which was still more clothes than I really wanted to be forced into. The sheer amount of silk and satin she had thrown at me was enough to almost overwhelm me by the time we had reached the fifth store.

'Momma, can we go eat?' Nessie asked as we made our way out of the latest shop.

'Sure honey, there's a café just up here' I smiled, laughing when Alice gave me an annoyed look but didn't complain, she knew that the rest of us didn't need food or rest but was willing to allow Nessie some leniency. We made our way over to a small café in the food court and I had to control myself not to let out a loud groan when we finally sat down, not that I was in any physical pain from the hours of shopping but my emotional state was very fragile right now and I had to stop myself from physically attacking Alice every time she said either camisole or lace.

'What are you so happy about?' I asked Rose after we'd ordered some lunch for Nessie and coffees for ourselves to blend in. She had a strange anticipatory smile spread across her lips as she gently stirred her latte, the same type of look that would worry me if I had seen it on Alice.

'Oh nothing, just thinking that's all' she smiled, winking at Alice who giggled conspiratorially.

'I swear if either of you are planning something I'll…' I had to think of something else to say because Maddy, Elsie and Nessie were all looking between the three of us with curiosity, '…cuddle you both so hard that you can't…hug any one for a month' I smiled menacingly.

'Oh calm down Bella, who got your panties in a twist?' Rose laughed, pouring sugar into her mug out of habit. I huffed and stuck my tongue out at her, causing Nessie to laugh at my childishness and spray crumbs out onto the table. I sighed and wiped up the mess, rolling my eyes at Alice who was suspiciously quiet.

Thankfully Alice didn't push too much more shopping on us after lunch, the kids all had a multitude of new outfits which we struggled, even with vampire strength, to fit into the trunks of our cars. We also had quite a few things for ourselves which Alice had not so subtly insisted that the stores deliver to our home. She figured that seeing as we had spent so much time and money that it was the least they could do, of course it helped that not only was she beautiful but Rose was giving them intimidating looks from behind her back. I doubted anyone could say no to the combination of Alice's enthusiasm and Rose's stink eye so eventually the stores agreed to send a van…yes an entire van…down with the rest of our purchases.

'So uh...Bella, what exactly is it that you miss about your truck?' Rose asked as we got closer to Forks, Alice had decided to drive the kids back on our return and I was sort of glad I wouldn't have to spend the entire drive to her chatting about all the new clothes she planned on having me parade about in. I raised my eyebrow at her question but shrugged, remembering the ancient pick up that Charlie had given me when I first came to Forks.

'Well a lot of things I guess' I sighed, trying to list them in my head, 'firstly it was a gift from my dad and a memento from the beginning of a very…turbulent time in my life' I chuckled, if you would have told me years ago what I would go through if I went to Forks, I would have never believed it, hell…I could barely believe it now. 'Also, I guess I've always liked old things' I explained and she snickered at my use of words, 'no you know what I mean' I groaned, feeling the urge to blush, 'I meant that I've always liked the classic things you know, classic music, classic cars and so on…I never really liked all the fast and new cars that you had and I much preferred the charm of my Chevy' I explained and she smirked at me.

'I was hoping you'd say that, I always had you pegged down as the vintage wheels type as opposed to the rest of us' she laughed, winking at me. 'I figured as much when I saw you eyeing Eleazar's car a few months ago, I'd never seen you look at any of our rides in that way' she smiled and let out a small laugh.

'I suppose, it's just that all these new sporty cars look the same to me, I much prefer the character of classic cars, plus my dad forced me to watch Goldfinger like a million times when I was a kid' I chuckled, 'I guess they just stuck with me'. We were approaching the house now as the familiar trees passed by the window and Rose slowed down towards the driveway, that same smile growing larger the closer we got to the house. I looked at her suspiciously but she just tapped her nose and smirked, hopping out of the car without even parking it.

'Emmett! Get your butt down here now! It's time' she yelled before a large blur attacked her and threw her over his shoulders, she giggled and kicked out, laughing as Emmett span her around.

'Papa, do me next!' Elsie giggled, running out of the car as Alice pulled up and stopping in front of her parents with a huge smile on her face.

'Alright then princess' he smirked, placing a rather windswept looking Rose back on her feet and scooping up Elsie in the blink of an eye. 'How fast you want it? Cement mixer or turbo blend?' he grinned, tickling Elsie into fits of laughter. 'Oh, no answer is it? Well I suppose I'll have to just go fast then won't I?' he laughed, twirling her around in a blur as Rose rolled her eyes, attempting to straighten out the tangles in her long hair.

'Okay honey I think you've had your fun for now, we need to give Bella her surprise' she smiled, winking at him and ignoring the look that I shot her. Now that I focused I could hear an excited murmur coming from outside the garage and I mentally groaned. Now all the car talk and subtle glances made sense, I folded my arms across my chest to show that I wasn't happy.

'It's not even my birthday' I moaned, glaring at her as she shepherded me around the side of the house.

'No but it is the six month anniversary of you vampire birthday' Alice sang, skipping up to me and taking my hand. 'And as vampires we have a tradition of celebrating this particular date, it usually marks the accomplishment of making it six months without going into a newborn rage, and even though you have the whole weird self-control thing going we're still going to celebrate' she laughed as she pulled me towards where everyone was standing around the garage; looks of anticipation and excitement on their faces. I focused on Edward's grin and frowned, he of all people could have warned me about this little surprise, but there he stood; only looking slightly guilty as Nessie held onto his hand.

'Fine, one gift but that's it' I huffed, pulling my hand away so I could cross my arms over my chest.

'Nope' she smiled, popping the p for emphasis and sticking her tongue out when I raised my eyebrow at her. 'Just learn to deal with it Bella, you know I'll get my way' she grinned and I rolled my eyes, she took it as a submission and clapped happily, dancing over to where Jasper and Maddy were waiting.

'Okay, we go first' Emmett grinned, running over to drop Elsie at Rose's feet before disappearing into the garage. The garage door lifted up a second later, revealing Emmett as he pushed a large object that was covered in a sheet out of the door. I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose, it was painfully obvious what this gift was and I couldn't stop myself from glaring daggers at Rose who just smiled back at me anticipatorily.

'Now sis, we know how much you miss your old Chevy truck and I suggested getting a replacement but my darling wife told me that she'd rather die than work on such a monstrosity, so we reached a middle ground' he grinned, whipping the sheet off and revealing a truly beautiful car beneath. It was sleek and stunning, obviously a classic masterpiece judging from the smooth lines and artful shape of the body. It was the first time since my dad gave me the truck that I actually felt anything about a car, my stomach did a little flip as I gazed and the shining and beautiful machine before me.

It was pretty much perfect for me; vintage and full of personality, so unlike the boring and repetitive sports cars I'd become accustomed to seeing, but also obviously fast and efficient.. It was the best of both worlds and I actually felt a thrill of excitement at the idea of being able to drive it, moving to run my hands along the glistening silver and velvet smooth metal.

'.God!' I gasped, tearing my gaze away from my new baby to Emmett and Rose who were grinning at me.

'I am so glad you like it sis, we were worried that you wouldn't ever appreciate cars like a normal person' Emmett chuckled, coming over and squeezing me in a bone crushing hug, 'but my wife had a feeling that all you needed was the right car and she reckoned that a classic set of wheels would go over better than anything else' he smiled as I hugged him back.

'Of course I love it, I'm sorry I was so apathetic towards all the other cars Rose but you were right, I only like the nice vintage ones' I laughed, giving Rose a hug and a quick peck on the cheek.

'I thought as much, it's a 1967 Chevrolet Stingray coupe' she explained, I had known it was a Chevy, but had no idea what exact model. 'Emmet and I found it rusting away in a scrap yard a couple of months ago and I just had a feeling that it may be just the thing to awaken the car enthusiast within you. Elsie helped rebuild the engine as well so I can assure you that everything about it is completely unique and will far surpass any other car out there, well apart from ours of course' she grinned and I hugged her again before kissing Elsie on the head in thanks.

'I love it, I really do. Thanks you guys' I smiled, gazing back at my car again. Edward seemed slightly grumpy so I turned to see what his problem was, raising my eyebrow in question.

'If I'd have known that this is what you wanted, I would never have gotten you the Ferrari' he grumbled, looking slightly chagrined at the idea that Rose had been able to guess something about me that he hadn't noticed. I sighed and stepped over to him, placing my hand against his chin and lifting his head so he could see me.

'I like my Ferrari too' I said, he gave me a look that proved he didn't believe me so I sighed, 'okay I don't like the Ferrari, but I don't want cars and gifts from you; you've already given me everything I need, so stop being a grumpy old man and remember that you don't need to buy my affections' I chuckled, kissing him softly on the cheek as he smiled back at me.

'Hey, does that mean you think I'm trying to buy your affections Bells?' Emmett gasped, feigning hurt as he clasped his chest. I laughed and shook my head, rolling my eyes at him.

'Yes and no' I laughed, 'no I don't think you're trying to buy my affection but it does help toward me forgiving you for your teasing earlier' I pointed out, waving my finger at him in mock outrage as I tried to avoid remembering the mental images of Charlie that he'd subjected me to earlier.

'Okay children, enough fighting. My turn!' Alice chirped, grabbing me suddenly and yanking me towards the garden where someone, probably Esme, had set up a sort of casual celebration, I hoped some of it was for Charlie and Sue because I didn't know if I could cope with being the centre of attention for too long. Everyone drifted over to the tables, sitting down and chatting while Alice left me hovering next to the largest table, disappearing into the house.

'Should I be scared?' I whispered to Edward as he pulled me into the seat next to him and Nessie, he chuckled and pressed me into his side, kissing my hair.

'You should always be terrified when it comes to Alice' he replied, causing an annoyed grunt to come from inside the house where Alice was doing god knows what. I laughed and melted into him, crossing my fingers that Alice wasn't going to submit me to something too tortuous. Please don't be clothes, please don't be clothes I chanted to myself as I heard her flitting around inside the house before she ran out, carrying a giant bundle in her arms with a huge grin on her face.

'I was going to get you a new wardrobe but me and Jaz came across this on our hunt this morning and thought it would be a nice gift for you and Nessie' she smiled and I furrowed my brow in confusion, now that she was closer I could hear a heartbeat and smell the distinct animal smell that was similar to mountain lion but…less meaty. What on earth was going on? She seemed to sense my confusion because she rolled her eyes and placed herself in front of me, rolling down the blanket to reveal the tiniest and most adorable kitten cub I had ever seen. Its greyish brown and spotted fur was soft and silky as I ran my fingers over it, causing the small animal to purr in response. Usually animals would instinctively shy away from vampires, but this little one seemed perfectly happy to be cuddled by a vampire, not even flinching when Alice gently placed it into my arms.

'Oh he…or she…is adorable but, what do you want me to do Alice?' I asked as I scratched it under its chin while it tried to nibble my hand. I noticed the faint smell of blood on its fur and was thankful that it didn't make me want to drink, though it did bring my attention to its hind paws which were bandaged up from some injury.

'Well we found this little angel in a cave a few miles away, it appeared that it's mother and the siblings had been killed by another animal and this cub was left with injured legs, Carlisle patched her up. She's too young to survive out there alone so Jasper suggested we bring her back for you and Nessie' she smiled and Nessie squealed in excitement, gazing at the little cub. 'She's a bob cat, I'd say about two weeks old'.

'Oh, Alice' I gasped, reaching over to hug her as she giggled. I had never really imagined myself having a pet, though from what I knew about bobcats it wouldn't really be a pet so much, more like a random animal that lived with us, but I could tell that Nessie would love the adorable companion.

After that the gifts came quickly, amongst them I received a beautiful leather bound album from Esme and Carlisle, in which they had placed photos chronicling everything from the wedding to Nessie and onwards; I felt my eyes mist over as I hugged her in thanks, unable to fathom how much time and effort she had put into putting it all together.

I also got various bits and bobs from several other people, a diamond bracelet from Tanya and Kate, some soft driving gloves from Eleazar; apparently you couldn't drive a classic car without them. I also got a very nice braided necklace from Abbey and Lucas, it was similar to the intricate jewellery that I had seen on the Quileutes and I was surprised that they had taken the time to make something for me. I was completely overwhelmed by everything, almost unable to control my happiness when Edward pulled me into the music room and played a wonderful duet with Nessie that they had written together, it was like a more upbeat and longer lullaby, weaving around on a sweet melody that spoke of happiness and joy. I was fit to burst with contentment, surrounded by so many loved ones as the sunlight died away.

'Hey guys' Charlie called, coming around the corner with Sue and Leah who was now out of bed but still slightly weak. He looked positively glowing, they both did; they seemed more like a couple of love struck teenagers than middle aged people and I felt my lips curve upwards in a wide smile as I took in his ecstatic expression.

'I'm engaged!' Sue squealed like a school child who'd just been told it was a snow day, we all pretended to be shocked by the news but by Charlie's expression he guessed that the entire family was already well aware of their engagement. I shot him an apologetic glance as I hugged him in congratulations, rubbing his back.

'I really am so happy for you dad' I whispered, kissing him on the cheek and smiling back at him before going to hug Sue as well. She jumped slightly as my cold skin made contact with hers but hugged me anyway, after all, she would technically be my step-mother soon.

'You should have seen him Bella, it was hilarious' Sue laughed as we moved over to join the others and I noticed by dad blush slightly as she told us about his ridiculous mishap and how they had to call Billy to come and save them from being stranded in the middle of the lake.

'I knew that Bella had to have gotten her clumsiness from somewhere!' Emmett guffawed, still laughing at my dad who was now grumbling to himself by Sue. I shot him a glare but rolled my eyes, I knew only too well that I had received by accident prone personality from Charlie, Renee had never had the same problem that he had when it came to self-inflicted casualties and it had seemed to intensify when he passed it on to me.

It was a wonderful night, the happiness and contentment I felt almost made me forget that in two short weeks we would be facing Vasilios and his followers in a fight that would threaten the safety of everyone I held dear. I couldn't help the cold dread that dampened my good mood as I sat surrounded by everyone I loved. What would I do if Charlie and Sue were hurt? I'd have to make sure that I got them out of town somehow, maybe I could buy them a couple of tickets away as an engagement present, yes…that would be a good way of ensuring their safety.

I had no idea what to do about Lucas and Abbey though, they had insisted on staying with us to help us fight but I couldn't help but wish that they would go back to Texas. Even though Vasilios and Elena had met them, they were still separated from the fight; I didn't want to drag them into something that they could easily escape from. But they were adamant on helping and there was nothing we could do to persuade them otherwise.

Either way, in two weeks, the shit was quite literally going to hit the fan. I could only hope that our strength and need to protect our loved ones would be able to overwhelm Vasilios and his madness; there would be no way of knowing who would win this fight.

The only thing we could do now was prepare ourselves, and hope to god that we were ready.

A/N: I suggest you google 1967 Chevrolet Corvet Stingray, it's beautiful.