And Life Goes On

Mara smiled to herself as she clicked 'send' and her latest story went off to copy-editing. She was rather proud of this one, granted she was rather proud of most of her stories.

Five months had passed since everything with Alessandra and her coven. Mara and Embry had thrown themselves into getting back to normal, eager to move past it and try to forget about the lingering worry over the Volturi. But as the days went on and there were no other supernatural emergencies, she finally began breathing a bit more easily.

Then finally, one Saturday night as she was lying on the couch with Embry watching a movie, she realized that this was it. Life had become normal again. Well, as normal as it could be considering her boyfriend was a shapeshifter and she could apparently communicate with the dead.

But it was still perfect, boring, wonderful normal.

"You turn that story in?" Richard asked, stepping out of his office. Mara swiveled around in her chair, smiling at him as she nodded.

"Just sent it off," she replied.

To say that she had been putting her gift - now that she finally understood it - to use, would be putting it lightly. It had taken a few trial and errors, but Mara was finally getting the hang of things and pushing herself at a gradual pace. She hadn't done anything as big as what she did at the fight with Alessandra's coven, but she was able to talk to her father for an hour without getting a headache.

And it had most definitely come in handy on her latest story.

A well known businessman had mysteriously died in his office, though, thanks to her gift, Mara knew he had been murdered by his partner. At first, she wasn't completely sure how to go about getting the police to believe her, but after plying Anders with a few beers one night, she managed to get on his good side just enough that she could push him in the right direction. Despite the fact she was sure that he was still suspicious of her, he was a good detective and managed to get the necessary evidence to make the arrest. She just sent off the story on the arraignment and was hoping perhaps Richard would let her off early considering all the overtime she had put in.

"Alright. Good work on it. Why don't you head out? Know you've got a trip this weekend," he said, already walking back into his office.

"Got it, boss. Thanks!" she called out, grinning as she spun back around and started powering down her laptop and packing up her bag. Even Simmons' glare couldn't dampen her mood as she started humming.

Soon enough, she was out of the building and getting into her car. She had texted Katie, who was sure to be heading to her house already to hang out before Mara and Embry headed to La Push for the weekend. She couldn't help as a flurry of butterflies filled her stomach, though for the life of her, Mara wasn't sure why. It was just like any other weekend trip up to La Push.

Well, outside the wedding they would be attending at the Cullens' home for Demetri and Cecily.

Mara was honestly surprised at how quickly it had come together, though she probably shouldn't have. It was going to be a rather intimate event - just the Cullens and their cousins from Denali. Then the packs as Cecily had become good friends with most of them back when she first turned. Not to mention, the events from a few months ago seemed to have brought all of them even more together. She and Mara chatted a couple times a week as it was.

Mara couldn't help but be excited - she loved a good wedding - though she wondered if the vampire event would have food and drinks. An open bar was a must for a good wedding in Mara's mind.

"Definitely having one at ours," she said under her breath as she drove, though nearly froze for a moment. Where had that come from?

Quickly, she pushed the thought from her mind as she continued home and then pulled into the garage.

"Get your ass out here!" Katie yelled as soon as Mara stepped into the house. She looked over, seeing the doors to the covered porch open and Katie already seated at the table there, a spread of food laid out and an open bottle of white in the middle of it.

Chuckling, Mara went straight for the porch, dropping her bag on the ground as she sat, Katie already pouring her a glass.

"What's the occasion?" Mara asked, taking in the food as she reached for the glass.

"Uh, the fact that I haven't seen you in a week," Katie said matter-of-factly.

"I talk to you every day," Mara scoffed before taking a drink.

"Barely. You're either off working a story or wrapped in the arms of your lover," Katie said dramatically as she reached for her own glass. "Speaking of which, where is Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome?"

"Talking to his boss at the restaurant about his summer schedule," Mara said, smiling at her best friend. While she tried her best to keep Katie included in her life, she had to admit that they weren't seeing each other as often. And there were still quite a few secrets she had to keep from her. "Wants to work full-time over the summer while class is out." Katie nodded slowly. "Sorry, it has been awhile, hasn't it?"

Katie waved her hand in the air, her expression clearly reading that she wasn't bothered.

"It's fine. Besides, I know we'll be getting tons of girl time once Embry gets into med school and then goes into his residency," Katie said. "I'm a patient gal."

"Right, this is true," Mara said, thinking it over. He only had another year to complete his undergrad and then he'd hopefully get accepted in UW's med school. While he was keeping his options open, both of them hoped that he wouldn't have to go out of state.

"So, you excited about this wedding?" Katie asked, a sly smile on her face.

"Should be fun. Though, God, took forever to find a dress," Mara said with a sigh. "Was told it would be a rather swanky event."

"Mhmm," Katie replied, her glass hovering just over her lips.

"Though, it'll be good to see everyone. And we're staying with Embry's mom again," Mara continued.

"Things going well there?" Katie asked.

"Oh yea, I love Tiffany. Really sweet," Mara said, reaching for a celery stick. "She and Mom get along really well, too. She's planning to come down for another weekend soon now that Embry's out of school."

"And work is going well, I take it," Katie said casually.

"Yea. Richard's been giving me really good stories lately," Mara said. "Finally."

"So… you would say that you're excited about going to this very romantic wedding, your career is in a stable place, your parents get along, and things are still good with Embry," Katie said.

"Yea, but why does that-Kates," Mara said, finally catching onto the direction her best friend was leading the conversation. Katie just grinned brightly as she started cackling.

"I mean, it's only natural if your thoughts started going in that direction. As your best friend, it's my God-given duty to ask these sorts of questions," Katie said. Mara's face started turning slightly pink.

She was thinking something along those lines, but not seriously. She and Embry had still been together less than a year and she was determined not to let the lovey-dovey mood of the weekend take over her logical thinking capabilities.

"So, Mara," Katie said, sitting up in her chair and placing her glass on the table. "Do you want to marry Embry?"

"Yes," Mara said automatically, shocking herself more so than Katie, who just started clapping her hands and laughing loudly.

"I knew it! How long?" Katie asked.

"A while," Mara said, once again shocking herself. She looked down into the wine glass wondering if Katie had slipped something into it. Though she quickly dismissed the idea - truth serums only existed in the realm of movies and books. "This isn't funny, Kates."

"Oh, yes it is. I've known that you guys were going to be it from the moment you first started talking about him," Katie said gleefully, reaching for her wine glass. Mara frowned at her.

"Did not," she declared.

"So did," Katie said. "Your mom too."

"You have not been talking about this with Mom," Mara said, her eyes wide. Katie just laughed in response.

"Get over yourself. You know your mom loves Embry," Katie said. "I'm thinking an outdoor wedding…"

"Oh my god, Kates. Stop," Mara said, though she couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips.

"You want Richard to walk you down the aisle? Hmm, or I guess your mom could do it. Obviously, I'm maid of honor. And the wedding planner," Katie continued. "Lord knows, you can't plan an event to save your life."

"Seriously, Kates," Mara said, still chuckling.

"Open bar is a must," Katie said emphatically.

"A must for what?" a deep voice said from behind the women.

Mara jumped as her eyes widened and her face turned a brighter shade of red. Embry smiled as he walked out onto the porch, winking at Mara before looking at Katie, who had turned in her chair to look at him.

"You know, for a big guy, you are surprisingly quiet when you move," Katie said, grinning at him.

"Hunter instincts," Embry said, now taking in the spread of food.

"We were just talking about-"

"The wedding this weekend," Mara shouted, interrupting Katie. Both Katie and Embry looked over at her, though Katie was wearing an impish grin while Embry had a curious expression. From the twitch of his lips, Mara knew he had heard far more of the conversation than Mara wanted him to.

"Oh yea? You packed?" he asked, popping a cherry tomato in his mouth and then crossing his arms in front of his chest. Mara nodded quickly.

"Yep, ready to go tomorrow morning," she squeaked before taking a large gulp of her wine.

"Ah, but I get her tonight, big boy," Katie said, looking over at Embry. "I mean, you can join us, of course, but I'm getting my Mara time in before you leave for a romantic weekend." Embry chuckled.

"I doubt the two of squeezing into my old room at my mom's place is romantic," he replied. Katie huffed and rolled her eyes.

"There's a lot of forest out there - you'll find a way," she said.

"KATES!" Mara shrieked, sending her best friend into another fit of giggles. Embry's entire body shook as he fought to suppress his own laughter.

"First of all, how long have I been your best friend? I know you're no prude, Mara," Katie said, pointing her finger at her. "Secondly, you fucking live together. And lastly, Embry grew up in that area, so I'm sure he knows all the spots."

Mara sat back in her chair, rolling her eyes, though she started to chuckle at her best friend. She looked over at Embry.

"I do know all the best spots," he said, starting to grin.

"I hate you. Both of you," Mara said, shaking her head.

"Yea, no. You love us," Katie said. "Get a glass and join us, Embry."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, turning to walk back into the house, though he shot Mara a grin.

"I'm serious - marry him the first chance you get," Katie said, lowering her voice. Mara only chuckled in reply, knowing that Embry likely heard that too. She looked in the house, seeing that he had paused in the living room, though his back was to them.

"I'll think about it," she said finally, starting to grin as she saw Embry's shoulders begin to shake in silent laughter as he started walking again. "But enough about me, how are things with Brandon?"

"Oh, god. No. Two dates was enough. But I am going out with this guy - Mark - this weekend. One of the girls on my team, Lily, she's setting us up," Katie said, seeming happy to go on about her own dating life and stop teasing Mara.

Mara settled in her chair again, taking another drink as she focused on Katie's story.

But she couldn't help as one last thought on the subject flew through her mind.

She most definitely would marry Embry someday.