At some point during Isabella's second semester at Wharton, her economics professor was handing back their graded mid-terms. After handing Isabella's back to her, he said, "Please remain after class, Swan."

With a frown, Isabella had examined the test in front of her, hurriedly flipping to the last page to see what grade she had received. 91.2%. With the curve, that would round up to an A. She felt her shoulders relax at the sign of a job well done.

Next to her, Sandy whispered, "What does he want?"

Isabella shrugged.

"Want me to wait for you?" she offered as the rest of the class stood up and started to laboriously sling on their backpacks.

Isabella shook her head in dismissal as she shrugged her own backpack over her shoulder. "I'll see you later."

With mild wariness, Isabella descended the classroom stairs, shifting past the flow of students going the other way until she had reached Professor Wembley's desk. While Isabella wasn't terrible interested in his subject, he was a nice man who did well enough with his lectures. He knew the names of every one of his students without asking or having them place name tents on their desks, something Isabella had noticed and respected.

"How's it going, Isabella?" he asked her with a smile.

"Oh it's going. Ready for spring break," she replied.

"Do you have any plans?" he inquired.

"I'm going to hang out with my grandparents for the week," she said, excited for the time away from the university at her childhood home.

"That will be relaxing," he said warmly.

Isabella nodded but did not further reply.

"Listen, I wanted to talk to you about your test," he said, nodding to the papers in her hand. "You did really well on it."

"Thanks," she said.

"That's two tests now where you've earned one of the top scores," he told her. "That's really impressive Isabella."

Not having realized what the other scores had been from her peers, she felt her cheeks warm at the praise. "Thank you," she said again.

"Have you thought about going into finance?" he wondered.

Immediately, Isabella felt her guard go up.

It was not an uncommon thing for her. From the first day of school, she had had people ask if she planned to follow her father's footsteps and then encourage her to do so once she told them it was not in her plans. Recruiters, academic advisors, peers in student group projects, resident advisors, and other professors had all told her she was insane not to want to be on Wall Street.

Seeing this, Professor Wembley continued in his warm tone of voice, "You've got a real talent for it, Isabella. There are students in this class who would kill for those scores."

At then, Isabella's shoulder loosened a bit.

"You're a very smart young woman, you could do it. Not a lot of people have what it takes, but you do," he told her with an intent certainty. "And there's so many different things you can do with finance. You can make a difference in people's lives."

Isabella nodded uncertainly.

"Just promise me you'll think about, okay?"

"Hallo everyone! Hallo, yes it's that part of the evening where I make an arse out of my brother and myself…Oi! Listen up!"

The small crowd of people all crammed into the Isles Inn quieted down as Edward's brother spoke into the microphone, his accent as thick as both of his siblings. Isabella and Edward turned to look in his direction along with everyone else. Her hand was resting in Edward's large warm hand, visibly resting on the table for all of their guests to see.

"Right so I have to go to the water closet, so I will keep this brief," he began to the chuckles of the guests. He was dressed in an identical kilt and formal wear as his brother. While Alice and Edward looked so similar, he was leaner, with dark brown hair, despite having the identical blue eyes.

"For those of ye who do not know me-" Isabella kept a straight face. "I am Emmett, Edward's best brother and self-appointed best man. It is an honor to be up with ye all here today, celebrating Edward and Bella."

"Let me tell you all a wee bit about my relationship with Edward," he began.

"We met in the 80's," he deadpanned as everyone laughed. "Back in a simpler time. As weans, there was a bit of a childhood rivalry which was exacerbated by the fact that Edward looked like a bodybuilder and I was mistaken often for Fiona McDonald. Regularly," he added to chuckles. "Of course, my favorite way of compensating for my lack of size was giving him hard objects, such as marbles or rocks, and then standing by windows or glass and proceeding to make him mad. Maw loved how that one ended up."

As everyone else laughed, Edward gave a chuckle but she noticed the slight flush that rose on his neck at the childhood memory.

"Edward has a number of exceptional qualities, and I do mean that seriously and with no even a wee hint of inferiority complex," he said teasingly. "It's no like I had to listen to Ma tell us all what a good wean ye were, and how good ye were at eating, sleeping, and pissing when ye was a lad." From off the side, Alice raised the cider she was drinking and called, "Hear hear!" in agreement.

"It was no hard to be yer brother, not in slightest," he teased, raising his glass of whisky in Alice's direction. "Jokes aside, you always did make Da and Maw so proud. If they could be here today, they would certainly be telling ye, in a mess of tears the both of them, how proud of the hardworking and brave man ye are."

Isabella hadn't realized she had squeezed his hand until she felt a tentative squeeze in response.

"A few more words on Edward's qualities. He's hardworking – the whisky yer all drinking is proof enough of that – and he's never been afraid of anything, be it standing up to the school bully or riding the horse which was definitely not ready to be broken in." Emmett looked up from his notes and grinned over in their direction. "Ask me about that one later, Bella," he winked.

Isabella grinned in an expected show of amusement.

"He's also got a truly tremendous sense of compassion – he always has been taking care of others, no matter who it is, he will always be there to care and protect people who are important to him. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to be included in that, and let me tell ye, that is no small thing. His smarts – he maintained an all A-average in school and was still cool, damn him. His sense of humor – oh no, never mind, that was a typo." At those chuckles, Emmett grinned and waited for them to die down before he continued seriously. "There was and always is a reason to admire to Edward, in whatever he does."

Isabella gave a faint smile as she learned about her new husband through the eyes of someone who had known him the longest. She felt comforted to have the reference to his character from his brother, though she had never been inclined to suspect he was not an honorable man.

"Right, as I said, the loo is calling my name, but before I go, I want to propose a toast to my brother and his new bride," he said, raising his glass and waiting for the rest of the room to follow suit. "May God curse any fool that is daft enough to come against the two of ye. May the tough times be few and far between and may the whisky never run dry. Lang may yer lum reek! To Edward and Bella! Slainte!"

"Slainte!

Edward leaned over and kissed her cheek in a seemingly tender moment before standing up and going to hug his brother. Isabella followed suit and hugged Edward's bagpiping brother. He had been responsible for the beautiful bagpipes during the ceremony, the sound of which had stilled up such memories of fondness that she had yet to feel dissipate.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"Aye," was all he said, though he did hug her and place a kiss on the top of her head. "Aye," he repeated with a brief nod and stare, pulling away from her.

Edward waited until Isabella had got situated in her chair before he sat down once again. His aunt, Esme, came up to the front of the room, standing on Isabella's side of the small table.

"Well," she said with a bit of a laugh, "While I hardly expect to adequately follow such beautiful words, I too have to use the loo and will be endeavor to be brief."

Isabella found herself smiling at the English woman and when she felt Edward take her hand again, she briefly flashed him that smile. She had turned her head back to his aunt before she could see the grin he flashed her in return.

"In the interest of giving Edward a brief reprieve and saving Alice and Emmett the shame of confirming that Edward was without a doubt the absolute best baby of the three of you, I want to tell you all about the young woman who we are welcoming into the MacDonald family today," Esme smiled at a surprised Isabella. "While I have not known her for very long, I know her to be just as brave as and hardworking as Edward."

Esme continued, "Having watched a few children of my own turn into adults, I can only imagine that as a child she was as fearless and precocious as she was caring and kind. As an adult, she is a woman of grace and strength and a worthy partner of the man I have also been proud to watch turn into an adult."

Esme turned fully to them. "I do not know what the future holds for the two of you. I do know that rain will come – we are in Scotland after all. You will certainly have challenges and hard times, I am sorry to tell you. But the two of you know that through the most difficult times, you learn the most about yourself and about each other. There is beauty and happiness in your future, and we could not be more excited to see the relationship you have built continue to grow. We wish you all the happiness this world has to offer," she finished with a smile before adding, "Oh and Isabella? From one non-Scot to the other…good luck. You might need it."

The room laughed and then clapped as Esme hugged both her nephew and Isabella. While she had embellished a few details, it had appeared heartfelt and the crowd was pleased. What's more, Isabella had been content and flattered to hear her words, embellished as they may have been.

The newlyweds had yet to have a moment to themselves.

After they had walked down the aisle as man and wife, they had been surrounded by Edward's family and friends. It seemed all of the residents of the Isle of Skye had turned out to celebrate their nuptials, despite the short notice. Many of them had questions and teasing accusations aimed at Edward for keeping his bride hidden from them.

For the most part, Edward gave them a charming smile and laugh, followed by a hearty handshake and that seemed to satisfy them. Once Isabella had given up hope of remembering the bagpipe song that she had walked down the aisle to was, she smiled warmly at the strangers and tried to follow Edward's lead in being charming without saying much. They had come to a silent but mutual agreement that the least was said about their union, the best.

They had also silently come to accords on the necessity of touching.

To an untrained eye the touches they exchanged were entirely expected of a newly married couple. He had his hand resting on the small of her back and she would loop her hand through his arm – though if she was being honest, that was more to keep herself from getting lost in the shuffle of highlanders. A few times throughout the afternoon, he had placed a kiss on her cheek or on her head.

Every time he touched her, however, there was a split second of hesitance. He moved confidently but before he made contact with her, he hesitated for just a moment. She wasn't sure if that miniscule pause was nerves and uncertainty or if it was almost an apologetic show of respect, as if he wanted her to know that he did not mean to take any liberties with her body. She filed the thought away for future consideration.

Once they stacked enough chairs and put away enough tables in the inn, the music started. Edward and Isabella shared a brief first dance to a lovely Scottish song while everyone looked on in anticipation.

"Why is everyone so excited?" Isabella asked quietly, keeping a slight smile plastered on her face.

Edward hummed as he was pulled from thought, swaying them back and forth. "Hmm?" he looked around and then grinned. "Oh aye, they love a ceilidh."

"A ceilidh?" Isabella asked, repeating the unfamiliar word as he had said it: kay-lee.

"I suppose ye dinae ken," he shook his head. "It's a dance. Sort of like how ye Americans square dance."

"I square dance?" she asked dubiously.

"Aye ye do."

"We do?"

"So I'm told."

Isabella could not help but laugh at the ridiculous statement.

"Ye'll be fine," he assured her with a chuckle. "Just stay on yer toes and follow me. And try not to get dizzy."

Isabella soon found that staying on your toes and following him was a tall order. It was indeed somewhat similar to American square dancing and polkas that she had seen danced at weddings. It was a lot of spinning and twirling and after the first song of Edward trying to teach her, she decided she was somewhat hopeless at it, but couldn't seem to be able to stop laughing.

The spirit of the guests as they swung around, linked arms, clapped, stomped, and hopped, was contagious and she found that even though she couldn't keep up with the lively dance, she was enjoying it.

The furrow in Edward's brow as he tried to include her in the dances at their wedding smoothed out as he realized she was not having a horrible experience. He was a patient teacher, though he seemed to be growing amused as he realized the lack of musical inclination his new bride had.

"Link arms, aye now we spin, and now ye grab his arm – no, no his arm, his arm! Aye now spin-" he broke off her instructions as she giggled, having grabbed Robert's arm instead of Donald's and definitely done so off the beat.

"Back over there lass," Robert called, twirling her back over to Edward who clapped with the beat.

And then everyone started to clap with the beat.

Edward took her hands and laughed, "Here we go!" before she could even clap. He led her in between the clapping lines of people, all the way to the end in a side skip before leaping gracefully back to the other side while she tried not to trip. Luckily, he was sure footed enough that even when she stumbled, he held her up.

After several dances, she needed to excuse herself to catch her breath. Her heart was pounding from the unexpected exertion, and she gratefully took the glass of cider that Emmett handed her at the bar.

"Yer a natural," he complimented with a smirk.

Isabella let out a bark of laughter before she could help herself, making Emmett grin. "Oh perhaps no," he amended. "But ye've got spirit, I'll give ye that."

With a small grin, she lifted the cool cider to her lips and drank as if it were water.

"Ye might just need that with my brother," Emmett added, almost to himself.

Isabella wasn't entirely sure what to say and hedged a safe, "Hm?"

Emmett looked at her straight on then and she felt the ruse of what was going on around them at full force. "I ken this is no real marriage, and I ken ye have yer reasons as much as he has his," he said with a low voice. "And I cannae tell yet but the two of ye may actually need each other, and I dinae ken what that means in the long term yet, but in this moment, I ken that ye need each other."

At a loss for words, she lifted the cider to her lips and took a large gulp.

"Each other and plenty of good alcohol," he added with a chuckle.

Isabella swallowed and then held her glass up for her new brother-in-law to cheers with.

"A lass who can hold 'er liquor is a blessing and a curse to any man," he said with a chuckle before downing his pint of beer. He then held out his hand to her. "Come on, sis, I'll show ye how to strip that willow. Edward was always rubbish at it."

Isabella downed her glass and looked at his hand dubiously. "First lady, second man, right hand and so forth. It's simple, come on!"

Throughout the evening, she learned dozens of different dances. Emmett actually proved to be a wonderful instructor, while Edward obliged every single middle-aged woman with a dance of their own. All of her partners throughout the evening, including Esme and Alice, were excellent dancers and did a wonderful job of leading her so that it looked like she was doing a movement that even somewhat resembled the dance.

She could feel herself getting exhausted, but she didn't feel tired. She couldn't help but feel the drunken happiness that all of their guests felt, it demanded to be felt and experienced with them.

After so long without such genuine excitement, she truly could not form any resistance.

She could not tell how much time had passed as she whirled around to the sound of the accordion and fiddle, occasionally stopping for a cider or whisky, depending on who was handing it to her. She felt her cheeks rosy from drink but decided she was not alone in that appearance as half of the room shared that alcohol induced trait.

"Alright, my wife informs me that it is time for this party to end. But before we go, let's send Edward and Bella out in style." Isabella looked over at Carlisle who had found a microphone while everyone else in the room moved around them. She was confused about their anticipation and searched the room for Edward to clarify for her. "That's right folks, last song of the night! Grab those hands and start swinging yer arms back and forward!"

Edward appeared at her side as the strands of the bagpipes came over the speakers. Everyone in the room joined hands and spread into a wide circle around her and Edward.

Her new husband held out his hand with a grin. "This is one is no complicated," he promised.

Isabella pursed her lips to fight a grin, not entirely believing him but taking his hand nevertheless. He pulled her close and began to gently sway them back and forth as the bagpipes continued and the singer started.

"By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes…"

Isabella started upon hearing the familiar words.

"Where the sun shines bright…on Loch Lomond…" she sang, uncharacteristically theatrical owing to the alcohol, the words coming back to her as if she was on a bicycle for the first time in years.

Edward grinned at her.

"Ye'll know this song then?" he asked as the circle swayed in and out gently around them, pulsing like waves lazily crashing against the beach.

"I grew up listening to this," she replied, not even realizing that she was revealing the first real part of herself, the first glimpse into her life that he could truly see.

But he realized.

"Aye," he agreed, pulling her just a little bit closer.

Alice had ended up between her brother Emmett and cousin Donald as the circle closed in around the new couple, she got squished but was still being tugged along, laughing loudly as she tried to survive the tugging. Isabella grinned as she watched it. Everyone around them was smiling and laughing as they moved lazily, sated with drink.

The singing faded and the drumbeat started, making everyone clap with the staccato beats, save Edward and Isabella who continued to dance in the middle.

"Are ye ready?" Carlisle called out over the clapping.

"For wha-"

Isabella wasn't able to finish her thought as everyone in the circle around them started bouncing up and down as the circle moved in and out around them. Edward had both of her hands in his and was jumping with them, laughing as he sang along with the crowd to the words.

"Ho, ho mo leannan, ho mo leannan bhiodheach."

All of the ciders she had had left her slightly lightheaded and powerless to the giggles as she bounced with everyone else. Had they been on the second level of the establishment, she would have been worried about the floor caving in from the movement.

"Ho, ho mo leannan, ho mo leannan bhiodheach," Edward continued to sing as the rest of the dancers sang the more familiar chorus of the song. "You'll take the high road and I'll take the low road, and I'll be in Scotland afore ye. Where me and my true love, will never meet again, on the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond."

The song repeated as the clapping and bouncing changed with it until the dancers and the song started to slow down until no one was bouncing. Her husband swept her into his arms and much to her surprise, lifted her off her feet and spun her around to the cheers of their happy and intoxicated guests.

Still here, fear not. I have been traveling before starting a new job and that included two beautiful weeks in the Scottish Highlands, including the Isle of Skye (and the Isles Inn itself).

During my travels I was able to map out and finish the rest of this story. So fear not everyone, we will see this through to the end.

All the love.