Author's Note: I know that this story has mostly been told from Bella's point of view, but something was absolutely insisting that I start this chapter in third person narration. Once I got started, I loved it, so I let the words lead. Let's see where they take us!


The evening was drawing to a close and our favorite vampires, plus one delicate human, were abuzz with the humming electricity in the air. Edward had never felt quite like this before. For the first time in nearly a century, he was really and truly alive and wild with energy. Bella and the rest of his family had never seen him so happy. In turn, they were in the mood to celebrate their newest family member for real now that all of the threats had been resolved.

This was better than the night that Bella agreed to take Edward back, because there was no sorrow to be had during this event. There was no pain. For once, everything was really and truly alright. More than alright. Everything was perfect.

They danced for hours under the twinkling fairy lights and Chinese lanterns scattered around the lawn and up in tall trees by his sister, Alice. Her brothers had merely been willing helpers in her master plan. She had vision, after all, and her vision had to be carried out to perfection. So it was.

Things had gone much better than Edward had imagined that they would, not just with the Quileutes, but also in the family time that Alice had planned for everyone as a surprise after the dinner. Once every person that wasn't immediate family had left, they properly celebrated the engagement with a party.

It was a small, very exclusive, invite only, almost completely vampires only prom, if you will. One that wasn't tainted for Edward by fears or the crushing knowledge that he would have to leave her soon, as their real prom had been last year. This night was entirely theirs. Together. Fearless. There would be no more leaving her. Ever.

He held Bella closely in his arms, twirling her and delighting her despite her usual fears of her own clumsiness for hours. She giggled and smiled at him in all the right places. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek as he admired her or gave her a small break from his dazzling of her. Truthfully, he just loved seeing her blush and admire him as he admired her.

He dazzled her a little more than he thought he should have, but who was there to judge? If he couldn't make his own fiancée swoon for him as he did for her, then what was the point? So what if she couldn't stop blushing or smiling for the whole evening. She tripped over her feet normally without his dazzling, and he was there to catch her and make sure she stayed unharmed. So, he indulged his desires a little. She certainly didn't complain.

They held each other and laughed loudly, their joy echoing off from distant trees, as Emmett and Jasper held each other and danced as would a boyfriend and girlfriend, even going as far as holding each other's hands to amuse the family, or perhaps just themselves. This, and a few servings of wine that Rosalie thought Edward didn't catch her sneaking into Bella's punch, gave Bella the courage to dance with each of the Cullen men for a turn, and even Rosalie, who was quickly growing to love Bella in her own way, and Alice.

Esme happily admired her family and took photos to commemorate the evening, knowing both that nights like this were limited now that Bella's change would be fast approaching, and that they had an eternity to look forward to family time just like this now that they were complete, perhaps without the spiked punch to help negate some of Bella's nerves in the future.

Sure, drinking was illegal at her age, but she was safe with them. She would always be safe with them, and they wanted her to enjoy every human experience possible before she officially joined them.

Besides, although Edward pretended not to notice Rosalie's actions, he knew that Bella had seen it and had no objections. She was having fun, and she knew that she was incredibly loved. That was all that mattered to them. This was one more thing that they could give her, instead of something she'd never experience.

"Aren't you glad I put you in that dress now?" Alice asked with a knowing smile, approaching the dancing couple as they held each other close, enjoying a slower song.

"Very." Bella answered. "This is lovely, Alice. You've really outdone yourself."

"Perhaps you will learn not to object to an Alice Cullen original party anymore."

"Perhaps." Bella said with a mildly drunken giggle and blush.

Edward smiled more that night than any of the Cullens had ever seen, completely in love with his adorable mate. Finally, at peace with himself and what, who, he was. Esme and Carlisle, in particular, were incredibly delighted and relieved to see him happy after decades of worrying about him, and they loved Bella as well. They were thrilled to add her to their family. The wedding and her change couldn't come soon enough.

He was very much looking forward to whisking Bella away upstairs for a night of listening to music, kissing and being together uninterrupted without fear of anyone coming to check in on her during the night as she slept. His plans, unfortunately, were temporarily put on hold by an unexpected visitor in the woods. He could hear their thoughts approaching.

Edward cursed under his breath, something he almost never did in front of Bella. The other vampires heard it too.

"What's wrong, bro?" Emmett asked.

"My visions for all of us are obscured. Is one of the Quileutes coming back for something?"

"Worse." Edward answered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Am I- uh – interrupting something?" Jacob asked, stepping out of the woods and into everyone's sight still buttoning his shirt from phasing back to his human form. Edward instinctively held Bella closer to him but relaxed immediately when he read Jacob's thoughts and started laughing loudly instead.

Emmett flexed his arms menacingly, but Jasper put a hand on his arm, calming him, not reading any violence in Jacob's emotions.

"What are you doing here?!" Bella asked, annoyed at him for interrupting what had been a perfect evening.

"Relax, Bells. I won't stay long and keep you from whatever this" he gestured around with his arms "is. I just wanted to tell you something."

"What is it?" she asked more softly. She had a hard time staying mad at Jacob, especially since she was firmly and safely in Edward's arms. Edward was still laughing, but Jacob mostly ignored him to focus on Bella.

"First, my sincere apology. The one I really mean. The apology I couldn't give you last night, no matter how much I wanted to. I realize now how you feel about Edward. The pain that I would have caused you if he really had left when I insisted, never to return again. For you to not even have a way to call him or know that he was alive…"

Jacob actually looked like he might start crying, something Bella had never seen before. He took a deep, calming breath. "I'm so sorry. I didn't understand. You really do love him. And if he feels this way about you…I can't even imagine. Edward, I wanted to come talk to you too. I'm really sorry. I had no idea. I couldn't even comprehend it. I was just so angry with you for hurting her and her for wanting to give her life up. I didn't understand." he repeated.

Bella released herself from Edward's arms and walked over to Jacob, taking one of his hands in hers. "Why are you telling us this now? What happened?"

"I met someone. I imprinted." he said with a relieved smile. "Last night, after I left your room. I went for a long run in the woods. I ran into her just after sunset this morning. She's amazing."

Bella looked up at him with wide eyes, shocked and thrilled for her friend. Every member of the Cullen family relaxed, knowing that they finally could have true peace with their neighbors, all of them, even the Blacks. The ones who had spoken the most vehemently against them, especially recently. All really was well.

"That's great! I'm happy for you. Really." she said, squeezing his hand. "When do we get to meet her?"

"Well, maybe when Edward promises to not laugh at her." Jacob said with a slight laugh of his own. Edward was grinning and walked towards them for a first. He offered a sincere handshake.

"I'm sorry. It was a big surprise, that's all. It's kind of funny that you finally got what was coming to you."

"An imprint?"

"Better than a fight." Emmett said, making everyone laugh.

"Much." Edward said.

Jacob shook his head. "I really am sorry. I do love Bella, but more like a sister. I was just being…overprotective. I was terrified that you all were going to hurt her and take her away from her family. And from me. She's a great friend even when I haven't been. I get it now though. Really. Besides, I mean. You can't blame me. She is cute."

Bella blushed and looked at her feet.

"Don't push it." Edward said and Jacob laughed.

"You're right. I won't. I'll bring her by Charlie's soon?"

"I'm sure he'd like that too." Bella answered and with a final hug, Jacob was on his way.

"Why was that funny?" Bella asked Edward, wanting more of an answer for him.

"I'm sorry, love. His thoughts, just having him all of a sudden understand my reactions to him and your feelings about me….he was reflecting on how he's acted this entire time towards us and how rude it was and it was hilarious. He's finally seeing himself properly."

"He was both happy and embarrassed to be here." Jasper added with a smile. "Looks like we can be friends with all of the Quileutes now."

"I'm so glad." Carlisle said, and Esme agreed.

"Me too." said Edward. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I'm going to help my human get ready for bed before any more werewolves decide to show up and crash our party."

"What if it's a witch next?" Bella asked.

Edward rolled his eyes but smiled at her. "You really are tired."

He put his arm around her and led her upstairs, smiling contently as he changed into something more comfortable while she showered in the next room. He just couldn't stop smiling.

He was so glad that Bella had let him buy a bed for his room with little to no protest, especially once he convinced her how much better he could hold her with one if she were to ever stay over. This was their first night testing it out together, and it had been a perfect day. He could have done without Jacob's visit, but to finally see an end to his hostilities to both him and Bella had made the few moments very much worth it.

Edward usually wore dress pants or jeans, vampires having no need for pajamas, but of course Alice had thought ahead. He found a small section in his closet with neatly folded pajama pants and t-shirts.

He whispered, "Thanks sis." and chose a dark blue set, knowing that Bella loved how darker colors set off his pale skin. This was perhaps the first time he had needed sleep garments in over eighty years.

He had never really thought much about his appearance before, choosing what was comfortable for him but still proper for the times. Women seemed to fawn over him no matter what he wore in any decade, even when he deliberately tried to wear less fitted clothing. However, there was one woman that he very much enjoyed having fawn over him, and he was certainly going to play to his strengths with her.

He finished dressing and lounged on the bed, smiling as he listened to Bella dry off and get dressed. The smell in his room, filtering in under the closed bathroom door, was delightful. It was a mixture of her sweet blood and her usual shower products. She preferred simple things like strawberry scented shampoo. It was nothing like the chemicals and perfumes his sisters usually bought for themselves.

Bella nervously got ready, wanting to hurry but also not wanting this perfect day to end with her needing sleep just yet. She hoped to delay falling asleep as long as possible, enjoying a rare night alone with Edward. The rest of the family was home, but they knew that they would have their privacy.

She opened the bathroom door and immediately dropped the dirty clothes she held in her hands, that she was intending to put in her overnight bag, at the sight of Edward lounging on the bed, their bed, in pajamas of all things. And that color against his skin. Oh my…

She had never imagined….ok….maybe she had imagined, but she had never seen him dressed so casually. It did things to her. Things that she was sure he would never want her to say out loud. Oh, how wrong she was.

She blushed, embarrassed at her own ogling. Edward smiled handsomely and reached for her. She gladly joined him; discarded clothes immediately forgotten.

"See something you like?" he asked with a laugh.

She didn't want to elaborate too much, not with the rest of the family home and able to hear them. Instead, she laid down beside her fiancé, put one of her warm hands on his cold cheeks, both of them smiling at the touch, and answered "Very much." against his lips before she kissed him.

He immediately kissed her in return, wrapping his arms around her and rolling her on top of him, careful to keep their contact mostly innocent, making sure that his intimate parts didn't brush up against her in any way. She smiled against his lips and happily gave herself over to him, leaning into his touch as he rubbed her back and ran his fingers through her hair.

Edward had never imagined that he would be so happy, certainly not through the depths of despair that had caused him to leave her, nearly ruining both of their lives. Now, he found himself happily snuggling and kissing his everything, actually looking forward to her change, their marriage, and especially being able to make love to her as a husband should.

He was looking forward to it more than he cared to tell her, but he was certain that she knew. Her reactions to his every touch definitely told him that she wanted the same thing.

Always the curious one, when Bella stopped kissing Edward to breathe and he smiled up at her, he remembered something. "Hey, you were trying to ask me something earlier?"

"No."

"Yes, a lot earlier. Before dinner. You wanted to wait until we were alone."

"You mean you didn't hear it in Alice's thoughts?"

"A little." he answered, grinning at her. He was being a little mean and he knew it, but he wanted to hear her speak the words aloud. Besides, Alice's thoughts had only given him a brief glimpse of what she really wanted to know. He wanted his information straight from its source.

"I'd rather wait until we're alone."

"We are alone." he insisted.

"The others can still hear us."

"No, they can't." he answered. "Esme wanted to drive Carlisle to work and all of my dear siblings left to go hunt right when you got out of the shower. We are completely and totally….alone."

She shivered, but not from cold or fear, at his emphasis on the word alone and the seductive look in his dark eyes. She admired him, dazzled by him without him even trying. But Edward wouldn't let her off that easily. "So?" he asked.

"I wanted to ask if you had given any thought to our honeymoon and if we could…you know…before my change. A final human experience."

"If we could what?" His eyes were sparkling, and his crooked grin was making her heart race. She wanted to jump him that very moment instead of just asking him about it.

"One day, I am going to make you regret embarrassing me and making me say it."

"I look forward to that day." he smirked, kissing her softly and raising an eyebrow expectedly. "But I'd also love to hear you say whatever thought is in your pretty little head."

"I want you to make love to me. On our honeymoon. While I'm still human. I want to be with you so badly. I'm not sure how I could even wait that long, but I know it's important to you to wait." she blurted out, fighting the urge to hide her face, instead choosing to watch his reaction to her words.

His eyes darkened instantly to black, his mouth opened just a tiny bit, knowing approximately what she was going to say but totally caught off guard by how she said it. "There's nothing I would want more, as long as we can take it slowly and make sure you're safe."

"You won't hurt me."

"Not on purpose."

"You won't. We'll take all the time you need." she re-assured him. "I want to experience it with you before the bloodlust kicks in. While I can still fully enjoy it. And you."

"The bloodlust will pass."

"I know."

"Why were you afraid to mention it to me?"

"I wasn't sure if – I didn't want you to be sad if you had to say no."

"I know I've always said after your change, but we've overcome so much lately. We will have to be careful. We'll have to take it slow, so I'm not caught off guard. But we can do this. I want to. I want you." Edward said and Bella swooned, her heart racing with pleasure as she pulled his face closer to hers again. "Just as much as you want me, if not more." he added. "Don't ever doubt that."

She nodded and their lips touched again, softly at first but more urgently as she laid more fully on top of him and he put his arms more tightly around her. Neither of them had ever felt so wanted, or so perfect.

Conversations that would have terrified both of them in the past were now just a part of a happy evening in together. They were more united than they had ever been, against any enemy, including their own worries and doubts. Especially against their worries and doubts.

"You'd better sleep." Edward said in a quiet, strained voice as he held her slightly away from him.

"Why?" she asked, not wanting to stop kissing him.

"Before I lose what little self-control I have left to not show you how much I love you right now."

"And if I want you to?" she asked, smiling seductively.

He groaned, rolling her over on her side and forcing himself to sit up. "You are going to be the death of me."

"But I love you."

"As if that makes up for everything!" he said with a grin, leaning back over her as she relaxed against the pillows and he covered her up with the blanket that was folded at the foot of the bed.

"Well, it should."

He kissed her gently. "Your love is more than enough. I can't wait to make you my wife and make love to you. But in that order."

"And then make me your immortal bride." she added.

He laughed, not even going to argue how much he wanted to keep her forever, despite hating causing her pain to do so. "So eager to die."

"So eager to be yours forever." she said, yawning and settling in to sleep. "Get in bed with me? You feel so far away like this."

"Such a loaded request." He shook his head but did as she asked. "And I love you too. You know that." He kissed her forehead and held her as she drifted off to sleep, a peaceful ending to another perfect night.


Author's Note: I know I keep changing my mind about how many chapters this story will be. I lost interest in it for a while, but I love reading your reviews and I keep thinking of cool things to add. I have at least a couple more in me! What did you think about the switch to third person?