~ Washington - August 17, 2004 ~

Once we were done with the ferry ride, Bella and I loaded ourselves back into my SUV and drove to forks. The highlight for me, besides our discussion of everything, yet really nothing terribly important was that we held hands some more. During my century of existence I never had so much physical contact with another being. It was glorious. I didn't want it to end, but after seeing the look on Charlie and Bella's faces when I dropped her off, I knew they needed their time together.

As soon as I reached the family home, my cell phone rang. It was Alice.

"How long have you known about Bella and I?" I answered without any gracious greeting. I had a ton of questions floating through my mind and I was anxious for answers.

"Well, hello to you too, Edward." Alice answered before giggling. "I know you want answers, but be warned, you might not like what you hear."

"Understood," I replied before taking a deep breath. "And, I'm sorry I was abrupt. I'm just excited and worried...and desperate for information."

"Apology accepted," Alice quipped. "So you wanted to know how long I have known. Well, and this is the part you may not like, I saw her and you together about nine months before you left the family. But that vision has changed so much since then."

"How do you mean?" I asked.

"The Edward in my first vision was brooding, prudish, overbearing, and self-loathing. You're so different now. You know, I originally saw you meeting her another six months from now in Forks. When you met her you ran away to the Denalis because her singer's blood surprised and frightened you. When you did come back you tried to force her away. When that didn't work, your uptight morality and overall fear of losing her caused you to stifle her. And don't even get me started with intimacy! You refused to…"

"Alice, enough!" I interrupted her. I didn't care to hear how unsuitable I was in her vision. I was no longer that person. "What do you see now?"

"How much do you want me to tell? I have seen many things. As you can guess, some of the visions change a lot, but some of the things I've seen have been constant."

"I…I don't know," I answer honestly. The old me would've wanted to know every detail and every mishap so I could try and mitigate them. I no longer felt the need to know everything. I now believed I would enjoy the journey more if I let things unfold naturally. However, there were some things I wanted to know at a very general level. "Alice, will she mate on me as well?" I asked timidly. It was a question I did and did not want to know the answer to.

"Edward, you know humans don't mate like vampires do. She…"

"Stop." I interrupted her again. The answer had the power to crush me. I would rather assume that in time she would feel for me what I already felt for her. Although, Alice made a good point. Whatever she does or would feel about me while she is a human would not be the same as if she were a vampire like me. Our emotions run deeper and mating is permanent and unchanging. Human emotional attachments often change and fade. "Never mind that. I think it's for the best that I just let that question go. In fact, I don't want to know anything else."

"I think that is wise decision, Edward." Alice replied. She sounded a bit relieved. "At least right now it is. From what I have seen a while ago and recently, you will have an easier time with things if you can't anticipate certain situations. I love you, but even now you tend to over think things, much to your detriment. If I see anything bad or disastrous, I will let you know, otherwise I will wait for you to come and ask questions."

"Thank you." I said sincerely. "I do have one question. How much does the family know?"

"You're welcome." Alice replied happily. "No one knows except for me. Oh, and Rose and Emmett. They figured it out today. However, I suspect some of the others have guessed over the years that Bella and you were destined for something other than a lion and lamb relationship."

"So as usual, I was the last to know." I said before Alice and I both laughed. "I guess the signs were in front of me, but I was oblivious. Yours and the family's meddling now makes sense. Speaking of which, will she recognize any of you guys? I have a feeling there was more involvement than what I already know about."

"She…you know what, I'm not going to tell you." Alice said smugly. "You'll just have to wait and see. I do have one thing to tell you, though. Jasper and I won't be flying out later this week. Only Carlisle and Esme and going to come. I know a bit too much about what may happen and the chances of me slipping around you are quite high. So Jasper and I are going on trip. Maybe we'll head down to Isle Esme or up to Denali, who knows maybe we'll do both. Actually I do know, but you don't need to worry about that."

"I hate that I'm keeping you away, Alice."

"Oh, please! Jasper and I are dying to get some extended alone time." Alice replied. "In fact, I don't see us joining you guys until after the holidays." Alice paused. If I had to guess, I would say she had another vision. "Yes!" She squealed, which was followed by giggle. "Whew, I'm back. Believe me, Edward, from what I just saw I'd be upset if you made us come out! I have to go pack so I'm going to hang up. But before I go I just want to say this. Bella's body will always sing to you one way or another, however if you fully accept her as your mate, which I can see that you have, then the call of her blood will no longer be an issue for you, as long as you're smart about it and hunt regularly. That's all I going to say, but I needed to give you that peace of mind."

To be honest, by the time I dropped Bella off at Charlie's house, her singer's blood was not a problem. The beast within me still wanted to drain her, but that yearning was easy to control once I fully understood what Bella meant to me as my mate.

"Thank you, Alice. Not just for telling me that, but for everything. I suspect you have been carefully plotting and planning the past seventeen years so that certain outcomes were realized." I paused for a moment to see if she would deny it, but she didn't "I'm actually glad for it. So, thank you."

"Oh, Edward!" Alice gushed. "I may have tweaked a few things, but you made your own reality happen. Just promise me you will enjoy it and don't get too frustrated and upset if things don't go perfectly. Okay?"

"I promise," I answered. "I'll let you get to your packing. Rose and Emmett have been waiting for me so they can ask questions and tease me. I'm sort of looking forward to it. Good bye, Alice."

"Good bye, Edward. Enjoy their teasing."