Jacob and Leah were planning a wedding in the fall, and it was coming up quickly. It would be a big event for the tribe, since both of them were full-blooded Quileutes. They wanted to have a traditional wedding ceremony, but Leah was insistent that Paris be a part of it. She knew that a vampire participating in a Quileute wedding was a totally new concept and would certainly raise some eyebrows. Sue's job was to pave the way with the tribal council, and she enlisted Billy Black's help in this endeavor.

Billy had developed a healthy respect for the Cullen family, and Dr. Carlisle Cullen in particular. When Jacob had been injured, Carlisle had cared for him as if he were his own son. Billy would never forget that, nor would Leah, who later admitted his injuries were her fault. That was something she had to live with. Even though Jacob had forgiven her, forgiving herself wasn't that easy and she was tortured by the memory of her arrogance.

Sue pleaded Leah's case in front of the council at a special meeting. Paris' status as Seth's girlfriend made little impression on the members. However, the veiled threat of moving the wedding away from the reservation was more worrisome. By a narrow margin, permission was granted for Paris to be included in the official Quileute wedding party. It was quite a milestone in tribal history, and Leah and Seth were thrilled.

Leah's biggest heartache was the possibility that she would be unable to have children, but she hoped a solution could be found. She was willing to give up phasing if that would make a difference, but no one knew the answer.

Meanwhile, Charlie continued to badger Sue to marry him. He suspected that the wolf issue had been standing between them. "Sue, now that I've shot your daughter I can't imagine why you're hesitating. Do I have to shoot Seth too?" He had finally come to the point where he could joke about it, to Sue's relief.

Sue laughed. "Okay, Charlie, you know I love you, and I'd love to be married to you. But I don't want to take the spotlight away from Leah and Jake right now. They deserve their special day without sharing it with the old folks."

"Okay, how about this idea? We'll take a weekend trip to Seattle and come back married. How romantic would that be?" His eyes twinkled, and Sue agreed it sounded like the ideal solution. The toughest part would be to break the news to their children that they planned to go away together.

Bella was ecstatic. Having just recently discovered married love, she wanted everyone to be as happy as she was. She knew her father had been lonely for too long, and she genuinely liked Sue. So she didn't balk at the weekend trip idea, and neither did Leah. Seth, on the other hand, was sullen. He didn't welcome change to his world, and Sue was concerned about how he'd take to Charlie moving into their house. Well, he'd just have to get used to it. The Clearwater house was larger than Charlie's, and Sue still had two children living at home. She supposed it would be an easier transition than if she moved them to Charlie's house in Forks.

The fateful weekend approached, and there was one awkward moment when Charlie asked Sue, "Now, just to be sure, there are no more secrets, right?"

She couldn't lie to him, so she answered simply, "Well, maybe one more, but it can wait. Trust me on this, Charlie." Charlie, who was not anxious for any more surprises, readily agreed. Werewolves were one thing, but Sue knew the vampire story would require a little more finessing.

The wedding was performed on Friday night, by a Justice of the Peace in Seattle. His wife served as a witness and, with no fanfare at all, they were married. Sue wore a simple blue suit, and Charlie had bought her a corsage of white orchids. The Justice insisted on taking a picture of them and saved it on a flash drive that he gave them. When they got to their hotel, Sue just couldn't resist emailing the picture to the three kids. There was no caption, but their shiny new wedding rings were easy to spot in the picture. She admitted to Charlie that it was a cowardly way to tell them, but they had a good laugh about it, then turned off their cell phones and decided to let the kids stew until they got home on Sunday.

Leah was the first of the three to open her email on Saturday. Her yell brought Seth running, and she quickly called Bella. "You have to check your email right now, while I'm on the phone!" Leah insisted.

"Oh my God! They did it!" Bella screamed into the phone! "I have a sister and a brother!" Seth was slightly less thrilled, but all three decided to throw together a small party for their parents' return on Sunday, for just themselves and their significant others. Leah baked a cake, Bella was in charge of champagne, and Seth volunteered to decorate. He put up white streamers in the living room and made a sign that said "Congratulations, Sue and Charlie!"

As Sue and Charlie came in the front door on Sunday afternoon, they were bombarded with confetti and congratulations from Bella, Edward, Leah, Jacob, Seth, and Paris. Sue blushed prettily when they told her about their wedding present – Bella had given them keys, and Seth and Leah were going to Charlie's house to spend the night. "We'll be back in the morning," Leah warned, "but not too early."

Sue thanked them but told them it was unnecessary. "We're a family now," she protested.

Seth retorted, "Oh, yeah, believe me, it's necessary!"