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Bella POV

I had to admit that I was bemused by Edward's behavior of late. Ever since his "epiphany", which I was still in the dark about, it seemed that the veritable gloom and doom had disappeared from his demeanor and he was genuinely happy.

Today we were going to our meadow. I was glad the sun decided to cooperate and would shine for us this day.

My breath involuntarily hitched as I saw it. Gone was the dead brown growth. Instead purple, white, yellow and blue wildflowers adorned the overgrown green grass like an intricately woven tapestry. It was even more beautiful then I remembered, more beautiful than the memories in my dreams had allowed.

Edward must have noticed my sudden hesitance and turned to me, concerned.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He looked momentarily pained as he put down the picnic basket and took both my hands in his.

I almost gave him my typical response that everything was fine but he would recognize it for the lie that it was. I did give him my promise that I would be honest with him about my feelings, no matter how hard they were for him to hear at times.

"I came here once…after you left. I actually found it by myself." Edward winced at this confession. I was actually quite proud at the time that after searching for so long I had actually managed to locate it. "Everything was dead and barren. Almost as if when you left you took our special place with you. Then, of course, there was Laurent…" My voice trailed off as I shuddered with the memory of Laurent getting way too close before the wolves came.

Edward's grip tightened on mine and his topaz gaze locked on mine. "Tell me…everything." He said speaking through clenched teeth.

"I thought Alice already told you." I told him not really wanting to get into this conversation here and now.

"I want to hear it first-hand. From you."

"Do we have to do this now? It's so beautiful today and I don't want to ruin it with talk of Laurent or any other unpleasant things."

He thought for a moment then shook his head. "No." He said smiling as he kissed my forehead. "I'm sorry your last memory of this place was a horrible one. We'll make new and happier ones….come." He said taking my hand and pulled me towards the center and spread out a large blanket on the ground.

I lay on Edward's chest staring up at the clouds that moved and swayed across the late morning sky. His fingers wove through my hair as his other hand stroked lightly down my arm.

"That one looks like a dog." I said pointing up at a particular cloud formation.

"No it doesn't." He argued. "It looks like a dinosaur."

"A dog." I argued back.

"Since I have better eyesight...I say it's a dinosaur." We both laughed. It had been so long since we had done anything so care free and dare I say innocent.

"I used to do this as a kid." I told him automatically blushing at my inadvertent revelation.

"What?" He asked pulling a flower from the ground and placing it behind my ear letting his fingers trail down my jaw line.

"Lie on the grass and stare at the clouds, guessing their shapes. It was a game Renee and I used to play together. We would even spin around to make ourselves dizzy then lie down on our lawn and watch the sky spin." I looked at him then knowing now that this was the moment. My decision was clear.

"Mmm, I would have loved to watch you as a little girl. What does that one look like?" He said rolling over on his side and leaning on his elbow facing me as he pointed to a large fluffy white cloud.

"That's easy." I whispered huskily. "It's a cake." I turned to look at him then staring at him intently. "A big, tasty wedding cake."

I saw Edward's eyes widen and his own breath caught then. He looked at me with a silent question in his eyes and just as silently I answered, moving my head in an almost imperceptible nod. But it was enough for him to get him scrambling to his feet, his whole face alight with joy.

Before I knew it he had pulled me to my feet, one hand in mine and the other clutching a small square shaped velvet box. His eye locked on mine he slowly opened the box and in it was the most beautiful piece of jewelry I had ever seen. The ring was a long oval shaped with small gemstones elaborately laid into the ring.

"Oh Edward. It's beautiful." I whispered briefly tracing it with the tip of my finger.

He seemed inordinately pleased. "It was my Mother's. Now it's yours." He proceeded to kneel down on one knee in the traditional pose. I could feel the pricks of tears sting my eyes, threatening to overflow and a heated blush rose to my cheeks. He never took his eyes off my face. "Isabella Swan, I promise to love you every single day of forever. Would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"

The tears that had been in my eyes now flowed silently down my cheeks. "Yes." I told him. The answer was simple, confident, as if I was waiting for this moment my whole life. Gone were the doubts and the worries. I was going to marry Edward. I knew it as sure as I knew my own name.

"There it shall stay for the rest of eternity."He said as he placed the ring on the third finger of my left hand and kissed it reverently. It fit perfectly, just like us.

Edward POV

I picked her up and swung her around in my arms emitting a carefree laugh. She had said "Yes" and I knew that there never was, nor would there ever be anyone that was happier than I was. This moment would only pale in comparison to the day Bella would say "I do".

As I held my beautiful Bella in my arms I couldn't help but think I was wholly undeserving of this, of her. No! I would not let the brooding creature within me impede on this perfection. Yes, I was selfish, yes, I wasn't worthy of her but as I inhaled Bella's sweet fragrance, for once I didn't care. I would allow myself this happiness. She was mine and I was hers. No matter what came before or what would come after, our destinies were linked together, irrevocably.

"If I would've known you would be this happy with my answer I would have said 'yes' weeks ago." Bella's voice said interrupting my thoughts.

I set her down and cupped her face in my hands. "I wanted you to be sure. And Alice chastised me about it. Apparently I hadn't asked properly the first time. I am glad you waited to give me an answer."

"Truly?" There was uncertainty in her eyes.

"It makes this moment all the sweeter." I chuckled softly as I heard her stomach emit a low grumble. "Lunchtime for the human?"

Bella scowled. "Trust my stomach to intrude."

"Come.' I said taking her hand leading her back towards the blanket. "Esme will be disappointed if you didn't eat at least some of the lunch she made."

"You really know how to play the guilt card." She sighed sitting down cross legged. "So what's in the basket?"

Knowing Esme, she probably made quite a spread and I wasn't disappointed. Pulling out the containers, I called out their contents. "Let's see…fried chicken, salad, corn on the cob, chocolate mousse, cheese, crackers…"

"Whoa. I hope she doesn't expect me to eat all that. Maybe I'll bring some home to Charlie. I'm sure he'd love it."

There was something else in the basket…a bottle. At first I thought it was the sparkling cider that Carlisle and I were talking about. Only it wasn't. It was a bottle of Krug Clos Du Mesnil 1995, one of the finest, if not the finest, champagnes in the world. There was a note attached.

Congratulations! Champagne should accompany all human celebrations…I replaced the sparkling cider, obviously. Don't tell Esme. You're Welcome, by the way.

Love Alice.

Alice…I should have known.

"What's that?" Bella asked looking at the bottle I had in my hand.

"Champagne." I told her holding up the bottle. "A gift from Alice."

Jacob POV

I had been sitting around the house just moping or tinkering with the old shit heap I was trying to turn into a car for the past few weeks…ever since Bella took that bloodsucker back into her life. But my hands were tied, bound by Sam and the stupid treaty that I could not break. I had even ran off to Seattle in a futile effort to imprint on some girl, any girl but I came home realizing what everyone else knew all along. It just doesn't work that way. It would have made my life so much easier if I could have found that one girl, the one that would make me forget why Bella had become so important to me. For some reason, the man upstairs likes to watch me suffer. I must provide him with some great entertainment. It sounded like one sick soap opera. Werewolf loves human girl who loves a vampire. Throw in a psychic, a doctor, a cop and a shaman and yeah, you pretty much had the makings of a ratings winner.

So many times I wanted to go to her but stopped myself. Sam stopped me. She was under their protection now, I was informed. But how could she be? Blood flowed warm within her veins. Her heart still beat even if its beats were only for him.

The rest of the pack wished I would just get over it already but they didn't understand. Hell, I didn't even understand. There was only one thing I knew with absolute certainty…I needed to make Bella mine. She was too good for the leech that broke her heart.

Charlie had come over today to see my dad. They sat in the living room drinking beers and watching a baseball game. Glutton for punishment that I am I couldn't help but eavesdrop on them from my room. Most of what I heard consisted of shouts and boos. Nothing useful. I guess Charlie refrained from speaking about Bella to my dad knowing that it might upset him or me. It wasn't until the post game analysis that Billy brought up the topic. I strained listen closely, putting down the piece of wood I was carving.

"How's Bella doing these days? I haven't seen her in awhile." Billy asked Charlie.

"She's doing good. Better than she has been."

"She's with the Cullen boy again." It wasn't a question.

I heard Charlie make a hard swallow. "Yeah. "

"You don't approve." Again, not a question.

"I'll tell ya, he's got her filling out her college applications and her school work has improved" He laughed humorlessly "But he hurt her so badly. I just wish it was your boy Bella was with." At least Charlie was on my side. "And I thought at least for a little while that was where it was headed but I was just fooling myself. Since he came back it's like the light that went out of her eyes the day he left came back again. He seems to really love her. I can say that much for him. The way he looks at her, it's like she is his whole world."

She's mine too, Charlie, she's mine too.

"And from what I can tell, the Cullens are good people."

To that statement, Billy grunted. My father was never one for many words when a simple sound would do.

"You don't like them much, do you?" Charlie asked him.

"I am not a big fan of their kind." Billy replied. I knew what he was referring to but Charlie did not. I also knew Billy wouldn't say anything to threaten their precious treaty, the treaty that I had come to hate.

"What kind? You mean rich? They're not that bad. At least they don't flaunt it like some would."

"Yes, you would see it that way." Billy's reply was grim.

"I don't know. I feel like I'm going to lose her Billy…and soon too. She has always been a constant little thing and I can see where this relationship is headed or it may already be there for all I know."

Charlie was very perceptive, I thought balling my hands into fists at the mere thought that Bella would become one of them even if Charlie was misguided to think that he would be losing Bella to something as ordinary as marriage. It turned my stomach more than watching the leech kiss her. I jumped out of the window in my room unable to listen anymore.