"The bride arrives. About time!" I was wrapped into my brother's arms as soon as I stepped past the arrivals gate.

"Hey, Seth. I missed you." I hugged him back. He lifted me right off the floor. Freak.

"That's why you need to visit more often than once every four years." My mother's frown was severe. I ducked my head, ashamed. I should have come back. The others would have been all right for a week. It was just so easy to stay with Marcus. I'd kept putting it off and putting it off.

"Sorry, Mom." I hugged her, too. I saw Charlie standing behind her and smiled thinly.

"So, where are the others?" she asked now.

I looked over my shoulder to see them stepping through the door like a group of models. Freaky leeches. I shook my head. Why did I surround myself with these people?

Marcus put a cold hand to my back and lips to my nose and I remembered really quickly. My mother's jaw was open. What did she think? He'd be ugly? She knew what vampires looked like.

"Mom, this is Marcus. Marcus, this is my mother, Sue."

He took her hand and kissed it. I watched Charlie fume. "And Marcus," I said, hip checking him. "That's her husband, Charlie Swan, the chief of police in Forks."

Marcus didn't drop my mother's hand, but he was certainly quicker lowering than raising. He stretched his hand to Charlie who gripped it tightly. He didn't know what Marcus and his kind were, just that they weren't normal. So he didn't know Marcus could break his hand doing what he was doing now.

Charlie looked at his hand and let go. I tried to smile again. "And this is Seth." I still had one arm around his shoulders.

"Marcus," he simply nodded. "I've seen far too much of you."

I slapped the back of his head.

"So who are these ladies?" he asked with a stupid grin.

"Like you're interested in them." I rolled my eyes. "You already know Lucia."

"Are you actually going by that?" Seth asked.

She half growled, "Yes."

"Nice to see you again." Seth's lie was not convincing.

"And this is Renata and Chelsea."

He took Chelsea's hand. "So you're going to be my counterpart, eh? I don't have to dance with her do I, Leah?"

"I don't care who you dance with. I'm hoping to be on my way to Banff by then." I smiled wickedly.

"No rushing," my mother chided.

I rolled my eyes. She wanted to have a huge affair. She'd have me trussed in miles of satin, a wedding party of eight or ten and a cake with sixteen layers. I'd had to rein her in, hard.

Still there had been compromise. So, the cake had three layers. My dress was satin, but did not have a train. And my wedding party was the four of us. Seth, Chelsea, Marcus and me. I had a best man, and he had a maid of honour. Perfect. My mother wanted to choke me. I didn't give a damn. As it was the entire tribe was going to be there. Plus most of Makah. I tried not to think about it.

Introductions taken care of, we rented a car for our group and headed to Seth's place, my home. Mom had long since moved to Forks with Charlie, but Seth had kept the store and the house. We dropped the ladies at the Cullen house. It was unoccupied at the moment. Marcus would be the only vampire on La Push until the ceremony. I ran straight up to my room and flung open the door. Seth was laughing at me downstairs. "I didn't touch anything!"

"You better not have! I'll kick your ass!" I flopped on my bed and saw Marcus in the doorway.

"That doesn't look big enough to share," he commented. He was right, it was a single. All I'd ever needed.

"We'd just have lie really close." I beckoned with a finger.

"Not in my house!" Seth yelled from downstairs.

"Screw you!" I shouted back, pulling Marcus down on top of me.

He laughed. "I think maybe we can restrain ourselves for a couple of days."

I rolled my eyes. "I suppose," I grumbled.

Marcus got up and started opening drawers. I came behind him, curious at what would interest him. His hands flitted over a dream catcher, a raven's feather. A picture of my father, mother, Seth and I on a camping trip. I was seven. He picked that up and looked at it for a while. "You took me here."

It was Mount Baker. I was surprised he recognized it. "Yes."

His finger traced my father's face. Then he set the picture back down. He turned back to me. "You have your father's chin." He put his cold fingers under it, tipping it up.

"Yeah, I got his stubbornness too."

"No, I think that's all your own."

I laughed and heard Seth chuckling downstairs.

There was a knock, and I pulled Marcus downstairs with me.

"Hey Jake." Seth greeted him at the door. "You heard she was here, did ya?"

"Yeah. He's here too?" Jacob looked over Seth's head and saw us on the stairs. "Hey, Leah. Welcome home."

"Thanks, Jacob. I gotta say, Churchill's feeling a lot like home these days." I crossed the room.

"Aw, you don't miss us at all?" he asked with a smirk.

"No. I don't miss you lot of boys at all." He grabbed me into a hug. It still felt a little awkward.

"Well, we miss you."

I chuckled. "Yeah right. You all hated me and my feminine problems," I taunted.

"Long time, Marcus. She hasn't kicked you out yet?"

"Not yet." He stood behind me, his hands on my ribs. "Lucia a few times."

I doubled up laughing. "Yeah. Yeah, she's been thrown out on her head a few times!" I laughed hard enough to bring tears and the guys were looking at me like I was insane, which is probably how it seemed to them.

Marcus laughed with me, though, and filled them in. "She means that literally." He drew a hand across his throat which just made me laugh harder. The boys joined in now.

Boys. They were both well over twenty now. I shook my head. Then I stopped suddenly. "Am I turning thirty this year?"

Seth and Jacob both laughed at me now. I punched each in the gut. "It's not that funny!"

"Hell, yeah, it is." Jacob was spluttering while clutching his stomach. That was when I first saw Renesmee behind him.

"Wow, rude much? Come on in, Nessie." I shoved Jacob out of the doorway. "How have you been?"

"Not bad. Got crashed by one of your guests in Seattle."

I looked to Marcus who shrugged. "Who?" I asked.

"Alec?" She seated herself on the couch.

"Alec!" Marcus said with surprise. "Did anyone come with him?"

"Wait, wait. Another vampire? One not already on the diet?" This was not something I had planned for.

"Well, I sent an invitation to Volterra-"

"You didn't," I groaned. "I asked the rest of the Cullens not to come and you invite everyone in Volterra?" I stopped, took two paces away from Marcus and started stretching. "I am a woman, not a bitch," I repeated to myself.

"I didn't expect to get an answer when I sent it," Marcus tried to explain. "It was really meant to inform them."

I was still clinging to humanity, feeling the heat rippling down my spine.

"Wow, she's really gotten better at that," Jacob mused to Seth.

"Yeah, do you think you could have fought it that long?" Seth asked.

"He was alone," Nessie said. "He is alone. Well, he isn't right now. He's with the others at the house."

He was with Chelsea, Lucia and Renata. He wasn't near any humans. Everything was fine. I tried to convince myself; it wasn't working well.

"And when did he feed last?" I asked through my teeth.

"Oh no, Leah." Jacob came around me then. "He's going back with you. He's been feeding on animals since he got here."

I met his eyes.

"You think I'd let him come anywhere near here if he was still feeding on humans? What the hell?" He was mad now. I supposed he had a right to be.

"I didn't think of that." I dropped my hands from prayer position. "Of course you wouldn't."

"He's having trouble though," Nessie told me. "Two near misses on the way here. One outside our place in Seattle and one in Forks. He's going to be a handful for you."

I shook my head. "Nothing I can't handle." My smile was small but proud. My vampires hadn't had a near miss in over a year. They were as tempted as ever, but none really considered falling off the wagon. I wished my human record was as clean.

"Can I see the dress?" Nessie asked, bouncing a little on her seat.

I rolled my eyes. "You are such a girl. Come on." I led her up to my room where I had hung the garment bag with my dress inside. I zipped it open for her and waited for her reaction.

"It's... nice."

I laughed and zipped it back up. "It's mine." It wasn't flashy; it wasn't glamourous. I looked hot in it. She wouldn't know that from the hanger though.

"You having a stagette?"

"What?" I asked, incredulous.

"Y'know, A girls' night."

I tried to think of who I would have to such an event. "No, I really hadn't thought about it."

"Oh. A shower?"

"I'm pretty sure I'll shower in the morning."

She rolled her eyes. "A bridal shower?"

"Um. I hadn't planned one, no."

"You are so lucky you don't have an Alice. She'd be ripping out her hair right now. Or maybe your hair. You never know with Alice."

"Yes. I'm glad I don't have an Alice," I agreed with enthusiasm. "I have a Mom. Who no doubt has a surprise shower planned for me, but you'd have to talk to her."

"Hmm. I would have thought she would tell me if she did." Nessie shrugged. "Well, I'm happy for you."

"Thanks." The silence became awkward. "And now I'm going back to see Marcus."

"Yep. Jake and I should probably get going too. We're staying at the cottage tonight. Mom and Dad send their best."

I winced. "They're crashing aren't they?" When I had asked the Cullens not to come, I thought I'd made my reasoning fairly clear. There weren't as many wolves any more. We didn't need a new flush of them. Especially with Jake currently in Seattle.

"Don't be mad. It will only be for the day. Nothing will happen that fast. We'll all be gone again after."

"I'm not mad." It was true. I should be. I should be furious. I was already heading down the stairs with her behind me. "Marcus will be thrilled to know."

"I am." He beamed at Nessie.

"And we're sure a day isn't going to be a problem?" I asked Jacob.

He shrugged. "If it is, we'll deal with it."

I rolled my eyes.

I held Marcus' hand and he held the knife. Flashbulbs went off and I tried to keep my smile from being too fake. This was such nonsense. What did cutting a cake have to do with anything? The vows we'd shared, those were important. I'd promised to obey him. Was I still right in the head? Of course, he'd promised to obey me too, so I supposed it was alright. Still, so much of today was tradition for tradition's sake. This dress, the cake, none of that mattered. None of that meant anything. He lifted a piece of cake to my mouth and I bit into it. I returned the gesture, pulling the piece just before he bit and shoving that in my mouth as well. I grinned at him with icing on my lips. I licked it away and he bent to kiss me.

"Thank you," he whispered. I giggled.

He led me in another circuit of hugs and congratulations. Not only the Cullens, but the Denali family had come as well. Marcus' portion of the guests was still paltry next to mine. Emily hugged me tightly and Levi even kissed my cheek. I couldn't get over how big he'd gotten. They had two more now, both daughters. One in diapers, one out. More of the pack had kids too. Rachel and Paul had one, Kim and Jared had two. And Claire! She was a woman! Quil was currently spinning her around in a dance and wore a grin that matched Jacob's. Both had finally gotten their imprints past holding hands. I shook my head. I was so glad I hadn't had to deal with that headache.

"I understand you're leaving soon." Carlisle said as he was shaking Marcus' hand. "We wanted to make sure you got our gift before you left."

I cringed very slightly. We had almost paid Carlisle back for all the money he'd loaned us to get started. Now what had he gotten for us? I looked to his hands, but they were empty. Esme wasn't holding anything either.

"Follow me?" He walked away from the gathering and I followed on Marcus' arm. Suddenly he scooped me up and ran alongside Carlisle as he shot off. I might have been able to keep up, I might not, but I would have broken my heels off if I'd tried.

We came to a cove and Marcus put me on my feet. "You didn't," I moaned.

Esme was at my side. "Congratulations. And this way you can visit home more often."

A seaplane was moored in the cove, rocking gently on the surf. "You can't be serious."

"Thank you, Carlisle," Marcus said, hugging his old friend. "Be gracious," he whispered to me over Carlisle's shoulder.

I had promised to obey. "Thank you very much," I said to Esme, trying hard not to scowl.

"You are so welcome, Leah. We are so happy for both of you." She hugged me and I held my breath.

I stood beside Marcus in the lobby of the Banff Park Lodge. He used a credit card to pay for our reserved suite this time. I pulled one of his arms around my waist while the hostess did her thing.

"Thank you, Mr. Clearwater. I hope you enjoy your stay."

"Thank you." We walked sedately to the elevator, Marcus carrying our only bag in one hand. So different from our last stay here. And so much the same. As soon as the doors closed he scooped me into his arms and planted icy kisses on my neck. "Mine, mine, mine," he whispered with each kiss.

I laughed at him, but he continued to carry me and the bag when the door opened. He fumbled a little in order to keep a hold on me while retrieving the room key. Then he carried me over the threshold. It was the Royal Suite again, and a fire already raged in the fire place.

"You're sure Alec will be all right?" I asked for what was probably the eighth time. Marcus had spent part of the week up to the wedding with Alec. I was still leery about leaving him with the girls.

"Jacob said he'd stay at the cottage. They're going to be fine." Marcus kissed down my neck along the top of my dress. "Please, try to relax. Otherwise we might as well head back."

"Right." I didn't want to leave. I wanted to have this time alone with him. They were under Jacob's watch now. And they were all going to be fine. I inhaled deeply and heard a rumble from Marcus as my breasts rose to his mouth.

"You are a woman," he murmured, making light of my mantra. I smacked his shoulder. He laid me on the rug in front of the fire. If he hadn't been so close I would have been roasting. He left me lying there for a moment, becoming slightly overheated, only to return after a pop. He handed me a glass of champagne.

"To the future."

"To our future," I toasted with him. I knocked back my glass quick and leaned forward, putting my lips to his.

"Have I told you how much I appreciate all you give for us?" he whispered into my ear with a voice of molten chocolate, kissing my cheek. His fingers slid down my leg, pulling off one of my shoes. "How glad I am you are willing to help us?" He pulled off the other and ran his hand up the inside of my leg. My breath hitched as he slipped under my skirt. "How insanely lucky I am that you imprinted on me?" His mouth moved under my chin, his tongue massaging under my jawline.

"How lucky are you?" I rasped.

"I am the luckiest being in the world." His tongue ran down my jugular and I fell back into the arm on my shoulder, leaning my head away from him. "It's only gotten stronger."

He was referring to the bond between us. "I know. That's why I never came to visit. I couldn't leave you." I was feeling insecure now. Was I too needy? I sat up again, and put my hands to his chest. "Before the other two came, I could go with Chelsea for a week, but now-" I opened the buttons of his shirt and put my mouth to one of his nipples. "I can't bear to be away from you for more than a day."

"I don't want you to be gone that long, or that far." He moved the hand between my legs, making me jump and catching my breath again. "I want you closer than this." He stroked along my damp panties again and I closed my eyes.

"How close do you want me?" My hands, flat to his chest, followed the planes down to his waist, anticipating his answer.

"I want you as close as you can be. I want to be inside you." His breath was rougher, but his voice still oozed sensuality.

"Marcus, I want that, too." I rocked my hips into his still moving fingers. Restraining ourselves in my brother's house for five days had been an excellent idea. It felt like it had been years since he'd touched me like this. I grabbed his open shirt and pulled him with me as I laid back on the rug, my lips never leaving his.

He pulled his hand from beneath me and moved it to my breast, trailing lightly over the lacy material of my dress. The other hand continued teasing me. I refused to be teased. I lifted my hips while pulling the dress up, out of the way. A low growl escaped me.

"Leah." Marcus' golden eyes held mine. "I'm going to take my time tonight. Is that all right?"

I closed my eyes and let my head fall back to the carpet. Marcus' concept of time was so different from mine. It would be agonizingly slow. It would be painfully drawn out. He would make my mind run away and hide for a day or two. My toes curled into the carpet and my muscles all tensed. I whimpered slightly.

"Is that a yes?" he whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my side and goosebumps to raise on my arm. His fingers brushed my panties again and I gasped, squeezing my eyes further shut.

"Yes," I moaned.

I opened my eyes and saw his breathtaking smile. His fingers left my dampness now and raked down my thigh again. I arched at the touch. The other four fingertips played across my collarbone, brushing away the hair that just covered my shoulders. His lips came to my nose, first the tip, then the bridge, then each of my eyes as I had closed them again. He brought the hand from my legs and raked my arms now, causing my fingers to flex and find his forearms, clutching him.

He chuckled and brought my hands to his hips, moving his to my ribs. He nipped my ear with his lips while his hands brushed lightly up my ribcage, circled my breasts, and touched ever so lightly over the nipples.

I arched again with a gasp. His lips tightened on my ear and I moaned. My panties were done for. They would never be clean or dry again. My hands were gripping the material of his pants. I started trying to fumble with his belt. He let me, knowing I wouldn't get far.

He was right. He leaned to my other side, his lips finding that ear now. His hands tracked down again, his thumbs following the curve of my pelvic bone and stroking there, just missing the throbbing heat of me. He was so tantalizingly close. I started to shift and he pressed me hard into the rug. I winced at the bruise that made. Of course it was gone almost as quickly as it came. His face came to mine, his eyes questioning. I had agreed. I gritted my teeth and tried to relax into his touch. He had me so hot already, but he wanted to take his time.

I was rewarded with another smile and a nipping kiss for each of my pointing peaks. I whimpered a little at that too. So cold, his lips made them even harder, even more sensitive, especially through the fabric of both dress and bra. His thumbs traced the edges of my panties, then just under. My hips bucked before I even noticed and he pushed me back to the floor again.

I whimpered once more, tugging on his hips. He chuckled lightly, but held his hands long enough for me to get his belt off. I could feel him trapped there. I wanted him out. I wanted him in me. I was faster on the button and zipper, but he pulled his hips back just as I'd gotten them and put his mouth to the exposed line of flesh over my panties and under the bunched skirt. He ran his lips slowly across it and I shivered. I filled my hands with his hair.

He moved very slightly lower and blew. I bucked off the rug again as the freezing air hit my hottest parts. My clit seemed to scream, my dampness froze and made me burn even hotter. I had tears in my eyes for Christ's sake and he still hadn't taken my clothes off. His tongue touched my clit through my panties and I bucked into his face now, holding him down with my hands.

"Am I taking too long?" he asked.

I whimpered in reply.

"I really did want to take my time."

I cried softly. "You – you can take -" I wanted to agree, but I couldn't. I needed it too badly. I continued to hold him to my crotch, a sign of how little I could fight the burning inside me.

He sighed very slightly. Then his head rose slightly. "Let's see what you can take." His thumbs moved together under my panties and into me. His fingers spread over my panties and began circling.

"Thank you," I moaned just before the orgasm that had been verging for what seemed like an hour, but was actually more like ten minutes, exploded from me.

He stroked me twice as I came down and then slid his thumbs up through the cleft in my skin. They converged on my clit and stroked together. My hips lifted and were slammed down again. Now his mouth was back on my breasts. As soon as it was, he pulled his hands from below and pulled the dress from me, sliding his hands gently up my back. I arched to help him slip the silly thing off. He put a hand to his foot, slipping off a shoe. "Roll over," he insisted.

My eyes widened a little in surprise. Not that he wanted me on my stomach, but that he was undressing already. I had just gotten my hands under my chin when I heard his pants fall in a pile and felt his hands in my hair.

I closed my eyes as he stroked my hair and laid kisses on my back. Not what I expected, not what I would have asked for, it was so soothing and calming. He kissed down my spine, his hands staying higher, on my neck and shoulders now, tracing my skin as he had before. I sighed in content. His lips were in the curve of spine and his hands unclasped my bra and trailed down it's wake to touch my breasts beneath me.

His lips moved lower, over my panties again now. He licked my tailbone. "Hope I didn't break anything," he whispered against it.

"No," I sighed, "No breaks yet."

"Good. Maybe later." I shivered at the implication as well as his breath finding the wetness on my panties again. He kissed there now and I squealed. He moaned and brought his hands to either side of his face, opening me again. I pushed up on my arms, arching as I pressed into him.

He lapped at me and I came again in my panties. He spun his fingers around on my hips, under the waistband, and pulled my panties off. I lay with my eyes closed while his hands traced my skin to my ankles. He bent my foot up and put a toe in his mouth. I giggled. He knew how that tickled. He ran his tongue around it and I tried to kick him away. "Stop," I giggled.

He relented and kissed his way up the back of my leg, over my ass, into the small of my back, up my spine. I was fully flexed at this point. My head bent back, my elbows pressed into the carpet. Cobra pose. His hands held my hips now and curled under. He lifted and rubbed my pelvis as he moved between my legs.

I felt his cold tip, and then the rest of the shaft as he pushed into me, practically lying on top of me. He simply held me there, impaled on him, while his hands continued to stroke my pelvis, running fingertips through the hair, ever closer to my heat.

I was already pulsing. I knew the second he moved lower I was done for. I rounded my back now, lifting him slightly. We both nearly purred at the nearness, the feeling on connection. After a few halting breaths I dared to start to sag back. That was when he moved his hand.

"God!" I cried through clamped teeth and rocked on him. I squeezed and moved and squeezed and screamed, and squeezed.

"Yes," he moaned, "yes, Leah." He urged me on, continuing to stroke me.

But I couldn't. I sank back to the carpet with a sigh.

Cold lips traced my back, kissing and licking away the sheen I'd built. He practically purred. I just gasped and tried to regain my breath.

"Your heart is racing," he told me and rolled me over to stroke my belly, wiping away more sweat. His pale white hand against the brown of my skin. "You smell..."

My eyes went wide. Was I finally going to find out what I smelled like to him?

He closed his eyes and brought his mouth to my breast. Nope. Oh well. Not bad, at least. He didn't smell good to me, so I didn't expect I smelled good to him either. I would certainly smell strongly right now.

He wasn't done, of course. Not by a long shot. He put one hand alongside his face on my opposite breast and palmed and pinched me in time with the licking and nipping. I ran my hands down his back, scratching. I wrapped my legs around his chest, lifting my hips. He moaned when my rocking brought me in contact with the head of him. He moved a hand down to cup me and pin me. He held me to the floor and curled his fingers inside. I arched my chest into his mouth, ready to come again.

"You sound divine," he murmured, pinching my nipples as his thumb nudged my clit.

I ground down on his hand, squirming madly. "I'm losing my mind," I warned him.

"Not yet, I think," he looked up at me, tossing black hair from his eyes. They were gold, but hungry. My breath quickened. He wrapped arms around me and pulled me into his lap. I eagerly sank down on him, wanting to be full again. "Marcus," I moaned, my eyes rolling back as I pushed myself up and down on my heels.

His mouth found my breast again, it was barely cool now, having been in contact with my overheated skin for so long. I pulled it to my face and attacked his tongue with my own.

He very forcefully pushed it out with his own, but let his wander my mouth. I tried to remember why I needed to be careful, but it didn't come to me. Instead I just panted and moaned into him, building again.

He pulled his lips from me. "You are mine forever, Leah. Never leave me."

I couldn't answer. I just continued gasping and thrashing on him. He began thrusting with me and I saw white. I saw stars. Then everything went black.

He didn't bite her. Don't think that. I couldn't think of another way to write her passing out. hehe. Thanks to Sharebear for all her beta work.

For Alec lovers, I know he didn't really show up, was just referred to, in this chapter. He's going to be in the next, obviously. Marcus won't be the lone boy in the circle anymore. Yay! :D