A/N: These amazing characters all belong to the creative brilliance of Stephenie Meyer. It's our love for them that keeps them doing different things!

BPOV

………we held each other for an hour, just enjoying the pure bliss and tranquility of our meadow. We would have been happy to stay there all day if it weren't for one thing. We were no longer alone.

"Alice," Edward said, and I knew exactly what he meant.

Quickly we scrambled into our clothes, although from the condition of them it was quite obvious what we had been up to. Just as I managed to get my blouse wrapped around myself, Alice came bounding out of the forest, making a bee line to where we stood.

"Isabella soon-to-be Cullen!" she admonished, shaking a pixie finger at me. "Don't you know how much work there is to do before the big day? I can handle most of it, but it would be nice to have the bride's participation, you know!"

"Sorry, Alice," I said, putting on my best guilty face. "Edward and I were just….checking out the chapel and making sure it was on schedule." Edward gave me a look that said he was impressed with my fast thinking. Alice didn't buy it, though.

"Look, whatever you were up to, I need you to go make yourselves presentable. We're meeting with a very reputable photographer today, and I need to make sure he is up to the job by doing your engagement photo." She gave us a look that dared either of us to argue, which wasn't about to happen. Well, at least I would have Edward with me for today's adventure.

"I've already picked out your clothes and they're laid out for you on your bed." She added after a moment's thought, "Shall I assume that you don't need a chaperone and that I can trust you to get ready quickly so we are not late?" Edward and I glanced at each other and if I could have blushed I would have been a lovely shade of crimson. "No problem, Alice," Edward assured her. "Yeah, sure, no problem," I added. She really could be an annoying little pixie when she wanted to.

The visit to the photographer's went fine, unless you count the number of times we had to re-shoot because Edward was too tempted to tickle me, kiss my neck, or whisper something to make me laugh. Once he had sufficiently succeeded at infuriating Alice, it was over fairly quickly. The photographer had completely charmed Alice with his patience and the fact that he let her dictate every pose. He further impressed her by complimenting every idea she had for the ceremony, formals, and reception candids. This man apparently had enough experience with bridezillas to handle Alice, and I had to admire him for that.

When we arrived back home, everyone was going about their favorite pastimes. Carlisle was in his study doing some research on a new medical procedure that he wanted the Board to consider offering at the hospital. Esme was putting the finishing touches on a design for an old building she had found outside the property line. Rose was tuning her BMW for the second time this month, and Jasper and Emmett were playing video games on the giant TV. Every time Emmett would get excited about being ahead, Jasper would send a wave of anxiety his way and Emmett would second guess his next moves, allowing Jasper to pull into the lead. Alice raced upstairs, after giving Jasper a peck on the cheek, to update her paperwork for the wedding.

Edward took my hand, heading toward the piano, and I was happy to curl up in the chair near him and listen to him play. After a few songs I didn't recognize, he looked over at me with his smoldering eyes and began playing my lullaby. I smiled sweetly at him, and thanked God for whatever I had done right in a previous life to deserve the love and adoration that emanated from every fiber of his being when he looked at me that way.

After Edward finished playing, he gave a slight nod of his head, letting me know that he wanted some alone time with me upstairs. Not that we spent all of our spare time making love (although the idea wasn't all that bad), because much of the time we spent just reading, talking, or listening to some new music. Just enjoying each other's company was enough, and I wondered to myself if all couples enjoyed each other the way we did.

Emmett, however, never missed an opportunity to make an innuendo about the goings on in our bedroom. He remembered very well the first few years after he became a vampire and his absolutely insatiable desire for Rosalie. Of course he assumed the same was true for me now and that all I could possibly be thinking about 24 hours a day was sex, sex, sex. I thought Edward was going to snap one day when Emmett accused us of having "Sex Ed-ward" classes during the day without a proper instructor, and did we need him to teach us anything? After that, if we went upstairs during daylight hours we usually snuck up separately to avoid being subjected to Emmett's hilarious commentary.

"I'm going to go ask Rose if she can check the Volvo's tire pressure and fluids for me after she finishes the BMW," Edward said as he stood and gave me a wink. "Okay," I said, "I think I'll finish putting away Alice's latest wardrobe additions to my closet," and winked right back. We could both relax in our room in just a matter of seconds, Emmett being none the wiser.

Edward climbed up the side of the house and sprang into our room, gently landing on the bed beside me, resting his head on my shoulder and placing his hand around my waist. A book was in my hand already. I was reading my Jane Austen compilation again, although by now my photographic memory had memorized each word and on which page to find it. I found it comforting, though, to re-read this book the way I did when I was human, still being able to feel the same enjoyment it brought me then.

I turned to face him, his head lifting instantly from my shoulder. I stared into his golden eyes, filled with concern now. I could always tell when he wanted to talk about something less than pleasant, involving my past. He was so cautious, always worried he would say the wrong thing. But there was one thing he very much wanted me to do for him, and it was torture for me to deny him anything that he wanted.

Edward had explained before that it would be very easy for me to make him forget Mike. He didn't want to have to remember the pain he watched me go through, or the suffering that Allie experienced at Mike's hands. We had had this discussion a few times recently, but some internal pull made me stand my ground. Taking a leap and assuming where this conversation was going, I began. "If I help you forget," my words slow and measured, "Then everyone else will want to forget him. I can't refuse them if I don't refuse you. When everyone forgets, then no one can ever help me remember."

He carefully considered my feelings on the matter, taking what I said very seriously. His beautiful eyes held a deep sense of sadness and regret that I had the power to remove, yet I could not shake the feeling that I needed him to be able to remember, for more than just my sake. "Bella," he breathed. His breath and his stare still dazzled me, even as a vampire. "You know that you cannot possibly be happy remembering Mike Newton." "Yes, I know, Edward. But I need more time before I can deal with the knowledge of those memories being gone forever. I feel like as long as I know all of the memories exist somewhere, then so does a piece of Allie. It's not just about Mike, Edward. If it were, then there would be no question."

"Part of me still wants to know what happened to her..." I whispered, my eyes dropping to the sheets of our bed. Golden, like his eyes.

His hand, once cold, was now warm as it cupped my chin, tilting my head up so he could gaze into my eyes. "Remember Allie. Remember her as the happy girl that she was. You don't need to see the things that happened to her. No good will come from it."

I knew he would never change his views on that, just as I could not bring myself to erase those memories forever. Our discussion ended as the previous ones had. Neither of us surrendered, and we both knew that the subject would be revisited at some other time. Edward never let the conversation get to the point of making me unnecessarily upset.

I sighed. He leaned forward, his lips tickling mine as he spoke swiftly, "Bella, I love you. If I thought I was causing you any harm in keeping this from you, then I wouldn't do it. It will only hurt you to see everything that he did."

His lips pressed against mine, parting invitingly, in a way that we had never explored when I was still a human. My hands automatically twisted into his hair – my reactions still a bit unexpected to the both of us. He responded, his arms wrapping around my waist and crushing me to him. It was unlike anything else to be held by him with his full strength. To be able to kiss without need for air.

Slowly, he pulled away. A soft moan of protest escaped my lips and he chuckled in response, "I will never do anything to cause you harm ever again, Bella."

"No matter how much I beg?" I teased, smiling up at him with my most seductive glance through my eyelashes.

"Beg away. I could listen to you forever," He whispered, pulling me back against him as he settled back onto the pillow.

"I'm afraid at this point you will have to. You're pretty stuck with me now."

"That's what I'm banking on, love." he laid kisses into my hair, his laughter still present.

At that moment, the mood in the room changed faster than lightening. "Edward!" Alice said from downstairs. Immediately Edward froze beside me, his entire body tense.

"What is it?" I asked, nervously grabbing for his hand with my own. "Alice can't see anything," he replied. "She's being blinded by something outside." Immediately we headed for the stairs to see what was wrong. The entire family was gathered in the living room, not knowing what could be so powerful to deprive Alice of any view of the future. I smiled to myself when I saw Emmett's confused look when Edward and I arrived together from upstairs.

A protective growl rumbled low through Edward's chest and he pulled me closer to him. "There's a wolf out there."

Oooohhh……can you guess who it is??? Please review! Send me love, hate, whatever…. Just send!!