A/N: All characters are © Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 12

Dolce and Gabbana Who?

The Cullens and the Clearwaters lounged comfortably around the Cullen's great room discussing the coming celebration. Carlisle had insisted on throwing Ethan and Leah a wedding reception, and Alice – always the consummate party planner – had eagerly agreed to head up the event. It was to be a Valentine's party, and all of La Push plus the Denali clan was invited.

Bella looked around the room and stifled a giggle as her gaze fell upon Leah sitting atop Ethan's lap. Their hands were clasped tightly together and neither seemed willing to take their eyes off the other. They both looked positively giddy. Bella sighed and looked around at Edward, in whose lap she was perched, and met his crooked grin with a wink. She could see the thoughts in his smoldering ocher eyes…

Bella opened her shield and traced the bluish veins on top of Edward's right hand with her finger.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Edward nodded infinitesimally with a wry grin.

Bella returned his grin with her own devious smile.

Last one there strips naked first!

Edward's eyes widened with surprise just before Bella removed herself from his lap slowly and took his hand, leading him silently to the back door of the Cullen mansion. When she reached the back door, Bella dropped Edward's hand, giggling mischievously, and

raced toward their meadow.

Edward caught up to her just before Bella reached the edge of the meadow, grabbing her around the waist and flinging her over his shoulder with an exuberant growl. He came to a stop in the center of the clearing. Today, no violet wildflowers were in sight…no soft green grass covered the ground. Instead, a thick layer of cottony white freshly fallen snow blanketed the floor of their favorite hideaway.

As Edward sat her down on her feet, Bella laughed and stated matter-of-factly, "Only a couple of vampires who have no aversion to frigid temperatures would find this place even remotely romantic right now."

As usual, Edward's golden eyes dazzled her as he took Bella's face in his hands and kissed her deeply before responding, "Ahh… but I, with a little help from little sister, have come prepared for our winter rendezvous."

Edward winked and turned Bella's face slightly to the left. Between two prickly pines, completely assembled, sat a kelly green tent.

Edward's eyes twinkled as he led Bella over to the tent and unzipped the door.

"Now, Love, we have a bit of a problem."

Bella smiled and asked, "And what, may I ask, is the problem?"

Edward slid his right hand slowly down Bella's back and up under her sweater, drawing her into his chest. He swept his left hand teasingly across her bottom and cupped her right butt cheek firmly in the palm of his hand, chuckling as Bella gasped and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

"The race was a draw. Which one of us strips naked first?" Edward asked with a lazy drawl.

Bella grinned devilishly and grabbed Edward by the waistband of his jeans, pulling him into the tent.

"I believe we can figure that out easily enough, don't you?" Bella teased as she placed both of her hands on either side of Edward's zipper, and with very little effort and no warning, ripped the denim right off his body, leaving both jeans and boxers in a shredded heap on the tent floor.

Edward gasped exaggeratedly and placed his hands on his hips.

"Isabella, you just ruined a perfectly expensive pair of Armani jeans! Alice will not be pleased."

Bella covered her mouth in mock surprise, her soft butterscotch eyes narrowing slightly, just before she twisted the collar of Edward's white Dolce & Gabbana knit sweater in one hand and tugged with a flick of her wrist, rendering him completely naked.

Smiling wickedly, Bella slowly grazed her eyes up and down Edward's perfect body and stated proudly, "Uh huh…problem solved!"

Edward's golden eyes narrowed into slits as he moved slowly toward Bella, who began backing up out his reach.

"Not hardly, Love."

Bella giggled as Edward lurched forward, trapping her in his steel grasp with one arm around her waist, and threaded his finger through the belt loop at the back of her waistband. Gucci was the farthest thing from Bella's mind as denim and knit were ripped from her body amidst the sounds of Edward's primal growls.


Jacob watched incredulously as Renesmee and Claire – curled up on the sofa in the Black's living room– giggled and recited every lyric of every song while watching the latest Hannah Montana episode. Already, Renesmee towered above Claire in size. In just the last couple of months, she had taken on the appearance of a little grade school girl…no longer looking like a toddler. Renesmee would easily pass for a five year old, and her second birthday was still seven months away.

Renesmee noticed Jacob staring at her, and with a smile in her big brown eyes, wrinkled her nose before sticking out her tongue. As Jacob leapt out of his chair to grab her, Renesmee bounded off the couch in a somersault, giggling contagiously. Both girls squealed as Jacob caught Renesmee by the waist just as she darted past him and flipped her upside down, holding her by the feet.

"I'll teach you to stick your tongue out at me, young lady!"

Jacob tossed Renesmee over his shoulder, tickling her behind her knee caps. As she squirmed and squealed, pounding Jake on the back with her little fists, Claire scrambled off the couch, coming to Renesmee's rescue. She kicked Jake on the shin and pelted him with her fists right above his knees.

Roaring with laughter, Jake reached down with his free hand to scoop Claire up off the floor.

"Hey! No fair tag teaming the babysitter!"

As both girls broke out in a new fit of giggles and screams, Quil burst through the door panting for breath and shouted, "What the…?"

He paused for a second, taking in the scene, before doubling over in a fit of his own giggles. Jake was standing in the center of the living room with Renesmee draped over his right shoulder and Claire dangling from his left arm.

Jacob grinned and winked at Quil before pleading in a pretend helpless voice, "Uh, Bro…a little help here with these two monkeys, please!"

Quil picked Claire off of Jacob's arm, swinging her up on top of his shoulders.

"Okay, Claire Bear. I think you've beat up on Uncle Jake enough for today. What do you say we go out for some pizza?"

Claire clapped her hands in joy and shouted, "Yea, pizza! Can Uncle Jake and Nessie come, too?"

Jake tousled Claire's hair and repositioned Renesmee onto his shoulders before replying, "Sorry, Claire, but I've got some homework to finish, and Nessie's going shopping with her Aunt Alice."

As Jake walked out on the front porch with Renesmee still wrapped around his shoulders, Billy rolled up the ramp in his wheelchair holding a string of fish.

"Don't tell me you're leaving! I thought you'd help me clean and fry these fish up for supper tonight! Charlie and Sue are coming over, and I've invited Leah and Ethan."

Jacob clamped his hand down on Billy's shoulder and muttered hopelessly, "Sorry, Dad. Carlisle said I could use his library and their internet connection to work on my research paper. I'll be staying over at the Cullen's tonight…probably working most of the night. Believe me, I'd much rather be here eating fish with you guys!"

Billy winked up at Renesmee and chuckled.

"Who said anything about eating? I just wanted someone besides me to have to clean them!"

Renesmee giggled as Jacob rolled his eyes.

"Sure, sure. Thanks a lot, Dad. See ya later, Old Man!"

Billy watched as Jacob galloped off with Renesmee bobbing atop his shoulders, laughing hysterically. He was glad to see the old Jacob had finally returned. It had taken him a few weeks to get completely past the near loss of Renesmee after a severe allergic reaction to peanuts before Christmas. For several weeks after, Billy had heard his son awaken in the middle of the night screaming out her name in agony.

Although Jacob never talked about it, Billy knew the thought of living without Renesmee terrified him. Though it would be years before their relationship was anything remotely resembling romantic, she was the epicenter of his life. Jacob's sun did not rise in the East and set in the West…it rose and set in the wrinkle of her nose and the twinkle in her chocolate brown eyes.

Billy also knew that Jacob's love for Renesmee was the reason he had had such a hard time forgiving Leah for threatening her life. If Leah had not imprinted on Ethan and married him soon after, the bond between her and the pack would have eventually been severed forever. But, it was obvious to anyone with half a brain that Leah was madly in love with Ethan. She was a changed woman. So, relations between both packs had been restored, and a new brother had been welcomed warmly into Jacob's pack. They could all finally breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the brotherhood of the pack in the way that the Quileute ancestors had intended… and get on with the business of protecting La Push and Forks from those they were meant to guard against.

Billy had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. No matter how euphoric the life they had all grown so accustomed to since the alliance between the wolves and the Cullens had been formed, there were still predators among them. Not all vampires were as committed to a life free of human carnage as the Cullens, and Billy had a hunch that the newest pack brother was all too familiar with the devastation a coven of blood-thirsty cold ones could lay in their path.


"Come on, Ethan…Just try it. If you turn out to be downright ugly, no one will know but me and Leah."

Seth was trying unsuccessfully to talk Ethan into shape shifting in the form of a wolf. Ethan had been inducted into Jacob's pack and Seth had taken an instant liking to his new brother, but he suspected there was more to the man's story than the man was giving up.

Leah scowled and warned Seth sternly, "Seth, leave him alone. He doesn't want to be a wolf. He is happy with the black panther." Muttering under her breath, she confessed, "It was the shape of his mother."

Ethan rolled his eyes and frowned.

"I can hear you, Leah. Besides, I didn't choose the panther because it was my mother's shape. I chose the panther because of its ability to crouch…"

Ethan grinned and crouched into an attack stance.

Leah laughed and began backing away from him slowly.

"…and POUNCE!"

As Ethan said the word, he leapt into the air, performing a forward somersault, and landed right in front of a retreating Leah.

Leah shook her head slowly back and forth, grinning.

"Don't even think about it, Pelletier!"

Ethan chuckled darkly and wrapped his arms around her waist just as Leah turned to take off running. He spun her around and swung her over his shoulder with a playful roar.

Seth rolled his eyes and snorted at the newlyweds before stating sarcastically, "I'm outta here. There's only one way this little play fight's gonna end, and I don't want to be here when all the slobber starts flying."

Seth had just broken up with his girlfriend and he wasn't really in the mood for a public display of affection between his sister and her new husband…or anyone else for that matter.

As Seth made his exit, Ethan placed Leah gently on her feet. Leah tiptoed, wrapping her arms around his neck, and planted a kiss on his lips. Then, she sighed and tousled his now shoulder length black hair.

Ethan had been promoted to detective in the Port Angeles violent crimes division, and the one stipulation they had made before he started the new job was that he cut his hair. It had taken some getting used to…both Leah and Ethan were attached to his long locks, but the job was just too good to turn down over something as trivial as a haircut.

Ethan had put in for the transfer months before he stopped Leah for a traffic violation in Juneau and imprinted on her. The call that he'd gotten the job of lead detective came in on the day of their wedding. So, they had spent their honeymoon packing up what little they had and driving across Alaska…Ethan in his Hummer, and Leah in her Jetta.

"I'll be glad when Seth stops nursing that broken heart of his. He can be a real drag these days," complained Leah.

Ethan chuckled and kissed Leah on the top of her head.

"From the sound of it, you're the pot calling the kettle black."

At the annoyed expression on Leah's face, Ethan continued quickly.

"I mean, to hear you tell it, you gave everybody hell for a long time.

Seth's entitled to a few down moments, too, you know."

Leah frowned and took Ethan's hand before walking slowly toward the forest's edge.

"Yeah, I know. And, I did give everybody…including myself…a very hard time for a very long time…too long."

Leah stopped and turned to face her husband with tear-filled eyes. Ethan immediately wrapped her in his arms, twisting back and forth in a rocking motion.

"Baby, what is it? I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

Leah looked up at Ethan and grinned through her tears.

"These are happy tears, Mr. Pelletier. I never imagined…never allowed myself to hope I'd be this happy. I love you so much. I just hope Seth gets the chance to find even a little bit of the happiness I've found."

Ethan cupped Leah's face in his hands and leaned down close to kiss her, tears spilling from his own eyes.

"Mrs. Pelletier, you have made me the happiest man on the planet. My life was an empty shell before you came along. With you, I am completely whole. I love you more than life itself. And, I am sure that Seth will find his own true love someday. Now, we'd better head on over to Billy's for the fish fry before my libido gets a better idea and I take you home and keep you all to myself tonight!"

Leah's eyes gleamed as she placed her finger on her chin thoughtfully.

"Hmmm…Fish fry…Making love with Ethan…"

Ethan rolled his eyes and took her by the hand, dragging her out of the forest.

A/N: I know…I know…a fluff chapter. :-) I wanted a bit of froo-froo before the intensity increases in the next chapter. Plus, some loose ends involving Ethan needed to be tied up because he will play a pivotal part in the rest of the story.

Thanks to all my readers! You guys are great! Please review up a storm…it helps me know if I am hitting any target whatsoever. ??

I am having gallbladder surgery tomorrow, so I hope I will feel like writing while I am recuperating. Until the next update…