Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Thirteen

Just after six o'clock Edward helped me dress, and we went downstairs to find a beautiful dinner, set for two, with no one in sight.

"Alice explained to them that privacy was of the utmost importance to us. They'll come clean up the dishes tomorrow after we leave." He watched me eat, a different kind of hunger in his eyes. For my part, I couldn't help but feel the tangible humming between us: when he'd taken me for the first time that afternoon, I'd felt lost, but in the most beautiful perfect way. For the first time, I'd sensed that there was more in my being than just Bella. For a moment, I'd felt something completely different; a deep quiet place where there was us.

"You felt it earlier too." It was a statement from him, not a question, and I stopped eating for a moment.

"Yes. I don't understand it, but whatever it was… yes."

"It was the first time I'd felt it too, you know."

I looked at him in surprise. The inn's owners had even provided candlelight for our dinner, and in the soft flickering, his topaz eyes seemed to glow. "That was the first time for you?"

"Of course, love. I could only feel it if you met me halfway."

I gasped and dropped my fork. "I thought that wasn't possible yet?"

"You have a remarkable soul," he replied quietly. "To me, it's only further proof that we were destined to be together; that we've been meant for each other our whole lives."

"But I thought it could only happen after…" my voice faded away.

"After your change? Yes, I thought so too. But earlier, Bella," he hesitated for a brief moment, "I truly felt as though you were in my mind, just as I was in yours. The connection I felt was… unbelievable."

It was rare to see him fumbling for words. "Alice said it was like you combine and create a whole new single being, when you find your mate?"

"Yes," he replied, "That's how I've heard it explained as well. And I feel as though that connection is already there for us, although after your change it will become permanent, not occasional."

I quickly finished eating. "I want to feel it again. Now."

He quirked an eyebrow at me. "You haven't had dessert yet, Mrs. Cullen."

"I'm quite aware of that," I murmured, my gaze telling him exactly what I wanted for dessert, and how. He was around the table in an instant, pulling me up into his arms, and carrying me back up the stairs to our room.

After he kicked the door shut behind us, he put me down, took a deep breath, then very deliberately cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. It was sweet and exquisitely slow, almost chaste compared to our earlier activity. When he finally pulled away, he kept his hands on my face, running a thumb over my lips, his eyes fixed firmly on mine.

"I almost can't believe this is our wedding night," he said softly. "After waiting all this time, knowing that you're now my wife…" He stopped but I waited, bringing my hands up to cover his. "Bella… you are every dream I barely allowed myself to have, over so many lonely years. I had truly come to believe there was no one out there for me, because surely if there was, I would have found her in the nine decades since my change. So many years of waiting, of hoping, and then slowly feeling that hope ebb away, hating myself for being jealous of my family members. I felt so cut off, so desperately alone. Then one day you came into my life and I dared to allow myself to hope again. That I am standing here with you now, as your husband… it's almost more than I can allow myself to believe is true. I wish you could read my mind so that you could see what I feel for you. I love you so much, words are inadequate." With that, he leaned forward and placed another gentle kiss on my lips.

My heart ached at the raw emotion in his voice, and I could feel a few tears spill down my cheeks. He carefully wiped them away. "Why are you crying?"

"The idea of you alone… it hurts. A lot."

"Think of it instead as waiting. I was waiting for you."

"Ninety-one years is a long time to wait."

"Looking back, it was worth every single second, now that I have you in my arms. My wife, my mate."

"I just," I drew in a shaky breath, "I just want to stay wrapped up with you forever. I don't want to be apart from you."

"You won't have to be." His arms wrapped tightly around me, and I snuggled gratefully into his embrace. "If I'd given in to my impulses, I would have changed you already and we would be spending days making love. We don't get tired, remember?"

"Remind me again why we're waiting?" I mumbled into his suit jacket.

"Because I want to do it right. I want you to have time to prepare for your new life. I want you to have time to go into it willingly and happily."

"I am."

"I know." He kissed the top of my head. "And part of that is planning to make sure nothing gets in the way of our happily ever after. No meddling werewolves, no scatterbrained mothers, no regrets."

"That's what I'm going to call the story I write about us. Happily Ever After."

"Are you going to write a story about us, love?" He was raining soft kisses down the side of my face now.

"Sort of. In my journal. I want to write down everything so I remember it all after I'm changed. I don't want to forget anything."

"That's exactly what I mean by doing this right. None of the rest of us had a chance to do anything like that."

I moaned as his lips tugged gently on my earlobe. "Edward… remember, it's my turn now. Request number… um… I forget what number. But let me undress you."

Edward stepped back with a wicked smile on his face, holding his arms slightly away from his sides. "Of course, Mrs. Cullen, please feel free."

I didn't hurry. There was absolutely nothing urgent in my actions as I slowly pulled his clothing away from him. Once I'd removed his jacket, socks, and shoes, I slowed down even more and appreciated all of the little details I'd been taking for granted over the past week. Edward's body was flawless, a true study in graceful lines and perfect symmetry, but now I allowed myself to examine him more closely as I slowly stripped his shirt away. I ran my fingers over every inch of his chest, shoulders, arms, and back, and then began following the same path with my lips.

As I kissed across his collarbone, his body unmoving so to facilitate my exploration, the slightest imperfection on the side of his neck caught my attention. It was almost invisible, and if the light hadn't hit it at that moment, I would never have noticed it. "What is this?" I whispered before kissing it.

"It's where Carlisle bit me, when he changed me," he murmured. "The bite of a vampire is the only thing that leaves a mark on our bodies."

"Oh," I replied, shocked that I'd never noticed it before. "Will I have one of those too, from you?"

He tilted his face down to look at me, his eyes dark. "Yes. My ring on your finger and my mark on your neck."

I shuddered. Edward had told me before that there was nothing romantic about the bite and change itself, but his words were incredibly erotic. Instead of pursuing the subject, I opted for continuing my study of his body, noting the soft sprinkling of light brown hair on his arms and chest, the long beautiful fingers that had brought me so much pleasure. His hard chest with its smooth muscle, tapering down to the lean planes of his abdomen.

I was on my knees at this point in my exploration, planting gentle kisses across the skin just above his beltline. As my hands came up to begin unfastening the front of his pants, his hands moved to my shoulders. "Bella…?"

I looked up at him questioningly. "Is this okay?"

"Yes," he said after a moment. "It's just… the sight of you on your knees in front of me…"

"Is it a good thing or a bad thing?"

"It's a good thing… in this situation," he growled.

His words shot a thrill through my body, and I tore my eyes away from his before allowing myself to wonder how he'd pictured me on my knees before tonight. I unbuckled his belt, then unbuttoned and tugged down the zipper on his trousers. I pushed my fingers under his pants but over his boxers, spreading them slowly over his hips before wiggling his pants far enough down that they dropped to the floor. Now I proceeded over his long hard thighs, to his knees, all the way down to his ankles before sliding my hands up the back of his legs, coming to rest on his hips again.

I looked up at him, meeting the pitch-black eyes that gave me the courage to do what I'd been thinking of since he first put his mouth on me a week ago. Hooking my fingers into the waistband of his boxers, I gently tugged them down. When they met his pants on the floor, I straightened back up and, before I could lose my nerve, brought my hand up to guide his length to my mouth.

This was not something I had any experience with, but based on Edward's reaction I continued, letting his moans guide me. Although I had experienced only the greatest pleasure from everything he and I had done together, I was still surprised at how much I enjoyed this new intimacy between us, the power he surrendered to me. His hand stroked gently down the back of my head even as I felt his body tremble under me, and I thrilled to the idea that I was bringing him as much pleasure as he always willingly gave me.

After a short time, a rougher growl rumbled up from his chest, and in an instant he'd pulled me to my feet.

"Was… was that okay?"

"Okay? Bella, oh Bella…" I was suddenly on my back in the middle of the enormous bed. "That was so much better than okay, you have no idea."

"Show me," I gasped, even as his knees pushed my thighs apart. He took me in one swift movement and I cried out at the sensation, threading the fingers of my left hand into his hair while my right hand clutched at his back. He growled again and began thrusting rapidly into me; I could feel the arousal that had been building deep inside since dinner flaring to the surface.

"My name, Bella," he snarled into my neck as I tightened my grip on his hair, tugging it hard.

"Edward… oh God…" My words became shrieks as he slipped an arm under my hips to tilt me up, meeting his thrusts. He plunged more quickly, more forcefully into me than ever before, and I found the only word that came to my lips was his name, over and over, louder until I was truly screaming it, knowing there was no one to hear. It was too much: the friction; the intensity; the dizzying pleasure until I finally gave up and let it all combine and push me over the edge. And then it was just sensation: wave upon wave of wonderfully sharp overwhelming bliss, throbbing through my body until I gasped, feeling him pulsing inside of me.

After a moment, Edward's cold lips were moving frantically over my face and I heard him calling my name with a new urgency.

"Hmm?" was the best I could muster at that moment.

"Love? You're all right? I didn't hurt you?"

"No," I said slowly, trying to come back to him through the delicious satiation. "I'm fine. What's wrong?"

He groaned and relaxed slightly over me. "I wanted to make sure I didn't hurt you."

"No, you didn't hurt me…"

"I let myself go more than I should have, more than I ever have…"

"I'm fine," I said more staunchly this time. "I'm more than fine, I'm wonderful. I want to do that again, soon."

His cool hand moved down to where I was still throbbing, between my thighs, but this time it was to reassure himself, not me. "Are you sure I didn't hurt you? Bella, I shouldn't have…"

I could feel it rising again, that same terror he'd fought successfully for so long, that fear of hurting me. Until I was as unbreakable as him, Edward would never completely stop worrying about hurting me; would never truly unleash the desires that he controlled so carefully now.

"Edward," I whispered, bringing my hands up to either side of his face, pulling him down to meet my lips, noting the force it took to do even that. "That was incredible, better than incredible. I'm fine."

"I didn't hurt you?"

"No," I said fervently, then wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and pulled hard until he finally settled against the length of my body. He hadn't fully relaxed yet, though, and I sought to crack his anxiety the only way I knew how. "But I have to ask you a question."

"Yes?" His response was somewhat muffled into the arms I had wrapped firmly around him.

"Earlier, when I was politely trying to ask you if you were a virgin, you said 'Yes, for all intents and purposes.' Care to explain what that means?"

There was a brief moment of silence before he choked out a laugh and relaxed more into my arms, nuzzling his face into my chest. "Bella, you have a remarkable talent for asking the most absurd questions, do you know that?"

"Yes, I'm very aware." I kissed the top of his head. "But it made you stop freaking out, didn't it?"

"Not entirely, but I utterly adore your efforts."

"You're not avoiding the topic, are you?"

He laughed silently into my chest. "Perhaps. But only because I'm afraid of your response."

I shoved him up off me, squirming until he rolled over and let me perch on his hips. "Now you have to tell me the truth."

He laughed up at me, and I was momentarily sidetracked by how beautiful his face was now that he was relaxed and enjoying himself again. "All right then, but I'm afraid of what you'll do to me when I answer you."

I ground a little against his pelvis. "You should be more afraid of what I'll do to you if you don't."

"Fine, but remember, you asked for it." He grinned up at me. "Do you remember last Sunday?"

My mind ran backwards immediately, all my days since Edward had been so busy that they almost tended to run together, but I remembered coming home, doing homework while he ran errands and then hunted, and then… oh! I smiled down at him. "Yes, I remember."

"To get to the point, what do you think it really did to me? All those nights out on that balcony, hearing you inside crying my name when you came… what do you think I was doing in the meantime?"

"Watching me?" I asked coyly. I could feel him hardening underneath me again.

"What else, Bella? Do you think I could just stand to watch you as you touched yourself, thinking of me?"

I could feel a blush creeping up over my neck and face, even as I kept smiling. "Probably not."

He pulled me forward onto his chest, just enough so that he could position himself at my entrance and then slowly pulled me down onto him as I groaned in pleasure. "I can assure you I did more than watch, Bella. I should be ashamed or embarrassed to tell you this, but I'm not. I came with you each and every time. Which is why I said for all intents," he thrust up into me, "And purposes." I gasped as he thrust again. "Does that answer your question?"

"Yes," I whimpered, focusing on his hands which had run up my body until they were wrapped around my ribcage, his thumbs positioned to rub over my breasts.

"Good," he said quietly. "Because I have no intention of coming without you ever again. Now, Mrs. Cullen, won't you please make love to me?"

***

Edward made good on his promise and I didn't go to sleep that night, although he was much gentler with my body than he'd been earlier. When dawn first began to lighten the sky, he got up and drew a hot bath in the suite's enormous tub, carried me over to it, and then climbed in behind me. The sensation of his cool body behind me being slowly warmed by the hot water was thrilling. Even his lips warmed up somewhat against my neck as he slowly washed every inch of my body. I'd never felt so relaxed and cherished in my entire life.

"What are we doing for the rest of the day?" I yawned, swaying slightly as he toweled me off.

"Why don't you go ahead and get dressed, I'm going downstairs to make a light breakfast for you. Then I think we'll head back to the apartment and a nice long nap will be in order."

"You're making breakfast for me here?"

"Mm-hmm, I told you the owners weren't coming back here until after we leave. I wanted us to have complete privacy, for you to feel comfortable doing… well, everything you did."

"I am a little hoarse," I laughed.

"I should feel sorry for that, but I'm not." He winked at me, already dressed. "Come on downstairs to the kitchen when you're ready."

He left and I dressed slowly. I was a little sore between my legs, but nothing in the world would ever make me admit it to him, and the bath had helped considerably. I thought of what he'd said about vampires being able to make love for days… I couldn't wait until I had an impermeable body for Edward to ravish without holding back.

Thankfully Alice had been thoughtful in her choice of outfits, and after I'd pulled on jeans and a comfortable sweater, I quickly packed up my single bag and went downstairs. I sat down at a heavy wooden table in the lovely traditional kitchen, and Edward set a plate in front of me.

As I was eating, I heard a soft buzz and he pulled his cell phone from his jeans pocket. "Hello Alice." He listened for a moment. "I suppose that's good to know, but I don't think it'll make a difference. I'll tell her, thanks." He clicked the phone shut. "That was our regularly scheduled psychic phone call."

I giggled. "What does she see?"

"She wanted me to pass on to you that people are going to start noticing your rings today. Do you plan on keeping them both on?"

"Of course I do, why wouldn't I?"

"Bella, you weren't even engaged when you left school on Thursday, now you're coming back married?"

I shrugged. "There's no one I'm close enough with now who would be that shocked if I told them you and I impulsively flew to Las Vegas. I don't really have any friends here, Edward, just casual acquaintances and classmates."

"I think Alice is more concerned about the Quileutes."

"I was under the impression that I won't be seeing them again unexpectedly. Edward, do you want me to take them off?"

"No," he replied immediately.

"Good, because I have no intention of doing so. I'm your wife now, and I don't want to hide that fact."

"Do you want to change your last name?"

"You've been calling me Mrs. Cullen since the wedding," I laughed. "Yes, Edward, I do plan on changing my last name."

"I'll take care of the name change on all our documents, then," he mused. "You'll just need to take care of the legal forms for it and your driver's license."

"I'll do that this week." I finished eating and smiled at him. "Thank you for breakfast."

"It was my pleasure. Now, are you ready to go home and climb directly back into bed?"

"Yes, I believe I am." I stood and stretched up to kiss his lips.

Less than an hour later, we were back at the apartment, and I was in bed snuggled close to Edward, rapidly losing the battle against exhaustion. "Wake me up at noon, please?" I asked softly, but I never even heard his answer.

I was back on the reservation, standing in the thick forest that surrounded La Push. The trees were so tall and old that the forest floor was very dark here, and I could barely see the two figures that stood some distance away. Edward and Jacob. Not just standing, but struggling with each other, fighting. Evenly matched, so that neither gained an advantage, the fight went on forever.

"Bella, run!" Edward's voice, but it was immediately echoed by Jacob's saying the same thing. I couldn't run, I couldn't leave them here fighting.

"No, please stop!"I tried to get closer to them, but every step I took seemed to take forever. They didn't have to fight; it didn't have to be this way. I sobbed, desperate to get to them, to make them stop before one or both of them were hurt. "Jake please… it's okay; you don't have to fight with them! We're going away; you'll never have to see them again!"

Jacob's eyes went to me and he stopped fighting for the briefest of moments, "You're going away?" It was a tiny pause, but Edward immediately took advantage of it and his teeth were at Jacob's neck in that instant. Using his teeth not to bite, but to slit Jacob's throat open, as though he'd used a knife. Blood poured from his neck but Jacob took a step towards me, his eyes bewildered and hurt. "You're going away?"

I screamed and screamed as the blood kept gushing from his neck. "Bella, you're going away?" He took one more step towards me before Edward was there again, pulling him back. "You're going away?" He kept repeating those same words as the blood rushed out of the horrible wound on his throat, streaming down his body. "You're going away?" was the last thing I heard before Edward pulled him further into the forest, to where I could no longer see him…

My screams were muffled now and it wasn't until my fist connected with the stone chest in front of me that I finally snapped awake. I was shaking and covered in a cold sweat, too terrified by the memory of it to even cry. Edward's arms were around me, holding me close to him; I could hear his voice calling my name.

"Oh God, oh God," I gasped, trying desperately to gain some control over myself. I rarely was able to recall my dreams, and I didn't remember the last time I'd had a nightmare so horrifyingly real. The fight, then my distracting Jacob, Edward's teeth tearing a jagged line across Jacob's throat, and then the blood. It was all my fault, this was all my fault. The Cullens and the Quileutes had maintained their uneasy truce for decades, but I knew Edward would kill for me, if it came to that. My subconscious had shown me in sickening detail what I'd tried to ignore: there was a part of my Edward, my husband, that would kill anyone who threatened me. It also showed me the ramifications of that action...

"Bella…" The desperation in Edward's voice tugged at me and I squirmed until I was able to throw my arms around his neck, his grip shifted to my waist. "It was just a dream, love, you were having a nightmare."

"I know," I moaned, eyes shut. "But it was horrible."

"Do you want to tell me what it was about?" His hand was soothingly stroking my back now.

"No," I said immediately. There was no way I wanted Edward to know I'd dreamed of him as a killer, and of him killing my best friend no less.

He was quiet for a moment. "Was it about Jacob?"

"How did you know that?"

"You kept saying his name in your sleep," he replied softly.

I let my forehead fall against his chest with a thump. "I'm sorry."

"You can't control what you dream about, love. Even if you could, you have the right to dream about whatever you want."

I stiffened in his arms. "You can't… read my mind and see my dreams, can you?"

"No, love, I've never been able to do that." His hand continued to gently rub my back. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me what it was about? It might make you feel better."

I considered that. I didn't like keeping anything from him, and the horror of the dream was still so fresh in my mind. "It was… you and Jacob… fighting. We were in the woods at La Push, and the two of you were fighting. Fighting about me, and I couldn't stop you."

"Ah," he said quietly. "And then?"

"I don't want to talk about that part," I mumbled into his chest. "But it was my fault, all my fault."

"Bella, why in the world would it be your fault?" His hands were on my face now, trying to get me to meet his gaze, but I looked down stubbornly. "Love?"

I knew he was bewildered. I'd never been so determined to keep him from seeing something in my mind before. "Please Edward, there are going to be times when I don't necessarily want you to see what's in my mind. This is one of those times."

His hands immediately dropped from my face and I knew that I'd hurt him, but I couldn't let him see the vision I'd had of him. "Of course, Bella, you have the right to that privacy any time you need it. But I'm concerned… you were screaming in your sleep. What in the world do you think brought that nightmare on?"

My chest ached. "Edward, if I asked you to do something for me, for us, would you?"

"I would do anything for you, Bella, you know that."

"I want to leave now. I don't want to wait until December. Let's go now. Let's go far away, I don't care where, you don't even have to change me until everything else is ready. Please, let's just get out of here."

He groaned. "Bella, what are you really saying?"

"I just don't want anyone to get hurt because of me," I confessed in a tiny voice. "You or Jacob or anyone else."

"None of us will be getting hurt, I can assure you of that much, love. And we will not allow anyone to hurt you either. When it comes to the Quileutes, none of us want to fight with them. We aren't actively looking for reasons. To the contrary, Carlisle is resolute about maintaining the treaty for as long as possible."

"But can't you and I just leave now?"

He sighed and pulled me close against him. "Bella, if that is truly your wish, I will drop everything this second, take you downstairs, and we'll leave now. But is that what you want? To start your new life on the run?"

"On the run?" I repeated, confused.

"Carlisle called me while you were asleep. He wanted to make sure I knew that the Quileutes have stepped up their observation of us just since Saturday."

"Observation?"

"Yes. When we signed that treaty with the Quileutes so long ago, we vowed to stay off their land, and they in turn agreed to stay off ours. But everywhere else is fair game, and they seem to be running patrols of the roads in and out of Forks."

"Patrols? You mean…"

"In wolf form, yes. The family has been keeping tabs on them too, of course, and it seems as though they're monitoring our every move off the property."

"Do you think they saw us leave together yesterday?" I gasped.

"Carlisle doesn't think so," he replied slowly. "Or, if they did see the car leave, and caught your scent, that they may not have realized I was the one with you, through the tinted windows. They're very familiar with your scent, but I don't think they are familiar enough with ours to discern one of us from another. Nevertheless, they are watching much more closely now, and I have no doubt your safety and well-being is the reason for that."

His words were sinking into my brain, and a heavy knot of dread formed in my stomach. "So if I were to suddenly disappear…"

"Yes. Just as I would be willing to break the treaty and go onto their land to rescue you, they are equally willing to come onto our land if they felt you were in danger. Or, if they considered the treaty already broken, then they would have no reason to hesitate."

So there it was, and again I was facing the possibility that members of my two families could be harmed, all because of me. "So we can't leave."

"We can, Bella, but I think it may have disastrous consequences if we do. Carlisle urged me to make sure we both keep up as normal an appearance as possible. He wants you to make sure you go to all your classes after today, and if Jacob or Billy calls you, to answer it and talk to them. Reassure them everything is fine. He even…" Here he stopped and his jaw clenched. "He said if they want you to visit them, then you should. But there are certain conditions that would have to be met before I'll allow that to happen. We'll discuss that if the situation ever arises."

"Okay," I whispered, reaching up to stroke his face. "What else?"

"The family is moving their relocation date up. Carlisle wants the Quileutes to see that all the Cullens have been gone for a month before your planned move to Jacksonville. He doesn't want our departures to coincide in the slightest."

"A month? But that means by the middle of next week!"

"We've had to move in a hurry before, Bella. Having even a week's lead time is better than no lead time at all. Carlisle is the only one staying until just after Thanksgiving. He wants to give the hospital enough time to replace him, and even that allows for three weeks before you leave."

"Edward… if he's going to be the only one staying… you're not leaving, are you?"

"No," he said immediately. "Carlisle wants me to. In fact, I'm the first one he wants to leave, so they have no chance to figure out my connection to you. He believes that if the Quileutes see that the family is gone, there will be no reason for Jacob to try and take you back to La Push; that you'll be safe. But I'm not leaving you."

We looked at each other for a long moment. "We both know he's right," I finally whispered.

"Yes, he's right, but I don't care."

"Maybe we can figure out a compromise…"

"As long as it doesn't involve me leaving you."

"Why can't I… just leave when you all leave? Why can't I go with you? We could all go at once."

"Believe me, I asked Carlisle that. He's concerned about how far the Quileutes may go to find you, publicly and privately. We have no idea how far their range extends when they're in wolf form."

I sighed, feeling defeated. "I guess Carlisle is right."

"He usually is," Edward admitted grudgingly. "But I'm not leaving you."

"We'll have to be very careful."

"Yes... Carlisle warned me to make sure we appear to be only friends when we're out in public."

Just friends… when I wanted nothing more to scream from the rooftops that I'd found and married the love of my life. "These next six weeks are going to be awful."

He kissed my forehead. "Look on the bright side, now we have a new reason to stay inside more often."

"Yes," I murmured, melting slowly against him.

"Do you want to go back to sleep? I'm sure you're exhausted."

"No!" The memory of my nightmare was still too vivid in my brain. "I want to do something normal, something that doesn't involve worrying about werewolves."

He chuckled. "Such as?"

"I need groceries. Let's go shopping."

We ended up driving the Vanquish to the grocery store, earning more than a few stares from pedestrians and other drivers.

"I can see why this is a special-occasion car, it does attract attention."

"Indeed," he commented, parking at the far end of the lot. It was such a human thing to do; I couldn't help but giggle a little. He shot me a questioning glance and I showed him in my mind how funny I thought it was that the vampire was so concerned about someone dinging his car. He rolled his eyes. "Very funny, let's go."

We filled an entire cart full of groceries, Edward saying he wanted to start limiting our "friends-only" time as much as possible. The store appeared to be short-staffed that day, as even the manager was running a register, and there was only one bagger working, running from register to register. As our cashier began ringing up the groceries, Edward moved down and began bagging them.

"Oh, thank you dear, that's so thoughtful of you." The cashier was a matronly middle-aged woman with a kind face, but she looked exhausted. "A quarter of the staff came down with the flu and called in, so we're pretty short-handed."

"You're welcome, ma'am, it's no problem at all," Edward replied politely.

"There must be something going around, I suppose there always is." She finished ringing up the groceries and gave me the total, I pulled out my black card and swiped it through the card scanner.

When it didn't respond after a moment, I frowned. "Is this one broken?"

She swiveled it around to examine it and then sighed. "Looks that way. I can scan your card here on the register, dear, and then you can sign for it."

I handed her the card and she ran it through; the receipt began printing out immediately. As she handed it to me along with the card and a pen, her eyes widened. "Oh honey, what a beautiful ring! You don't see many like that, is it an antique?"

"Um, yes," I replied, scrawling my name at the bottom of the receipt and handing it back to her.

"Well it's just lovely. Your husband is a gentleman and he has good taste. A keeper, that one." She winked at me. "You two have a nice day, now!"

"You too."

We walked silently out to the car; Edward went directly to the passenger door and opened it, gesturing for me to get in. He quickly loaded the groceries into the trunk, but he didn't start the car immediately when he got in.

"I guess the rings will have to go for a while after all, huh?" I asked quietly.

"Just for a few weeks," he promised. "It doesn't make you any less my wife; it just makes your ring finger a little less conspicuous for the time being."

"Stupid wolves," I muttered. "Why can't they mind their own business?"

He laughed at that. "Trust me, we've been asking that same question for years."

When we got back to the apartment, Edward refused to let me carry any of the bags, insisting instead that I simply unlock the doors. When he went back out to get the rest, I started unpacking them, shaking my head at the excess. We could hunker down in the apartment until December, and I wouldn't go hungry.

Edward returned with the remaining bags and just as he began helping me to unpack, there was a knock at the door. Edward stiffened for a moment, and then relaxed. "It's not one of them. Go ahead."

I unlocked the front door and opened it to reveal a neatly-dressed young man carrying a small dark red bag. "Hello, ma'am. I have a delivery for Bella Cullen?"

"I'm Bella Cullen." He smiled politely as he handed me the bag, and I blinked in shock as I caught sight of the logo on the side of the shopping bag: Cartier.

"If you wouldn't mind signing to acknowledge delivery of the item, ma'am, I'd appreciate it. We don't normally deliver, but I was made to understand this is a special occasion."

I accepted the red folder he handed me and signed at the bottom where he indicated. "Um, how far did you drive?"

"From Seattle, ma'am."

"Oh, well… thank you."

"You're very welcome. Have a good day."

I shut the door behind me and stared at Edward. "What is this?"

He held up his hands and shook his head. "I have absolutely nothing to do with this one, love. Open it up."

Inside the red bag was a matching box and a typed note on Cartier stationery. Edward put his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder as I read the note:

So you can still wear them. Love, Alice

"I should have known," Edward laughed. "Only Alice would even think to pay Cartier to hand-deliver to Port Angeles."

I opened the box to reveal a long delicate chain, and suddenly Alice's note made sense.

"For my rings," I whispered.

"Very thoughtful of her." Edward removed the necklace from the box. "Shall we see how they look?"

I reluctantly slid the engagement and wedding rings off my finger, Edward threaded them onto the chain, and then fastened it around my neck. The chain was long enough that the rings fell just at the tops of my breasts; they would be hidden by the neckline of almost any of my shirts. I could feel tears trembling in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "She's a good sister to have, I'm finding out."

"Yes," he agreed, then picked up my left hand and kissed my naked ring finger. "After I put those rings back on your finger again, I'll buy you something else to put on the necklace. I don't expect you'll have any reason to take your rings off after I put them there for the second time. They'll be there to stay, forever."

I reached up and touched the rings where they sat on my chest, winking in the bright kitchen light. "Yes, forever."

A/N: Wow, I had no idea five little words would get so much attention in the last chapter! I hope I made up for any doubt I may have created about Edward's sexual history…Bella is his first, his last, his everything.

So now we've got the wolves stepping up their patrols, eyeballing the Cullens…do you think they know more than the Cullens give them credit for? Or are they waiting for them to make a wrong move?

As always, many thanks to the super-beta Stratan, who continues to patiently untangle the written knots I tie. Hugs and kisses and hello to all the ladies I WC with, as well as my TBC girls! And thank you to everyone who continues to read and review, your thoughtful comments truly make my day!!!