Sue stared at the little box Charlie had slid across the table with very few, but small, and significant words.

After a moment's silence on her part, he looked pale.

"Yes!" she blurted out, realizing she hadn't spoken aloud yet.

"Oh thank God," he said, taking a breath in.

Sue laughed, and then Charlie did too. A little nervously.

"I love you, Charlie," she said more softly.

He had no words for this. They were all choked behind the emotions lodged in his throat. He spoke them soundlessly, getting up and cradling her face with his hands, kissing her, letting the dampness on his cheeks be hers too.

After a moment, she took his hands into hers, drawing him to the chair beside her at the table. "Charlie," she began softly, "I need to ask the council. For permission."

"For what?"

She chuckled. "To marry you."

"Why?"

"I'm a council member," she shrugged, "it's our way. When we marry an outsider. It needs to be with the blessing of the elders. The chief." She didn't mention who that was. Or why, really, she needed to ask. That would become apparent enough when they approved, and she was sure of that approval.

Bella, and then Charlie had been the subject of the last council meeting's discussion, not so many days before.

The decision Sam had made—or rather, Jacob had, had briefly stunned them all.

"They'll do it anyway," Sam had said. "It's better we make our peace with it than have them think our treaty is lax."

That Bella wanted this outcome, was understood by all of them.

"She's dying," Jacob had said.

The nodding here was more solemn, and Sue had kept her own tears private until later. Her heart had broken for Charlie afresh. She'd known as soon as he had, but it had become more palpable somehow, off of Jacob's lips.

Now Charlie would be privy to the tribe's secrets, and she wondered, with a small kernel of hope, if he might not grasp that the supernatural extended beyond their little corner of the world, now swallowing his daughter whole.

- 0 -

"So Dad," Bella asked, as they sat at the kitchen table, dinner finished, "you guys have a date yet?"

"No," he said, smiling at her. "Didn't want to steal your thunder."

She made a non-committal "mm," in her throat, fishing around in the salad on her plate. She understood. She'd felt better in terms of energy, but her overall decline was so apparent, she could see him watching, just waiting.

Waiting for her to make that final descent.

"Don't wait too long, OK?"

He stopped moving, looking up at her, like she'd slapped him. This was as close as she'd come to talking about what they all knew was coming.

His movements were mechanical when they started again, stuffing more food into his mouth so he had a pretext not to talk.

When he spoke again, he murmured, "sure. Doubt Sue will let me."

"I hope not. Don't...stop, because of me."

"No, no," Charlie said, putting his cutlery down, "we are not having this conversation now—"

"When will we, Dad?"

His hands rested on the table, like he was going to stand up, or needed to hold himself upright. She wasn't sure. His breathing was just a bit too fast.

"You're getting married tomorrow. Can we just...have that? For now?"

She kept the emotion from her face by letting it twist a bit, and then making it straighten out. "OK," she whispered.

He nodded, and then stood to clear the dishes.

"I can—"

He snorted out a "tch," and waved her back to her seat.

She sighed, watching him set them in the sink, and come back with something he pulled from the fridge.

Here she had to turn and hide her grin. She recognized Esme's handiwork in the dessert he presented.

He didn't even bother trying to hide the source. "She dropped it off today, said you liked it."

"I do," she smiled. Who wouldn't like chocolate mousse? There were vibrant raspberries sitting atop delicate whorls of cream—the precise colour her eyes would soon be.

She hoped they would not be so because of dietary choices.

Her appetite suddenly fizzled.

"What?" Charlie asked, watching the blood slide down her face.

"Nothing," she lied, "just...appetite," she waved her hand in the air.

"More for me?" he asked hopefully.

"No way!" she said, putting a hand over her dish. She'd learned from experience not to leave desert undefended. This elicited a small smile from her lips. She loved this part of Charlie. She'd miss it.

And she was glad Sue would keep it for her.

- 0 -

"Best kiss yet," Bella whispered to Edward, as they turned to walk back down the small path Alice had made out of stones in the Cullens' garden.

"First of many," he murmured, stealing another one, swishing her hair and veil aside. Emmett whooped in the background.

Alice had honoured Bella's request for family only, and family it was—the Cullens, the Denalis sans Irina, Charlie, Renee, Phil, Sue, Seth, Leah, Jacob, Billy, Jacob. The house felt crowded with all of them there, but comfortably so.

In deference to Bella's lower energy, they'd planned the ceremony for midday, which Edward had smiled at. "Very traditional," he'd murmured, "for 1915." Then he'd grinned at Alice, who'd winked at him.

Bella had added a coy, "mountain lion or bear for the vegetarians?"

"See?" Alice said, as she hugged Bella, "tasteful. Not crazy."

"Perfect as expected," Bella said pertly, and then more softly, "thank you."

"You're welcome. Mrs. Cullen." Then she grinned wickedly at Edward, and walked away, making space for others to congratulate them.

Edward grimaced a little before letting it go and leaning down to kiss Bella again. "I was rather hoping to be the first one to call you that."

"Ah," Bella grinned, "but you get to call me that for a long time yet."

"Yes," he smiled, "I do."

They seperated only briefly, and when obligatory, to the very few dances and toasts their small affair entailed, so it was reluctantly that Edward released her to Jacob's company for a few minutes.

"Can we pretend we danced?" Bella asked, "you know, so I can spare your toes?"

"Sure," he smiled, the tips of it not quite reaching his eyes. They sat in a quiet corner of the living room, where open windows let him breathe a little more easily.

"That bad, huh?" she asked, watching his nose wrinkle.

"You have no idea."

"Showered today and everything," she quipped, rolling her eyes.

He snorted out his drink.

"Good," she smiled, "I haven't lost it."

"Nope," he said, reaching for a napkin, "you just keep getting better and better." This he meant. That was clear. "Gonna miss you."

There was an expression that was half a frown and half a smile that fought with itself on her face. "You too."

"When?" he asked, even more quietly.

"Couple of weeks."

He nodded, trying to look nonchalant.

"Thank you," she said.

His eyes were sharp and quick on hers. He hadn't said anything about his conversation. It'd been Sam who told Carlisle they'd allow this exception. Once.

"I know it was you, Jake. Thank you."

He looked positively miserable.

"This isn't goodbye, not yet."

"I know," he said, swallowing, that half-hearted smile flickering over his face. "I'm...trying to be happy, that you're happy."

Edward had been moving closer, watching the conversation unfold, and he'd had enough, his hand coming to rest on Bella's arm. "Not today, Jacob."

It was just for a moment, but a frisson of fear rippled over her back, that they would fight, or exchange words that would darken the day, but Jacob only stood with a stiff, "congratulations" tumbling from his mouth, walking away, and then outside.

"People are starting to make their farewells," he said. "You ready to change and go?"

Standing with his help, she made her way upstairs with Alice, and Renee in tow, no small number of tears from her mother showering their farewell.

It was Charlie who struggled most to leave, his hoarse, "love you," and tight hand over hers made her eyes wobble dangerously with brine.

It felt strangely monumental, slipping into the car, and driving away. This human ritual accomplished, the knowledge that it would likely be the last lingered bittersweetly for Bella. Her human life was coming to a close, a new one about to begin.

- 0 -

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Sue?" Sam had asked.

She'd levelled her gaze at him, and he'd wisely raised his hands with a quiet, "sorry, you know best."

"I do," she'd said, "when it comes to the man I love."

Emily had hidden her smirk well when Sam recounted this interaction with some incredulity.

Sue was feeling a lot less certain, though, as she waited for Charlie to arrive.

She'd invited him for a barbeque, or at least that's what she called it. It just so happened that all the pack members were present. Emily was there too.

"What's that?" Sue asked her, tapping her foot impatiently on the porch.

"Oh, just my kit," Emily said, waving a hand airly at her.

Sue looked over. "Thanks for the vote of confidence," she commented dryly.

Emily turned on her, face serious. "It isn't a small thing, Sue. We've had...time, to get used to this, but…" she looked around at the men present. "It's big. I'd prefer to be prepared if he has a heart attack."

"S'pose having a nurse handy isn't so bad." Sue thought they were all overreacting. She set her mouth in a grim line. Waiting.

The sound of Charlie's car, revving up the small hill, made her even more anxious.

It all melted when he appeared, though, and became something much warmer, and pleasant in his arms.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself," she smiled. "Father of the bride."

He grinned. "Yup."

She let Paul and Quill take over the barbequing underway, sitting down in a corner of the yard with Charlie, Seth, Leah and Billy. Jacob had disappeared the day before, no one questioning his need to do so.

Everyone, barring Seth, was holding a beer, but none of them were drinking it, and Charlie was wondering why they were all so quiet.

And why Seth was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. In early May. It was warmer, but not that warm. Even for an overheated teenager.

It was Billy, looking at Sue, and seeing her green in the face, who finally spoke up. "You and I've always been like family, Charlie. Soon that'll be more true than ever." He smiled softly at Sue. "We think it's time you understood a bit more about us."

Charlie looked at him incredulously. "And just what, Billy, is it you think I don't know already?"

"Oh," Billy said, "I think this might surprise you." He raised his eyebrows and then let them fall. "We're protectors in our tribe, Charlie."

"Sure," Charlie said, his tone mildly dubious.

"You just don't understand what kind, and why." Then he took a swig of his beer, his courage more liquid than real. "Seth?"

Seth nodded, standing, and stepping far away from the small circle, into the wider space of the yard.

Charlie realized that everyone else present was utterly still, and watching.

Watching him.

Then Seth's human body seemed to unfold itself—violently—and in his place stood a bigger wolf than Charlie had ever seen.

"Oh my God!" he said, standing up abruptly, beer still in one hand, stepping back, knocking his chair over.

No one else moved.

"It's alright," Sue said, putting her hand on his. "It's still Seth."

Leah piped up at this point, munching casually on a handful of chips, "I'd demonstrate too, but I'm getting low on ginch." She shrugged.

Charlie's gaze swept the space around him. No one else was looking surprised. Just him. "You—"

"We all know. Yes. Most of the boys are wolves."

"Wolves," Charlie repeated in a whisper.

"Wolves," Billy confirmed, eyes following Charlie's every movement.

Charlie shook his head, looking at the beer in his hand.

"It's real," Billy assured him.

Charlie's gaze found Sue's. "How long—?"

Her forehead wrinkled with worry. "Couple of months before Harry went." Her anxiety had returned, a vibrant, spiked ball that was rolling around in her stomach. "I love you Charlie, I couldn't say—"

He gripped her hand tightly. "I understand. It's OK." His voice was all reassurance and love.

She exhaled in relief.

"I love you too," he whispered back.

Then, looking at the scattered group of people—and wolves—around him, he asked, "what exactly, do you protect people from?"