I figured Charlie would be begrudgingly accepting as long as he could be reasonably sure that Bella was happy and acting of her own accord. Jake maybe is corralling the bears for a face off.

She didn't follow the new sex rules very well. She still begs a bit and she insisted on defying him in at a potentially dangerous moment. It worked out well and to their mutual enjoyment, but it was risky. I love the visual of Edward in his tux, rolled up pants legs and partially unbuttoned shirt. Her dress sounds perfect too and the proposal was lovely. They finally made love. Unfortunately I feel like things are going to get a bit rocky back in Forks. Sigh. Too bad she's got to go back.

Wow, Edward's explanation of how she's torturing him was so good. I thought it was him feeling terribly guilty about enjoying a 'vice,' but it's really about baiting and denying the inner beast. It's mean, cruel, selfish and dangerous. I think she gets it now, but wow this Bella is hard to trust. Like Edward said, and Dekek was not wrong about her judgment either. That bossy shit would loss me off solely because it's a requirement, not a mutual desire. She enjoys it, but being told its the only way they can be sexual since she's shown she can't be trusted, sucks. But his explanation was clear and reasonable. It's for her safety. Her judgment is just not trustworthy yet. This thing with Jacob could get bad. She's not told Edward that she planned to go away with Jacob to Vancouver. They're going to end up outting themselves at graduation. I hope not, for Charlie's sake. And Red's. Weird that Bella sees a Kermode bear when he sucks her blood. I'm confused that if he knew Bella was coming for 52 years, even sought her out for while, before believing she might've just been a projection-why did he act so cold and unaffected by her in the beginning? The bit about him believing the vision was of their wedding and not prom was really heartbreaking. I can't believe Rosalie laughed. That was pretty devastating.

Glad Bella was finally made to seek help. She's a mess. This was likely lifesaving for her. She surely was in the midst of self destruction.

Um, wow.

Mike is a very troubled young man. He needs help. The red flags were there. Bella and the school definitely dropped the ball. His parents too. Derek is an ass, and not because he broke up with Bella, but how he did it. He was absolutely right, and I respect that he didn't play games with her, or string it out, but damn. He showed very little care for her or her state of mind. He couldn't even find it in him to stay with her when she broke her ankle. These are not the actions of a man who cares. Everything had to be made to fit him and his preferences. Bella needed to retrofit herself into his life. There was no meshing. No give and take. Their marriage would have ended in disaster and it would've likely destroyed Bella, because she seems to be in a quite fragile state. Too bad. They could've been decent friends if they'd only discussed important ideological issues earlier, they could've realized they were not a good romantic match and just kept it platonic. Now, Derek is feeling bitter and he's set his sights on Cullen. She sent Edward always and called him back once Derek dumped her. She is kind of yo-yo-ing with Edward's emotions.

Mike is exhibiting some really concerning, red flag type tendencies. Bella should be doing more. Mike is going to snap. Derek is controlling. I've noticed how discussions end when he decides there over, he tells Bella what to wear-well at least once, but he made a remark about it a second time, he likes to be in control, gets excited by pinning her down, though that's not uncommon. He also decided when it was ok to move to the next level, when he was horny. After putting the brakes on time after time, he gets himself worked up and suddenly he says it's ok to push boundaries, and just opens her blouse. Bella certainly was not complaining, but I definitely noticed he didn't ask if it was ok. So now Edward decided to play with fire, and got burnt. His eyes turned red. Was there human blood in the bear? Too bad he had to kill the bear.

Although they stopped, it was a lot more than just a kiss. Bella as the adult, in a position as a school counselor understands fully how far over the lines of professional propriety she's gone. Because she also knows that she and Edward are attracted to each other and she knew that before agreeing to that sailing trip. And she decided to go any way, and told no one. She was conflicted from the beginning and wanted to play as close to the fire as she could without actually getting engulfed in flames. Singed a bit. The guilt will eat her alive. She's going to either try to force things with Derek, or self-sabotage. Derek doesn't deserve that. He may not be the right man for Bella, but he seems like a nice, solid guy. For someone. Bella would probably wither away with him. He'd eventually stifle her wild spirit. Honestly, it's kind of cruel of Edward to Persue Bella while he's posing as a 17 year old student. Once he realized she was what he really wanted, and not a fling (I'm assuming), he should've known that he could not continue on as a student there. How could that situation ever work? Bella will be absolutely skewered, and rightly so. Her dad will be destroyed too.

Oh boy.

Oh well, they're an exclusive item now. Wonder why he hasn't mentioned Bella to the family. Maybe it's too soon, and he wants to be absolutely sure about her first. Hope it's that and not that he's hiding something, or ashamed. Then again, Bella's got her own secrets. The vibrator, OMG. How mortifying. I think I'd pass out from embarrassment. But once he's seen it, might as well fess up to it. She eventually does, but it was more embarrassing that she hemmed and based about it instead of just saying right up front that Illeana gave it to her as a Christmas gift as a gag or whatever.

So it's kind of messed up that Bella was willing and ready to sleep with Jake when she is with Derek. Buuut, they're not exclusive. They're dating. But let's be real, Derek would be pissed to know what she's been up to with Jake. Jake, pftt, he's playing games. I think he likes her, cares for her, but something's up. Something that keeps him from being able to get more serious with her. The Edward situation is just...untenable. They both feel the strong attraction and tension. The pull, but it is so illicit. So wrong, so tempting. When she gives in, because she IS going to surrender to its dark call allure, it's going to be so good and so awful all at once. This is going to be bad. Really, really bad. It's weird that the Cullens don't try harder to seem more normal. I mean the acrobatics and competition-worthy dancing, they are intentionally drawing extra attention onto themselves. Mercy must be a vamp as well. I mean, I'm assuming from the clues that the Cullens are indeed vampires in this story. Jake and the Quiluetes-are they shape shifters, spirit warriors here? The bears, are they a different clan of spirit warriors? And what's the deal with Mike Newton? Is he super intuitive, or unwell? Derek should not have permitted things to escalate so intimately with Bella before explaining his stance on intimacy outside of marriage. After getting to know each other better socially and going on a few good dates, he should have raised the matter with her and asked if she was open to such a relationship. This is a very big deal and it's clearly very important to him. He doesn't need to be with someone who can't support that and is resentful of it. Likewise he can't string someone along until there are strong feelings involved and then say oh yeah, btw...Two mature, previously married, grown-assed adults should be able to discuss this important matter BEFORE they get to the hot and heavy. Religion and politics can be really big divisive issues in a marriage. They can't just politely ignore these issues if they are really seriously considering a future together and not just dating.

The party psychic said things would get...complicated. Me thinks that was quite the understatement. Their tension is palpable. The situation is cringy, for Bella. She must be so tortured by her 'inappropriate' feelings for Edward, whom she believes to be a seventeen year old student. Yikes. This is so going to blow up in her face. Will it be Mr. Banner who notices first? Or Jake? Oh, or Illeana. The connection over Mercy Brown and sailing is interesting.

Interesting start to this so far.

Thanks for writing this. I wish I had found this way back when I was younger but I still enjoy reading some fanfiction in my spare time. I definitely didn't expect the bear interlude to have such a profound effect on the story but it came together nicely.

Snot tears these last three chapters. Omg the angst and drama was out of this world. What a wonderfully refreshing story. The only thing I’m wondering, maybe I missed this part when I was reading, is why the Bears came to forks in the first place?