A/N: Okee dokee, so here we are again. This is my second one-shot, and I think it's rather cute. It is from Bella's point of view, and it leads up to the wedding. It was inspired by the song Drive My Soul by the incredibly talented artist, Lights. I hope you like it!! I love reviews uberly, and I always enjoy feedback, so send some back. MUCH LOVE!! 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any portion of or ideas from Stephenie Meyer's books . I only wish I did. I also do not own any part of the lyrics to Lights' song "Drive My Soul".

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Toward Forever

The bathroom was steamy and foggy as I squeezed some of my shampoo out of the bottle. I rubbed my hands together before massaging the suds through my dark hair. The scent of strawberry cut through the air, and I inhaled the thick air contently. I continued to scrub my hair and scalp with the pink bubbles. Rinsing them out, I moved onto soaping my body down, as well as putting some conditioner into my hair (because Alice had so solidly insisted on my having "shiny, lustrous hair" for my wedding. What was I, a walking commercial now? It was all innocent though, I suppose. Alice only wanted me to have the perfect day, and I loved her for it. I inhaled the scent of my conditioner and soap, snorting at the realization that it all smelled like strawberries. This really was my favourite smell... Besides Edward.

At the thought of his name, my heart thumped wildly. My Edward. Lord, what had I done in a past life to deserve someone so perfect. Obviously, I had done something right. No one I have ever met in my entire life has been as sweet or amazing as this man. His perfect face and body, his silky hair, his smile, oh God, his smile... That crooked smile. That crooked, perfect, shiny, sparkly smile. I honestly could not think of a single thing wrong with Edward. Even his occasional jealous bouts were attractive. I could not wait to get under those clothes tonight...

I yelped in shock as the water suddenly ran cold. Alice's voice rang from the door. "Bella, I hate to interrupt your shower, but a) you're going to use up all of the hot water, and b) we need to get moving." I turned off the water and groped outside of the shower curtain for my towel. Once I had it, I wrapped myself in the plush red softness of it. I shivered, suddenly glad that I had managed to somehow subconsciously wash the conditioner and soap off before the water had run cold. It wasn't my fault that Edward was so bloody distracting to me. ... Well, maybe it was a little bit. Only a little. I wrapped the towel around me and walked over to the window, opening it. Blue skies greeted me, as well as a rush of cool, refreshing air greeted me. The steam was carried out of the open window, and the fog began to clear.

I padded out into my room that I'd been given for the day in the Cullen home. My dress hung on my closet door, and I smiled happily at it. Alice had picked out such a pretty dress, bless her. I pulled my towel off and wrapped my hair in it, trying to remove as much moisture as I could. The clock down the hallway chimed loudly. I looked at my own digital clock, and my heart thumped wildly at the realization of the time. There were only two hours left before sunset. Before the wedding. Oh snaps. We had decided on a twilight wedding, so that the dazzling skin of the Cullens' would not blind or over-dazzle the guests who were attending. I thought it was clever. I liked the evening anyways.

Walking up to the heater, I turned the heat up in my room. My hair would dry quicker that way. After I had done this, I walked to the suitcase that I had brought for my day trip to the Cullen home. After tossing on the pair of underwear and bra I had chosen for the occasion. Red and satiny. Quite sexy, in my opinion. As I walked towards the bathroom to get my hair dryer, I called for Alice and Rosalie, who had promised to help me get ready for the evening. Within moments, they appeared in the room. Alice squealed in excitement, "I'm so EXCITED!! You have no idea, really. This is going to be so much fun!!" As I had found, Alice had always had a sick view of fun compared to my own views. I squealed as Alice picked me up and sat me on a chair in the room. "Don't move now. Rosalie and I are going to take care of you."

Not long after that moment, I found my head covered in curlers, Alice intently hair spraying and blow drying each one. Rosalie sat in front of me on another chair, the nightstand pulled up beside her. It was covered in make up, make up brushes, and nail polish. Oh mercy. She set to work, concealing this, accenting that. I thought I was going to lose my eyes when she applied my mascara. After finishing this, she began a manicure and pedicure, trimming and filing faster than I could ever hope to. "Nervous at all?" she asked, her eyes fixed on my big toe.

"As all hell," I said, nodding. I really was starting to get nervous. "Especially about the thing that's coming tomorrow..." I gulped audibly, my hand rising to rub my neck. A sharp smack on my hand from Rosalie reminded me that my nails were still wet. "Owww..." I grumbled, rubbing the spot gingerly.

"You should be nervous." said Rosalie. Alice cleared her throat behind me and gave Rosalie what I imagined was a very stern look. The clock down the hall tolled again. One more hour. However, Rosalie continued, apparently unfazed. "The wedding will be fine, don't worry. But are you really sure that you want to go through with changing?" Alice threw a curler at Rosalie, which made contact with her forehead. Rosalie growled but continued. "Really. I mean, if it is what you want, then we welcome you with open arms. But if you don't change, no one will be angry. Are you really prepared to give everything up for this life?" There was a note of venom in the words 'this life'. "Don't get me wrong, it is a wonderful life. But as I've said before, I never got to choose this life. You still can. Don't do it if you'll regret it."

The room was silent. Alice had stopped working on my hair -- I could tell because there was no longer sharp pulls on the curls that were forming. Rosalie continued to work on my toes. She looked up at me again. "Please, Bella." she said softly. "If you are going to go through with this, I need to know that you will do it with no regrets. Please." My heart ached for her. She really wished she had of had a choice. She obviously missed her old life. I didn't want to end up like that. I didn't want to have any regrets about my choice. Did I really want to do this?

My heart beat wildly as the image of Edward's face came to mind. I was sure. There was nothing I wanted to give him more than me. I loved him so much it hurt. It was almost painful to think about. Living without him would be like living without air. I knew the pain of a world without him. I knew it well. And I was not going back to it. He was everything. Alice and Rosalie were now both in front of me, peering up through concerned eyes. I nodded, blinking. I realized there were tears in my eyes. "I'm positive. I have never been so sure about anything."

And then the floodgates broke. I crumbled over, dropping into the arms of my two sisters-to-be. My whole body shuddered with the intensity of my sobs. Coos of comfort rang in my ears as my body was wracked with another wave of tears. My face was wet with the salty liquid. I didn't know how long I cried for, but when I finished, I was suddenly very afraid. "How badly will it hurt?" asked a meek voice, which I now realize was my own. How strange it sounded.

Rosalie cradled me in her arms as Alice stroked my hand. "I won't lie to you, Bella," Rosalie said quietly. "It is the most excruciating thing you will ever experience. You will want to die, because there is no way to stop the pain. Every moment for those three days will be your own personal hell. You'll be angry. You'll be sad. You'll be frustrated. It won't be easy in the least bit."

"But," Alice chimed in. "We'll all be here for you. Me, Rosalie, Edward, Jasper, Emmett, Esme, and Carlisle. We're going to try to make it easier for you. Carlisle is going to try some painkillers for you, and we're all going to take turns watching you. And when it's over, we'll keep watching you. We'll protect you from yourself," I shuddered at the thought of becoming a bloodthirsty, psychotic new vampire. "We'll do whatever it takes. Because you've been part of our family for a long time now. And family doesn't let family do things they'll regret." Rosalie nodded in agreement. They both smiled at me. A wave of sudden calm rushed over me. Things would be okay.

I looked over to the clock and let out a string of profanities. We had forty minutes to get all of us ready. No sooner than I had stopped cussing was I in the chair again, a wet cloth wiping away the smudged make up, both of them moving faster than before. In ten minutes, I was ready, hair, make up, dress and all. Rosalie and Alice stepped back to admire their work. My hair was pinned up, dark, curled tendrils of hair hanging here and there. My make up was simple: mascara, eyeliner, blush... I let out a snort of amusement when I noticed the shimmer powder that Rosalie had dusted all over my skin. I thanked them both profusely before they left to get ready.

When the door had closed, I went to sit down on my chair again. I peered out the window. Sunset. God it was beautiful. A moment of sadness washed over me to think that this was the last I'd see as a human. However, these feelings were replaced as I thought of how many I was going to see in my new lifetime. It was comforting. A knock on the door broke the silence, and I looked to the door. In came Renee, Charlie, and Esme. Squeals of excitement issued from Renee and Esme, and I was suddenly smothered in hugs, kisses, and more squeals. "We only wanted to come in for a second," said Esme. "Just to see." She pulled me into a hug, and I put my head on her shoulder, smiling. Her voice lowered dramatically so that no one else could hear what she was saying to me. "I'm so happy for you, darling. The both of you. You have made my Edward so happy. You have no idea what you have done for him. For us. Thank you, my sweet daughter. You have no idea how much I have come to love you. You are already a part of this family. You always will be." She pulled back and took my face in her hands, kissing my forehead. Esme smiled at me, and without another word, left the room.

As my mother reveled in the size of my temporary closet, Charlie took the opportunity to talk to me. He pulled me into a hug, and then pulled back, holding my shoulders. "You've made me so proud all of these years, kid. You've grown up from a little accident prone kid into a beautiful, accident prone woman," he teased. "I could not be more proud of you. Now, I know I've seemed unsure of Edward for a long time, but I see how you look at him. I'm not blind. I know you two care about each other more than anything else in the world. I want you to be happy. That is the only important thing to me." He pulled me into his arms again, and I clung to him as a child would. "I love you, kiddo. No matter what."

I sniffled into his shoulder and closed my eyes. "I love you too, Daddy. So much." I clung to him a little longer, not really wanting to let go. God I was going to miss him and Renee so badly. Eventually, Charlie cleared his throat. I could see his eyes were misty. He grunted out an excuse, and then excused himself from the room. I turned to Renee, smiling.

"You dummy, come here." she said, holding her arms out to me. I rushed into them and hugged her too. "I won't make this too long, because we're cutting close to go-time, but I want you to know that I don't look down on your decision to marry Edward. He is a fine boy, and he has a wonderful family. I don't doubt they'll take good care of you. I'm going to miss you so much, but I know that it's worth it if you're happy. Take care of yourself, Bella. And try not to make any more hospital visits. I love you so much, baby girl. Never forget that."

I sniffled again. What the hell was wrong with me? The emotions just wouldn't stop today. "I won't, Mom. I love you too." I snuggled into her shoulder like I used to when I was a kid. It was still just as comforting. Not long after, Renee excused herself, and I was alone again.

There were fifteen minutes left until I walked down the aisle into the arms of Edward Cullen and the rest of my life. Fifteen minutes. I wasn't as nervous as I thought. More excited than anything, really. My thoughts were interrupted as yet another knock sounded from the door. Before it could open, there was a thump outside of the door. I heard Emmett grunt, and Jasper laugh. "Good try, Edward. You know what the girls said though." There were more thumps, and a string of cuss words from Edward's mouth as they presumably dragged my fiancee down the stairs. "See you downstairs, Bella!" Jasper called.

Finally, the clock tolled again. It was time. I picked up my veil and perched it on my head like Alice had shown me before. When I opened the door, she and Rosalie were waiting for me. They both helped me down the stairs, delicately maneuvering my dress' train around sharper edges. When I finally got to the back door, they handed me my bouquet and helped me outside. I could just see down the aisle, and my heart went into overdrive when I saw Edward standing at the end of it. He was smiling, talking to his brothers. I could barely breathe. I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest.

In the past few weeks, I found that there were a million roads that I could take. I could run away and never come back. I could break the wedding off. Hell, I could kill myself. But now, looking at him and standing there, I knew there was only one road that I could take. The only option was to go down the road where the darkness began to disappear. The only option was to go down the road where my place in the world became clear to me. And as the music started, I took the first steps down that road. Toward him. Toward forever.