"I wonder what Alice has in store for us", I groaned. I heard Edward chuckle next to my ear. His sweet breath engulfed me. "Whatever it is , I'm with you", he said. I sensed some worry behind his teasing smile. But I decided not to let it get me. After all, this is my wedding night. "Come on", he said, leading me up the gravelly path and to the door. I hesitated before ringing the bell.
'What was on the other side of the door?' part of me asked.
'Only one way to find out' said my other part.
I pushed the door open firmly. And stopped dead. If it weren't for Edward I would have thought I had died and gone to hell. The Cullen home I knew was now covered with lace and pink. "Surprise!" came a chiming voice. Alice.
"How do you like the party, Bella?" she said, her voice sounding like choirs of chimes from the above.
"Um… It's great!" I said feebly.
Edward let out a laugh. I elbowed him in the ribs. Not that that did any good to him, it only gave me more 's face faltered.
"You hate it." she said, her normally bell-like voice suddenly filled with sorrow.
"No, no, no, it's nothing like that, I don't hate it…"
"What she's saying is ,it's all a little overwhelming" said Edward coming to my rescue. I breathed a sigh of relief at not having to ramble on anymore about stuff that doesn't make sense. "we'll be out in the garden if you need us, we need a little private time." He smiled at me. "Okay. See you later." she said, still uncertain, but happy enough to go bouncing off to her next victim.
"She knows I don't like huge parties.", I grumbled.
" Oh, come on," said Edward teasingly. "Don't be a grump."
He led me out to the little garden in the back. It was summer and the gardenias were in full bloom. Their scent was sweet but too strong. It was over the top.
"The stars are lovely tonight", I commented.
"Nothing compared with you", said Edward.
I looked down so he couldn't see me blushing.
"Listen," he said, his voice taking that worried tone again. " Are you… sure your'e ready for this? I mean for us…forever?"
"Oh,…"
I took a deep breath. Was I really ready to subject myself to that amount of pain? Could I keep as still and silent as Carlisle? I knew that if Edward saw me thrashing and screaming, he would never forgive himself, maybe even… no, that thought was too horrid to choke down. If the Volturi got their hands on him again, they certainly wouldn't wait to kill him. But if I said no and chickened out, I would grow old and worn while Edward still stayed a frozen beauty at seventeen...
"Yes, I am absolutely sure.", I said.
"Positive?" he asked, still unsure.
"Positive." I said.
He let out a small sigh of relief. Then he closed his eyes as if he were concentrating on something. He frowned deeply.
"Your dog friend is here", he said, pure disgust on his face. "Looks like he wanted to congratulate you on your uh, happy ending."
"Jacob's here?", I asked , happiness surging on to my face.
"He's coming over the wall", he said, eyes closed again.
"He's what?" I asked confused " What w…"
A low thud behind me answered my question. He climbed over the stone wall so agiley, it was hard to believe he was half wolf.
"Hey Bella", he said in his deep , husky voice. He was practically beaming. His smile almost reached his ears.
" Hey Jake", I said. "What are you doing here?"
"Like the blood sucker said, I came to congratulate you on your ,uh… happy ending. Where is the little leech anyway?"
"Jake.." I started to say before Edward cut me off.
"Hello Jacob", he said, his voice taking on smooth, velvety charm.
"Edward" Jacob said nonchalantly. He casually looked at his huge nails, as if trying to memorize them front to back.
I waited for a showdown, like they do in those old western movies, with glaring eyes and hands doing that twitchy thing.
"Bella, would you like any punch? I hear it's delicious" Edward said, suddenly focusing on me and cutting me off guard.
"S- Sure, um a little punch would be nice, I guess." I said suddenly stuttering at the thought of being alone with an agitated Jacob , even for a few minutes.
Edward left gracefully, but I knew he would be listening, so I turned back to Jacob. He was still beaming, though not as much as before.
"So, married, huh? Huge commitment. Wow."
"Um, yeah." I said , not wanting to say anything else like Well, I just love him so much or We were meant to be in front of him. Nothing that would make him more mad. I knew under that big smile of his was war between love over me and grief over losing me to Edward. No, nothing that would make him even more torn.
"So, uh, when I was scaling the wall" he giggled, "I kinda overheard you when you were uh, talking about a um, a -a change? So uh…"
Oh crap. I had just torn Jacob apart again. I am so horrible! I couldn't even hear him talk anymore, just thinking of how much I hurt him.
"So what do you say?" he asked suddenly.
"Oh,…wait what?" I said stupidly.
"Like I said, I want you to rethink your offer of commiting yourself to him… you know … becoming a vampire. I think it's the wrong choice for you and…"
"Jake…" I said cutting him off. "I will not rethink my offer, I want to spend the rest of my life with him, and not as some little old lady. I want to…"
"Is that what you want?!" he said, his pent-up anger suddenly blown into full proportion. "To give all this up?" He made a sweeping motion with his arm. Do you really want to throw away your life just for some some stupid fairytale bloodsucker?"
"Your'e half fai…"
"Yes, but if …" he stopped short.
"If, what?" I said sharply, eyebrows raised.
He took a deep breath.
"If you were with me…if you loved me like you love him, you could still live! Don't you see? You are better off with me than him, I could give you life, you wouldn't have to die. Please." Now he was begging. I hate myself.
That last statement cut me straight in the heart. He was breaking me, not Edward.
"Jacob, please go, just go." I turned away so he couldn't see me crying.
I heard him jump over the wall and hit the ground. Hard. he didn't seem to care if he hurt himself anymore, now that I'd delivered the biggest wound to him of all. I heard his footsteps running, faster, faster. I ran up to the balcony to watch him leave. Halfway to the forest he stopped, turned around, looked at the house.
" I won't forget this. You hear me you blood-sucking parasites?! I'll be back Bella. I swear on this blood."
He took his knife out of his pocket and cut his palm. Then he picked up a rock and threw it at the nearest window. I heard a loud crash below and a couple of screams. Then he took off towards the forest. After several minutes, I heard a long, sad howl. That howl brought up ages of packed away grief that had been locked tight. The howl was joined by another, then another. I started sobbing, it was so beautiful and yet so sad. Edward found me there, curled up on the floor sobbing. He held me into his arms for what seemed like ages ,we stood up and stared at the stars. We didn't say anything, we didn't need to. Plus, if I did, I probably would have broke down crying again. Then he led me back into the house. Back into a house full of partying vampires. A place in which I wasn't sure I was ready to go into.