Disclaimer: I don't own twilight, new moon, or eclipse.
This is the final draft. No more plot changes. The only things I'm changing now are gramatical errors--I've checked and double checked, but I might have misread.
For those of you who have no idea what this is about, This is the Entry I wrote for my Barnes&Noble's "wrap-up the books" contest.
It can't be more than 3,000 words. My entry is 2,999!
Crazy!
I wish I could elaborate more, and add more flashbacks. I want to write them seeing the Volturi, but I am out of room! :( I have no more room, unless I take something out and I'm so attached to all of it, lol. I wish that I could have up to 5,000 words, but alas, I cannot. I have to make do with less than 3,000. :(
Which was really hard for me. My fanfic "She had me at hello" I've only written like the first 15 parts and it's over 30,000 words. Lol.
Now, I guess the only feedback I'm looking for is if you like it or not, and any grammatical things that are off.
I'd like to say thank you to all of the people who have taken the time to read this, favorite it, and review it. It's meant more than I can say, really.
-Violet
"Alice," I groaned, "I feel wrong in this dress!" I complained. I turned from front to side repeatedly in the hanging mirror. I looked strange enough as it is, large rollers protruded from my scalp, my make-up finely done. The dress however, made me unrecognizable. A deep low neckline, and lots of frills around the skirt. Something Rosalie and Alice assured me was high fashion. I could deal with high fashion, I had over the last fifty or so years.
The color is what bugged me. The dress was a deep, bright pink.
"You look fine, now stop fidgeting." She barked. I turned and gave her my coldest possible glare. "Thank god you can walk across flat surfaces now. Rosalie wouldn't have gone for less than a four inch heel; anything else is barely fashionable for a Haute couture wedding." I stared at the shoes sitting in a box by the counter. They had thin heels, and thin silver straps that crossed over the toes and ankles.
Alice primped with a bit of product in her hands, flipping the ends of her hair out, the only style that her hair was long enough to wear.
"I know," I pouted turning to her, "Could she have picked out a more," I paused looking at the gauzy fabric, "Ludicrous shade of pink?" I pulled the skirt away from my body, and gestured to it with my head.
"It's magenta, Bella." She hissed. "And be careful with those rollers!" She pushed me back into the chair. Fifty years and I still didn't understand how to properly style my hair. Alice had worked with me, in the beginning. We had limitless time on our hands, not sleeping and all. I didn't care about the end result, and soon Alice tired of trying to make me.
I held back laughter, recalling the first time that I had entered high school.
Boys regarded me with as much attention as they had with Rosalie, I don't know why. I supposed I did look different now. My eyes were almost the same brown, only now they were
golden, no longer flecked with green. My cheek bones were more prominent, and my skin flawlessly clear.
I was sort of beautiful.
"I still can't believe that she made me her maid of honor." I glanced up at Alice in the mirror; she was unrolling the curlers neatly.
"I've been her Maid of Honor dozens of times," Alice explained, "And she said that you look more like her human friend, Vera." She continued to talk, but I ignored her. Edward had just walked into the room. He was wearing a tuxedo similar to the one he was wearing when we had gotten married...
"Do you, Isabella Marie Swan," I flinched as Emmett said 'Isabella,' hoping that no one noticed, "take him, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish, until death separates you?" I tried not to laugh at the 'until death separates', Edwards lip twitched upward at our little inside joke. He looked at me, smiling.
I stared into his topaz eyes, without my voice faltering, and without laughter, "I do."
"And do you, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, take her, Isabella Marie Swan to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Emmett paused and looked at me, "Your angel?" He snickered, " To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poor—you're not poor, in sickness or in health although you don't get sick either, and if something happened Carlisle could fix it in a jiffy... to love and to cherish, until death separates you?" He finished theatrically.
"Remind me to kill Emmett later," Edward glared at him, then turning back to me, his face automatically softened, "I do."
"Okay. Cool." Emmett crossed his arms and looked at us expectantly, "What?" He snapped.
"That's not all you're supposed to say." Edward whispered, I looked behind myself, and noticed Alice slapping herself on the forehead.
"Oh, Right. I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. You can kiss her now." Emmett winked.
I rolled my eyes, and Edward stepped closer to me, his hand cupping my chin.
"Forever." I said, smiling giddily. I was in my happy place.
"Forever." He agreed, and leaned down to kiss me softly...
"You look insanely beautiful." His eyes smoldered, and he stared at me, leaning against the doorframe of Alice's rather large bathroom. I looked down at my dress, the ridiculous color popping out against my pallid skin.
"I do?" I raised an eyebrow, turning my head.
"You do." Alice muttered as she turned my head back facing the mirror and vigorously pulled out a curler. He walked over to me, staring down at me.
"This is all reminding me of our wedding." He said softly, smiling my favorite crooked smile.
"It's reminding me of that, too." I admitted.
"Several things have changed since then." I screwed my face up in concentration.
"Like the fact I'm a vampire?" I teased.
"Actually, No, that's not what I was thinking of at all." He replied dryly.
Then another memory hit me...
"Are you sure this is what you want, Bella?" his voice was panicked, "I don't know if I can do this." I put a finger up to his lips, stopping his speech.
"This is what I want. I want to be with you, Edward. It's the only way that makes sense—Like Carlisle said." I replied.
"I've told you, I'll love you, and I'll stay with you, forever, until you die."
"Then it isn't forever, is it?" I asked. "I love you Edward, more than you can know."
"I love you, Bella." He sighed, "I'll love you for my entire existence."
"And I'll love you for mine, isn't that enough?" This conversation seemed as if it had happened before, maybe even word for word.
"It is." He smiled, although there was a hint of sadness in his voice.
He tapped the needle in his hands a few times; I flinched, shutting my eyes swiftly. "I still don't understand why you have to do that."
"The morphine will ease the pain. And it's painful, Bella." I sighed, using a hand to cover my face. I panicked, "You won't even feel it." I swallowed deeply and focused on something else.
Smiling, I thought of a lifetime with Edward.
I felt the needle slide into the crease at my elbow; I waited a few seconds to start feeling numb. I dropped my hand and looked at him. He stared at me, most ardently.
"What?" I asked, my cheeks reddening.
"It's the last time I'll get to see that."
"See what?" My brows knitted together in confusion.
"Your cheeks blush scarlet." He smiled. A few moments passed. He looked nervous, "Are you ready?" I took a deep, steadying breath.
"Yes." I said quietly. He put his lips to my throat. I waited to feel his hard teeth breaking through the surface of my skin. I waited, but it did not come.
"I don't know if I can do this Bella. What if I can't make myself stop, What if I kill you?" Blushing, I looked down.
"Edward, we've already been through a lot of situations when that could have happened. Like when James bit me, and you sucked out the venom. Or when we..." I trailed off, my cheeks reddening, "You love me too much to hurt me."
He sighed, and inhaled deeply. "You're right. I do love you." He bent back down to my throat.
"That's not all that's different." I said, still staring at him.
"No, it's not." He sighed. "We've attended numerous high schools and colleges."
"That's not what I was thinking about."
I was thinking about Charlie passing away...
It was raining in Forks.
I had said goodbye to the sun, decades ago.
Edward and I stood on the grassy slope, I was wearing a wide brim black hat that I had borrowed from Alice. A piece of netting hung over my face. Edward wrapped an arm around me, pulling me into his chest.
I wanted to cry, I needed to cry. I couldn't do that though, I just clenched my hands together until I could feel my fingernails indenting into my palm.
I recognized many of the people who were standing around the casket.
I only stared at one, watching Charlie's body lowered beneath the earth.
I watched Jake. He had not changed much, his hair was long, tied neatly back at the base of his neck. Leah held onto his arm tightly, and leaned into him a little bit. A small child, what I could only guess as theirs stood on Leah's other side. It was a little boy, no older than ten, who looked so much like Jacob.
He looked up, seeing Edward and I for the first time. He smiled bitterly, and nodded. I forced my lips into a smile, although I ached.
I loved Edward...don't get me wrong. I still love Edward, and I always will.
"We've been through it all," He chuckled, "We're an old couple now."
"And you've argued like one, since day one." Alice muttered, clipping back sections of my hair with bobby pins.
We both laughed at her.
"How does Rosalie want my hair?" I asked, blocking Charlie's funeral from my mind.
"Rosalie left it up to me; she thinks that you're in excellent hands."
"I still remember how the two of you bickered on my wedding day..."
"I say that we curl her hair around her face, more Nineteen Thirties, and pull it back into a low, curly bun. Messy, but not over the top Messy." Rosalie said, pulling my hair into a low chignon.
"That wouldn't go with the style of her dress, Rose. It should be curled, I agree, but tumbling out of a bun more about here." Alice took my hair into her hands and piled it on the top of my head. I saw my Anne of green gables vision, all over again. It seems like Alice knew exactly what I wanted.
"Okay. Then what about leaving it down?" Rosalie fluffed my hair and pulled it over my shoulders. "Loose waves, Think Rose in Titanic when she tries to kill herself." Alice shook her head quickly.
"I designed her dress for her hair to be up." Alice crossed her arms stubbornly. "It's going to be up." I watched their battle silently.
"Fine." Rosalie gave up, "But I get to do her make-up." She crossed her arms and glared at Alice.
"Fine."
Alice narrowed her eyes just thinking about it. "I still can't believe she wanted your hair to be down. It would have distracted eyes from the lace around the neckline."
I laughed, "Whatever you say." I smiled.
"I remember when your Mom got into the bathroom, watching me like a hawk." Alice smiled, starting to pull more of my hair up slowly.
"She was more concerned with Rosalie putting red lipstick on me." I laughed at the thought.
Keeping my distance from Charlie had been easy. He accepted that Edward and I enjoyed spending time abroad and never had time to visit. Renee didn't.
She was very angry about me ignoring her; I did keep e-mailing. Edward and I had been living in 'Europe' and we both had dedicated ourselves to our work...
"I don't understand, Bella." Her words cut over the phone.
"Mom, I'm not mad at you." I voiced for the thousandth time, "Edward and I are just busy."
"I would have thought that you would make time to visit me in Florida. You love the beach, honey."
"I know, things have been so crazy, and work is just taking it out on us. And Edward plays when he's off at local clubs and bars. Not many people are into classical piano music, but he's pursuing." I explained.
"Are you and Edward happy?" She asked.
"We're very happy." I assured.
"How many years has it been now?" She asked and the anger drained from her voice.
"Eight." I looked happily down at the ring on my left hand.
"You're twenty-six now, you're out of college, and you're working a steady job. Have you and Edward thought about kids?" I felt panicky, "I would love to have grandchildren."
"Uh, Not really. We aren't settled enough to be thinking about that."
"You should start thinking about that. You're old enough to have children, and heaven knows that you could afford it. Edward is quite wealthy."
"Mom." I chastised.
"What? All I'm saying is that you guys shouldn't wait forever." How could I explain this to my mother?
Well Mom, You see, Edward's actually a vampire. After we got married, he turned me, and now I'm a vampire too. It is not a big deal, don't worry, I don't kill humans. The reason that we aren't having children is because when he turned me, my eggs in my uterus sort of died. I don't even think that Edward's sperm are still fertile.
"I don't even want kids, Mom." I stuck with this instead.
"You might change your mind."
"Edward can't have kids." I replied...it was partly the truth.
"Why not?" Of course, she was going to ask why not.
"He got really sick when he was younger, and a lot of things happened to his organs and stuff," I was a horrible liar. "It affected his sperm somehow too."
"Well, Honey, I hear Phil calling from the other room. We need to leave, big game today. He loves coaching so much." She laughed nervously. I didn't hear Phil's voice in the background, and I was willing to bet that it was because talking about my boyfriends...Husband's sperm was making her uncomfortable.
"Bye Mom, Love you." I shut the phone quietly.
"Why are we reminiscing?" Emmett entered the room, goofily grinning, in a tuxedo similar to Edward's.
"It's the first wedding since mine." Edward said very matter-of-factly. Emmett grinned widely and nodded.
"Remember what happened after you turned Bella?" His grin stayed in place, "When the wolves found out, and it was full out war."
"Actually, you know, I don't remember that, Emmett." I replied sardonically.
"It was a long time ago, But really? It was one of the better fights that we've ever had." He smirked. "Why did you turn her, Edward? She always brought a good fight."
"And the fact that her life was in constant danger, didn't matter?" Edward asked frostily.
"We always saved her," Emmett held out his hands in peace, "She can take care of herself now, though."
I shook my head laughing, thinking back on that ghastly feud.
No one had died, thankfully.
I don't think that I could live with myself if any of them had gotten hurt...
"You violated the treaty!" Jacob was outraged, yelling at Edward in the clearing.
"If I'm correct, you violated the treaty long ago when you told Bella." He stiffened, "As far as I'm concerned the treaty was over a long time ago." His voice was a low growl.
"The treaty wasn't over then, but it is now." He barked in response.
"You know what this means, don't you, you Bloodsuckers?" Paul leered at Emmett, Emmett growled in response. "The treaty was broken. This means WAR."
No one had been hurt, except for Paul. I think he deserved it though. Anyone who jeers Emmett deserves the consequences.
It had taken a while to patch things over with the Wolves. Edward had to point out that I was not turned in Forks; therefore, the Treaty was still intact. The treaty only covered the biting of a human on treaty land.
The treaty didn't extend pass Forks.
Things were hostile for a while, but they cooled down eventually.
"She is amusing as one of us, though." Emmett sighed. "Like that time that we visited the Volturi, to prove she was a vampire."
"You're absurd, Emmett." Edward replied, crossing his arms tightly. Alice misted my hair with a can of hairspray, and then stepped back.
"All done."
"Good," Esme came into the room, all smiles in a very modest shade of ivory. "We're ready."
Rosalie was having her wedding right off Maine's shore. She had always dreamed of the fairy tale wedding, and already had it several times. I waited nervously, holding a bouquet of white roses as I watched Alice and Jasper make their way down the aisle.
"Bella!" I heard a harsh whisper, I turned around, and Rosalie motioned to me with a gloved hand.
"What?" I asked, wobbling in the sand.
"Thank you," She smiled, "I'm glad to have you for a sister."
"You're welcome," I replied, I felt oddly struck by her words.
Later, at the reception Edward found me sitting in a chair, staring at the perfectly folded napkin.
"You have seemed kind of dazed all day." He sat down next to me, and stared into my eyes.
Even though I was no longer human, my breath caught, and my heart, metaphorically speaking, beat faster.
"I've just been remembering things." I smiled sadly.
"Are you having second thoughts about...?"
He looked sad; Edward had always worried about me not accepting this life. He always worried that I felt as if I had missed out on something.
"No, I'm not. I haven't. And I never will. I've been thinking about how grateful I am to have you forever." He sighed, a great weight lifting off his chest.
"Eternity is a very long while." He smiled crookedly, "Are you sure you want to be with me for that long?"
I bit my lip, "I think I can handle it."
"Oh, I wouldn't want to you to have to endure torture."
"I want to be with you forever."
"And you shall." I looked into his liquid topaz eyes, something I would do for all of eternity.