Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore do not own any of her characters from Twilight or New Moon, though could you imagine what I could do if I owned Edward Cullen sighs Anyway, onto the story.

Till Death Do Us Part

Dearly Beloved

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…" the priest said the words calmly in that voice that only priests could pull off. His hands were raised like he was preaching a sermon, not performing a wedding.

I snorted before grabbing the remote control off of where it sat on the coffee table. I changed the channels quickly, not really interested in any of the programs, but eager to avoid the conversation that was soon to follow. Settling on a monster truck rally, I tried to avoid the perfect topaz eyes that I knew were trained on me.

We really needed to find something to do other than watch TV. This had been my last option for avoiding the topic of marriage. I had tried a trip to Seattle, but there just happened to be a bridal shop on the street we were on. We had gone to a movie next; a nice action flick with a lot of explosions. There had been a proposal in the end though. I almost got sick at how the girl gushed over the ring like it was the only thing that mattered. So now, I had resorted to watching TV with him. Like my other solutions, however, it failed me. It seemed like the topic of marriage was everywhere nowadays.

Edward was relaxed as he reached over to take the remote from my hand, making sure his cool skin pressed upon mine briefly. I felt a shiver run through me at the feel of his touch, but arranged myself so it would not register on my features. Turning the television off, Edward looked at me, the perfect lines of his face forming a serious expression. Though in the back of my mind I was glad that the roar of the monster trucks no longer filled the room, I feigned annoyance, "Edward! I was watching that!"

"Please, Bella. You've been avoiding this topic for weeks."

I smirked angrily and said, "For not being able to hear my thoughts, you sure are good at predicting them."

"Well, you are the one human that I know best…" Edward grinned and I felt a wave of submission travel through me, followed closely by indignation. I knew he was only doing this so that I wouldn't fight him on this issue, and I refused to let his tactics dazzle me. He took my hands in his, but I resisted the comfort that spread over me in his presence. Tucking a stray lock of my hair behind my ear, he said, "Bella, we need to talk to talk about this."

With that, it was settled. As much as I tried, it was nearly impossible to fight with Edward Cullen. I sighed, "What is there to talk about? You gave me a choice and I haven't made my decision yet. I don't understand why we have to discuss this."

"You know why we have to discuss this. You've been closed ever since we talked about this. I can't stand to see you so torn and I can't stand to have you so distant from me."

A cruel irony played in my head and I spat back, "You should know about being distant. At least you know I'm too weak to leave you."

His perfect brow furrowed and I felt a lurch of guilt at the sadness in his eyes. He tore his eyes from me and paused before he spoke once again, "That was a mistake. Leaving you was a mistake. But I thought you'd be better off without me…You know I wouldn't be better off without you."

His familiar words brought out the same doubt that I always felt. How could he love me? How could he think that his life could be made any better by me? I didn't think that I could ever understand the feelings he felt for me; not while I was a human at least. I had no doubt in my mind that I would be better off as a vampire, and that it would be absolutely perfect if he was the one who changed me. I wasn't ready to marry him though. The dilemma had been spinning through my head for weeks, and the different sides were fighting each other so frantically that it was dizzying. All I had wanted to do ever since he had given me the choice was to kiss his perfect lips, and tell him that I loved him and I would marry him.

It was so much easier in my head than it actually was. Charlie already hated Edward, and Renee would be thoroughly opposed to me marrying at such a young age. The old fear that I had always harbored deep inside me also slowed me from accepting too fast. I was ready to spend all of eternity with Edward but what if Edward realized that he didn't love me? What would I do then? I looked up at him and realized that he was still waiting for an answer. Pursing my lips, I said, "You know that I can't live without you, but there are too many complications. What about Charlie and Renee? What will they think?"

"You're 18, Bella. You can make your own decisions."

I bit my nail for a second, thinking of my response, "It doesn't mean I still don't care about them."

Edward pursed his lips, "I understand you care about them, but I just wish that you would think about yourself for once."

"You mean think about you."

He shook his head vehemently, "Bella, if I had what I wanted you would never turn at all."

I scowled. This we had discussed before, "You know that's not going to happen."

He put his hands on my shoulders, "Then, I don't understand. If you're going to become a…If you're going to be with me forever, why won't you just marry me and make it official?"

Why wouldn't I? The usual reasons disappeared from my mind as I stared into his eyes, they're beautiful color causing me to melt. As I fell further and further into his gaze, I fought to break free from the spell I was crumbling under. I couldn't let him do this to me. Not now that I had the biggest decision of my life to make. I struggled with my self, finally winning the battle in my head. I lashed out, knocking his hands of my shoulder and he started in surprise. I looked away, further prying myself from his illusion, and whispered, "Don't do that."

I glanced up slowly, expecting to see anger or even fake innocence on his face, but all I saw was sadness. It threw me off guard for a second, and he said, "I understand."

My sigh of relief was held back by my confusion, "You understand?"

He held himself back, trying to decide whether he wanted to say something. The look on my face must have convinced him, and he said, "I understand…that you don't want to marry a…monster."

My heart broke. I tried to stammer out an answer, but I couldn't. He couldn't say that. He couldn't think that. Not now. I was the only one allowed to have issues. I finally choked out a response, "Y-You're not a monster, Edward."

He stood up in anger and tucked his hands behind his head. He kept his voice stern, but low, always under control; "Then why won't you marry me?"

Clenching my teeth, I repeated what I'd said over and over again, "My parents." Sadness had leaked through my words and Edward sat back down to wrap his arm around me.

He asked quietly, "What is it, Bella?"

Tears began to fall on my cheeks and I could taste the salt of them as I said, "When I become a vampire. I won't be able to come near them until I'm under control, right? Maybe never, depending on how long it takes. I just don't want our last few days together to be tense."

Edward's grip tightened around me encompassing my small shoulders in his strong arms. He let me cry into his hard chest and put his hand on the back of my head. My hair muffled his words as he said, "We can talk to them. Ask their permission. Bella, I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do. But I also want you to know that I love you. And if convincing your parents that I'm not entirely evil will get you to marry me, then I'll do it. Just so I can be with you." As he pulled my head up and kissed me, I knew what I had to do, what I had to say to him.

I tested the words out in my mouth several times before I said them. My tongue felt chalky and dry, but the words felt right. I kissed his lips one more time, and whispered, "I love you too. And I would love to marry you."

Next Chapter: Edward and Bella go to ask for permission. How will Bella's parents react to finding out their daughter is getting married? Reviews would be nice...So, please review!! Gives puppy dog eyes