Here is my second story on this website. For those of you who are fans of my first story, The Wrath of Hera, don't fret. It may have been a while since my last update, but the story is still under way. There is a plethora of information in my profile pertaining to my stories. Feel free to contact me at any time. I believe my email is in my profile.

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer is a brilliant author, and while I hope to aspire to her expertise one day, I cannot claim to own or to have created any of her written work. Unfortunately.

Lady dé Luna

Chapter One

I had been dreading this day almost as much as I'd dreaded a run-in with the Volturi. But here it was, staring at me in the face. A very unhappy stare. I scowled at the mirror, studying the image glaring back at me.

Alice really had gone overboard.

I lifted the skirt of my gown, watching the white silk slide through my fingers to fall gently back to the floor. I reset some pins, so that the veil hung more comfortably from my hair.

In truth, I was a vision. She might have outdone herself- by a lot- but even I couldn't complain about having to dress up once I saw myself in the mirror. My argument to get married in jeans in a Las Vegas drive-thru chapel was stamped out by reluctant appreciation.

And at least she'd had the foresight not to force me into high-heels.

Ha. Alice and foresight. Sometimes I make myself laugh.

I sighed, Alice had left me alone, ushering guests into their pews before she readied the bridesmaids. Both she and Edward had laughed- after looking at me like I had half a dozen frogs leaping from my nose- when I asked them if they could set foot into the church, or if we'd have to have the ceremony outside. I'd been hoping to have this outside, for the chance of a hurricane or hail or something, but Edward was adamant that we have it in the church. Sometimes he took his saving-my-soul thing to extremes. Plus I think he could tell that I'd look for excuses to put it off, given the chance.

That was another thing. I might be the only person in the world whose mind was impossible for him to read, but he chose to be insightful at completely unhelpful moments. Usually moments when I'd like for him to not know what I'm thinking.

There was a knock on the door, but before I could tell them to come in, Alice was standing beside me, eyeing her handiwork with a touch of smugness.

"I'm brilliant. C'mon, say it. You know I am." Her eyes found mine in the reflection.

Okay, a lot of smugness.

I grimaced, but I knew she could tell how pleased I was. If I had to walk down that aisle in a God forsaken dress, at least I looked like I was at the Oscars.

And at least I wasn't in high-heels. I couldn't get over how glad I was about that. But I'm sure the second she decided to actually buy me shoes with any height at all, she got a vision of me falling at the alter steps and changed her mind.

I felt Alice tug on my arm, impatiently. "Come on, the music's starting."

I couldn't hear anything, but that didn't mean anything. Part of being a vampire was oversensitive hearing. Along with amazing eyesight, speed, strength, vocals, and appearance.

All were things I planned on acquiring soon.

I let her drag me out of the room, and almost tripped a few times down the hall. When we neared the entrance, I could hear the music, faint behind the doors. My bridesmaids were lined behind the door with Edward's groomsmen, waiting for me. Alice moved to sand next to Jasper, first in line, followed by my good friends Angela and Mike. Last in line was Rosalie, standing next to her hulk of a boyfriend, Emmett. Emmett grinned when he saw me, his smile stretching across his face. Rosalie smiled at me- awkwardly, but it was a smile. Angela and Mike turned to smile at me. Angela blinked when she saw what Alice had turned me into. Mike's mouth fell, hanging open. Jasper merely grinned at Alice's expression. She looked more like the cat who stole the cream than anything else.

I stood a pace behind my procession, as Alice had instructed me earlier. I heard a throat clear from behind me and I turned to see Charlie walking towards me in a new tuxedo that Renée and Alice had forced him to purchase.

His face was tinted red, and most likely for several reasons. He hated being in the spotlight every bit as much as I did- caused by a serious and constant case of hereditary clumsiness. Another being that this occasion was so formal. Probably another reason for his nerves was the fact that his little girl was about to get married.

But I knew that the biggest reason for his bashfulness was the rather heated conversation we'd had a few months before, when Edward and I announced our engagement.

He came to stand next to me, his arm extended for me to take hold. He was shy; I could tell he didn't know what to say. His eyes studied the ceiling with too much intensity.

I could remember the discussion:

Edward had been half a step behind me, one hand holding mine while the other lay against my waist. We were standing in the kitchen, where Charlie could usually be found. He was at the table, sitting with a coffee. The coffee was set on the table, rather roughly, when he saw Edward behind me. I could feel his gaze scrutinize us as he took in our faces, the way we were touching. He froze when he saw my expression.

I'm sure it wasn't the typical just-engaged expression.

That must have been what clued him in. That and Edward, who was grinning like he'd won the jackpot, graduated from Harvard, and was crowned prince of England. All in the same five minutes. The face that's dazed and deliriously happy, both at the same time.

The face that a newly engaged person would make. Unless they're me, who looked like I was resigned more than utterly happy. Even though I was. Deep down. Somewhere.

Abruptly, the newspaper followed the coffee to the table.

"No. Absolutely not. Never. No way." Charlie was mad. Extremely mad. He stood from the table to glare at Edward.

"Dad-" I started to speak, but Charlie cut me off.

"No. Bella! Do you remember what he did? Do you remember when he left you? How he hurt you? Do you remember how dead you were to the world? How dead you tried to make yourself? I won't see you put yourself in a place to get hurt like that again!"

"Dad, I-"I tried to break in. Anger made my free hand curl, and the hand holding Edward's stiff. His was as well, and his grip tightened. When I glanced at him, his mouth was set and his eyes were tightened. It looked like he was focusing on breathing normally. I had to stop Dad before he could hurt Edward more. But my father ignored me again.

"Marriage is a hard enough thing without knowing you'll get hurt going into it. Look how me and your mother turned out. You don't seem too thrilled about it. Why'd you even let him talk you into-"

I'd had enough.

"Dad!!" He looked at me, shocked at my outburst. "How dare you! Yes, I remember! He was trying to do the right thing for me by leaving! He did it because he cared about me He loves me, Dad! And I love him. More than anything! He's the air I breathe and the ground I walk on. He's what's keeping me together, what makes me tick. From all that time we spent apart, I've learned that I can't live without him. And guess what? He learned the same about me. And I know I was raised against marriage, but that doesn't matter anymore. I love him! And he loves me. And nothing can change that, whether we wait a decade to put it on paper or not!" I cut myself off, before my speech could turn into a rant. I was leaning against Edward, breathing heavily. My blood was pumping, making me flushed, and I glared at Charlie, waiting for him to defy me.

But he was staring. Dumbfounded.

He swallowed. "Bella." His voice was tired, strained. "You were a mess after he left. When he leaves again… I don't think you'll survive it, kiddo." He looked like he had aged twenty years before my eyes.

"Daddy…" I took a step toward him, but Edward pulled me back. I looked up to see that his jaw was still hard as granite and his breathing was slow. I started to question him, but he shook his head, instead addressing Charlie.

"Charlie. I love your daughter." He held up a hand to stop Charlie's rude retort. "I love her. As much as she loves me- maybe more." His hand tightened on mine to stop my own comment. "I know I hurt her. And I know how badly I hurt her. And I'll never, never be able to forgive myself for that, in all they years I live. But you can rest assured that I will never leave her again. I'll never repeat that mistake, and I'll do everything in my power not to commit another one again, ever. We love each other, and we want to make that permanent and public and we want to celebrate that with everyone that we love. So please, for Bella. Could you be happy for us?"

I stood rooted to the spot. In all the years I'd had to consider marriage, I hadn't thought of it that way. I'd always considered it… well, the 'kiss of death' for relationships. Too many expectations, too many bad endings. But Edward wanted to broadcast our love so that the world could know how we felt about each other. To have our love written down in history and witnessed by everyone we knew?

Suddenly I wanted it almost as much as he did.

Charlie was looking skeptical. …More than skeptical. I jumped in before he could make Edward feel any guiltier. "Dad." I waited until he was looking at me. "This is what I want too." Edward relaxed against me when he heard my tone, and knew that I truly wanted to be his wife, not just to please anyone, but because I wanted it for me.

Charlie stared at me. He heard the same unspoken words in my voice, also. He squared his shoulders and lifted his chin in defeat. "Very well," then turned, "be gentle, telling your mother," and stalked out of the room.

I squeezed Charlie's arm. "Dad?"

He looked down from the ceiling to me, eyes taking in Alice's work. "Bells… you're breathtaking."

Good thing the groom doesn't require breath.

I grinned up at him. "Good thing I'm not in heels."

He smiled back. "They know you too well."

He was standing easier, less red. More casual. We both breathed easy; the argument was over. Renée'd had an even easier time with our engagement than Dad did. Which had shocked me. But then, she hadn't had to live with me during those dark months without Edward.

The music grew louder suddenly, and I looked up to see that the doors were opened, and my procession was walking slowly into the room, with careful steps. Emmett was practically tiptoeing, trying not to out-walk anyone.

Then it was my turn. I squared my shoulders, chin lifted, much like my father had those months ago. But this wasn't in defeat. It was for pride. For happiness.

For love.

It was my turn. Charlie tugged my arm and we marched the carefully spaced steps down the red carpet, to the elaborate alter. Family and friends and strangers alike were in the pews, watching us. Some with tears in their eyes, some staring. Most smiling. One was missing, though. One who I hadn't invited. One who I couldn't blame.

My mother and her husband were in the front, with Carlisle and Esme. I smiled at them as I passed, saving the man at the alter for last. I knew I'd trip once I saw him.

When my father pulled his arm out of my grip at the alter to take his seat beside my mother, I finally looked up at Edward's grinning face and smiling eyes.

And my heart nearly burst with happiness.