A/N: I hope you all enjoyed my first chapter - it's so much fun to write Alice!
Disclaimer: I own none of Twilight - I just like to live in the world sometimes.
I was out the door the moment I saw that Bella was awake. I could hardly control my excitement. The wedding was finally here! Sure, Bella would probably put up a bit of a fight with all the fussing I was about to put her through, but I didn't care. This was as much Edward's day as hers, and I was determined to make her glorious.
On my way out, I asked Esme and Rosalie to straighten up all the centerpieces and place settings. Rosalie agreed with resignation, but Esme was exuberant. She was just as excited as I was, and more than eager to help. I knew she would keep Rosalie in line, as only a mother could.
I raced over to Bella's house and was there faster than I meant to be. I could hear her and Charlie talking inside. They had heard my arrival, and Bella was telling Charlie what his duties were for the day. I flitted to the front door and rang the bell. Charlie answered.
The moment he saw me, his face softened. Charlie always liked me. I tended to have that effect on humans. I assumed that in my human life I must have been a pretty happy person. Even though I had been sent to a mental asylum, I guessed that I must have been too far gone to realize how awful that would be. I pictured myself as blissfully unaware. If I had been broken by the asylum, I imagined I would be more hopeless in my present life. But, I would never know for sure. "Hi Charlie!" I exclaimed as I danced past him into the house.
Bella greeted me with a reluctant smile. Her eyes had dark circles, like she hadn't slept much. She sighed deeply. She could tell I had a lot in store for her, I'm sure. I smiled back as I dragged her out to the Porsche and sped back to my house.
"God, Bella! What did you do? Stay up all night?" I asked her in disbelief.
"Almost," she mumbled.
Irritated, I replied, "Well, I only have so much time to make you resplendent today – you could have tried taking better care of yourself."
"No one expects me to be resplendent." Bella sighed. So did I. This girl had no idea what a beauty was, and that she was one. I softened my tone. "Well, at least you can catch up on your sleep on the plane tomorrow."
Bella looked out the window thoughtfully, as though she were trying to figure something out. Had I dropped a hint that I wasn't supposed to about the destination of her honeymoon? I bit my lip and vowed not to say anything further on the subject. I tried to dismiss it. "Well, you are all packed and ready to go!"
"I wish you would have let me pack my own things."
"It would have given too much away. Obviously, Edward has kept you much uninformed, and I intend to keep it that way."
Bella rolled her eyes, and smiled at me wryly. "At least you got a chance to go and shop."
"That's right! You'll be my sister soon, so get used to having lots of new clothes!" I said, trying to lighten her mood. But Bella was distracted now. "Is Edward back yet?"
Oh, of course she would be wondering about his whereabouts. "Not yet, but even when he does get back, you can't see him. Not until you're walking to the altar."
"What does it matter?" she asked. "You know he's already seen me in my dress."
As we turned down the driveway to the house, I grinned wide. I had been absolutely sure that would not happen. "Nope. I'm the only one that's seen you in your dress, and I know what to do to block him from my mind." The Gettysburg Address, Nixon's resignation speech, Tolstoy's War and Peace…
"I see you reused the graduation decorations," Bella had noticed the trees lining the drive, which did bear the same décor that they had a few months ago.
"Yup! Enjoy them, because you don't get to see the other decorations until its time!" Oh yes, I am definitely enjoying this, I thought as she glowered. I ushered her into the front door and up the stairs, taking care that we moved too quickly for her to get a good look at anything. The one thing that she couldn't ignore was the aroma I had created. I took great care to match it to the scent of her skin, just another little treat for my brother.
"Ooo," Bella cooed. "It's wonderful!" She breathed deeply. "Orange blossoms, lilac…"
"…freesia and roses," I said, completing her thought. Bella beamed. I led her into the bathroom and sat her down in front of the huge vanity. She sighed.
"Is this really necessary? I'm going to look plain next to him no matter what," Bella complained.
"Not when I'm done with you," I assured her.
At that moment, Rosalie entered the room. Bella tensed almost imperceptibly, although it didn't go unnoticed by me or by Rosalie. "They're back," Rosalie informed us. "They're helping Esme finish up out back." I shot her a questioning glance with a hint of warning. She knew what I was asking, and answered, "Don't worry, he won't cross you. He values his life too much."
I beamed at that. I had practically beaten him over the head a few days ago when he tried to peek at the images in my head. Of course, I headed him off at the pass, since I could see when he made the decision to search my brain. I was the only one in the family who could ever get Edward's goat, and he definitely respected me for it.
"Alright Bella," Rosalie said. "Let's get started on your hair." Bella's mouth gaped open in surprise, but she caught herself and abruptly closed it again. If I were her, I would have reacted the same way. Rose usually made no effort to hide her distaste for Bella, but she had also gotten a bit caught up in the festivities, and wanted to help.
Of course, Rose would choose Bella's hair to help with. Rosalie and I had different styles entirely when creating our hairdos. Rose was meticulous, every hair in its right place, and when you looked at her, you could see the effort she had put into it, and yet you were wowed by how amazing it looked. I studied my own hair in the mirror as Rosalie began braiding a section of Bella's hair into a perfect crescent circling the back of her skull, to sit atop the cascade of wavy chocolate brown tendrils.
My hair also took a long time to craft, although no one would ever know it. I liked my short black hair to be spiky – it just worked with the petite features of my face. Every hair was in its right place on my head too, but the difference was that it looked effortless. Light. Fun. That's how I liked it. Today was different. Rosalie had insisted on doing my hair in a sleeker, flatter style than I usually enjoyed. I could have done it myself, but Rosalie was going to have her own way on this one. It did look pretty good after all. So, I let her have hair and I focused on Bella's makeup.
Eyeliner poised in my hand, I leaned in towards Bella's face. She looked up at me with trepidation. "Do you have to?" she pleaded with me.
"Yes." I was not in the mood for her protests. "Now, look up."
After dressing Bella in her gown and getting some finishing touches from Esme and Renee, she was ready. Charlie, Bella and I had headed down the hallway toward the top of the stairs where all of the guests were waiting to see her walk down the aisle and into my brother's life forever. If they only knew how long forever would really be.
I descended the staircase first as her maid of honor, taking care not to move too gracefully. I didn't want to steal my new sister's thunder. As I walked toward the altar, I glanced around the room at all the human and vampire faces, looking so happy. I waved slightly to Tanya and the rest of the Denali clan before turning my attention to the altar. My eyes met Carlisle's first. Edward was his pride and joy, his firstborn, and the delight in his eyes radiated out to me.
And then, I looked at Edward. A more joyful face I had never seen. His years of misery and angst had melted away – the bad times gone for good. As I took my place on the opposite side of Pastor Weber, I thought, Edward, today your life begins again. Relish every moment. Your beautiful bride is ready to start her new existence with you. He turned his face to look into my eyes, and I swear that if we could cry, tears would have started to swell in both of our eyes.
He was distracted at once as the bridal march began, and Bella made her way down the staircase, escorted by Charlie. She looked shy and a little nervous as she glanced at the many people standing, staring and grinning at her. Her eyes met mine and I smiled warmly, trying to put her at ease. She smiled back tightly. Then she found Edward's gaze and all her inhibitions seemed to melt away. She moved a little faster now, surprising Charlie with her suddenly quicker pace. As Charlie gave her away, and her hands were now in Edward's, she seemed at home.
The reception was well under way, and Jasper and I watched from the sidelines as many couples danced to the smooth sounds of Frank Sinatra. I had been sure to include all of the usual human traditions, including Edward and Bella feeding each other cake, which Emmett and Jasper both had a good laugh over. I'll admit that it was pretty funny watching Edward attempt to hide his grimace. I think he hid it well from the human guests, but every vampire felt his pain…and laughed at it. I snickered a little to myself, and turned to Jasper, whispering, "May I have this dance?"
He beamed, taking my hand and leading me to the center of the dance floor. His arms encircled my tiny waist and I reached up, standing almost on tiptoe, to wrap my arms around his neck. We danced cheek to cheek in silence, feeling the rhythm of the music through the motions of our bodies, moving in time. I breathed in his tangy scent at the base of his collarbone as he breathed similarly the scent of my hair. He tells me I smell like raspberries. Yum.
Without warning, my eyes became unfocused and my mind raced into a vision of Jacob Black. He was in our yard hiding in the trees lining the forest, enshrouded in darkness. He was surrounded by blank, void space. The empty space was palpable, and I knew now that it was the pack that surrounded him. I remembered how scared I had been the first time I had seen the hollowness and not known what it was. Now, I knew that the thick void could only be the wolves. I shook my head slightly to refocus. Of course, Jasper noticed.
"What did you see, Alice?" The moment the words left his mouth, the scent of wet dogs was heavy in the air, and an answer was no longer required.
We looked over to Edward simultaneously. He smelled them to, and was looking straight at us. The scent was growing stronger now – they were getting closer on our property. I sent him my thoughts – It's Jacob. Edward stiffened slightly as I saw him concentrate hard. He was searching for Jacob's thoughts. Jasper and I studied his face, looking for any signs of trouble. After a few long moments, Edward's face softened, and he smiled. I focused on listening to him as he leaned down to Bella's ear and said, "I have a surprise for you." We watched as he led her toward a clearing just beyond the tree line of the forest. It seemed Jacob came in peace. I breathed a sigh of relief. When Jacob learned of Edward and Bella's nuptials and her impending change from life to mere existence, he had not taken the news well and had fled La Push. No one was sure that he would ever return. But he and Bella were best friends and they had a strong connection. I was glad he came back on her special day – it was so important to her.
Edward was returning from the clearing without his bride, leaving her to catch up with Jacob in the woods. He seemed at peace. As he approached the edge of the dance floor, I called to him with my thoughts – Edward. May I have this dance? His eyes found me in the crowd and he smiled, nodding. I turned to Jasper. "Jazz, I'm going to go dance with Edward, ok?" He nodded, "Sure – I'm gonna find Emmett." We parted and I made my way to Edward through the crowds of dancing, laughing people. I was thrilled they seemed to be thoroughly enjoying my party.
I finally got to Edward and he wrapped me in one of his big brotherly bear hugs. He loosened his tight grip on me and we started to sway to the music. Edward, it's great to see you so happy. I'm so excited to officially have Bella as my new sister. I'm going to have so much fun with her, dressing her up, taking her shopping, talking about you…
Edward laughed, "You might have to drag her along on your shopping trips. And don't talk about me! I'll know."
"Not if I don't want you to," I replied smugly. "It worked with the dress, right?"
He laughed again. "Yeah, I was getting bored of War and Peace…" is face became serious and he said, "Alice, you did such a beautiful job with our wedding. Thank you so much. And the flowers," he beamed, "were absolutely perfect."
"I thought you would like that. It's the least I could do for my favorite brother." I smiled sweetly at him.
He smiled back, but then furrowed his brow sternly. "One thing though – how could you not show Bella what she looked like before sending her down to the ceremony? She had no idea how radiant she looks. She thought she was the plainest girl in the room until I showed her her reflection. She nearly fainted at the sight of herself! Really, I'm surprised at you, Alice."
I gasped in horror. Had I really forgotten to have her admire herself? I felt terrible. He must have read my racing thoughts, because he amended his complaint, "It's okay, Alice…I'm just teasing you. Although, I'm still pretty shocked that you didn't insist that she admire your hard work." I sighed in relief. At least he wasn't that angry with me. I vowed silently never to do anything like that again, and he giggled.
At that moment, a vision rushed to the forefront of my mind of Jacob, angry, seething. I shook my head and was about to tell Edward, but of course, he saw. We both listened intently to the voices in the woods, faint in the blowing wind. It was difficult to make out the exact words being said as the wind carried their words in different directions. Suddenly, the voices rose in intensity, and Edward was off like a shot in the direction of the wolves and his undefended bride. Jasper and Emmett had also been listening, and they followed closely behind Edward.
I looked for Rose, who appeared bewildered at Emmett and Jasper's sudden departure. I made my way over to her quickly, and filled her in on what little information I knew. We waited silently for the boys to return, while the party bustled around us, oblivious to the danger just beyond the forest's edge. We waited nervously for what felt like forever, but after about five minutes, they returned to the party with Bella in tow. Edward and Bella went back to the dance floor, but Emmett and Jasper came to us.
Rose couldn't wait to know what had happened, and asked immediately. Emmett answered, "It was Jacob. He blew up when Bella told him that she and Edward were going to have a genuine honeymoon."
"Yeah, lucky we followed him. Jacob looked like he was about to tear Edward to shreds," Jasper added.
"Not likely!" Emmett retorted. "Edward could've easily snapped that puppy's neck. I guess Bella would be upset about that though."
Jasper shuddered, "The fury in the air was almost too much to bear. I tried to calm them down, but Jacob couldn't be waived. He ended up running away with the pack."
I sighed in relief. "Well, at least it didn't get too out of hand." I tucked a strand of Jasper's hair behind his ear. "You tried to help."
Rose was bristling, "What a jerk Jacob is, trying to ruin their wedding day. Why'd he even show up, anyway?"
That was a good question that no one really had an answer for. Emmett raised another concern. "Great, now Edward is gonna be even more nervous about the honeymoon. He'd better just do it after all those pep talks we gave him last night." He rolled his eyes in Jasper's direction.
Jasper laughed and glanced over at the couple. We all followed his gaze. Our brother and new sister seemed to have put the incident behind them, and were dancing very close, kissing passionately between looking longingly into each other's eyes. "All seems to be well," Jasper commented, "The atmosphere in here just got a whole lot more lusty." He swallowed hard and glanced my way, those sexy eyes taking on suggestive hooded lids.
My lips twisted into a half smile and I pursed my lips. I returned his hooded gaze, letting him know that I could definitely get with that idea as soon as the party was over. With that thought, I realized the party probably should be over, and I grabbed Jasper's wrist to look at his watch. I gasped at the time. "Oh my god, they have a plane to catch!"
I pushed through the crowd until I reached the happy couple, interrupting a sensual kiss. I tapped Bella on the shoulder, perhaps a little too hard. She jolted at the unexpected touch, and turned to look at me, her face more than a little annoyed.
"Sorry, you two, but it's time to change for your honeymoon – you have a plane to catch!" I grabbed Bella by the arm, taking care to be more gentle, and dragged her upstairs to my room.
Once in the room, I went to the closet and took out the blue slinky getaway dress out of the drycleaner's plastic for her. Bella had a dreamy look in her eyes. "Oh, Alice, it's beautiful. Edward is going to love this."
I grinned and I started helping her out of her wedding gown. "I know. That's why I picked it! Are you excited?"
Bella's eyes seemed to cloud over with lust. "Oh yes," she whispered. I laughed loudly. "I stocked you well for the honeymoon. Lots of…outfits to choose from." I snickered. She seemed confused. Suddenly, the lusty look left her face, and she frowned.
"I guess it's time to say goodbye to my mom and dad," she said forlornly. There were no words to be said. This had to be hard for her. None of us had chosen this life. We had all been on the brink of death when we were changed. She was the only one to choose vampirism, so there was no bit of advice or words of comfort I could provide. I squeezed her shoulders affectionately and gently told her, "I know it will be hard, but remember that after the change, maybe you can see them again - once you're in control of yourself. Do you want me to check your future and tell you what I can see?"
She shook her head, "No. You'll see that I will talk to them again, because I've already made the decision." She nodded, convincing herself.
I smiled and embraced her tightly. She hugged me back with all of her strength, which still felt feather-light to me. I stepped back and beamed at her, "Alright, Mrs. Cullen – it's time to consummate your marriage!" She grinned and we headed downstairs hand in hand. Edward met us at the bottom of the stairs and took Bella's hand to lead her to Renee. I gave her hand a squeeze before he took her away and said, "Have fun, you two!"
"Thanks!" Bella called over her shoulder, as Edward excitedly hustled her over to her mother.
Jasper came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. I turned in his arms and my lips met his in a chaste kiss. "Did you put the bags in the Mercedes?" I asked. "Of course I did, dearest," he replied. I leaned up for a deeper kiss, but was interrupted as people rushed outside to throw rice on the departing pair. We rushed outside too, just in time to catch a glimpse of Bella, her body hanging half out the window, waving goodbye. We waved back with the rest of the crowd, and headed inside.
Most of the guests were starting to say goodbye to each other, while others were dancing to the last few tunes that the band played. Esme and Carlisle and Rose and Emmett were slow dancing, taking advantage of the emptying dance floor. Jasper and I watched them dance, hand in hand. I took my eyes off the family and surveyed the damage to the house. The mess was tremendous, and would certainly keep us very busy tomorrow. Jasper sensed my concern and squeezed my hand. With that squeeze, I immediately felt a wave of calm mixed with desire wash over me. I turned my face up to see his fiery eyes looking down at me longingly, and saw my own reflection in his glazed over eyes, mirroring his expression. He leaned in close to my ear, his voice husky, "Shall we go upstairs and relive our own honeymoon?"
I sighed happily. He always knew the right thing to say.
Chapter End Notes:
The next chapter will be more original, since Edward and Bella will be on their honeymoon, and Stephenie Meyer didn't cover what went on at home in Forks – stay tuned for the next chapter, when Alice discovers Bella's pregnancy. Please review, good or bad – reviews are to writers as blood is to vampires!
