Legal Disclaimer: No money is being made from this fan fic and no copyright infringement is intended. Everything belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

Chapter 2

Jealousy and Empathy

Just before we moved out of the room, into the second floor hallway, I pulled Alice aside. "Please tell me I'm not going to make a fool of myself today?"

She stood stock still and closed her amber eyes, concentrating hard for a few seconds. When she opened her eyes again, she was smiling. "Everything is going to go smoothly, Bella."

I looked at her for a moment, relieved. Then an unpleasant thought crossed my mind. "You wouldn't tell me otherwise, would you?"

"No," she laughed and danced past me into the hallway. She took her spot with Jasper at the front of the line. I could hear soft music drifting up from the Cullen's huge, open first floor.

My eyes shifted to Charlie, who was looking highly uncomfortable in a chocolate tuxedo. He was staring at me, mouth slightly agape. I automatically looked down at my dress, feeling highly conscious of the satin and lace that covered most of my body.

Renee elbowed him hard, in the side, and he snapped out of it. "Bella, you look…"

"Dad, please." It was hard enough without Charlie going all mushy on me now.

The music changed and I recognized the first notes of Pachelbel's Canon in D. It was the cue for the wedding party to start making its way downstairs. I tried not to hyperventilate as Renee gently pulled the veil down over my face. I prayed Alice was telling the truth about everything going smoothly, because adding something over my eyes wasn't going to help me navigate the stairs any better. A bouquet of yellow daises was shoved into my sweaty hands. I gripped the plastic handle underneath the cascade as if my life depended on it.

"Bella, breathe," Alice reminded me with a smile. She and Rosalie were now gracefully carrying their wildflower bouquets. I took a shaky breath.

The music continued and Alice and Jasper moved forward, with Emmett and Rosalie about five feet behind them. Charlie took his place on my left, while Renee stood on my right. I had decided, in the end, that it would be appropriate for both my parents to walk me down the aisle.

Emmett and Rosalie had disappeared down the stairs. I wondered vaguely if Edward was as nervous as I was; I highly doubted it.

The music faded and changed again. I knew what was coming before I heard the first blaring notes of Wagner's Bridal Chorus. I thought Alice's choice of music for the ceremony was cliché; she called it traditional and reminded me we were pretending it was 1918.

Suddenly, we were moving forward. Had I told my feet to move? Charlie and Renee were not quite dragging me, but my feet always seemed to move a few seconds slower than theirs. I clung to Charlie's arm as we descended the stairs; all my brain power was concentrating on not falling on my face. I was so worried about falling that I counted every step: there were twenty-three. My next challenge was the white silk runner that marked the aisle. I could just envision my feet getting tangled up in the linen, and falling into the chairs. I hoped my face didn't look as terrified as I felt. I tried to smile. The rows upon rows of chairs, that had been empty when I last saw them, were now filled with well dressed people, and that brought about another bout with the evil stomach butterflies. Everyone was now standing and every eye was turned on me.

In my terror, my eyes automatically followed the long aisle to its conclusion and stared into the face that awaited me there. Edward's eyes were locked with mine, even with the veil blocking a clear view. He was standing under the lattice arch that had been erected in front of the west wall. His face was full of uncensored joy. I could see the huge smile that lit his angelic features, and even from the distance, I could see the unfathomable love that radiated from his golden eyes. Staring at the Adonis before me made it easy to forget the fifty other souls in the room.

When I reached the end of the aisle, my parents relinquished me into Edward's waiting hands. I deftly passed my bouquet to Alice, and more than gladly took Edward's cold hands in mine. Being close to Edward again immediately helped alleviate some of the nervousness.

"You are gorgeous," he murmured quietly, so that only I could hear. I blushed and he smiled wider. I imagined he was having a very hard time not kissing me right now; I knew my willpower in that area was fading rapidly.

There was a rustle of cloth as the wedding guests took their seats again, leaving only the wedding party still standing. The minister, Reverend Thomas, stepped forward, looking at me first, then Edward, before beginning the traditional ceremony.

I had taken an instant liking to the reverend from Port Angeles. He was an amiable, middle aged man who brought no assumptions with him. Unlike the rest of Forks, he never once treated Edward and I like two love struck teenagers who were rushing into things. He didn't lecture us on the importance or permanence of marriage; he simply asked when and where he should show up. I would be eternally grateful for that.

I knew I should be paying more attention to what the minister was saying, but it was difficult to listen to his words when I was staring so intently into Edward's eyes. Besides, I already knew what he was saying. I had read the words after Alice had found them on the Internet. She had felt the old fashioned wording would be perfect for Edward; I had agreed whole heartedly.

I dragged my attention back to the ceremony when I realized the minister was speaking to Edward now. Were we really almost done? I tried to pay better attention.

"Do you Edward take Isabella to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?"

Edward smiled serenely before saying, "I will." He squeezed my hands gently.

Now it was my turn. I hoped I'd be able to squeak out the words.

"Do you Isabella take Edward to be your husband? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?"

"I will." I'm not sure anyone other than Edward and the minister heard, but they were really all who mattered anyway.

Jasper stepped forward to hand the reverend the rings. I took a quick peek out into the audience. Renee was dabbing her eyes feverishly with a borrowed handkerchief, while Phil awkwardly patted her hand. To my surprise, Charlie's eyes were also a little watery. I looked away quickly, before my own eyes got any wet ideas.

Reverend Thomas handed Edward my ring, and directed him to repeat his words. It was an awfully long list of words. I knew Edward would have no problem repeating them, but I was instantly worried about me. How foolish would I look if I got it wrong?

Edward repeated his words flawlessly. "Bella, you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed." Gently, he slid the gold band onto my slightly trembling finger.

Once again, the minister turned his attention to me. He handed me Edward's ring, which I promptly dropped. I was beet red within a second and so mortified that I couldn't even move. There was some laughter coming from the guests. I wished I could just melt into the floor. Alice came to my rescue, though. She retrieved the errant ring and pressed it carefully into my palm. I held it so tightly that I was sure there would be a ring shaped impression in my palm afterward.

Apparently dropping the ring clued the reverend into how nervous I was. He mercifully gave me small bits to repeat, instead of a huge sentence. Eventually I managed to stutter out the whole line, and more than happily rid myself of the troublesome ring by sliding it onto Edward's finger.

The ceremony was almost over. Soon Edward would be kissing me, and I would only have to live through a reception, and dancing, and conversing with guests…Alice owed me for a millennium. The final remarks were being said and I almost burst with happiness and relief when I heard the minister say "And so, by the power vested in me by the State of Washington, and by God the Almighty, I now pronounce you man and wife – and may your days be good and long upon the earth." I smiled knowingly at that. "You may now kiss the bride."

I thought Edward's smile might split his handsome face as he leaned forward and gently pulled back the veil. "Forever" he breathed so only I could hear him before he pressed his granite lips to mine. I couldn't resist wrapping my arms around him as I kissed him in return.

Emmett's cat call pulled us apart and I blushed spectacularly as Edward turned me toward the guests. Everyone was clapping and cheering. Renee was still trying to get her tear ducts under control. Across the isle Esme was wearing a similar expression, and I knew she would be crying too if she was able.

The string quartet in the back struck up Mendelssohn's Wedding March and Edward led me back down the aisle. The guests were standing again. Someone, and I strongly suspected Alice, had handed out bubbles, which now rained down upon us. We practically skipped up the stairs in our euphoria and rushed into Alice's bathroom, where I had gotten dressed, to wait for the others so we could start pictures. As soon as we were inside, Edward was exuberantly kissing me again.

Any time he pulled his lips away he mumbled, "I love you." I mumbled it back whenever I had the chance.

And then we were no longer alone. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett filed in, followed closely by Carlisle, Esme, Charlie and Renee. The photographer appeared last and started discussing where and how pictures would be taken. He seemed to be just as eager as me to get the photographs done quickly, though I strongly suspected it was because being around so many Cullens made him instinctively nervous.

Once the photographs were done, my nerves returned. In a few short minutes, I would be required to dance in front of all the guests with some semblance of grace. At least I knew Edward would always catch me before I hit the ground.

The wedding guests had moved across the Cullens' spacious first floor to fill their seats at large, round tables. A DJ now replaced the string quartet, and the arch and chairs from the ceremony had been removed to create a dancing area. Lights had even been erected. Because the wedding couldn't take place until after sunset (on the off chance the day had decided to be sunny) there would be no formal sit down meal, but a large buffet of fancy hors d'oeuvres was already set up. A bartender had also been hired to serve the guests cocktails.

The charismatic DJ introduced the wedding party again, as they walked to the head table. I held my breath slightly as the DJ paused while Rosalie and Emmett were seated. I was both excited and nervous about his next introduction. It was going to take a little time for me to adjust to the idea that I was now someone's wife, a misses.

"And now, for the very first time ever, I'm happy to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen." He blared the song Love and Marriage as we entered, while the guests hooted and clapped. I knew I was blushing again; that was certainly one human reaction I was not going to miss.

After the toasts, and the speeches, and more crying on Renee's part, it was time for our first dance. Alice, in a merciful moment, had conceded that my dancing in heels might be a little too dangerous and allowed me to buy white ballet slippers to dance in. They didn't add much to my confidence, though, as Edward let me out onto the dance floor. Again, I felt every eye in the room on me. The music started, soft and gentle in the background. We both smiled, knowing the song we had picked was an inside joke that our human guests didn't understand. While it sounded like a perfectly romantic song, though a little too country for our usual tastes, all the talk of forever and reasons for living made us appreciate the lyrics. Thankfully, Edward's ability to lead got me through our first dance without any injuries.

On the other hand, the father-daughter dance was less spectacular. Because my coordination was inherited from Charlie, there was little for either of us to do but sway carefully together while Frank Sinatra crooned in the background. Charlie only stepped on my toes once, and his dress shoes prevented him from feeling any pain when I returned the gesture. We both managed to make it through the uncomfortable minutes unscathed.

The moment the dancing was opened up for everybody, and songs like "We Are Family" started blaring, I took it as my cue to remove myself from the floor; for both mine and my guests' safety. Edward was content to take me around the room and speak with the guests, though I did catch him looking at the dance floor enviously a few times.

"I want to introduce you to Tanya's clan," he said after I'd escaped Renee, who had been trying to coerce me into dancing to YMCA. (I told her that my arms, waving about above my head on a crowded dance floor, were a one way ticket to the ER.) Suddenly, dancing didn't seem so frightening anymore. I wasn't scared of Tanya's clan for the logical reasons. I was terrified of what I was going to see; gorgeous immortals who had known Edward for decades. And for whatever reason, he had chosen me over 'all those females.'

Edward towed me through the tables. Tanya's clan was seated on the opposite end of the room from Billy, Seth, and Sam. Even though Irina had politely refused her invitation because of the animosity she still felt toward the werewolves for Laurent's death, Alice had still thought it best if Tanya and her other family members weren't given any reason for starting anything. For their part, Seth and Sam had promised to be on their best behavior, and avoid Tanya at all costs.

Tanya stood up when she saw Edward and me approaching. "Congratulations," she said, with slightest hint of a Slavic accent. She sounded truly pleased for us. She hugged Edward and then me.

I was dismayed at how beautiful she looked. Rosalie might have beaten her for traditional beauty, but Tanya was slightly older. She had a mature sort of beauty, and legs that didn't seem to end. Her strawberry blond hair was wound up in an elaborate twist and she was wearing a skin tight, green cocktail dress. She and Edward were instantly talking about Denali. They spoke quietly, but so fast that I could barely catch a word. She stood very close to Edward, despite the fact I had moved closer to him and even slid my arm through his.

I was surprised how quickly the jealousy took over my body. When Tanya reached out to touch Edward's arm in response to something he had said I suddenly found myself looking forward to being a vampire for an entirely new reason; I would be strong enough to stake and protect my claim on Edward.

Thankfully our obligations to the other guests allowed us to escape from Tanya, but not before Edward promised to visit them in Denali in a year so that I could meet Irina. I tried to shake off the jealousy and put on a smile for the other guests, but I kept visualizing Tanya's gorgeous body in my head.

After one trip around the room, I encouraged Edward to go dance with his family, who all seemed to be enjoying themselves on the dance floor. "Why don't you go and dance? I'll be more than happy to sit and watch. You can drag me out there for the next slow song."

Edward gave me a skeptical look. "Go," I gave him an ineffective shove. "I have no problem sitting this out. I'll go talk with the guests some more." I scanned the room. Emily was sitting by herself. Sam and Seth were out on the floor, dancing exuberantly. Billy and Sue had moved over to Charlie's table and were talking with him. "I'll go keep Emily company." There, he couldn't argue with that.

"I will come and find you for the next slow song," he promised, or perhaps threatened, I wasn't quite sure which.

I took the empty seat next to Emily before saying, "don't like dancing either?"

She nodded as a smile flitted across the unmarred side of her face. "I don't mind slow dancing, but that," she nodded toward the dancing werewolves, "does not strike me as fun."

"I know what you mean." We sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, each watching our own men on the dance floor.

"I am glad you came," I said tentatively. "I wasn't sure how the pack would view the invitation."

Emily smiled again and patted my hand. "Oh, Bella. Don't let him get to you. Just because they all share thoughts doesn't mean they all share the same opinion."

I knew she was referring to Jacob now, who had taken the news of my marriage and impending transformation badly, to put it lightly. Currently we weren't sure where he even was. Although the pack could still pick up his thoughts, Jacob was being careful not to let the others see where he was. Though, to anyone not in the know about the werewolves, Jacob was simply visiting relatives in New York for the summer.

I returned her smile weakly. "I know." But it hurt more than I would ever let on that Jacob wasn't here for my wedding.

Emily fell silent again, but instead of watching Sam and Seth, it looked as if she was thinking hard about something. Finally, apparently making up her mind, she spoke quietly. "I know this is none of my business, but I want you to know that I understand why you are doing this. I empathize completely."

I knew our conversation had suddenly shifted away from the wedding and Jacob. Now we were talking about the whole reason why I was getting married, the whole purpose of enduring this; I wanted Edward to give me immortality. The shock must have registered on my face, because Emily quickly continued, now sounding less sure of herself.

"I love Sam more than anything. When I learned what was happening to him, I wished for nothing other than to become a werewolf as well. That way he wouldn't have to endure this alone. I wanted so badly to be able to help him, and to understand exactly what he was going through. Then the other boys started changing, and I thought I could give up my wish, since Sam was no longer alone. It worked for a while, and then Leah changed." Emily gave a short, hollow sort of laugh. "Well, I guess it was only fair. I had ended up with the thing she desired most and she ended up with my wish. The jealousy was almost all consuming. And then there was the battle in June. The jealousy slipped away to just plain terror. I was sick with fear that someone would get hurt; not only Sam, but any member of the pack. At that moment I would have traded anything to be a pack member, to be there myself." Emily stopped and took a deep breath. She blushed slightly from her confession as she looked over at me. "I'm sure you've felt that way as well, for your Edward. But I think where I empathize with you the most is for the physical differences. I can deal with Sam's strength, and size. But I live everyday in fear that he might not be able to control it in time; what if it takes him twenty more years? I'll be forty- something, and he'll still be in his twenties. Everyday I age a little more while he stays the same. I think you and I both understand how that feels."

I nodded, and in a burst of emotion, threw my arms around the woman. "Thank you for sharing that, Emily." She made me feel better, in so many ways. Both vampires and humans alike had made me feel like I was crazy, abnormal, for choosing this path. It was so good to know that someone else agreed with me, and understood my motives.

I pulled away from Emily and saw Edward moving toward me. The DJ had started the next round of slow songs. I rose, as did Emily. "I guess I'll go join Sam," she said, sounding less than enthused. I felt a sudden pang that I didn't have the time to get to know Emily better. It seemed that we could have been very close friends.

A/N: Please leave a review and let me know how you are liking it so far. If you are curious, the song that Edward and Bella have their first dance to is called Give Me Forever (I do) by John Tesh