Chapter Three: The Wedding
The sun rose on what Jake was sure would be a glorious day. It was the first of August, the day of his and Ness's wedding and he couldn't be happier. The birds were singing or at least Jake could hear some birds out in the woods and imagined they were just as excited for today as he was. Of course the fact that nobody would let him see Ness until sunset that evening at the ceremony would make much of the day practically unbearable. It would take all of Jake's self restraint to stay away from his sister's house where Nessie had been staying for the past month. He shook his head and chuckled at the thought. His bride refused to be caught "living in sin" as she put it and thus opted to stay with Rachel until after the wedding. After pulling on some shorts, Jake made his way to the kitchen for some breakfast and wasn't surprised to find Billy waiting there.
"Morning son," greeted Billy in a downright chipper mood, "how did you sleep?" Jake considered his dad's question as he sat down, he couldn't actually recall ever falling asleep but also couldn't remember ever feeling more rested so he responded with an unsure but enthusiastic, "Great, I guess!" The truth was, Jake had stayed up half the night thinking about Renesmee and all the things he loved about her. It was enough to get him rewriting his vows, making so many edits and additions that he wasn't even sure if it would fit into the ceremony in it's entirety. Jake, however, wasn't all too concerned with time constraints and was sure he'd find an opportunity to share everything he had written even if it meant making his wedding guests wait for their dinners. Billy eyed his son apprehensively. While he was happy for Jacob and proud to see his only son growing up into a great Quileute man and pack leader, he was still a bit nervous. His people had practiced a careful defense and due diligence when it came to the Cold Ones for hundreds of years and, though they honored their truce with the Cullens, forging a bond between two such enemies was sure to be fraught with some consequence. Billy couldn't help but worry that it might be something more than he or his tribe could bear and wondered if there was any possibility that it might one day become worth it. But putting his fears aside, Billy was happy to have the opportunity to see his son marry the love of his life and was determined to celebrate the day. After a hearty meal of steak and eggs, Jacob's favorite for breakfast, the pair drove into town to pick up their suits. On the car ride Billy risked another question, "So, how was the bachelor party?" he asked with a small smirk on his face. Having not wanted to hinder all of the fun, Billy had opted out of this particular pre-wedding festivity but wanted to hear about it all the same. "Well, uh," Jake hesitated as he glanced over to his father in the passenger seat before continuing, "it was fun." The trepidation in Jake's voice was evident but Billy pushed on, "Well what did you and the guys do?" he asked. "Uh...well, um, we went for a run...to...uh, Port Angeles," started Jake before a nod from Billy urged him on, "and then we went to a, um, type of bar-like place." Jake continued to drive with his head facing straight forward, eyes not leaving the road.
"So you had a few drinks," Billy suggested, noticing Jake had become rather tight lipped. "Yeah, uh, we drank some," Jake admitted without a single look in his father's direction. "I imagine it would have had to be more than just 'some' drinking if it was enough to make a wolf drunk," Billy proposed, a huge smile suddenly appearing on his lined but warm visage. "You saw me last night," Jacob asked, a look of guilt and embarrassment etched across his face as he continued, "doing what?" Billy laughed as he recalled the night before when he awoke to the sound of his son stumbling into the house through the front door and crashing into every piece of the living room furniture. Finally managing to scale his raucous laughter down to a decent chuckle, Billy went into a detailed description of everything his son discussed as he guided him towards his bedroom. "And then just as I finally got you to sit down on the bed," Billy finished, "you said you couldn't 'handle anymore dances' and started snoring before you finished laying down." Laughing once again, Billy added, "I just can't believe you went dancing! That's such a lame bachelor party, not to mention you're a terrible dancer! You still do the macarena!" At this affront to his dance moves Jake took offense and blurted out, "I wasn't talking about me dancing," before promptly shutting his mouth and turning back towards the road. At that Billy's eyes went wide as he yelled "Strippers!? Wait til Ness hears." At this Jake shook his head adamantly, practically begging him not to breath a word of his indiscretions to Renesmee.
"How many lap dances does it take to break a wolf? I don't know but I'm pretty sure it'll only take one vampire hybrid," Billy said before laughing at his own joke. Jake nearly rolled his eyes at his dad's corniness but instead focused on getting his dad's attention, "Dad! Please! It wasn't even fun! Every one of those girls is somebody's daughter! Don't tell Nessie!" Pulling up at the town's only bridal shop, Jake finally looked Billy dead in his eyes and pleaded with him until Billy swore to never mention anything about the strip club ever again. While Jake ran into the shop to get their clothes, Billy waited in the car picturing his son's appalled face as a scantily clad dancer pranced around in front of him. "Man, I just hope Paul got it on camera," he sighed as his son quickly returned with the finely tailored suits.
Having no need for the local bridal shop due to Alice's addiction to fashion, the Cullens spent that morning in other pursuits. Aside from Alice carrying out her final preparations in a whirlwind of telephone calls, the Cullen manor functioned much like any other day. Esme was out on the patio working on her latest designs for Isle Esme and in the garage, Jasper and Emmett were replacing the tail lights in his Jeep. Rosalie was still at the hospital as she was always keen to take on extra shifts with the premies in the neonatal unit. With Edward and Bella at her father's house, Carlisle found himself the only person in the house with nothing to proud as he was for the success of his family and pleased as he was with his granddaughter for starting a new life as a married adult, Carlisle couldn't help but feel a little displeased with his own life. Being a vampire, as it were, was not without its fair share of hardships. The largest of which was, of course, keeping the secret and Carlisle had found this increasingly difficult in the last few years. Being so well known as the Head of Surgery made the fact that Carlisle never seemed to age a topic of local gossip. When his patients began asking him what his secret was and nurses started suggesting that he had an addiction to botox, Carlisle knew it was time to step out of the public eye. Being unable to practice medicine left Carlisle with much more free time on his hands than he was used to, resulting in quite a bit of boredom.
There he was, on his grand daughter's wedding day, wondering how he could possibly pass the innumerable hours until his return to medicine. Carlisle, after making his way to his office, glanced around at the large library of books he'd collected throughout the years. He hoped to seek refuge in one of the many tomes and traced his finger along the spines of his more favored volumes. Finally Carlisle reached the one book he knew he could always turn to whether in times of joy or solace. Pulling the heavy book from its place on the shelf, Carlisle gave the briefest of glances to the gold edges of the pages which still gleamed after hundreds of years. Opening its cover, Carlisle made his way to the comfortable chair behind his desk and tried to decide on which passage would offer him the most comfort. Quietly he flipped to the 29th chapter of Jeremiah and found the verse he was looking for. Reading aloud to himself, he said in a reverent tone, "For I know the thoughts, that I have thought towards you, saith the Lord, even the thoughts of peace, and not of trouble, to give you an end, and your hope..." Closing his eyes, Carlisle meditated on the word of God as he did every day. This was practice of his he had begun some 400 years ago when he had finally learned to accept his fate as a vampire and decided to make the most of the immortality he was given. This practice, more than anything else, brought him the peace he needed to face each new day because no matter how many times he opened this one book, something new could always be gleaned from its words.
As the day wore on and the sunset drew nearer, Nessie also developed a peaceful calm, the likes of which she hadn't experienced in weeks. Of course, "calm" was a word nobody would typically consider using in regards to her, or the lifestyle of her family, but this particular day seemed to be an exception to that rule. Something about her soon to be relatives exuded such a sense of serene certainty that Ness couldn't help but follow suit. Maybe it was the pack mentality that seemed to have infused the entire tribe or maybe it was the fact that most of the women surrounding her were already married (if not imprinted upon by wolves). Either way, they were all so happy and well adjusted to the idea of a lifelong commitment between two people that Ness couldn't help but feel the same. As Rachel and Rebecca did Nessie's hair and make-up, the three girls chatted and got used to the idea of being sisters. "You don't mind if we call you Renesmee" began Rachel before Rebecca interrupted, "even though everybody else call's you Ness, right?" "Because we just love the fact that your name starts with an 'R' like ours do," Rachel finished with a smile. Renesmee laughed at the way the twins interrupted one another and finished each other's thoughts. While they weren't identical, they were very much alike. Renesmee was sure that Rachel missed having her sister around while Rebecca was at home in Hawaii and so she was a little glad that her wedding wasn't quite as impromptu as she'd wanted it if meant that they had a reason to be together. "Sure," Renesmee answered, careful not to nod her head too much and risk ruining her hair.
"Good," said Rebecca as she laid down the comb and bobby pins she had been using to sculpt and style Renesmee's massive locks into an elaborately braided up-do. The sisters both gazed at the finished product in the mirror, obviously pleased with the results. While it was clear that they had made great use of the notes Alice had sent over along with the dress, Renesmee could easily recognize the flair of the twins handiwork in how they incorporated her great-grandmother's jeweled comb along with a necklace of pearls that had been in their family for generations. The latter had been worn by both Rachel and Rebecca on each of their wedding days as it had been by their mother. "We feel like its what she would have wanted now that you're officially joining the family," they had explained with Rachel beginning the sentence and Rebecca finishing it.
The sun was hanging low in the west, signaling the approaching evening, as the wedding guests arrived at the beach. It was a beautiful sight. Something about the pinks, oranges, and yellows that streaked across the sky along with the soft waves that beat against the shoreline was hypnotizing. An even more mesmerizing sight, however, was Renesmee, skin aglow in the setting sun. She was dressed in a modestly simple draped gown of satin and charmeuse that, clinging to her small frame, gave her the appearance of a Grecian goddess. Her beauty needed not a single embellishment and the only jewels to be seen on her were the ring given to her by Jacob, the comb her mother wore on her wedding day and the pearls shared with her by Rachel and Rebecca. As soon as Renesmee stepped onto the beach every single eye was on her, including those of her vampiric guests who stood on the nearby cliff top. While the Quileute elders had been more lenient in allowing the Cullens to visit their territory, they could not allow other vampires on their land, even for the celebration of a wedding. That did nothing to dampen the spirits of the bride, however, because she only had eyes for her groom, Jacob.
Jake stood tall and proud at the edge of the water, just out of reach of the lapping tide that had already ebbed to its lowest point. There he waited for his Ness, clad in a dark gray suit that nearly mirrored the pebbles that littered the shoreline. It was a short yet peaceful ceremony, without the pomp and circumstance one would have expected from an Alice Cullen affair. The couple had already decided on traditional vows with the slight exception of promising to love one another "for as long as we both shall live." As the couple kissed, the sun was nearly resting on the horizon, meeting the ocean's welcoming embrace and signaling the end of another day. As darkness began to creep along the beach, a path of lights (meticulously created by Alice) illuminated a trail into to woods. Following after the bride and groom, everyone eventually arrived at a clearing along the river that marked the boundary of the Quileute lands. Scattered throughout the clearing were a number of large tents nearly ten feet tall, made of delicate fabrics in the most decadent of colors. It was like a scene from 1001 Arabian Nights with Moroccan lamps strung from the trees completing the setting.
Through the trees the stars were just beginning to show in the darkening sky and the moon was nearly full. Under the glow of this lighting the newlywed couple took their first dance before any of their guests could even begin to find their seats. Surprisingly enough Jacob managed not to embarrass himself or his new bride as they danced and spun around in a large circle beneath that starry sky. Much to their surprise, music began to play and eventually their guests, moved by the scene before them, began pairing up and joining the loving couple in their dance. And as the music played on, Jacob and Ness eventually got around to greeting and thanking their guests, enjoying the company they provided. Between the food and the drinks, the music and the dancing, it seemed that everyone, whether wolf or vampire, was having a fantastic time. It seemed, to Ness, as if they had managed to have a truly perfect night, where the only thing that mattered was the love she had for Jacob and vis versa.
It was well into the night, or rather quite early in the morning, before the party began to come to an end and it seemed as though all present had had an exceedingly good time considering most of the guests were more than a bit intoxicated. Even Billy had consumed his fair share of "sparkling fire water," as he jokingly dubbed the pricey champagne that was flowing throughout the night. In fact, after the speeches had been made, the cake had been cut and the bouquet tossed, Billy was down right drunk and happier than any of his children had seen him since their mother's death. "I only wish I could have given you girls weddings like this one," he sloppily admitted to his daughters during a break in the music. "I wonder how much all of this must have cost, especially considering nobody wanted me chipping in," he finished with a twinge of guilt. Hearing Billy's remorse from where she was dancing with Jasper, Alice quickly came forward to set Billy's mind to ease. "Oh don't even worry about it Billy, I did most of this myself which actually saved us quite a lot." Seeing that he wasn't exactly convinced, Alice added, "not to mention I've collected quite a number of friends over the years and favors to go with them." Coming to his wife's aid Jasper helped to soften the mood and backed up Alice's story by saying, "Honestly Billy, the only things that put a dent in anyone's wallet were the libations and Edward's secret wedding present."
Upon hearing this, everyone ears perked up immediately and Billy completely forgot about feeling guilty, more interested in knowing what the secret could possibly be. Jake, too, was keen to find out, anxiously shouting in excitement, "I completely forgot there would be presents!" Waiting for the laughter to die down, Edward stepped forward in order to present his and Bella's gift to the newlyweds. Reaching into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, Edward quickly pulled a small silver jingling object out. Keys. The motor enthusiast in Jacob responded before anyone else could, "A new car!? We should get married more often!" The laughter began once more as Edward attempted to clarify, "No Jake, these aren't for a car." While Jake's smile faded a bit, Ness could take the waiting no longer, "Well then come on and tell us what they're for Dad!"
Pleased with himself for pulling off what, in his opinion, was a fantastic surprise, Edward finally consented to answer. "I bought you guys a nice little house midway between our place and the reserve, not very far from here, actually. I thought the two of you might be happy to have a place of your own." Handing the keys to his open-mouthed daughter, Edward smiled slyly before returning to his seat beside Bella who looked on with misty eyes of love and admiration. As the applause quieted down Jacob began to speak up. "While we really appreciate such a generous gift Edward, we're sorry that we can't accept it," Jacob declared with the slightest tinge of nervousness to his voice. As the looks of shock and confusion appeared on the faces of his guests, Jacob quickly continued, "We can't accept because we already have a house...the house that I built for my wife." Hearing her husband's words, Ness's jaw dropped as did the keys she had been holding in her hand.
"You built a house? You built me a house? Us a house? Seriously?" Ness and everyone who had been following the exchange were astonished until Billy, ever the voice of reason, began to applaud. "That's my boy!" Once again laughter rang out amongst the entire company but all of Ness's attention was solely on her Jake, the man who loved her more than anything, had built her a house, and was giving her a baby. Everything totally forgotten, Ness kissed Jake and showed him her happiness with a vision of the future she could only dream of predicting, a picture of she and him along with a tiny bundle of joy. Shocked by the vision, Jake was practically bewildered when their lips finally parted. "You want a baby?" he asked quietly, equally unaware of the party that had resumed all around them. Unable to fully articulate her joy or explain what she had just shown Jake through words, Ness simply placed his hand on her abdomen while a tear left her eye.
Just as clarity came over Jacob, the sound of shattering glass could be heard on the other side of the clearing. Their focus broken, the couple turned towards the source of the sound to see Edward standing with a look of equal parts utter fury and terrible disappointment. As the other guests began to notice the look on Edward's face, he finally opened his mouth but could only manage to utter two quiet words, that still rang crystal clear through the night. "She's pregnant," seemed to echo in the resounding silence that followed his revelation as he turned his back on them all and marched into the deep darkness of the surrounding woods.