Ahh! defiantly my favorite chapter so far :
Would asking someone to pinch me be too cheesy? Because that's exactly what I needed right now, a long hard pinch. I stared at myself in my bedroom mirror, and balked away from my own reflection. The dress fit perfectly in every way imaginable, yet in it, I looked small and lost.
"Perfection," Alice cooed from behind me, fluffing the trail of the dress. I had to admit that the girl staring back at me was pretty, beautiful even, but I didn't feel like it was me.
Alice stopped flitting around long enough to gaze a me for a few moments. "Bella," she said softly, "Why aren't you happy?"
I turned to Alice, who looked even smaller then me, her skin, a chalky pale, where her eye brows formed a thin worry line. Suddenly I felt like a monster, no matter how many times Edward claimed himself to be the monster, I was the true monster. I had pouted and moaned about this wedding ever since it had been mentioned. Alice had worked hard to try and make it perfect for me, a day I would remember, one of my last big human experiences, and I was ruining it for myself. Even more so, I was getting the chance to marry the man ( alright, vampire) of my dreams, who loved me and for some odd, ridiculous reason wanted to spend the rest of eternity with me. I was being stubborn and selfish, and who would have thought it would take a big white dress to make me realize it.
"I am happy Alice," I told her sincerely "I really truly am, and it's all thanks to you." I walked over to her and hugged her tight. My throat felt clasped shut for the second time today, and I had a strange feeling that it wouldn't be the last.
"Are you positive you're happy?" she questioned into my shoulder.
"Absolutely."
She squeezed me tight and then pulled away. She glanced at my face and then before I even had the chance to blink, there was a tissue in her hand.
"It's waterproof mascara ," she smiled as I lightly dabbed my damp lashes, "I thought we might need it."
"Good thinking," I laughed.
Just then Charlie stepped into the room, his tux was new and he looked stiff in it as he ambled across the room.
"Alice," he said surprised, "I didn't hear you come in," he frowned.
"Oh Charlie," she smiled, "I was so excited I raced upstairs, you must have not seen me."
Charlie thought about that for a minuet before turning towards me. His expression threatened my tear ducts again. This was going to be a long day.
"Bella," he breathed, "You look beautiful sweetie." Was Charlie tearing up? Charlie had always shied away from emotion. Where do you think I get it from?
"Thanks Dad," I smiled.
"Well we better get going," he sighed squinting at his watch. "Alice, honey, are you riding with us?"
"No, I have to go home and get ready first, but I'll see you both there." She strode towards the door at human speed pausing to smile and wink at me before she disappeared down the stairs.
Charlie held out his elbow to me and took a deep breath. "Ready?"
I hooked my arm around his and took a deep breath too. "Ready."
It wasn't until Charlie was reaching for the knob on the front door when a thought popped into my head. I would be arriving to my wedding in a police cruiser. That ought to be interesting I sighed as we made our way into the gloomy air. Alice, our personal weather women, had picked the perfect day. Clear, but not bright enough to cause any unwanted skin sparkling. I held up the dress as we walked down the damp driveway. I headed to the direction of the passenger seat of the police cruiser when Charlie grasped my elbow.
"I thought you should take a different form of transportation today."
I looked around confused until I spotted this new form of transportation. A long black limo sat in the street, sleek and shiny matching the black pavement.
"Dad," I whispered awestruck, we defiantly didn't have a limo service in Forks, and I didn't even want to know the price renting of a limo, much less one from far away. "Dad you shouldn't have."
"Don't be ridiculous. My baby's not arriving in a police cruiser to her wedding."
He didn't even let me have my emotional throat clenching moment as he pulled me to the limo door.
He opened the door for me. I was embarrassed to admit that I had never actually been in a limo. It was huge and the upholstery was a dull gold that reminded me of Edwards eyes. My stomach held a tsunami of butterflies as I realized I would be see those eyes, very soon. But what caught my attention more then the butterscotch upholstery was Renee who was sitting on the long limo bench.
"Mom!" I screamed, stumbling the rest of the way into the limo. Renee looked amazing, her dress was wine colored and stopped right below her knees. Her hair was a new lighter shade of brown that was elegantly twirled on top of her head. "Mom," I repeated as she pulled me into her arms.
"Bella," she chuckled smoothing down my veil, "My Bella's getting married." I was pretty sure she was just talking to herself but I still felt that tiny wave of guilt rush through me. If there was one thing Renee had taught me all my life, was to not get married young, and here I sat next to her, eighteen and in a wedding dress.
"Mom I'm doing the right thing," I repeated for her what I had written in numerous e-mails.
"I know sweetie," she smiled leaning her forehead against mine, "I know."
I don't think she understood fully, that I knew I was doing the right thing. Edward and I weren't like her and Charlie, but that was one thing that I would always understand more then my mom.
The limo began to move and I looked around noticing something for the first time. "Where's Charlie?"
"Oh, he's taking the police cruiser. He got all those months to talk to you and thought I deserved a turn," she smiled smoothing her hand down the back of my veil once more.
"We did talk Mom, I wrote to you about everything."
"Yes, but I'd like to talk to you in person. After all you still are my baby," she smiled.
I smiled and rolled my eyes.
"So what are you're plans for after the wedding?" Geez, my mom was really good at hitting the nail on the head with the sensitive subjects.
"College Mom, I told you that already."
"You and Edward are planning to go to the same college I suppose?"
"Yes Mom, University of Alaska."
"Alaska," she mumbled, "Wow, Bella that's not so close," she bit her lip.
"Don't worry, Mom really, I'll visit I promise." I regretted that even as the words spilled out of my mouth. That promise was far beyond my control.
"I know sweetie," she smiled.
The limo slowed to a stop and my heart was misbehaving as it throttled around in my chest. "Ready?" Renee asked.
Was I ever going to be ready? "I'm ready," I replied, hopefully for the last time.
I got out the limo, the whole time reminding myself that breathing would be helpful. Renee ushered me to a room inside the chapel where I would wait until everybody was seated. I wished that someone would desperately bring me an airsick bag. My breathing was dangerously close to hysteria. All I could do was stare at myself in the mirror, "Isabella Marie Cullen," I whispered to my reflection, making myself smile. "Bella Cullen."
"I do like the sound of that."
I whipped around quickly, the dress material flying a second to late so that it flared around my ankles. "Edward," I gasped.
He smiled crookedly and within a micro second he had his arms wrapped securely around my waist. I quickly laid my palm across his eyes, "You're not supposed to see me yet," I hissed at him.
"Oh so now you want to play by all the wedding rules," he smirked.
I sighed but kept my hand where it was. " I haven't been very nice lately have I?"
He smiled sheepishly, "Idon't think that."
"Alice," I sighed.
Even with my hand covering his eyes he leaned down and pressed his lips gently to mine. "Alice will still love you just the same," he whispered against my lips.
I smiled, "and you?"
"My love for you could never falter, even with your stubbornness."
"Hey, I'm here aren't I?"
"Yes," he grinned, "and I don't think you know the affect that that little fact has on me."
"It affects me too," I argued, "You're not the one with butterflies in your stomach."
He chuckled and lightly peeled my hand off his eyes so he could bury his face into my shoulder. "I bet if I had a stomach, it would have more butterflies then yours."
"Oh?" I asked as his lips trailed from my shoulder up to my ear, making concentration almost impossible.
He chuckled again and then straightened. My hand immediately flew up to cover his eyes. "I will see you soon," he grinned.
"Yes you will," I gulped, and he didn't miss that.
"You speak as If I'm making you walk the plank."
"Not a plank, but an aisle, an aisle lined with people staring at me and multiple tripping hazards, like," I gulped again, "air."
He laughed and removed my hand keeping his eyes closed so that he could kiss it.
"If that air tries to hurt you Bella, you know who it'll have to answer to."
"You would hurt the air for me?"
"Of course."
I laughed because it sounded so ridiculous.
"Edward!" I heard Alice's little voice call from far away. "Edward if you're where I think you are... so help me god."
I looked up at him eyes wide but he smiled. "I guess I should get going."
I sighed, "If you must."
He grinned and pecked my lips once more before covering his own eyes and disappearing out of the room.
Explaining the way I was feeling as nervousness would be an understatement. I was left alone in the room that suddenly felt small and claustrophobic. I wanted Edward to come back so bad that it made my head spin.
"Bella?" Charlie lightly tapped on the door, "It's time."
My breathing stuttered as it ripped through my body like a stubborn zipper. "Coming," I squeaked, taking one last look in the mirror, the last time I would see myself as Bella Swan. I opened the door and walked to the front of the chapel with Charlie. In front of us, were Alice, Rosalie and Jasper. Emmett was the best man and was at inside with Edward. My heart seemed to inflate into my throat as I realized that I was marrying Edward, today, now, in about three minuets. Alice turned toward the sound of my spastic heart beat and smiled. I gave her a weak smile back and waited frozen, every molecule in my body seemed to tense as music started and the line began to move.
I watched as Alice, Rosalie and Jasper made it down the aisle, truly looking like stone angles that had escaped from walls of the chapel. I knew it was unfair to be jealous of them, especially on my wedding day, but to be honest I wasn't jealous. At that moment as I watched them float down the aisle like the true angles they were, I couldn't help imagine what I would look like…
Dum dum da dumm"Here we go Bells," Charlie whispered, pulling me out of my fantasy. I moved forward, pins and needles in my feet.
As I walked into the chapel, It was my first day at Forks all over again, just one hundred times worse. Everybody stared, and I could definitely feel my cheeks redden, naturally. But, as I walked forward, I remembered who my savior had been at Forks. My reason for living at all. I looked up and saw Edward. His eyes locked with mine, more golden then I had ever seen them. His irises smoldered and I could feel my stomach flip-flop. He was full on grinning and despite the feeling of a fish in a fish bowl, my muscles loosened and I smiled back.
Edwards expression was one I had seen before, but something was different. Maybe it was the way his eyes looked like shattered golden glass, catching the light like a rainbow, or maybe it was the way that he kept trying to bite down on his lip to keep his smile under control, whatever it was, as he watched me walk down the aisle at snail pace, his expression showed that he loved me, as much as anything could love another something, that was how much Edward loved me. There at that moment, was when I realized that I could get through anything, as long as I had Edward and he loved me. This realization made my lungs expand and my smile soon became uncontrollable just as his was.
Charlie and I made it to the front of the chapel just as the song was ending. I still hadn't taken my eyes off Edwards face as Charlie handed me off to him. I wanted desperately to reach out and trace his expression with my finger tip so I would remember it forever, but though better of it, thinking off all the eyes on me at this moment. Everybody sat as Edward and I stood unmoving, both of our faces pushed up into ridiculous grins, my muscles not allowing me to relax.
"We are here today," the priest began, "to unite, this man and this women in holy matrimony." I heard something that sounded like muffled laughter coming from behind Edward. Emmett, I assumed. And he was right, vampire and soon to be vampire was more like it.
The one time I looked unwillingly past Edwards face, was to peer at Esme and Carlisle. Esme's face was contorted and I knew she would be crying, if that were possible. Beyond them I saw people from the town, and some kids from school who I assumed were considered brave just for showing up. In the brave kid section I noticed Angela and Ben. Mike I was actually surprised to see, and Jessica and Lauren's presence surprised me even more. I didn't have time to notice anyone else because the priest cleared his throat.
"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, do you take this women, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health until death do you part?"
Edward's face became more serious but I could definitely see my favorite crooked smile as he said, "I do."
"Isabella Marie Swan, do you take this man, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"
"I do."
The priest turned to Emmett to get the rings when the chapel shook with the such a force, it nearly threw my backwards. I didn't even get a chance to see what was happening before I was thrown behind Edward, and I could feel the silent growls trembling through-out his entire body.
"A bear!" I heard somebody scream.
"Monster!"
"Run!"
The chapel was soon filled with chaos and screaming and I leaned frozen behind Edward's back, too scared to even move a finger.
"Edward what is it?" I asked so softly I was positive he hadn't heard me, had I even said it out loud?
But he had heard me, and the word that came out of his mouth made my prediction earlier come true. My throat clenched tight, yet again, as the word bounced into my eardrums, deafening me from the screams and noise all around me.
"Werewolf," he hissed.
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