Disclairmer: Yes I am Russian and I drink and love strong alchohols. But you would have to try your hardest to get me so drunk as to say that I own Twilight. I mean come on... Hmm... either that or a male version of a Veela. XD

Ashen-rose - Greatest Person In The Entire World.

Chaper 4

Tradition And A Gift From The Humans.

I was slightly amazed at how absolutely nobody noticed that the Cullen's hadn't indulged a single crumb. Not the chicken, not the fish, not the salad, not even the triple-Dekker-white-frosted cake.

But not even Edward Cullen could avoid tradition.

It was traditional for all newly-weds of Forks, that after the cake was served, that they were to intertwine arms and drink a goblet full of Whiskey. Or Vodka. Whichever was at hand. Apparently the tradition started about 46 years ago when a couple of drunk 60-year-old men were bored and decided to make poor new couples drink strong alcohol. And they made people believe it was to test how tough the new couples were and if they were strong enough for marriage.

As I was half-way through my slice of cake, the entire table of people began murmurs of panic. After listening in for a bit I discovered the source of this fear was "there isn't any strong alcohol around". Their attention was snapped back at the loud thump that issued from my right. I turned around to see the cause of the noise, and I saw Charlie holding the biggest bottle of Vodka I have ever laid eyes upon. Beside the label there were little red raspberries. Raspberry flavored Vodka. Great. Thanks dad. I think my heart might pop from the amount of love I feel for you.

"Sorry Bella. I wanted to get you some specially imported Vodka from Russia. But then I thought you might like the raspberries better." Translation: I didn't think you were man enough for real Vodka, so I got you some weak girly stuff.

Thump.

Everyone's attention snapped to the source of the second 'thump'. It turned out to be old man Tenor from the post-office holding a bottle of honey Whiskey with red hot peppers. I ran into him every once and a while at the supermarket. He was very nice. But I couldn't help but stare at him every now and then. The man owned seven owls. I didn't even think that was legal. Well, Charlie hasn't arrested him yet but….

Yet.

"Aw Charlie! You and your Vodka! Everyone knows that the real man drink is Whiskey!" The two men debated for a little while but in the end, they decided to put both Whiskey and Vodka into mine and Edward's goblets. They placed the finished concoction in front of us. I slowly picked up my crystal goblet and brought it half way up to my mouth before facing Edward.

"I'm sorry, I don't drink." Edward looked up from his untouched goblet.

I was actually wondering about this part. Vampires couldn't eat or drink human food. But there was no way he was going to be allowed to skip tradition. I suddenly felt a little bad realizing that he would have to chuck it back up later.

"Bella Bella Bella…." Charlie placed his head into his hand and shook his head in mock disappointment. "This would never have happened had I been the one to raise you. See what your mother has done to you? She sure taught you how to pick 'em. You went out and you married a pansy."

I clasped both hands tightly over my mouth and stared in shock at Edward. In fact, everybody was silent for about a second; all staring at Edward. But in just about another second, they were all falling out of their seats from laughter. And I couldn't help but laugh along with them.

My hands were still clasped tightly over my mouth, trying to stop myself from laughing. I heard him mutter with a chuckle, "Out of all the things to call me…."

"Edward honey, dear," Alice looked like she was trying with all her might not to laugh, "Would you like me to hold your purse for you?"

That's it. I'm past trying to restrain myself.

I let out the biggest laugh I had ever had. Even with the entire crowd on the floor, I could still pick out every one of the Cullen's laughs. Well, almost every Cullen.

"Hey Charlie, Charlie," I heard Emmet loud and clear, "Are you sure you picked out the raspberry for Bella? And not… for…" Edward. Emmet was laughing so hard he couldn't even finish his sentence.

I was doubled over with tears streaming down my face. I sure hoped Alice's mascara was waterproof. Edward just tapped his fingers on the table and shook his head slowly with a smile on his face. A few more jokes like that were thrown out before Edward gave in.

"Alright! I'll drink your damn Whiskey."

"Hey Edwina, would you like it better if we put a little umbrella in it?"

But all that seemed to do was double the laughter.

"You do realize you owe me a dance for that?"

"What?!" That was mean. Okay, so maybe I 'accidentally' called him Edwina once… or twice… in the past two minutes…. But still that was a low blow.

"Nope. I'm not having any of that. And besides, they're waiting for us to start." I knew he was right. As I glanced around, I noticed everyone's eyes on us. He pulled my chair back and offered me his hand. As I glared at his hand –still deciding- he quickly grabbed mine and gently pulled me to my feet. "Don't worry," he whispered gently in my ear, "You're going to be fine." But how could I not worry? As he led me down to the dance floor, I felt like I was back at the altar again –except this time, they expected me to dance. I started breathing fast, panic rising in my throat like a disease. "Bella, I'm right here." He said as if he were reading my thoughts, "I won't let you fall." And despite myself, I couldn't help but fall victim to his soft velvety voice. After all, what gain is there to fighting with this beautiful god?

I glanced around the room and saw everyone stare right back at me.

Oh, that's right. It's what you don't gain.

Which is eternal humiliation at the very least.

"But Edward! I. Can't. Dance." I hissed into his ear, glaring at his face. But all he did was smile gently back down at me.

"Don't worry love. It will be just like prom. No dancing will be required on your part. I'm in the lead, remember?" Without waiting for an answer, he picked me up and placed me right back down, so that my feet, were on top of his. And he began dancing. He was right, of course. It was just like prom; 

all I had to do was place one of my hands in his, the other on his shoulder, and rest my head on his chest. As we twirled, my long dress hid my legs from view, making the illusion that I was dancing as well. I had to admit, dancing like this with Edward wasn't bad at all, it actually sort of felt like flying in the clouds. But none-the-less, I vowed that once I had the beauty and grace of a vampire, I would spend however long it took learning to dance. So that one day, we could share a dance where both sides participate.

Like Esme and Carlisle.

Who had just begun twirling with us.

I glanced around and saw that the other Cullens had joined us. I gave a sigh of relief. I was no longer the pin point of everyone's attention. Unfortunately, everybody found the Cullens too intimidating to share a dance floor with. It took a few more songs for other couples to join us.

At which point I decided I had enough dancing for one night.

Edward and I went and sat down and instead, watched the other couples dance. I smiled when I saw Mike and Jessica together. They made a nice couple. I hoped they would get back together. I saw Ben and Angela, Lauren and Tyler, and even a glimpse of Charlie and Renee. In what felt like forever, the couples began to tire, and went to sit down. Finally, the only ones remaining on the dance floor were Emmet and Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme, and Phil and Renee. But in the end, even they got tired and went to sit down. Everything felt at peace –small chatter began to bubble, and Charlie opened a few more bottles of wine and champagne.

I was completely content until Edward leaned in and said "I think it is time we opened our wedding presents. It might take some time to go through all of them."

"Wh-what?! Wait, what presents?" I scanned the room looking for brightly coloured paper. Maybe he was trying to be funny…. I looked up at him; he was smiling at me like he thought I was being a bit dim. He silently pointed to… oh my god.

That was the biggest pile of gifts I had ever laid eyes upon. No kidding, this thing was HUGE.

My mouth must have dropped open, because I felt him gently close it. He chuckled, trying to tease me, "They aren't all for you specifically." He laughed again. "Don't worry," he hugged me and pulled me close, "you actually might like some of them".

Charlie's ears picked up. "Presents? Why, that's a great idea Bells! Hey, hey everyone, it's gift time!" As if on cue, everybody turned to look at me with smiles.

"But… but there's so many…" I gazed hopelessly at the enormous pile.

"How about you open some now," Phil spoke up, "And the rest later, at home?"

I thought about it. "Oh, alright." I huffed and stuck my hand out. Edward smirked and placed a heavy rectangular package on my lap, ignoring my hand. I stared at it for a moment –what in the world could be this heavy?! The package was wrapped in white-polka-dotted pink wrapping paper, with a red ribbon tied around it, and carefully placed on top was a blank red envelope. I went for the envelope first. Inside was a simple white card with a little red heart on the cover, on the inside, there was a written note.

Dearest Bella;

We know how much you hate presents, so on what I hope is one of your most special days, we decided to get you something that wouldn't make you mad at us for. I won't lie; it took us forever to come up with something, so I do hope you like it. We wanted to get you something that reminded you of home –of us. Because whether you are planning to or not, one day, you will leave us. We don't want you to leave –no darling, far from it- but we all know it is inevitable. So while you are out enjoying life to its fullest potential, I hope you can take our gift out and think of your family.

-With all the love we can muster in our hearts,

Your family,

Renee, Charlie, and Phil.

I had to bite down hard on my bottom lip to stop it from trembling. I didn't look at them –knowing that if I did I wouldn't be able to hold back the tears no matter how hard I bit my lip. With trembling hands I undid the ribbon and carefully ripped the wrapping paper off. I gasped. The cover was made of a burgundy leather. On the front was a small picture of Forks, cut out of a road map. In small wooden blue letters were the words "LOVE", "FRIENDS", "FAMILY", and "HOME". There were scraps of paper and pictures hanging out from the three sides of the book. I flipped open the scrapbook and on the blank canvas of the inside cover I saw the words scribbled in.

"To Our Beloved Bella

We Give You Memories and Love

From Charlie Renee and Phil

And All Your Friends From Forks."

I flipped the page. The two pages were completely covered with pictures of Renee and Charlie my age. I saw them together holding hands, them separately goofing off with their friends, their graduation pictures. There was a picture of a 15-year-old Billy and a likewise Charlie clutching their stomachs and dying of laughter behind a rose bush –completely unaware of a heavily pissed of Renee standing right behind them. Right beside it was a picture of Billy and Charlie holding identical throbbing and soon to be bruised heads, with an angry Renee walking off.

The next two pages seemed to be the summer after their graduation. Renee cradling a sleeping Charlie in a hammock. Charlie holding hands with a skipping Renee on a beach. Renee making a crown out of Dandelions for herself –Charlie already wearing one- in a field full with knee length grass. On the page were also five or so letters. I read a couple words from them –they were love letters that my parents sent back and forth. There was also a gushy love poem that Charlie had sent.

After flipping another page, I found wedding photos. The both of them were wearing jeans –it looked like they married in Vegas. There were also a couple of pictures of a pregnant Renee. And the rest of the page was filled with a baby… me. I started skipping pages, catching only a few pictures here and there. Me growing up, our house in Phoenix, Phil, Phil and Renee's wedding, their house in Florida, Phil playing baseball, my friends, Charlie's house, my school, Jacob Black. There were notes scribbled here and there –mostly naming people and places- in my mother's handwriting. But then there were also little comments written in the margins like "Loved that school, horrible cafeteria though" "Such a nice child, best friends with her mother" "Oh my god! He still works there?!" "Ahh… Had my first kiss under that tree". Some of the last pages were dedicated to Edward. And me of course. Together. There was a picture of us sitting outside holding hands. It looked like it was taken from the inside of our house. There was note with an arrow written there, "Wow. That's the best looking boy I have ever seen! Oh, sorry Phil." I was beginning to wonder how in the world they managed to get these pictures. There was even one with Edward kissing me. The second last page was completely blank, it only had a tiny caption written there, "Bella's and Edward's wedding, may they be together happily ever after."

I flipped the last page to the end pages. There was a final note written there.

"Bella

Thank You for Making Our Lives a Bit Brighter

We Hope That We Made Yours a Little Brighter Too

Thank You for All the Memories That Make Life Worthwhile

Although We Really Shouldn't Ask for Anything

Could You Please, Please, Not Forget These Memories Either

And In Case You Do

Could You Please Remember Them?

Thank You

For Everything.

Yours Belovedly Truly,

Renee, Charlie, and Phil

And All Your Friends From Forks."

There was an irregular tapping coming from somewhere –but I couldn't understand where from. The pages beneath me grew darker and wavier –I was really confused now. But then I realized with shock, I was balling my eyes out, and my stupid tears were ruining my amazing scrapbook. I quickly shut it and looked up into the faces of the most important human beings in my life.

"I don't know what to say." My words were thick with tears. "Thank you."

"Just don't forget us sweet heart."

"I won't. Never."

And so, like that, Edward and I tackled more than half the gifts. We received a range of just about everything. We got cutlery, plates, enough chocolate to sustain a chocoholic for about a year, scented candles, gift baskets, light bulbs -oh, that's right, someone actually gave us 25 light bulbs- and the town carpenter even made a bench for us. An actual bench, handmade. I was touched. We unwrapped about three vases, a handmade quilt, and a set of crystal glasses. But after the fifth painting, we decided it was enough presents for one night.

The dance floor began to fill again. Although this time, they turned on more upbeat music, meant for dancing with some energy. Alice came up to us and looked at me, "Um, Bella? You wouldn't mind if I borrowed Edward for a couple of dances, would you? You can take Jasper!" Just then I saw Jasper behind her. "He doesn't like swing."

I gaped at Edward. "I never knew you like to swing dance!"

He shrugged. "It was the thirties. But Alice and I were the only ones who took a favour to it."

"Well, can he?" Alice made an irresistible puppy dog face, which was kind of unnecessary. I wasn't exactly trying to resist.

"If Edward wants to. Sure."

"Mmm. Love being discussed like an item." Alice turned around and placed a palm on Jasper's smirking face.

"Your fault for not liking Swing." She turned back around to face us. She stuck her hand out expectedly, her grin showing all of her perfect teeth. Edward stood, and elegantly –with the grace of a true gentleman- took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

"Hard not to…" Jasper muttered quietly as he took Edwards place, as a new song started to play.

I gasped. I knew that song. Renee had once taken me to a musical that was made in the 30's.

Alice and Edward matched like two jigsaw pieces. They were completely in tune with each other. It was absolutely mesmerizing; I couldn't seem to take my eyes away.

I heard Jasper smirk beside me. "That was the most popular dance move of 1932. Every last one of them knew how to do it." He suddenly turned to me, "I understand where you are coming from with your jealousy, but please keep in mind, that's my wife."

I blinked at him. Of course, there was no way I could lie to Jasper emotionally-wise. I felt pangs of jealousy towards Alice. She could dance. And dancing made Edward happy. I sat there and I vowed that even if it took three 10, 000 shopping sprees, I was going to make Alice teach me to dance like that. As Alice finished her summersault over Edward's back, she looked up and caught my eyes, grinning from ear to ear.

For the third time that day, I damned Alice for her stupid physic abilities.

I didn't recognize the next song that started playing. It started off with an easy drum, but then the trumpets kicked in and the beat became simply irresistible. In fact, the only thing holding me back from joining Edward was the fact that I would have fallen flat on my face not a meter away from where I sat. I felt myself tapping my fingers on the table and jiggering my foot to the fast beat. Just then Renee joined the dance floor with a happy Phil on her heels. A first I was a little afraid Renee was going to do something reckless, like trying to outdo Alice and Edward. I was more than amazed when her dancing with Phil was almost as good as the vampire couple. In fact, no, it was just as good. Truthfully, I shouldn't have been surprised. Renee's short attention span caused her to try a little bit of everything -she probably took dancing with Phil for a couple of weeks. Charging towards the dance floor came Rosalie and Emmet, along with an excited Esme and a smiling Carlisle. They all began shimmying, twisting, turning, jumping, and dancing. I couldn't help but notice all the women wore dresses that allowed them full freedom for dancing. Well, all except Esme –who was the only one wearing a gown. Her dress limited her dancing, like when all the men did lifts, causing all the skirts to raise but not reveal anything. It was absolutely soul grasping. They were completely in time with each other, like they had rehearsed this before. I was going to take every single torture Alice threw at me, so long as she taught me to move like that without breaking something.

"Hmm… I'm getting a bit jealous myself." Jasper suddenly stood up, "If you'll excuse me, I think it's about time Edward got back to you."

And with that he walked towards Alice, replacing Edwards place. Almost reluctantly, Edward left Alice and came to join me. It was as if Edward hadn't left Alice at all, Jasper matched his dancing perfectly. "I thought he didn't like swing…" I turned towards Edward.

"Oh no, he doesn't. But Alice insisted we all learned for their wedding. You forget, he would do anything to be with Alice." He suddenly turned to me. "Bella, is there any particular reason as to why Alice is contemplating a long and excursive shopping trip with you?"

Dammit. She really was going to torture me as payment.

"Excuse me?" Edward looked at me, suppressing laughter, but giving in with a breathtakingly crooked smile.

Shit. Did I actually say that out loud? "Nothing." I smiled, trying to reassure him that I wasn't completely out of my mind. I was once again thankful that he couldn't read my thoughts -I wanted the dancing to be a surprise.

He studied my face for a couple of seconds. Then he smiled –happy with what he found there- and pulled me close. "If that's what you say."

I laid my head on his cold, hard chest, breathing in his scent and watching the other couples dance. He, in turn, gently placed his lips on my head, and caressed my hair with his hand.

A/N. Sorry for the swing dance scene. I had every stupid song from 'Hairspray' stuck in my head. DX

He sat, grinning with infinite joy. It was very rare that he was that happy.

My arms were crossed over my chest. "I'm still mad at you, you know." I grumbled, although his ecstatic mood was slowly ebbing my anger away.

"Oh come on, like you don't actually like it." he grinned at me slyly, challenging me to disagree.

He was right of course. Despite me being mad as can be, the thing was growing on me. I had to admit, it was very nice. You could be driving 5 miles an hour, and yet, you would still look like you were going 100. I knew this because he had taken the courtesy to drive slowly –well, slowly for him- for my sake. It was a small act of admiration, but I still appreciated it none-the-less. The last thing I needed after my wedding was his maniac driving.

I closed my eyes, letting out a sigh as I leaned back in the seat of my new car. It was going to take a while to get to his house, so I might as well think.

I had done it.

I had said goodbye to Charlie.

An actual, proper goodbye.

I smiled at the blissful thought. A silent tear ran down my cheek.

Everyone was up and about, walking talking and supporting drinks that kept refilling themselves with endless wine and champagne.

Edward had his arm around me as we talked to Renee and Phil. My heartbeat increased as I caught site of Charlie. I stood up on my tippy-toes and kissed Edward before pulling away. He knew what I was doing, so he didn't complain. He wished me luck and continued talking to a growing crowd that couldn't seem to stop congratulating us. Charlie had quite a lot of wine, and he was enjoying the wedding to its full potential. He was milling around, talking to everyone. I had finally caught up with him –after having to chase him across half the floor. I had to remind myself to breathe as I tapped his shoulder. He whipped around and grinned when he saw it was me. "Bella!"

"Dad. Walk with me, please?"

His smile dropped when he recognized my voice and caught my distress. He followed me as I tried to find a secluded spot. I finally found one, some 30 meters away from the jostling guests. I took a deep breath and faced him.

"Dad..." I began uncertainly. In all honest truth, I had no idea how to continue.

Charlie's face instantly sobered, like he knew what was coming.

"Dad, you know how you said to tell you if I was planning on doing something rash… like leaving…"

He looked at me with patient eyes, waiting for me to continue.

"Well, I am. And I am afraid that this is the only chance I'll get to say a proper goodbye." I sighed. "Listen, dad, I am not talking about leaving to go on a honeymoon, or college, I am talking about leaving… forever." I looked up into his eyes.

His face was guarded, he was careful to not show any emotion. "This is about him, isn't it?"

"Well… yeah, it is. But dad please, the only reason I am telling you ahead of time, is because you promised me you would take it calmly. That you wouldn't throw a fit."

"Oh Bella." His face revealed what he was hiding –pure heartbreak. He suddenly pulled me into a tight hug. Yup, he definitely had too much wine. "I'm not going to throw a fit. I promised, didn't I? I am so glad you told me beforehand. Because now at least I have a chance to say goodbye. I honestly doubt it, but, is there any chance you'll tell me where you're going?"

"I'm sorry dad. But I will tell you one thing, I'll be with Edward. And I will be happier than I have ever been."

"Yeah, I thought so. Will you come to visit while you are out in your worldly adventures?"

"I'm sorry, but I won't be able to. I'm leaving dad. And I am never coming back. Ever."

"Hmm…" he was trying to act like a strong figure, but I could see the anguish and sadness in his eyes.

"But don't worry. I'll drown you in postcards! And I'll never forget to call. So it's not like I am going to disappear off of the edge of the earth." I tried to cheer him up, but to no avail.

"You're pretty set on this, aren't you?" I nodded, not meeting his eyes. "So there is no possible way I could change your mind?" He didn't look too hopeful. I shook my head. "How soon are you leaving?"

"Soon."

"Then you have to promise me something."

I looked at him wearily.

"I don't want to say goodbye to you Bella on your wedding day, but I will because I know it is inevitable. But, can you please, for the sake of your mother, give three hours to your other family so that they could say their goodbyes?" I thought of Renee and Phil. It hurt to leave them without saying goodbye as well. "We'll do something fun. Anything you like. Anything you want. We'll go to the movies. Anything. That's all I'm asking for." In truth, that didn't sound like much. Just one movie with Renee, Phil, and Charlie. A final goodbye.

"Okay dad."

"Thanks Bells. I love you sweetheart."

"I love you too dad."

He hugged me tightly once more and led the way back to my wedding.

All in all, my wedding wasn't as bad as I made it out to be. I am shocked at my own thoughts, but one could even say it was quite pleasant.

I couldn't help but laugh along with everyone else when Angela Weber caught my bouquet, making a certain Ben Cheney exclaim a loud "WHAT?!" But after he got over the shock, he laughed and pulled a glowing Angela close. I heard someone in the crowd shout, "Expect a ring soon Angela!" I followed Edward as he led us to our 'getaway car'. It was then that I looked at him intriguingly, "Umm… Edward? How are we getting home?"

He smiled at me, "Now that's my wedding gift."

My jaw dropped a few notches as I stared wide-eyed at him. He got me a gift. And knowing him, it was probably a car. I should have been expecting it, but that didn't mean I was going to take it lightly. I felt like the delicate scale we were standing on just crashed on one side. This was too much.

His smile dropped and his eyes darkened as if he figured out the gist of my thoughts. "Bella," he said sternly, "Taking away your humanity is hardly considered a gift." I shut my jaw. I really didn't want him upset like this on our wedding day. I was going to take whatever he gave me with a smile and a bat of an eyelash. I was not going to ruin it for him. I was…

Oh no.

No, this I couldn't handle.

I thought I could, but boy was I wrong.

In front of me stood a very shiny, very new, very expensive looking…

Dare I say it…

Audi A5 Coupe.

I nearly fainted. It was a brilliant red in colour, with black leather interior. It basically screamed "I cost-ed 500 000! Tee-Hee-Hee-Hee." There was a small bow attached to the top-right of the windshield. And at the back –you guessed it- there was a floral 'Just Married!' sign. Edward noticed where I was starring.

"Now that," he pointed –barely containing his laughter- to the sign "was Alice's touch."

A/N. There. There you go my darlings. 10 beautiful pages. I hope you enjoyed that. I sure did. :

But honestly, some advice to fellow authors, Hairspray soundtrack stupidly annoying swing dance scenes.

DX

Urg.

Oh, and before, I was lying. Lol. This chapter was murder. I liked some parts, but others made me curl up in a ball and leave society for a while. And the "Let me hold your purse for you" thing is kind of a joke from camp. You see, Terry –along with basically everyone else including me- wanted to go cliff jumping –because we were about a billion miles away from civilization, on a small island, surrounded by more river seriously, no roads, just rivers and canoes- but Josh was like, "No, I don't wanna." And so Terry's like, "Don't worry Nancy boy, I'll hold your purse for you." Lol. Get it? He was basically calling Josh a girl. And Josh didn't like his ego/pride/manliness/dignity completely ruined, so he came along. Lol. Twas fun.

Link to the car is on my profile. In case you want to see it.

Also… guys this is getting kind of ridiculous. I know people are reading my fic. And although I hate doing this but I think I kind of have too…. Can I please get some reviews?! I hate as a reader it when authors constantly ask for reviews because I always do review. But please guys, come on. I know you are reading this so can you please for the sake of me, write a small review? I am not asking for big honking things – just a simple "It's good. I like it." Is good enough for me. Or if you don't like it, a simple "It's bad, you suck as an author. I hate this fic. But because I feel sorry for you I'll keep reading this you loser." lol. Not exactly simple but whatever. But please guys. I just want some reviews.

Aaaaaannndddd…… Breaking Dawn in 2 days. –dies-

-Alaska

;3