Chapter four – Admissions

We arrived back in Forks early on Saturday morning and went straight to the Cullen's house. We found Carlisle, Esme, Emmett and Rosalie all sitting together at the dining room table reading various sections of the morning paper.

"Oh, are you back already? I thought you three would be out hunting for much longer" Esme remarked after a brief glance in our direction and then returning her attention to the article she was reading, not even realising that I was standing behind the others.

"Bag anything good? Any bears?" Emmett asked

"No bears, but Edward caught something good" Alice told them, a beaming smile spreading across her face.

Her strange statement made them all look up from their reading, questioning expressions on their faces.

Edward held up my hand at the same time he drew me out from behind him, "I caught a wife."

I bit my lip and watched surprise suffuse their faces.

"We didn't go hunting," Edward explained. "We went to Las Vegas and Bella and I got married."

Esme made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a squeal and jumped up to hug us both. Carlisle shook Edward's hand and then pulled him into a fatherly embrace and kissed me warmly (in feeling, not temperature) on the cheek. Emmett ruffled my hair and slapped Edward on the back and said "You old dog you!"

Rosalie grabbed my hand and inspected my ring. "Nice. Edward always has had great taste in jewellery."

"I know you would have liked to be there Esme, but we thought, seeing as Charlie wasn't keen on our getting married that it was best to keep it on the quiet side. We're hoping he'll cope better now that it's a done deal."

"I understand Edward. I really do. I'm just so happy for the both of you; and a little offended that Charlie doesn't seem to approve of my wonderful Edward. He'll come round," Esme said with surety as she touched Edward's cheek tenderly, "How could he not?"

"I hope you've got some photographs to show us!" Carlisle's words reminded Alice of her camera full of pictures which she promptly loaded onto the computer and printed out multiple copies that we spent the next little while pouring over and telling the rest of the family every detail of our trip to Vegas.

Okay, so that was one family told, but there was still two to go. Too bad we'd done the easy one first. The Cullen's had been great, better than great. I really felt like I belonged with them, like I was part of the family. I felt slightly guilty that I'd been having doubts about really becoming one of them and yet, if I was accepted the way I was, was there really any need to rush into the permanent change? The decision certainly wasn't getting any easier to make.

"You're quiet," Edward observed as we drove back to my dad's place.

"Just thinking about how I'm going to tell my parents. I'm kind of glad that I'll have to tell Renee by phone."

"They may be upset initially Bella, but they will get used to it and see that our marriage isn't the end of the world."

"You're right, of course but it doesn't make the fact that I'm about to upset them both any more inviting."

Charlie was not home yet so I took the opportunity to call Renee. I went to my room and dialled her number on my cell phone. She answered on the second ring. I took a deep breath and began my well rehearsed speech.

"Hey Mom, how are you?"

"Bella! I was just thinking of you. Tell me, have you sorted your college enrolment out? Have you chosen your subjects?"

"Yeah, it's all done Mom."

"Tell me everything."

So I took the opportunity to avoid making my announcement for a little bit longer and spent the next five minutes telling her all about the subjects that I'd picked out while running down the clock yesterday and if my enrolment wasn't actually done, officially, then my mother was none the wiser thanks to the enthusiasm for my chosen course of study that I was easily able to demonstrate.

"Is Edward still going to Dartmouth?"

"Of course"

"I just wondered, I mean you called off the engagement, it would only be natural for your relationship to cool off too. That is usually the way these things go. Who knows, maybe you'll meet someone new once you go to New Hampshire."

My mother's conversation was startlingly repetitive. She seemed to say the same things every time we spoke. My annoyance caused me to forget my carefully prepared script.

"Well that would be pretty awkward, if I met someone new I mean. Edward and I got married yesterday."

The phone went dead. My mother had hung up on me. Yeah, that went well.

Not two minutes later my phone rang. It was Renee. She told me I was crazy. She told me I'd made a huge mistake. She told me that I'd regret this decision sooner rather than later. She also told me she loved me, that I was old enough to make my own decisions and that she'd stand by me no matter what. She wasn't exactly turning cartwheels for joy at my news but neither had she disowned me; all in all I was not unhappy with the way the conversation went.

I went downstairs and told Edward about the phone call. He sympathised but agreed that it could have been much worse. I only hoped that we weren't about to get a taste of what worse meant once Charlie got home.

Dad came back mid-afternoon. He'd been out fishing and seemed to have had a nice time but seeing me and Edward alone in the house made him forget his cheerfulness; me and Edward being alone and unchaperoned always made him suspicious. He bought back fresh fish which I, in a blatant attempt to curry favour with him, offered to cook for us.

"Haven't you two seen enough of each other for one week-end? Aren't your parents expecting you home?" Charlie asked when Edward showed no inclination to leave.

"They know where I am" Edward replied then stubbornly took a seat at the kitchen table.

This was not good. This was not good. I needed Charlie to be in a good mood when I told him what I'd gone and done yesterday and it seemed that the only way to get him in that happy mindset was to send my husband away but the fact was, I was too much of a coward to make the announcement without him there. I had thought to wait until Charlie had eaten a lovely meal of home cooked fish but now I saw this just wasn't practical. I had no choice I had to get it over and done with now. The sooner I told him, the sooner he'd get used to the idea. I sat down at the kitchen table too and bit the bullet.

"Dad, I've got something to tell you," I began and tried to sound happy without being comically inane. I was such a bad actress and my nerves and apprehension were easily winning the battle for control of my emotions. "Its good news, at least I think its good news."

"You're pregnant," Charlie said with dread. It was the same conclusion he'd jumped to when I'd told him I was engaged.

"No Dad, I'm not pregnant. Why do I have to keep telling you that?" I tried to keep my tone light and jovial. I didn't want this to turn confrontational, if it didn't have to.

"Fine, what is it then?" Charlie was plainly suspicious.

"Um, okay, the thing is… Edward and I got married yesterday."

My father looked at me in disbelief for a few seconds before demanding, "What? How?"

"We went to Las Vegas and got married there. Here is a picture." I slid a photograph of me and Edward in the chapel across the table to my father. He looked at it for a moment and then, to my utter astonishment, my stoic, emotionally economic father began to cry.

My heart wrenched horribly. I looked at Edward but he was looking at my father, a frown etched on his brow. I longed to ask what Dad was thinking but knew it was not the time. Suddenly Edward got up and left the room. I heard the back door open and close again. I didn't know what to do. Seeing my Dad this upset made me cry too and I hated that I was the one to do this to him. I got up and got a paper towel and wiped my own eyes then pushed the roll towards him before sitting back down again.

"Dad, it's really not that bad. I think it was kind of inevitable."

"You couldn't even tell me what you were planning? Was this his idea?"

"No, it was all my idea and no, I couldn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't like it."

"But you called off the engagement. I thought all this marriage nonsense was all done with, at least for the next few years."

"I called off the wedding – that whole big extravaganza was not what I wanted. I could see that you were uncomfortable with it too… but I still wanted to marry Edward; actually, after I called off the wedding, I was more certain of that than ever."

"Bella, you're so young!"

"I know."

"Your marriage has very little chance of success, you know that don't you"

"I know"

"So why do it?"

"You know why. I love Edward and that is never going to change and before you say anything I know that every young couple who runs off to Vegas feels exactly the same way, but all I can tell you Dad, is that I have a conviction, an innate knowledge that my feelings for Edward will never change. I've told you before, he's an old-fashioned guy and sure, he had to talk me into the whole marriage thing, but trust me when I tell you that my arm was not twisted up my back and I went into it one hundred percent sure I was doing the right thing. I hope you'll be happy for me, in time.

"I don't know Bella…"

"We're going away for a couple of weeks, so that will give you a little time to get used to the idea."

"Going away when? Where to?"

"Tomorrow, I think. And I'm not sure where, Edward organised that part."

Dad nodded slightly and said nothing. We sat in silence for a few minutes before he finally asked, "How did his family take it?"

"Um— pretty well."

"They're happy that their son ran off and got married at the age of nineteen?" Dad was plainly unconvinced that any parent could take such news with good grace, let alone enthusiasm.

I shrugged. What could I say? Yeah, they're happy Dad. Edward has been alone for eighty years; they think he's waited long enough? Somehow, I didn't think he'd understand.

"Different kind of family I guess," Charlie mused, more to himself than to me.

I nodded in agreement all the while thinking that he had no idea of just how exactly right he was.

"Where are you going to live? I mean until you go off to college."

"With the Cullen's; they have a big house and plenty of room."

"Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. This place will be quiet without you. 'Spose I was going to have to get used to it anyway, but still."

I nodded in agreement. It would be strange to live someplace other than this house.

Suddenly Charlie asked, "Did you tell your Mom?"

"Yeah…"

"And her reaction was—?"

"Pretty much like yours; bit more fiery. She even hung up on me."

That actually made Dad smile just a little bit.

"Yeah, Renee always was a fan of the dramatic. I might go and give her a call though, have a chat."

He got up from the table and went to the phone and then, belatedly getting the hint that he wanted a bit of privacy, I too got up and went out the back door. I peered out into the fading light wondering where Edward had gotten to and then nearly jumped out of my skin when he materialised out of nowhere.

"How's Charlie?"

"Okay, I think. He's certainly subdued. Why did you disappear?"

"He wanted me to go. He wanted to talk to you alone."

"Oh. That makes sense. Do I want to ask?"

"Do you want to ask what?"

"What else was he thinking?"

"It's not all bad; sure he was annoyed as hell that we'd gone and got married. Thinks you're too young, too inexperienced etcetera; all the stuff I'm sure he said to you. But, he was also sad. Not because we got married, but because he wasn't there, He didn't get to do what fathers usually get to do at their daughter's wedding."

"Contradictory thoughts; he has my sympathy."

"What do mean?"

"I know what it's like to be thinking two incompatible thoughts at the same time. I've been doing that a lot lately."

Edward's arms went around me and held me close. He kissed the top of my head and said, "You're having second thoughts about being changed?"

"Yeah, I've been thinking about life, afterwards. I was looking at college courses. I was beginning to think that maybe I should have a career and then I think of you not ageing and…I don't know what to do."

"There's no rush Bella; whatever you want."

"I think that's kind of the problem; I don't know what I want. Can I just not think about it for a while? I want to think about our honeymoon. Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise, but we're flying out tomorrow, if you think Charlie will be alright with that."

"I think he'll be fine. So you said Alice has packed for me? That should be… interesting."

Edward smiled. "I'll come by to pick you up at about eight."

"Come by and pick me up? But aren't you going to stay…"

"I've got to go hunting. My last hunting trip, before we went to Vegas, was not overly successful and tomorrow we've got a long trip ahead of us and then I don't plan to be thinking of my thirst once we get to the—, uh, once we get where it is we are going."

And so that is how I spent the second night of my married life; sleeping alone in my pre-marital bedroom while my husband was out catching deer and bears and whatever else it was that vegetarian vampires considered suitable thirst-relieving game.