I actually split this one and the next one, weird cause I love long chapters. I think it's because it's not really original.


Chapter 8:

I yawned as I sat in the car, for some reason I was in the drivers seat. Why the girl who needed sleep to function was driving and not the always energised vampire who never needed sleep, I had no idea.

I had been given a hot drink which was clutched in my hands in a take away cup. Strong coffee. The smell filled the car.

Alice had jumped out the second I'd pulled up to the curb and was waiting by the door of Bella's house. The usual spiky do that graced Alice's hair and been smooth and was pinned in sleek curls around her face. She was all business today and I didn't even bother argue when she woke me up at another silly hour this morning. She was going to be much to scary today to mess with.

Bella opened the door and Alice grabbed her without allowing time for anything else. It wasn't like Bella needed anything she was going on her honeymoon this evening after the wedding and Alice had packed for her, so everything she needed was already ready. And Bella didn't even know where she was going yet.

I yawned again as Alice climbed into the passenger seat beside me and Bella climbed into the back.

"Morning Lex," Bella sighed

"Morning." I smiled at her through the rearview mirror as I started the car and turned the car around.

The pixie vampire beside me turned to look at Bella, appraising her.

"Oh, hell, look at your eyes!" She tsked in reproach. "What did you do? Stay up all night?"

"Almost." Bella answered. She glowered.

"I've only allotted so much time to make you stunning, Bella — you might have taken better care of my raw material."

"No one expects me to be stunning. I think the bigger problem is that I might fall asleep during the ceremony and not be able to say 'I do' at the right part, and then Edward will make his escape." I couldn't help but laugh along with Alice.

"I'll throw my bouquet at you when it gets close." She promised

"Thanks."

"Don't worry Bells, you wont be the only one falling asleep." I said as I took another sip of my coffee.

"Is that coffee?" Bella asked slightly surprised and I nodded before handing her the cup. She gladly drank some of the hot liquid.

"At least you'll have plenty of time to sleep on the plane tomorrow." Alice said as I took the coffee cup back. I saw Bella raise an eyebrow in the rearview mirror. I nudged Alice and she looked at me before realising that she'd given something away, and she frowned.

"You're all packed and ready," she said to distract Bella.

It worked.

"Alice, I wish you would let me pack my own things!" she whined from behind us.

"It would have given too much away."

"And denied you an opportunity to shop."

"You'll be my sister officially in ten short hours… it's about time to get over this aversion to new clothes."

"Besides you're going to need them if you're going to be a vampire, can't wear the same era forever." I smirked and Bella rolled her eyes. Alice gave me a disapproving look but I ignored it.

"Is he back yet?" Bella asked.

"Don't worry, he'll be there before the music starts. But you don't get to see him, no matter when he gets back. We're doing this the traditional way." Bella snorted.

"Traditional!"

"Okay, aside from the bride and groom."

"And the family members and even a few of the guests." I added in. Seeing as James, Seth, Mum and I would be there, along with the Cullens and Denali clan. That's three different kinds of supernatural in one wedding.

"You know he's already peeked." Bella thought

"Oh no — that's why I'm the only one who's seen you in the dress. I've been very careful to not think about it when he's around."

"Thanks Alice." I grumbled

"You don't count, you can see it as many times as you want, he can't read your mind." Alice rolled her eyes.

"Well," Bella said as I turned into the drive, "I see you got to reuse your graduation decorations." The hundreds of thousands of twinkle lights and white satin bows stood out easily against the greenery.

"Yeah she made me put it all up." I muttered and Bella smirked slightly.

"Waste not, want not. Enjoy this, because you don't get to see the inside decorations until it's time." I pulled up to the cavernous garage north of the main house; Emmett's big Jeep was still gone.

"Since when is the bride not allowed to see the decorations?" Bella protested.

"Since she put me in charge. I want you to get the full impact coming down the stairs." Alice declared as we got out of the car. She quickly moved to clap her hand over Bella's eyes before we moved through the garage and into the kitchen. The smell of the flowers had grown overnight and was now accommodating the entire house.

"What is that?" Bella wondered as Alice guided her into the house and I followed.
"Is it too much?" Alice's voice was abruptly worried. "You're the first human in here; I hope I got it right."

"You'll blame me if you didn't." I admitted and she gave me a sheepish smile.

"It smells wonderful!" Bella assured her "Orange blossoms… lilac… and something else — am I right?"

"Very good, Bella. You only missed the freesia and the roses. Alex picked the assortment."

"Alice made me." I shrugged.

We entered Alice's giant bedroom and then her even bigger bathroom were Alice removed her hand from Bella's eyes.

Non of all the paraphernalia of a beauty salon had left the long counter since yesterday and I crossed my arms with just as much resistance as I guessed Bella was feeling.

"Is this really necessary? I'm going to look plain next to him no matter what." Alice pushed Bella down into a low pink chair.

"No one will dare to call you plain when I'm through with you."

"Only because they're afraid you'll suck their blood," Bella muttered before she leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes.

"Come on Alex, help me mask her face." Alice ordered.

And so it begun.

Bella seemed to fall asleep or at least drift in and out of consciousness as we buffed and polished after the masks.

It was after lunchtime when Rosalie glided past the bathroom door in a shimmery silver gown with her golden hair piled up in a soft crown on top of her head. As perusal Rosalie looked the most striking of everyone and I couldn't see the point of any effort with her around. Then again, Alice was a miracle worker.

"They're back," Rosalie said. The boys were home.

"Keep him out of here!" Alice said strongly

"He won't cross you today," Rosalie reassured her. "He values his life too much. Esme's got them finishing things up out back." I guessed the food and flowers were being put outside, they couldn't be done yesterday or they wouldn't look nearly as fresh. "Do you want some help? I could do her hair." Rosalie offered.

Bella stared with her most wide open and even I was surprised by the offer. Bella was Rosalie's least favourite person around… maybe excluding my family and occasionally me.

"Sure," Alice said easily. "You can start braiding. I want it intricate. The veil goes here, underneath." Her hands started combing through Bella's hair, hefting it, twisting it, illustrating in detail what she wanted. When she was done, Rosalie's hands replaced hers, shaping Bella's hair with a feather-light touch.

I had been doing as Alice requested on Bella's makeup, shocking the vampire was right about my new eyesight helping with the precision and what was better was my hands were so steady and still that there was probably no way I could have screwed any of this up.

Alice praised my work before she smiled and nodded.

"Well done, now come here." and I was pushed into another seat Alice had collected.

"Alice, I'm not important." I said but she'd already begun to wipe my face down to clear it and then to reapply.

Bella glanced at me and I rolled my eyes, causing her to smile.

"I guess I can't have my bridesmaid look terribly plain." she said and I stuck my tongue out at her, receiving a whack from Alice for moving.

I was still after that and Alice was done within fifteen minutes on me. Rosalie was also done on Bella's hair, which Alice appraised.

Rosalie was sent to receive both mine and Bella's dresses and then to locate Jasper, who had been dispatched to pick up Renee, Bella's mother, and her husband, Phil, from their hotel. Downstairs, the door was opening and closing over and over as the guests arrived and the voices began to float up to us.

I stood and Alice manoeuvred my dress over my makeup before I was forced to sit back down again and Rosalie did my hair for Alice as the small vampire moved the satin material of Bella's dress over her hair and makeup.

Rosalie shaped my curls and pinned them to the side, placing the braid of hair as a headband and pinning it altogether as Alice had done not yesterday. I pulled on the extravagant heels Alice had bought for me, matching Bella's but silver for my dress unlike the white of hers.

Bella's knees shook as Alice put the dress on her and did the pearl buttons up her back. The satin quivered with Bella and I stood up, now much too tall, to hold Bella still for Alice.

"Deep breaths, Bella," Alice said. "And try to lower your heart rate. You're going to sweat off your new face." Bella gave her the best sarcastic expression she could manage.

"I'll get right on that."

"I have to get dressed now. Can you hold yourself together for two minutes?"

"Um... maybe?"

"I got it Alice." I assured and Alice rolled her eyes and darted out the door.

"Look at me Bells." I said and she took a deep breath and opened her eyes to do so. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at me and took in my attire.

"Wow Lex…" I said shocked

"You should see you." I smiled "If Alice did this…" I pointed to my face.

"Alice can't take all the credit, you've already turned into a goddess." Bella breathed and I rolled my eyes

"Well, if Alice who had everything planned out, had to change her plan for me because of my knew look, can do this with everything else she had to organise, how do you think she did on you?" I wondered and Bella rolled her lips as she took another breath. She didn't physically answer me but began to look at her dress and I saw her mouth move as she counted her breaths. Her heart seemed to lower slightly but the panic was still there as she looked anywhere but the mirror despite my words.

Alice was back in a dress that flowed down her slender body like a silvery waterfall, lighter then mine and different from Rosalie's.

"Alice — wow."

"It's nothing. No one will be looking at me today. Not while you're in the room."

"Har har."

"She's right Bells, trust me." I agreed

"I can't compete with you two, or Rosalie."

"You can today." we chorused.

"Now, are you in control of yourself, or do I have to bring Jasper up here?"

"They're back? Is my mom here?"

"She just walked in the door. She's on her way up."

Renee was able to see her daughter's beauty even if Bella couldn't.

"Oh, Bella!" she squealed now, gushing before she was all the way through the door. "Oh, honey, you're so beautiful! Oh, I'm going to cry! Alice, you're amazing! You and Esme should go into business as wedding planners. Where did you find this dress? It's gorgeous! So graceful, so elegant. Bella, you look like you just stepped out of an Austen movie." and she looked at me with just as much pride. "I must say Alexis, you look so much different from how I remember you, but god you look stunning in that dress! Suits you perfectly." Renee smiled

"Well, I can't be looking out of place with a wedding and a bride such as this can I?" I wondered and Renee chuckled with a nod.

"Such a creative idea, designing the theme around Bella's ring. So romantic! To think it's been in Edward's family since the eighteen hundreds!"

Alice, Bella and I exchanged a brief conspiratorial look. Renee was off on the dress style by more than a hundred years. The wedding wasn't actually centred around the ring, but around Edward himself.

There was a loud, gruff throat-clearing in the doorway.
"Renée, Esme said it's time you got settled down there," Charlie said. I rose an amused eyebrow at the grey tux Charlie was wearing, he looked slightly awkward as though he didn't know how to wear it. I didn't blame him, jeans and shirts were the fashion around here.

"Well, Charlie, don't you look dashing!" Renée said in a tone that was almost shocked. That might have explained the crustiness of Charlie's answer.

"Alice got to me." Charlie glanced at me after he spoke. He had done so so often since he'd seen me. He couldn't wrap his head around my changes and I was fully content enough to let him stare instead of ask or tell what happened, because I couldn't. So I just let him decide what was going on, I didn't know what that was yet but he didn't seem to mind my presence despite the change so…

"Is it really time already?" Renée said to herself, sounding nervous. "This has all gone so fast. I feel dizzy."

"Enjoy it Renee, it'll fly by." I smiled and Renee smiled at me as I glanced at Bella, hoping she'd take in my words as well.

"Give me a hug before I go down," Renée insisted. "Carefully now, don't tear anything."

Renee squeezed Bella gently around the waist, then wheeled for the door, only to complete the spin and face us again.

"Oh goodness, I almost forgot! Charlie, where's the box?"

Charlie rummaged in his pockets for a minute and then produced a small white box, which he handed to Renée. Renée lifted the lid and held it out to Bella.

"Something blue," she said.

"Something old, too. They were your Grandma Swan's," Charlie added. "We had a jeweller replace the paste stones with sapphires."

Inside the box were two heavy silver hair combs. Dark blue sapphires were clustered into intricate floral shapes atop the teeth.

"Mom, Dad... you shouldn't have." Bella began

"Alice wouldn't let us do anything else," Renée said. "Every time we tried, she all but ripped our throats out."

"Sounds like Alice." I said with a nod as a hysterical giggle burst from Bella's lips.

Alice stepped up and quickly slid both combs into Bella's hair under the edge of the thick braids. "That's something old and something blue," Alice mused, taking a few steps back to admire Bella. "And your dress is new… so here—"

She flicked something at Bella, a white garter which Bella held her hands out automatically, and it landed in her palms.

"That's mine and I want it back," Alice told her.

I laughed as Bella blushed.

"There," Alice said with satisfaction. "A little colour — that's all you needed. You are officially perfect." With a little self-congratulatory smile, she turned to my parents. "Renée, you need to get downstairs."

"Yes, ma'am." Renée blew Bella a kiss and hurried out the door. "Charlie, would you grab the flowers, please?"

While Charlie was out of the room, Alice hooked the garter out of Bella's hands and then ducked under her skirt. I grabbed the dress for Alice as Bella gasped and tottered, Alice's cold hand catching Bella's ankle; she yanked the garter into place.

She was back on her feet before Charlie returned with the three frothy white bouquets. The scent of roses and orange blossom and freesia enveloped us and I was so glad that Alice had picked my favourite before I had.

Rosalie — the best musician in the family next to Edward — began playing the piano downstairs. Pachelbel's Canon. Bella began hyperventilating.

"Easy, Bells," Charlie said. He turned to Alice nervously. "She looks a little sick. Do you think she's going to make it?"

"She'd better."

"Don't worry, I bet as soon as she sees Edward she'll be absolutely fine. So she just needs to make it down the stairs." I smiled and Alice rolled her eyes before she turned me for the door.

"You need to go first Alex."

"I know," I said. Alice had only drilled my cue into my head a thousand times and I was listening to Rosalie downstairs play the music as I waited for it. I heard the movements of everyone turn in their seats and stand up, the voices died easily and I moved for the top of the spiral staircase.

"Focus, Bella. Edward is waiting for you down there." Bella took a deep breath.

The music slowly morphed into a new song.

"Bells, we're up to bat." Charlie muttered as I waited for them to be fine. My cue was probably a little hasty for Alice to get timed perfectly so I waited until I was sure Alice would be able to follow me with the correct time.

"Bella?" Alice asked, still holding Bella's gaze.

"Yes," Bella squeaked. "Edward. Okay." Alice began to pull Bella from the room, with Charlie tagging along at her elbow. The music floated up the stairs along with the fragrance of a million flowers as Wagner's traditional march surrounded by a blood of embellishments sounding.

They joined me at the stairs and Alice turned to me. I nodded and with a deep breath, mainly because I was worried I'd fall down the stairs in these death trap shoes, I began to step slowly, in time to the music down the stairs.

I clearly wasn't accustomed to my knew body and changes still or I'd have not worried about the height of the shoes. I glided down the stairs without even looking down. Any worry about missing the step, standing on my dress or fumbling in anyway escaped my mind as I smiled and hit the bottom of the stairs.

As I hit the end of to the chairs I heard Alice land on the ground from the stairs behind me and I grinned slightly at Edward who smiled at me from beside Carlisle who did the exact same. I could see the impatience in Edward's eyes as he looked to his sister and then to the stairs with expectation. Of course he had no idea what he was going to see, I knew Alice would be keeping her mind clouded and dress free even now.

I saw my parents and brother, my mother had her hand over her mouth but I could see the smile in her eyes, James was looking impressed and my father looked somewhere between proud and sad. That's what happens when your little girl grows up and becomes a bridesmaid… guess it didn't matter that it wasn't even my wedding.

Seth and Sue both grinned at me from beside my family and I winked at them, Billy chuckling at my action as I made it to the end of the isle.

The murmurs had built up before I'd reached the second row from the front and I knew Bella had appeared behind me and Alice with Charlie. Renee gasped from near my side and Edward smiled with exultation as he saw his bride.

I took my place on the other side of the arch to Carlisle and Edward and Alice soon joined my side. I turned to look at Charlie and Bella, Bella was no longer hyperventilating, nor was her heart erratic and she looked like she was having a hard time keeping in time to the music as well. I could already see why, she was staring straight at Edward.

Alice and I shared a glance as Bella and Charlie stopped before Edward who held out his hand. Charlie took Bella's hand and, in a symbol as old as the world, placed it in Edward's. Bella didn't even glance at Charlie as she stepped up beside Edward, but the man moved to sit in his seat as the minister began.

The vows were the simple, traditional words that had been spoken a million times, though never by a couple quite like this. Mr. Weber had been asked to make only one small change. He obligingly traded the line "till death do us part" for the more appropriate "as long as we both shall live."

Bella was crying before she'd even said her simple line of two words and Edward's voice rang clear as he mirrored her words.

Mr. Weber declared the two husband and wife, and then Edward's hands reached up to cradle Bella's face, carefully before he bent his head toward hers, and Bella stretched up on the tips of her toes, throwing her arms — bouquet and all — around his neck.

Bella clearly held the kiss on longer then she should have as Edward had to end it as the audience tittered and cleared their throats. I chuckled and glanced at Seth who was doing the same as James rolled his eyes, many of the Cullens doing the same, though Emmett was clearly suppressing his booming laugh.

The two finally broke apart and the crowd erupted into applause, me clapping with my bouquet as Edward turned the two of them to face their friends and family. Bella kept her eyes on Edward as everyone began to move forwards and hug them both, Renee being the first. The couple moved through the crowd of embraces and I decided I would wait, flittering through the crowd myself, smiling and saying hi to a few people as I went.

The wedding flowed into the reception party smoothly — proof of Alice's flawless planning. It was just twilight over the river; the ceremony had lasted exactly the right amount of time, allowing the sun to set behind the trees. The lights in the trees glimmered as Bella was led by Edward through the glass back doors, making the white flowers glow. There were another ten thousand flowers out here, serving as a fragrant, airy tent over the dance floor set up on the grass under two of the ancient cedars.