Chapter 11 - Wedding Bells
Before...
The year was 1830, Katie and Aro had been practically inseparable, they were currently on a small island in the Canary islands, Aro had some business there, and so Katie tagged along. Katie was reading a book while sitting in a hammock, she was wearing something that, anywhere else in the world, at the time would be extremely scandalous. It was a white dress made of thin material, with a large slit up the front of it, leaving much of her legs exposed.
She heard footsteps behind her and the thoughts of the young girl entered her mind, she had a letter for Katie from Carlisle. Katie stood at five feet four inches, and this girl was barely up to her shoulders, and was obviously on the brink of starvation. The girl held out her hand, in it was an envelope addressed to Katie.
"Thank you" Katie said to the girl, Katie wanted to give the girl something, clothing, money, food, but Katie knew that if the girl was found with anything she shouldn't have, she would be accused of stealing.
Katie opened the letter.
Katie,
I hope you return soon for I miss you dearly
life here seems so dull without your presence,
you'll be pleased to know that I've obtained a library for the new home I've made near New Orleans.
It is truly a magnificent place, full of life and culture, but also of injustice,
something I try my hardest to end.
I hope you will come home, at least for a little a while,
~Carlisle
Katie immediately felt guilty, he was probably really worried about her. As far as he knew, she went to Italy to attend a funeral, and now she had been gone for eight years. Katie hardly noticed Aro come up from behind her and wrap his arms around her, he touched the bare skin of her arms and could tell what she was thinking.
"Don't go." Aro said gently in her ear.
He kissed her neck, "Stop, you're going to make me change my mind." Katie said.
She turned so that she was facing him, Katie kissed him and smiled, "Maybe just one more night." she said.
"Deal." Aro replied.
Now...
In the intervening weeks between the battle, Katie decided to make a quick trip to Italy before the wedding, she felt she was the only one of them that could simultaneously invite them and make it clear that they were not supposed to attend.
She walked into the ballroom where one would usually find Aro, but he wasn't there. She could hear him thinking quietly, he was probably in the library. She hadn't told him she was coming, so she hoped he would be pleasantly surprised. She pushed open the large wooden doors, and he was sitting in the same spot he always sits in when he reads, at the table in the dim corner.
Aro looked up to see who had came in, and when he saw Katie and smiled and stood, he walked towards her and picked her up and spun her, Katie laughed. When he put her down he kissed her.
"I'm supposed to invite you to a wedding, and you are not supposed to come." Katie said smiling.
"Of course." Aro said smiling.
"I'm only staying for two more days, and one of those days is for traveling, so..." Katie said looking mischievous, "We should do something fun."
Two Days Later...
Katie was back in Forks in time for the wedding, but just in time so that she didn't have to help with the set up, Emmett was jealous.
Katie went and found Carlisle when she got back, "Good news, they aren't coming." Katie reported.
"Were they mad about me not being a vampire yet?" Bella asked nervously.
"No, they didn't seem to care, just as long as you become one in the near future they'll be fine." Katie reassured her.
"Katie!" She could hear Alice call from upstairs.
"Just a second Alice!" Katie called back, she looked down at Bella's shoes, "It's easier if you don't put as much weight on the heel." Katie said before darting up the stairs. "What is it Alice?" She asked once upstairs.
"Come here." Alice said from her and Jasper's 'bedroom'. Alice had Esme and Rosalie in there with her, they were trying on dresses. "What are you going to wear?"
"I hadn't really thought about it..." Katie trailed off knowing Alice had already picked something out.
"Try it on!" Alice said excitedly. Katie grabbed the dress bag and went to her own room to change.
She chuckled a little as she saw the dress, it had a pretty low neckline, but Alice did know how much she hated low necks, so there was a lace overlay which she was grateful for. In fact the lace went all the way to the middle of her neck, which Katie loved since she was a fairly conservative dresser. The dress was black, making her pale skin look even paler, it went down to the middle of her calf and wasn't too form fitting. Katie went back into Alice's room.
"Perfect!" Alice squealed.
"Alright, I'll hang it up." Katie said, amused by Alice's enthusiasm.
"Are you going to take Bella for a Bachelorette party?" Alice asked Katie.
"Uh sure, is anyone else coming?" Katie asked.
"Nope, just the two of you." Alice said.
"Okay, sounds good." Katie replied.
That Night...
Ding Dong! The doorbell rang, Bella ran to grab it, "Hey Katie, come in, I'll be ready in a second." Bella said, slightly flustered.
"It's no rush Bella." Katie said.
Charlie walked in the room to see who it was, "Oh, hi Katie, what's going on?" he asked as he watched Bella run up the stairs.
"Bachelorette party." Katie said.
"Ah, no strippers I hope?" Charlie asked playfully.
"Definitely not. Just a girls night, but she won't be back too late. Alice demanded that she get her beauty sleep." Katie told him.
"Good. Good. No drinking?"
"Nope, just some romantic comedies and embarrassing stories about Edward."
"Perfect, just what I want to hear!" Charlie said, pleased with the night's itinerary.
"What's perfect?" Bella asked, just coming down the stairs.
"Mr. Swan approves of our plans tonight." Katie said.
"Please just call me Charlie, Mr. Swan makes me feel really old."
"Alright, Charlie." Katie said, she looked at Bella, "Ready?" she asked.
"Yep." Bella responded. Charlie opened the door for the girls, and they walked out to Katie's car, she took off towards the Cullen home.
Once they arrived, they went straight to the living room. Katie put on the Titanic, and they watched it, Bella occasionally making comments that would make Katie laugh.
"You know, I think there was room on that door." Katie said when it was almost over.
"Yeah, there definitely was, Jack just wanted to be a martyr." Bella said.
"Watch out for that, Edward's got some of that in him too." Katie said.
They watched the last moments of the movie in silence before Bella turned to Katie with a serious expression on her face.
"Katie?" Bella asked, "I overheard Carlisle and Esme talking and they were saying something about Edward finding his mate? Is that me?" Bella asked.
"Yes, it's you." Bella said, "You know how the wolves have imprinting?" Katie asked, Bella nodded. "Well, vampire's have something similar to that. We have one person, one person who was made for you, and you just have to look at them to know that it's them." Katie explained, "For some reason we call them mates, but I don't like that word, I say matches." Katie explained.
"Oh," Bella smiled mischievously, "You seem, to know the feeling." Bella commented.
"Trust me, you know the feeling when you've watched Carlisle and Esme fall in love."
"That wasn't a no." Bella said, Katie looked down, "You have!"
"Please don't tell anyone." Katie groaned.
"I won't, but why aren't you two together?" Bella asked.
"It's complicated." Katie said. Bella could tell that she looked kind of sad, but suddenly her face changed to one of happiness. "Alright, I need to get you home before Alice comes back and kills me."
"Where is everyone anyways?" Bella asked.
"They're hunting before the wedding so they don't eat your guests." Katie said.
"Shouldn't you be hunting too?" Bella asked.
"No, I wouldn't want to accidentally kill everyone." Katie said.
"Is that known to happen?" Bella asked nervously.
"Well sometimes, but that's why I'm not hunting. So I'm too weak to do it by accident." Katie explained as they walked to her car.
Katie sped towards Bella's house and walked her to the door. "Thanks for tonight, that was really fun."
"Yeah, we really should hang out more. Goodnight Bella, I'll see you tomorrow." Katie said. She went back to her car and went home.