Sorry for the wait guys. Holy crap, this chapter was a bitch to write. I'm not gonna say much. There's already so many words here… Just enjoy this ridiculously long chapter, okay? Okay.
Disclaimer:
I'm here writing fanfiction, and that means I don't own Twilight.
12. Marriages and Mishaps
Sam's POV
It'd been a couple weeks since I moved in with Seth. The days were the same as ever. Get up, go to the Café, go to work, go home. Nights were much different. Although the pains still came and went, I no longer had Emily breathing down my neck every move I made, nor did I have to listen to her tell me how I didn't care about her and how stupid I was… It was nice.
Seth was a terrible cook, and I was just lazy, so almost every night, we ate out. Staying with Seth was probably the best decision I'd made in years. It was nice to have quality guy time, considering Emily demanded that I spend more time with her.
I woke up that morning, thinking I had the day to myself. Then I looked to my left, and seeing my white tux (at the request of the half-leech), I was reminded that even though I didn't work, I most definitely did not have the day off.
Jake and Leah were getting married today.
I half-heartedly rolled myself out of bed and grabbed a towel. I dug out my really good Axe body wash and made my way to the bathroom. And what a way to start they day; on my way to the shower, I couldn't help but hear some very interesting noises coming from Seth and Daniela's room. I shuddered.
"Hey," I called, kicking the door as I passed. "Tone it down in their, kids, let's not get anybody pregnant!"
"At least I'm gettin' some," Seth called back. I smirked and shook my head, reaching the bathroom.
After my shower, I threw on the same sweatpants for the time being and went in search of breakfast.
Let's see, I thought, rummaging through the cupboards. Coco Puffs, Fruity Pebbles… Cap'n Crunch Oops Berries? Fuck yeah!
I poured myself a huge bowl of the Cap'n and chowed, trying to think of anything but the fact that I was going to see Emily again today.
Well, you're taking the half-leech as your date… that's kinda good. She is pretty hot. And you get paid at the end of the week. Money means partying. That always cheers you up.
After some time, Seth and Daniela decided to join me.
"Oh, how humble of you to grace me with your presence, O Horny Ones," I joked, earning me a smack on the head from Daniela.
"It's a basic human need," she said. "Don't hate."
"Who's hating?" I asked. "I never said being horny was a bad thing."
"Sam, just shut up," said Seth, scarfing down a plain bagel. "What time are you picking Renesmee up?"
"The wedding's at two, right?"
"Indeed."
"Probably around one." I looked at the clock. Ten-thirty; that gave me two hours to be lazy, fifteen minutes to get ready, and fifteen to get to her house. Perfect.
"Good," said Daniela. "You're gonna come with me for a little bit before that."
"Why?"
"Because I'm going to help you pick out a corsage for Ren."
"What? What is this, frickin' Prom? This is a wedding."
"I know. But it would be really sweet. Don't you think?"
"I'm not buying a corsage."
"Would you buy flowers?"
"Fine, whatever," I sighed. "If it gets you off my back." Daniela stuck her tongue out at me, and I made a face back at her.
"God, you two are ridiculous," said Seth. "It's almost like you're brother and sister… Quit getting so close to my girlfriend!"
I just laughed and brought my bowl to the sink.
"Whatever you say, Pookacha." Seth blushed furiously.
"Don't call me that… I'm not five anymore…"
I ruffled his hair and retreated back upstairs, intent on sleeping a bit more. This day would be long, I already knew, and I would need as much energy as I could get.
"Look, these are pretty," said Daniela, dragging me through the flower store toward a bundle of white roses. "You should get these for Ren."
"Roses? No way."
She scoffed at me. "Why not? She would love these."
"Well, one, roses are expensive. Two, roses mean love, and love means commitment. I am not in love with her, and I'm not committing to anything. I'm just escorting her to Jake and Leah's wedding. That's it."
We stared each other down for a moment. I did not need this. I was already walking around in my tux, which is extremely uncomfortable, and now roses? Seriously?
"Y'know, it might make Emily a little jealous if she finds out you gave another woman roses. She might get a little ticked that you've moved on so quickly…"
"Gimme three of 'em."
"Great!" squealed Daniela, picking out three roses. "And they'll go perfectly with her dress. Oh, wait till you see her, Sam, she looks so beautiful in her dress. We went shopping together, so I've already seen it. It's so pretty. Probably nowhere near as pretty as Leah's, though. But that's good, 'cause Ren didn't wanna pick anything too pretty. I mean, it's Leah's day, right? So she should be the prettiest…"
Yeah, her and Seth are definitely perfect for each other. They both talk so much…
I swung by Seth's place again to drop Daniela off, then I made my way to the Cullen cottage, as slowly as I could so I didn't have any spare time to linger with the vampires. Get in, get the girl and go.
Bella hugged me when I arrived, as much as I wish she hadn't.
"Good to see you, Sam," she said. "I miss you guys on the rez so bad."
"We miss you too, Bells." Unfortunately, you're a leech, and as you're well aware, we don't tolerate that kind of riff raff on the reservation.
It was a good thing her mind-reading husband wasn't around wherever he may have been. He would've read my thoughts and kicked me out. Not that I would've objected.
"Renesmee," Bella called. "Are you ready?"
"He's here?" I heard her call back from another room. I was sure Daniela had told her days ago when I would pick her up. "Okay, I'll be out in… two minutes."
Bella sighed. "Can I get you anything?"
"What, you actually have food?"
"Well, we're trying to encourage Renesmee to eat more human food. But she's so picky. She only likes chicken."
"I'm fine, thanks. She seems to like the food at Café Doux quite a bit."
"Yeah, sweets are her thing. Roses, huh? How sweet." she asked, smirking and eyeing the flowers in my hand.
"Oh, uh…" I stammered. "They were Daniela's idea."
"Daniela… she's the one dating Sam right? She went dress shopping with Ren."
"Yeah, she told me."
"I'm ready," said a melodic voice. The half-leech stood in the hallway.
Her turquoise dress was simple, but she made it look beautiful. Spaghetti straps looped over her shoulders and a darker turquoise bow blossomed in the center of her low neckline. Another dark ribbon wound around her torso, just under her chest, and from there the dress flowed loosely, down to her mid-thigh. She wore high heels and carried a clutch purse, both to match her dress, and left her black hair down in her natural loose ringlets that hung down to her lower back. Her makeup looked almost professionally done. I had only ever seen her with her hair up, and more often than not, she was in Café uniform, so the formality of her attire was a huge shift.
She looked absolutely stunning.
"Wow," was all I could manage out. She looked down, nervously.
"I hope that's a good wow." She made her way over to where Bella and I stood. "You… brought me flowers?"
"Uh, yeah." I handed her the white roses. She inhaled deeply, and her pink glossed lips pulled into a smile.
"Thank you. They're beautiful."
"You're welcome." Bella took the roses from her and rushed us out the door.
"I'm gonna wait for Edward. You two go on, we'll see you there."
I opened and closed the vampire girl's door before getting in myself. We waved goodbye to Bella and drove off.
"So you think I look okay?" she asked after a bit of awkward silence.
"Y-yeah. You look great."
"Okay." More awkward silence. "I wasn't sure about the clutch at first. I wasn't sure what I'd put in it…"
"No, the clutch is great. The clutch really… really kinda makes the ensemble what is it. It… it works."
"Yeah."
What kind of conversation do you have with a leech? "Hey, know any good places to get blood?"
"Do you mind if I turn the radio on?" I asked, desperate for silence filler.
"Yeah, go ahead."
I turned on the country station and let the sounds of Luke Bryant fill the car as he sung about rain.
"I didn't think you were a country person," said the vampire.
"Not many people do. Actually, I like everything. Except jazz. I think jazz needs to be assassinated."
"Me too!" she laughed. "I mean, it's the two-thousands. It's the rock generation now. Goodbye, saxophone, hello electric guitar."
"You play?" I asked.
"A little. Actually, I mostly play piano, but I recently picked up the acoustic."
"Ah, I see."
"Impressed?"
"I would be," I said, smirking. "If I myself didn't play piano, violin, drums, flute, acoustic, electric, and bass guitar, and dabbled in the art of the turntable when I was in high school. Now, let me ask you, are you impressed?"
"Yeah, just a bit."
The rest of the ride to the church in Seattle was silent. I couldn't help but sneak side-glances at her every now and then. For a sick vampire, she looked really hot, and of course, because I'm a man, I noticed.
I opened her door for her upon arriving at the church, and we proceeded inside. Seth was there with Daniela, both of them looking sharp. Seth was fidgeting with his collar while Daniela was straightening her deep green dress. Daniela kissed him and rushed over to us. Seth was one of Jake's groomsmen, so she would sit with us during the ceremony.
The wedding was due to start in minutes, so we didn't have time to see Leah or Jacob beforehand. We took our seats, as close to the front as possible at the request of Daniela and the leech. Jacob entered with the pastor a couple minutes later. Then the wedding march started. First came the two groomsmen and bridesmaids; Quil with one of Leah's high school friends, then Seth with Jacob's sister Rebecca. Then Embry, Jacob's best man, and Rachel, Leah's maid of honor, followed by Paul and Rachel's daughter Mackenzie and Jared and Kim's son JJ, the cutest flower girl and ring bearer ever in history.
Dun Dun Duh Duuhh, Dun Dun Duh Duuhh…
We all stood for Leah's entrance. She looked absolutely beautiful. Since Emily and I were no longer getting married, she was able to use her original colors of white and green. Her slim, but flowing emerald green dress looked amazing on her. It never would've worked for Emily anyways.
If it weren't for Charlie, who was giving her away (he was the closest thing she had to a father), she would've run down that aisle to Jacob.
"She looks so beautiful," whispered the vampire. "Perfect."
She and Jacob had written their own vows. I had never heard either of them so heartfelt. It was… well, beautiful.
"Jacob Ephraim Black, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" asked the pastor.
"I do," Jacob replied, never taking his eyes off his bride.
"And Leah Eve Clearwater, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do."
And I've never seen Leah shine brighter than when Jacob slipped that silver band on her finger. I never could've made her that happy.
When they shared their first kiss as Mr. And Mrs. Black, the half-leech was the first one to jump up and cheer for them.
Many of us hung out in the church lobby, each talking about either how beautiful Leah looked, or how terrified Jacob looked. Finally, everyone migrated to the hotel a few blocks down for the reception.
The place was extravagant. The whole dinner hall was decorated in pearl white and green, streamers, tablecloths, balloons, although it didn't look as cheap as it sounds. The smaller, round tables surrounded the dance floor, where, for now, the long table stood for Jacob and Leah. There was another table that had cards with everyone's names and whether they wanted chicken or fish on it.
Everyone took their time congratulating the happy couple as well as their parents. Sue, Charlie and Billy were each beaming with pride, and had Sarah Black still been alive, she would've been crying with joy, I just know it.
Finally, everyone got their name cards and found a table to sit at. Jacob and Leah took their places at the long table, with Embry and his date next to Jake, Rachel and Paul next to Leah, and Their parents on the two ends.
The girl and I sat at a table with Jared and Kim and their three kids, JJ, Damien and Alexia, and Bella and Edward. Jared and I were secretly scooping out the girls, while poor Edward was stuck between Bella and Kim, who were gabbing away, as women do. The half-leech sat quietly, just looking around, people watching. Her huge brown eyes seemed to peer into people's souls, to catch every detail.
"Everyone looks so beautiful," she said, mostly to herself. "I feel so… plain."
"You feel plain?" I questioned. "How, pray tell, do you feel plain?"
"I don't know. I just don't feel like I look as good as everyone else."
I chuckled. "Are you kidding? You look fine."
"Fine's not beautiful, Sam."
"Relax, kid."
Embry stood up, wine glass full, ready to make his best man speech.
"Well, these two have certainly come a long way," he began. "I've been friends with Jacob my entire life, and I remember the first time we met Leah. From day one, they fought about everything. We were playing in the sandbox at school in kindergarten, with our little plastic buckets and shovels. And then comes Leah, this second grader, trying to kick us out, because it's her sandbox. So Jacob threw sand at her and she ran away, crying."
Leah looked so embarrassed, covering her face, trying not to smile as everyone laughed.
"Five years later, we were having dinner at Jacob's house. Even after three pork chops, Jacob was still hungry, so when he thought Leah wasn't looking, he took hers. Little did he know, Leah Clearwater sees everything. He actually ran from the table with the pork chop in his mouth, and she ran him down, tackled him to the ground, and sat on his back, demanding that he give it back."
The guests roared with laughter.
"Plenty of years down the road, there was a lot of heartache for both of them. There were hard times for a while, but somehow, through everything, they found each other. I remember when Jacob first proposed to Leah. It was on her birthday and she'd been pestering him all day about getting her a really nice gift. Every three seconds it was, 'What did you get me, Jake? Is it nice? You better have gotten me something really nice.' And he would say, every time, 'I can't tell you, but I know you'll love it, I promise.' And when he finally proposed to her at her birthday party, she immediately said yes… She then proceeded to run him down, tackle him to the ground, and sit on his back, demanding a birthday present."
Jared and I shook with laughter, as I'm sure everyone else who was at the party was.
"Jacob, Leah," Embry said, raising his wine glass. "I'm glad you two worked things out. Don't ever stop loving each other the way you do. Jake, you're a great guy. Don't change. Leah, keep kickin' his ass and make sure he stays a great guy. Congratulations to you both, and best wishes from all of us. To Jake and Leah."
"To Jake and Leah!" echoed the crowd, and then everyone drained their wine, with the exception of the half-leech, who was bitterly draining her water glass, forbidden from drinking anything alcoholic by her parents. The food was served shortly after Embry's speech.
Everything was amazing. The chicken, the cake, the wine, all of it. Then the dancing started. The line for the dollar dance was unbelievable. At one point, Jacob danced with Esme, Alice, Rosalie, and Bella, all at once, two on each arm. I had the misfortune of being after Edward in Leah's dollar dance line. The manpire danced so elegantly, I felt inadequate when it came to be my turn.
"Congrats, Lee," I said as we danced. "At least one of us found our happy ending."
"Don't say that, Sam," she replied, frowning. "You'll find yours. Just because Emily's a bitter, selfish, whiny, spoiled, preppy, Ivy League, evil, backstabbing bitch, it doesn't mean everyone else is. You'll find someone, Sam. It's just a matter of time."
"Whatever you say, Lee." I kissed the top of her head and ended the dance, making way for the next person. The father-daughter dance was next. Leah was given the option to not have a father-daughter dance, but she chose to have one and to dance with Charlie. In the years since he and Sue started dating, Charlie took it upon himself to act as a father figure for Leah and Seth, having been one of Harry Clearwater's closest friends. He and Leah danced to "I Loved Her First," by the group Heartland. Leah actually cried. After that came her dance with Jacob. They chose the song "Never Knew I Needed," by Ne-Yo, an interesting choice, but definitely fitting for them.
Then, it was everyone's turn to dance. One of the songs played was "La Tourtura," a Shakira song, sort of like a salsa or something. Daniela dragged Seth onto the dance floor, intent on teaching him some sort of salsa or tango or something. I didn't ask the vampire girl to dance. I just kinda sat there. Seth did though, after he and Daniela had danced to several songs. Daniela pretty much forced me to dance. The girl was persuasive. And of course, persuasive is just another way to say she threatened my life.
"Why aren't you dancing with Renesmee?" she asked as we got out on the dance floor.
"Well, right now I'm dancing with you, so…"
"Sam. Seriously. She was sitting there looking totally miserable. Did you even look at her?"
"No." Daniela sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Sam, it's obvious she wanted you to dance with her."
"Are we gonna talk, Dani, or are we gonna dance?" She eventually gave up, though she still didn't understand why I wouldn't dance with the girl.
I was on my way to the bar behind the dance floor when I was crudely reminded of why I was so nervous for this day.
"Aw, did Sammy come to his ex-lover's wedding alone?"
There was only slight pain now as I turned to face my worst nightmare.
"Emily," I nodded to her curtly. "Didn't think they'd let you come."
"I'm still family." I hated to admit it, but she looked good. Real good. Her black dress was long and elegant, brushing the floor as she walked toward me. "Miss me?"
"Not in the slightest," I said, mostly honest.
"Oh. Just on your way to the bar for a social drink then? Not planning on drinking your life away now that I'm gone?"
"Yes, actually."
A man approached us, looking very Harvard-worthy in his dark blue suit, with hair slicked back and rectangle shaped black glasses. He put his arm around Emily's waist.
"Sweetheart, are you going to introduce me?" he asked.
You gotta be kidding me…
"Oh, yes," said Emily. "Sam, this is Alexander. We're dating." She made it sound like I was supposed to be jealous. Although I had to give her props for moving on so quickly.
"Ah, so this is Sam," said Alexander. God, even his name sounds… Harvard-ish. "This is the fellow who couldn't handle Emily's eccentricity."
"Eccentricity? Is that what she told you? Hardly. Good luck with this one, Alexander. She's pure evil."
Emily waved off my comment. "Oh, he's just bitter because without me, he had to come alone."
"He didn't come alone."
The half-leech joined us, standing to my side.
"I'm his date," she said proudly.
Emily's smile turned plastic. "Oh, really?"
"Uh-huh. He's such a sweetie. Brought me white roses when he picked me up tonight."
"Did he, now?" I just smirked at her, well aware that the half-leech was gonna ham this up as much as she could.
"Yep. It's a real shame, you know. That you couldn't keep him. He really knows how to treat a lady."
Alexander suddenly looked uncomfortable and offered to get some punch, leaving the three of us alone. Emily faced me, giving me an icy glare.
"So, screwing vampires, these days, Sam?"
"Better than screwing a nasty witch like you," the vampire interjected.
"I don't think I was talking to you."
"How unfortunate, because I was talking to you."
"How can you touch her, Sam? Isn't she freezing cold?"
"Not as cold as you're heart." I was no longer in the conversation, I realized. It was solely between the girls.
"Again, wasn't talking to you, bloodsucker. You're not even normal in the vampire world. You're only half human. You're just a freak all over, aren't you? Apparently, that's what Sam goes for now."
The vampire stepped forward, getting right in Emily's face.
"No. What Sam goes for is a girl who treats him right. What Sam goes for is someone who won't nag him every fucking minute of the day. Someone he's not afraid to come home to. Someone who really, truly loves him with all their heart."
Her words… they were so… sincere. Like she'd really put all her heart into them. Like she meant them. They were so protective. And finally, I understood.
She liked me. Like, really liked me.
"And you think you could give him that, little leech?"
"I know I could give him much more than you could even dream of giving him."
"What makes you think he'd want you? You're half vampire, half human. He hates you."
The girl looked stricken, but only for a fraction of a second.
"Let him hate me. I may be only half human, but I promise you, I'm ten times the woman you'll ever be."
Emily didn't like that. She hated when people stood up to her. She spat one last "Freak!" at the vampire, and she stomped off. We stood in silence for a minute, avoiding each other's eyes.
"Thank you," I finally managed out.
"No problem. Bitches are my specialty."
More silence.
"Look, kid-"
"Okay," she interrupted. "Number one; I'm almost seven. In my ageing process, that's like being almost eighteen. I'm not a kid."
"…Sorry."
"Two; you need to start saying my name. Renesmee."
Damn… I can't do that…
"R… Renesmee." I was surprised at how easy it was. I'd never been comfortable with calling her by her name. I never really saw her as a person, just as a creature. But her name… it came out so smoothly. It rolled off my tongue like water off a duck's back.
"Thank you. I like that much better." She smiled sweetly.
She has a beautiful smile…Whoa, where did that come from?
"So… you wanna get outta here?" I asked her. She thought for a moment.
"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I do."
We looked around, checking to see if anyone was looking, then snuck out through the door by the bar.
Maybe… Renesmee's not so bad…
HE SAID HER NAAAAAME! ! !
On my writing template, this was seven and a half pages… O . O Wow, right? I hope you liked it. If any parts seemed vague or anything, I'm really sorry, I was just trying to get to the point without writing twenty pages describing crap. It took so long for two reasons. One, I had a lot of writer's block. Two, I've also been working on something special for you guys. I think you'll be quite pleased when you get it.
Now, I worked very hard on this chapter. You wouldn't wanna be mean and not reward me with a nice review, would you? I worked so hard for you all… Make me happy, yes? Yes! Much love!
~Schnarf~
