A/N: The characters and situation in this story do not belong to me, they are the property of Stephanie Meyer. This chapters a bit longer but I've already split it in half so... happy reading
I stood at the window for a while. It looked out on a little courtyard with a garden. Vampires came and went across it, most of them cloaked in gray or black. It was actually quite pretty watching little glistening diamonds shrouded in black move through the garden on their way here or there. After a while I noticed one of them looking up at me. I couldn't tell much other than the fact that his or her cape was dark gray and not black. I still felt uncomfortable and walked away.
"Does anyone know why Demetri is staring up here?" Emmett grunted from the sitting room.
"I was watching the courtyard." I said quietly but he still heard the response. I idly wondered how much conversation among the Cullens I missed due to being human. It seemed to be no problem for all of them to hear the smallest peep from the next room. "He must have seen me and stopped to look." I came just to the doorway and leaned on it.
"He's probably still trying to figure out how to track you." Emmett flexed his fingers menacingly.
"Feeling better." Jasper more stated than asked.
"Yeah, a bit better." I smiled. I surreptitiously checked the clock. It would be evening soon. Movement suddenly caught my eye as the door opened. I couldn't help but smile. I noticed that Jasper looked from me to Edward and smiled knowingly too. I felt a little silly about the way Edward could make me feel by just walking into the room. I blushed. Edward was at my side, taking my hand and pulling me away from the doorway in no time. He must have greeted everyone else but I was too immersed in my own feelings to hear it.
"I have a surprise for you." He grinned. "You're getting out for a few hours on good behavior."
"Really?" I hugged him, breathing him in just a bit.
"We can't go far, but I found a place I think you'll like." He turned to Carlisle. "I can steal my bride for a few hours can't I? She's been a good student today." He teased.
"Have fun but make sure you stick to Aro's restrictions, you and Bella are both still in kind of dangerous territory here." Carlisle warned.
"Come on." Edward led me as I nearly skipped down the hallway. It was nice to be out of my suite, I hadn't left since our audience with the Volturi and as nice as my suite was it was getting a bit claustrophobic. By the time we made it outside at my human speed through the contorted hallways that were all identical here in the residence side of the castle the sun was almost down. We came out through a tunnel on the outside of the city, hand in hand.
"Are you ready for a run?" Edward pulled me up on his back in one swift motion like it hadn't been moths since we'd been outside together. This time was different. I had changed; I was braver. I wrapped myself around him and held on tight. The wind was marvelously refreshing. I could watch as the scenery sped by and appreciate it. I felt his joy and relaxation in running. We stopped just inside a small forest and he let me down. I was impressed that this time I wasn't feeling sick, it was the first time after a run that I didn't need a second to calm my heart or steady myself. I just climbed down. Edward was ready to steady me and seemed surprised that I didn't seem to need it. I smiled at him as I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a quick kiss.
"It's not far now." He murmured in my ear and led me slowly and gently through the forest. The ground crunched beneath my feet, I did need his assistance often, as I was unsteady in my shoes. He walked slowly and patiently by my side, catching me every time my ankles started to give way. We laughed quietly. It was just us in the quiet evening air. After a few minutes of walking I could see a clearing and some lights. I picked up my pace. When I made it through the trees I felt my heart swell, my eyes pricked with tears. It was a little grassy clearing, not quite as large as our meadow but it was the closest he had probably been able to find. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my shoulder before resting his chin on it. A picnic blanket was laid out with a basket containing my dinner. Small lanterns were set up all around the clearing giving it a romantic glow. I had a momentary flash of fear as I identified a small wooden dance floor and a small set of speakers near the blanket. He didn't really intend to make me dance, did he? My heart stopped for a second, Edward tensed and then laughed after following my gaze.
"Don't worry, it's just us." He smiled, "I thought it'd be nice to practice just a bit before the reception."
"Do we have to dance at the reception?" I sighed.
"It is kind of expected for the bride and groom to have the first dance." He chuckled softly and led me into the clearing. "I have something for you." He held up the box. "Do you want to see it?"
"I suppose, if you're ready." I smiled suddenly feeling a few butterflies kick up in my stomach. He pulled me over to the dance floor and motioned for me to stay. After clicking a couple of buttons over at the small speakers he came back to me just as my lullaby started to play. I hesitated as he knelt and started to take my hand in his. His eyes plead with me to go along.
"Bella, I need to ask you something." He was suddenly very serious and I had great difficulty keeping a straight face; he eyed me again. "I need to know." He almost whispered. "If you don't want to be my wife you can still be a part of my family, your choices aren't marriage or the Volturi. Alice, Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Jasper, they all love you. I need to know before we do this that you really want me. I know that I've given you cause for doubting our relationship this year and my timing in asking you to marry me under these circumstances is less than ideal. I know that you've had the opportunity to explore another relationship and I won't fault you if your desires have changed and are different from mine. I need you to be sure before we go any further. Are you positive that I'm who you really want?" His eyes were the color of pale butterscotch as they met mine. He looked up, dazzling me through those lashes. I could only nod. "If you will have me I want you to be my partner, my equal. I want you to know that you have never been a pet to me. I need you to know and understand that that assumption couldn't be farther from the truth. You are the only woman that I ever have or ever will want to be with; I have always wanted you. I am heartbroken at the sorrow that I've caused you this year and I promise to never hurt you again. I will always love you and I will always want you. Isabella Marie Swan, will you consent to be my wife forever?" His voice had grown stronger. My heart felt just like it had running with him, it was flying.
"Yes." My voice was quiet and tears spilled over my lashes. I had barely been able to respond. He smiled and removed the ring from its box. It was gold with diamonds set into the shape of an oval.
"I hoped you'd say that." He slipped it onto my finger, "It was my mothers, so don't worry, I didn't spend a ton of money on you." He laughed as I pulled him up. My lips found his and I kissed him. I pulled him as tightly into myself as he would allow, which was quite a bit more than usual, I was molding my body into his. The hand that wasn't clutching him close was exploring his face, his chest, his back. My heart pounded and a heat seemed to radiate out of me. I was gasping for breath; my whole body was trembling. He broke his lips from mine but didn't pull away. Instead he kissed behind my ear and softly down my neck, a soft moan escaped from my lips. I could feel his mouth suddenly pull into a smile. "I really do enjoy that." His voice was a gentle but still very primal purr. "Will you do something for me?"
"Anything." I murmured, barely coherent while he kissed my neck.
"Please dance with me." He pulled back a bit to look into my eyes. I realized too late that I hadn't qualified that because in that exact moment I would have given him whatever he wanted, no matter how ludicrous or potentially embarrassing his desires were.
"Alright," I sighed. Dancing. I couldn't even argue with myself to deny him this.
"Just humor me this once." He wasn't satisfied with my tone so he used his eyes to dazzle me into submission. "Dancing at a wedding is unavoidable and I think that you'll be a little more comfortable if we just run over a couple of basics."
"Okay, okay, no need to turn up the charm any further." I inhaled deeply, "I make no promises about being good at this though."
"Fortunately, you just have to follow, it's the mans job to lead." The music had already changed. "We're going to start with a simple box step." He separated us just a bit more and placed my left hand on his shoulder. He took my right hand in his left and grinned at me like I had just given him the best present ever. "Just go where I lead. A little key is that in a lot of dances the woman starts with her right foot, do you know why?" He smiled.
"No…" My eyebrows pressed together.
"I was once told, by a very smart man, that it's because the woman is always right." His crooked smile put me at ease and in spite of the fact that we were on a dance floor I laughed. "So, there are three beats. Step back on your right on one. One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three." He led me flawlessly while I concentrated on the steps. I started to feel confident and looked up into his eyes instead of at the floor when I stepped wrong nearly falling over.
"Sorry," I blushed.
"Relax, it's just you and me. Let me lead you and don't think about it. Look at me, not your feet. I want to see your face." He purred again. "One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three." We started over. He started to lead me into some slightly more complex moves like turning. "Very nice, you're definitely getting the hang of this. You can be graceful when you're not worrying." He complimented me.
"I think all of the grace is coming from you. I'm just along for the ride." I sighed a little. Hopefully I wouldn't have to dance with anyone else. I had no idea who might be on the guest list. I really hadn't bothered to ask. "Do you know what exactly the plan is for the wedding?"
"Alice is taking care of just about everything. But what exactly are you worried about?" He gently corrected my posture.
"I was just regretting that Charlie and Renee won't be able to come." I frowned.
"That is actually being seen to. I've already spoken to them and they're on the way." I stopped dancing in shock and Edward stopped with me. "Charlie didn't take it so well but I think that he'll be over it by the time he gets here. Alice and Carlisle helped smooth things over with him. Renee is excited, especially that we're getting married in Italy. She's thrilled about that and using it as an excuse to take a second honeymoon."
"When did you do all of this?" My mouth was hanging open.
"You were asleep for two days, that was plenty of time to arrange things and get Charlie to agree. Renee was rather helpful in that regard. I can't wait to meet her in person." He brushed the hair back off my face with his long cool fingers. "I'm sorry, there's a lot that I haven't had a chance to tell you. Do you want to sit down and eat while I tell you what we've been able to resolve?"