Hello my dears! No, I did not drop off the face of the planet. I am so sorry this update took so long. I got really sick after my last update and once I was better all four of my kids got sick. It has been really crazy here :( Please forgive my delay!

Can I just say I am AMAAAAZED at the response for the last chapter? It received 90 reviews!!!!!!!!!! That blew me away! Thank you all so much for reviewing! I was laying in bed sick as a dog smiling so freaking big over the reviews I was getting!!

Thanks so much to my betas SBA and AS08! You guys are the wick to my banana nut bread candle that I have burning right now! mmmmm ;)

As usual, SM owns…I just confuse the crap out of them.

(Sorry it's a bit short, but it gets the job done, lol)

EPOV

Everything around me was completely black. I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. I could smell the familiar scents of burning wood, burning paper, burning clothing and even the horrid smell of burning metal. I could feel the scorching heat surrounding me from all sides and I had an excruciating headache. I could hear the crackling of the fire and I knew I had to be in the midst of it, but I couldn't understand why I was unable to see anything. I tried to move…walk, crawl, or even roll over…but not one muscle in my body would react. What the hell was going on?

I could hear banging in the distance…incessant banging. It was getting louder and louder. I heard my name being shouted. That sounds like Emmett…

Almost instantly the smells and sounds of the fire vanished and I could no longer feel the heat surrounding me. I swiftly opened my eyes, blinking repeatedly to gain focus. Where in God's name was I?

I could still hear the pounding from the other room and Emmett was now shouting, "Dude! Edward! Man, if you don't get the fuck up, her dad is gonna shoot your ass!" Huh? Whose dad is gonna shoot me?

I slowly lifted my head and looked around at my surroundings. I didn't recognize a single thing. The bed that I was lying in was huge and was much softer than the queen-sized Sealy that I had at home. In no way was I complaining, but I really needed to know why in the hell I had no clue where I was…or better yet, why in the hell did I not remember how I got here?

Emmett was pounding harder and now screaming, "Edward, you fucker! I swear to Eros, if you don't open this door right now, I'm telling the front desk you are wanted for murder…and rape…and child abuse!!" Front desk? Was I in a hotel? What in the fuck was going on?

I jumped up from the bed, nearly falling on my ass from not realizing it was much higher than mine at home, and made my way to where the shouting was coming from. As I looked around I noticed that I was, in fact, in a hotel. How did I get here…and why was Bella not here with me?

I opened the door to a red face, a shit-eating grin and a huge bear hug.

"Duuuuuuude! Today is the day! I can't believe it, man, you are a lucky mother fucker to have found someone to put up with your shit!" Emmett howled in laughter. The day for what? Wait…did he say, 'put up with your shit'? What's that supposed to mean?

I just looked at him with the oddest expression known to man and his smile then dropped a bit. "You better not have cold feet, man…her dad will rip you a new one, dude…remember what he told you?" I don't remember shit…and what is this about cold feet?

I rubbed my eyes and shook my head, trying to gain some form of consciousness because I couldn't make heads nor tails of what Emmett was saying. I was fairly certain I was hearing things incorrectly. I then moved out of the way so he could come through to my…

OH. MY. GOD.

I was standing in the middle of the most ostentatious hotel room I had ever seen in my entire life. Everything looked as if it belonged to the royal family or some shit. I mean every single thing was either shiny or frilly or just plain expensive looking. I was sure that if my mom had been here she would be able to recognize everything, down to the very minute detail, but I am proud to say I am 100 percent man and I had no fucking clue what all of this stuff was made out of or where it came from…but I could say it had to cost a pretty penny.

Emmett saw me with my jaw almost on the floor and he looked at me peculiarly. "Eddie…you look like you just saw a ghost. What's your malfunction?"

I shook my head again. I didn't have an inkling of what was going on, but I was afraid to say anything to Emmett. I needed to figure out what the fuck was happening. Actually, what I needed was to see Bella.

"Where's Bella?" I asked surreptitiously.

Emmett stopped dead in his tracks and jerked his head toward me. "Eddie, boy…are you alright? How much did you drink last night? Are you having hangover amnesia?" Hangover amnesia? What the fuck?

"Em, what in the hell are you talking about? Just spit it out. I am too exhausted to try to figure out your bamboozling," I huffed and closed the front door.

"Man, chillax," Emmett chuckled. "You must be suffering from sexual deprivation. You know that you can't see Bella yet, buddy, so don't try to get her whereabouts from me. My lips are locked tight and only Alice holds the key to that fucking lock." He walked over to the mini bar and grabbed a bottle of Absolut and something else that I couldn't quite see.

Why could I not see Bella? This shit was starting to mess with my brainpan. Starting to? As if…

Emmett flopped down into the nearby recliner with a huge thud and eyeballed me. "Well? What are you waiting for?" Great…what the hell was I supposed to be doing now?

I just stared at him with a 'Rainman' expression—opened mouth and all. He raised his hands as if to say, "What the fuck?"

I just hung my head and stared at my feet trying to figure out how I was going to explain to him that I was completely lost as to what in the hell was going on? I decided I was just going to have to wing it. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

Apparently this had been the right thing to say because Emmett responded, "Ya think? Dude, remind me not to let you come to my bachelor party. I ain't dealing with this shit when my nerves are shot." He grabbed the remote and started flipping through channels on the plasma screen that was hanging on the wall in front of him. Bachelor party? So last night must have been Jasper's…wait…they aren't getting married until next summer…what in the hell?

I was just finishing up my shower and turning off the water when I heard my mom say, "Jasper is being released today. I don't know if anyone told you." I pulled the curtain back quickly, just enough to stick my head out to see if I had heard her correctly, and also to ask her why she was invading my personal space. The strange thing was that as I looked around I noticed she wasn't there. Great…now I'm hearing people speak that aren't even there.

I dried off and threw on the first items of clothing I could find before I walked into the main room where Emmett was.

He glanced over at me and then did a quick double-take with his eyes popping out of his head. He shot up out of his seat, arms flailing wildly, and shouted, "Edward! Fuck! Come on, man! Alice is going to fucking kill me if you don't get your ass ready in time…are you trying to cause trouble? I don't get you today, dude. Get your effing tux on and do something with that crazed hair you got going on there and let's get to the dang ballroom before Alice turns us both into women," he said while making a whacking gesture to his dick. At this gesture, Dick started whining and trembling while curling up into a ball.

Ok…so I now know I am supposed to be wearing a tux and heading down to the ballroom. Obviously Jasper and Alice are getting married…but why the hell could I not remember a single thing after...

Christmas…

Holy shit…

I could remember leaving the girls' house on Christmas night and heading to work with Emmett and Jasper. I remembered getting the call about the fire at the Seattle library. I vaguely remembered pulling up in front of the library…but then the memories abruptly ended. Oh my God…what in the hell had happened to me?

I then went into the bedroom and tried to figure out where I would have put my tux and shoes. Sure enough there was a closet over in the corner. Of course I found my tux inside, so I grabbed it and then went back to the bathroom, realizing I would need to shave if I was going to a wedding.

I grabbed the shaving cream, a razor and a hand towel, when I noticed the strange embroidery on the towel. BW? I racked my brain for a hotel with the initials of BW, but then I decided I didn't need to know what it meant so I began to shave. As I put my razor down I spotted the unopened soap in the soap dish and I understood what BW stood for. Holy fucking shit! Alice's parents must be rolling in dough to afford to put everyone up in the Beverly Wilshire.

I came out to see that Emmett was still in front of the TV with one leg hitched over the arm of the recliner and his elbow propped on his knee so that he didn't even have to move his arm to flip channels. Lazy fucker…

"So, how come you don't have to be dressed yet, dickwad?" I asked him as I was putting on my socks and shoes.

He just rolled his eyes at me and turned off the TV. "You really plan on whining through this whole thing, don't you? Just hurry up so you can be Alice's problem and not mine anymore." He stood up and tossed the tiny empty bottles of liquor into the trash bin.

I would have given anything to know what kind of Twilight Zone I had now taken residence in, but I decided it was best to just play along for now. I was sure I would eventually find out everything. Right?

And find out I did. We had barely stepped off of the elevator when the evil dwarf known as Typhoid Alice bombarded me. "No, no, no! This will not do! Follow me, now!"

"Alice, why are you wearing purple and not white? I mean, I know you don't believe in that bogus tradition do you?" I followed her quickly. Man, her legs may be short, but damn she walked fast…

I was laughing but then abruptly stopped when she said, "What in the hell are you talking about? The Maid of Honor never wears white, you moron!" Who in the hell is getting married if it isn't Alice?

Alice had now pulled me into some sitting room where she had everything under the sun sitting on a small card table. It reminded me of that movie with Jennifer Lopez where she was a wedding planner and she had a little pouch for anything and everything that could—and usually would—go wrong. Oh my God, why was a chick flick popping up in my brain right now?

She started slopping some sort of goop into my hair and began trying to tame the beast. I knew it was an impossible mission, but I wasn't about to protest against the SheDevil.

After ten minutes of trying she growled, literally growled at me, and said, "It has a mind of its own! It's more like a pet than a head of hair. Do you have a name for it?" She was giggling, thank God. Then she released the words that nearly gave me a heart attack. "Oh well, she knew full well what your hair was like before she decided to marry you, so I guess she's okay with it." She turned on her heel and walked out of the room, calling over her shoulder, "You better still look like that in 45 minutes or there will be hell to pay."

I started hyperventilating. I was getting married? How in the hell had this happened? Not that I'm complaining…I loved Bella with all of my heart and I knew that I had planned to marry her, but I only remembered offering her my house key and it freaking her out. Now, here I stood—well, now that I lost the use of my legs, I was sitting—getting ready to be married…and I didn't even remember proposing?

I buried my head in my hands that I had propped on my knees and tried desperately to calm myself down. How much had I missed? Did anyone know that I hadn't even been here this whole time? How in the fuck was I going to explain this to…my bride? Thinking those words instantly made my breathing even out. My bride. Bella, the love of my life, had agreed to marry me. Nothing else mattered at that moment. My life would be complete from that moment forward. It didn't matter that I had no idea how we got there. It didn't matter that I had no idea how long it took for us to get there. And most of all, it didn't matter that I may never even find out these things. The most important thing to me was that I had my Bella forever…from this day forward…till death do us part.

A huge grin began to spread across my face. I felt warmth filling me from my head to my toes. I was getting married! I was fucking getting married!

"Holy shit! I'm getting married!" I said a bit too loudly.

I heard my mom giggling and I turned around to see her, both of us wearing grins the size of Texas. "Did it really take this long for it to sink in, sweetie?"

"Mom!" I said as I made my way over to her. We hugged each other for a few minutes before she pulled away saying, "You'll wrinkle us both if you keep that up." She chuckled and smoothed down my collar and adjusted my tie. "My boy," her voice started to shake. "My handsome, handsome boy. I've waited so long for this day. I can't believe it's finally here. And Bella…you couldn't have found a more perfect mate. I am so proud of you, baby." I grabbed a tissue from the table beside us and handed it to her.

She dabbed her eyes for a couple of minutes until she was finally composed and then looked up at me and said, "Well, now…I should wait until the actual ceremony before I let the tears fall. I need to be presentable." She chuckled and pecked me on the cheek. "I better go hang out with Alice or I'll spend the next thirty minutes crying and end up looking disastrous." She winked and started walking away. As soon as she was out of my sight I heard her whisper, "Sometimes just speaking to your mother can help ease the pain." What the…

Over the next thirty minutes I was visited by my dad, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie, Sue—that was odd—and lastly Charlie…gulp. Charlie was very calm, yet shockingly terrifying. He reminded me of our conversation—the one where he told me that he would never let anyone hurt Bella again. He even said, "I've never killed a man, but that fact will not protect the next person who hurts my baby." He patted me on the shoulder and walked out. Um, yeah…

Alice came in completely spastic. "Ok, let's get this show on the road! The guys are all ready, come on, come on, come on!" I believe one 'come on' would have sufficed…

We made it to the hallway leading to the ballroom and she shoved me toward Emmett and told us to go inside and take our place at the altar. We walked inside and suddenly my nerves decided to set in. The place was huge and decorated in a way that I knew would knock Bella's socks off. It was absolutely gorgeous, and yes, I was secure enough in my manhood to say that about wedding decorations, thank you very much. The room was decorated in white with highlights of purple everywhere you looked. The flowers, the tablecloths, the bows on the backs of the chairs—everything showed hints of her favorite color.

The size of the room and the decorations weren't what set my nerves ablaze, however. It was the vast amount of people filling the seats. Who were all of these people? Holy fucking shit…

Emmett and I went to our appointed positions at the altar and we waited for Jasper and the rest of the groomsmen, who arrived a few short minutes later. As the groomsmen took their places beside me the music had changed to Santana's 'Bella' and I was captivated. That was the perfect song to prepare me for my Bella.

Oddly, the song repeated as my mother was ushered to her seat, followed by Bella's mother. Then the bridesmaids began to come down the aisle. When Alice stepped across the threshold and the song began again I was starting to get worried. I knew Alice wouldn't have approved the use of the same song over and over again. Well, this had been a very strange day already…

Finally the music changed to the Wedding March and I held my breath in anticipation. I saw Charlie walking arm and arm with my Bella, who had always been beautiful, but had now transformed into the most splendiferous angel ever to walk the planet. She literally took my breath away. Dick started to hyperventilate.

I watched Bella glide down the aisle with the grace of a Greek goddess. I wanted nothing more than to run to her and wrap my arms around her, then carry her off to that magnificent bed I woke up in. Dick was already searching for the room's keycard.

As she passed her mom, I was almost positive I heard her say, "My Bella—the one who swore off love and marriage—has found true love. Oh baby, I am so happy for you!" However, Bella didn't react in the slightest. Was I hearing things still?

Bella took her place at my side and we both breathed a sigh of relief. I grinned down at her as she grinned up at me and we interlocked our fingers.

The minister began, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join Edward Anthony Cullen and Isabella Marie Swan in holy matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men—"

He continued with the opening words, but I became distracted by Bella's thumb rubbing across the back of my knuckles. For some reason when she rubbed my knuckles my mind flashed back to the night we spent in my back yard looking up at the constellations. She pointed out so many of them that I had never known and I was mesmerized by how knowledgeable she was. To take the heat off of my ignorance, I decided to be humorous and told her about something I had read in my college years when I was hanging around the University's 'Geek Freaks' and we always talked about Star Wars. We would sit around and dissect Star Wars horoscopes and prove how right they were by comparing them to everyone we knew. I had it memorized, so I proceeded to tell her that she was C3PO and I was an Ewok. Then when I started speaking 'Ewokese' we both shared a good laugh.

I was brought out of my reverie by the minister saying, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

Charlie responded, "I do."

"The Maid of honor will now read a poem from Pam Ayres," the minister said with a grin.

Alice took the microphone and began,

"He never leaves the seat up
Or wet towels upon the floor
The toothpaste has the lid on
And he always shuts the door!

She's very clean and tidy
Though she may sometimes delude
Leave your things out at your peril
In a second they'll have moved!

He's a very active person
As are all his next of kin
Where as she likes lazy days
He'll still drag her to the gym!

He romances her and dines her
Home cooked dinners and the like
He even knows her favorite food
And spoils her day and night!

She's thoughtful when he looks at her
A smile upon his face
Will he look that good in 50 years
When his dentures aren't in place?!

He says he loves her figure
And her mental prowess too
But when gravity takes her over
Will she charm with her IQ?

She says she loves his kindness
And his patience is a must
And of course she thinks he's handsome
Which in her eyes is a plus!

They're both not wholly perfect
But who are we to judge
He can be pig headed
Where as she won't even budge!

All that said and done
They love the time they spent together
And I hope as I'm sure you do
That this fine day will last forever.

He'll be more than just her husband
He'll also be her friend
And she'll be more than just his wife
She's be his soul mate 'till the end."

Everyone chuckled throughout the poem and applauded at the end. Alice daintily skipped back to her position with a smirk on her face. I rolled my eyes and shook my head with a grin in place as well.

The minister was still chuckling as he said, "Who could possibly follow that performance?" The guests filled the room with laughter again. "However, let's continue with the vows at this time, that's if these kids want to make this official."

Bella squeezed my hand tightly and I was overtaken by another memory of the two of us. This time we were at the top of the Space Needle looking out over the city. We had just eaten in the restaurant and we were looking over at the ferry where we had declared our love to each other for the first time. We kissed each other passionately for hours above the city that night.

The minister began again, "Repeat after me, 'I, Edward Anthony Cullen, take you, Isabella Marie Swan, to be my lawfully wedded wife.'"

I repeated the minister with a goofy ass grin plastered on my face.

"My constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward."

I recited those words and winked as I said, 'my love' and Bella giggled quietly.

"In the presence of God, our family and our friends, I offer you my solemn vow"

Again, I echoed the minister with a smile.

"To be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow."

As I repeated the words 'faithful partner', Dick grudgingly tore up his little black book with a tear in his eye.

"I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you,"

I declared those words with the utmost sincerity and tried to portray that in my gaze to Bella, my beautiful bride. I couldn't say those words enough…

"To laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

I couldn't help it, when I said, 'laugh with you' I did, in fact, laugh. That was something we did often and I would never grow tired of it. It was one of my favorite things about my relationship with Bella.

The minister repeated the same vows for Bella and she followed suit as I had, but at some point near the end, she said, "But you…you are the one. It has always been you. From the moment I met you, you have captured me…mind, body, and soul." I grinned crookedly at her because that was not part of what the minister had said and yet it held so much meaning between us.

It was finally time for the rings. I glanced at Bella and she had tears in her eyes. I cocked an eyebrow at her silently asking her if she was okay and she just smiled.

I took the ring and placed it on Bella's finger saying, "Isabella, with this ring I thee wed. Take it and wear it as a symbol of all we shall share."

She took her ring and said, "Edward, with this ring I thee wed. Take it and wear it as a symbol of all we shall share. I will move in with you. I will do anything you ask me to." What the hell? I should hope that my wife would move in with me…What an odd thing to say…

The minister then said, "By the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

I kissed her passionately until Emmett cleared his throat and cough whispered, "Get a room," to which the room erupted with laughter.

Bella pulled away from me but her face looked tormented. My heart dropped to the floor as I feared she was worried that she had just made a mistake. She then whispered, "Please…please…don't die on me. I can't live without you."

Suddenly Bella started to fade away as did everything around me. The guests, the minister, the decorations, everything. I blinked my eyes and became conscious of my surroundings. I was now lying on a bed and Bella was curled up at my side. I could hear machines beeping beside my head and I felt a tube across my face placed right in front of my nostrils. A hospital bed?

Then it hit me that Bella had just spoken, and I realized that she must have thought I was going to die. Things were still fuzzy in my head, but I spoke up as best I could to reassure her, "And you won't have to." I could never live without you either, my Bella.

So there you have it! HE'S AWAKE! It was so funny last chapter to read everyone's thoughts. Many of you "knew" he was awake and didn't doubt whatsoever. Many of you begged me not to let it be a dream (as if!! Lol). Many of you asked me if the angel was Edward.

So, I have a confession to make. Believe it or not, I am having a hard time with the next chapter, lol. I am halfway through, but I feel like it is all over the place. Please be patient with me ;) At least we know Edward is okay, so you can rest at ease. I promise to work my hardest to get it out asap, but it may take a bit longer than past updates, so bear with me pretty please!

What did you think of Edward's 'dream' in his coma? Wasn't it so freaking sweet? I had this planned for so long and I couldn't wait to get it out to you guys! And Dick even made a bit of an appearance. God, I missed him!

Also, I have a bit of a Christmas present planned for everyone who reads, so make sure you keep an eye on my Outtakes or put me on author alert so you don't miss it. Trust me…you *don't* want to miss this!!! *wicked grin*