AUTHOR'S NOTE: Since I'm now in the process of writing the final chapter, I figured I'd go ahead and start posting the conclusion. Thanks so much for the reviews, for taking the time out to read what I've written, and for boosting my love for writing. I really appreciate it and keep the critiques comin'!
Stephenie Meyer's holdin' all the cards, I'm just peeking over her shoulder.
Chapter Twenty-Five:
Once Alice got going on a project, there was just no stopping her. As soon as she saw the vision of Edward and I marrying, she was off and running. Rosalie and Esme had, of course, joined in to help; rendering me completely useless.
Not that I minded, but I did want to be included. I hadn't really had a formal wedding with Jason and after a lot of thought and consideration, I decided that this was the marriage that counted. Nothing from my human life was carrying over into my vampiric existance. And that meant that I was treating this as my first time marrying. Edward was gracious enough to let me have my illusions, claiming it was comical how we had trashed virtues left and right with our courtship.
In the days leading up to the small wedding that had been thrown together, I learned even more about the Cullens' history. Namely the cousins from Denali. They wanted to be present for the vampiric nuptuals and I was anxious to meet the beautiful creatures that I'd heard so much about from Carlisle.
Another surprise came in the form of an Alice vision, as I called it. Bella and Jacob had accepted their invitation and were coming to visit. I would be meeting the human girl that had opened Edward's heart just forty-eight hours before I married the vampire she had fallen so absolutely in love with.
If this didn't have the makings for a soap opera, I didn't know what would! But it felt oddly fitting, to have the past coming together to start a new future.
I strangely wasn't stressed at all. Whatsoever.
The other women in my family on the other hand? Not so much on the stress-free tip.
Breezing into the house after an impromptu hunting trip with Jasper and Emmett, I was nearly knocked over by the tiny black blurr that had become Alice. Jasper broke off immediately and headed upstairs, Emmett following suit as soon as the words wedding and dress had been murmered from the other room. But when I heard new voices, my curiosity got the better of me.
Instead of escaping as the other two had, I wandered into the spacious dining room that was momentarily converted for wedding plans and stopped short when four breathtaking women and one exotically beautiful man turned to face me. Their attributes ranged wildly along the spectrum, but I easily recognized the three sisters; Kate, Tanya, and Irina. They were grouped together with the exotic male and his mate standing closely nearby. They had to be Carmen and Eleazar.
"Hey." I muttered, feeling rather lame as I lifted my hand to wave before it fell back to my side.
The tall vampire with strawberry blonde curls smiled dazzlingly at me then suddenly lurched to my side. She was deceptively quick in enveloping me in a hug, needing no hinderance or pretenses to reside between us. "You must be Piper!" She spoke in a clear, bell-like voice, still smiling when she pushed me back to arm's length.
I just smiled bashfully and nodded, feeling very inferior next to this gorgeous women. Who may or may not have had a past with Edward. Well, she had insanely good taste in men, and I could see the attraction she presented. I just had to work to swallow back the jealousy that was threatening to swallow me whole.
"We've heard so much about you." The next, who was introduced to me as Kate, stepped forward and lightly grasped my hand. Her skin, which I expected, felt just as smooth and solid as mine. Only one of many common bonds between our families.
"Only good things, I hope." I cracked and managed a weak smile as I rested one hip carefully against the lip of the table. The energy was, for the most part, relaxed in the dining room. But there was a small layer of tension that I just could not escape from. I couldn't get it out of my head, these women and this man were extremely important to my family. I needed them to like me.
"Very good things." Kate nodded her agreement then looked over when the last sister, Irina nodded as well.
"Not all of it was good, though." The tall brunette with short, close-cropped hair announced, her arms drawn tightly over her chest. But before she could say anything, the female vampire I now knew to be Carmen, took up where she'd left off.
"Edward told us a little of your history." She announced, her Spanish voice hinting at the sadness she might have felt upon hearing my story. Her mate, Eleazar stood immobile at her side, his bright golden eyes trained expertly on me. "I apologize, we were terribly curious about how you came to join the Cullens."
I nodded slowly and smiled wistfully when I picked up on something that she hadn't really wanted to know. "Especially since y'all were counting on Bella to be in my place."
Everyone, including the women in my family, stared at me in shock and I had to laugh lightly as I shook my head. "I don't mind, really." I announced and held my hands up slightly to defuse the situation. "I just...I kinda figured you wanted to say that, but wouldn't let yourself."
"This one is very gifted." Eleazar spoke for the very first time, his deep voice thick with his heritage. "You are aware of your capabilities, yes?"
"You mean the lying thing?" I asked casually, gesturing at my stomach before I pointed a finger toward my brain. "And I know I can keep Edward out of my head when I want to. Is that what you're talking about?"
"It is." A new voice greeted us and I jumped visibly when Edward suddenly came up behind me. My body relaxed instantly and I leaned back against his smooth, stone chest. "Eleazar has the gift of seeing the potential in new vampires. He used to work for the Volturi."
"Really?" I looked up at Edward in surprise, knowing that my eyes probably looked about as big as quarters right then. The women surrounding us snickered mutedly but I let it go. I had only ever heard about the Volturi once, and that had been shortly after I awoke to this new life. "I haven't heard much about them. What did you do for them?"
The smile on Eleazar's face was kind, but before he could launch into any kind of tale, Esme stepped forward. "Let's all go to the living room, okay? That way we're not all just standing around."
Everyone accepted and I followed willingly. Course, there wasn't much I could do anyway with Edward pushing me ahead of him gently.
We reconviened, everyone stretching out for comfort that our bodies didn't nessessarily need. But it was good practice for me. We wouldn't be able to stay in Hanover much longer, ages were being stretched beyond the realistic points. I had decided during my ride with Rosalie that I would start attending school the next time. I was officially past the newborn phase now, my strength had already leveled out and my eyes were always bright gold after successfully hunting. I'd never really had a problem obstaining from human blood, so my family was now appeased with my choice to start school.
"Okay, so what all do I need to know about the Volturi?" I asked as soon as we were situated. Edward had flopped down in the chair next to the couch and unceremoniously pulled me down into his lap. But it was a welcome gesture, I loved how candid he was able to be with me now. Especially with all the plans and preparations going on around us. "What did you do for them?"
"I worked in their guard, helping to discover gifts among the newborn vampires." He started, then soon launched into the history of the royal family that resided in Italy. Strangely, I wanted to meet these elders, that deemed themselves the protectors of our existance. Carlisle had grown close to the three leaders during a long stint in Italy, after he was first born. But if I was being honest with myself, mostly I just wanted to see the ancient city.
I'd never really confided in Edward my desire to see worlds beyond what I'd already experienced as a human, then later as a vampire. Eternity was stretched out before us now, but I wondered how he would feel if I asked to start traveling.
Eleazar mapped out his entire existance with the Volturi for me then the conversation just seemed to flow on from there. There was no time limit to our conversations, one topic flowing fluidly into the next. And there was laughter. So much laughter as the Denali sisters recounted tales from their time with the Cullen family.
I loved hearing all about it, I was even able to laugh along with everyone else as Tanya recalled the times she tried to make a pass at Edward, only to have her advances gentlemanly rebuked.
As we sat there talking, acting the way an extended family was truly supposed to act, I could hear a car slowly approaching the house. Thinking it was just Carlisle coming home from his shift at the hospital, I didn't pay the automobile any mind.
It wasn't until a glittering smile lit up Alice's face. "She's here!" She announced then shot to her feet and quickly darted out of the house.
Blinking in surprise, I just looked back at Edward and frowned when I saw the look on his face. Whoever was approaching the house had my husband-to-be on edge.
"Who's here?" I asked and rose to my feet, turning to face Edward as he followed suit.
"Bella and Jacob." He replied then surprised me by holding out his hand to me. A smile slowly lit up his features and lightened his golden eyes beautifully. "Want to come with me outside to greet them?"
As much as I wanted to say no, as much as I wanted to kick and scream, demanding this girl get nowhere near him; I knew that it was illogical for me to be reacting this way.
The bonds between Edward and Bella would never disolve. The love they had once felt for each other would always be there, holding them in each other's hearts in a way that I could never fully understand because I wasn't there during their short, whirlwind courtship.
But I trusted Edward. And I trusted the young woman now timidly approaching the front porch. So I smiled, slid my hand into his and nodded bravely. "Let's go meet Bella and Jacob."