Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to SM.
Happily Ever After is Worth Fighting For:
A Bella and Edward Story Part 37
The next tribal meeting was held the day after the Blakes moved to LaPush. While Jacob called the meeting to order, Allision Uley stood proudly with her arms around both Tiffany and Judy. Sam followed his mother's example and stood with his arms around Embry and Gwen.
Jacob turned the floor over to Allison because she had requested to speak on behalf of herself and Sam.
"Good Morning. Most of you knew Joshua Uley. He was a horrible husband and an even worse father. Before he abandoned his wife and child for parts unknown, he lied to and compromised two teenage girls from our neighboring tribe." Allison said with a look of disgust on her face.
There was much muttering but no one seemed shocked. The older generation knew the man and what he was capable of.
Allison turned and smiled at Tiffany before continuing.
"Most of you know Tiffany Call. She moved to LaPush when she was pregnant and single handedly raised an incredible son." Allison smiled and winked at Embry who blushed.
"Many of you have gotten to know Tiffany over the years. She is a decent woman who has always kept to herself. However, when she wasn't working or raising her son, she was busy volunteering her time to help our tribe in anyway that she could.
What you don't know is that she was one of the unfortunate teenagers that were misled by Joshua. When she hadn't heard from him for a few weeks, she asked her father to make inquiries and that is when she learned the truth. Her father compounded her grief when he decided to disown her rather than love her unconditionally as a father should.
She has been alone in this world, raising her son with no support.
As a single mother, myself, I can truly understand how difficult it has been. However, I was fortunate enough not to have had to carry the burden of shame that this dear woman had.
She has been living a life of shame when her only error was to fall in love. As far as I am concerned, all shame in her situation belongs to Joshua who lied to her and her father who abandoned her and her unborn child." Allison said with conviction.
There was applause at Allison's words.
"Judy was also tricked but she chose to move away from both tribes in order to try to outrun the shame she felt. Again, the shame belongs to the scoundrel named Joshua Uley and no one else. As you can see, Judy has also raised a remarkable young woman single handedly." Allison said as she turned and winked at Gwen. She too blushed.
"Sam and I hold no ill will towards these remarkable women or their children. In fact, Sam is thrilled to welcome his new brother and sister into his life." Allison said while smiling affectionately at her son.
"Sam and I ask that each of you treat these members of our family with respect. Tiffany and Judy have earned it by being such incredible single parents and Embry and Gwen are just innocent." Allison said in closing.
Her words were met with applause and murmurs of agreement.
Both Tiffany and Judy were very touched by how gracious Allison was and couldn't keep their tears at bay. She too was a remarkable woman and they appreciated her kindness and acceptance.
Allison knew that Tiffany and Judy both still felt shame but hoped that her welcoming them into her family would help them to overcome that.
Once Allison had finished speaking, Jacob rose to his feet, took hold of Gwen's hand and led her to the front of the gathering.
"Everyone, now that you have all met Gwen, I would like you to know that her joining the tribe has made me a happy man because I have now found my imprint." Jacob declared proudly.
This announcement was met with congratulatory cheers.
Everyone was very happy for their young Chief.
Jacob kissed Gwen and led her back to her seat between her brothers before he turned and looked solemnly at the tribe.
"Unfortunately, Gwen's ex-boyfriend has become a problem for her and her mom. He has been stalking Gwen and although they have moved three time prior to coming here, he has managed to find her each time." Jacob said.
There was a great deal of angry mutterings from those gathered.
"Fortunately Charlie, Bella and the Cullens helped both women escape and change identities so for now I believe they are safe.
I ask each of you to please be vigilant. If anyone starts snooping please let Sam, Embry, Quil or myself know." Jacob requested.
Everyone promised and the meeting was adjourned.
In the weeks that followed, the tribe was very busy planning the Stag & Doe party for Bella and Edward. This was instead of separate bachelor and bachelorette parties because neither Bella nor Edward wished to take part in any sort of debauchery.
Normally a Stag & Doe party was used to raise money for the newlyweds. However when Jacob expressed the tribe's wish to host this event, the couple had requested that they just wanted to have a fun evening to celebrate with their friends and family.
They weren't interested in material things just the happy memories.
Much to Bella and Edward's delight, the tribe decided to have a bonfire for the Stag & Doe party. It was fun and casual which was exactly what the couple needed to unwind and relax.
Bella and the Cullens had all just graduated from high school and were now getting all of the final details for the wedding, reception and the honeymoon ironed out. Bella and Edward were very involved in the planning and had to constantly rein Alice in. That alone was a full time job so they both welcomed the party.
Everyone who attended showed up with coolers filled with beverages and food to cook over the fires which had been built. They also brought incredible dishes that had been prepared beforehand.
It reminded Bella of a potluck and she was in heaven.
As the date of her transformation grew nearer, Bella was acutely aware of all of the things that she would be giving up in order to be granted immortality. Now that she would be able to keep Charlie in her life, the only other thing that gave her a twinge of sadness was no longer being able to enjoy food.
Bella had always loved cooking and more importantly eating.
She was really happy that this celebration had most of her favorite dishes being served. This allowed her to sample lots of great food while mingling with her loved ones.
After everyone had eaten, Quil Senior shared tribal legends with all who gathered. Most of the tribe had already heard these stories countless times but the Bella, the Blakes and the Cullens all found them incredibly fascinating.
Afterwards, Edward played guitar with Seth and his band. Their impromptu concert led to lots of singing and dancing. The evening finally ended with an incredible fireworks display.
Bella and Edward got their wish. It was an unforgettable night.
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