A/N: I still don't own Twilight's intellectual property.
This and the next few chapters are going to be the countdown to the big day for Carlisle and Bella. I hope you'll enjoy and that you're getting as excited as our characters for their wedding day!
Chapter 32: Conversations (5 weeks to go)
CPOV
The day after Bella's graduation from Dartmouth, my family, Charlie, Bella and I flew together to Forks. We had decided it was the best place to have the wedding, as most of our guests lived there already. I had left my job at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital beginning the day before graduation, since we would be in Forks for six weeks, leaving immediately from there for our honeymoon. We still had five weeks before the wedding, but there were many preparations to be made in that time. Luckily for Bella, Alice was in charge, and little was needed from the two of us besides approvals and fittings. I must say, I was extremely excited for our wedding day, and hoped the time would pass quickly.
Our arrival in Washington was immediately followed by a trip to the furniture store in Port Angeles. Bella and I, the last time we lived in the Forks house, shared beds with Edward and Esme, thus we had decided to buy a new bed for the two of us to share. Though neither of us felt any jealousy regarding the past relationships, we had agreed it was best to start fresh, especially when it came to the bed in which we would be intimate with each other. We chose a beautiful cherry four poster bed that looked like it was fit for royalty. As we had other errands to attend to, we asked Emmett and Jasper to set it up for us back at the house while we were out.
Once that was arranged, I took Bella to visit Pastor Weber, the father of her friend Angela, so that we could ask him to preform our ceremony. The appointment went well. He remembered both of us, and we had a short interview during which he reminded us of the importance and sacredness of marriage and asked us if there were any specific requests we had for the ceremony. Our only request was that we wanted to write our own vows rather than use the official ones, which he found perfectly acceptable.
We also made a stop in La Push, where we needed to inform Sam and the pack that we were in town. While there is no longer tension between my family and the pack, we felt it would not be beneficial to let them discover vampire scents in the area without knowledge of our presence. Sam did in fact appreciate our gesture, and asked me for a private meeting between the two of us in the coming days.
Our final destination was Charlie's house, where we would be meeting for dinner with him and Sue. I had offered to take them out for dinner, but apparently Charlie wanted Bella to see what a good cook Sue was, so we stayed in. Sue was very gracious when I met her, congratulating me on my engagement to Bella and offering her continued condolences on the loss of Edward and Esme, as I offered the same for the loss of her daughter Leah. I was pleased to see that she was as kind as Charlie had described.
Charlie, in fact, seemed like a changed man from the one I had known several years ago when we met. I had noticed this change occurring slowly the last two years, but it wasn't until I saw him with Sue that I made the connection. Whereas Charlie Swan had once been a very emotionally closed, hardened sort of man, I could see that he was now very happy and friendly and even talkative. Bella explained to me later that this was most likely due to him finally getting over Renee and moving on with his life instead of dwelling in heartbreak. I could easily understand that, and it brought to me a feeling of kinship with the man who was soon to be my father in law.
After we finished dinner, of which I was thankfully only required to take a few bites that I was able to spit into my napkin without swallowing, Charlie invited me to sit with him in the living room while Sue and Bella cleared up the dishes. We sat for a moment, not having much small talk to make seeing as how we had spent the last three days together already, when Charlie began to speak.
"Carlisle, there's something I want to say to you."
"Alright, Charlie, go ahead," I said with a bit of nervousness.
"You are a good man, Carlisle. I saw that in you six years ago when you first came to this town, and I've seen it in you all along. You've always been polite and respectful to everyone you meet, which isn't something that everyone does these days. You raised those kids to be the same way, and that reflects well on you too. I know you are honest and trustworthy, because you came to me first when you wanted to be with my little girl. You know what matters in life.
I just want you to know that I know all that about you. I also know that you are something special. There aren't many men like you in these times, and I'm real happy that my daughter was lucky enough to find you. I know you'll treat her right and take care of her like she deserves, and so I'm not afraid to give her up to you.
I guess what I'm trying to say, Carlisle, is that, no matter what anything anyone else might say or think about it, I'm glad that you're going to be my son-in-law."
It was probably the most I'd ever heard Charlie say at once, and I was floored by his words. I had great respect for Charlie, and was very pleased to know he held me in such high esteem.
"Charlie, thank you. That means so much coming from a man such as yourself. I feel very blessed to be only five weeks away from joining your family."
He reached across the couch, then, and shook my hand, not seeming to notice the coldness.
A few moments later, the ladies joined us in the room, and I noticed that Charlie reached out to Sue and tugged her hand so that she sat right next to him.
"Come here, Susie Q, I want you to sit by me," he said, just loudly enough that I could hear him. I smiled inwardly. Charlie really had changed for the better.
We all sat together chatting, then Bella and I said our good-byes about thirty minutes later. It had been a long day and we needed to take some time to unpack and relax before we went to bed.
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When we returned to the house, we expected that the kids had gotten our bedroom set up and the house was once again livable. What we had not expected was what we found when we walked into the bedroom. They had not only set up the bed, but completely redecorated the room as well. The walls had been painted a light shade of brown, perhaps comparable to bamboo. The bed was set in the center of the far wall, and Alice had purchased new bedding to dress it - a celery-colored silk comforter topped creamy sheets with brown and celery stripes. There were several small pillows set on top of the blankets, one striped and two floral, with the same colors. Next to the bed were two night tables that were the same design as the bed itself, and each was topped with a lamp covered with a cream-colored linen shade. Two dressers lined the opposite wall, one high and one low with a vanity mirror and a stool. The higher dresser was topped with a vase of cream roses and several photographs displayed in linen frames. On the side of the room opposite the closet and bathroom doors was a brown leather couch and armchair with a table between that held a lamp like the ones next to the bed. On the floor in front of the couch was a shag rug in a slightly darker shade of green as that of the bedding. It was absolutely beautiful.
Bella and I stood in the doorway for a full minute, taking in the sight before us, before walking in to explore it further. Once we had, we went back to the living room to offer our thanks to the others for all their thoughtfulness and hard work.
"Don't worry about it, Carlisle. We just wanted the two of you to finally have a space that was yours," Alice explained. The others nodded in agreement before announcing their intentions to go for a quick hunt.
Bella asked me if I'd like to join them in hunting.
"No, sweetheart, I would much prefer to join you in our new bed," I whispered suggestively, before picking her up and carrying her bridal-style at a run into our room for the night.
I laid her down on our bed, and a thrill went through me to say those words - our bed - even if only in my head. I lay next to her, caressing her face as I kissed her gently, slowly deepening the kiss and making it more sensual. Tonight I wouldn't rush. Tonight I would love her slowly and passionately.
I unbuttoned her shirt as we kissed and slowly slid it off her shoulders, pushing it down her arms. Once it was removed, I let my hands run up and down her back, reveling in the feel of her soft skin under my fingers. She brought her hands out of my hair, down over my shoulders, to my chest, sliding them over my torso and up under my shirt. I shivered as I felt her hands skim over the flesh of my abdomen and pectoral muscles, slowly pushing my polo shirt up as she went. I broke our kiss to allow her to pull the shirt over my head, but returned my mouth to hers as soon as the fabric was removed, softly brushing her bottom lip with my tongue, begging for entrance to her mouth. She granted it, my tongue found hers, and they danced together, neither trying to dominate each other.
I brought my hands to her back to unhook her bra, pulling it off of her and dropping it to the side. Knowing she needed air, I pulled my mouth from hers and brought it down on her shoulder, kissing and lightly nipping along it and up the side of her neck before returning to her mouth. As much as I wanted to kiss her everywhere, I couldn't keep my lips from hers for long tonight. I used my hands on her back to press her body against me, and feeling her breasts against my chest, I sighed.
"I love you, sweet Bella, I love you," I whispered into her mouth.
"As I love you, Carlisle, forever," she replied, never taking her lips from mine.
Both of us were caressing each other's back and chest and face, showering each other in love and adoration. Bit by bit, she let her hand glide back down my chest until she reached the button of my pants, which she opened easily, sliding the zipper down when she finished. She brought her second hand down as well, and used both to remove my pants and boxer briefs at once. She took a moment to look at me appreciatively before sighing and bringing her mouth back to mine, this time slipping her tongue into my mouth to explore it fully.
It thrilled me to no end that she loved my body and found so much pleasure in the simple act of looking at it. I certainly felt the same way about hers - I could only imagine how this woman, a goddess as a mortal, would look once changed. Surely she would be the most beautiful creature ever to walk the earth.
Needing to be closer to her still, I reached down to her hips and tugged down her capri pants and panties, leaving her bare to me. I wanted so much to make love to her now, but knew I must not. We had only five weeks before we were husband and wife, and I could wait until then. For now I simply caressed her body, softly tracing the lines of her hips and breasts with my hands.
She brought her hand down, then, and wrapped it around my length, surrounding me in warmth. I purred at the sensation, my eyes rolling back in my head. She pumped her fist up and down my member slowly, drawing my moans out one by one. I didn't want to feel this without her, so I slipped two fingers into her folds, drawing out the moisture that had pooled there and spread it around her sex, paying attention to her clit before entering her hot core. The two of us laid there, in our new bed, side by side, our mouths still joined in passionate kisses, our hands pleasuring each other, breathing each other's names in between soft moans.
I felt myself approaching my climax, but was determined not to finish without her. I twisted my hand just a bit to allow my thumb to reach up and tease her clit while my two fingers continued to pump inside of her, curling just a bit at the tips in order to reach her most sensitive spot. Her breath became more ragged, her moans louder and more frequent, her hand pumping me much faster and holding me tighter, her tongue becoming more frantic in its dance with mine. It only took a few more seconds for us to come crashing over the edge together, crying out each other's names as we did.
I ran to the bathroom for a wet cloth and returned to the bed to wipe us off. Setting it on the table next to the bed, I turned back to Bella, kissing her once more as I wrapped my arms around her and let her lay her head on my chest, her breathing becoming slower and more regular already.
"I love you, Carlisle," she whispered as she slipped into sleep.
"I will love you for eternity, sweetheart," I replied, kissing the top of her head and squeezing her just a bit tighter.
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The next morning, we entered the living room to find Emmett and Jasper battling it out in a game of Halo while Rosalie and Alice were pouring over a pink notebook that I knew to be Alice's wedding bible. I left Bella with them so that I could go out to the woods for privacy while I made a very important phone call.
"Ciao?" the voice answered.
"Hello Aro, this is Carlisle Cullen calling. How are you?"
"Oh, hello Carlisle. I am well, grazie. How are you and your family?"
"We are all well. Thank you. I am actually calling to ask you for a favor, old friend."
"Si? And what favor is that?"
"I am getting married in five weeks."
"I assume your wife to be is the beautiful young Bella?"
"You assume correctly, Aro," I replied, unable to stop myself from grinning. "As you know from your last visit, we planned to make her change after her graduation, which occurred a few days ago. I would, however, like to take my wife on our honeymoon before she is a wild, blood-crazed newborn."
"Of course, Carlisle, that is of course acceptable."
"Well, that wasn't the entire request. You see, Bella chose to accelerate her graduation from Dartmouth, and the rest of my children will not graduate until this coming June."
"Ah, I see your wife is not only beautiful, but also quite intelligent. You are a lucky man, old friend."
"I agree. She has many other fine qualities as well, one of them being her selflessness. Bella does not want to deprive her siblings of the opportunity to finish their degrees, but you and I both know that I alone could not handle a newborn Bella. I would like to delay her change until next June, so that I can relocate with all of my family and they can assist me with Bella during her newborn stage. I can guarantee you, Aro, that the change will occur by the end of next summer with no further delay. This is not a request I will make again. Bella is quite adamant on being changed before her twenty-fourth birthday, which will be next September, and she is not a woman to be refused, especially not by myself. So, is this acceptable, old friend?"
"Dear Carlisle, I have no complaints myself, though I do not deny my anxiousness to see what your Bella is like in immortality. I am able to be patient another year, though. However I fear that my brother Caius will not be so agreeable. I will not make known to him any knowledge I have regarding this issue with your family, but I would prefer this not to become an issue if I am to give my word of protection to you. I'd like to ask Marcus if he will support me. If he does, then your request shall be granted. Please, wait for a moment while I confer with him."
While I waited for Aro to return to the line, I contemplated the possibilities. If he were to give permission, Bella and I could spend her last year human traveling and enjoying all the places that she from which will be prevented from going until her control is strong. I thought of all of the places she might like to see... perhaps France - she would love the Louvre...
"Carlisle?"
"Yes, Aro, I am still here."
"Good. Marcus has agreed to your request as well, and we have only one condition. We need to know the location where you plan to move for the change, and we would like to schedule a visit to see a vampire Bella in the fall."
"That is acceptable, I am very grateful to you, Aro. Please extend my gratitude to your brother as well. We will be living on our estate in British Columbia, Canada. You can call me in the fall to schedule your visit, we have plenty of room available in that house for guests."
"Fantastico! I do so look forward to seeing how your Bella adjusts to the change."
"Thank you, Aro."
"Ciao, Carlisle."
"Good-bye."
I hung up, elated with my success, and went back inside to my family. I found Bella on the couch, and ran to her, picking her up and swinging her in a full circle in my arms, laughing joyously.
"Oh my dear Bella, soon you will be my wife, and our lives with be perfect."
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The week was going so well already, and each day that passed brought me one step closer to my wedding day. On our third day in Forks, I went to La Push for my meeting with Sam.
"Thank you for meeting with me, Carlisle," he said as I shook the alpha's hand.
"It's no problem, Sam. I have something that I need to discuss as well."
"Alright. Would you like to begin then?"
"Thank you. I wanted to talk to you about Bella. I'm sure you know that she has asked to become a vampire. This was supposed to happen years ago after her wedding with Edward, but we postponed it so that she'd have a chance to finish college." I saw his grimace, even as he tried to hide it. "I know that this is not something that you really approve of, and I understand your reasoning. However, there is another matter which makes the change necessary. The Volturi, which are like the royal family for our kind, have laws which must be followed. No human must know of our existence. If they do, they must die or be changed. Bella exposed herself to them when she saved Edward in Italy, and she was released by them with the promise that she would become a vampire. If they come to verify, which they will, and find her human, they will kill her, as well as the rest of my family, without question. So you see, we really have no option."
I must give credit to Sam, he had let me speak and had remained calm through it, despite the fact that he must have strong feelings on the subject.
"Carlisle, I understand your situation. I also know of Bella's feelings on the matter - she made it clear to us a long time ago. What is it you need from me?"
"Well Sam, I know that if we bite Bella, it nullifies the treaty between your people and my family. I will do it anyway, because it is the only way to protect her, as well as the rest of us. However, I would prefer to do it with your permission, so that peace remains between us and we are able to visit the area in the future."
"Carlisle, there is no problem between us. If you were to bite an unwilling person or kill a human, we would have to take action because it is our duty to do so. But we know that this situation is different. You have my permission, as chief of my people and alpha of the pack, to change Bella. All I ask is that you keep her away from the area until she is fully under control. It would cause all of us great pain to act against her, and I know it would cause her as much pain to hurt a human. Please, Carlisle, protect her from that kind of pain."
"I will, Sam. I will do everything I can to prevent Bella from every feeling pain again after her change... That in itself ]will be painful enough." I shuddered at the memory. "Thank you, Sam."
"You're welcome. Now I must give you my news. I'm sure you are aware that I imprinted several years ago. My Emily is now two years older than me, as I haven't aged since becoming a werewolf. We are expecting our first child in a few months. I have made the decision to step down as alpha, and to stop phasing, so that I can grow old with my family. I will begin in one month. I have chosen Quil to take over in my place, as he is the next in line according to birthright, and he also has the longest time before his imprint is of an age that will lead him to make a similar choice. Quil has as much respect for you and your family as I do, and will stand by my decision, I promise you."
"I'm very happy for you Sam. You have shown great integrity as a leader, the pack and your entire tribe have been lucky to have you. I wish you a long and happy future with your family." I reached out to shake his hand, and then patted him on the back. "You are a good man, Sam."
"As are you, Carlisle," he replied, returning my handshake firmly.
Later that night I lay in our bed with Bella, feeling free. For the first time in years I felt like I had no reason to worry. In just over a month, the woman I was now holding would be my wife. I closed my eyes and breathed a small sigh. I couldn't dream, but my mind allowed for daydreams. So I imagined my Bella, my beautiful wife, and how she would look on our wedding night... How it would feel to have our bodies pressed up against each other, skin to skin, hot to cold... How she would taste as I ran my lips and tongue over every surface of her body... How it would feel to have her heat wrapped around me in the most intimate of ways...
I had to stop. This daydream was quickly leading me to a place where a cold shower was necessary... And unfortunately, water temperature has no effect on vampires. I considered waking her, but there were only two hours until morning, surely I could wait that long. I looked down at my fiancee again, and noticed the slight swell of her breast was now showing over the neckline of her tank top. My god, how I wanted this woman!
I spent much of the rest of the night chanting three words to myself over and over: five more weeks.