A/N: I don't own Twilight.

Special thanks to my friends Gerri (super beta) and Rory (the best pre-reader I could hope for). Without them, this story wouldn't be what it is today :).

And of course, thanks to you for reading.

So, you've read thirty-seven of my chapters now, therefore you probably realize this, but I don't normally allow my chapters to rely heavily on a song. I'll occasionally use a song for inspiration for part of a chapter, but rarely for the entire thing. Well, this time, I am. The entire chapter is based on Taylor Swift's Today Was a Fairy Tale. I love that song (actually, I love every song Taylor Swift has ever released, lol), and from the very first time I heard it, I knew I wanted the PP wedding to follow that song. It's just too perfect not to. If you haven't heard it, then head over to you-tube and take a listen. I'll put a link up on my profile, but if for some reason I forget to have that up by the time you read this, just run a search; you'll be able to find it no problem.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: TODAY WAS A FAIRY TALE

Bella

The spa was amazing; Edward had really gone all out on the gift certificate, and we had all the typical spa-type activities: mud baths, steam rooms, massages, all wrapped up with getting our nails, hair and makeup done for the party. We finished around one-thirty in the afternoon, and just before we left, they surprised me with some shower-type gifts; I had no idea when they'd managed to purchase the items, and honestly, I was a little embarrassed by the little scraps of fabric that the other four called 'lingerie.' When I couldn't keep the question in any longer—why they had bought me lingerie, today, out of the blue—Alice answered. To be fair, there were other things, too, though; a slew of bath and body oils and lotions among other things "Well, I know your mom and I are planning on being here for your wedding, but I wanted to make sure we could be a part of a bridal shower for you as well. I didn't want you to miss out on our fabulous presents, Bella." I couldn't really argue much with that; the reminder that Alice didn't live here was a bit difficult to remember sometimes. I'd gotten so accustomed to having her around, this past week, it was like we'd never had our slight falling-out over the Rosalie incident, or been away from each other for as long as we had.

By the end of lunch, I was actually feeling pretty good, but my mom insisted that we go back to my house and rest before the party. Alice, Esme, and Kim were going over the Cullens' to prepare for the party, and no matter how many times I offered, they took my mom's side. So in the end, the three of them went back to Chicago in Kim's car while my mom and I came home in mine.

I hated the idea of sleeping with my party makeup on, but I couldn't convince my mom that I didn't need a nap before the party. I felt a little like a young child, which was kind of irritating; I was engaged after all, and about to have a child of my own. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that she was just trying to take care of me. When all was said and done, I ended up not arguing with her and laying down on mine and Edward's bed. I was very careful to lay on my back, though, in the hopes that I wouldn't smudge my makeup. I'd decided against an up-do for the party tonight and instead had just had my hair washed and the ends trimmed. Its natural waves didn't require much more than that, even for a party—albeit a family-only home one.

It didn't feel like it had been very long at all between the time I first laid on the bed and when my mom was coming in, telling me that it was time to get up and get ready, because we were expected at Edward's parents house soon. I was slightly groggy, but Mom seemed wide awake. I had no idea what she'd done while I slept, but whatever it was must have kept her entertained because she seemed to be just bursting with energy.

I'd just been wearing yoga pants and a tee-shirt at the spa in the name of comfort, and I was still wearing just that now. I went over to the closet and pulled out two work suits—the maternity ones; I hadn't been shopping in awhile except for my wedding dress, and didn't have any party dresses that would fit now—with the intention of asking my mom's opinion. I walked over to the door and stood in the frame; my mom was just a few feet away on the sofa. "Hey, Mom? Which of these do you think would be better for tonight?"

"Actually, baby, Alice called while you were resting; she said she went out and bought you something for tonight; it's at Esme's so you can just wear anything now and change there."

"Oh." That was…weird. And then, it wasn't. Shopping was Alice's life, literally. So I shouldn't have been surprised at the fact that she'd bought me a new dress. I shrugged and reentered my bedroom and returned the suits to the closet.

When I emerged, my mom smiled and asked, "Are you hungry? I've made a small snack, and we've got just enough time for it before we need to leave for the party."

"Actually, I am a little bit. Thank you."

We sat together at the dining table eating the fruit, cheese and crackers my mom had prepared before she woke me up, and when we'd both had our fill, and made one more trip to the bathroom to brush our teeth, we left for the city. While we were sitting at the table my mom and I had a mother-daughter chat that definitely threatened to ruin the makeup I had been so careful about preserving when we started talking about my pending nuptials. She filled me in on the shopping excursion she went on with Esme, giving me a little more information about the dresses they'd purchased for our wedding. It seemed that they decided to coordinate with the color scheme I chose for the day as they both picked shades of purple – my mom's a deep lilac and Esme's a dark purple. They had a fun time together, according to my mom, even going out for a bite after they finished their shopping. Mom said she also purchased two long sleeve, angora, sweater-shrugs, in mauve for Kim and Alice to wear over their bridesmaid's dresses. She said she couldn't resist buying them as the color was a perfect match to the dresses.

"Thanks, Mom, I'm sure they will love them."

"Oh, Bella," my mom gushed, "I can hardly believe we're sitting here talking about your wedding…my little girl is really getting married."

"Mom, I thought you would be thinking 'it's about time;' I mean I was supposed to be married already… six months ago and well," I gestured to my baby bump.

"I know dear, but first of all that marriage was not meant to be, and now, even though you are already settled into your life with Edward and expecting a child of your own, it doesn't change the fact that whenever your father and I look at you we see not only the woman you've become, but also our daughter who we love so very much. Bella, when I look at you at a time like this, I can't help but remember so many of your firsts: your first day of school, and your first communion and—"

"Mom please, you have to stop, I don't want to cry."

"Okay, but listen, I'm only trying to say that just like all of those other times, your father and I know you will make the most beautiful bride and the most wonderful wife and mother and we are very happy with your choice for a husband; you two are so well suited to each other and obviously crazy about each other too."

"You think so, Mom?"

"We both do, we've talked about it. We're so happy for you both." She reached out and pulled me into her arms and I hugged her back, before fleeing to the washroom, somehow winning the battle to keep my make-up intact. "And for the record, no matter how old you get, Bella Marie Swan," my mother yelled out from across the room, "you will always be our little girl." I just smiled and kept going.

We drove to Esme and Carlisle's house in relative quiet; I was still a bit tired, and my mom didn't know the way, so I had to drive, focusing extra hard on the road, especially as it was already dark. I hoped we wouldn't hit any ice, and thankfully, we made it all the way there safely. As we were pulling into the driveway, my mom told a joke that still had me laughing as we entered Carlisle and Esme's home.

I didn't really even think about it when she insisted that I go through the door first. Over the past few months, I'd grown accustomed to entering Carlisle and Esme's house without knocking, so I did just that on this day.

When I opened the door and practically tumbled through it, I saw Edward standing on the low landing, just two steps up the staircase, wearing a tuxedo. I'd seen Edward dressed up, of course, but in a full-on tuxedo… There were no words. He was the most handsome man I'd ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes on. I couldn't keep a gasp from escaping my throat. "What are you doing? Why are you wearing a tux for a New Year's Eve party? Isn't that a little fancy?"

I could never have anticipated the next words out of his mouth in a million years. "This is more than just a New Year's Eve party, Bella." He stepped down from the landing and took each of my hands in his. "This is our wedding."

I had no coherent thoughts at that moment. My eyes filled with tears and I swallowed thickly. "Really?" I couldn't mask my shock and surprise, and above all, awe that this was happening.

"Really. I've taken care of all the details that we both wanted, with the help of our friends and family. All you have to do is let Alice and Kim help you get your dress on and meet me at the altar in about an hour." At the mention of friends and family, I looked around and saw that we'd been joined by everyone: Alice and Kim were wearing their bridesmaids dresses standing on the stairs, closely flanked by Esme, wearing a stunning deep purple gown, just as my mother had described; the four men, my dad, Carlisle, Jasper, and Jared emerged from the dining room, all spruced-up wearing matching tuxedos, vests and ties and all grinning at me, obviously wanting to see my reaction to the surprise.

"Oh my god," I murmured. "The altar; what altar? I can't believe this." My words felt jumbled; I had no words to convey the jumble of thoughts going through my mind.

My dad stepped up next to me, his smile the biggest of all—besides Edward's—and said, "Don't worry, Bells. That's what I'm here for; I'll show you the way."

Edward leaned in and kissed me sweetly on the mouth, and I eagerly returned the gesture. All too soon, he was pulling away and saying, "You look gorgeous. I love you, baby."

"I love you, too," I said, my voice chock full of emotion. "This is… this is… I'm beyond words. I really don't know what to say." I turned around to face my mother, and then back around to face my almost-mother-in-law, and best friends. "You were all in on this?"

They smiled at me, not saying any words, but their silence and grins spoke volumes. It was obvious from their expressions that all four of them had been in on the surprise. After about three seconds, Alice couldn't contain herself any longer. "Come on, Bella, we're down to fifty-eight minutes now. I mean, your hair and makeup's done, thanks to the spa, but we still have a lot of work to do getting you ready. Let's go." She grabbed me by the arm and towed me up the stairs, everyone laughing below us.

"I'll meet you at the altar love," Edward called to me, and I hastened a glance at him as I tried to keep from blinking in a fruitless attempt to keep the tears in my eyes from overflowing.

It was a losing battle, though, as my eyes were swimming by the time we made it to the top of the stairs, and I was glad I had so much help around to keep me from falling. I felt like I was immersed in a dream, that this day could not possibly be real, as Alice held my hand, pulling me excitedly along the corridor. I could hardly make out where she was leading me, but I didn't care; I was a willing participant. On the way we passed what I knew to be Edward's childhood bedroom, I caught just a glimpse of what I recognized as the clothes he'd worn this morning—his favorite jeans and a dark gray shirt. It hit me that he'd been here all day, and his unexplained absences all week made sense now, too. He'd been planning this. Alice led me to Carlisle and Esme's room; I'd seen it only on my 'official' tour of the house, I'd never spent any substantial amount of time in there. As I entered the large room, I realized why it had been chosen for my preparation area: Esme had a vanity with a large mirror in here, and there was also a private bathroom. "Sit," Alice instructed, pointing at the vanity chair. I obeyed, and Alice turned me to face the mirror.

There was something on the vanity that caught my eye. I quickly rubbed my fingers over my face to clear the tears away so I could see properly and took a better look at the counter. It was a slip of paper with my name written on the outside in Edward's oh-so-familiar handwriting. I picked it up and shushed Alice when she reminded me that we were down to 'fifty-six and a half minutes' remaining. I glanced at Kim for a few seconds when she giggled, at either Alice's exuberance or my shushing her, I wasn't sure. Then my thoughts and my vision were consumed once again by the letter my very thoughtful and beautiful Edward had written to me.

Dear Bella,

The next time I see you will be when you're walking down the aisle to me, to become my wife. Unless, of course, you hate the idea of the surprise wedding, in which case, well… I don't know what I'll do. I sincerely hope you're not upset with me for planning this entire affair behind your back. Know, though, that it wasn't really behind your back, because I made sure that every decision I made was with your blessing. That's why everyone's been so insistent about getting your opinions about some 'future wedding' all week long. I wanted to make sure our wedding was your dream wedding. I hope I've succeeded.

I know that I tell you frequently that I love you, but it never seems like these words are enough. Since, how can three little words express what you have come to mean to me? I know I must be truly blessed to be with you, for I know that you are more than I deserve. You are my life now, Bella and I look forward to spending the rest of my days with you, loving you and raising not only Harrison, but hopefully we will be blessed with more children in the future as well.

I hope we will look back on this day, our wedding day, with the fondest of memories, and see it as marking the first day of our eternal commitment to each other, our first of many milestones we have reached together and hand in hand we will walk into our future joined as one, loving each other, growing stronger still… over the next fifty—or so— years to come.

I'm waiting for you, my love, to come take my hand.

I'll meet you at the altar.

I love you Bella, with all my heart.

Edward

"Are you ready now?" Alice asked, breaking into my thoughts. Her voice was gentle, not at all rushing, which frankly surprised me a little. I knew she had to have been worried about the small amount of time she had to get me ready, and I'd just spent several of those precious minutes reading the letter.

"Yes, I'm ready."

"Good, because thanks to all that crying you've done, we need to redo some of your makeup, too. You can thank me now for insisting on waterproof mascara and eyeliner, because at least we only have to clean up the tear streaks and not any black lines running down your face." Her voice was only half teasing. I looked at myself in the mirror.

"Thank you, Alice." I gave her a sardonic smile. I looked back at Kim who was smiling ear to ear and obviously trying not to laugh, and then I broke out in a big smile as well because really I couldn't care any less about my make-up being perfect, I was feeling far too happy for that.

I refolded the paper and held it securely in my lap. I knew that now more than ever, I didn't have to worry about losing Edward any longer, but I still wanted to have that small connection to him while I was being primped and preened for the wedding. Oh, my word, I'm getting married tonight! The words repeated in my mind until they began to lose meaning. Alice and Kim made quick work of cleaning my face and then applying fresh makeup to my cheeks and lips before I changed into the white-lacy-under-garments I purchased especially for my wedding day. After I was done, Kim sat me down in the seat in front of the vanity once again as Alice held a heated curling iron and was eyeing me speculatively. Kim brushed out my hair and then Alice gave me a few ringlets that fell loosely around my face before she placed the tiara/headband that I'd picked out in my hair. I absolutely loved how it looked and felt and it even held back a few tufts of my hair, keeping them from falling in my face. Alice and Kim each grabbed one of my hands and led me away from the vanity to an open area in Esme's and Carlisle's bedroom so they could help me into my dress. Alice painstakingly buttoned-up the nearly thirty little bobbles on the back of my dress while Kim buckled the straps on my Mary-Janes and handed me my beautiful sweater/jacket, and helped me put it one over my dress. Alice and Kim put their shrugs on and my mother was right, they matched their dresses perfectly. I sat gingerly on the edge of Esme's bed when I was declared 'ready,' awaiting my mother's entrance, letting us know as soon as she would be dressed and ready to take her place; everyone else had gotten ready before I'd arrived here. "What time is it?" I asked the room in general.

"A quarter after six," Kim told me.

I nodded, and reopened the yellow paper I'd been clutching ever since I'd first discovered it. I read it again, then once more. Every time, I seemed to find some deeper meaning within the words, and I had to take a lot of deep breaths to make sure I didn't cry and mess up my new makeup job. I knew we didn't have time to do it again. Everything seemed to disappear around me as I read the letter, and I was surprised when I heard my dad's voice from just outside the door a few minutes later.

"Are you ladies ready?" he called.

I looked around the room with unfocused eyes; my mother was the one to respond first; I'd been so distracted by Edward's letter that I hadn't noticed when she entered the room along with Esme. "We are, sweetie," my mom yelled out to him. "We'll be there in just a minute."

The four women closest to me in my world huddled around me, each giving me hugs and well wishes. We were just about ready to get up when my mom exclaimed, "Wait! You need your something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue."

"Well, her dress is new, and her ring is blue," Alice mused before I could even really think. "So, borrowed and old…"

"I know," Esme said. She walked over to her closet and pulled out a stunning off-white, hooded, cloak, with lots of lace and intricate beading.

"Oh my, this is so beautiful Esme, I couldn't possibly," I said in stunned disbelief.

"Yes you can and you will…you might need it later. It was my grandmother's. It'll serve the dual purpose of keeping you warm and being your something old."

I just nodded and smiled in silent thanks. My mother reached into her purse, just then and brought out a small package wrapped in silver paper. "Bella, even though your dress is new, your father and I wanted you to have something from us to wear on your special day."

"Oh mom, just having you here… both of you… you didn't have to…"

"I know we didn't have to, we wanted to," she smiled warmly back at me. I tucked my finger under the flap, being careful not to cut myself and tore the pretty paper off, revealing a blue rectangle box beneath and opened it.

"Oh, Mom, it's so pretty. I love it. Thank you." I reached over and gently pulled her to me, for a hug. "Help me put it on." It was a delicate diamond tennis bracelet in white gold; my mom fastened it to my left arm.

"And here," Kim piped up, removing the strand of pearls from around her own neck. "Borrow my necklace."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Now we're ready," my mother said, grasping my hand and leading me to the door where my father was waiting. He handed me some flowers which I soon realized was my bouquet. Purple and white calla lilies, the stems wrapped in a wide ivory ribbon and tied in a bow.

My dad took my mom on one arm and me on the other and led us down the stairs with the other three following behind us. Jasper and Jared were waiting at the bottom, near the door to the kitchen. I could hear music coming from the general direction of the kitchen/dining room area, and wondered where the ceremony was happening. I assumed that it'd be inside since it was so cold out, but when Jared and Jasper led my mom and Esme through the kitchen and outside along the path that I knew led to the gazebo, I was once again overcome with emotion.

The two of them—Jasper and Jared—didn't return, and I knew that that meant they had joined Edward and were going to be waiting up front... in my gazebo. The music changed to a song I recognized as one that I'd heard in a lot of weddings, but I couldn't think of the title right now; my brain was still muddled from the events of the past hour. The time had sped by during the preparation process, and I couldn't even remember most of the past hour. Now, I watched Alice and Kim make their way through the kitchen and out the sliding glass door to the backyard. My father led me to that same door and we waited our turn. I could see a small group of people gathered in the gazebo, and I squinted a little, trying to recognize faces. Before I had any success in making them out, the music changed. I immediately recognized the tune as a traditional wedding song I had mentioned to Alice earlier in the week as the one I wanted for my wedding – "Canon in 'D' Major", by Pachelbel.

"Are you ready, Bells?" my dad asked gently.

I took a deep breath and swallowed thickly. "Yes, I'm ready dad."

I placed my hand on his proffered arm, and he took his other hand and patted my hand. "This one's the right choice," he assured me.

"I know."

"I guess you'll be needing this," he took Esme's cloak from my now shaking hand and draped it over my shoulders, fastening the single button in the front, and then he gently freed my hair from underneath, letting it flow down my back… an earlier time he had done this for me years ago, flashed in my memory, causing my eyes to fill once again. "Let's go baby girl."

He led me through the door down the purple runner that had been laid over the shoveled path between the house and gazebo. I was amazed at Edward's attention to detail; everywhere was decorated, the terrace just outside the door, the trees, the ground, and the gazebo itself, with everything I wanted; the white tulle, silk flowers and twinkle lights all around me. It was perfect. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Time slowed down the moment I saw Edward standing there, and it was like I fell in love with him all over again. The air crackled, and it felt like magic or something. I could feel my heart beating in my chest, not out of fear or trepidation, but anticipation.

My dad led me to the place in the gazebo where Edward, our friends, and a minister I didn't recognize were standing. Alice took my flowers from me and Kim removed Esme's cloak and held it during the ceremony. The minister began to speak. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…"

Like I'd told my mom I wanted earlier in the week, we spoke the traditional vows with just a few minor alterations to them. Edward seemed to know that 'obey,' while I wasn't fundamentally opposed to, would give me some hesitation, so instead, I said love, honor, and cherish instead. That was something I knew I would have no problem doing as long as I lived. When it came time to exchange rings, my heart sank; because of the surprise, I hadn't purchased one for Edward. As if the magic that I'd felt in the air made its way through all aspects of this special event, not just Edward and me, Alice stepped forward and handed me a men's platinum wedding band. Of course I shouldn't have worried about it. They've taken care of everything. Edward made sure of it.

At the minister's words, "You may now kiss your bride," Edward's smile was enough to make me feel like it was just the two of us; our dual elation had taken us to another planet. And then when he leaned in to place our first married kiss on my mouth, I was glad Alice was holding my flowers. I stretched up on my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him close. Our lips moved together perfectly, and knowing that I was married to him now somehow made this kiss more special than all the others we'd shared in the past six months. The emotion that was poured out by both of us made deepening the kiss unnecessary. I was with my prince; he'd saved me in my time of distress, and now he was mine forever. Nothing else mattered.

We separated to a round of applause from our guests and turned to face them. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present to you Dr. and Mrs. Edward and Bella Cullen." Just then, Beethoven's Ode To Joy, the recessional march I'd also picked, began, as Alice handed me my calla lilies, Kim returned Esme's cloak to my shoulders and Edward freed my hair before he took my hand, leading me away from the heated gazebo, through the cold night, as it started to snow, lightly… these giant white flakes, falling from the heavens like confetti. It was so beautiful; magical really. We walked back into his parents' kitchen, into the warmth.

I reached up and put my arms around Edward's neck pulling him down to me and gave him a gentle kiss. "Thank you so much for doing this Edward: for the letter, for the wedding, for marrying me, for loving me. I love you so much."

"You're very welcome. I should be the one thanking you. I'm so relieved that you didn't mind it being a surprise."

"Not a bit. I don't know how you did it; I'm just glad you did." He helped me remove the cloak. "Oh and was that Angela and Ben I saw out there?" I asked Edward while we were still alone, but not for much longer. "And Jacob?"

"Yeah. I wanted you to have a few more of your friends here tonight."

"But how did you even know about Angela and Ben?" I didn't recall having mentioned them; in all honesty, my life had been so crazy the past six and a half months that I hadn't even thought much about them.

"I asked Alice."

It all made sense. "Alice is a good friend."

"She is," he agreed.

"And Bella, I want you to know, you look absolutely stunning, I'm a lucky man." He smirked.

"Thank you. You look pretty handsome there, too, Dr. Cullen. I think I'm the lucky one."

Even with the space heaters that had been brought out to the gazebo and some along the path —I was surprised again at the depth of planning that had gone into this affair—it was still Chicago in the middle of winter, and it was cold. So it wasn't long before the guests joined us.

Edward had arranged a catered dinner following the ceremony, and when everyone had finished, we moved to the living room where I was surprised to see that all the furniture had been moved out. How did I not notice that before? It was decorated with more white and lilac and purple, real flowers – roses and lily of the valley and calla lilies too and candles, so many candles casting their gentle radiance everywhere I looked; I felt like I was in a fairy tale castle. There was a small make-shift stage set up in one corner, and I saw a string quartet setting up and tuning their instruments. I wanted to ask how he'd managed all of this, but I knew that would be fruitless. Besides, I didn't want to spoil the night by constantly wondering and asking how he'd pulled it off.

Before the music started, Angela and Ben approached us. "Bella!" Angie squealed, pulling me into a hug.

"Oh, Angela, I'm so glad you made it," I gushed.

"I'm glad Edward called me. I had no idea you were even in a relationship, much less engaged," she told me.

"It's been a crazy six months, that's for sure."

She reached over and rubbed my baby belly. "I'll say."

"Oh, my god, I haven't even told you about the baby, have I?"

"Nope."

"I'm sorry, Ang. I don't know how I've gotten to be such a crummy friend."

"It's okay," she laughed. "I understand that life gets in the way sometimes. I haven't been much better; I could've called you many times in the past year, too, and I haven't. Maybe we can share the crummy friend responsibilities."

"Deal," I laughed.

"So, the last time I really knew, you were still living in Seattle. I was there, at you know, your other wedding as you know, but I never knew what happened; just that it got cancelled the last minute. Then I heard you went on a trip. What happened anyway, if you don't mind me asking? I mean we don't have to talk about this now, if you don't want to; jeez, today is not the day for this. I'm sorry, Bella."

I shushed her, not at all upset at filling her in on what had happened in my life; I told her my story with special emphasis on how Edward had been like the prince saving the 'damsel in distress.' Angela was appropriately shocked at the way things had turned out at my last wedding, and by the time we'd caught up, the music was starting. I looked around, and realized that for the first time all night, Edward wasn't by my side; Ben had gone, too. "I guess we scared the men away," I giggled. Angela laughed with me.

"You could never scare me away," Edward's silky voice whispered in my ear. I jumped slightly at the shock of him right behind me, but calmed quickly. "May I have this dance, Mrs. Cullen?"

My heart sped at the sound of my new name. Of course, I'd known that I'd take his name once we were married, because we had talked about it in passing, long ago, but hearing it fall from his lips was something special. "You may, Dr. Cullen," I replied, offering a small smile to Angela who smiled back in understanding.

We were alone on the dance floor for the first song, Edward leading me all around the room. We had eyes only for each other, and while I knew the others were watching us, I forgot about them. As the music came to a close, Edward leaned down and kissed me. We'd had so many chaste kisses today, that I didn't particularly care that his parents and my parents and our friends were watching us. I poked my tongue out, licking his bottom lip, silently begging for a deeper kiss. He smirked against my mouth before giving me what I wanted and our tongues began to move together. If I'd thought his smile had sent me to another planet, I was wrong; it was this kiss that did that. The magic that I'd been feeling all night crackled through the air, and I could've sworn that I saw fireworks flash behind my eyelids as we stood there kissing.

After what had to have been several minutes, we were interrupted by flashing lights; the photographer was snapping away. Edward pulled away and I sighed slightly at the break. "We have all night to do that," he whispered in my ear. "Hell, we have the rest of our lives to do that."

"That we do," I whispered back. The promise of things to come was enough to satiate me temporarily.

It was a good thing, too, because my dad came up then and tapped Edward on the shoulder. "May I cut in?" he asked.

"Of course." Edward graciously stepped aside and my dad placed his right hand gingerly on my waist and took my right hand in his left. He led me in a very traditional slow dance.

"I'm glad to see you so happy, Bells," he said near the end of the song.

"Thank you, Dad. I really am happy, too. I'm happier than I've been… well, as long as I can remember."

"That's important. Remember this day, how happy you are. They won't all be this good, and on the bad days, it's important to have somewhere to look as one of your happiest memories. It helps you to push past the hard time, knowing that it won't last forever that the good times are worth working for."

The quartet brought yet another song to a close and I hugged my dad, my eyes moist with tears, but I didn't want to mess up my makeup (again) or mark up his tux, so I blinked back the tears. "That's good advice. Thank you again. For everything. I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, Bells."

The rest of the night passed in a blur as I danced with just about everyone; Carlisle, Jasper, Jacob, even Felix had asked me for a few turns around the make-shift dance floor. By ten, I was exhausted, and Edward could tell. We'd gotten back together on the dance floor about half an hour previously, and he hadn't let me go again since. "Are you ready to go, love?" he murmured.

"Yes. I'm ready to go home and just be with you, my husband. Wow, I like the way that sounds even better than fiancé."

He smiled down at me. "Me too, and I'm ready to be with you, too, my wife, but we're not going home tonight."

I looked at him, confused. "Where are we going then?"

"We're spending the weekend in the fanciest hotel in Chicago, and leaving Sunday afternoon for our honeymoon."

"You were able to plan a honeymoon, too? On top of the wedding?"

"Indeed I was. I couldn't let you miss out on a honeymoon, now could I?"

"I love you," I said instead of answering that question.

"I love you, too. Shall we say our good byes?" He dropped his voice before continuing. "I love your dress, baby, but I'm anxious to get you out of it."

My stomach muscles tightened at the promise in that whisper. "Yeah, let's say good bye to everyone."

We made our way around the room, thanking all of the guests for coming, and I spent extra time with all the planners of my fairy tale thanking them for such a perfect day. Finally, Edward and I were able to extract ourselves from the party and he led me up the stairs to his old room. His jeans and gray tee were still lying on the bed, and someone had brought in a pair of my yoga pants and a tee shirt for me as well. How we managed to keep our hands to ourselves during the changing process, I'll never know, but we did, and before eleven, we were making our way to the front door. Amid a shower of birdseed, an unpleasant thought hit me. "We have to go home. We don't have any luggage for a weekend away, much less a full-on honeymoon."

"Oh, ye of little faith, everything's been taken care of. You should stop worrying tonight and trust me. My bag's been packed for three days, and your mom packed yours while you were napping this afternoon."

"Of course she did. Because you guys are perfect."

"Not perfect, just prepared. I didn't want you to have to do anything today."

"Well, mission accomplished. Thank you, Edward. Today was a fairy tale."

Thanks guys! I'd love to hear your thoughts, but I'm so far behind in writing this story that I'm not gonna promise teasers this week, okay? I'm not saying that you won't get them, but I'm not going to guarantee them, either.

Just to give you a heads up, I project about 3, maybe 4 more chapters after this one. I just don't want you to be caught off guard when we get there, so I'm warning you now.

Reminder to Sexual Healing readers: Get us those Edward questions; this Wednesday is the last day to do that, and the interview will post on the blog next Monday. For those of you who aren't reading Sexual Healing, what are you waiting for? Scoot on over to my other profile, the one I share with my good friend and co-writer Caz and start reading! The link's on my profile, or you can run an author search for 'wmrcaz'.

Also, the FADV fundraiser is still going, until 28 February. Link for that is on my profile; I've got a PP outtake in the compilation. Foxy Fics starts on 1 March, and I've got a collab with the lovely SaritaDreaming in that compilation. Find a teaser for our piece on Sarita's profile (there's a link on mine for hers). The title is Speak Now. If you like what you read, donate to Foxy Fics during March and read the whole thing!

Okay, that's all I've got this week. Thanks for you patience in my lateness this week. See you next week… sometime.