Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight :)


A/N: Boo. I know it's only been two days since I updated, but I wanted to get this chapter out for you today. As you know, it's time for the wedding. If anyone's interested to know about the music that's playing during the ceremony, I always imagined that it would this fantastic piece called Arrival of the Birds & Transformation by The Cinematic Orchestra. You can find it on Youtube. And since we're talking about music... I don't think I've ever mentioned the two songs that have worked as an inspiration for me for these four or so years while I've been writing. If I've had a bad case of writer's block, I've always gone back to listening to these two songs and they've helped me to return to the time when I began to write this story. The other song is Roads Untraveled by Linkin Park, and the other is called Where the river bends by Matthew Barber. Still can't believe it's been four years... All I can say is that I'm sorry it's taken so long, and I'm still very awed by the fact that some of you have stuck with me so long. Thank you for that. That's a level of devotion one doesn't always get to experience even in real life.


Soulmates aren't the ones who make you happiest, no.

They're instead the ones who make you feel the most.

Burning edges and scars and stars.

Old pangs, captivation and beauty.

Strain and shadows and worry and yearning.

Sweetness and madness and dreamlike surrender.

They hurl you into the abyss.

They taste like hope.

- Victoria Erickson -


From Dawn To Dusk

"Bella, don't crush the flowers."

I instantly loosened my hold around the bouquet that was fashioned from burgundy red and brilliant white roses. Their stems released a fresh, pungent aroma as I forced my fingers to cooperate, and I glanced down to find out how much damage I had done. Alice chuckled, rising to her tiptoes to weave two red roses into my hair, placing them close to my right ear. They were the same shade of burgundy as the roses in the bouquet.

"Nervous?" she asked.

I searched myself, not really knowing what to answer. I was just feeling extremely wired, like there was a heady mix of adrenaline and endorphins in my veins, each battling for dominance. Given my immortal state, I knew that couldn't be the case. But even so, I found it very hard to stay still, and I suddenly noticed that I was bouncing my leg up and down in a restless manner.

Rosalie gave a soft laugh on my other side, the sound echoing from the bathroom tiles. She looked amazing in her dark blue silk dress. "At least it seems that you're now officially the first fidgeting vampire in the history." Her fingers were deftly arranging my hair, moving the cascading, brown waves over my right shoulder. I felt a hairpin brush against my scalp as she secured a strand that was slightly rebellious. I watched my reflection in the mirror, very pleased that I still looked like myself regardless of the glamorous side-swept waves Rosalie had been working on for the past minutes.

"Bella?" Alice asked, stopping what she was doing and looking at me. "You okay? You're not answering."

I met her gaze in the mirror. "I... I don't know how to answer. No words are good enough. I am nervous, yes – but at the same time... I'm not?"

She chuckled at the confusion in my voice. "Well, I suppose that explains the dazed look in your eyes."

Dazed. Maybe that was the adjective I had been looking for.

"Done," Rosalie said, adding one more pin to make sure that the waves stayed over my shoulder. "I'll get the comb." She darted out the bathroom door.

"Comb?" I asked. Rosalie was back before the word left my lips.

"Well, the dress is new," Alice explained, smiling. "So you'll need something old, blue and borrowed as well."

Rosalie handed her a small, white box that looked familiar.

"Hey, isn't that – " I began.

Alice smiled. "I found it from your stuff when we were packing up your apartment. I thought you might want to use it today." She lifted the lid and held the box out to me. There was a heavy silver hair comb inside. Dark blue sapphires were clustered into intricate floral shapes atop the teeth. "Something old and something blue."

I smiled. "It belonged to my Grandma – Charlie's mother. Charlie gave it to Renée soon after they had met, and they had a jeweler replace the paste stones with sapphires." I swallowed. "My mom wore it in her hair when they got married. She gave me the comb when I turned twenty-five."

Alice's golden eyes were slightly apologetic. "I'm sorry, Bella. If wearing it makes you sad, then – "

I shook my head. "I'd love to wear it. It would be wonderful... to have my parents be a part of this day in some way."

Alice nodded, giving me a sad smile before she took the comb out of the box. Rosalie slid it into my hair right above the roses.

I heard sounds from the garden behind the house; quiet whispers, soft footsteps on the lawn. Tanya and Carmen were talking in low voices, admiring the beauty of the garden. Laurent whispered something to Irina, and I heard Garrett tease Kate about something. Then I heard Carlisle's voice; he said something to Eleazar. I didn't focus on his words, instead just listened to the sound of his velvety tenor the little time it lasted. I hadn't seen him since yesterday morning – Alice and her superstitious traditions had prevented us from spending the night together.

The silly wedding tradition wasn't the only reason, though, why she hadn't wanted Carlisle to see me after he had come home from the hospital last night. Alice had taken me hunting the previous afternoon, and at first I hadn't known why she had been so adamant that I hunt before the wedding. After getting back to the house and glancing at a mirror, though, I had understood.

During the spring and early summer, my eyes had slowly turned from the dull, reddish orange to dark amber, and they had remained that way until yesterday. Now they were brilliant golden, resembling the color of topaz. I glanced down at the topaz ring Carlisle had given me all those weeks ago, and I found it very fitting that my eyes had changed color now and not later.

Alice's voice pulled me from my reverie. What she said made an entire colony of butterflies take flight in my stomach. "Ready?"

I nodded, drawing in another needless breath as I stood up. Rosalie adjusted the hem of my dress before giving me a reserved smile and hurrying out the door. I heard her make her way downstairs, heard as she opened the glass doors leading to the garden, heard how the quiet sounds of conversation died down in expectation as she joined the others. I seemed to hear a lot of things; it was like all my senses had suddenly sharpened, like my mind was trying to make sure that I wouldn't miss a single detail.

It was sort of nerve-wracking.

Something Alice did next caught my attention rather efficiently, though, and momentarily I forgot about everything else. She knelt down in front of me and ducked under my skirt.

"Uh, Alice? As much as I like you, I don't think I'm ready to play for the other team – "

She held out a hand, holding a white garter in her fingers. "You need something borrowed, silly." I felt her hand catch my ankle as she yanked the garter into place, and then she straightened herself. She looked at me from head to toe before nodding approvingly. Then she turned to the mirror, quickly adjusting the bodice of her dress. It was made of shiny, silver-grey lace; the color of it a few shades darker than my dress.

My dress looked almost white in the bright lighting of the bathroom. Almost. Once again, I was pleased that my curiosity had gotten the better of me and made me study Alice's sketches more closely. The dress was both simple and intricate. It was floor-length, sleeveless and made of pale, silver-grey lace that shimmered subtly as I moved. In certain light, the dress seemed to have a bluish undertone.

My grip tightened around the bouquet again as I slipped my feet into white ballerinas. Alice smiled, reaching out to adjust the roses in my hair before she took my hand and began to lead me out of the bathroom.

I was feeling curiously out of my body as we made our way downstairs at a slow human pace. It was like all my senses had gone into hyperdrive, and my mind didn't know how to handle it. My heart should have been racing out of my chest – it felt wrong that my body couldn't react to the tumult of emotions inside me. I felt like I needed an outlet, something to make my nerves reset. It took a while for me to realize that I was no longer breathing – I felt like my lungs refused to take in any air. I focused on the smooth texture of Alice's hand, forcing myself to loosen my hold when I noticed that she grimaced.

Jasper was waiting for us in the living room. He was smiling and looking at me peculiarly as we approached him. Maybe he was trying to make sense of my emotions – it seemed like he was having trouble with it. I was suddenly glad that he was the one walking me down the aisle – he and Emmett had actually fought about who gets the job since Charlie wouldn't be here to give me away. They had ended up drawing straws, playing rock-paper-scissors at least fifteen times, and as one might expect, they had eventually had a wrestling match about it. Three of them. Jasper had won every time, no matter what the game, but it had taken some convincing to make Emmett accept his defeat.

When Emmett had lost to Jasper in everything he had challenged him for, he had turned to his last resort and told me that Jasper's company would be much more boring than his, saying that if I chose him instead, he would keep me entertained the whole way from the living room to the garden. As tempting as that had sounded, I had reminded him that Jasper had won fairly.

Alice had to pry my fingers from around hers, and then she placed my hand in the crook of Jasper's elbow – it seemed like I was no longer able to move my own limbs at will.

"You alright?" he drawled quietly, his voice low. "Nervous?"

I met his gaze. "Hm. People keep asking me that."

"Well, are you?"

I stared ahead of me, then forced myself to nod. It's not like he didn't know what I was feeling – maybe he had just wanted to hear me admit it. Because I suddenly realized that yes, I was nervous. And elated. And ecstatic. And excited.

And nervous.

And... nervous.

Holy hell. I was getting married in a few minutes. Married.

I clung to Jasper's elbow, apolozing when he hissed quietly. He gave a soft chuckle and smiled, a strange glimmer in his eyes.

"What?" I asked, whispering, though I was pretty sure it didn't make a difference; the vampires outside heard me, anyway. Soft murmurs of conversation drifted from the garden again, the quiet voices becoming more clear as Alice propped the glass doors open.

Jasper gave me another grin. "Nothin'. Just basking in your... emotional atmosphere. How is it possible that so many feelings can fit into such a small person like you?"

I was about to give him a cheeky comment, but then soft music began to play. The lilting sounds of harp seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere; I suppose Alice had utilized the hidden in-wall sound system and wireless speakers she had used in Esme's and Miguel's wedding. Then, soft sounds of piano began to drift through the air, accompanied by heart-stirring strains of violin.

Alice had really thought about everything. When the gentle music began to play, the clouds parted, and the amber rays of the setting sun burst through them and illuminated the garden. All I could do for a while was just stare. I barely noticed how Alice gave me a smile and walked through the open doors. She began a graceful dance towards the end of the garden; I couldn't see anyone from where I was standing. The tall flower bushes and apple trees covered the view.

After a few seconds, Jasper gave my arm a light tug, gently shaking me from my daze. It was our turn.

I still wasn't breathing when we stepped outside into the warm June air. I clutched the bouquet with my other hand and Jasper's arm with my other as we made our way along the winding path. As we passed a group of large hydrangea bushes, I finally looked around me, my eyes going to the group of vampires waiting for us at the other end of the garden.

There were burgundy red and brilliant white roses everywhere. And I mean everywhere. They were placed in dozens of clear vases along the aisle and all around the garden, and there was a large white candle next to each vase. It was an explosion of light and color. My eyes took in the chiavari chairs that had been wrapped in white chiffon, and at the end of the aisle, there was a familiar-looking, beautiful garden arch. That, too, was decorated with chiffon and endless amounts of roses. I was glad that I didn't have to blink – I didn't want to miss a single detail.

Even though the beauty of the garden was beyond enchanting and sent my thoughts into a rapid spin, my eyes kept looking, kept searching, desperately wanting to find something, someone. I was barely conscious of the vampires gathered on each side of the aisle, barely conscious of Eleazar standing under the beautiful arch and smiling at me. I was barely conscious of Alice and Edward standing close to him, Alice on the left and Edward on the right.

And when I found him, and when his eyes met mine, I began to breathe again.

The smell of roses was intoxicating as it filled my lungs. Maybe it was that, or maybe it was the sight of Carlisle in the rays of the setting sun, or maybe it was the earnest look in his eyes, but the storm that had raged inside me for these past moments suddenly changed, shifted. The violent torrent of emotions became an even, steady flow. Not controlled, though, and not mastered – not by me, anyway.

Whatever it was that had taken rule over me, that had enveloped me in calm and peace... that same something seemed to settle over Carlisle as well. His eyes were first burning with intensity before a look of quiet wonderment came over his face. His eyes were blinking rapidly, then, as if holding back something. I saw his jaw clench before he took a deep, slow breath. It was the closest I had seen him come to tears; it was the closest he could come to tears. I knew what he felt like, knew that the same overwhelming emotions were rushing through us both.

When Jasper and I were close enough, Carlisle began to walk towards us with calm steps, almost like he was unable to stand still a moment more. My eyes left his face for a short moment as I admired how handsome he looked in his tuxedo, but soon, my gaze was locked in his again.

Carlisle's eyes abandoned mine briefly as he nodded at Jasper, and then he took my hand and placed a soft kiss on my knuckles. I had barely enough presence of mind to spare a smile for Jasper before Carlisle offered me his arm in order to escort me the rest of the way.

The soft music began to quiet down when we stopped in front of Eleazar, but the beautiful melody didn't disappear completely; it kept playing silently in the background. Alice took my bouquet, her golden eyes glinting happily. I slid my hand from Carlisle's elbow and clasped his fingers instead. He was still looking at me; his eyes had never left my face. When Eleazar began to speak, I had to make a conscious effort to pay attention to his words.

"Dearly beloved," he began. "We are gathered together on this day to witness and celebrate the marriage of Bella and Carlisle. We come together not to mark the start of a relationship, but to acknowledge and strengthen a bond that already exists..."

Carlisle's gaze rarely left mine as Eleazar continued to speak, and I saw the glow of my own golden eyes reflected in his own. I wondered what he had thought of this little surprise when he had first seen me; it was clear that he hadn't expected my eyes to be golden today.

As Eleazar turned to look at Carlisle, I felt his hand tighten around my own.

"Carlisle, do you take Bella to be your wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor her and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, remain faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." Carlisle's voice was soft, earnest.

"Bella, do you take Carlisle to be your wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor him and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, remain faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," I whispered. My eyes began to burn, but I refused to blink.

There was a stir in the group of vampires sitting close to us; I had almost forgotten that they were there. I heard soft sighs, the sound of two marble hands reaching for one another. Someone turned their head to smile at whoever was sitting next to them.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and or of angels, but do not have love..."

Eleazar's voice seemed to come from somewhere far away as he recited Corinthians; it had been Carlisle's wish that he would recite the entire thirteenth chapter instead of just the usual few verses. I tightened my hold around Carlisle's hand, momentarily worried that I was hurting him with my tight grasp. But his face was completely pain-free – in fact, his expression was an epitome of wonder as he kept looking at me.

"... Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away... For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears... For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." Eleazar paused, smiling. "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these... is love."

I wasn't a religious person, but the verse Eleazar recited... it was very beautiful.

Carlisle had never released my hand from his grasp while Eleazar was speaking. As we now turned to face each other to repeat our vows, he reached out to take my other hand as well.

"I, Carlisle Cullen, take you Isabella Swan, to be my lawful wedded wife. I give to you in the presence of God and these witnesses my promise to stay by your side, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as well as through the good times and the bad. I promise to love you without reservation, comfort you in times of distress, encourage you to achieve all of your goals, laugh with you and cry with you, grow with you in mind and spirit, always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

I felt a catch in my throat; it was a moment before I could speak. My voice was a mere whisper, but it was steady, sounding too calm considering all those emotions that were surging through me.

"I, Isabella Swan, take you Carlisle Cullen, to be my lawful wedded husband. I give to you in the presence of God and these witnesses my promise to stay by your side, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as well as through the good times and the bad. I promise to love you without reservation, comfort you in times of distress, encourage you to achieve all of your goals, laugh with you and cry with you, grow with you in mind and spirit, always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

The smile on Carlisle's lips... it made me feel unsteady on my feet. Edward stepped forward to hand Eleazar the rings. We had chosen a simple design, with our names engraved on the inside of the silver bands.

Carlisle took my left hand. "This ring I give in token and pledge, as a sign of my love and devotion," he said quietly and smiled softly. "With this ring, I thee wed." He slid the ring onto my finger and gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

I almost expected my hands to tremble as I took the ring Eleazar offered to me. I held my breath, concentrating on using as little force as possible as I took Carlisle's left hand and repeated the same words he had said to me.

"This ring I give in token and pledge," I murmured, "as a sign of my love and devotion. With this ring, I thee wed." I slipped the fragile ring into its place on his finger, cheering inwardly because I hadn't done any damage to it.

That wasn't the only reason why I wanted to cheer, though. Carlisle and I turned to look at Eleazar. He looked at us both; it seemed like he had more to say before announcing us husband and wife. When he began to quote a passage from Les Misérables, I smiled. He'd asked me earlier that week if there was something in particular I'd like for him to say during the ceremony. I had told him to surprise me.

"The future belongs far more to the heart than to the mind," he quoted. "Love is the one thing that can fill and fulfill eternity. The infinite calls for the inexhaustible. Love partakes of the soul, being of the same nature. Like the soul, it is the divine spark, incorruptible, indivisible, imperishable. It is the fiery particle that dwells in us, immortal and infinite, which nothing can confine and nothing extinguish. We feel its glow in the marrow of our bones and see its brightness reaching to the depths of heaven." He paused and smiled. "Having pledged their fidelity to one another, to love, honor and cherish one another in the presence of this gathering and by the authority vested in me by the constitution and the laws of this state, it is my honor to now pronounce you husband and wife. Carlisle, you may kiss the bride."

Someone cheered; someone clapped. And someone whistled – it wasn't too hard to guess who. I didn't pay attention to those things, though. Carlisle's hands were framing my face, and I caught a brief glance of the unspeakable emotion in his eyes before his lips claimed mine, gently but passionately.

I was only vaguely aware of the voices and sounds erupting around us, vaguely aware of the slight drop in the temperature as the sun disappeared behind the horizon somewhere far away. All I knew was that I was his, and he was mine... and it would always continue to be so.

From sunset to sunrise, from dawn to dusk.


AN: Eleazar recites the thirteenth chapter of Corinthians from the Bible. The quote 'The future belongs far more to the heart than to the mind' is from Les Misérables, written by Victor Hugo. 'Dark blue sapphires were clustered into intricate floral shapes atop the teeth' is a quote from Breaking Dawn.