Chapter 25 – Picture Perfect

"I can't believe you are making me do this," I said, somewhere between frustration and reserved excitement. I felt like an idiot, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a little fun.

"Oh, stop it. You will cherish these pictures for the rest of your days," Rose chided me while snapping another one.

"How are we even going to print them?" I questioned curiously.

"I'm going to go to town and find one of those little at home compact printers… Or I could always develop them the old fashion way in a makeshift dark room. I did that in college, it was tedious but fun. Either way, we are going to frame one and hang it on the wall."

I sighed. "How much longer are we going to do this? My ankles are turning into cankles as we speak."

"Oh, are you swelling?" she asked, only slightly concerned. "I can't see them under your dress."

"I'm the size of a house and I've been standing for over an hour; of course, my ankles are swelling," I said evenly, but with a smile at the end. I may have been complaining, especially since we were on my fourth outfit change, but I really was grateful to be doing something so… normal. Had the world not ended, I would have been just as grumpy during a maternity photoshoot as I was in that moment. It was uncomfortable being so big, but also really nice to spend the afternoon doing girly things for once.

"Okay, just a few more, and then we need to bring Edward in for some pictures too."

We both looked at where Edward was working with the guys on the house addition, and even from that distance, I could see how sweaty he was. He certainly wasn't going to be taking pictures any time soon, so I sighed and went to sit on the porch swing to rest my feet.

"Are you done done, or just taking a break?" Rose asked me.

"I want pictures with Edward, but it looks like it will be a while," I told her. "They really want to get that addition done and it's just such slow going."

"Yeah, it might be worth it for them to go find some heavy machinery," Rose mused as she came to sit next to me. "How has he been doing lately anyway? He seems to be getting a little better, but he doesn't talk much around me, so…"

"I told you, it's not personal. He isn't much of a talker at all anymore," I said while watching him work.

"Was he ever?" she questioned.

"Believe it or not, back in school Edward was one of those irritating popular guys that rarely shut up and never took anything seriously. Gosh, it's weird to think of him that way now. It seems like so long ago."

"Well, the world ended since then, so," she shrugged.

"He already graduated before the world ended, but his reputation was still pretty strong at school. People would come and talk to me just because I was associated with him. I don't think he was single the entire time I knew him. Gosh, that's so weird," I said, mostly to myself as I thought back to that time.

"So, this quiet withdrawn thing is just since their run-in with Jamie's army?" Rose questioned quietly.

"He changed after the world ended. How could he not? But he has really been struggling with what happened. He has a hard time sleeping, and when he does sleep, he has horrible nightmares."

"I've heard him scream at night," Rose said sympathetically.

I nodded. "He told me he sees their faces when he closes his eyes. I wish I could take that from him," I said, having to choke back my emotions.

"Emmett has nightmares too. I don't hear him as much as I hear Edward, but even without knowing him very well, I can tell it wears on him."

"I'm sure it does. When Edward first told me what happened, I didn't know how to feel about it. It was unfathomable. More than twenty people died over something they were lied to about." I shook my head. "I just wish there was another way. You know, if they would have just stopped to listen or something… But, the more I've tried talking to Edward about it, and seeing the agony he carries with him every second of every day, I know he didn't have a choice. The guilt he feels is crippling, but if he didn't do what he did, those people would have beaten them to death."

"Emmett told me they had a rope around his neck and were dragging him somewhere. He thought he was going to die until Edward started shooting."

"They couldn't be reasoned with," I agreed. "Whatever Jamie told them, she had them convinced, and they weren't about to stop to wait for their side of the story. Then I start feeling guilty for not killing her when I had the chance. It could have all been avoided."

"I should have killed the both of them," Rose said, trying take the blame onto herself. "I knew those two were monsters, and yet, I let them walk. At least you were strong enough to shoot Vic. It would have been so much worse if he got away."

I shrugged. "Maybe it would have been better if they actually brought their army here and attacked us full on. At least then we would have shared in the killings and Edward would have felt like he was protecting me so he wouldn't have to suffer with so much guilt."

"He was protecting you, just like he was protecting Emmett. They both would have been killed if he didn't start shooting, and then the mob would have come here and caught us off guard. What if they started beating you? You could have lost your baby and even died yourself. Edward did the right thing."

I nodded in agreement. "I just wish he truly believed that."

"But besides his overwhelming guilt, you two seem to be doing well together again," Rose said supportively. "The months apart didn't affect your relationship… Well, except for the extreme separation anxiety you both seemed to have developed."

I laughed. "Separation anxiety?" I looked at Edward across the way, and as if he could feel my stare, he looked back and me and smiled. "Well, maybe. We just don't like to be apart."

"When he first got back, I thought his constant need to be near you and touching you in some way was a control thing, but I've since seen just how much you do the same to him. He moves, you move. It's weird, but sweet."

"Speaking of sweet, what is going on with you and Emmett?"

"Me and Emmett? I have no idea what you are talking about. He is just a nice guy, just like you told me he was. It's so bewildering to me that such a big burly man could be so gentle and unassuming. He is just such a nice contrast to Seth's constant chattering and foolishness. You are always off with Edward, so it's been nice having Emmett here to talk to and have nice conversations with."

"Do you know how many times you just said 'nice'?" I teased her.

She huffed. "Well, I don't know how else to describe him. Emmett is a very nice man. We have nice conversations, but there isn't anything more to us."

I snorted. "Okay, whatever you say."

"Uh oh, what are we talking about?" Edward asked as he approached us and only heard my last comment.

"Hey babe," I said adoringly as he took my hand and kissed it tenderly.

"Oh my gosh, I just had a brilliant idea for a photo!" Rosalie shouted.

"A photo?" Edward questioned warily. "I was hoping you were done with the shoot?"

"Oh no, it wouldn't be a proper maternity photoshoot without the baby-daddy involved," Rose told him.

Edward groaned. "Seriously?" When he looked to me for confirmation and I nodded, he sighed. "Okay, let me just go get cleaned up first."

"You can get cleaned up, but before you do, I want one of you just like this," Rose insisted. "I'm loving the contrast of your dirty white shirt and ripped jeans with Bella's long lace gown. It's so visually appealing. Come on, I'm just going to snap a few and then you can go shower."

"Alright, but if you make me wrap my arms around her it will get her dress all dirty," he warned her.

"I would never ask such a thing," she assured him with a wink.

She had us stand under the tree, and just like he had done on the porch, she told him take my hand and kiss my knuckles. Edward never did anything half way, and when he kissed me, even while posing for a picture, his love radiated out of him.

"I was going to tell you to smile at him, but you already are," Rose said to me. "Damn, could you love him anymore, or what? It's like almost too much."

"There's no such thing as too much," I disagreed while jumping into his readied arms and kissing him hard, thus dirtying my dress.

"Now you both need a wardrobe change," Rose grumbled.

Edward eventually made it to the shower, and I had to change into another new dress to appease Rose. I was ready before Edward, but when he finally emerged from the house, I nearly melted from the sight of him.

"He cleans up nice," Rose said approvingly. "Except for his hair." She walked over to him and rustled her fingers through his damp hair, combing it into a controlled chaotic coif. "There, now get over there with your woman."

He smiled at me, and after taking my hand, he kissed me gently on the lips.

"You look amazing," I told him, stepping back so I could admire his perfectly fitted untucked white button down. I had never seen him look so put together, especially since the apocalypse. He was always beautiful, but being dressed up in that way made it almost feel like everything was right in the world again.

"I have no idea where she finds shit like this," he said bashfully as he let go of my hand so he could roll up his sleeves. "You look beautiful, as always."

"She seemed to find nice shit for the both of us," I joked.

"I'm a good shopper," Rose said, taking our comments as compliments.

"More like a good scavenger," Emmett corrected her as he and Seth came over to watch our photoshoot.

I didn't pay much attention to them at first, but then I had to do a double take. "You guys are dressed nicely too," I said surprised. They didn't have time to shower, so they were still a bit grimy, but their clothes were definitely on the spiffy side. "Wait, are we all taking pictures?" I asked, surprised.

"Every home should have a formal family picture as the center piece," Rose confirmed, but then she threw me a curve ball. "Of course, that will wait until after. Edward?"

She looked to Edward as if to cue him in on something, so I looked at Edward as well and raised my brow questioningly. "What's going on?"

He smiled at me and took my hands back in his. "Baby, you know I wish I could give you the world you deserve, but the best we have is right here, and as long as we are together, I know we can fill what's left of this world with as much love as possible," he said softly but with more emotions than I had seen from him in weeks.

"Edward," I said tenderly as I let go of one of his hands so I could caress his face.

"I just want you to know how much I love you, and how grateful I am to have you still by my side. I couldn't have survived any of this without you."

"I couldn't have survived without you either," I replied sincerely.

He smiled, but shook his head in disagreement. "You have survived without me. There is nothing in this world that is going to defeat you, and I'm so incredibly proud of how strong you've become. I know your dad would feel the same way."

"Your dad would be proud of you too," I told him.

He grimaced. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Of course, he would be. You've done so much…"

"Baby, stop talking," he interrupted me with a gentle laugh. "I'm trying to propose to you here."

My breath caught. "You are?" I asked completely surprised. I guess I should have realized it as soon as he came out looking all dapper and started declaring his heart, but I honestly didn't. I suppose we were living so outside of the old conventional box that getting married wasn't even on my radar.

"I know you're still so young, and this isn't how you imagined your life going. I wish I could talk to your dad and ask for permission, though he would have probably shot me a long time ago for getting you pregnant." We both chuckled at that one, but he quickly became serious again. "There are no laws anymore; no traditions, no formal pieces of paper to sign, but I just really want to call you my wife," he said adorably, making my heart throb in the most achingly beautiful way.

I didn't even realize I was crying until my tears had the audacity to cloud that perfect image of him sinking down on one knee.

"Isabella Swan, will you marry me?"

I couldn't imagine how different our lives would have been if we weren't forced to survive together, but I didn't even want to try. So many tragic events led us to that moment, and I was overwhelmingly grateful for each and every one of them.

"Yes! Of course, I'll marry you," I cried as he placed a ring on my finger. It was such an incredible moment that I didn't even really look at the ring or have time to question where he got it. He pulled me up into his arms, and that was my absolute favorite place to be in the entire world.

I kissed him hard, and I almost forgot we had an audience – almost, that is, until someone hit a button on an old radio and the wedding march melody carried through the air.

"We're doing this now?" I asked in shock.

"Only if you want to," Edward told me.

"Why wait? We are all here and dressed up. Let's get you two hitched," Emmett said enthusiastically.

I laughed as Rose handed me a bouquet of wildflowers, and Seth and Emmett brought out a wooden arbor adorned with even more flowers. "Where did that come from?"

"Just something I threw together," Edward told me. "See?" he said, pointing to the top of it where our initials were carved.

"How did you plan all of this without me knowing?" I asked amazed.

"With a lot of help," Emmett answered for him before coming to stand in front of us. "I have zero qualifications, but I will be your officiant today."

I didn't think it was possible to smile any bigger, but somehow, I managed to. Rose came and stood at my side, and Seth theatrically threw a bunch of flower petals around before standing next to Edward.

"I'm the flower girl and the best man," Seth said to me with a wink.

"I'm the best man," Emmett disagreed. "I'm just letting you stand there because I have something more important to do."

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to," Edward said to me quietly.

I giggled. "I'm pretty sure this is one of greatest things ever. I can't wait for Emmett to tell us we are married."

Emmett put on a pair of glasses without any lenses, and then he opened a weathered looking book of some sort.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join these two lovebirds in holy matrimony," Emmett announced as if he was speaking to a crowd of people. He went on to say a bunch of silly things, there may have even been a few knocks against my age, but I mostly ignored him. The only thing that mattered, the only thing I even could see in that moment, was Edward. Laws didn't mean anything, he was mine forever, and I was his, and we were marrying in every way that counted.

When Emmett finally got to the point and proclaimed us to be "Man and Wife," it was just as surreal and amazing and spiritual as it would have been if those words were recited by a pastor.

Edward and I were married.

We sealed it with one hell of a kiss, and then our friends cheered and congratulated us.

"Now it's time to party!" Seth shouted.

"Wedding pictures first, and then party," Rose corrected him.

"Are you sure? I've been to a few weddings in my day, and I'm pretty sure the party comes right after the ceremony," Seth said to her.

"I'm certain pictures come first. Trust me, I was a wedding photographer while I was in college. I know how it works."

Seth huffed, but otherwise complied with Rose's wishes.

I suggested we take the group photo first so Seth could be released from his obligations, so that's what we did. Rose set up a tripod so she could be in them too, but before the first pic could be snapped, the rest of our guests arrived making it absolutely perfect.

"Sam!" I shouted excitedly.

"Dude, you're late!" Seth scolded him.

"Sam is on his own time frame," Edward said with a laugh.

"In his defense, having children takes longer. My sister was always late to everything after my niece was born," Rose said.

Sam did, in fact, bring the entire family. His girlfriend, whom Seth named Emily, was still a bit shy and was hovering near the edge of the property. His pups, however, had been around us before and were very friendly. They were all running around the yard looking for mischief.

"Let's take a picture of just all of us with Sam, and then we can each grab a pup," Rose suggested.

Trying to corral all the puppies was as difficult as I imagined kid wrangling would be, but we all laughed through it.

When the pictures were finally finished, Emmett brought out some more CDs for his old boom-box, and we all danced and celebrated the amazing day. It was a much-needed break from the hardships of apocalyptic life for everyone, but not even that joyous occasion could ward off the dark thoughts Edward had been plagued with recently.

"Don't go there," I told him when I caught him staring blankly with a look of horror on his face. It was never something he intended to do, but the trauma of killing those people haunted him and he would often get lost in the memory of it. I wished I could take that burden from him more than ever, but all I could do was try to help distract him. "Stay here with me. This is our day."

Thankfully, his eyes were able to focus on my face and they lit up as he smiled. "I'm sorry. I'm here," he said while taking my hand. "This is the only place that I want to be."

He brought our joined hands up to kiss my knuckles, and that was really the first time I noticed my ring.

"Um, wow," I said while turning my wrist to get a better look at the sparkler. "No wonder my hand felt heavier. This thing is huge."

Edward laughed. "It was the biggest one in the store. I've been saving my money for years to pay for it."

I giggled. "You must have gotten big allowances to afford this one," I teased him knowing he never had an actual job.

"My dad always gave me a good salary for making my bed every day and taking out the trash whenever our housekeeper wasn't around," he replied in a joking manner.

I snorted. "Yeah, I bet."

"Don't be jelly because you had to do actual chores and get a legit part-time job to have any extra cash."

"Working for your money is more satisfying," I retorted. "And you better believe this little munchkin will have some chores to do around here when it's old enough," I said while rubbing my belly.

Edward placed his hand over my stomach. "I'm afraid this kid will have a much different upbringing than both of us had. He's going to have to work, not to make a paycheck to spend on frivolous things, but to survive."

I nodded in agreement and placed my fingers between his. "We're going to teach him or her the best we can."

Edward flipped his hand over so her could play with my fingers. "Hey, if you don't like this ring, we can go to the jewelry store and find something different," he offered.

"But this is the ring you picked for me," I told him.

"Yeah, but it is kind of bulky. I didn't consider that when I got it. It might not be practical to wear something like this."

I looked at the giant stone on my hand, and as pretty as it was, he was probably right.

"But sentimentally…" I said, trying to think of a reason to keep that particular ring.

"It's just a rock, Bella," he pointed out. "I'm not trying to make it sound like the symbolism of a ring is meaningless, but the ring itself doesn't mean anything. I literally walked into the store, broke the case, and walked out with it. It's not like I really saved my money and put in a ton of thought about which one to get you. I just wanted you to have a ring, and my thought was the bigger the better, but diamonds don't even have any value anymore so it really doesn't matter. I won't be offended in the least if you want to choose a different one."

"Well, since diamonds are valueless now, I could always just get another ring and have both of them. I'll just trade them out depending on what I'm doing."

"I can get you the whole case of rings if you want."

"Yeah, I guess it really doesn't matter, does it," I said, slightly disappointed by that realization.

He sighed. "It really doesn't matter, but… back at home in Forks, I do have a ring that matters."

"You do?" I asked surprised.

"Yeah, it was my mother's. My dad always said it was mine to give to the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. If I could get that ring, it would mean so much to me for you to wear it."

I rested my head against his. "I would love to wear it. Who knows, maybe someday we will make a trip back to Forks and we can get it."

"That would be pretty cool. We could show our kid where we grew up. Of course, the entire town is probably rubble by now. I doubt my house is still standing."

"It was a ways out in the woods. I bet it's okay."

"You never know. Are you ready to dance again?" he asked with a smirk.

"I would love to dance with my husband again," I told him eagerly.

I was never a big dancer – the idea of prom had always freaked the hell out of me, but surviving an apocalypse had a way of removing inhibitions. Rosalie was probably the only one who danced with any pizzazz, but none of us cared. We were all just being silly and letting loose, and we couldn't possibly have had a better time.

We ended that perfect day with the perfect night. Edward and I made love until exhaustion overtook us, and I fell asleep feeling utterly blissful. It really was the best, most joyful day we had since the world ended. Heck, it was the happiest I had ever been in my entire life, and I would go through all those hardships again just to experience it.

Our incredible wedding day was followed by a honeymoon of sorts. We didn't go anywhere or seclude ourselves from our friends, but for those few days that followed, everything felt serene and almost magical. Beautiful weather, gorgeous sunsets, and so much love and laughter.

Of course, I knew the peace could only last so long. The world had become a storm that was constantly brewing. Sometimes it would only drizzle, but most of the time, it raged…