Stolen Dreams

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I own this. Neither is public domain as I'm fairly sure that we're both still alive.

A/N: You all have been so incredibly patient with me and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. For the next month and half, my RL schedule should be a little better which will leave me awake and with more writing time. I've already started on the next chapter. I'll do my very best to keep the wait shorter.

JenRar—you are a fabulous beta and I appreciate you and your red pen! I'm sure my readers do, too.

Chapter 36

"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry."

I sank to the bed at the sound of his remorseful voice and could barely manage a whisper in my own. "You promised, Edward. You promised me that you would be here."

Alice looked at me in alarm.

He sighed. "I'm doing my best, Bella. I couldn't leave today. Hell, this is the first time I've been in cell range."

Unexpectedly, anger poured through me as I felt the twinge of hopelessness from earlier return. "Well, your best isn't good enough," I snapped. "I asked you last week if we needed to postpone this wedding, and you promised me, promised me, that you would be here. That nothing would keep you away. Now, you're telling me that you aren't going to be here, that you're leaving me before our wedding again?"

I heard the sharp intake of breath and listened to silence on the other end of the line. It seemed to stretch on forever, but in reality, I knew it hadn't been more than fifteen seconds because I was staring absently at the old wind-up alarm clock on my nightstand.

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't just say that, because I know that you're upset," he answered in a forced calm voice. "I promised you that I would be there for our wedding, and I will be. I'm sorry that I missed the rehearsal and that I wasn't able to tell you myself. I spent the entire day in the air and had to radio back to Jasper to get word to you. He was supposed to tell you this when he called you. I wish to God that I could tell you what's kept me away, but our lives together, our future, are more important to me than that. You're just going to have to trust me, Bella."

"I never talked to Jasper," I answered snidely. "He and Emmett were sending text messages to Alice and Rosalie. I didn't even get that much."

"Son of a bitch!" he swore. "I specifically asked him to call you and let you know that we got delayed but to reassure you that I would make it there in time for the wedding."

"I . . . wait, what? I thought you were telling me that you weren't going to be here tomorrow." A seed of hope took root in my heart and started to dispel the gloom.

Edward chuckled, but the sound wasn't particularly happy. "Did you really think I was going to miss it?"

"I thought that's why you were apologizing. I mean, I haven't heard from you all day, your friends have been texting mine, and you completely missed our rehearsal dinner without a single word to me. Why would I assume that you would be here?" I answered.

"Because I promised you that I would be," he said sadly. "Even if I have to take the Apache and fly there, I will be standing at that altar at two o'clock, waiting for you. I love you, Bella. Now, get some sleep, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"I love you, too," I whispered through the tears leaking from my eyes. "Get some rest yourself. We've got big plans tomorrow."

Edward's laugh was real and hearty. "You have no idea what kind of plans I have for you tomorrow. I love you, and I promise that I will be waiting for you at the altar."

With a renewed spirit, I wished him a good night and hung up. Alice had left the room at some point to give us some privacy, and she peeked her head around the door.

"Is it safe to come back in?" Alice gave me a small smile.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's safe. We talked it out. He said that he was out of range all day and couldn't call but that he promised to be here tomorrow. I don't know why Jasper couldn't just call and tell me that instead of letting me think that Edward was going to be a no show." I groaned. "Men. They're just so frustrating. Why do we keep them around?"

"Because they have penises, and the manufactured substitutes are only so good," Alice responded matter-of-factly.

I broke into giggles at her straight face, and her façade crumbled. We collapsed onto the bed, laughing, as the tension of the day flooded away.

"I'm sorry, Bella, if I had known that Edward was still swearing that he would be here and that Jasper was supposed to call you directly, today would have gone a lot differently. Instead, the jackass kept sending me texts that said things like, 'Ed's out of range, don't know when he'll be back,' and 'We can't leave. Can't find Edward,' and 'There's no way we're going to make it there, Alice.'"

I chuckled darkly at the sheer stupidity.

She rolled her eyes and continued. "Emmett's weren't any better. 'There's some serious shit going on,' 'They've stuck me in a little room without windows, and the guy in a suit told me that we weren't leaving anytime soon.' Oh, and, 'Jasper just came in and said that Edward wasn't coming back.' Do you have any idea how much I didn't want to tell you about that one? Rose called him and bitched him out for making her think Edward was dead."

In hindsight, I was glad I hadn't asked. I was pretty sure that hearing those messages would have sent me into an utter meltdown. With the benefit of knowing that Edward was safe, I could see the humor in it. I was also sure that Rose, in her wrath, was a sight to behold, and I almost wished I hadn't missed it. Almost.

I sighed and relaxed into the bed. With any luck, at this time tomorrow, I'd be tucked in my husband's arms. I just had to trust him.

It took some effort and willpower, but I hoisted myself off the bed and stared at Alice, who didn't look inclined to move. "Get your jammies on, woman. I'm going to bed. There's a wedding tomorrow, and I'm going to look damn good for it."

"That's the spirit," she said softly, getting up to join me in getting ready to go to sleep. It wasn't long before we were under the covers in my full size, childhood bed. For a moment, I worried that the excitement would keep me awake, but the late hours the night before and the stress of the day had worn me down. I was out within minutes.

~SD~

Sunlight streamed through the curtains the next morning, the sky a clear, cloudless blue. I sat up, yawning, and stretched. It had been so long since I'd really been able to sleep in, and I luxuriated in the feel of waking naturally for just a moment.

That moment was all I got, though. As I stretched, my eyes fell on the alarm clock, and I yelped, waking Alice up in the process.

"What is your problem?" Alice grumbled as I jumped out of bed and began dashing around the room.

"My problem?" I screeched. "It's ten fucking o'clock, Alice. We overslept!"

"Shit!" she screamed, instantly alert. "Oh God. Uh, we were supposed to meet everyone at the salon fifteen minutes ago. How quickly can you shower?"

"Give me five minutes." Since I didn't have to wash my hair and I'd been waxed and plucked the day before, I figured I could clean my body off in that amount of time. Sure enough, I managed it, but only just.

Alice was dressed and holding out one of Charlie's plaid shirts for me. At my grimace, she rolled her eyes and said, "Come on. We don't have time to waste. You didn't bring a button down shirt with you, and you can't pull a shirt over your head once your hair is done. You'll just have to be a fashion tragedy for a couple of hours."

As we thundered down the stairs, I saw Charlie check his watch and raise his eyebrows. He wisely didn't say anything, but I could see his mustache twitching.

Forks only had one salon. It was a good thing that we had opted to stay closer to home instead of driving back to Port Angeles. Esme was pacing in front of the salon, watching both ends of the street when we pulled into the parking lot.

"Oh, thank God. I was so worried. What happened?" she cried.

I sighed as I pulled open the door. "The alarm didn't go off. We just woke up."

Rose and Elizabeth were already in the chairs. My mom was thumbing through a style book and listening to gossip.

"I hope you don't mind that we got started without you. I figured you would be here sooner or later," Rose said with a smirk. "I heard you were up late on the phone."

I laughed lightly. "It wasn't that late. Edward finally called."

Mom's head snapped up at that bit of news.

Rose laughed loudly. "Yeah, I know. When I talked to Emmett last night, Edward was yelling at Jasper for not calling you."

Mom snorted loudly. "That's rich. Isn't Edward the one that should have been calling you?"

"Mom," I warned.

Both hairdressers were listening intently, and I knew that whatever was said here would be the latest gossip around town by noon. Not the ideal situation when reporters would be swarming again after the interview broadcast.

"What?" she cried. "I'm just saying that he can be mad at Jasper all he wants, but it doesn't change the fact that he didn't show up for your rehearsal and he didn't call you."

I sighed and briefly closed my eyes before staring straight at her. "First, that's my concern. Second, he asked Jasper to call because he wasn't able to . . . and third, this is my wedding day. It's supposed to be the happiest day of my life. I don't need the attitude spoiling it."

Elizabeth tried to hide her proud grin, but she didn't turn her head fast enough to conceal it entirely. I didn't often stand up to my mom, but I was feeling a little stressed.

"Yes, it is. I'm sorry," Mom agreed, though her voice was tight.

Silence descended over the shop for a moment, but Rose launched into some new juicy bit of gossip and lightened the mood.

The two ladies in the shop worked fast. They had us all done and out the door before noon, which left us just enough time to get our clothes and get back to the church. Esme had a picnic basket full of light sandwiches, carrots for us to munch on, and plenty of bottled of water to drink while we finished getting ready.

Our photographer flitted around us, taking pictures of us as we worked, rarely intruding or posing. Occasionally, he would ask my mother or one of the girls to step up next to me and watch until he could capture us in action. Then, he ushered us into the sanctuary to get some shots in the church before the wedding.

Weeks before, Edward and I had talked about whether or not to see each other for pictures before the wedding. Tradition held that it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride; practicality insisted that waiting until after would delay our arrival at our reception and keep our guests waiting even longer.

"It doesn't matter," Edward said. "The only bad luck that ever came from the groom seeing the bride before the wedding was that he'd realize she wasn't what he'd been promised when he agreed to the marriage sight unseen."

He snorted and then continued, "I know who I'm marrying, who I've waited almost half my life to make my wife. It won't matter if I see you while we take pictures or when you walk down the aisle, I'll still think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

We'd decided to err on the side of practicality after I finished swooning.

In the end, it didn't matter what we'd decided. An hour before the wedding, and Edward wasn't here. I pushed back my rising panic and smiled for each shot: me alone, me with the bridesmaids, me with Mom, me with both parents, me with Ryan . . . they were endless.

With twenty-five minutes left until the start of the ceremony, Mom bundled me out of the sanctuary and back into the bride's room. Alice caught the flicker of worry that crossed my face and pulled me to the back of the room.

"He promised, Bella. He'll be here. He'd move Heaven and Earth if he had to, and I haven't felt it shake," she said quietly but insistently.

I sucked in a shaky breath but nodded, willing myself to believe her words. "But what if—" I started.

"No." She cut me off. "No what ifs."

I nodded and gathered my flowers as it was time to line up at the doors. All of the guests were inside, and the introductory music was filtering out. I smiled, pretending to feel confident, the panic was welling up inside me.

Dad stood next to me, my hand looped through his elbow, and patted my hand. "I had my speech all prepared, have had it for years. I was going to sit here and tell you that you didn't have to do this, that we could leave out the back doors and be gone before anyone noticed we were missing."

I glared at him, and he chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to do it, Bells. I am going to tell you how much I love you and how proud I am of the woman that you've become."

Tears started to fill my eyes, and I blinked them back. "I love you, Daddy," I whispered.

"Love you, too, Bella," he said in return as the doors opened for us to enter.

My eyes searched past the crowd as we walked slowly up the aisle. On the left, I could see Alice and Rose holding their bouquets and smiling, but there was no one directly on Pastor Weber's right. For one instant, doubt flooded my heart. It lurched in my chest, and only my father's steady footfalls kept me from bolting.

Then, Ed Masen shifted. Now, more than halfway up the aisle, I could see the whole altar area . . . including Edward in his full dress uniform.

His expression was a cross between nerves and awe as he looked at me. I could feel the grin stretch across my face, and he followed suit. By the time Dad and I made it to the altar, we must have looked like a couple of lovestruck fools.

"You made it," I breathed, happiness and relief warring within me for dominance.

"I told you I would," he chuckled, but I could see the tension in his eyes and knew that it had been a close thing.

"I love you," I told him.

"And I love you," he returned.

In that moment, we were the only two in the building and it was only the clearing of my father's throat next to me that snapped us out of our haze.

Pastor Weber chuckled, cleared his throat, and continued where he'd apparently left off. "And who gives this woman to this man?"

"Her mother and I," my dad answered, his voice more gruff than normal. He placed my hand in Edward's and stepped back to the front pew next to my mother and Phil.

Pastor Weber said a short prayer and fell silent while the pianist played a short song. Ryan walked to the podium and cleared his throat into the mike as the last chord echoed around the sanctuary. Listening to our son recite Corinthians lessons on love to us as we held hands at the altar brought tears to my eyes. When he finished, he grinned at us and said, "Thanks for loving each other, Ma and Dad."

Soft laughter rang out, and he ducked his head before walking down from the podium and taking his seat back.

"I charge you both, as you stand in God's presence, to remember that love and loyalty alone will serve as the foundations of a happy and enduring home. If the solemn vows which you are about to make are kept permanently, and if you steadfastly seek to do the will of your Heavenly Father, your life will be full of peace and joy, and the home which you are establishing will abide through every change." Pastor Weber looked at each of us as he spoke.

"Edward and Isabella, having heard these words of instruction and admonition concerning love and marriage, do you now consent to be faithful to the obligations of this sacred relationship as long as you both shall live?"

Edward squeezed my hand and looked into my eyes as he said in the clearest voice, "I do."

"I do," I practically whispered, completely overcome with the emotion of the moment.

Pastor Weber instructed us to face each other. I grasped Edward's other hand and took a deep breath. Pastor Weber indicated to Edward that it was his turn, and Edward swallowed hard.

"I love you, Isabella, as I love no other. All that I am, I share with you. I take you to be my wife through health and sickness, through plenty and want, through joy and sorrow, now and forever," Edward vowed.

Then, it was my turn, and I spoke the words that would tie me to Edward legally like I already was in my heart. "I love you, Edward, as I love no other. All that I am, I share with you. I take you to be my husband through health and sickness, through plenty and want, through joy and sorrow, now and forever."

"May I have the rings that you have chosen?" Pastor Weber asked.

Edward turned to Jasper, and I turned to Alice. She slid Edward's ring off her thumb, where she'd been carrying it, and handed it to me. I dropped it next to my ring in the pastor's palm.

He held up the rings and prayed, "The wedding ring is a symbol of eternity. Father, bless these rings which Edward and Isabella have set apart to be visible signs of the inward and spiritual bond which unites two hearts in endless love. And now, as a token of your love and of your deep desire to be forever united in heart and soul, you, Edward, may place a ring on the finger of your bride."

Edward held up my left hand and slid the platinum band on my finger. "Isabella, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness to you." He looked almost giddy.

Pastor Weber turned to me. "By the same token, Isabella, you may place a ring on the finger of your groom."

"Edward, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness to you." I slipped the ring on his left ring finger and then twined our fingers together.

"Ryan, will you join your parents at the altar, please?" the pastor requested.

Edward and I each retrieved half of our gift to Ryan from Jasper and Alice. Ryan, somewhat confused, came and stood between us.

Since being awarded custody and having our rights restored, Edward and I had talked at length about Ryan's name, both with each other and with the Cullens. I'd also gotten Zafrina's and Jacob's opinions. In the end, we agreed that names were a huge part of a person's identity, and that it would only be fair to let Ryan decide what his would be. Even so, Edward and I wanted to incorporate Ryan into our ceremony and make our family's heritage a part of that.

"Ryan, as our son, you are a huge part of our life and an integral part of our family," Edward began. "Both the Swan and Masen family heritage lives on in you, and as a symbol of that, we give you this."

I presented Ryan with a thick leather wrist cuff stamped with both the Swan and Masen family crests.

Ryan took it, his hands trembling slightly, and looked it over with an awestruck expression. "Wow," he whispered. "This is so cool."

I pointed to the two different crests, one with three swans on the shield and the other with a standing lion. We'd also had the traditional family mottos added underneath: Fidelitas for the Swans—fidelity; and Dum spiro spero for the Masens—while I have breath, I have hope. For us, with our history, those had so much meaning.

"Thank you," Ryan whispered, hugging each of us.

"We aren't done," I laughed through the happy tears gathering in my eyes. "You know that duty is very important to your father—as important as his family and more important than his life. As his family, it is our duty to support him and be his strength as he ensures our freedom and safety. As a reminder of our duty, we give you these."

Edward held up a standard issue ball chain with two dog tags, the edges covered in black rubber. He had gotten Masen Cullen, Ryan P. stamped on it with the rest of his vital information. Ryan swallowed visibly and bowed his head so that his father could put the chain around his neck. They embraced again, and then Ryan kissed my cheek and went to sit back down in a daze, his focus alternating between us, his cuff, and his tags.

The rest of the ceremony was a blur. We lit the unity candle with two tapers that our mothers had lit when they came in, and Pastor Weber said a prayer. Then, the words that I had waited to hear for more than ten years . . .

"Now that Edward and Isabella have given themselves to each other by the promises they have exchanged, I pronounce them to be husband and wife, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Edward, you may kiss your bride."

The words were barely out of Pastor Weber's mouth when Edward's grinning lips met mine. In all of the kisses we'd ever shared, there had never been one more full of happiness, love, promise, and passion than our first as husband and wife.

Only Pastor Weber's next words could have stopped us. We faced the congregation, both of us grinning like fools, as he said, "It is now my privilege to introduce to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Isabella Masen."

Parts of the marriage ceremony were taken from about . com and The Wedding Notebook. This was so incredibly hard for me to write, not least because I hate weddings. Like . . . really hate them. I've already started trying to convince my 9 year old daughter to go to island somewhere in the Caribbean (I've promised that I'll go with her!). My husband and I did wedding photography for a couple of years with my in-laws and I think we've seen almost everything. So, I hope you enjoyed. You didn't really think I was going to put them through more, right?

While you are waiting for me to get my butt in gear, go read the following stories:

Hydraulic No. 5 by Gondolier—it's finally complete and is one of my favorite fics. In fact, I loved it so much that after a year and a half waiting for the update, it was still a drop everything to read.

My Biggest Mistake, My Greatest Salvation by LyricalKris—actually, go read everything by LyricalKris. You won't regret it.