I was still perfectly alert as Edward took the exit onto the highway that would take us to Seattle. When we had passed Port Angeles about 5 minutes ago (he was still driving one-sixty) I had felt more sadness and some lingering fear as I remembered what had happened there. The men who had possibly been about to kill me. My and Edward's first "date". Hearing Edward's voice in my head for the first time after he left...the ghostly hole in my chest threatened to make itself better known again.
"What are we going to do in London?" I asked, breaking the long silence that had stayed even after we'd left Forks.
"Well," he replied, staring at the road ahead, "Carlisle is obviously going to try and get a job in one of their hospitals. Esme will be a housewife," I smiled at that, "and you, me, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper will enroll in college. Actually, not you. You'll be a housewife like Esme." He laughed quietly.
His description of my "occupation" brought back more memories. I closed my eyes and rested and the side of the passenger door, allowing myself to remember my wedding day.
FLASHBACK
"Alice!" I complained. "I'm sore from sitting down for, what, 3 hours now?"
"It's only been 2 hours and 45 minutes," she retorted, going at my hair again with a flatiron and curling iron. "I'm willing to make it 3, however, if you keep up the attitude."
I huffed in frustration but closed my mouth.
"Emmett, Rose, how's it going out there?" Alice called, still focused on my hair and face. She had assigned them to guard the door to make sure Edward didn't pop in spontaneously. Bad luck for the marriage, she had explained, if the groom sees the bride before the ceremony.
"So far, all clear," Emmett replied. "But you know him, he'll show up soon."
She laughed and picked up a can of hairspray.
"Close your eyes," she ordered, pulling the cap off with a pop. I did as she asked and she coated my head with the chemical-smelling spray. I knew that Edward was in the house because I could hear Carlisle trying to keep him outside. Alice straightened suddenly, put down the can of hairspray and beamed.
"Now you're done," she laughed, holding out a hand to help my up. I was so stiff I wasn't sure if I could get up at all. Her expression turned darkly amused as I heard Emmett say "No can do, brother."
"I have a right to see her," Edward said outside.
"No, you don't," Alice replied. She opened a closet and hurried me in. "Hide here," she whispered. "I don't think Emmett and Rose can keep him out much longer." She closed the door with a giggle.
"See?" she told Edward as the bathroom door was flung open. "Not here."
"Where is she, then?" Edward asked. I could picture him standing there with his arms folded over his chest.
"Umm...getting her dress on."
"Where?"
"A place. Get out, Edward!"
His tone grew frustrated. "I know she's in here. Bella? Where's she hiding you?"
I didn't answer. Alice would kill me.
He sighed after a moment, then said, "Fine. I'll be back, though." Then he left.
Alice opened the door again and smiled.
"Come on, let's go put your dress on before he does come back," she said, taking my hand and pulling me out.
She helped me into my dress, worried I would mess up my hair or makeup or something equally crucial to my appearance.
"OK, go look in the mirror," she said when every last button had been done. "I can't wait to see your face when you see what you look like."
I walked slowly to the other side of the room, being careful not to trip on the long train of my dress. I squinted at the other side of the room. There was a girl in a white dress standing there, looking confused. I went closer and closer, until my nose bumped against the glass.
Oh. That girl was me.
It's a strange experience, seeing a stranger and finding out that person's actually you. I stepped back a few steps to stare at myself. Alice came over to stand next to me, grinning. Her form in the mirror confirmed my idea. It really was me.
My Anne of Green Gables dress looked just like it had jumped out of Edward's time period. My hair was perfectly curled, not a frizy hair in sight. My makeup was also perfect, thanks to Alice. Suddenly remembering her, I bent slightly and hugged her tightly.
"Thank you so much," I whispered.
"Don't cry," she laughed, hugging me back. "Save that for the vows."
The vows. I had a wedding I was supposed to be at.
"Alice, what time do I need to be out there?" She checked her watch. A panicked look came over her as she processed what time it was.
"Right now!" she exclaimed, grabbing my arm. "Come on, let's go!" She yanked me down the stairs. Somehow she managed to grab her purple clutch off the hall table as we flew past it. Once we had sprinted out the back door, she spotted something and shoved me toward it. I saw a figure and recognized it as Charlie.
"Stay here," Alice instructed. "I have to go down now. Bye! Good luck, love you!" She pecked my cheek before she sped off.
I approached Charlie, who had turned to face me upon hearing Alice's voice. He promptly gathered me into his arms.
"Bella," he breathed, emotion loaded on his words. "You look so beautiful. I had always imagined walking my baby down the aisle, but never this soon!" I heard him sniff.
"Aww, Dad," I groaned playfully. "Save the tears for later."
He smiled. "It's not my fault. I'm not trying to be emotional."
"Here Comes The Bride" started playing then. Edward had recorded himself playing the song on his piano. I took a deep breath as my dad threaded his arm through mine.
Charlie guided me down, leaving me free to look at all the other things. Alice had not gone overboard on decorations, thank God. She was standing near the altar with a huge smile on her face. Angela was next to her, grinning. Tears sparkled in her eyes. My mom was crying in the first row. And then my eyes rested on him.
He was achingly handsome in his tuxedo. His golden eyes were wide as they followed me down the aisle. Charlie released me when we reached the altar and Edward took his place, wrapping his arms around my waist.
"To say that right now you are the most breathtakingly beautiful woman ever created in the whole of the universe would be a gross understatement," he whispered, his lips at my ear. I blushed.
The minister started the vows then and Edward and I turned to face him. Edward had written them himself, and they sounded almost like poetry as the minister spoke them aloud. Of course, Edward's voice whispering them in my ear made them about ten times better.
"And do you, Isabella Marie Swan, take Edward Anthony Cullen to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, des-"
"I do." I didn't let him finish because Edward (and everybody else present) knew that I would want Edward even if he was living in a cardboard box and had chronic pnemonia.
The minister seemed taken aback. "Ah, well, then...you may kiss the bride."
Edward laced his arms around my back and dipped me in a sort of tango. He pressed his lips to mine and held them there slightly longer than necessary before pulling me back up. He proceeded to carry me bridal-style up the aisle to his waiting "special occasion" car. Then we drove up to the baseball clearing where the reception was to be held.
We had both immediately agreed to dance to my lullaby first. It was kind of cliche and obvious, but it was the only thing that seemed right. Edward held me a few inches above the floor as we danced. In my long dress I don't think anyone noticed.
After we left the floor our other guests took over. When 3 or 4 songs had passed I watched Edward become restless. Finally he stood and walked over to the deejay. He whispered something in her ear. She nodded and pulled a CD out from under her station somewhere.
He walked onstage and stood in front of the microphone. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"I would like to sing a song for Bella." He glanced in my direction. I felt my heart flutter. Everyone else in the room turned to stare at me. "It's called 'When You Say You Love Me' by Josh Groban," he continued. The music began playing.
LYRICS
Like the sound of silence calling
I hear your voice and suddenly
I'm falling
Lost in a dream
Like the echoes of our souls are meeting
You say those words my heart stops beating
I wonder what it means
What could it be
That comes over me
At times I can't move
At times I can hardly breathe
When you say you love me
The world goes still so still inside and
When you say you love me
For a moment there's no one else
Alive...
You're the one I've always thought of
I don't know how but I feel sheltered in your love
You're where I belong
And when you're with me if I close my eyes
There are times I swear I feel like I can fly
For a moment in time
Somewhere between the Heavens and Earth
Frozen in time
Oh, when you say those words...
When you say you love me
The world goes still so still inside and
When you say you love me
For a moment there's no one else alive
And this journey that we're on
How far we've come and I
Celebrate every moment
And when you say you love me
That's all you have to say
I'll always feel this way
When you say you love me
The world goes still so still inside and
When you say you love me
In that moment I know why I'm alive
When you say you love me
When you say you love me
Do you know how I love...
You
END LYRICS
Hot tears started cascading down my cheeks as the onlookers burst into cheers. Edward hopped down off the stage and strode over to where I stood motionless.
"Did you like it?" he asked, wrapping his arms around my shoulders.
I snaked my arms around his waist and replied "That was beautiful. I never knew you could sing like that."
He chuckled. "Actually, neither did I. I thought the only musical gift I had was playing the piano."
The tears that continued to roll down my face were staining his tux, but he didn't seem to mind.
END FLASHBACK
"Bella?" A pale hand waved in front of my face. I started and sat up anxiously.
"Is something wrong? What's going on?" I noted that the car wasn't moving anymore.
"No, silly. We're in the parking garage at the airport." He paused. "If I didn't know any better, I would've thought you were sleeping."
"I was remembering our wedding day," I said, opening my door and getting out.
He smiled. "Ah. A hard day to forget, if I do say so myself."
"I was remembering that song you sang me," I whispered. The beautiful song once again floated through my head. "You sang it about 10 times better than Josh Groban ever dreamed he could." Edward grinned and grabbed my hand.
"God, Bella, did you fall into a coma?" Alice asked as we walked up to the rest of the family. They were all waiting at the door of the terminal.
"No. What are we going to do about the cars?" I replied.
"There are more than 4 cars in the world, if you recall."
I stared, dumbfounded. I couldn't believe she was going to leave her Porsche. It was her most prized possesion. She seemed to notice my expression and laughed, a high soprano tinkling.
"I was kidding. We're loading them onto our private jet."
"What about Edward's Aston-Martin? And Emmett's Jeep?" I asked. They loved those cars.
"Like I said, there are more cars in existence, Bella."
We walked into the terminal towards a big, sleepy-looking woman behind a desk labeled "Private Charters."
"Hello. Cullen, please," Edward said once we were standing in front of the desk.
"I'm sorry," she said in a monotonous tone, "there are no available pilots at this time."
"Oh, that won't be necessary," he replied, flashing her a dazzling smile. "My father and I are both highly skilled pilots."
"W-which one of you will be flying the craft?" she stammered, melted by Edward's scorching eyes.
"Me," Carlisle volunteered. He stepped forward to take care of the paperwork.
"Boy, that figures," I muttered.
"What?" Edward asked, rejoining me.
"That both you and Carlisle can fly planes. Can Emmett and Jasper?"
"Actually, yes." My expression must have been pitiful because he added, "Just not well. I and Carlisle are the only ones who have ever managed to stay in the air for more than 24 hours."
"Let's go," Carlisle said, walking away from the desk. "We've got London to see."
We all trailed behind him. I rested my head on Edward's shoulder as we made our way through the airport. When he got to the private hangars, I wrinkled my nose.
The air was heavy with the stench of gasoline and burning metal. I walked as quickly as I could to the small airplane that said "CULLEN" on the side. Carlisle, Edward, Jasper and Emmett stayed outside to check the fuel and oil levels while Alice, Rosalie and Esme joined me inside. I settled into an overstuffed chair and listened to Alice talk on and on about England.
"I've always wanted to see the English countryside!" she gushed. "And downtown...oh, I can picture the inside of Harvey Nichols now..." She sighed dreamily.
There was a loud thwap of metal closing on metal from outside. Emmett burst in and announced "Everything's good to go. Let's fly!"
Jasper, Edward and Carlisle climbed in. Carlisle made his way to the cockpit and Esme stood to follow. I closed my eyes as Edward took the seat next to me.
"How are you feeling?" he whispered.
"Sad. And a little regretful."
"Why?"
"I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Mike Newton. He wasn't at the wedding."
Edward chuckled and took my hand. I placed my head back on his shoulder as the engines started and we took off.
I would have cried then, had I been able to. Goodbye, Forks, I thought. Goodbye, everyone. Goodbye, my previous life.
I must have looked on the verge of tears, though, because Edward started humming my lullaby for the second time that night.