Well here is chapter 2. Now that I've stopped and looked at it, it seems I will never get the hang of writing fan fiction. The first chapter is much too short, and now I've drastically overcompensated and this next chapter is very looong. Please let me know if you like it!

Chapter 2: Wedding Bells

Bella's Point of View

I glanced to my side at Alice, and she picked up my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Her eyes were black as the darkest night with thirst, as were mine, but I knew she was determined to remain strong for me. Heidi marched the string of unsuspecting tourists toward the tower room. I hated Heidi. I hated her gaudy makeup, I hated her provocative clothes, I hated her derisive stare which she saved just for me. I watched, though I did not want to. How many times I had seen this ghastly parade I could not remember. But each time, the same horror and rage still filled me. I was glad. I knew that once those feelings faded, that is when I would be in trouble.

My throat burned with an unquenchable thirst as the oblivious victims filed past. I closed my eyes, my fists digging into my thighs. I had to resist. Alice put her arm around my shoulders, restraining and comforting me at the same time. These people were someone's wife, their husband or mother or father. The Vultori had no right! I knew that had I still been human, tears would have been stinging my eyes.

I remembered the first time that we had witnessed this event, Aro had been giving us a tour of our new home. I growled low in my throat at the memory of his use of the word home. When Heidi led her prizes past us in the hall, he had feigned surprise and had chided Heidi for her bad timing. But over the next day, and the next, Alice and I quickly learned that it had been no accident. Every time Heidi rounded up a bunch of unsuspecting victims, we were forced to watch their parade to the tower room. And even though we were each allowed out separately with Alec and Felix to feed on animals (Aro had promised that he would not give us every comfort that we were used to, and vowed that he would let us observe our silly aversion to human blood), we were forced to act as audience to this grisly scene. I am sure Aro felt that one day we would simply give up our ridiculous ways and fall into line, giving into our natural thirst.

Alice had grown furious when she realized that I was being let out to feed only half as often as she was. She had spoken angrily to Aro about this matter, but he had brushed her concerns aside and said that I only felt I was getting fed less because I was so knew to the thirst. That I was not as used to the Cullen's abnormal feeding habits as Alice. I knew his wish was that I give in to my thirst.

I gritted my teeth and strengthened my resolve, I hoped he was used to disappointment. I frowned and turned that phrase over in my head. I hoped he was used to disappointment…suddenly I gasped with a long forgotten memory. Those were the exact words which Edward had spoken to me, so long ago, when he had still been insistent that he would stay away from me. Oh Edward…

On the morning of my wedding I was woken by a vampire. I threw my pillow at Alice, she easily caught it and placed it on the rocking chair, frowning at me. This was not the particular vampire that I was hoping to see right now. Emmett and Jasper had stolen Edward from me last night and I hadn't seen him since.

I groaned and rolled away from Alice, covering my face with my blankets. 'I didn't get any sleep last night, can I just stay in bed half an hour more?' She ripped the blankets off the bed, leaving them neatly folded on top of the pillow on my rocking chair. 'Come on Bella.' Alice tapped her tiny foot impatiently. 'Do you have any idea how many things we have to do today?' She grimaced and spoke to herself. 'Well, of course you don't, you've never listened to any of my planning sessions.'

'Alice? Just answer one thing for me.' I hid my face in the crook of my arm, blinking away from the sun. 'I am the bride, and today is my wedding day, right?' I could hear her exasperated sigh and the tapping on the floor increased to a faster tempo. 'Of course you are the bride Bella, of course today is your wedding day.'

I lowered my arm and glowered at Alice. 'Ok, then shouldn't I get to sleep in for 30 more minutes on my special day?' I did not like the look that Alice gave me. Before I could even blink I was in Alice's arms and halfway to the bathroom. She set me upright in front of the shower.

'Let's go Bella. I've given you showers before, I have no problem helping out again.' I sighed theatrically. 'All right, all right, I'll do it on my own.'

Alice smiled. 'Good.' She leaned up and kissed me lightly on the cheek. 'You have 5 minutes.' She skipped from the bathroom, closing the door behind her. I quickly turned on the water, hoping it heated up fast. I had heard that same tone in Alice's voice before and knew that she meant exactly 5 minutes and not a second more.

Just as I had predicted, Alice was outside the bathroom door waiting for me precisely 5 minutes after she had left. She quickly ushered me down the stairs, grabbing the towel out of my still wet hair. 'Don't worry about your hair Bella, Rose and I will take care of that later. Now sit and have something to eat, I just finished making breakfast'

Charlie was already at the table, with what looked like half a dozen eggs on his plate, I frowned when I realized the other half dozen were on mine. He smiled sheepishly at me. 'Alice got here just after I woke up, I'm sorry Bella but I haven't been able to stop her. She's already handed me a strict scheduling of today's events.'

I rolled my eyes at Charlie. He wasn't fooling me, he'd probably jump off a cliff if Alice asked him to.

'Bella…please start eating.' Alice furrowed her brow. 'We should have been in the car a minute ago.'

'Really Alice, you must have raided a chicken farm for all these eggs, and you expect me to have eaten everything in one bite?' I grudgingly took a few bites, and then put down my fork. Really, I was starting to feel queasy. Now that this day was actually here, everything seemed so much more real.

I was going to be married. I was only 18. Much too young to be a Mrs. But a Mrs. Cullen…I blushed furiously at the thought that Edward loved me enough to marry me. Obviously, to Edward marriage meant much more than it did to me. If this is what it took to make him realize that I was not going to wake up and run screaming from him, that I really wanted to be with him forever, then I would stop dragging my feet.

'Honestly Bella.' I was pretty sure if Charlie had not been sitting right there, Alice would have swept me up and carried me to the car. 'My schedule...' Her eyes were starting to get a very panicked look and her tone was pleading.

'Right.' I pushed my chair back from the table and leapt up, then downed the glass of juice Alice had set in front of me earlier. 'It won't do to have the bride walk down the aisle with her hair still in curlers.'

I was already pulling on my boots at the front door when I noticed Alice hadn't left her spot in the kitchen. Her and Charlie were both staring at me, mouths slightly gaping open.

I put my hand on the door knob and raised an eyebrow. 'Alice? Are you coming? You can't just stand in my kitchen all day, there's so much to do!'

Alice shook her spiky head as if coming out of a daze and drifted over to me. She looked back at Charlie once, and he just shook his head as if to say he had no idea how the aliens would have had the time to abduct me and replace me with a look alike in that short a time.

We were in the car and speeding toward the Cullen's house before anyone spoke.

I kept looking over my shoulder, wishing that a particular silver Volvo would magically appear behind us. 'Alice?' She glanced sideways at me, still shocked by my new 'go get 'em' attitude. 'Did Edw…did the boys come back last night?'

'No, I didn't notice them come in. And you better not run off and try to find him today. Jasper and Emmett are under strict instructions to keep Edward away from my bedroom for the entire day, and Edward is under pain of torture to keep his eavesdropping mind out of all of ours. I want you to be a complete surprise to Edward until he sees you walking down the aisle.'

I sighed, some of my earlier enthusiasm fading. First Edward was taken from me last night, and now I would not be able to see him until later tonight. It was amazing how I still suffered when we were not together. I had always imagined that the intense longing I felt for him would fade with time, but it had never lessened an inch. It was perhaps now stronger than ever before.

Alice gasped beside me, her face blank.

Edward! If something had happened to him I could not survive, what if the Volturi had come looking for me and found him and his brothers first? What if Victoria had a sister and she had come looking for revenge…

Alice's mouth was stretched in a tight line as the turn off to the house came into view. 'Your future just disappeared.'

The reason was readily apparent for this, as Jacob stood next to the drive, watching as we pulled up. Alice opened her window. 'Jacob, Bella doesn't really have time for this, you know what today is and she is on a very tight schedule.' I put my hand on her shoulder. 'It's ok Alice, just give me 10 minutes and I will be on extra good behavior for the rest of the day.' I was out the door before she could protest.

Jacob's features were pulled into a nervous smile as he watched me leave the car. I knew Edward had sent him the wedding invitation, and that he had disappeared shortly after. Billy couldn't tell me where he had gone, but he seemed to think that Jacob would return when he was ready.

'Hey Bells…' His smile was even more uncertain now that I stood in front of him. 'Will you walk with me?'

I frowned, though inwardly I was ecstatic to see my best friend again. 'Sure.'

We fell into step beside each other, every move an awkward mockery of our former closeness. His hands were balled into fists at his sides, his eyes looking straight ahead, his legs stiff as he walked.

When we turned a bend in the road and could no longer see Alice and the car, he put his huge hand out tentatively, blocking my way.

I couldn't take the silence for one more second. 'Oh Jake, I'm so sorry that I've caused you so much pain, I was so selfish to keep you in my life when it made you suffer so much.'

He finally turned and looked at me, and his eyes were fathomless, ancient and sad. 'Please stop Bells, you always did blame yourself too much. I was well aware of the situation, I knew what I was getting into by keeping you close.' He closed his eyes and swallowed hard.

'Jacob, I…'

He cut me off, his voice pleading. 'Please Bella, just listen.'

I folded my arms across my chest, a tear falling from my eye as I realized just how much pain I would always cause my best friend just from being near him. His hand was up in a flash, catching my tear before it fell too far. He let his hand linger on my cheek, and I was surprised that I had forgotten how warm he was. After a moment he took his hand from my cheek, letting his fingers fall slowly away.

'My pain is nothing compared with yours. The whole reason I came back is that I knew you would feel guilty for my disappearance, that you would somehow blame yourself. As if the blame should ever fall on you, all you've done is be happy. Which is what I've always wanted for you. I don't want you to feel any more guilt for my pain.' He tried to smile again, failing utterly as his face crumpled. He murmured, 'And if he is really the reason for your happiness, then I am not going to stand in the way. I want you to be happy, Bella, truly happy, I don't want you to always be thinking in the back of your head that you can't be happy because of poor sad Jacob.'

He laughed and the sound was hollow, dead. 'I came here to give you my blessing to marry your bloodsucker…er sorry, Edward.' The name came out like it was the vilest swear word Jacob knew.

'I know I'm not doing a very good job of it right now, but please understand Bella. I am going to try to move on, I am going to try to be happy with whatever the world has left for me. His voice choked off and I flung myself against his chest, tears falling down my face. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close to him. 'Jake, I wish you would, I wish you could be happy. That's all I've ever wanted for you too, for you to be happy. And I'm so sorry that I can't be that person to make you happy. But you know that Edward is my whole world.' He flinched when I said Edward's name and disentangled himself from my arms.

He took a step away, smiling ruefully. 'Somewhere, something in the universe went horribly wrong to push the two of us together the way it did. But for a short while, I was your sun, and for that I will take all the pain in the world, and suffer it gladly.' He lifted his hand in farewell, his eyes red, voice low. 'I'm sorry to have saved this talk for your wedding day. But I will try to move on and be happy, for you.' He took another step away from me, and turned to look back one last time. 'Goodbye Bella.'

My tears stifled the strangled goodbye I yelled after his back, he had disappeared into the forest. I walked slowly back to Alice, my eyes blinded with tears. I truly hoped Jacob would make good on his promise and try to find happiness. I was happy I got to see him today, even if the meeting was not a happy one. I swiped at my eyes, then suddenly my foot caught on a rock and I pitched forward, rushing toward the ground.

I couldn't understand why my face wasn't planted in the dirt when I blinked and realized that I was cradled in someone's arms, someone's very hard, very cold arms. I looked up, and Edward was smiling lovingly down at me. He leaned down and kissed both of my eyes. I reached my arms up to hug him. 'I thought you were hunting with…'

He shushed me by putting one pale finger to his lips. 'Quietly Bella.' He spoke softly, and I gazed at his face in rapt attention. 'We were on our way back and I just had a feeling that you needed me. Call it a vampire's 6th sense if you like, a special ability for us to catch up with our human fiancée's in their exact moment of need.'

I laughed quietly and whispered back, 'Why Edward Cullen, you were spying on me from the woods.' He chuckled quietly, looking just a little ashamed with himself, but not near ashamed enough. 'So what if I was?' His eyes glinted mischievously. 'I have good reason to look out for you, my fiancée happens to be a danger magnet.' His eyes bore into mine, his voice a velvet purr. 'I will never let you fall Bella, I will always be here to catch you.' He leaned down and pressed his cold stone lips to mine.

Suddenly he jerked up, fear evident in his features. 'Oh no.'

'Edward!!' Alice came stomping furious around the bend in the road. He winced and I suddenly laughed. I could only imagine what furious thoughts Alice must be assaulting him with right now. 'You promised!'

Right at that moment Emmett came hurtling out of the woods like a grizzly, wood cracking after him. His eyes popped wide open in surprise, or maybe dread, as he saw the scene before him.

'Alice, I swear, Jasper and I turned our backs for one second and he was gone! We came after him but you know he is faster than we are…' He threw a desperate glance back into the trees and roared 'Jasper! Get out here damn you, don't throw me to the lions and hide in the trees!'

Jasper came slinking out of the trees, head down, eyes averted from enraged Alice. 'Sorry Alice', he murmured, making sure never to look directly at her.

I couldn't blame him, the looks Alice was throwing his way would have turned a lesser being into stone on the spot.

'I ask you two to do one simple thing for me! I've planned this whole wedding almost single handedly, and you two can't even play babysitter for one day.' She threw up her hands in exasperation.

'And you!' she turned the full force of her glare onto Edward and he winced again, shrinking back. 'Put Bella down right now!'

My face burned as I realized that Edward was still holding me tight in his arms. He slowly lowered me to the ground and I brushed at my dirty, tear stained face.

'All I ask of you is one day! Just stay away from Bella for one day! Is that so much to ask?' I finally gathered my courage and spoke up. 'I'm sorry Alice, it's really all my fault, he was just nearby and I tripped…' She shook her head. 'Oh Bella, I should have never let you out of my sight. How you survived this long without us is totally beyond my comprehension.'

Suddenly Emmett snickered. 'Did you have a nice trip, Bella?' I rolled my eyes in his general direction. 'Yeah yeah, see you next fall.'

Alice clapped her hands. 'All right everyone, we are way off schedule. We have to get moving. This wedding must go on tonight, I, for one, cannot stand to be around these two', she gestured to Edward and I, 'for another day. We need to get you two married.'

Edward straightened up and held his hands out in front of him towards Emmett and Jasper, palms together. 'I'll be your willing prisoner if the end result is that I get to spend eternity with her.' He looked down at me, a gentle smile tugging the corners of his mouth. 'Gross.' Emmett grabbed Edward by the arm and began to tug him away from me. 'You two are truly revolting.' Jasper slunk off behind Edward and Emmett.

Alice called after them. 'Oh boys! I don't care if you have to take him to a different state, keep Edward away from Bella until the ceremony. Emmett, you don't want me to tell Rosalie that Edward was able to get away from you so easily, do you?' Emmett scowled and pushed Edward ahead of him. 'And Jasper...you know better than to let Edward ruin all my plans.' Jasper smiled guiltily back at Alice, nodded, then ran after Edward and Emmett.

The rest of the morning and afternoon flew by in a blur of curlers, makeup, and beauty products. Alice and Rosalie practically flew around me, fixing my hair and makeup, painting my toes and fingers and checking on the dress every 5 seconds. Rosalie was just placing the last diamond in my long, softly curling hair when Esme came in, followed closely by my mother. As soon as Renee and I saw each other there was a tense moment where tears flowed and makeup was carefully reapplied.

My vampire friends stood aside while Renee and I had a quiet moment together as she helped me into my wedding dress. She stepped back and looked at me, tears in her eyes.

'Oh Bella, you look absolutely stunning. And so grown up...I am so proud of you, and all the choices that you've made for yourself.' She hugged me fiercely, the same hug that she had given me before I left Phoenix for Forks. I returned the hug until she pulled away, then she glanced over her shoulder at the other women in the room. 'Do you think we should let Bella see all the hard work you've put into her today?'

Alice nodded eagerly and danced forward, taking me by the hand and leading me to the full length mirror in her closet. I was feeling way too embarrassed by all the attention so I peeked at my reflection, only letting myself see my feet. I was wearing strappy, impossible high heels, though they were invisible under my dress. I gulped as I realized, for the first time, how utterly long my dress train was. I didn't think I was exaggerating in the slightest to estimate its length at 5 feet. Frightened by the ridiculous death trap combo of my train and shoes, I quickly looked up higher in the mirror. I gasped despite myself. For the first time in my life, I felt like all eyes would not be immediately drawn to Edward.

My dress was the purest, softest white. The sleeveless bodice was tight and showcased all my curves. At the waist the dress blossomed out and intricate lace-and bead work adorned the fabric. I wore no jewelry save the ring that Edward had placed on my finger. My hair fell softly around my shoulders and down my back, diamonds glistening from their calculated placement in my hair.

I wasn't done taking everything in when there was a sudden knock at the door. Charlie had arrived, telling everyone else it was time to take their places downstairs. Esme came forward and hugged me lightly, my mother looked at my through tear sparkled eyes, Rosalie gave me an encouraging smile, and Alice quickly kissed my check before they all fled the room. Music floated up the stairs, Pachelbel's Canon. I gulped nervously. Charlie offered me his arm and whispered, 'You look beautiful Bella.'

I smiled shyly, 'Thanks Dad.' I took his proffered arm. 'Promise me something.'

He began to move us from the room and towards the stairs. 'Anything.'

We came to the head of the stairs and suddenly I could see what looked like half the town, seated in the Cullens' transformed living room, all their eyes on me. 'Don't let me fall, Dad.' His patted my arm with his free hand, his voice gruff. 'I'm still your primary protector until we get to the end of our walk, and I'm not about to let you get hurt now.' I swallowed down the lump that had formed suddenly in my throat, and I moved with my father down the stairs. I was concentrating so hard on not tripping down the stairs, and again on not falling over my own feet as I walked down the aisle, that I did not see him until Charlie gave me a rough kiss on the cheek and released me.

He held his hand out for me as I took the final steps toward him, his face absolutely alight with bliss as our fingers met.

He lowered his lips to my ear, 'Bella, you have utterly dazzled me.' He pulled me close to him as we turned, together, to meet our destiny.

Sitting here now, with Alice's arm tight around my shoulders, it was hard to believe that such happiness, such light, had ever existed for me. All I knew now was darkness, despair, and an unquenchable, growing thirst.