Title: Reception
Rating: M
Characters: All, pretty much.
Summary: After the wedding comes the reception. Involving a very jealous and stupid Jacob, mild violence, and then…… bum bum bummmmmmm the WEDDING NIGHT!
gasp Oh, the scandal. J
Author: meggers102290
Disclaimer: Of course, all characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I can just play with them a little ;)
The night slipped by slowly. Alice had done a great job at providing entertainment and food, the problem was - the guests didn't want to leave.
Renee, who was practiced at human weddings -as she had had two of her own- insisted on many of the common traditions. As soon as Edward and I returned to the party, I had to do my job and mingle. Edward introduced me to the Denali clan, including the very angry and jealous looking Tanya, who looked like she would rather break my hand off than shake it. After that, I floated around with Edward never leaving my side, socializing with my friends from school who were all busy eating and talking amongst themselves until Renee forced us to open the dance floor with the first dance. Neither Edward or I were opposed to it. Even with everyone's eyes on us, it was still a private moment. Alice, of course, arranged for us to dance to my lullaby. As Edward spun me carefully around the dance floor, I listened to the beautiful melody and imagined his marble fingers flowing gracefully across the ivory keys. Edward placed his head closer to mine and begun to sing words to the music that I had never heard before. I made a mental note to ask him about it later. Our song slowed and transformed into a different one as Alice and Jasper joined us on the dance floor. They were closely followed by Esme and Carlisle and then Rosalie and Emmet. I'm not sure how any mortal-being could be brave enough to step out onto that dance floor with those seven perfect images of grace and beauty, but they did. First, Renee and Phil, then Angela and Ben, then Jessica and Mike, followed by some of the Denali clan. As the dance floor filled up, I began to wonder about Charlie. I scanned the crowd until I found him standing next to Billy and Jacob.
Jacob.
He was so sullen and quiet. Edward followed my gaze.
"He wants to talk to you before he leaves."
I gulped. The music changed to an upbeat song.
"Go." Edward pushed me towards Jacob. "It'll be fine."
I nodded. "Tanya looks like she wants a word with you anyways."
"Yes," he agreed. "She has practically been screaming at me all night."
He bent forward and molded his lips to mine for a brief moment before we hesitantly went our separate ways to conquer the ghosts of our past.
I walked slowly over to Charlie, Billy and Jacob. Jacob was still staring intently at the ground.
"Bella!" My dad grinned and embraced me. "Congratulations honey." He seemed very enthusiastic.
"Thanks." I smiled. "Stick around dad, I'm going to need you for the father-daughter dance." He beamed.
At the sound of my voice, Jacob's head snapped up. I met his eyes cautiously.
"Hey Jake, glad you could make it." I stepped forward to hug him. He was very stiff and emotionless as soon as he touched me. I could feel the despair in his body language. I pretended not to notice. I chatted idly with chattered for a few minutes until some of Charlie's fellow cops came over and Charlie began talking to them.
"Hey Jake," I started. "do you want to take a walk with me?"
He nodded, and walked with me to the door. We walked in silence for a very long time until he finally broke the silence.
"Oh, um….congratulations, I guess." He was very unenthusiastic.
"It would mean more if you meant it." I muttered.
He fell silent.
"Jake," I stopped walking. "If this was going to be so hard for you, why did you come?"
He bit his lip, obviously ashamed of himself.
I waited.
"Because….." He trailed off. "Because I thought that maybe if you saw me.."
"I wouldn't marry Edward." I finished.
He looked at the ground again.
I became frustrated with his stupidity. I was done feeling sorry for him, he had brought this upon himself.
"Jacob," I let the frustration slip into my voice. "Will you please face reality for one minute!? I am in love with Edward. Yes, I love you too. But its more of a brother-sister love. Its nothing comparable to the love that I feel for Edward, and you need to accept that." As I spoke, his face contorted into many different emotions. "You can not keep holding on to the idea that I am going to come back to you because I am married now, Jake I am married. I belong to Edward and I don't want it any other way, and -"
He cut me off in the rudest way he could have. Somehow, his idiotic brain had misinterpreted the anger in my voice as some other emotion. In a second, his hand was behind my head pushing it towards his own. I twisted and squirmed, trying to desperately break the kiss, but to no avail. I fumed and set my lips together tightly. When he finally released me, I instinctively pulled back my hand and curled it into a tight fist. Just as I was ready to release it, a cold hand caught my wrist from behind.
"No, Bella." Edwards controlled voice instructed. "You'll hurt yourself."
I was not angry that Edward had been watching. I felt suddenly smug as Jacob's face contorted, trying to conceal his obvious terror. Edward remained entirely calm as he stepped in front of me.
"I think you should leave now, Jacob." Edward growled.
"You invited me." Jacob shot back.
"Correct." Edward smiled, "But in case my verbal dismissal wasn't enough, I would be happy to convey my message physically as well."
Jacob gave me a pleading glance.
I laughed aloud. "Jacob, do you really think that I am going to help you!? He is fully entitled to break your jaw for me right now, as per previous agreement."
"No." He corrected smugly, "that was only if you didn't want me to kiss you."
I almost punched him again, but Edward held me back.
"Under what alternative reality would I have wanted you to kiss me on my wedding night!?" I spat.
He looked hurt. I couldn't imagine why he would think that I would have been okay with this.
"Just go." I groaned.
"Bella, don't do this." He pleaded with his eyes.
"Go, Jacob." I repeated.
"Don't let him steal your life from you."
Edward and I both froze.
"That's what this is about?" I gasped.
"That's none of your business!" Edward growled.
"What about Charlie, Bella?" Jacob ignored Edward. " How am I supposed to explain to your father that the reason for your unexplained disappearance is because your husband, the bloodsucker, bit you." My jaw dropped.
"You're NOT!" I yelled. "Charlie isn't going to know anything!"
"He will. If it keeps you from doing this, I will go tell him right now." Jacob was completely serious.
A short sob escaped me as Edward's fist flew forward and met Jacob's jaw with a thunderous crack.
He yelped and clutched his face in shock.
"Edward…" I scolded lightly.
"Don't worry, love, He'll be over it in a minute."
Sure enough, Jacob's convenient quick healing process set to work and regrettably, he opened his fully functional mouth a moment later to speak. Edward cut him off.
"If you ever threaten my wife again…"
Not wanting him to fight fire with fire, I stepped in.
"Jacob, if you tell Charlie, it will not change anything. I have made my decision and nothing in this world can make me change it. So, telling Charlie will just hurt him worse and put him in unnecessary danger. Leave, Jacob. Just go. Now, before I hate you even more." I held back tears.
His body rippled violently with anger as tortured howl tore trough him. He turned quickly and started running for the woods. He didn't stop.
I began to sob openly. Edward took me in his arms and wiped the tears away with his icy cold finger before the water could ruin my makeup.
"I'm sorry." He whispered.
"Don't be. It's not your fault. Thank you for punching him for me." I sniffled.
"Thank you for what you said to him." He countered.
"I only told the truth."
"I know," He smiled. "I like the truth."
"Jacob didn't." I sighed. "Come on, we have guests to entertain."
He laughed. "Alice could entertain them all night."
"Lets not give her the chance."
We reentered the house to find I very serious looking Billy. He had somehow knew that we had just sent away his ride home.
"What happened?" Billy scowled.
Charlie simply stood there, looking very confused.
"Your son kissed me." I glared.
Charlie's face fell. "Stupid boy."
Billy just laughed.
"Honestly, its not funny." Edward shot Billy a dark glance.
A light voice cut through the conflict. "There you guys are!" Alice sang. "It's time for the father-daughter dance."
I was relieved to escape the drama. I grabbed Charlie's outstretched hand and walked with him through the parting crowd.
Dancing with Charlie was not nearly as easy as dancing with Edward. My feet actually had to be on the ground, for starters. And dancing with Charlie was also not as pain-free. He stepped on my toes multiple time, making it no secret where I got my lack of coordination from. I ignored the poor dancing techniques and rested my head on his shoulder, knowing that this would be one of the last father-daughter moments I would ever have with him. It was a bittersweet realization. He kissed my forehead in a very fatherly gesture.
"I'm proud of you, Bella."
"Thanks, dad."
"I know your all grown up now and all…..but don't be afraid to visit your old man after you take off on your new life."
That hit home.
I bit my lip. "Sure dad, I'll keep in touch." I promised. I could still call him and write to him without putting him in any real danger, right? It sounded promising enough for me.
The song came to an end, and I kissed Charlie on the cheek quickly. He smiled and handed me back over to my husband as the next slow song began to play. That was more like it. We twirled and spun without my feet barely even touching the ground.
"Alice said you were confused about the suitcase." He whispered in my ear.
"I was…. I mean, I am." I raised my eyebrows.
He frowned. "Bella, have you really not figured it out?"
I chuckled. "You know I suck at acting. I couldn't pretend to be this confused even if my life depended on it." He knew I was right.
"Did you think you were going to get out of this without a honeymoon?"
I had not thought of that. My jaw dropped slightly. "Honeymoon?" I groaned. "Where to?"
"That," He chuckled. "Is a surprise."
"Damnit." I responded.
The rest of the evening flew by in a blur. It was very late before the crowd started dispersing. I hugged everyone and knew that I would likely never see them again. The hardest goodbyes were Renee and Charlie. I promised to write and call and hoped that they wouldn't be too upset when I cut off communication completely. They would be fine, I kept assuring myself.
When everyone was gone, I helped Alice clean up a little bit. She was so fast, that I didn't really get the chance to do much assisting. It only took about a half of an hour for this family to accomplish what would have taken a normal family days. Normal was so overrated, I decided.
Esme and Carlisle were the first to approach me. I realized that after the wedding, I hadn't really gotten the chance to hug everyone. I hugged them now.
"Welcome to the family." Esme gushed. Her happiness was unmistakable.
"Thank you so much, for everything, both of you."
Esme brushed a stray hair out of my face, "Not a problem, sweetheart."
Rosalie fell in line and hugged me next. She only spared a brief congratulations and a quick kiss on the cheek. With the date of my change drawing so near, it was no secret why she was so evasive of me.
Emmet approached me and took the proper precautions not to crush me as he swept me into a huge hug.. "Hey there, little sis." He teased. "How does it feel to have a big brother as awesome as me?!"
I giggled.
Alice and Jasper were next. I hugged Alice first, and then looked hesitantly at Jasper who opened his arms to embrace me willingly. It was harder for Jasper to resist the smell of my blood like the others. He was not as practiced, yet. I appreciated the effort, on his part.
"Thank you guys, so much." I said gratefully. "You guys don't know how much this has meant to me."
"Yes I do." Alice smiled. "I told you a big wedding would be better."
I hugged her again. "I know. Thank you Alice."
"Anytime Bella. You know that I love you. You were my sister long before this night." I teared up again.
Edward grabbed my waist from behind and kissed my neck. The family exchanged knowledgeable glances and all bid us a hasty goodnight.
"Shall I carry you across the threshold?" Edward jested.
I nodded cooperatively.
"No, I'll do you one better." He swept me into his arms. "I'll even carry you up the stairs."
Even though Edward contained the full ability to have made it to the bed in 5 seconds flat, he took his time. Stepping deliberately on each stair on the way up. He stared at me, smiling. I returned his gaze. We entered the room and he set me carefully on the edge of the bed. He knelt down in front of me as if he was going to propose again. My heart jumped into my throat at the memory. Instead, he lifted the hem of my dress and removed my shoes. He sat next to me and removed his own shoes, next, setting them carefully next to mine. How very like a married couple, I thought.
We sat in silence for a few moments. I turned my head and surveyed his features. He looked up at me and grinned.
"No, Bella." He misinterpreted my gaze, " I have not forgotten your end of the deal."
He decidedly moved his hands to my face and captured my lips beneath his own. I was not expecting this, but I was also not offering any objection. I succumbed to his sweet breath and we leaned back onto the bed. He eased himself on top of me and continued our kiss in adventurous ways that had never been attempted before. A moment later he flipped on his back and pulled me on top of him. His hands roamed my back as his tongue roamed my mouth. He found the string that laced up the back of my dress and he pulled it out of its secure double not with one swift movement. He held the kiss and continued to unlace the dress at the same time. I marveled at his impressive double tasking and attempted to display a little of my own talent. I reached down and fumbled with the buttons on his white tux shirt. I was done with them before he was done with my lace. I slid inside of his shirt and felt his marble chest flexing beneath my shaking, clammy hands. He finally finished the lace and hesitantly paused our kiss. He peeled the dress of me slowly. I suddenly understood why he looked so scared. This was the one area in which we both had equal and limited expertise. I was down to my underwear and bra, I decided it only fair for him to shed clothing before I shed anymore. I undid his bow tie with hasty and shaky hands and tossed it aside. I slid his shirt and jacket off of his shoulders and threw them in the same direction. I froze, realizing that this was as far as we had ever gotten before. I shook my thoughts back into order and pressed my half naked body down on top of his ice cold chest. I should have been shivering with cold, but I was sensationally warm. It only took me a moment to realize where most of the heat was generating. I blushed, feeling my body getting carried away. Edwards hands roamed my back freely as I resumed our kiss. I felt his icy hands pause briefly on my bra clasp. He hesitated, and released it with one slight thumb gesture. I felt it loosen and slide down my arms. His eyes were shut tight as he continued to kiss me. He obviously wasn't ready to open them yet, I helped motivate him. I slipped my arms out of the bra straps and flung it in a random direction across the room before pressing my bare chest against his. The heat and the cold fought against each other in an epic battle of temperature control. His hands were still frozen on my lower back. I linked my fingers behind his head and rolled him over on top of me. His hips fell directly on top of my own and I felt an unfamiliar prodding that had never been present before. I was better at this than I gave myself credit for. I waited for him to make the next move. Until he did, I would just keep kissing him and running my hands through his hair and up and down his back. I was ready, the rest was up to him.
I knew this was scarier for him than it was for me. He could easily get carried away and lose control of his strength. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt me, and as afraid as I knew I should be, I still wasn't. Until he was ready, I would be patient and take what I was given. He seemed to sense that I wasn't going to make the next move. His hand traveled down to the zipper on his pants. I heard them unzip and I felt his hips give beneath me slightly. When they resumed their position, the prodding sensation had grown much more powerful. I could sense his urgency in the way he was moving his tongue rapidly around my mouth and even occasionally inside of it. He pulled away from our kiss and closed his eyes for a moment. Regaining control, I could tell. When his eyes closed, they were a dark onyx. When they reopened they had been replaced with a bright shade of honey.
"Are you sure about this?" I edged. I didn't want him to feel pressured.
"We can keep going if you want," He offered. "I just don't want to have to stop at an inconvenient moment."
I smiled. "I'll be forgiving."
With the intention settled, his cold palm slipped beneath the lace of my underwear and instead of slipping them off, I felt the fabric give away under his hands. His strength baffled me once again. The only thing separating us now was the thin fabric of his boxers. My heart beat was erratic, and I realized that Edward was shaking. I positioned myself carefully over the contained lump. Placing my knees on either side of his torso. His hips gave way beneath me again and this time when the resumed their position I gasped. Edward and I had something else in common. The warmest part of my body also happened to be the coldest on his. Our temperate extremities collided and I inhaled deeply. From that point I lost all track of time and control. Edward, however, maintained complete control. I was very impressed with him. He displayed a superior gentleness that proved my lack of fear to be completely relevant. I knew he would never be able to hurt me.
The clock informed me that we had been lost in our own personal bliss for over two hours by the time we finally relaxed. We were both breathing heavily, even though Edward had no reason to breathe at all. Our chests rose and fell in the same time and our hands found each other in the dark room.
"You kept your control very well." I applauded.
"It wasn't as hard as I expected." He breathed
"I'm glad. It was actually better than I predicted." I admitted
"What did you expect? I'm good at everything, remember?"
I laughed and pressed my lips to his once more. An involuntary shiver ran through me as the adrenaline was subsiding. He responded by lifting me off of the bed with one arm and tucking under the blankets. In a split second he was beside me again. Our bodies formed together perfectly, like a puzzle. He tangled his feet with mine and pulled my head against his chest. He inhaled my scent and breathed -
"Isabella Cullen."
I grinned.
"Mrs. Edward Cullen." He continued. "I like it."
"I love it." I agreed.
"I love you." He edited. "Sleep, Bella. Tomorrow is a big day. There are many plans and preparations that need to be made. We need you coherent."
I laughed. "Sleep will come easy enough. I am exhausted."
He smiled my favorite half-smile and kissed my forehead. Tonight, he sang a different song. One that I was familiar with. It was an old Billy Joel song that my mom used to listen to. I was fast asleep before he hit the second verse
"….I promised I would never leave you, and you should always know
Wherever you may go, no matter where you are, I never will be far away
Goodnight my angel now its time to sleep, And still so many things I want to say
And like a boat out on the ocean, I'm rocking you to sleep.
The waters dark and deep inside this ancient heart, you'll always be a part of me."
I vaguely remember him kissing me just before the last two lines.
"Someday we'll all be gone, but lullabies go on and on
that's how you and I will be….."