A/N: As always, thanks to Shug (SSHG316) who beta'd the original version of this story and a special thanks to Songster51 for beta'ing this revision. This is the last update of 2011. Here's wishing all my readers and friends a Happy New Year! The next update will come in 2012.
YULETIDE CANTICLE
Chapter 8
Once Alice and Jasper departed, Edward prepared an elaborate candlelight dinner for her and they toasted with a bottle of sparkling cider, which Bella consumed and Edward sipped, frowned and teased her about the taste. His visage bore a constant smile and Bella was finally convinced that his proposal had not been a colossal mistake when he presented her with a gorgeous platinum diamond engagement ring, another jewel compliments of the late Elizabeth Masen. Later, when she settled onto the sofa to watch a video of Les Miserables, Edward lit the fireplace and actually joined her.
When the credits rolled, he leaned in and kissed her softly. "Thank you."
"For what, the movie?" Bella asked.
"For everything, but that wasn't half bad, either," he said. "Although, the original Broadway version was better."
Bella affected a dramatic, playful roll of her eyes. "Are you a live-acting snob, Mr. Cullen?"
"Well, that was the method in my day."
"Now you really sound like a curmudgeon." She giggled and kissed his cheek. "But soon to be my personal curmudgeon."
Edward laughed and she reveled in hearing it and regarded him with a loving smile until it waned, still searching his face for any sign of regret.
He looked into her eyes and grew serious. "What?"
"Thank you for making tonight so special."
He put an arm around her and held her close to his side, careful to arrange an afghan between them so she wouldn't get too cold. "You're very welcome."
She couldn't help but grin, then sobered and posed the question that she felt she already knew the answer to, but didn't want to assume. "Are you sure you want to get married so soon?"
His eyes narrowed. "You're not having second thoughts are you?"
"No, no," Bella said taking his hand in hers and pinning him with her eyes. "It's just…I-I need to know that this is what you really want. You're not doing this out of some misplaced duty, or pity, or any of those things." Then she looked down and away, afraid that she might see something she didn't want to see in his eyes.
"I'm a more selfish creature than you take me for, love. I want you to have my name, to be mine before you go under the surgeon's knife. I also want to be the one making medical decisions for you if need be. Your parents would make their call out of pure emotion and the limited information given them by your physician. I would decide medically and out of love, to give you your best chance at survival. Do you trust me to do that?"
"Yes, but would you have asked me so soon if I wasn't terminally ill?"
Edward eased his hand under her chin and tilted her head back up to look him in the eye again. "I loved you enough to ask, and you loved me enough to say yes. Whether we get married now, or a year from now, doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, does it?"
"But what if I don't make it?" A lone tear streamed down her face. "Then you would have done all this for me for nothing."
He swept the tear away with the back of his fingers. "You're wrong." He kissed her moist cheek then sought out her eyes again. "Carlisle and Dr. Burke will do everything humanly and inhumanly possible to save you. If I lose you by either means, I will be a better man for having attached myself to you in every way legally possible, and will follow you in death."
"I wish you wouldn't say that. Promise me you won't harm yourself if I don't make it."
"Bella, I can't—"
"Yes, you can. You have so much to live for. Carlisle and Esme would like to see more of the race of vampires as peace-loving vegetarians. You have to help them continue to champion that legacy."
"Then I won't entertain the thought of losing you," he said with a stubborn set of his chin.
"Promise me," she pleaded.
He squared his shoulders. "I promise not to harm myself—if you don't make it."
"Good," she said, then remembered his idea of asking for assistance from the Italian mobster vampires. "And you won't go to the Volturi?"
"I won't go to the Volturi," he recited. He forced a tight smile, stood and offered her his hand. "Now can we stop it with this dreadful conversation? We have a long day tomorrow. We'll need to notify your professors of your upcoming surgery, make arrangements for telecommuting for those classes you'll be missing for several weeks, and Carlisle will need to fake a blood test for me, not to mention all the wedding details Alice has in store for us."
She stood, wound her arms around his waist, and smiled up into his eyes. "I'd like to do two things before we retire for the night."
"Anything within reason," he said with a smirk.
"I want to call my parents and then Angela."
"That sounds like a good idea. I should probably ring Carlisle and Esme, although I'm sure Alice and Jasper have already given them a heads-up."
~888~
Edward heard Renee Swan's reaction from across the room, even though he was simultaneously on the phone with Carlisle and Esme, her shrill screaming was unmistakable. However, his phone call was mercifully short; Carlisle and Esme were ecstatic over the news. Edward grabbed the book of sonnets he and Bella had been reading through and settled into a chair so his eavesdropping wouldn't be so blatant.
"You did make that trip to the drugstore, didn't you honey?" Renee asked.
Edward smiled and shook his head at her mother's irrational fear that he could make her daughter pregnant or give her an STD. Carlisle had counseled him and Bella in an embarrassing "What to Expect When Having Sex With A Vampire," talk just before they moved in together. They would take precautions because so much was unknown.
"Mom, I told you that wasn't necessary and it's still not—until maybe the honeymoon."
"Good. I just wouldn't want you to do anything to bring on early heart failure."
"Believe me, you don't have to worry about that," Bella assured her, and turned away so he wouldn't see her blossoming blush.
"Well, your Dad's reaching for the phone. Congratulations, baby, and please give my love and best wishes to Edward, too."
"Thanks, Mom. Love you, too."
Bella looked over at Edward and smiled. He could see the nervousness she tried so desperately to hide.
"Bells, why is Cullen in such a damn hurry?" Charlie asked point blank.
"We love each other and we decided not to postpone being together until after graduation. You know anything could happen. If that's the case, we wanted to be married to face anything that comes our way, together."
When Edward heard her heart-rate increase, he clenched his fists and moved to her, reaching for the phone, but Bella stiff-armed him.
"I've got this," she whispered. The look in her eyes told him she did indeed have it. He went back to his chair and settled in with the sonnets, but continued to listen.
"What's that supposed to mean? We know you're on the list for a heart, and when that happens, your Mom and I will move to Seattle to be with you."
"There's been a change of plan," she said.
"What change of plan? Are you dropping Bob Gerundy for Dr. Cullen?"
"Dr. Gerundy can't treat me from Forks and Dr. Cullen is here in Seattle. We told you at Christmas that Edward's dad would be assisting me in getting the very best care."
"Bob told me that Dr. Cullen had you up at Forks hospital doing all kinds of tests when you were home for the holidays. He's concerned about the risky procedures they're pursuing for you."
"Edward and his father would never recommend anything that wasn't statistically safe. I trust their judgment."
"Statistically safe? Come on Bells, you're putting your life in the hands of virtual strangers. Bob Gerundy's been treating you since you were knee-high to a duck."
"Then they won't be strangers a week from now, they'll be my family, too, and Edward will be my husband. You have to trust that they'll do everything they can to keep me alive."
"You could still get the call that an organ is available. Can't you wait?" he said.
Edward was fascinated by the way she stood up to her father. This was a Bella he saw more and more of, and he liked it.
"You and I both know that's wishful thinking, Dad. The probability of a match for me is in the single digits. We have to face the truth. Dr. Cullen's colleague at Seattle Grace has a viable surgical option for me, and if he accepts me as a patient, I'm going to go that route."
"Okay, so you're getting married in a week and having surgery shortly after that?" Her father sounded like he was defeated.
"Yes, next Saturday, at the Cullen house. And we haven't gotten the official word from Dr. Burke yet, but we have it on good authority that I'll be accepted."
"What happened to you in Montreal? You've never given us so much pushback."
"I guess I grew up, Dad."
"I know. You're not my little girl anymore."
She looked up into Edward's eyes as she said, "I may not be your little girl, but you're one of two men I love most in the world."
~888~
Bella wasn't surprised at how quickly a family of vampires could pull a wedding together. Given, a coven of a half a dozen that never slept, it amazed her how much they could get done in the span of twenty-four hours.
Jasper's artistic hand, a Kinko's run and FedEx delivery took care of invitations, which were off the next day. The Cullen men did all the heavy lifting to prepare the house for the transformation into a wedding destination. Alice and Esme handled all the fine wedding planning details, decorations and catering, followed up by Rosalie's efficient administrative skills. She paid the bills, made reservations for accommodations and called all the guests who would be traveling into town for the occasion.
After Rosalie made a her courtesy call to the Black residence, Bella got a call on her cell from a number she didn't recognize. She answered anyway.
"Hello?" she said, her voice tentative.
"What's this I hear about a wedding?"
"Jacob?" Bella didn't know whether to smile or cringe.
"The one and only." He was the same confident, just shy of arrogant, Jacob, with a deeper voice.
"Yes, I'm getting married next weekend. Hey, how'd you get this number anyway?"
"I have my ways," he said cryptically. "So, you go off to Montreal and come back with a fiancé?"
"None of the guys in Forks or Seattle were biting. What can I say?"
Rosalie looked at Bella with a smirk. Then Bella realized she'd mentioned biting. Rosalie gestured that she would leave the room, but Bella insisted with answering gestures for her to stay.
"We try to refrain from biting here in our neck of the woods. Someone could really get hurt."
She skirted the double entendre. "Sorry I didn't get over to the reservation while I was home for the holidays."
"Yeah, me too. I figured I wouldn't see you after your parents kept going on about some guy you brought home with you when I saw them on Christmas Eve."
"The break flew by so fast, and Edward and I had lots of family obligations."
"Are you sure about this Edward? I thought I might have some time-"
She cut him off. "Some time for what?"
He seemed to weigh his words. "For us to be…friends again, but then my Dad told me you'd left for Seattle right after the New Year."
"I never stopped considering you a friend, Jake. I needed to get back to UW and get this last semester under way. I'll be having surgery a couple of weeks after my wedding." Bella paced with the phone to her ear, watching Rosalie make wedding favors.
"So they found you a heart?"
"No, but I'll be getting some new valves."
He raised his voice a few decibels with incredulity. "And this is supposed to work?"
"Yes, the Doctor doing my surgery is number one in his field, Charlie Swan, Jr," she said sarcastically. "But, like I told my Dad, this is my body and I decide what happens or doesn't happen to it." She didn't like how Jacob tried to wiggle his way back into her life, as if he had some say after abandoning their friendship.
"I'm sorry, Bella. I have no right to try and tell you what to do. I really hope the surgery is successful."
"Thanks," she said. "I have a feeling it will be."
"So, who's this guy you're marrying?"
She smiled. "His name is Edward Cullen."
"Cullen?"
"Yes," she closed her eyes waiting for the onslaught. "Um, you will come, right?"
He ignored her question, his voice becoming hard. "Are these people, by chance, related to the Cullens who moved away from here like thirty years ago?"
Bella deliberately ignored his question, delaying the inevitable. "Why? You weren't even born thirty years ago."
"Do they have property north of town?"
"Have you got a problem with the Cullens?"
"I might if they're the same ones who lived here before," he said.
"How can they be the same ones?" Bella said. "Edward is my age."
"If you say so," Jacob said. His next words were softer. "Just…be careful, Bella. There are real predators, real monsters in this world." Then he said under his breath, "Myself included."
"You're not a monster, Jake." She tried to reassure him as she'd done Edward. "You can't help who you are. Don't beat yourself up about it."
There was an awkward silence.
"Jake?"
"Why did you say that?"
"I know what you are," she said. She didn't see any reason to dance around the subject anymore.
He paused, but then let out a sigh. "So my tribal anomaly doesn't freak you out?"
"No, not any more than any other mythical creature." She sighed, too. "I might as well tell you if you plan on coming next weekend with your Dad…the Cullens are the same ones who lived here before."
"What!"
"I'm marrying one of the Cullens who your tribe has an ongoing treaty with."
"Bella! What the fu…you don't know what you're doing. You're marrying a freaking bloodsucker! He'll kill you!"
"Jacob, calm down. You know Edward and his family are peace-loving and only hunt animals."
"You can't marry that…? Arrghhh!"
A deafening roar rattled her eardrums, and she heard Jacob's phone drop, clattering on the floor.
Rosalie flitted over to her in the blink of an eye. "Bella, are you okay?"
Bella nodded, willing herself not to cry.
Rosalie reached for the phone. "You need me to teach that dog some manners?"
Bella shook her head. After a scuffle, more growling, and then a mournful baying, as if a wolf howled at the moon, she heard someone pick up the phone.
Sue's voice came on the line.
"Sorry, Bella."
Bella swallowed. "What's going on?"
"Let's just say, Jacob's wolf brothers are trying to calm him down. We'll see you Saturday?"
"Okay, thanks Sue."
~888~
A week after Dr. Burke's official agreement to accept Bella as a surgical candidate, Bella and Edward were married under an ornate white gazebo in the backyard of the Seattle Cullen Estate. The entire affair was enclosed in two large white tents, which Edward, his father and brothers erected the day before, complete with heaters to keep them all warm. Alice, Esme, and even Rosalie helped Bella pull together a spectacular wedding in the small amount of time they'd had to plan.
The guest list included immediate family of both the Cullens and the Swans and a few of Bella and her parents' closest friends. Tanya and her sisters from Denali were included among this number, as they were the closest thing the Cullens had to immediate family. Dr. Burke and Dr. Webber also attended with their significant others at Carlisle's invitation.
Alice realized in the timeframe they had, a made-to-order designer gown wouldn't be possible. They were fortunate enough to find a gorgeous Vera Wang sample gown at Marcella's La Boutique on 4th Avenue, which required only limited alterations, and made it work. Alice used her considerable skills of persuasion at Marcella's to allow them to view the sample gowns they stored for their All Designer Sample Sale they already had scheduled for mid-January. They even found designer bridesmaid dresses for Alice, Rose, and a maid of honor dress, for Angela. Edward chose Carlisle as his best man, and Emmett and Jasper, of course as groomsmen, and escorts for Alice and Rose.
Bella wanted to include Esme in the wedding party, but she insisted she would play the piano for them and enjoy the wedding from her seat as mother of the groom. Angela's father, Rev. Weber, performed the ceremony. He'd baptized Bella when she was a child, and she attended their church for a while with Angela when they were younger. Church never caught on with her parents, because Charlie preferred worshipping on a fishing boat every weekend and her mother was flighty when it came to all things spiritual—she had sampled many religions over the years from a quest to be trained as a Quileute Shaman to Buddhism.
Bella felt like she inhabited a dream. As she approached Edward at the altar on her father's arm, she could not believe she had only just met the magnificent man she was marrying a mere month and a half before. Seeing him in all his glory as she walked down the aisle to meet him, she couldn't believe he was convinced that, as a vampire, he didn't have a soul. What she fell in love with and what she currently beheld was all angel, and no part soul-less demon.
As Esme played the traditional wedding march, Bella traversed the white carpet in her resplendent wedding gown, and Charlie placed her hand in Edward's who was bedecked in a perfectly tailored black tuxedo. It was twilight, so everyone who sparkled in the sun was safe, and the tent protected those who didn't sparkle from the elements. Rev. Weber had barely begun before Renee began to bawl and Charlie looked extremely uncomfortable.
"We are gathered here today in the face of this company, to join together Edward Anthony Masen Cullen and Isabella Marie Swan in holy matrimony; which is an honorable and solemn estate and therefore is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and soberly." Rev. Weber looked to Charlie. "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"
Charlie cleared his throat loudly. "Her mother and I." He then took his seat next to Renee and attempted to hold her together.
Bella tried to rein in her emotions, because she wanted to remember everything about their wedding day. She didn't despair that Edward would remember everything. His vampire mind was like a steel trap. As she gazed into his golden eyes, they seemed to be willing her to remain calm.
Rev. Weber gave his full attention back to Edward and Bella.
"Edward Anthony Cullen, will you take Isabella Marie Swan for your lawful wedded wife, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live?"
"I will," Edward said clearly and without hesitation. He gently squeezed her hands and his face opened into a beautiful smile. Bella was so deliriously happy it was as if only she and Edward were there, reciting their vows at the urging of a soothing authoritative disembodied voice as they pledged their troth to each other and God alone.
Rev. Weber posed the same question to Bella, who said "I will," with a voice that trembled with emotion. She was so lost in the angelic smile of her groom, she almost missed her cue.
Angela stepped forward to do a poetry reading.
"Bella chose Sonnet XXV by Elizabeth Barrett Browning as a gift from her to Edward. It describes the sorrow and depression Elizabeth experienced most of her life, due to her illness. Much like Bella, she lost her childhood as her sorrows added in number. Though the sonnet begins in a rather melancholy tone, it takes a drastic turn when she mentions 'thou,' or Robert Browning, stating that he took away all of her sadness. This is what Bella says Edward has done for her," Angela said with a smile.
"A heavy heart, Belovèd, have I borne
From year to year until I saw thy face,
And sorrow after sorrow took the place
Of all those natural joys as lightly worn
As the stringed pearls, each lifted in its turn
By a beating heart at dance-time..."
At the end of the reading, Edward brought Bella's left hand to his lips and kissed it. Bella felt light, as if she might float away, but Edward held her hands firmly, anchoring her in the moment.
"Edward and Isabella have written vows to one another. At this time, Edward will recite the vows he has written for Isabella," Rev. Weber said.
Regarding her with such sincerity and love, Edward moved closer, his eyes boring into hers as he recited his promises to her clearly and without hesitation.
"I take you, Bella, to be my wife, my true one and only mate for life. When you entered my world, you changed me forever. I promise to give you the best of myself, and to ask of you no more than you can give. I promise to respect you as a person with your own interests, desires, and needs, and to realize that those are sometimes different but no less important than my own.
"I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you see through the window of my personal world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I want to spend the rest of my life hearing your thoughts and seeing your dreams. All that was once mine alone is now also yours. Whatever may come, I will always be here for you. And finally, I promise to love you in times of joy and in times of sorrow, with all I have to give, in the only way I know how: completely, immutably, and forever."
Bliss coursed through her, making her heart so full she could barely hold it all in.
"And now Isabella will recite the vows she has written for Edward."
Afraid that her joy would overwhelm her so completely that she wouldn't be able to articulate clearly what she had written a few days before, Bella swallowed, took a deep breath, and prayed that her voice would carry.
"I choose you Edward, as my husband, my life partner, my best friend, my most discreet confidant, and life-long companion. On this day I affirm the relationship we have enjoyed, looking to the future to deepen and strengthen it. I promise to accept you as you are. I fell in love with you for your unique qualities, abilities, and outlook on life, and will never try to reshape you into a different image. I will help you to remember joy when you are sad. I will be there to make memories with you when you are happy.
"I love you despite your weaknesses and excesses, as I am sure you love me despite mine. I promise to nourish our love with you into a bond that is unbreakable. I want to be everything to you, just as you're everything to me. I will trust you and honor you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. In giving you my hand to hold, I also give you my life to keep. I will love you always, without reservation, as long as we both shall live—even when my damaged and soon to be repaired heart ceases to beat." Bella's breath hitched only at the end, and her voice became husky with tears as her eyes filled.
Edward cupped her left cheek with his right hand and his golden eyes bore into hers with love. Unable to give words to her feelings, even in her thoughts, Bella teetered precariously on the brink of losing it. She stole a glance at her parents searching for strength to hold herself together.
Charlie did not allow the tears to fall from his eyes until he heard the vows that Bella had written for Edward. It was as if that finally confirmed for him that he was losing his only daughter. When Bella saw Charlie's tears, hers fell unbidden down her cheeks.
Rev. Weber looked to Carlisle. "Do you have the rings?"
"Yes," Carlisle said proudly and handed them over to Rev. Weber.
"May this ring be blessed so he who gives it and she who wears it may abide in peace, and continue in love as long as you both shall live," Rev. Weber said.
He handed the ring to Edward who placed it onto Bella's finger with the engagement ring he had given her the night he proposed. It, too, had been his mother's.
"With this ring, I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment," Edward said clearly.
Rev. Weber next addressed Bella whom he instructed the recite the same words. He handed the ring to Bella and she slid it on Edward's finger. Together, they'd selected their wedding bands to complement his mother's delicate engagement ring. Bella's eyes sought Edward's again once his ring was secure. "With this ring, I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment."
"May this couple be prepared to continue to give, be able to forgive and experience more and more joy with each passing day, with each passing year. Edward and Isabella, are now beginning their married life together, we hope that they may have loving assistance from their families, the constant support of friends, and a long life with good health and everlasting love.
"In so much as Edward and Isabella have consented to live forever together in wedlock, and have witnessed the same before this company, having given and pledged their troth, each to the other, and having declared same by the giving and receiving of a ring, I pronounce that they are husband and wife," Rev. Weber said, addressing the guests.
Then to Edward and Bella, "You may now seal the promises you have made with each other with a kiss."
Edward kissed her first lovingly on her lips, and then kissed the tears from her cheeks.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Edward Anthony Masen Cullen."
As Esme played the recessional march, they walked together back down the white carpet and into the second tent on the Cullen lawn that housed their reception.
~888~
Billy Black and Sue Clearwater were among the Quileute elders in attendance and hung back until Bella and Edward greeted most of their guests. Sue pushed Billy along in his wheelchair to where Edward and Bella had just spoken to Drs. Webber and Burke and their wives.
"Billy, Sue," Bella said walking forward to greet them. "Thanks for coming." She kissed Billy's cheek, and hugged and kissed Sue. Edward followed up by shaking their hands.
"Congratulations," Billy said, his voice stiff and unemotional. "Under the circumstances, I offer you the conventional sentiment, but you have to know we don't condone your choice."
Edward growled softly, and Bella touched him and then tucked herself under his arm in an effort to calm him.
Sue leaned down and admonished Billy in a loud whisper. "You promised not to make a scene."
"I was there when this girl was born," Billy said. "I hate to see her throw her life away like this."
"My life is my own," Bella said. "And I trust my husband with it, explicitly. You need to redraw the treaty. In the event the surgery isn't successful, and I agree to be changed, I don't want your wolves coming after my family."
"Jacob's wolf brothers had to shackle him when he found out about this wedding. The stipulation in the treaty is the only way I could get him to see reason," Billy said.
"This doesn't concern him," Bella said. "Jacob distanced himself from me by choosing to keep his own secret. The least he could do now is give me the courtesy of keeping mine."
Bella listed faintly and Edward held her steady. "You should sit down for a while, sweetheart," he urged.
Sue's eyes widened and she pulled a nearby chair over and Edward seated Bella in it.
"Billy," Sue said. "I'll support you at the next elders meeting if you will agree to honor Bella's request." She smiled at Bella and Edward. "It's clear that she loves him very much."
Edward got the attention of a waiter with the catering company and ordered a glass of water for Bella.
"Billy, please," Bella said. "You have to know that my chances aren't the best. If I die, Renee and Charlie, and my husband will lose me." She took Edward's hand and laced her fingers through his. "If I'm changed, I will at least have the chance of a life with my husband."
Billy relaxed his shoulders and the set of his jaw, his black eyes growing shiny. "Sue and I will do what we can to convince the other elders. Only the spirits will be able to help me with Jacob."
"Thank you," Bella said through a watery smile.
~888~
Edward wasn't surprised that Tanya kept a wide berth while Carmen, Eleazar, and the other Denali women greeted them and paid their respects. Tanya found it offensive that he had finally succumbed to and embraced his manhood, because she had not been the one to awaken those desires in him. More so, she could not fathom why he was so smitten with what she described in her mind as a "frail, ordinary human girl."
While she had nodded to them cordially after the wedding with a forced smile, he had not been fooled that she was not still very upset over her human lover he had killed more than two years before. There was a new man in her life whom she would ask to do her a favor.
Edward also heard fragments of words like shapeshifter, and wolf. Had Tanya and her coven come in contact with the Quileutes recently? He tried to delve further into her thoughts, but she made certain to mask her thoughts in Russian so he was only able to catch bits and pieces of them, but he heard another distinct word that concerned him: Volturi.
He voiced his concern to his father while Bella said goodbye to her friends from Forks as the reception wound down.
"Carlisle, I read Tanya's thoughts. She seems to be thinking of going to the Volturi about Bella and me."
Carlisle pursed his lips in exasperation. "I'll have a word with her."
"She'd just deny it. I was thinking along the lines of maybe you contacting contact Aro yourself."
"As in a preemptive strike?"
"Something like that."
"I can see how it would be better to have the news of your marriage to a human wife come from us rather than someone else, and since you plan to change her once she's recuperated from her surgery, their hand wouldn't be forced by a vendetta of Tanya's creation."
"Even after Bella recuperates from the surgery, we're not going to change her immediately. If I had my way, I wouldn't rob her of her soul at all. I know you'd like to believe that we, too, have souls, but I am still not persuaded of that," he confessed to his frustrated father.
"Edward, it's already a stretch that the Volturi will accept what we propose. Why complicate matters by refusing to change her at all? A successful surgery would simply make her strong enough so the transformation wouldn't have to take so long repairing her damaged tissues. As you well know these valve replacements are designed to last longer than the average human lives and will strengthen her heart enough to endure the change."
"I may not have any choice. Bella wants to be changed once she finishes her graduate degree, but I'm still hoping I'll be able to talk her out of it. Let's discuss this further when we return from our honeymoon. In the meantime, please try to figure out how you can capitalize on one of the many favors the trinity owes you. Surely if you convince Aro, Marcus and Caius would be inclined to go along."
"I'll need to consult Alice on this one," Carlisle said grimly. "We'll need every power we can get working in our favor." Carlisle's eyes softened then, and he smiled at his son. "Edward, you are about to experience the single most gratifying thing that eclipses even the drinking of blood."
"Are you sure I won't be too much for her?"
"As you know, vampires have very few things in common with humans physiologically once we are changed. However, one of the things that remain is sex. Enjoy your wedding night, son."
~888~
A/N: The honeymoon, surgery and all that is coming next chapter. They've both grown a lot in a short time, haven't they? How will our lovebirds handle all this change? Tell me how you think things will go for them?