Hey! I'm so sorry it has taken me such a long, long time to get this chapter uploaded. The reason is that my mom is currently unwell and it's very worrying. I haven't had time to think about fanfic but I'm getting back to it now. I hope I have not lost any readers due to the delay for this chapter and I apologize to my current readers. Please bear with me. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited this story and put it on their story alerts - I hope you will enjoy this chapter. As a reward for waiting so long, I promise to upload Chapter Fourteen (which ends on a real cliffhanger!) by this weekend. I have lots of drama planned for this story so keep reading...and leave a review if you can! Thank you. :)

Copyright declaration: The Twilight series and its characters are the creation of and copyright of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing and this is purely a not-for-profit work of fan fiction. No copyright infringement intended.

Author's note: I have made this as creative and imaginative as possible and if it bears resemblance to any other fan-fiction story it is entirely coincidental. There is such a huge amount of Twilight fan-fiction out there that it would be impossible to trawl through it all to see if someone has already had this plot idea and I assure you that if there are any similarities to other Twilight fan-fic stories, they are completely unintentional and inadvertent.

Chapter Thirteen

– Incandescent –

. It was the morning of my wedding to Jacob Black. The first thing I did once I got out of bed was to dash to the window and draw back the drapes. I was hoping for a day without rain. After all, everyone wants perfect weather on their wedding day, don't they? And I was rewarded with a clear blue sky with just a few white fluffy clouds scudding across it: more like a spring day than a December one.

It didn't take me long to shower. I had decided to keep things simple for the ceremony and so I fixed my hair and makeup for myself, realizing that I missed Alice's enthusiasm for style and fashion. She had sighed in dismay when I told her my plans and had immediately emailed me strict instructions on what to do with my hair. They were surprisingly easy to follow: a simple chignon with a few loose curled strands framing my face. Alice had also chosen the lipstick which she said I was to wear with the dress: a shade of pink which brought out what minute amount of color there was in my pale cheeks.

I slipped on the vintage dress that Alice had given me. It was cut in an elegant European style, like something I imagined would have been worn in Paris in the 1930s or '40s. The white folds of fabric and the delicate lace details hugged my slim waist and flowed gracefully to the floor. It was demure yet sexy and I had absolutely no idea how I would manage to dance in it without tripping over the hem.

It wasn't long before it was time to leave. I completely refused to have Charlie drive me to the ceremony in the police cruiser. So, I had hired a classic 1950s Chrysler in keeping with the vintage theme. One of Jacob's friends decorated it with party streamers and I asked Charlie to be my chauffeur: a job which he gladly accepted. It took only five minutes before we pulled up outside Forks church and I stepped out of the car, holding my bouquet of Christmas roses. The sun shone brightly but it was deceptively cold.

The pastor took me aside to confirm a couple of arrangements for the ceremony and then the moment arrived. Charlie stood by my side and took my arm in his as music began to play, the doors opened and the guests stood. I walked slowly down the aisle. One part of my mind was concentrating on not tripping over but the majority of it was focused on Jacob. He stood at the end of the aisle in his smart black suit, wearing an expression which I knew so well: a blend of love and tenderness for me. When I reached the point where he was standing and Charlie placed my hand on Jacob's, he leaned forward ever so slightly and whispered, "You look incandescent."

Then the marriage ceremony commenced. I found it hard to avoid crying and when I looked into Jacob's eyes, I saw that he was emotional too. We smiled at each other before saying the vows.

"I, Jacob Ephraim Black, take you, Isabella Marie Swan…"

When we had our first kiss as husband and wife, I wanted it to never end.

Our marriage ceremony was attended by family members and just a few close friends but for the wedding reception afterwards, it seemed like the lengthy guest list included nearly the whole of Forks and La Push! Jacob and I greeted the guests as they arrived at the hotel near La Push where our wedding party was being held. The room was spacious and had large glass windows overlooking the ocean. The December sun was starting to set, throwing beautiful colors onto the sky. The décor was tasteful and stylish in muted colors of pale blue and cream. Lively music was playing in the background and I was in the middle of welcoming Angela Weber and her parents when I saw a striking Hispanic girl arrive. She smiled at Jacob and I watched him smile back. My attention to my conversation with Angela wavered but fortunately she was interrupted in mid-sentence by the arrival of her boyfriend. I took the opportunity to make a quick getaway and walked over to where Jacob was standing chatting with this girl, who I assumed, could only be Rose Dimanche. I could see how she had seduced Jacob into something more than mere friendship two years ago. Her long black hair hung in soft waves and gently undulated when she laughed or nodded. She was of tall stature and her face was strikingly beautiful with chiseled cheekbones and full lips.

I held out my hand to shake hers and welcome her to the party, even though meeting a girl who had engaged in a one-night stand with my Jacob was far from what I wanted to be doing at the moment. I put on a polite expression and stepped to Jacob's side. But nothing prepared me for the look of utter distaste and revulsion on her face as her eyes met mine, sweeping down my body and back up to my face.

"You've married her?" she spat at Jacob.

For a minute there was a stunned silence and then Jacob spoke: "Rose, what the hell is going on?" he said, frowning.

"She's no better than a filthy blood-sucking parasite. I would have expected more of you, Jacob. Mark my words, you're making a big mistake," Rose uttered harshly.

"How dare you speak about my wife like that?" Jacob was really getting angry. "Don't think you can just come in here and spoil our celebrations because you're annoyed that I dumped you two years ago. Move on, Rose, just move on."

"Jacob," I said urgently as I grabbed his arm. "People are starting to stare."

"I have family members in Brazil," Rose said sharply. "They were employed as cleaners on a private island for a couple on their honeymoon just over two years ago. This girl," and she gestured at me. "She is tainted by her past. You should not trust someone who consorts with vampires."

And with that last sentence, she turned and walked right out the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Did that actually happen?" I said, taken aback by this sudden outburst. I realized that I was physically trembling from adrenaline created by the rush of anger I felt.

"I'm so sorry, Bella dearest. I had no idea…" Jacob's words trailed off as he searched for a way to explain the unexplainable.

"How does she know about vampires?" I said quietly to him. "Did you tell her about the wolf pack and the Cullens?"

Jacob shook his head, "No, of course not."

"Kaure," I said.

"What?"

"She was one of the cleaners who came to Isle Esme. I have a hunch that Rose might be her granddaughter or something. Kaure believed in the cold ones; she believed that the stories were true."

"Which they are," Jacob responded.

"Yes, they are, and Rose obviously believes in them… 'tainted'. Honestly, how ridiculous!"

I was suddenly aware that our guests were clearly starting to wonder about the tense exchange of words between Jacob and me. Fortunately, the music drowned out our conversation but we must have looked odd, standing together in the corner with uptight expressions on our faces.

"Not having your first lovers' quarrel, I hope?" my mom said, laughing breezily as she passed by.

I rolled my eyes, "No, Mom."

Although I tried to discard my tense emotions, I couldn't shake the feeling that Rose Dimanche was out to get me and that she had not finished causing trouble yet.

The evening passed quickly, too quickly. I danced with nearly everyone, letting myself move to the rhythm of the music. For what was possibly the first time in my life, I enjoyed dancing in the middle of a crowded room without caring what my dance moves looked like or worrying that I would sprain an ankle. I've noticed that Jacob does that to me; he makes me less inhibited. Of course, the copious quantity of champagne might have had something to do with it too. I imbibed only one or two glasses of it but I have discovered that I am a lightweight when it comes to drinking!

When it was time for Jacob and me to leave the party, on the stroke of midnight, the guests lined up in two rows by the exit door, their arms stretched towards each other to create an archway. Jacob took my hand in his. And then we ran, smiling, under the archway of hands, past each happy face. Jacob's father and my mom and dad were the last in the line. We said emotional farewells to each other.

"Bella, honey, you're going to be so happy," my mom whispered as she hugged me.

For a moment, my own throat got all choked up. But then Jacob whisked me off to the awaiting cab and I had no time to feel anything other than pure undiluted joy. We flew from Port Angeles to Seattle, where Jacob had chosen a hotel in which to spend our wedding night, before we flew to Vermont for our honeymoon. When we arrived in Seattle, the city was lit up and glowing with Christmas lights and decorations.

"It's so pretty!" I exclaimed, looking out at the decorated Christmas trees and sparkling displays in shop windows as we took a cab from the airport to the hotel. We arrived and the staff took our luggage up to our spacious room. It was one of Seattle's finest hotels and I hardly dared think about how much a room cost. Our room was beautiful, with a four poster bed, a huge bath and everything anyone could possibly want. But Jacob insisted on paying the bill, saying that it was his wedding gift to me.

"Jake, you shouldn't have. I'm so sorry, I didn't get you a gift," I said, instantly feeling guilty and inwardly kicking myself for not being more thoughtful.

"Bella, you are a gift to me," he responded. My stomach flipped with anticipation and pleasure as he leaned towards me. My lips parted and he kissed me on my open mouth. He unbuttoned my dress and slipped it over my head. His hands gently surrounded my waist as I shrugged my shoulders out of my silk chemise. We moved towards the bed and as he made love to me on our wedding night, I felt happier than ever. Later, as we lay drowsily together in a tight embrace, he whispered, "I love you, Bella."

"I love you too, Jacob."