A/N: Since the epilogue's been finished for a few days, I actually started writing a new Jasper/Bella story. It's much darker than this one. Their relationship will be kinda similar because I refuse to write a main couple in an unhealthy relationship, lol, but the story around the two of them is darker. They also become a couple waaaaay earlier than they did here. Let me know if that's something y'all would be interested in!

Cloud-Free Skies

Bella woke up the morning of her wedding to two text messages from her soon-to-be husband.

He's gone. Demetri took him to Italy. Our skies are officially cloud-free.

I love you and I can't wait to marry you. See you at the altar, sweetheart.

Bella smiled to herself because she'd see him well before they met at the altar. She and Jasper had decided not to do the whole 'can't see the bride before the wedding' thing. Their wedding was small, with everyone pitching in, and both of them wanted to help with setting the backyard up. She was also planning on making use of Esme's kitchen for some last minute baking and food prep.

She deleted the first message and saved the second, happy to put any and all thoughts of her former boyfriend behind her. She was at the beginning of her eternity with the man she loved with her whole heart. Edward Cullen was an unimportant footnote in her life who she'd never have to think of again.

She hopped out of bed with a smile and went downstairs to make some coffee. Seeing her dad reading the newspaper at the table, she gave him a hug from behind.

"I'm getting married!" she shouted, making her dad laugh and shove her head away from his ear.

"Thanks a lot, Bells. Now I'm not going to be able to hear all the wedding stuff."

Bella smiled as she crossed the kitchen. "Eh. If you've heard one wedding, you've heard 'em all," she shrugged dismissively as she poured a mug of coffee, though her smile gave her away.

"How many times are you going to say 'wedding' and 'married' between now and when you're about to walk down the aisle?" her dad asked with an equally wide smile.

Bella snorted a laugh. "As many as possible. I feel like I can work one of those in at least every ten minutes until I get to my wedding, where I'll be getting married."

Charlie laughed and looked at his watch. "Oh boy. Every ten minutes until 6:55? That's like… too much math, that's what that is. I haven't had enough coffee to do that much math, kid."

Bella looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. "Sixty, dad. Sixty isn't a lot of math," she laughed as she grabbed a banana and pulled out a chair.

Charlie shrugged. "I'm lazy. You know that."

"Maybe you could tell my soon-to-be husband about my lightning fast math skills because yesterday he may or may not have implied that Forks shouldn't have given me a diploma."

"He implied you shouldn't have graduated?" Charlie laughed.

"Well, less implied, more explicitly stated," she admitted.

Charlie shook his head. "Do I even want to know?"

Bella smiled. "It was nothing terrible. I just got a little flustered around our Italian guests and he was teasing me."

"Am I going to get a little flustered around our Italian guests?" he asked.

Bella thought on it a moment. She'd given her dad a bit more information about the Volturi when they'd had dinner the night before, although not much. Mainly just explaining that they were in charge of keeping those who were 'different' like the Cullens safe. Her dad wasn't stupid and hadn't just accidentally stumbled on becoming Chief of Police, so he'd made the connection that her going to Italy to help Edward was somehow related to their overseas visitors. Bella had admitted that was true but said the details were of the 'need to know' variety, which her dad had accepted.

"I actually don't think you are," she answered. "They were so different yesterday from when I met them. Much more… normal."

Charlie just nodded. "And Edward?"

"Gone. My soon-to-be husband texted a few hours ago that he was gone," Bella smiled. Her dad didn't know much about Edward, just that he'd shown up the day before and was making a general nuisance of himself. She did tell him Edward may have met his soulmate, though. Thought maybe it would show Charlie he didn't need to worry about her ex-boyfriend pestering her for another chance anymore.

"Good. With the boyfriend or soulmate or whatever?" Charlie asked as he got up to make them both some toast. "Demetri, was it?"

"Yep," Bella nodded. "They went back to Italy, I guess early this morning."

"And will Alice's soulmate or boyfriend or whatever be there today?"

Bella smiled. "Morgan. Yes, he'll be at my wedding."

Without missing a beat, Charlie grabbed the marker for the dry erase board they used for grocery lists and made a tick mark. "There's one. Fifty-nine more to go. Although I feel like that number may jump if we add the phrase 'soon-to-be husband' to the list."

Bella laughed and nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. Can you blame me?"

"No," Charlie smiled. "I can't blame you at all. He's a great guy. Exactly the kind of partner any parent would want for their child. It's like he woke something up inside you. You were just kind of stumbling your way through life, literally most days, and then he turned up and… now you're awake and alive."

"Dad, you're a genius! But also, you can't make me cry on the morning I'm getting married! I don't want to show up at my wedding with puffy, bloodshot eyes. What would my soon-to-be husband think?" Bella sniffled.

Charlie laughed as he made a couple more tick marks and then walked over and pulled his daughter into a hug, doing some sniffling of his own. "Look, kid, if I'm walking down that aisle with red eyes, I'm damn well not doing it alone. And of course I'm a genius. Are you just now noticing?"

Bella smiled and gently shoved him off her. "You just gave me an answer I've been trying to find for weeks. While you finish burning the toast, I need to run up and call Alice."

Bella parked in front of the Cullen's house a few hours later, her truck practically groaning under the weight of all the food in the back. Sue had stopped by the Swan's about an hour before to drop off some of the dishes she'd made and a whopping five apple pies. Sue's pie was legendary in La Push so Bella just hoped five was enough to satisfy the wolves.

Just as she hopped down, Jasper came out to meet her. "Hi," she smiled as he pulled her in for a hug.

"Hi," he whispered as he leaned down to kiss her. Bella wrapped her arms tight around his neck so she could hang off him when he stood back up. Jasper laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist. "How's your morning been?"

"Good. I had breakfast with my dad, did some baking, and chatted with Sue for a while."

"How many pies did she make?" he asked with a smile.

"Five," Bella laughed. "I don't know if it'll meet demand, but I made two cakes and I'm going to bake a bunch of cookies with Esme. How's it been going here?"

"Not too hectic. Carlisle and the kings have been holed up in Carlisle's office most of the morning, and Alice and Morgan just took off to spend some time on their own. We've got all the tables and chairs set up, the lights and lanterns are all hung, and Emmett and I went and bought the second grill this morning so that's all set up," he answered. "The flowers are here, too, and ready to be arranged."

Bella gave him a huge smile and a final kiss before he set her down. "Then let's get all this food in so we can get to work on the flowers."

Jasper let out a piercing whistle. "Extra hands, please!" he called towards the house, and a minute later they had a few more helpers to get everything inside.

Rosalie looked around their kitchen with a smile when they were done. "Those wolves sure can eat."

"They can," Bella laughed as she made herself a small salad to pick at while they worked.

The flowers were pretty simple - a combination of hydrangeas, tulips, white roses, and sprigs of lavender - and Bella had found large glass mason jars in a pretty pale turquoise that they were going to use to make the centerpieces.

Bella was surprised when Renata asked if she could help with anything. From what Carlisle had told her about the various members of the Volturi, it sounded as if Renata didn't speak all that often. But as the kings were about as safe in Forks as it was possible to be, she didn't need to be glued to Aro's side.

Jasper and the two women chatted about vampire gifts and how even among those that were similar - shields, for instance - no two worked exactly the same. Where Bella was a mental shield, Renata was a physical shield. She couldn't stop gifts from working but she could prevent physical attacks. The Volturi had recently added a guard member who blocked all vampire gifts, physical and mental, but who couldn't block physical attacks. Renata had only met one other empath in her long life, but she needed touch to detect emotion and she wasn't able to influence others the way Jasper could.

Bella found the whole conversation fascinating. She loved learning anything and everything about the world she would be joining soon.

When Bella went outside with the first of the centerpieces, she got a delightful surprise. Since the ceremony and reception were both being held in the backyard, they were using the same chairs for both, planning to just move the chairs from the ceremony over to the tables when it ended. Bella had thought they were just using normal folding chairs, but she saw that they were all covered in white slipcovers, and the bow tying them back was in the same pale turquoise as the mason jars.

"Do you like them?" Esme asked nervously as she came out the sliding door.

"I love them!" Bella smiled. "Where did you find these?"

Esme gave a little sigh of relief. "I actually sewed them myself. I thought they'd tie everything together, since the tablecloths are white. I wanted it to be a surprise."

Bella hugged her with a wide smile. "Thank you, Esme. I love them. They're certainly prettier than the metal folding chairs," she added with a laugh. Bella looked around the yard and could barely contain her joy.

Jasper smiled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Everything looks perfect, huh? Just the way we imagined it."

"We're getting married," she whispered, a brilliant smile on her face.

Jasper's answering smile was equally as bright as he leaned down to kiss her. "We're getting married."

By the time she and Esme got the last of the cookies in the oven, it was after five, so Bella went up to Alice's room to take a shower. When Alice's mate had turned up the day before, Bella had been even more grateful that she and Jasper had planned a small, casual wedding because it meant they could do a lot of the set-up on their own, which freed her best friend up to spend most of the day with Morgan.

While they'd been working, Esme had filled her in on what happened after she'd gone home the day before, and Bella wasn't at all torn up that Edward was facing heavy consequences for what he'd done. Aside from whatever he might have done to her, Edward had risked the lives of a good portion of the people Bella loved the most. She also couldn't help a smile when Esme told her about Jasper burning his pinky and thumb.

"Let's see you play piano with that, asshole," she'd muttered under her breath, making Esme laugh and shake her head.

She was standing in her bathrobe, hair still wrapped in a towel, looking at the shoes she'd chosen when Alice knocked on her own bedroom door and walked in. "It looks beautiful out there," she said as she hugged Bella.

"You guys do good work," Bella laughed. "How was your day?"

Alice sighed happily, her face practically glowing. "Perfect. Just perfect."

Bella couldn't have been any happier for her best friend. "I'm so happy for you, Ali. You've waiting such a long time for this."

"I'm happy for me, too," Alice laughed. "But we can talk about him later. Let's finish getting you ready. Are you rethinking the shoes?"

Bella tipped her head as she thought about it, then shrugged. "Kinda. What do you think Jas would say if I rocked up to the altar barefoot?"

"I think you could rock up to the altar just as you are now, in a bathrobe and your hair in a towel, and all he would think is that you're beautiful," Alice answered honestly. "But let's ask. Jasper!" she hollered unnecessarily loud in the direction of the door.

"Man, now I'm not going to be able to hear all the wedding stuff," Bella laughed. Seeing Alice's confusion, she waved her hand. "I deafened my dad this morning."

Jasper knocked and popped his head in the door. "You rang?"

"How do you feel about bare feet, soon-to-be husband?" Bella asked.

"In general? Or yours in particular, soon-to-be wife?" he laughed.

Bella smiled and rolled her eyes. "Mine."

"You wanna get hitched barefoot?" he asked. When she sort of half-nodded, half-shrugged, he smiled at her. "The grass is nice and soft. Less chance of you tripping, too. Does that mean I get to be barefoot also?"

Bella smiled at him. "Your feet aren't too ugly so I suppose I'll allow it."

"Thanks, sweetheart," he laughed. "You always know just what to say."

"Can I put different polish on your toes, Bella?" Alice asked before they could do any more playful bickering. She quickly scanned what shades of pink she had and held one up with a bright and cheerful "Aha! Perfect!"

"And that's my cue to leave," Jasper laughed as he ducked back out the door.

"Any more thoughts on old, new, borrowed, blue?" Alice asked once she got Bella comfortable and started painting her toes.

Before Bella could answer, there was another knock on the door and Rosalie popped her head in. "I come bearing gifts," she smiled as she came in with a small bag and a plate.

"Food gifts?" Bella asked.

"Some yes, but not all," Rose answered as she set the plate containing cheese and apple slices on Bella's lap. "Last we talked you hadn't decided on the traditions, so Alice and I thought maybe we could give you a hand."

"The old, new, borrowed, blue tradition?" Bella asked curiously as she nibbled on a slice of cheese. Their wedding was so last-minute and casual that she hadn't given too much thought to that tradition.

Rosalie nodded. "We had a couple ideas but they're just that. Ideas. And small ones. You don't have to use them. This is your wedding, so it's about what you want."

"Thanks, Rose," Bella smiled. "I appreciate the thought, but I'm always happy to hear your ideas."

Rosalie gave her a smile of her own in return. "We thought your dress could be the new from Alice, and then she sewed this if you wanted to use it to wrap the stems of your bouquet," she said, pulling out a strip of white linen with the same pale turquoise fabric that the bows on the slip-covered chairs were made of sewn down the middle. "You could use this as your blue."

"I love that idea," Bella grinned. "I honestly hadn't thought about wrapping the stems, but this will be so pretty. And practical, because you know with my luck I'd probably cut myself on an errant thorn."

Alice laughed while she fanned her hand over Bella's toes. "Pretty and practical. Just like the bride."

"Hey!" Bella exclaimed, trying for indignant but smiling too much to really pull it off. "There's nothing wrong with being practical."

"I never said there was," Alice laughed. "That wasn't criticism, Bella. I think you're perfect just the way you are. And the piece of white fabric is actually part of the shirt I was wearing when Jasper and I met the family for the first time."

"I didn't know that!" Rosalie grinned.

Alice shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. "It was a big day, so I wanted to keep something as a reminder."

Bella smiled at her best friend, grateful that she never wanted her to be anything but herself and that she was willing to share something that meant so much to her. "Thanks, Ali. But if we could avoid any mush that might make me cry, I'd appreciate it. My dad and I already had a small sniffle session this morning and I don't want to walk down the aisle with red eyes."

"Well it's not like you'd be the only one there with red eyes," Rosalie smirked.

"True," Bella laughed. "I think I'll save that particular type for next month, though."

"Has your dad mentioned that? About Peter and Charlotte's eyes?" Alice asked curiously.

"Nope. And I wasn't going to bring it up if he didn't," Bella shrugged. Noticing that Rosalie looked a little nervous, she tipped her head to the side. "What's wrong, Rose?"

Rose smiled and shook her head. "Nothing. I'm just nervous you won't like the last part of the tradition. I thought we could combine the old and borrowed," she said as she pulled a small jewelry box out of the bag and handed it to Bella. "They're the earrings I wore the first time Emmett and I got married. They were the first piece of jewelry he ever bought me."

Bella opened the box to see a pair of simple diamond earrings, and looked at her big sister. "You really want to lend these to me?" she asked softly. When Rosalie nodded, still looking a little nervous, Bella teared up a little. "I'd be honored to wear them, Rose. Thank you so much."

Rosalie gave her a brilliant smile and stood up to give her a hug. "We all wanted to find a little way to be with you guys at the altar. Emmett's lending Jas the watch I gave him as a first wedding gift. So all of us siblings will be represented. It was our way of showing you both how thrilled we are for you."

"Did I not just tell you I didn't want to do any crying?" Bella laughed as she wiped her eyes.

Alice waved her off with a smile. "That's what weddings are for. Sentimental mush. It's best to just accept it now and prepare."

"How are you doing your hair?" Rosalie asked, trying to deflect from the mush.

"I was hoping Alice would do the same kind of bun thing she did when I went to prom."

"Of course! That actually works out well. It's not too fussy and with your hair back you'll be able to see Rose's earrings. Since that's the only jewelry you're wearing, it'll it be perfect."

Glad that she had everything sorted, Bella relaxed and finished the rest of her snack while Alice did her hair. This was shaping up to be the best day of her life and she hadn't even walked down the aisle yet. It was only going to get better from here.

Jasper was helping Bella - clad in a silk bathrobe of Rosalie's, too afraid she'd spill something on her dress - put together a huge salad when they heard Jacob's loud ass voice outside. He and Angela had been pretty tight-lipped about whatever they'd been working on that they were coming early to set up, and Bella and Jasper had been dying of curiosity. They knew part of it was already in the garage draped in a sheet but they'd been told by a very stern Esme that they weren't allowed to peek.

They smiled at each other and then quickly washed their hands and walked out back.

"Bella!" Angela shouted with a smile and ran over to give her a hug.

Bella smiled as she hugged her best human friend. "Hey Ange. Ready to let us in on the secret?"

Angela gave Jasper a hug and then nodded. "Jacob's bringing the pack's gift out now."

Bella and Jasper watched as Jacob carried the sheet-covered… whatever to the end of the 'aisle' where the ceremony would be. There was no actual aisle, just the soft grass, and they would be standing under one of the trees that was strung with lanterns.

When he pulled the sheet off they saw that the wolves had made them a wedding arch. Bella smiled so wide her face practically hurt.

"Is that driftwood?" Jasper asked.

Jacob nodded. "Yeah, from First Beach. Do you like it?"

"I love it!" Bella shouted and hugged him, while Jasper nodded his head with a grin.

"It's perfect. Thank you, Jacob."

"What's the other half? Oh, you guys," Bella sniffled seeing that Angela was pulling flowers out of a huge tub that she'd somehow threaded and was weaving through the arch.

Jasper smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Pacific rhododendrons and bluebonnets?" he asked. When Angela and Jacob nodded, he pulled Bella a little closer. "Our state flowers," he whispered.

"Washington and Texas, right?" Bella asked, her voice soft.

Angela shrugged with a smile. "This just felt right. This way it represents both of you and Jasper has a little piece of home."

"Damn you all for making me cry right before my wedding!" Bella laughed and wiped her eyes.

Jasper leaned down to kiss her forehead, his own throat tight with emotion. "This is great. Absolutely perfect. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Jacob smiled. "We're really happy for you both and Angela thought this would be a nice way to show you."

Bella smiled. "Jas is right. It's perfect. Thank you."

As Jasper and Bella looked around the backyard, they saw their loved ones represented in both big and small ways. They'd had people supporting them from the very beginning of their relationship and with all the little touches from their friends and family, it wasn't hard to see that they'd continue to stand by the couple as they started their life together.

Bella looked up at Jasper with tears making her eyes shine. "Only an hour to go before our wedding starts and I'll meet you at that beautiful altar where we'll be getting married, soon-to-be husband."

Jasper looked at her a little curiously, but before he could say anything, Charlie Swan shouted from the back porch.

"That's fifty-nine, Bells, only one more to go!"

Bella laughed and spun around to look at her dad. "We're getting married!"

A/N: Do y'all want me to post the wedding today? I know nothing exciting happened here but the next chapter is almost 10,000 words so I didn't want to combine them. If like, I don't know 5ish of you say yes please, I'll post it today.

Sending all of you my heartfelt gratitude for reading:) I'm pretending I'm not sad about this little journey ending.

See you tomorrow! ~ M. x