SOFT, cold, sweet kisses being pressed from her shoulder, to her neck, over her jaw, to her lips. Bella sighed contently, stretched her body, snuggled herself deeper into Edward, her fiance, the love of her life and future husband. Soft, quiet, musical, male laughter, making his chest vibrate. "Wake up, my beautiful bride to be, Charlie is almost home."
At Edward's words, Bella sat up so fast, blood rushed to her head, making her dizzy, her vision becoming slightly blurry. Oh, no, Charlie. How was she suppose to cook for him when she couldn't stand, at least not on her own, put any weight on her broken leg, and her father . . . Well, he couldn't cook for himself, not even if his life depended on it. It was always Bella who did all the cooking, ever since she was old enough, both with Charlie and her mother, after all, if it wasn't for her, they would have lived on takeout or burnt food.
Edward caught her, laid her gently back down, used one hand to stroke her hair tenderly, inhaling the scent of it. "Calm down, Bella, we still have a couple of minutes."
He waited for her heartbeat to slow, return to normal, then carefully helped her sit up, keeping one arm around her, holding her close. He reached for a steaming mug she hadn't noticed was on the nightstand before, handed it to her. Bella saw it was filled with a deep, honey, gold liquid that smelled sweet with a hint of ginger. She took a careful sip, was pleasantly surprised that despite Edward not being able to taste human food, what with it tasting like dirt to him, it had the perfect amount of sweetness and flavor. Bella closed her eyes, felt Edward set one cool hand against her cheek. "Hmm, this is amazing, thank you." She turned, gave him a small, soft kiss.
He gave her a small smile. "You're most welcome, Bella. It's honey and ginger tea, I remember my mother, Elizabeth, making it for me when I got sick. It's suppose to boost the immune system." He Shrugged, exhaled, long and deep. "I'd better go deal with Alice and the rest of my family. Hopefully, since your plan was a split second decision thing and we haven't decided anything yet, she hasn't seen anything. I'll go get your crutches first, though, Carlisle put them in the back of my car when he went to go get the brace for your leg."
She reached out for him, fisted his crisp, white, button-up shirt in her hand.
Despite Edward being way stronger than her, he let her pull him to her, laid her back on the bed, his body lightly—only with the softest of pressures so he didn't hurt her, pressed against hers. He reached up, cupped her cheek, his cool, gentle fingers spread over her skin. "Hmm, there is such heat under your skin, Bella, and your heart is beating very fast." He looked deep into her eyes, made his voice feather soft, doing that dazzling thing he did to get his way. "Tell me, what's going on in that beautiful, secretive head of yours?"
Her breathing sped, along with her already quickened heartbeat, and her voice, when she responded to him, was incoherent, a mumble. "Did I say anything in my sleep?"
His whole face lit up, as if a candle, bright as the sun, burnt within him, and he became impossibly more beautiful. "Mostly the usual, my name, that you love me," he traced her lips lightly with his forefinger, "but you also called me your future husband."
She buried her face against his neck, hiding her heated skin, even as her heart expanded with love, because Edward, beautiful as he was, had chosen her, loved her. "You are my future husband."
"I know." He pulled her away from him, helped her sit up, handed her her tea, which he'd placed back on the nightstand when he'd laid them down. "I'm going to go get your crutches, will be right back, kiss you goodbye before I leave. And don't worry," he added, almost as an afterthought, "I won't allow Alice to go overboard with our wedding. Mostly, it will be the two of us, you and I, who will plan it, though perhaps she should help you with the dress. Still, I will make sure she understands that your dress should be something that you want, and not whatever fancy concoction she wants to put you in."
His voice yet lingered in the air when he was gone, moving so fast, he was invisible to the human eye, was back before she'd blinked three times, set her crotches against the frame of her bed, where she could reach them easily. He didn't say anything for several minutes, simply sat beside her, waited for her to finish her tea, and when she was done, he took the mug from her, placed it momentarily on the nightstand, helped her stand, his arms coming around her, taking most of her weight. She set her hands against his chest, the fingers of her left hand, the one where she would wear her engagement and wedding ring, spread over the still organ that was his heart. "Don't let Alice keep you away from me for too long, I miss you when you're gone."
His arms, powerful and strong, stronger than a human's arms could ever be, flexed slightly, lifting her half off the floor so he didn't have to bend, and he pressed his forehead to hers, keeping his eyes closed. "Don't you worry, Bella, nothing can ever keep me away from you for too long, not even my favorite sister." He set her down, helped her with the crutches so she could stand when he left. He kissed her, soft as a whisper at first, then a little stronger, though she had the feeling he was still holding back. "I have to go now. Cook for Charlie if you must, but try not to move too much around the house, okay, I don't want you getting hurt or straining yourself."
Again, she fisted her hand on his shirt, drawing him to her, gave him one last kiss. "Go and hurry back to me."
"I will." Then Edward was gone, and she headed down to the kitchen to make herself and Charlie dinner, hoping that he didn't decide to invite Jacob and Billy along, she really didn't feel like dealing with visitors right now . . . other than Edward, her fiance, and maybe she could tolerate Alice.
Charlie came back late that night, just like he said he would, and Bella ended up having to eat dinner, pan seared fish, potatoes, and a salad, by herself. When she was done, she went back to her room, got her copy of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, came back to the dining room to wait for Charlie.
She was just getting to the part where Elizabeth finally admitted her love for Mr Darcy when she heard the door open, followed by Charlie's voice. "Bella?"
"In the dining room, Dad!" she called, placing her book upside down and open on the table So she didn't lose her place, got up to serve Charlie his dinner, heate it in the microwave, the scent of herbs, spices, and fish filling the air.
As Charlie came around the corner, she set his plate down In his usual spot, then, because she was impatient, wanted to see if Edward was back yet, waiting for her in her room, as he did every night, she decided to wash the dishes while he ate. Charlie was quiet for several minutes, appreciative of her food, then, when he finally spoke, it was to ask her a question she'd expected him to ask her soon as he walked in the door. "Are you going to school tomorrow?"
She turned from the sink, heavily leaning on it for support, as she dried her hands. "No. Carlisle said he thinks it's best if I don't go to school until after prom." A pause, a hard, reflexive swallow. "Alice will probably come by tomorrow, though, help me figure out what dress I'm going to wear to prom." Hopefully she didn't go overboard, try to force Bella into something that didn't fit her style, and she could just wear something simple, but elegant, preferably in blue, because she knew how much Edward liked that color against the color of her skin.
A thoughtful nod from Charlie as he chewed the last of his food, drained his glass of water. "Okay, then, I'm going to go watch the game, do you need any help before I go?"
A shake of Bella's head as she walked over to the table, picked up Charlie's dirty dishes, and took them to the sink to wash them, her legs wanting to take her in the opposite direction, upstairs, to her room. "No, Dad, I got it, I'm just going to finish cleaning up here, and then take a quick shower and go to bed. It's been a really long day and I'm tired."
Charlie nodded to himself, walked to the living room to watch the game, and Bella washed his dishes quickly, walked upstairs, showered as fast as she could, impatiently detangling her hair when she was done, before brushing her teeth and heading to her room . . . to find Edward was already there, waiting for her, laying across her bed, his hands behind his head and a huge smile on his beautiful, perfect face. He moved fast, too fast, picked her up in his arms, brought her over to the bed, and covered her with the duvet and blankets, keeping his arms around her, cradling her to his chest.. "Welcome back, my Bella."
She wiggled herself further into the circle of his arms, snuggling her face against his chest. "Hmm."
He pressed his lips to the top of her head, and, not saying anything else, because nothing else needed to be said, began to hum her lullaby, drifting her gently, slowly, into sleep, a sleep filled with dreams and love.
When she woke up in the morning, she was surprised to find that Edward was not with her. She looked around her room, disoriented. He didn't usually leave before she woke up, not when they didn't have to go to school. She found a small piece of paper beside her in Edward's place. She ran her fingers over the letters, amazed at how careful, beautiful, and neat his handwriting, in script, of course, was.
I'm sorry I had to leave before you woke up, but I have a couple of errands to run—among them buying a bed and bringing it to my house so you have a place to sleep when I kidnap you. Alice will be around noon to help you with your dress for prom. Don't worry, I warned her not to put you Into anything too elaborate. I'll see you later today, my beautiful bride to be, and, of course, I love you.
PS. Take care of my heart, I left it with you.
She smiled, running her fingers over the words "my beautiful bride to be, I love you," and "take care of my heart, I left it with you" over and over. Maybe people would think she was insane to be getting married at seventeen, but she and Edward, they were not traditional in any way, shape, or form, their love so strong and unnatural, she knew if she hadn't convinced him not to leave her, she would have tried all sorts of crazy stunts, dangerous things, just to get a glimpse of his face, if only in her head. She shook her head, clearing it of all disturbing thoughts about Edward leaving her because that was never going to happen, not now, carefully placed his note in one of the drawers of her nightstand, making sure not to crinkle it in the least, got up to get ready for the day.
First she showered and changed, then made herself breakfast, a cheese and spinach omelette with some orange juice, eating it slowly, thoughtfully, while she waited for Alice to come. Her life had changed a lot over the past couple of months, she went from a girl who took care of her mom, then her dad, never did anything crazy—to being engaged to a vampire. She laughed at loud, shaking her head and smiling. To say that her life hadn't gone the traditional, normal route would be a huge understatement, but she wouldn't change anything, because, well, everything that had happened in her life had let her to the love of her . . . existence.
She got to her feet, went to wash the dishes, decided if Alice didn't show up soon, she'd go up to her room, do some much needed research on what bridal dresses looked like in the early 1900s. Bella wanted her wedding dress to be a mixture between modern and old-fashion, to represent her and Edward both, another way to tie herself to him. Thinking of her wedding dress, it made her wonder why Edward had suggested Alice should help her with her wedding dress. Maybe it was because Edward was superstitious, didn't want to see it till the day of, but she had the feeling his suggestion had more to do with the fact that Alice could have her wedding dress ready faster than any store or designer ever could.
"Bella," Alice called, walking into the kitchen. Bella reluctantly turned from the sink, taking a deep breath to steady herself, found Alice, practically jumping up and down, jittery with excitement, a huge grin on her face. "Come on, I'll show you the dresses I brought for you to wear to prom."
Dresses? Oh, no! If this was how she acted even after Edward warned her not to go overboard, she didn't want to think about how she would have acted if he hadn't. Bella held up a hand. "Now, hold on a minute, Alice—"
Alice sighed, rolled her eyes. "I know, I know, nothing too fancy or elaborate, and you want your dresses to be blue, because Edward loves the way the color blue looks against your skin." Alice got a smog look on her face, the one she got when she knew something the rest of her family, save, of course, for Edward, didn't, had had a vision. "Before you tell me two dresses for prom isn't necessary, one is for the actual prom, the other for when you and Edward go to your meadow, trust me. Of course, I'll help you get ready for both of the dresses, as your makeup will have to change slightly. As far as your wedding, I'm only allowed to help you with your dress, which you want to be a mixture, between old-fashion, perhaps 1918, and modern—you and Edward will take care of the rest."
Bella closed her mouth, which had fallen open in the middle of Alice's explanation, then opened it again. "Wha—"
Alice clicked her tongue against her lips. "No, no, no, Bella, I'm not telling you anything other than the obvious—Edward is planning a surprise for you, it's why he had to leave you before you woke up." She darted to her car, then came back to Bella, holding her two dresses for prom, each in its own garment bag, in one hand. "Come on, let's go to your room." She looked around the kitchen, then set her hands on Bella's shoulders. "On second thought, I'm going to go put the dresses I brought for you in your room first. Wait here, I'll carry you up to your room when I come back, It'll be much faster, easier, and safer this way. You don't need the crutches when, Edward, myself, Carlisle, or Esme are around, we can carry you."
Before Bella could even object to the idea, because to be in Edward's arms, it was one thing, something she loved, but to have either Alice, Carlisle, or Esme carry her was totally a different matter, Alice was gone, then came back. "Alright, let's go." She lifted her into her arms, carried her up the stairs, to her room with vampiric speed, though she was still slower than Edward, set her gently down on her bed.
"Alright," she clapped her hands together, beaming with excitement, "I'll show you the dress for the thing which you're least excited about first—prom." Alice grabbed one of the garment bags she'd draped over a chair, carefully, slowly, unzipping it, then held it out for Bella's inspection.
The dress was beautiful, of course, a deep, dark blue—long and flowy, would cover her brace perfectly, had a small accent at her waist, with a gold brooch in the shape of a Gaelic love knot. The only "problem" was that the dress was sleeveless, meaning Edward, her fiance, overprotective as he was—wouldn't want to hold her too close for fear of making her too cold. Alice must have seen a look of worry on her face, because she produced two strips of fabric, then somehow attached them to the dress, and Bella realized those were the sleeves. "Well," Alice's voice, anxious now, "what do you think?"
Bella bit her lip, letting Alice stew in her anxiety for a moment, before she smiled, letting her relax. "It's perfect, of course. Thank you, Alice."
"You're welcome." Alice carefully zipped the garment bag closed, draped it back over the chair, grabbed the second garment bag, the one that contained her second dress. "Alright, let's move on to the second dress, the really important one, the one that counts." Carefully, slowly, even slower than she'd unzipped the first garment bag, she unzipped the one containing her second dress, and her second dress, it was different . . . much, much fancier, but as she would be alone with Edward and he would be the only one to see her in this dress other than Alice, she didn't care as much.
It was still blue, of course, though slightly lighter, more than long enough to cover her brace, was made of what seemed to be silk, with the long sleeves, which were built-in this time, along with the skirts, decorated with silver thread and tiny, brilliant, white stones, which Bella hoped weren't real diamonds, to form a delicate, soft, beautiful pattern of flowers. When Alice turned it around and she saw the back, Bella heard a gasp escape her lips. Unlike the first dress, which was zipped up to hold it closed, this one, it laced at the back, as if she were to take part in a great Victorian novel.
"So," Alice's voice, anxious again, "what do you think."
Bella didn't tease Alice this time, she was too in shock. Her second dress, it was beautiful, too beautiful, belonged in a fairy tale, not in a small, rainy town like Forks. "It's beautiful, Alice, but why . . . I don't understand."
Alice rolled her eyes and smiled. "No, no, no, Bella, I'm not telling you anything, I'm only helping you get dressed and with your makeup." She got a far away look, which meant she was having a vision, then her smile widened. "Oh, Edward will be here soon." She quickly zipped up the second garment bag, then grabbed the first. 'I'll see you tomorrow to help you get ready."
Before Bella could ask what was going on, she jumped lightly out the window, got in her car, was driving away. She stared after Alice, paralyzed and dumbfounded, her thoughts going a million miles per minute. She didn't understand what was going on one bit. All she wanted to do after going to prom for a very, very little, was to go to her and Edwards meadow with him—spend some time alone, maybe start planning their wedding, and she was still going to do that, but in a fancy dress much too pretty for Forks.
Because her eyes never deviated from the window after Alice left, she saw when Edward jumped into her room, though he was quieter then the most dangerous predator. He walked over to her, quiet happiness and love exuding from him, sat on the edge of her bed, took her into his arms, pressed a soft, gentle kiss to her lips, then the top of her head. "Hello, my beautiful bride to be, how was your day thus far, Love?"
She buried her face against his chest, his neck, his sweet breath slowly and thoroughly removing the bitter taste any period of separation, no matter how short, always left. "Slow, I missed you."
"As I missed you, though I had a lot of things to do, still do." Edward took her left hand, turned it over, exposing the blue veins visible against her pale, pale skin. Slowly, in time with her heartbeat, he ran his fingers up and down the length of her arm, following the map of her veins, her blood, as it traveled through those veins. Though his skin was cold as ice, where he touched her, it was fire that sparked, and all of the sudden Bella was hot, too hot.
"Hmm." He pressed small, sweet, cool kisses along the veins in her arm, and she was sure he could feel her blood boiling inside her body. "Relax, my Bella." His voice was soft as a feather, gentle, loving, seductive. He tilted her chin up, looked deep into her eyes, and she saw his own eyes were a deeper gold than before he'd left, which meant he'd taken advantage of the fact that Alice was with her and he knew she was safe, had gone for a quick hunt. "Now, I have something for you, and before you tell me I didn't have to go and spend any money, I didn't." He closed his eyes, pressed his forehead to hers. "This, it's something that I've had for a very long time, something which no one has worn for as long as I've been a vampire."
Slowly, carefully, keeping one arm around her, he shifted, pulled out something from the back pocket of his pants, then got back to his previous position. When he opened his palm, Bella saw he held a thin white gold bracelet from which hung a small, , perfect diamond shaped like a heart cut of a thousand facets, and when he held it up to the light, she was surprised and delighted to see that, like her fiance, the diamond, too, sparkled, casting rainbows on the wall. "This belonged to my mother, Elizabeth. When my parents died I inherited everything, both from my mother and my father, as I was they're only son. I never had much use for my mother's jewelry until now, would occasionally give a piece here and there to Alice and Esme, though I still have most of it."
He clasped the bracelet around her wrist, his cool fingers gentle against her skin, his thumb lightly playing with the diamond, tracing the contours of it. When he let her hand fall to her lap, Bella shifted, turned to face him, kissed him, soft and sweet, tangling her fingers in his hair, his hands stroking over her shoulders and back. "It's beautiful, thank you. I love you, Edward, my fiance and future husband." It was a whisper in the quiet privacy of her room, her lips a hair's breath away from his. "What did you do while you were gone, did you go hunting, find any mountain lions?"
He laughed, quiet and soft, laid back on her bed, bringing her with him, cradling her close all the while he covered her with the blankets though she was still much too hot. "I'm only going to answer two of your questions right now, but you'll have to wait for the rest. Some of it will be answered at prom night, part of it when we go to our meadow, and part when I kidnap you, bring you to my house, and some you'll have to wait until after our wedding, when we go to our honeymoon. Yes, I did go hunting, and yes, I did find mountain lions, two, actually." He stroked her hair back away from her face, pressed a kiss to the hollow at the base of her throat. "I hate being away from you, leaving you alone, but I know I have to hunt sometimes. Still, I'd rather do it when I know you're not alone, have Alice, Esme, or Carlisle to keep you company."
She unbuttoned his shirt, taking way longer than she should have because her fingers trembled, laid both of her hands against his chest, his cold skin refreshing against her heated skin. "I don't like being away from you, either, it makes me anxious. It's a very, very good thing you won't have to leave for a while, at least not to hunt." Bella laughed a little, then, almost to herself. "I'm sure Emmett doesn't appreciate it, though, would rather you hunted with him, along with the rest of your family."
Edward laughed, too, then, loud and cathartic and joyous, able to do so because Charlie wasn't home yet. "No, he definitely doesn't, but I rather hunt by myself, as fast as I can, which is faster than the rest of my family, then come back so I can have you here," his arms tightened around her, gave her a light squeeze, "in my arms. Besides, Emmett likes to play with his food, is still bitter about a grizzly bear almost killing him when he was human, and I don't have time for his nonsense, not when I have you waiting for me."
A pause, a moment of thought, and then he made a face of horror. "I'll have to talk to Alice, make sure he doesn't pull anything the night before our wedding—whenever we decide that should be—like trying to throw me a hunting bachelor party along with Jasper and Carlisle. I don't want to go anywhere that night, would rather spend it with you, my bride to be. Of course, I'll have to leave in the early hours of the morning, go hunting in preparation for our honeymoon, but, as you'll fall asleep in my arms, be in them for most of the night, and Alice will come get you shortly after you wake up to help you get ready, my absence won't be as bad."
The rest of the day went by fast, as it always did when they were together, the opposite of when they were apart, slow and agonizing. Of course, Edward was the one to remind her that she had to eat, because, as was often the case when they were together, she forgot all about her human needs. He was attentive, her fiance, went down to the kitchen with her, his hand holding hers, their fingers intertwined, her new bracelet a small, but welcome wait on her wrist.
He went over to the pantry while she prepared her meal, which she decided would be leftovers from yesterday's dinner, along with a bowl of fruit—scanning its contents, taking out some of the items, and asking her which were there because she liked them, which were there for Charlie's sake. When she asked him why he was doing all of this, he gave her a very serious look, told her he wasn't kidding when he said that perhaps he would learn how to cook so he can make her meals, she was going to be his wife, after all, and he wanted to take care of her in every way possible. That her human needs may not be a "priority" as he called it, for much longer didn't matter to him.
His reason, it made her heart swell and expand with love, want to think of a way to repay him the favor, but what could she give a man who had had over a century to collect all sorts of things, everything he could possibly want . . .
Except, her safety, it was a very high priority on his list, and he was always complaining about her truck, that it was too slow and he wasn't sure it was safe or even ran properly, and he didn't, under any circumstances, want her stuck alone in the middle of the road. She bit her lip as she finished setting the table for Charlie when he came home, because it was taking Edward way, way longer to go over the contents of the fridge, pantry, and freezer than it had taken Bella to eat lunch, then cook dinner and eat it, too, because Charlie was late again—what with Edward literally going over the items one by one. "Um, Edward?"
"Yes, Love?" he called from the freezer, where he was busy examining a tub of vanilla bean ice cream, looking at the list of ingredients.
Bella took a deep, calming breath, her words coming out in a rush. "I'm going to succumb to one of your complaints, but I don't want to change anything until we somehow tell Charlie we're engaged without him going crazy and wanting to get his gun." She smiled a little. "It's a good thing you're bulletproof, indestructible by any human means."
Bella knew Edward heard anxiety in her voice, because he had her in his arms less than a second after she finished speaking, his hands stroking soothingly over her back, which was very hot. "What is it, Bella?" His golden eyes were filled with worry.
She leaned heavily against him, Edward readjusting his hold to better accommodate her, take more of her weight, though he was already practically caring her, buried her face against his neck, her voice a mumble unintelligible to human ears. "You can buy me a new, fancy, 'safer' car if it will put you more at ease when we are apart and I have to drive."
He pulled her face away from his neck, and she could clearly see relief and love on his face. "Oh, Bella, thank you, Love." He didn't give her a chance to respond, his lips already moving against hers, and his kiss, it was sweet and deep, deep as he was willing to make it without fear of hurting her, left her weak in the knees. He pulled away all too soon, his beautiful, perfect face, a face that would never belong to a human, lit with a small, triumphant smile. "Charlie is home." He carried her with him as he went to go get her crutches, then set her down, gave her a small peck on the lips. "I'll wait for you upstairs."
She stretched, rolled over, searching for him in the darkness, sighed contentedly when her skin came in contact with his cold one. "Sorry," he pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, "I didn't think you'd wake up so early. Yes, today is prom, but we also don't have to go to school." Edward's voice was soft, a whisper in the dark, the rhythm of it almost lolling her back to sleep, but she refused.
"Hmm." Bella rolled over again, shifted so she was half laying on top of him, her head against his chest, Edward automatically readjusting his arms around her. "I didn't want Alice to drag me away from you first thing in the morning, because let's face it, knowing her, she'll probably come here bright and early, spend the majority of the day doing my hair and makeup, getting me dressed—not without spending a couple of minutes, at least, with my fiance and future husband first." A shrug. "I guess my internal, biological clock knew this, too, prepared itself without my conscious volition."
"Hmm." Edward traced her lips lightly with his finger, and though it was cold as ice, it left a trail of fire in its wake. "Yes, Alice can definitely be intense sometimes, but don't worry, when she relinquishes you to me, I won't let you go other than to let her help you put on your second dress." He ran a hand over her hair, soft and light. "Now that you are awake, is there anything you want to do while we wait for Alice to get here, temporarily take you from me?"
Bella shifted again, pulling Edward so he hovered above her, his weight pressed against her just right, her fingers, slowly, shakeley, but determinately unbuttoning his shirt, shrugging it off his shoulders, and letting it soundlessly drop to the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down to her so she could kiss him. "I was thinking," the words were spoken with her lips pressed against his, "we could indulge in a little wedding night practice." She pulled away a little, needing to breathe, Edwards lips simply moving on to her neck and throat, making her breath hitch. "I don't want you going all overprotective on me on our honeymoon after the first time we make love, so I think a little practice is in order, with most of our clothes on, of course."
His cold, sweet breath brushed over the exposed parts of her skin, her throat, as he spoke. "A little wedding night practice sounds perfect." A pause, his lips centimeters away from her skin. He grabbed the thickest blanket on her bed, wrapped it around her like a cocoon, then, slowly, gently, slid one hand down her leg, all the way to her kneecap, hitched it around his hip, repeated the process with her other leg. "There now, that's better, I don't want you getting cold, but at the same time I want to hold you close to me. Now, where were we?"
He didn't give her a chance to recover from the shock of having their bodies pressed so close together, his lips already moving against hers, his hands exploring the curves of her body through the blanket and her clothes in a very polite, gentlemanly fashion, her hands doing the same with his chest and back.
Bella wasn't sure how much time passed in this way, it could have been hours or minutes, but when Edward's phone began to ring, he ignored it, still kissing Bella and holding her close.
A light knock came from her bedroom wall. "Edward, you have to go, let me help Bella get ready for prom."
Edward turned away slightly, stopped kissing Bella just long enough for him to say, "No, go away, Alice," then he was kissing her again, his lips moving softly, but passionately, against hers.
Alice didn't say anything else, but her thoughts must have spoken a thousand words, because Edward sighed, reluctantly pulled himself away from Bella, gently disentangling himself from her, turning to glare at Alice. "Alright, alright." He got up, off the bed, picked up his discarded shirt, shrugged it back on, his movements slow, like that of a human, reluctant to leave Bella. He walked back over to Bella, who was yet in the same position he'd left her in, tipped her chin up, and planted a soft, but passionate kiss on her lips. "I'll see you later on today, perhaps the early evening, my beautiful bride to be, but if you miss me too much, and Alice starts going overboard, call me."
Before Bella could recover from his kisses, make her mind coherent again, he jumped out the window and was gone.
When Bella did recover, she glared at Alice, who didn't look the least bit repentant at having interrupted her favorite activity in the whole wide world, was leaning casually against the wall, her arms crossed. "Oh, Bella, don't look at me like that, you'll have plenty of alone time with Edward tonight after prom, when you go to your meadow, then when he kidnaps you, brings you to our house. All of us, save for Edward, of course, because he already went, are going on a hunting trip, won't be back until late the next morning." Alice detached herself from the wall, walked over to Bella's bed, helped her stand, and when she was on her feet and Alice was sure she wouldn't fall, she gave her a light push in the direction of the bathroom. "Go to the bathroom, Bella, take care of your human needs, I'll set up the 'get ready' station in the meantime."
Bella did as she was told, quickly going through the motions, able to do so faster than usual because Charlie was already gone, had left her a note telling her he would be late tonight yet again because he would go fishing after work today.
When she returned, her room, usually filled with books and some clothing strewn here and there, was on recognizable, filled with makeup and hair products, along with all sorts of devices to do her hair, as if it was a beauty store rather than a teenager's room. From what she could see and count, there were at least two hundred eyeshadow palettes, the same amount of lipsticks in all sorts of shades, and thirty different electronic devices to do her hair, not to mention all the hair accessories. She froze, had a very strong feeling this was only a tiny, insignificant portion of all the beauty products Alice actually owned. Alice became impatient, guided Bella to a chair she'd brought from somewhere, made her sit. "Alright, let's get started."
As Bella had predicted, Alice took the majority of the day doing her hair and makeup, getting her, as she put it "absolutely perfect," only stopping once throughout the whole process, when Edward called to remind her Bella was human, needed to eat. "Alright, you're all done. Let me get ready, then I'll show you what you look like in the mirror, Edward and Jasper are already on the way."
Alice moved around Bella's room so fast, she was invisible to Bella's eyes, was ready—hair, makeup, dress, and all, in less than five minutes. Now, why couldn't she do that when getting Bella ready? Bella supposed, it was, of course, because she was still human, and Alice wanted her to get the whole human experience of going to prom and getting ready, but, honestly, she would have very much rathered get ready in five minutes and be able to spend the rest of the day with Edward. "There, now let's get you to the mirror before I put your shoe on, and don't even try to complain, Bella, it's a high heel shoe, but you know neither Edward, nor I, will let you fall."
Not giving her a chance to argue, Alice picked her up, brought her downstairs, set her down in front of a full length mirror, which Bella had no idea she had brought. Bella stared at her reflection in the mirror, stunned.
The dress fit her flawlessly, highlighted all of her curves, as if it was made just for her, but was still modest, quite fitting, considering she was going to prom with an a hundred and three year-old. And her makeup. . . it was flawless. Alice had blended what seemed like a thousand different shades of eyeshadow so seamlessly together, it was as if she was the canvas, and Alice the artist. Her deep, chocolate brown eyes looked even deeper, darker and richer, brighter, huge in Bella's face, each individual eyelash covered equally and perfectly with mascara, making them long and thick. Her lips were painted with a deep, red, pinkish, rosy color to match her natural blush. Her hairdo was simple, but elegant, a chignon held in place with dozens of invisible pins, two strands of her hair, which were curled to perfection, out of the chignon, framing her face. "Um, wow. Thank you, Alice"
Alice looked quite pleased with herself, gave Bella a light hug. "I'm glad you like it." She guided Bella to the dining room table, where she could sit. "I'm going to go get your shoe, will be right back." Before Bella had a chance to speak, Alice had already gone to her room, come back, put her shoe on, a very intricate, delicate thing, decorated with strips of silk that matched the color of her dress perfectly.
It was beautiful—the shoe, Bella had to admit, but it was a stiletto, had a very high heel. "Al—"
"No, Bella, no complaining, remember? Now, listen to me carefully, you and Edward will be at prom for exactly half an hour, after which I'll help you change into your other dress and shoe, readjust your makeup." She gave Bella a narrow-eyed look, more like an affectionate glare. "It will only take a couple of minutes, as I will not be doing it with human speed, so don't you even think about running to your meadow with Edward without letting me help you change into your second dress and shoe, adjust your makeup."
Bella was about to respond, but a beautiful male voice, one she would recognize anywhere because it was Edward's voice, her fiance's voice, did it for her. "Alright, Alice, stop pestering my bride-to-be."
Alice turned, stuck out her tongue at him, then walked over to Jasper, who was standing next to Edward, likely because he liked the emotions coming from Edward and Bella when they were together, they were so happy and in love, it was a nice change from the usual emotions Jasper had to deal with. "Fine, she's all yours now." Jasper smiled a quick hello at Bella, and then he and Alice were both gone and she and Edward were, thankfully, at last, alone again.
Slowly, his golden eyes alight, he walked over to her, a white rose corsage in one hand. He put it on her right hand so her new bracelet, a bracelet that had belonged to his mother, didn't get overshadowed, lifted her wrist to his lips and nose, pressed a kiss right over her pulse, inhaling the scent of her blood. "Ah, Bella, I did miss you, Love." He lifted her into his arms, cradling her close to his chest, walked out the door, towards his car, gave her a soft, sweet kiss on the lips. "Tell me, how was your day, my beautiful bride-to-be?"
She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed herself even tighter to him, wanting to get closer. "Agonizingly slow, I missed you, too." Bella wrinkled her nose. "Let's get stupid prom over with so we can go to our meadow—be alone."
A soft, amused look. "Don't worry about it, Bella, it won't be that bad, really, Love." He ducked his head, pressed his forehead to hers, his lips, cold and loving, brushing lightly against hers. "Think of this—us dancing, as a little wedding practice. Besides, I won't let you go other than to let you change into your other dress, not with the shoe Alice put you in and your inability to walk across a flat surface unscathed."
He shifted her weight so he held her with naught but one arm, opened the passenger door of the car, placed her inside, being careful not to hurt her broken leg, or ruin her makeup and hair. He shut the door while Bella put on her seat belt, moved like only he could to the driver's seat, was beside her in less than a second, her left hand in his, his fingers brushing over the bracelet that had once belonged to his mother and the veins on her wrist, creating a small fire there, despite the cold temperature of his skin. "I guess my poor balance is a very good thing, then, if it means you won't let me go and I get to stay in your arms."
The gym had been transformed into a semi decent dance floor, complete with some multicolored lights and a station where people could drink punch, along with speakers from which music could be amplified. The song currently playing was fast, too fast for her and Edward to be able to dance as wedding practice. She spotted Edward's family first because they all stuck out, didn't quite fit in, looked like they all belonged in a magazine or fashion show rather than a small town High School prom. They all were dancing, too slow to be following the rhythm of the music, but they didn't seem to care or pay attention, Jasper, Alice, Emmet, and Rosalie effortlessly spinning across the room.
Looking away from Edwards family . . . her future family, she saw Mike, who was dancing with Jessica, then Angela and her boyfriend, Ben. Angela saw her, too, because soon, she was pulling Ben away from the dance floor, towards Bella and Edward. She gave Bella a warm hug—even as Edward kept one arm around her waist, not letting her go, just like he'd promised. "Hi, Bella, Edward, I'm glad you could make it. Are you feeling better, Bella?"
Bella leaned heavily against Edward, placing her left hand against his chest, the heart-shaped diamond from her bracelet throwing sparkles on the wall, and Edward, for his part, pulling her even closer to him, pressing a soft, small kiss to the crown of her head, these gestures of love not missed by Angela and Ben, or Mike and Jessica, for that matter, because they came toward them, became part of their little group. "Yes, thank you, Angela."
Edward let Bella talk with her friends for a little over a quarter of an hour, though he stayed quiet, simply happy to hold her, be by her side. Bella supposed part of this was because of the "be visible at prom" part she and Edward had to pull off in case Charlie decided to ask around, though Bella doubted he would, he simply wasn't that type of person. Eventually, when there was a pause in the conversation and slow music—a piano piece with no lyrics, apt, considering her fiance was a piano virtuoso, began to play, Edward spoke, his voice soft and persuasive, though he didn't need to make it that way to get what he wanted. "Sorry to cut the conversation short, but if you'll excuse us," he turned to Bella, his face and beautiful gold eyes glowing with love, "will you dance with me, Bella?"
"Yes, of course." Bella was about to turn to her friends, say goodbye, because she was sure she wouldn't see them again, not until Monday, when Edward leaned down, kissed her, quick and soft, making her forget all about Angela, Ben, Mike, and Jessica for a moment. When she did turn back to her friends, however, she saw they looked shocked, some, Mike and Jessica, more than others, Angela and Ben. "We'll see you on Monday."
He tugged her to where only his family was dancing in a section of the room, no one else daring to join in because they were so graceful, took her into his arms, holding most of her weight, pulled her effortlessly, gracefully, into a dance that was kind of like a waltz. The crowd gave them a wider berth, because, unlike his siblings, Edward wasn't bothering to stick to a small section of the room, spun Bella around this way and that, effortlessly leading, as if they'd both taken classes for this. Bella, she simply smiled, content to be in Edward's arms, let him spin her around the room as he would, uncaring, for the moment, at least, about her classmates reactions, their faces nothing but a blur. "I could get use to this."
A raised eyebrow as he dipped her low, pressed a kiss to her throat, right over her pulse. "Becoming fond of dancing, are you now, my Bella, Love?"
"Dancing isn't so bad . . . not with you, but I was thinking more of this," she kissed him as he brought her back up, shifted to wrap her arms around his neck, tangled her fingers in his hair, "never having to let you go, being with you forever."
He didn't miss a step—continued dancing with her, even as he leaned in, his lips brushing the soft, delicate skin of her ear, his voice a whisper, too low for any of the humans to hear. "No, you never have to let me go. Soon you'll be Bella Cullen, and after our honeymoon I'll change you, then there'll be nothing in this world that can tear you from me." He flinched, pressed a kiss to the skin of her ear. "I'll talk to Carlisle before then, though, see if maybe if we give you enough morphine the pain won't be as bad. I'd hate for you to go through the same pain I went through, I–"
Edward cut off mid sentence, became utterly still. She lifted a hand, pressed it to his cheek, not liking the expression on his face. "What is it?"
He took that hand, pressed a kiss to the inside of her palm, took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "Jacob is on his way here, wants to talk to you."
Cupping his face between her hands, she looked deep into his eyes. "Yeah, well, I don't want to talk to him, I want to stay here with you, in your arms." A pause, her eyes searching the gym, looking for Alice. "I think we've mingled at prom for long enough, let's get out of here, go to our meadow."
A cold hand on her shoulder, tugging lightly. "Not without changing into your second dress first."
Edward glared at his favorite sister, pulled Bella closer to him, pressed a kiss to her forehead, reluctant to let her go, then turned to Alice. "You have fifteen minutes to get her changed, though she already looks beautiful, she always looks beautiful—not a second more."
Alice tugged Bella out of Edward's arms, though she tried to cling to him, Edward doing the same, keeping one arm around her waist. "Yes, yes, I know, now shoo, get out of here, go get things ready."
Edward gave Bella one last kiss. "I'll be right back, Bella, Love, I just have to prepare a couple of things in our meadow before I bring you. Fifteen minutes, Alice."
Then he was gone, moving quickly, gracefully, through the crowd, towards the exit. Bella knew soon as he was out of sight he'd move fast like only he could, though what he had to prepare, she had no idea. Alice pulled her towards the exit of the gym, too, in the direction of the girls bathroom. She wasn't surprised to find her second dress was there, hanging in its garment bag, along with an overwhelming amount of makeup products, though less than she'd brought to her room. Bella didn't bother asking Alice how she'd gotten everything here, simply went through the motions, followed Alice's instructions. Honestly, she didn't know why she even needed a second dress, after all, Edward found her beautiful no matter what she was wearing, but she let Alice change her anyway, not complaining, because, well, Alice was Alice.
It occurred to her she hadn't worn this kind of dress before, didn't know how to take it off . . . if it was even possible for her to take it off by herself. She supposed if it wasn't she could ask Edward to help her, but he was very old-fashioned, came from a different time, and while they were engaged, were going to get married as soon as possible, they weren't officially husband and wife yet. "Are you sure this dress is a good idea, Alice? I don't know how to take it off by myself, you know, undo the laces and such . . ." Bella hesitated. "Maybe I should just wear my first dress—"
"No, Bella, you can take this dress off by yourself, too, I'll show you how, it's quite simple, actually, all you may need is a mirror."
Alice showed her how, the motions easier than she thought, and it almost became easy after a couple of minutes. "Alright, let's change your shoe, then go meet Edward outside." She bent down, took off Bella's high heeled stiletto, replaced it with another one that was the exact same design, only in a lighter color to match her dress. "Let's go."
Alice guided her out of the bathroom, the school building, to a deserted area where Edward was waiting, his back against the trunk of a spruce tree, eyes closed, his arms folded across his chest. Those eyes, a rich gold, open soon as Bella was close enough to see him. They shimmered, those eyes, held so much love, Bella felt a lump of emotion forming in her throat. Though he couldn't read her mind, didn't know she wanted to walk into his arms, kiss him until she couldn't breathe, forgot where she was, he met them halfway, took her into his arms, kissed her until she couldn't breathe, which, she thought, was strange, because it wasn't often that she got her way. "Thank you, Alice."
Bella turned slightly, enough to see Alice wink at him. "You're welcome. Go now, have fun." She must have told him something else mentally, or showed him a vision, because Edward's eyes, already luminous with love and excitement, lit up even more.
She disappeared, then, went back inside the building, likely to find Jasper. Edward took her into his arms, one arm under her legs, the other on her back, fingers spread along her spine. "Close your eyes, my beautiful bride to be, I don't want you to see what I did to our meadow right away."
Because she trusted him, trusted him more than anyone, she did as she was told, not asking any questions. He pressed his lips to the top of her head, a soft kiss, and then he was running, so fast, she felt wind whipping at her hair, trying to shake it lose from its updo, playing with the skirts of her dress. She realized this—Edward running with her in his arms, was why Alice had insisted she change into a second dress in the first place. This dress, it kept her warm despite the cold temperature of Edward's skin and the wind created by him running so fast, a very good thing, considering his overprotectiveness.
Edward slowed down, his run turning into a light stroll, which meant they had already gotten to their meadow. "Don't open your eyes yet, Bella, not until I tell you to." He set her down on something soft, perhaps a blanket, then, thank God, because it was killing her, took off her shoe, massaged her foot lightly. She didn't hear him move, but he must have, because soon their meadow was filled with the scent of roses. "Alright, Bella, you can open your eyes now, Love."
She did . . . gasped.
Because lit all around their meadow were literally thousands of rose scented candles, giving it a warm, romantic glow, making it more beautiful and magical then it already was. Not too far away from them was a picnic basket, probably containing her dinner. Tears began cascading down her cheeks, though her makeup stayed in place due to it being waterproof. This, it was so beautiful, so perfect, it was like she was in a fairy tale. The candle light, it highlighted each species of flower that grew in their meadow, highlighted their individual colors, too, but the best part, it was Edward, of course, sitting across from her, a crooked smile, the kind that made her heart beat faster, on his face, the moonlight darkening the bronze color of his hair, bringing out the paleness perfection of his skin.
"Ed—"
He held up a finger. "Hold on a minute, Bella. I know we already did this, but like I told you before, I have to rectify the situation." He reached into his suit jacket, pulled out a small, square, black velvet box, opened it, then placed it in her hand, keeping his hand over hers. Inside was a beautiful ring. The face was a long oval, set with slanting rows of glittering round stones.The band was gold—delicate and narrow.The gold made a fragile web around the diamonds.
She stroked her fingers over the delicate web of gold around the diamonds, a giddy, nervous, excited feeling forming in the pit of her stomach, her eyes not moving from the ring. "Wow, Edward, it's beautiful. You didn't spend a lot of money, did you? Lie to me if you did."
Two cold fingers under her chin, tilting her head up to meet his golden eyes, and those eyes, they blazed with an unnamable emotion, because love was too meek of a word for it. "I didn't spend any money, Love, this is the ring my father gave to my mother."
"Oh." It was a quiet word as Edwards arm came around her shoulder, pulled her close.
He set his palm against her cheek, his cold fingers spread over her skin. "Now, I want to do this right . . ." A pause, his eyebrows knitting together, a little vee marring his forehead. "I won't make you stand up while I get down on one knee, though, I don't want you hurting your leg." The emotion behind his eyes increased tenfold, and when he spoke again, his voice was soft, but clear. "Isabella Swan," his lips, full and perfect, curved into a soft, loving smile, "I promise to love you forever, every single day of forever. Will you marry me?"
Her eyes stung, more tears—happy tears, cascading down her cheeks. She wanted to say a thousand things, some of them so romantic, she was sure Edward didn't know she was capable of them. Rather than embarrassing herself with them, she whispered four words into their quiet meadow. "Yes, a thousand times yes."