[ninfeanicole]

Part 2: The Day of All Days

It was finally time. In only a matter of minutes, she would officially be Isabella Marie Swan Cullen and then she would have only one more month to wait before she would be his mate for all of eternity. Smiling to herself, Bella peeked around the sheet that hung between two trees to block her from view and looked out over the crowd of people that had come to the wedding. Everyone was here and taking their seats. Usually, everyone would be told to pick a side and sit, but she and Edward had both agreed it would be easier if everyone just mixed together. And to mix things up a bit, Edward’s family would be sitting behind her, and her parents would be sitting behind him.

Today was going to be perfect, she knew it. The sun was perfectly hidden behind clouds, but just in case, there was a gazebo set up over the ceremony sight and the reception areas. Her mother was smiling and looking so proud, as were Esme and Carlisle. Phil and Charlie were set on either side of her, ready to give her away. Rosalie and Alice were set to be her bridesmaids, and there would be no made of honor since the position had been reserved for Emily, who was mated to the werewolf pack leader, Sam. Jasper and Emmett were all set up as the groomsmen, and there would not be a best man since Edward wanted to keep the numbers even. But what really grabbed her attention was Edward himself.

Even though the sun was not shining and the sky was a dark gray, he still managed to hold a light all his own. All of the men were dressed in their best dress clothes, as were the women. Alice and Rosalie were wearing matching dresses, only Rosalie’s dress was white with pink ribbons and little yellow roses.

Smiling, Bella pulled her pink cloak closer and made sure to keep her mind clear of all the possible ways this day could go wrong and focused solely on Edward. At the moment he was turned away from her talking to the priest, but she could still see the color of his eyes. She could still feel the way he watched her every move and could feel the way his cool skin felt against her own. A slow blush began to creep its way up her neck and Bella quickly turned away in time to hear the music start playing.

Nervous and giddy at the same moment, she turned and watched as first Rosellia and Emmett made their way from behind the curtain, followed closely by Alice and Jasper. Excitedly, she waited for her cue. But it never came as the area was surrounded by silence. Several moments ticked by before their was an angered breath from one of the women, followed by a snarl from Emmett, “What the hell are you doing here, mutts?”

At first, Bella stood frozen behind the curtain until the full force of his words hit her. Without a second thought, she slipped free of her father and step-father’s grips and went around the curtain. Half way down the makeshift aisle, Jasper stood braced before Alice and Emmett and Rosalie stood side-by-side as the faced towards the back of the concession. At the front, she could see Esme and Carlisle in the same positions, while Edward stood at the alter as if at perfect ease, while everyone else sat turned around to see what the whole problem was about.

Following all of their gazes, Bella saw a group of people standing together. Several of them were muscle built, a few others were lanky, and at the front, beside the biggest of them all was an old man in a wheelchair who sat smiling.

From behind her, Bella could hear Charlie clap his hands and took a step forward, “Billy, nice of you to make it. For a while there we didn’t know if Bella had invited you.” He only took three steps before Bella snapped an arm up to stop him. He looked down and gave her a questioning look that she ignored. After a moments pause, she walked forward until she was halfway between her family and the Quileute werewolf pack from La Push. Ignoring Billy, she turned to the pack leader. Her face was hidden by the hood of her cloak, but everyone could tell by her voice that she was not smiling. “I didn’t invite them. Why are you here Sam?”

The wolf-man smiled, but it was more a baring of teeth, and he jerked his head to the side of him. “These two convinced me it might be a good idea if we went ahead and joined the festivities.”

Quickly glancing in the direction he nodded, she saw a boy with long glossy hair that was pulled back into a tight ponytail, and beside him was a small woman who had a set of claw marks going across her face. Instantly she felt a pang deep in her chest as she recognized them.

Silently, Alice came up beside her and grasped her hand. Grabbing hold, Bella turned back to Sam. “Even considering whose celebration it is?” Sam gave her another of his smiles before looking to someone out of her line of vision. “Seeing as to how the cold one showed up in person, in La Push, and invited us personally, and refused to leave until we considered it, I guess we really had no choice, now did we?” He snarled.

Shocked for a moment, she was not able to answer. Alice easily guessed what her next question would be and asked it. “Which cold one, you seem to be forgetting there are seven of us.” Smiling faintly, Bella squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes, “Might as well say eight now.”

Turning back, she saw as the boy with the ponytail shuddered and the woman with the scars smiled at her. Smiling back, she waited for the answer to Alice’s question. However, it was not Sam who answered. The boy with the ponytail stepped forward to stand slightly behind Sam. Looking at the boy, Bella felt her smile slip as she greeted him. “Jacob.”

Jacob looked her straight in the eyes and she silently met his gaze while he spoke. “The col– Edward, came to our area last night and explained the whole situation to us and tried to talk us into coming to the wedding. He told us about why you’re leaving and explained to us the deadline and what has to be done along with the consequences if it’s not.”

Stunned, Bella and all of the other Cullens turned to face Edward. Still at the alter, Edward kept his face blank as he faced the werewolf pack. “Last night, during the banquet I stopped by the La Push area, and Sam, his friends, and I talked about a few things and I asked them if they would come to the wedding, or the simple act of saying good-bye to Bella.”

Bella knew that there had been more than talking going on. La Push was the werewolves’ area to protect and vampires were forbidden by a signed treaty from entering. If caught, the werewolves could very well do whatever they wanted to. And to say that he had gone over to tell them ‘everything’ as Jacob had put it, including the deadline, stipulations, and consequences, meant he had told them not only about the wedding, but of the Voltaire and the bargain made.

“So you’re only here for the wedding, not to cause trouble?”

Silently, Jacob and the others nodded. After a few more seconds, Bella ran forward and wrapped her arms around Jacob’s neck. She heard as the woman beside him laughed and as one of the boys in the back chuckled, while another let out a low snarl. Ignoring the snarl, she hugged Jacob tighter and let out a slight wheeze as he held her too tight. Instantly, his grip lessened but she kept her hold as silent tears slipped down her face. She knew that both vampire and werewolves could smell the salt of her tears, but she ignored them anyway. “Thank you.”

After a few more seconds, the woman beside him spoke up. “Okay, that’s enough, I want my own hug.” Laughing, Bella let go of Jacob and turned to the woman, giving her a quick embrace, “Emily.” Several of the other wolves moved forward for their own hugs, though a few were somewhat resistant and others flat out refused. But Bella managed to greet several of them by their names. “Brady. Seth. Collin. Jared. Embry.” There were some she did not know, but she welcomed them. When she came to the last three, she gave Billy a quick hug. Turning to one of the men, she reached up and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, ignoring his low snarl before he begrudgingly returned the hug. Last was Sam who grudgingly gave his own hug, mumbling a low, “You stink like them. You need a bath.”

She and he both knew that the Cullens had heard what he said and she saw several of the werewolves hide smirks as it was said. Smiling, she stepped back to where she was before turning back to face Jacob. “So what, now you’re okay with it?”

He snarled. “Hell no, but it would be better with him.”

Sam stepped forward now and took over the conversation. “When is this deadline.”

Charlie spoke up from behind her, and she heard the same thought echoed by many others in the crowd. “What deadline? And what situation and stipulations and consequences are they talking about, Bella?”

Still a little leery, Alice kept her eyes locked onto the werewolves as she easily lied to the congregation. “Registration for college. We have to be moved and settled in, all the paperwork and books and fees must be had and paid before the deadline. If not, then the tuition triples and we’ll have to start the semester late, which will put us behind in work.”

Bella quickly caught on and agreed with the lie. “And we have until the end of the week to be moved in. Then we’ll have to deal with the books and tuition, followed by the paperwork.”

Billy looked at Bella closely and slowly nodded his head. “And so when is this deadline?”

“In precisely forty-three days.” Came a voice from directly behind Bella.

Instantly, the Cullens went back into their stances, with Alice flanking Bella as they faced the owner of the voice. Without even turning, she knew who the voice would belong to. She still had nightmares of them, of how they had people brought down from the city streets so that they could be fed on by the vampires.

There were eight in total, but only seven were present at the moment. There was a tall man with an olive complexion and black wavy hair that fell around his shoulders and man who was built more like Emmett but resembled the other man except for this ones hair was cropped short. She knew these two were of the special guard, as was the small girl between them who could easily be mistaken for a boy except for her face was too pretty for a boys. Bella knew these three to be Felix, Demetri, and Jane. Behind them were four more figures that she could easily recognize too.

There was Marcus, who could read relationships, with his paper-thin skin and long, black hair. Then there was Caius, whose ability was unknown, with his paper-thin skin and short, cropped hair that was as white as his and any other vampire’s skin. Alec was the short one who closely resembled Jane and could easily inflict pain with a thought, also like Jane, only his ability is much more advanced. And lastly was Aro, the record keeper, who had paper-thin skin and long jet black hair, but where the other seven have burgundy eyes, his are a unique cloudy and milky burgundy.

The eighth, and unaccounted for, would be their hunter, Heidi. She was one of those knockouts with her long mahogany hair and even longer and sexier legs, then throw in her burgundy eyes covered by blue contacts, and she is one lethal hunter. They were like vampire royalty, the high council made of the oldest of vampires. The Volturi.

Shivering, Bella turned towards her little curtain and threw her hands in the air as she started whispering harshly. “What else could possibly happen? A pack of werewolves show up and stop the wedding, I leave my beloved standing at the alter, and the Volturi decide to show up early. What else is there?” Turning sharply, she caught several of the werewolves and Cullens smiling, even Edward, and saw that a few of the Volturi were smirking at her comment. Huffing again, she continued in a low whisper, “Can we get back to the wedding before Victoria or some other murderous she-witch decides to show up and get revenge?”

Smiling again, Edward nodded and quickly got everything back in order, but before things were set back in motion, Renee stood up and glared back at the Volturi. “And who are they?” Gulping, Bella turned around and was getting ready to come up with a reply before Alec quickly stepped in to explain himself. “I’m the administrator of the school young Bella and Edward shall be joining. They were set to have arrived today, but due to the wedding plans, they obviously could not make it. So, in exchange for an extension, they invited myself and the rest of the council to their wedding, as a way for us to be able to vouch for them if you would. In exchange, they will have another week to arrive, but their deadline will still ve the same.”

The last part was added with a pointed look at both Bella and Edward who understood the message clearly. Once the matter was settled, and everyone returned to their seats, the ceremony was restarted. Once again, Bella found herself watching as Rosalie and Emmett went around the curtain, followed closely by Alice and Jasper. Consumed by nerves, Bella mutely moved into position and looped an arm through each of her fathers’ arms. They both smiled broadly as they held each grasped one of her hands and waited for their cue.

Their was a slight pause as the song changed and the new one picked up, which was supposed to be their cue. But as the song ended, instead of going around the curtain, the curtain was removed and tossed to the side. Looking to either side she noticed Emily and Jacob standing with smiles on their faces. Then she noticed the dress suit on Jacob and Emily’s dress that was an exact replica of Rosalie and Alice’s dresses, only in a light pink with gold ribbons and little white roses.

Smiling, Jacob and Emily led the way down the aisle where they took their positions as the maid-of-honor and best man. Silently crying again and overjoyed about everything, Bella slowly made her way down the aisle and smiled widely once she reached the end, where she stopped at a small platform meant for the bride and groom to stand on. When asked who gave her away, both Charlie and Phil spoke, after which they each turned and gave her a kiss on a cheek at the same time before reaching up and removing her cloak.

Everyone quickly admired her dress, taken aback at its appearance. Her dress was similar to those Emily, Alice, and Rosalie’s, but hers was a butterscotch color with white ribbons, her long hair was curled and brushed back to fall in silky waves down her back, with little roses strung throughout it and a thin ring of diamonds circled her head and rested lightly on her forehead with silver ribbons trailing out from the under the backside. But where Emily, Alice, and Rosalie’s dress skirts were puffed out like princess dresses and stopped mid-calf, Bella’s hung freely down to where it barely brushed the ground, leaving enough space to show the silver heels that had thin ribbons of string tied up to her mid-calf to hold them in place. If Edward had any breath left in him, the mere sight of her would have been able to take it away.

Once the cloak was gone and had been handed off to her mother, Phil and Charlie both held onto her right hand and gently pressed it into Edward’s with whispered threats and comments about her protection.

Still smiling, she looked up at Edward and slowly stepped forward onto the platform. As she went to put her other foot on the platform though, she slipped and began to fall forward until Edwards arms caught her. Several people gasped but Bella and Edward grinned as she looked up at him. “I guess I’m always going to be in need of rescuing.” Many people laughed at her this time, and several of the Cullens and werewolves smiled in agreement.

Once the laughing was over, the ceremony continued. It seemed to fly by as they repeated their vows and said their “I do’s”. Once it was said and done though, after Edward had gripped Bella’s left hand and repeated his vows of forever, he had slipped a diamond and topaz ring onto her ring finger and said the final words of “I do”, and when no one objected to the marriage, the priest told Edward that he could kiss his bride.

Turning to her, Edward simply reached up and lovingly placed his right hand on her cheek, where he gently rubbed his thumb back and forth. Silently, Bella stepped closer until their foreheads rested against each other and wrapped her arms around his waist. A moment passed as they stood with eyes closed. Slowly, Edward reached out with his left hand and gently grasped her hand, playing with the ring as he moved his head to the side and leaned in close to whisper in her ear so that only she, and the vampire and werewolves with heightened hearing, could hear. “I don’t remember much from my time as a human, but I do know that this belonged to my grandmother back when I was Edward Anthony Mason. I want you to wear it always as a proof of my love for you, my Bella.”

Silent tears started to stream down her face as she realized what the ring must have meant to him, what she obviously meant to him, and she smiled brightly as she reached up to place her hands on either side of his face. Moving her head back, she gently touched her nose to his and looked deep into his butterscotch eyes. “I will always wear this ring for I will never stop loving you, not even if you do somehow manage to be able to read my mind, or when you decide you known what’s best for me and try to leave again. I won’t let you leave me again. I will always love you, my love. My Edward.”

Tears continued to stream down her face but she smiled widely as Edward reached up to wipe them away before he softly claimed her lips in a slow burning, passionate kiss. After a few moments though, she broke away for a breath of air and grinned as the claps and whistles and laughter filtered in. Smirking, Edward offered her his hand and she gladly accepted it as the turned to face the congregation and were announced as “Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen” in their own special field.

Silently, Edward and Bella saw the Cullens off as they left for the north, then they met with the Voltaire who reminded them of their agreement, next came the werewolves who congratulated them on a fine wedding, and finally came the seeing off of guests. Once the last of the guests had left, Bella turned and wrapped her arms around Edward’s waist, nuzzling her face into his chest. Edward grinned down at her as he brought an arm up around her shoulders and gently stroked her hair with his other. “So, my Bella, how does it feel to Mrs. Isabella Marie Swan Cullen?”

Grinning into his chest, she murmured, “Just about as good as it does to be here with you.” Resting his cheek on the top of her head, he asked. “And how is that?”

Looking up, she smiled dreamily, “Nothing can compare.”