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Chapter 38

"Come on, Edward. You're going to be late!" My mother's voice filled the small tent as she stuck her head through the flap, a frenzied scowl in place on her face.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming!" I grumbled, pretending to be annoyed. I made my way over to her in two quick strides, reaching down to peck her cheek as I stepped through the tent's opening.

She shook her head at me and rolled her eyes, and for a brief moment, her thoughts took in my otherworldly appearance. She hadn't quite been able to get used the new me yet. As usual, she chose to say nothing. Instead, she linked her arm through mine, and I guided her into the large white airy tent, down the aisle, and to her seat. I patted her hand softly as I let go of her arm, releasing her so she could sit in the front row next to Carlisle.

My father glanced up at me and smiled as he put his arm around Esme. I smiled back, glad that his thoughts were filled with nothing but happiness for me. Next to him, Renee and Charlie were talking quietly. Renee turned to greet us and squeezed my mom's hand excitedly. The two of them practically bounced up and down in their seats as they grinned like school girls at each other. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help laughing.

My attention was caught by the people entering at the back of the tent. Excusing myself, I turned, almost unable to believe my eyes. I strode quickly over to the rear of the airy tent.

"You came," I beamed.

Jasper glanced up at me and both his expression and his thoughts revealed his surprise at my appearance. He recovered quickly and smiled the same smug smirk I remembered so well.

"Of course we came. We wouldn't miss this for anything!" It was Alice who piped up next to him. I glanced down at her tiny figure and laughed.

I quickly took in their appearance. Both still looked good, despite the time that had passed. Did humans really change so much in so short a time? Then again, it had been nearly ten years since I had last seen them. Jasper's hair was still a dirty blonde, and it still hung in his face, despite being styled differently now. Alice was just as tiny as ever, but the hair that I remembered being short and spiky now hung long and wavy just past her shoulders.

"Rose and Emmett are parking the car. They'll be here soon," Jasper explained, looking around the huge tent. "Wow," he said as he took in the thousands of tiny lights and white petals that were adorning nearly every surface of the tent.

I laughed and shook my head. "I know. Bella and Jessica went a little nuts." I shrugged. "What can you do though?"

Suddenly, a toe headed child seemingly came from nowhere and slammed into my leg. I glanced down, startled and concerned for his well being. He looked up at me, eyes wide with fear.

"Kellan!" a woman's voice called. I recognized it at once, even though I hadn't heard it in years, and grinned in spite of myself. Jasper and Alice stepped aside and turned slightly toward the voice, leaving my view unobstructed. Rosalie, holding the hand of a slightly larger child than the one who had slammed into me, and hugely pregnant, waddled toward us. Behind her, Emmett held another blonde child in his arms.

"Edward!" he boomed.

"Rose, Emmett. So good of you to come." I nodded in their direction, keeping my distance, unsure of how much Jasper had told them of my mysterious appearance.

Despite her harried and agitated demeanor, it became immediately clear that motherhood had really changed Rose. It made her softer somehow.

We stood and chatted for a few minutes. It was awkward at first, having gone without seeing my old friends for so long, but soon we began reminiscing about our days at Forks High, and they filled me in on all of the things I had missed after my departure. I had to admit how much I had missed my human friends.

Soon, the string quartet we had hired struck their first note, signaling that it was time for everyone to take their seats. I helped the four of them and their children find seats near the front of the tent.

I turned, surprised by how full the tent had suddenly become, and by how many of the faces I recognized. There were people there from my human life, like Jasper and Alice, but there were also people there from my last ten years of vampire life. There were many of the friends that Bella and I had made during our travels around the world; like Tanya and her family, a group of vampires we had found in Alaska who were also living a "vegetarian" lifestyle. Laurent and Garrett, two vampires we had met in France were sitting in the back row, sunglasses firmly in place. As I scanned the tent, I was surprised by the face I found seated in the very back row. James, sitting beside a vampire with fiery red hair, grinned at me as our eyes met. I smiled at him and nodded slightly, making a note to speak to him later.

I made my way to the front and turned to face the crowd just as the quartet struck the first chord of Pachabel's Canon in D. My eyes searched for the one face that was the reason I was here. After a moment, I saw her. My breath caught, and I couldn't help the wide smile that spread across my face at the sight of her. She met my gaze, and her answering smile was just as brilliant.

Her hair was up, save for a few tendrils which drifted loosely around her face. The dress she wore was white and lacy and clung to her figure before drifting down and trailing out behind her for several feet. Her skin was pale and perfect and beautiful, and it contrasted, as always, against her dark hair and her gorgeous tawny eyes.

As she approached, the smile on my face grew even wider as I realized that her thoughts were serene. There was no hesitation, no second thoughts, no wavering. She wanted this as much as I did.

When she was still about five feet away, I grew impatient. I stepped down from the platform, rushed to her, grabbed her around the waist, and carried her the remaining few steps, setting her down next to me on the raised platform. The audience chuckled and Bella gasped, but then laughed and rolled her eyes at me. I couldn't help it. I didn't want to wait any longer to make her mine in every sense of the word.

We turned in unison to the preacher. He raised his eyebrow disapprovingly at me for a moment, but then cleared his throat to begin. I turned to gaze at Bella, and after a moment, she turned and met my gaze steadily.

Even with vampire wits and telepathy, I couldn't focus on the minister's words. I knew the only words I was waiting to hear, and I stood, growing ever more impatient to hear them uttered. Finally, I heard them.

"I do," I said, never breaking Bella's gaze. Then it was her turn.

"I do," she echoed me, still holding me in her gaze.

It was only because of our increased dexterity and coordination that we managed to slide the rings on each other's fingers, because neither of us were willing to take our eyes off the other one for even a moment.

"You may kiss the bride," the minister said. I smirked at Bella for a moment before gathering her in my arms, sweeping her off her feet, and bringing my lips to hers for a passionate and intense kiss.

Again, our audience chuckled and tittered quietly as they waited for the kiss to end. Finally, unwillingly, I pulled my lips away from hers, smiling at the dazed look on her face and the jumbled thoughts that ran through her head. I loved that I still had that affect on her, even after all these years. For that matter, she still had quite an effect on me. I loved her more today than I ever had.

Our decision to become husband and wife had started out as merely a formality. We had been living as a married couple for a decade now, traveling around and enjoying ourselves immensely as we toured various parts of the world. But, as I stood with my new wife by my side, I couldn't help the feeling of euphoria that swept through me. She was my wife. I was married to Bella now.

Taking Bella's hand in mine, we stepped off the platform and began making our way down the aisle. We were immediately flanked on all sides by friends and family members giving us their best wishes and embracing us as they planted kisses on our cheeks. There was such a flurry of activity around us, it became difficult to distinguish the identities of those who pressed in, eager to get close enough to congratulate us. I became aware of only the differences between our human and vampire well wishers.

With a smoothness and precision that was a credit to Jessica's party planning skills, the chairs were cleared out of the way, and a dance floor was laid down. Huge tables were brought in and set up along the far side of the tent, and soon they were heavily laden with food, even though more than half of the guests would not be partaking. Smaller tables and chairs were grouped next to the dance floor, and the guests began filing back in and taking their seats at the round tables which were draped with heavy white linens and what I could only assume were very fragrant bouquets of white flowers.

The sides of the tent were drawn back, allowing the cool breeze to drift in. The ceremony had been completed just as the sun set, and now the sky was fading into a deep periwinkle blue and the first stars were just beginning to twinkle above us. The quartet, still in place, struck up a chord and I took Bella's hand again, leading her to the dance floor.

Once we reached the middle of the floor, I scooped her into my arms, lifting her feet off the ground in my desire to be as close to her as possible. She giggled and nuzzled my jaw line as I leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Cullen."

"Mmm. I like the sound of that, Mr. Cullen," she breathed.

"You know, now that it's official you're never going to be able to get rid of me."

Her laugh was lilting and light as she threw her head back, the twinkling lights bouncing ethereally off her already luminous skin. "I'm counting on that."

I laughed and spun her around in time with the music, her dress catching the breeze and swirling around us. After a few moments, Charlie cleared his throat behind me. I turned to look at him and smiled, knowing what he wanted. I was only a little unwilling to relinquish Bella to her father. She appeased me by whispering in my ear that she would make it up to me later.

As Bella twirled effortlessly across the floor with Charlie, I turned and sought out my mother. I found her seated next to my father. She easily agreed to a dance, and I led her onto the floor.

"Are you happy?" she asked softly as we moved at a slower pace than Bella and her father. She reached up and brushed a stray piece of my hair out of my eyes.

"I've never been happier, mom," I said, gazing steadily into her eyes.

She nodded. "I know. Anyone within a ten mile radius can tell how perfect you and Bella are for each other."

I laughed and was once again glad that Bella and I had decided to hold our wedding in Forks. It was the site of where it had all began for us. It seemed very appropriate that we would return to this place to bind ourselves together in yet another way.

Besides, it was wonderful to see all of our old human friends again. We had kept in fairly good contact with my parents over the years, calling and emailing as much as possible, but our visits had been rare, and I had been unable to see Jasper and Alice at all during our time away. From the emails we exchanged, I knew that Jasper and Alice had gone away to the University of Washington together after graduation and had gotten married themselves soon after that, but at the time I had been too nervous about the changes I had undergone to attend their wedding and see all of the people I knew I would inevitably run into.

Now, a decade later, it was they who had changed, while I knew I remained unchanged and untouched by time. I knew from their thoughts they were curious about it, but like so many of my human friends and family, amazingly, they had chosen to accept these changes, even though they couldn't explain or make sense of them.

It was several more turns around the dance floor before I got Bella back in my arms. I danced with Alice, Jessica, my mother again, Tanya, and even Rosalie. For her part, Bella danced with Mike, my father, Laurent, and even James. I had to smile when I saw her in James' arms. Any jealously I had regarding James had long since died away. After our visit to Volturi, I understood that James' intentions toward Bella were not malicious. While he still loved her deeply, he was resigned to the fact that there was no future between them. Besides, I could hardly harbor any ill feelings towards the man who had single handedly saved us from the wretched Volturi.

Bella and I danced a few more dances together before we left the dance floor and began to make our way around the room, greeting those guests we had not had time to acknowledge yet. We were offered hearty congratulations, and I received several jubilant slaps on the back.

Soon we came to the table where James was lounging, his arm slung over the shoulder of the girl with the fiery red hair. They were seated further back in the shadows, and I knew it was to hide their fiery red eyes. I had been worried about inviting those vampire friends who did not share our lifestyle or diet, but Bella had predicted that their respect for us would keep our human friends safe. So far, her prediction was correct. I continually scanned their thoughts for signs of trouble, but their esteem for us was keeping the humans in the room safe.

"James, good to see you," I said, offering him my hand. He shook it firmly, an easy grin on his face.

"Hey, Edward, Bella. Congratulations," he said warmly, standing to embrace Bella. "Let me introduce you. This is Victoria."

Victoria stood also and thrust her hand out. I took it and nodded at her. She turned to Bella.

"I've heard so much about you, Bella. It's great to finally meet you." Her voice was high and almost nasally, but her tone, along with her thoughts, was warm and sincere.

"It's great to meet you, too. So how did you two meet?" Bella asked, glancing back and forth between James and Victoria.

James smirked at Victoria and slung his arm over her shoulders again. "Victoria is a member of the guard too."

Bella raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Oh! That's great. I don't remember seeing you on our last visit? Are you a recent addition?"

"Yes, I just joined the Volturi two years ago." She turned and gazed lovingly at James. "We hit it off right away."

As I watched the interaction between the duo, I was struck by the affection between them. They were well matched to each other. Victoria's personality was determined and fierce, and complemented James' stubbornness and over-confidence.

I was genuinely happy for James. Despite the fundamental differences we had regarding the value of human life, I felt like he was a good guy. He sincerely cared for Bella and even me, in a round-about way. I was glad he had found someone to reciprocate his feelings.

"We are very grateful to you for coming all this way for our special day," Bella said.

"Well, I've heard so much about the famous Edward and Bella, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to meet you," Victoria smiled.

Bella and I chuckled and exchanged a few more pleasantries with the pair before embracing them and moving on. We moved between the tables, greeting and thanking and embracing as we went. By the time we finished making the rounds, I actually felt like I could be tired, if that were possible.

Eventually, the periwinkle sky turned indigo and our guests began to file out, pressing one last kiss onto our cheeks, and giving one last offer of congratulations as they made their way beyond the reach of the twinkling lights into the velvety blackness of the night.

Soon, Bella and I were alone under the billowy canopy of the massive tent. The string quartet had packed up their instruments and left, but the lack of music didn't stop me from taking Bella into my arms once more on the dance floor. We swayed in time to the music only we could hear. The catering crew moved quietly around us, cleaning up the remnants of food and taking down tables and decorations.

"Well, Mrs. Cullen. Are you ready to leave?" I whispered softly in her ear while running my fingers up and down her spine.

"Mmmm." She nodded, tightening her hold around my neck as I bent down to scoop her up into my arms.

I carried her, keeping a human pace as long as we were in sight of the pavilion. As soon as we were under the cover of the darkness and the trees I took off, streaking through the velvet darkness. Bella laughed in my arms and I bent down to kiss her as I ran, never breaking my stride.

I knew we would have to go back for our car soon to avoid raising suspicion. We had agreed that we would spend our wedding night in Port Angeles, opting not to stay in Forks' one and only hotel. But for now, it felt good just to run through the forest, our forest, with Bella in my arms. I could have put her down so she could run beside me as my equal, but there was something about having her in my arms that made me feel like I was keeping her safe and protecting her, a feeling I never grew tired of.

Soon, we reached the place I had been striving toward all along: our meadow. So much of our story was tied to this spot. I slowed and set Bella on her feet. In the ten years since Bella had first taken me to this spot, I had never once visited it in darkness. The change night brought was breath taking. The long grasses that I remembered swaying softly in the brilliant sunlight were now deep purple as they waved to us. The wildflowers stretched as far as the eye could see, many of them had closed their petals protectively in anticipation of the coming day.

Bella and I lay down among the soft grass and gazed up at the moon. We watched the clouds roll across the sky, occasionally covering the moon, only to move again and let the brilliance of the full lunar light reach us.

"What are you thinking about?" Bella asked softly after a while.

I shrugged. "Just thinking about how much significance this meadow holds for us. It's where I first told you that I loved you."

"I remember," she said softly.

I rolled over and brought my face to hers. "It's where you made me the happiest man alive. Well, until today that is."

We lay for a long time in our meadow, quiet and content. I couldn't help thinking about the path that my life had taken in the last decade. How was it possible that I had gotten every single thing I wanted, plus others that I didn't even know that I could have? I thought of my human friends and family. Understandably, they were left in the dark about the inexplicable changes in my life. But after tonight, I knew that they were truly happy for me. I was lucky enough to have human friends and family that loved me and accepted me for who I was, and now, amazingly, I had a vampire family that loved me and took me in as one of their own.

But most amazingly, I had the exquisite creature next to me. She had accepted me and let me into her life, despite the danger and peril that our love brought for both of us. For a time, it had seemed that we were destined to be kept apart. But as I looked over at her, her long soft hair splayed across the grass, her white dress contrasting starkly with the dark grasses of the meadow, her thoughts peaceful and serene, I knew we would always be together. Would there be challenges and trials that came our way? Of course, but we would face them together. Our love would be enough to get us through any challenge, any problem, any obstacle.

I leaned closer to her. She turned her head slightly to meet my gaze, smiling at the intensity she found there. She reached up and stroked my hair as I spoke. "Thank you."

"For what?" she asked.

"For letting me love you, even though it went against all your instincts. For letting down your guard and letting me in. For letting love in."

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed my little story! :)