Alice pushed the door open, then, and flew at me so quickly and gracefully that she was hugging me before I even knew that she was there. Rosalie followed calmly behind her.
“Oh, that was so beautiful!” Alice gasped, her voice higher than normal. “I knew there was a reason I liked that Angela! If I could cry, I would right now!”
It was probably for the best that she couldn’t, given the current Kleenex situation, but I smiled at her anyway—a genuine, heartfelt smile—and surveyed the scene.
She had changed into her bridesmaid’s dress, which had made her the usual shade of absolutely stunning that I hoped was inherent in all vampires…especially future ones. Rosalie was the picture of perfection in a long dark blue gown that I was sure she had gone to great lengths to tone down so that the focus would be on me alone. She had failed miserably, much to my relief.
She was looking more uneasy than usual…more than she had all day, and my instinct told me that she had something important to say. I sighed nervously. Rosalie had only very recently accepted my presence, and had not yet accepted my decision to become a vampire, so it was with reluctance that I gave her my most patient look.
“Something on your mind Rosalie?”
“Nothing really,” she replied with badly acted nonchalance. “I just wanted to tell you how beautiful you look today. How human.”
My lips curved into a grateful smile. That was probably the best compliment that Rosalie could give, considering her desire to be human again. “I guess I know a little bit about this kind of thing…marriage, I mean.” She gave a nostalgic laugh. “After all, I’ve married Emmet seven times.”
Seven!
I sat down hard on Alice’s bed. Rosalie moved gracefully to sit beside me. Her tone was serious, but her eyes reflected an awkwardness that must have been extremely uncommon for her.
“I’m really happy for you, Bella,” she said, and I stared at her uncertainly, recognizing how hard it probably was for her to tell me that.
She continued. “You didn’t see Edward before he met you, so you can’t understand the ways that you’ve changed him, but I can assure you that it is an amazing transformation. It’s like he’s finally found the one thing in all time and space that he’s meant for. It’s a little frightening actually, the strength of it,” she noticed the worry on my face. “But that’s a good thing!” she added quickly, then surprised me by taking my hand. The gesture was so sisterly that I was moved almost to tears. Alice went for the towel again.
“Edward’s been in the family the longest. He's got the most experience living among humans. He’s spent decades in colleges collecting degrees, and he’s explored every place in the world that you could probably imagine.” She laughed this comment off as if it were no more of an accomplishment than putting your pants on in the morning. “He can show you a lot of things, Bella, but what he found in you…all of the feeling—he’s just as new to all of it as you are.”
Her sweet laughter resonated around the room. “He’s probably waiting in that shack just like any clueless human boy, counting down the seconds and wishing that he could read your thoughts just this once. Trust me, I know.”
I tried to imagine a vulnerable and clueless Edward. For some reason, my imagination wouldn’t stretch that far, but the possibility made me grin. This seemed to satisfy Rosalie.
A knock at the door made me jump. My two companions sighed and smiled at each other eagerly.
“It’s Charlie and Angela,” Rosalie said serenely. “It’s time.”
Oh god!
My legs suddenly failed me. If I hadn’t been sitting already, I would have collapsed. My mind seemed unable to move away from the picture of all of the guests…hundreds of eyes staring at me, just waiting for me to trip. I couldn’t breath.
Rosalie let Charlie in, and then slipped quietly out to get the boys. I tried to stand as my father entered with Angela on his arm. The dress was too beautiful to be first viewed sitting down, but my entire body had ceased to function. Alice gave a tinny half-laugh and helped me to my feet. Charlie was open-mouthed in the doorway, just as petrified as I was. I was too terrified to laugh, but the fact that I was truly my father’s daughter did not escape me.
“Honestly!” Alice said indignantly. “If I have to carry you both down the aisle, I’ll never forgive either one of you!”
That got Charlie laughing. He stared at Alice’s pixie like frame. “I’d actually pay for pictures of you trying to do that!” he chortled.
I’d pay for pictures of Charlie’s face if he ever found out she actually could do it.
His paralysis broken, he offered me his arm awkwardly and stared in awe as I took it. “Really Bella, you are…” His voice threatened to break. I flashed a worried glance at Alice. If Charlie started to cry, that was it. I was carrying the towel down the aisle with me, but he composed himself quickly. “You’ve gone and turned into the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen right in front of my face,” he finished.
My eyes threatened to tear over again. I’d forgotten how much of a romantic my dad used to be. From below us, I heard the piano begin and was actually glad for a chance to avoid his eyes. This was it. I tried to keep the tremble out of my voice as I turned toward my two ladies in blue.
“Let’s get this party started.”
I followed Alice and Angela out of the door and down the stairs, relying heavily on both Charlie and Alice to get me down them without injury, and was suddenly unable to move any further. The main room of the Cullen house had been completely transformed into what looked to me like an elaborately decorated turn of the century banquet hall. The walls had been adorned with a shimmering blue satin, and the aisle was lighted by a series of exquisitely delicate candelabras that looked directly out of another time. I stared around at Alice open mouthed. She looked extremely pleased with herself.
“Circa 1918, I believe,” she said with an innocent smirk. Perfect.
At that moment, the room was plunged into a sudden silence, and my stomach flipped into my throat as it all happened exactly how I had dreaded. I was standing just behind Alice and Angela at the beginning of the aisle when every eye in the room turned back toward me. My breath stopped. My heart began to pound so fast that I couldn’t distinguish individual beats, and I could feel the heat radiating off my face as I struggled not to imagine how deeply I was blushing.
Then Alice was dancing down the aisle, followed elegantly by Angela. I strained my neck, trying to find Edward at the end, but the aisle curved slightly, and my destination was hidden by a particularly beautiful bouquet.
The piano began again—the unmistakable calming melody of Debussy. The memory of my first forced car ride with Edward caused a sharp intake of breath and the tears threatened to fall again. I grabbed Charlie’s arm in a death grip, looked up into his surprisingly certain eyes, and took my first sure steps toward eternity.
