Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

It’s A Love Story

Once the males were far enough away that they couldn’t hear us the females who had stood watching with varying looks of emotion on their faces as they watched Jake, Momma and I; sprang into action. Alice come closer and said “Okay, your mother refused to celebrate the final night of her freedom and I’m not going to let you do that. We are going to celebrate and you are going to enjoy it, okay?” I laughed as Rose said “Yeah and if you don’t Alice will force you to.” Alice laughed her tinkling musical laugh before saying “Oh, I guess I am being a tyrant. Let’s go inside and have some fun.” As they marched me towards the front door I felt a spike of anxiety at what waited for me behind those doors, this caused a jump in my heart rate and almost every other being in the vicinity laughed in unison and Momma said “Was this what it was like with me? Could you guys tell what was going on inside my head even without me saying anything?” Esme giggled and wrapped her arm around my mother as we continued our way into the house, which I hadn’t realised was covered in balloons and streamers, saying “Bella with you it was worse. Every time Edward touched you or even looked at you, your heart nearly beat its way from your chest. At least Renesmee has the decency for her heart to stutter and almost stop when ever Jacob touches her; much more considerate of those in the area who were hunters, don’t you think?” she smiled to show that her words had been meant as fun, Momma threw back her beautiful head and laughed loudly.

The rest of the night passed more easily than I thought it would, and considering the others with me didn’t need sleep- not to mention that I couldn’t have slept if I wanted to, I was way too nervous- we sat up all night. We talked about the others first weddings, I hadn’t really thought about the marriages of the women in my life. I knew about Momma and Daddy’s wedding and the weddings that I had attended, but I hadn’t ever thought about the very first weddings of the women before me. Esme had been the first to get married so her story was first. She smiled sadly before beginning her story:

“You all know that I was married while I was a mortal and that the death of my husband and then my son was what caused me to throw myself from that cliff, when they took me to the hospital Carlisle was the only one to know that I was still alive, it was 1921 and they didn’t have the medical knowledge they have now, which I am grateful for because it brought me Carlisle. He had changed Edward three years before but longed for someone to love, a wife, he chose me. When I woke up from my transformation and looked into Carlisle eyes I was beyond smitten, if my heart had still been capable of beating I think it would have stopped, every other colour in the room dimmed and when it seemed that he felt the way I did we decided to ask Edwards’ blessing- we needn’t have bothered because he knew what we felt for one another- our wedding was presided over by this ancient priest, with Edward as our witness. I wore a plain ivory coloured dress, since I had already been married before, and Carlisle and Edward both looked absolutely dapper in their three piece suits. It was about six months after our wedding that we were able to go on a ‘honeymoon’. Carlisle took me to this small island, it took us forever to reach but the second I stepped from the small boat I fell in love. As we stood on the white sand and looked around Carlisle asked me quietly “My dear wife do you like the island?” and I was speechless and I just nodded, he smiled and said to me “I am glad my dearest Esme because I would like to welcome you to Isle Esme.” I had laughed and asked “How did you find an island with the same name as mine?” He laughed and said “No sweetheart you misunderstand, the island doesn’t just have the same name it was named for you, this is your island Esme.” I fell even more in love with him.”

I sat agog at the love story Esme was telling me and when she continued to speak I made sure that I was paying close attention, this was my family history and I wanted to be able to tell my children about it. “We came back from our honeymoon and it was then that we decided to find someone for Edward to love the way we loved one another, it took us over a decade and we thought we had found him someone. Carlisle had found her lying on the road dying, he had raced her home and begun the change, when he explained to me why he had really bought her home I agreed with him but then it seemed that Edward just found her irritating, we worried about him but it wasn’t long after we welcomed Rose into the family that she found her one true love.” Esme stopped speaking and I looked expectantly at Rose who smiled her beautiful smile before she begun to tell her love story, her eyes glazed over as she got lost in her memories, her voice far away and dreamy

“I was hunting and I came across Emmett being mauled by a bear. He reminded me of someone I had known in my mortal life, he also reminded me of something I thought I had lost. I was terrified that I wouldn’t do it right so I carried him back to Carlisle so that it could be done right. I knew that I needed him and that I would do anything to save him, even if it meant condemning him to this life we live. I knew from the early months of my life as a vampire that Carlisle and Esme had hoped the Edward and I would make a connection the way they had but as much I irritated him, he irritated me just as much. The love we felt was more that of a sibling than a romantic one, not that it matters because the second I saw Emmett I knew that he was the one I wanted. I got so very lucky that he loved me and that we are compatible, He holds my enormous ego in check and I hold his impulsiveness in check. The day I found Emmett was the day that I truly forgot the past and actually started looking forward to an eternity together. I had lost my need for a huge wedding when I had lost my humanity and I wasn’t in any hurry to marry, anyone, but Em was stubborn enough he wanted me, forever, so we married for the very first time about six months after Em had been turned. It was just us and Carlisle and Esme, Edward had gone off on his rebellious teenage phase and we found this out of the way chapel in the middle of nowhere. It had the nicest stain glass windows and they filtered the light in a way that allowed us to marry in the middle of the day with no fear of exposing what we were. I have never wanted anyone else and I’m so thankful for the universe for bringing me Em and I’m glad that you have had the same opportunity with Jacob, Ness.” I swallowed back my tears at her horrific love story but I was so pleased that they felt I was old enough to tell me their stories. Rose smiled before looking towards Alice my gaze wasn’t the only one to follow hers. Except when we looked at Alice she had a far away, vague, look on her face. Momma laughed and said “Are you checking up on the guys?” I figured this was a normal question but even I knew that if Jacob and Seth were with them that Alice wouldn’t see them, Momma’s question seemed to jolt Alice from her trance and she shook her head before saying jokingly “Nah Rose’s story was boring me.” We all laughed as Rose threw a candle at her while saying laughingly “Well at least my story wasn’t so sugary sweet that it makes you want to throw up.” Alice chuckled and said “So I guess it’s my turn now.” I nodded and she started to speak but her words seemed off and she seemed preoccupied.

“I don’t remember anything about being human because it turns out that I had visions while I was human and they had put me in a psychiatric hospital and performed horrible tests on me. My transformation happened in the hospital, I don’t remember any of it, and from everyone else’s stories I am glad that I don’t. Jasper’s and my story, I believe was written in the stars, from the moment I opened my eyes to this life he was there in my mind. I knew we belonged together and I set out to be where I knew he was going to be. I waited for him in a small cafe in Philadelphia and when he came in I knew I had been right, he had stood by the door of the cafe looking completely out of place. I knew he was hungry, I could tell but he had placed himself within reach of temptation. Of course I knew he wouldn’t do anything to harm those inside, or me for that matter; I approached him and scared the life out of him, to him I was a threat. A person to avoid until he focused on my feelings and noticed a feeling he wasn’t familiar with, love. We spent the next few weeks making our way to the family of golden eyed vampires I had seen Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Rose and Em and I knew that there was a whole other life for both Jazz and I. We got married about a year after we met, it had taken Jazz that long to be able to control his impulsive feeding, though he still has the harder time of controlling his cravings than the rest of us, and he had told me that until he did he didn’t want to drag me down with him. I told him that I saw him adhering to this new way of life but he needed more proof than my say so.” Laughing disparagingly she said “Now they rely too much on what I see, back then not so much. We had had a fortnight of solid rain and we were walking down the main street of this tiny little town in east Texas, a place Jazz had passed through while in the military, and I saw the church sitting all alone, surrounded by grass and gravestones. I loved it and when we walked through the front doors of the church I had a vision of us standing at the altar. Jazz felt the shift in my emotions I whispered what I had seen and he smiled. We stood at the end of the aisle, I was wearing a flower printed blue skirt suit and a wide brimmed straw hat, the padre who presided over the marriage laughed at the fact that I had been wearing such a hat after such a long period of rain. We laughed and then signed the certificate before heading back home to our new family.”

I was amazed at how lucky my family had been in finding love in a supernatural world of darkness and pain. I had always known that my family were lucky in the fact that they had been able to find one another and overcome the life that had stretched before them but until I heard their love stories I hadn’t realised just how lucky they were. I looked over at Hayley, who was sitting next to Esme, she was staring open-mouthed at my family as they told their stories and when Alice finished she had looked expectantly towards my mother, I followed her gaze and waited for Momma to tell her story. I knew most of it because I had made her tell me how she and Daddy had met and fell in love; it had been my favourite story as I was growing up. I smiled at Momma encouragingly and she laughed before saying “Renesmee, I think that you might be able to tell this story better than I could, you asked for it so often when you were little.” I nodded but said “I want to hear you tell it, besides Hayley hasn’t heard how you and Daddy ended up together. It might help to explain Jacob and I little better.” Hayley, who until this point had not said a word, spoke softly “Please Bella, I am curious. The rest of you ladies have spoken of the love you found and how it seemed destined, I know of destined love. The second I saw Seth something inside me changed and I couldn’t explain the need I had for him.” I nodded and was slightly surprised to see my mother do the same and when she spoke her eyes took on a far off look:

“My story starts very similarly to yours and Seth’s, Hayley. The first time I ever saw Edward, something shifted, I couldn’t understand the fascination I had for him, especially since the very first time he saw me- well what I thought was the first time- he glared at me with eyes filled with hate. He disappeared for a week after that, I swore it wasn’t my fault that he had left but I still couldn’t stop the odd pain I felt and when he came back it was as if he had brought with him the sun to that small dreary town. It took my almost being killed for him to admit to himself that he couldn’t be without me. We became inseparable and then something happened and he felt it best if they left me behind and started new somewhere else. Silly man, anyway that didn’t work so well. But in the time that he had left me I had formed a close friendship with Jacob, I say it like that because the feelings Jake and I had for one another were more than just friendship but like the imprinting phenomenon I couldn’t love anyone the way I loved Edward but I couldn’t be without Jake either. That strangeness was explained when we welcomed Renesmee, it was clear that the feelings I had for Jacob were there to make sure that he and Ness found one another.” Mom took my hand and kissed my cheek before continuing “I was still human when Edward and I got married and Alice was given free range on the details, which I am grateful for,” Alice jumped up and did a strange little jig before saying “I told you so! Didn’t I tell you that you would, one day, thank me for making that day a special memory?” Mom laughed and said “Yes Alice you did and I know that I haven’t actually ever thanked you for it. I remember feeling overwhelmed by everything and the only thing I wanted was for Edward to change me and for that to happen he requested that I marry him. I eventually realised it was something small I could give him in return for an eternity with him. I don’t remember much about the time leading up to the actual ceremony,” again she was interrupted but this time it was by Rose “I thought you were going to have a heart attack, your heart was beating so fast and you looked so sick. It was funny.” Mom rolled her eyes and said “Thanks Rose now I’ll have that added to my memory.” Everyone laughed before she continued “The thing I remember the most clearly is the look on Edward’s face when he saw me at the end of the aisle. It was then that my body relaxed enough to actually enjoy the day.” Mom stopped her story because almost everyone else here knew what had happened after that, everyone except Hayley, who had slid to the edge of her seat. She looked eagerly at Mom and said “When did you become, I mean when did you change, sorry, I’m not exactly sure how to phrase it.” She blushed and looked away from the probing gazes of the women in the room but Mom smiled and said “That’s okay Hayley, I was changed when I had Renesmee; I was dying and they, Jacob and Edward, agreed to allow it this one time, to save me. That is my story well the one of how I fell for Edward and how we got married and tomorrow our daughter will be beginning a new chapter of her life as a married woman. I never thought that I would see this day, and now it’s here and I couldn’t be happier. I know that apart from Edward and myself that Jacob loves Renesmee the most and would do anything to protect her.” I smiled and leant over to hug one of most important people in my life.

The night deepened around us and the stories got more intimate and eventually I laughingly called a stop to them because I didn’t want to embarrass Hayley, well that was my story and I was sticking to it. I couldn’t sit around discussing my sex life with my family or listen to my family talk about their sex lives. I couldn’t believe that I was sitting with the women in my life, talking openly about their intimate lives, and preparing myself for the next day, I was getting married in less than 24 hours and the butterflies that had been fluttering for the last week had taken flight and were beating wings against the walls of my stomach. I walked into another room of our house, away from the laughter that was coming from the front room, this room was in darkness and I looked out the window at the stars that lay scattered against the velvet curtain of the sky. I found comfort in the quietness of the night, I heard footsteps from behind me and I smelt Esme’s scent as she came and stood beside me, she wrapped one of her arms around my waist and whispered “Nessie are you okay?” I smiled over at her and said “Yeah, I was just thinking about tomorrow.” She hugged my tighter and asked “Are you having second thoughts?” I laughed and said “No second thoughts, I want to marry Jake it’s just that I was thinking how much our lives are going to be different after tomorrow.” Esme smiled softly and said “Not different, just better. After tomorrow you begin a new chapter in the love you share. You listened to all the stories about how we fell in love and how we all felt that the love we have found is destined, you are the only one- besides Hayley- who can actually say that the love you have found is destined. The love of your existence was decided by the gods at the dawn of time, it is the type of love that some people will never know and a love that very few have ever known. You are blessed and we are blessed to have you.” She kissed my cheek before checking her wrist for the time as she did the doorbell rung. “Oops I almost forgot, we need to go hunt, if you don’t want to leave Hayley I have ordered some pizza. That should be it now,” she paused and we both heard the swift intake of breath from the teenage delivery man as Rose answered the door and his Mumbled speech as he waited for payment. I smiled to myself as I imagined the sweet smile Rose would give him as she handed over the money. The boy stammered his thanks at the large tip she gave him for driving all the way out to us. I walked slowly from the sitting room where Esme and I were talking and was in time to see the delivery vehicle drive away and as Rose closed the door and turned to hand Hayley the pizza I said “You guys go hunt, Hayley and I will stay here and eat this and talk girly talk until you come back.” Tinkling laughter in varying tones swelled around us, Hayley and I stood on the porch that wrapped around the front of our house and waited until they had disappeared into the forest. After several seconds of quiet Hayley said “Let’s go eat this pizza before it goes cold, I can’t stand cold pizza, how ‘bout you?” I felt my stomach flip at the mention of eating but I said “Yeah, I can’t stand cold pizza. Let’s go eat.”

We walked back inside and settled onto the lounge where we cracked open the pizza box and, ignoring the flip of nausea that gripped my stomach, we begun to eat. Hayley was such a pleasant girl and we got along fantastically, we chatted about everything that we had to do before the wedding tomorrow afternoon. Hayley was my bridesmaid, Jacob and I had agreed that we would keep it low key, Jake was having Seth as his best-man and both of them would act as witnesses and sign our marriage certificate. As we talked I had a feeling Hayley was working up the courage to ask me something. She got up and walked away into the kitchen I could hear her pouring herself a drink and when she came back into the lounge I said “Hayley, what’s the matter?” she sighed and sinking back onto the sofa she said “I was wondering how you and Jacob, you know, it’s just I was thinking about Seth and I and I was just...” she stopped and flushed red, the colour making my hunger flare. I grinned over at her and patting the spot next to me I said “Come here.” She came and perched on the sofa beside me and said “I am so sorry. I can’t believe I asked that, you don’t need to answer. I was just curious.” I was still smiling as I said “Honey, seriously? If you can’t ask me, than whom can you ask? Jake and I, it was amazing. The love I feel for him deepened a million fold after making love to Jake but do you think that you and Seth are ready for that big a step?” I felt slightly hypocritical as I spoke these words considering that I wasn’t that much older than Hayley and I was getting married in less than, I checked my watch, eighteen hours. She smiled shyly at me and said “Oh no, not right now but I have never had anyone else to ask. I just wanted to know if it was, you know, different, or whatever.” I laughed and said “I don’t know about how different it is from a ‘normal’ relationship all I can tell you is, it was phenomenal, and when you guys are ready you will know it.” I reached over to hug her and another streak of hunger struck me, shaking this away I concentrated on talking about some more of the details for the coming day.

The night wore on and at just after two Hayley and I bid my immortal family good night and climbed the stairs to my bedroom, where we crawled into bed. I woke to brilliant shafts of colour shooting through my window, rolling over to face the door I saw my father standing there watching me sleep. I sat up and smiled warmly at him, saying “Hey Daddy, how are you this morning? Or better yet how is Jake doing? I don’t have to go rescue him from a lamp post where you guys have tied him naked do I?” He laughed and said “No, he is out hunting and I wanted to use this time to come and tell you how proud of you I am and how much I love you.” I leapt off the bed and flung myself towards him, I wrapped my arms around his neck and said in a tear clogged voice “I love you too Daddy.” He held me away from his body and whispered “I can’t believe that my baby girl is getting married today. I can remember the first time I held you. Unbelievable.” I laughed and said “Considering how good your memory is and factoring in that I was only born like five years ago, I’d be a little concerned if you couldn’t remember the first time you held me.” He grinned at me before taking my hand and walking beside me down the stairs and into the kitchen. I grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and poured some cereal into it, adding the milk I went and sat at the table. I didn’t notice the strange look Dad was shooting me until I sat down, it made me feel uncomfortable and I asked “What?” His marble brow creased and he gestured towards the bowl in my hands before saying “When did you prefer cereal over a hunt for breakfast?” I shrugged and said “Dunno, I’m feeling a bit lazy today and since the cereal is here, I figured I’d eat it.” I couldn’t see what the big drama was so I continued to eat my breakfast. It wasn’t until I had almost finished eating that it struck me that we were alone in the house, even Hayley had disappeared. “Where is everyone?” I knew I didn’t have to ask the question out loud but sometimes it got annoying to have a seriously one-sided conversation. I focused on Daddy as he spoke “Your mother and you Aunts went to get the rest of the flowers, Esme is overseeing the final catering touches and Hayley has gone to talk to Seth. Poor Seth he has no idea what is coming for him. I’m glad to hear that you’re not spouting marriage at an early age for them, though truth be told in this situation I don’t see the point in waiting because it isn’t like there will be anyone else for either of them.” I shook my head and laughed at his explanation for Hayley’s absence, I leant forward and said “I actually feel sorry for Seth as well because she is one determined woman and nothing is going to persuade her if she doesn’t want it to.”

Daddy laughed and said “Is it any wonder that you and she have become fast friends.” I chuckled before shaking my head. I danced to the sink and deposited my dirty bowl before quickly washing, drying, and putting it back in its place. I turned back to face Daddy and said “Yeah it’s really nice to have someone who knows all the crazy things in your life, someone who you can complain to and not offend them and beside that she is one of the sweetest most sincere people I’ve known.” I smiled and checked my wrist for the time, it surprised me that it was almost eleven and I had actually slept longer than I had in a really long time “Oops if I don’t start getting ready Alice is gonna kill me.” Daddy laughed and said “They are almost here. So I will kiss you goodbye and go and get ready and I will be back to walk you down the aisle, I love you Renesmee.” He kissed my cheek and hugged me close before he turned and flew out the back door, as the door closed behind him the room was suddenly swarming with women, and not just my family. Sue, Hayley, Emily, Leah, Rachel, and Rebecca were with them as well and I was so excited to see them – even Leah- that unexpected tears filled my eyes. They all surrounded me asking concerned questions. Smiling through my tears I said “Nothing is wrong, I am so excited to see you all and I am so pleased that you all came,” Leah rolled her eyes and I smiled wryly at her and said softly “Even you Leah, you might not like it but I think of you as family and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” The room held its collective breath waiting for Leah’s reply, a soft exhalation spread through the room as Leah said “You know what, I have been angry for so long at you, your mother, your family, the whole situation, that I hadn’t taken into consideration what my behaviour was doing to others. It has taken me a long time to get over what happened with Sam and when I turned I was so mad and I felt so isolated that I turned it into anger and hate, I have recently discovered” at this she shot Emily a small smile “that life is moving on without me and if I let it I will lose out.” I knew that my smile was one of confusion and Leah laughed before saying “You make a member of my family happy and that is what I want more than anything, for them to be happy. I can’t promise that I won’t slip up but I am going to try and behave myself.” I was so shocked that it surprised even me when I ran at Leah and grabbed her into a tight hug, her body stiffened but after barely a second she relaxed and returned my embrace. I released her when Alice spoke, her voice irritated and slightly off “Okay, everyone knows their assignments and since we only have five hours before the ceremony, I suggest we get started.”