Disclaimer:  Don’t own any of it.  My world, their characters.  Capiche?

Pre-Edit Count: 1,397 Words

Song: Sweeter by Gavin DeGraw

Previously:

The unholy glee that possesses Jasper as he finally lets loose all the bonds he has on Ares, and he merges for the first time with his beast would have scared anyone if they had seen it.  The smile that comes across his face is one that would have warned the Cullens that Armageddon is coming, but unluckily for them, not a single one of them saw it, or him.

It’s time for him to give back what he has been given.

Now:

Standing at the doors, dressed in the gown she hated more than Alice, Bella smiles at her father. She knows he has no idea how much danger he is in, and what his daughter is giving up for him.  He would give his life to make sure she is happy, and that is why she didn’t allow anyone to tell him what is going on.

It will all be fixed soon enough.

Charlie has tears in his eyes as he looks at his only daughter, and wishes yet again she can see Edward for the asshole he is.  Instead, he is giving his daughter away in marriage to someone he considers an abuser.

It has not escaped him, a police officer, that his daughter shows signs of psychological abuse.  While Edward may have not laid a finger on his daughter, he has damaged her in ways that no man wants for his daughter. Charlie has watched her turn from the independent woman that took care of him, to this woman who seems to need Edward’s approval to breathe.

Nothing Charlie has said has gotten through to her, and he can only think of this way to protest the wedding.  So he gives the first thing to her, his first escape plan for her. Smiling at his daughter, so beautiful in a gown he knows she did not pick out; in a style, she never would wear, Charlie informs her, “If you have any doubts about this, I have the chaser parked with the keys in the engine.  I will even let you use the sirens for a quick getaway.”  He smirks at the end, having told the men in his station if they see it, to escort her out of town.

She laughs at her father, so relieved that they are this close, even now.  “It will be fine, Dad.  Let’s get this over with.” She has no idea how long they will be this close after Eric comes for her.  Between the two, she will choose Eric.

Her father can survive without her.  He has in the past.  She has been nothing more than a roommate for him, one that cooked him healthy meals instead of going to the diner.

He sighs then Charlie walks her to the stairs. When the music changes, he helps her down the few stairs to the room where she is to marry that boy; the idiot, that does not deserve her attention, much less her hand in marriage.

Bella stares ahead, her eyes full of hate for the man standing at the end of the aisle, eager for this farce to be finished. As she walks with her father down the aisle, her eyes take in details, and she hides the smile as she notices blanks in the security.  If they are wide enough for her to see, then something is going on.  So she reaches out to the odd double feeling she has, hoping that it is what she has dreamed about all this time.

She gives no sign of any hesitation, nor does she try to rush or slow down her father as they walk down the long aisle.  The look on her face is hidden by the veil, and she cannot be happier.  Though she knows any Cold Ones or other supernaturals looking at her can see through her veil, she is glad for the illusion of privacy it gives.  She has no doubt they all know what a farce this marriage is.  However, the ones she has to ‘fool’ will not know.

As they close to the front, Bella is given her first shock regarding the ceremony.  Instead of asking if anyone protests this wedding, Emmett instead asks her father, “Who gives this bride away?” Her heart stops, since it had been part of the plan for Eric to object to the wedding.  Did they somehow guess this?

Charlie stands there, and then in front of them all, he shakes his head and informs her, “I can’t do it Bells.  If you wish to marry him, do it on your own.  I love you, but I cannot support you marrying him.” He is hoping that the shock of him telling her will wake her from this travesty.

But she smiles at him, and handing her bouquet to Alice, she lifts her veil herself, she leans forward and kisses him.  She looks back at him, and tells him softly, “I love you, Dad.  So much.  But I have to do this.”

And with that she steps away from him and hopes Eric can save him if this all goes down the toilet.

She turns around, facing Edward; she takes his hand and steps up to her place.  Her heartbeat is thundering, and she is thinking as fast as possible, while not deciding anything.  She needs this wedding to be halted, but she cannot be the one to do it.  Eric forbade it, saying that he will never force her to lie.  It is important to him, so she gave that up for him.

Edward grins at Bella, and then past her to Alice.  They are so close.  Once she thinks there is no way out, and he bites her, as her sire she will be under his control.  One part of vampire lore they had not told her is that everyone has to be released; it is a law dating all the way back from the originators, and the Volturi have no choice but to uphold it. He has spent much time thinking about this, and he has come up with a way that he will never have to release her.  By the time the normal release is supposed to happen, he will have so much control over her, no one will question if he has or not.  Not with Alice looking ahead, to make sure there are no other issues; they can counter anything that can go wrong.

Alice is constantly looking forward, but with the wolves here, she cannot make sure it all goes on as it should be.  She hates it, and so does Edward, but this is the only way they could get the wolves to agree to the wedding.

She is nervous, though.  There is something they missed.  Something important, but Alice can’t think of what it is.

Emmett grins down at the woman he thinks of as a little sister.  He winks to her, then looks back to the notes he has on how this is supposed to go. He doesn’t want to make her upset; he knows this is a special day for her.  Charlie already disrupted the wedding, and it has thrown him off his game.

He reads off his notes, “Welcome Family and Friends. We are gathered here today in the sight of God and angels, and the presence of friends and loved ones, to celebrate one of life’s greatest moments.  To give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, and to add our best wishes and blessings to the words which shall unite Isabella Marie Swan and Edward Anthony Masen Cullen in holy matrimony^[1].”

Proud of himself for getting that off, he continues, “Marriage is a most honorable estate, created and Instituted by God, signifying unto us the mystical union, which also rests between Christ and the Church; so too may this marriage be adorned by true and abiding love.”

He then notices that he, in his official standing, has to ask for the wedding to be valid with that one annoying question.  He clears his throat and looks at Bella apologetically for messing up her wedding even more for not asking before Charlie was supposed to bless their ceremony.

Gathering himself, Emmett asks the question that should have started this whole ceremony. “Should there be anyone who has cause why this couple should not be united in marriage, they must speak now or forever hold their peace.” He only wants to make sure that there are no issues and that no one can say that he did not follow the rules.  Bella won’t be happy if there are complications later!

Imagine his shock and that of everyone else in the room, when the back doors fly open and there stands 6’ 4” of pure Nordic fury that contrast wildly with his words as he calmly states, “I have reason.”

^[1] www.vowsoftheheart.com

Wedding vows are accredited to www.vowsoftheheart.com Credit where it belongs.  And thanks to MissRon80 for finding this for me!!

Final count, 1,518 words.

Fairfarren~