Vanity and Patience (27/30), Chapter 27: Celebration

achelle1317

Vanity and Patience (27/30), Chapter 27: Celebration - Part I of II

May 28, 2010 11:12

Title: Vanity and Patience
Author: Achelle
Category: Books, FanFiction - Twilight
Rated: NC-17 or MA
Genre: Romance, angst, smut, Pre-Twilight/Midnight Sun
Status: In Progress
Characters/Pairings: Emmett/Rosalie Canon Pairings
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, and its characters, or plot. The characters, books, and plot are property of Stephenie Meyer. I make no money from writing this. I just love Twilight.
Warnings: Rated NC-17/MA for a reason. Some chapters may contain adult language, violence, assault, and sexual content. Lemons in future chapters

Table of Contents:

AUTHOR'S CHAPTER NOTES:

Chapter Specific Warning: In the grand tradition of this freakydeaky couple, I will end this with a BANG! I’m not gonna even apologize for the smut that goes on in this last chapter! I clearly marked this fic as NC-17/MA! Deal with it!

Should anyone care to read a non-explicit version of this story, you can find the edited, M rated version on Fanfiction.net.

I know I said this would be my last chapter, but I ended up splitting this in half because I just couldn’t get the last part of this out fast enough. So lucky for those who were hoping for more, this story will end on its 27th chapter, rather than its 26th.

To my beta, Lisa, aka cfmom, who is an amazing friend: Thank you so much for taking over this story early on when it was in need of some thorough editing and feedback. My only regret was that you weren’t my beta from the beginning.

Playlist:

Elvis Costello - She
Tony Bennett - The Way You Look Tonight
Brian McKnight - Love of My Life
Bob Marley - Waiting in Vain
Bob Marley - Is This Love
Big Mountain - Baby I Love Your Way
Firehouse - Love of a Lifetime
Sade - No Ordinary Love
Avant - Makin Good Love
Alexandre Desplat - Werewolves

Chapter 26: Celebration

I climbed into the rented, white Bentley with Emmett, and didn’t miss the way his eyes didn’t leave me for even one second.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured to me, turning in his seat so that he could continue to watch me.

“Thank you,” I mouthed to him. The driver began to pull away from the church and headed to our house where the reception was to be held.

Emmett threaded his fingers with mine and lifted both of our hands to his mouth, brushing his lips against the back of mine. “I love the dress,” he whispered, trying not to let the driver hear.

“You look mighty swell yourself,” I giggled.

He let our hands drop between us, keeping them together. “I could just eat you up,” he whispered to me, his eyebrows doing a playful wiggle.

A tiny gasp escaped my lips at his comment, realizing all of the sexual denial for the last few weeks had caught up to me. I couldn’t wait to get him alone just as much as he couldn’t wait to get me alone. I smiled, parting my index finger from our intertwined hands, and tracing a small semi-circle against his thigh.

His eyes grew heavy and his lips parted ever so slightly. “You’re an evil woman.”

“I’m your wife,” I corrected him.

A smile cracked across his striking features. “That you are.”

We bantered like this for the whole ride up to our estate.

He held my hand as we walked through the door. I was more than eager for the big reveal-to see all the wedding preparation for the reception put to life.

I was not disappointed.

The living room of the Cullen Manor was cleared of all its furniture for the wedding, as well as for the upcoming move. Everything was being shipped by freight train to Washington State, and on to our new home in Hoquiam. I had only seen the blue prints, as I had been too busy with school and wedding plans to accompany Carlisle or Esme to go look at the place. In fact Edward was the only one who had accompanied Esme and Carlisle to Washington one weekend to check on the progress of the construction.

The living room was now set up for a banquet, filled with six-foot round tables, chairs covered by the finest champagne colored linens, silver and ecru tableware, and various floral centerpieces in green and white. The lights of our great room were dimmed, allowing the flickering yellow aura of the candlelight to illuminate the room. The effect was quite dramatic. I adored everything about it.

“Esme, you did a wonderful job,” I gushed, recognizing her scent as she came up from behind me.

“Correction,” she said, holding a finger up to gesture between the two of us. “We did a wonderful job. Your taste is impeccable.”

“I must agree, Esme. We make a great team, you and I.”

She laughed with me and gave me a small hug before retreating into the crowd, joining Carlisle at his side. They welcomed the other guests, serving as great hosts and proud parents whose children had found their happy ending.

Carlisle had a string quartet playing the classics during cocktails and dinner, and hired a five piece band for dancing afterwards. Every aspect of this wedding was over the top and it was sure to be the event of the decade in this small town.

We mingled a bit during the cocktail hour with many of the guests, mostly townsfolk and families of Carlisle’s associates from the hospital. There were countless trays of appetizers and small meaty morsels on pastries that would have once had me salivating. There was a large spread of fruit, vegetables, dip, imported cheese, and crackers, served with wine and champagne. I carried a champagne flute of course, while Emmett decided on an Old Fashioned glass filled with whiskey-our props to keep up our mortal façade.

Emmett straightened up as he spotted a couple making their way towards us through the crowd.

I looked up to see Thomas Kent and Maggie Dickson approaching us. I didn’t miss the apprehension in Kent’s eyes as he noticed Emmett was slightly smirking at him.

“Behave,” I breathed to Emmett, too low for them to hear.

He said nothing, but chuckled in response.

“I mean it,” I warned him through a grin, and then turned to face them. “Maggie, Thomas, it’s so good of you to make it,” I said with a smile.

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world. Congratulations, Rosalie,” Maggie replied, leaning in to give me a slightly awkward hug.

I hugged her back lightly, holding my breath so as not to take in her scent. My throat burned anyway at the warmth of her body and the sound of her heart beat accelerating like it naturally did with a vampire present.

“Thomas Kent, Maggie Dickson, I’d like you to meet my…,” I paused for a moment and smiled as Emmett winked at me, “husband, Emmett Cullen.”

Both of their heart rates increased as they turned their attention to my towering groom. While the reason was obvious that Emmett would have Thomas on edge, I briefly wondered what would make Maggie so nervous. That was, until I got a look at the flush in her cheeks and the way she stared at Emmett, and realized that it wasn’t just a survival instinct that had her heart racing.

I giggled to myself, knowing that my husband’s good looks would have many women swooning, not to mention the fact that he was a colossal man.

Emmett held his large hand out to Thomas. “Nice to meet you,” he said, his booming voice intentionally strong.

Thomas cleared his throat, and forced a smile on his rigid expression. “Nice to meet you, too,” he responded back softly, taking his hand as quickly as he could while remaining polite.

I could tell he tried to return the strong grip that Emmett held on his hand, but I had to nudge Emmett to make sure he wasn’t trying to crush poor Thomas’s fingers. He let go of Thomas’s hand with an even bigger smirk on his face, and Thomas pulled his hand away, flexing it gingerly.

“And congratulations to you both,” Thomas said, turning to me. His mint green eyes lingered on me for a moment, a sincere smile on his face. He truly was happy with Maggie on his arm, and I was thrilled for him.

I returned a smile, securing my arm that was hooked through Emmett’s. “Thank you so much,” I said.

There was a small moment of quiet as we all seemed to try to find something more to say, exchanging self-conscious glances and smiles with one another.

“This is a really beautiful reception,” Maggie uttered, trying to break the slight awkward silence between us all.

“It is, isn’t it? Esme did a wonderful job with everything,” I said.

We congratulated them as well, as Esme had recently conveyed the news to us that they were newly engaged. I was happy that Thomas had found his happiness. As they walked away to grab a drink and some hors d'oeuvres, I was admittedly, for just a moment, a bit envious of them for the future they would have with countless children. I stared after them with my smile fading, my mind far away.

I felt arms around me, encasing me from behind, and I was immediately enveloped in the scent of wood and spice once again. “You all right?” Emmett asked, pressing his lips to my right temple.

I smiled immediately, as I was figuratively and quite literally surrounded by my own life’s sunshine. “I’m just fine, thank you.” I turned to face him. “But, it’s time for me to change out of this gown and into something new.”

He growled softly, a corner of his lip turning up in a partial smile. “Need any help?” he volunteered, his eyes deep with mischievous, playful lust.

“I think I can manage, but thank you. Besides, I want it to be surprise, so I can see your face when you see me next.”

His nose flared as he grinned excitedly at me. “All right, you win.”

“So if you’ll excuse me,” I said stepping back. As I watched his face fall as I pulled away from him I whispered, “I won’t be long, I promise.”

I flew up the staircase, Esme right behind me. She helped me out of my wedding gown and into a sexy, champagne-colored satin Madeleine Vionnet gown. It was a sleeveless bias cut gown with a sexy, low, draped back, and a sweeping train. It positively oozed of seductive glamour.

Esme helped me let my hair down, parting my hair to the side and letting it fall in a perfect, golden finger wave on one side of my face, the other side pinned up with a gorgeous crystal hairpin. She helped me transfer the Platt family brooch from my ceremony dress to the left strap of my gown and then sent me to the top of the staircase. There I waited for the announcement that we would be introduced before dinner.

They called us for our first dance as husband and wife, and as I descended the staircase, I was met once again with adoring eyes of melted honey and a smile framed by the dimples that rocked my whole being. He stood proudly at the foot of the stairs, his hand stretched out in an offer to take mine, his eyes appraising me from head to toe.

“To borrow a word from Edward, you’re completely exquisite.” I wasn’t sure if it was the occasion, but it charmed me to pieces to hear Emmett speak so eloquently.

“Thank you,” I whispered, I smiled back at him, taking his hand and letting him lead me through the applauding crowd.

To my delight, a familiar song began to play as he escorted me to the middle of the dance floor. It was the first song we ever danced to, even before we’d admitted our feelings, though they were definitely there with us in the electricity between our bodies as he led me around the living room that one night. The memory was just a fleeting thought as I turned my attention back to our first dance at our wedding.

Emmett pulled away to whirl me around once in a while, leading us into a dance as the crowd applauded our theatrical show. “Night and day,” he hummed in his lovely bass voice, “you are the one. Only you beneath the stars and under the sun.” His lips didn’t move enough for people to see, and he sang too softly for any of our guests to hear, the movement of his lips against my ear only during the moments when he held me close.

Flashes of light from cameras owned by four of the wealthiest Wise County families went off from every direction throughout the course of the night, with the only break being during dinner. People giggled as we made a show of feeding each other our dinner of pheasant under glass, though Emmett and I were dropping most of it in the napkins in our laps, too fast for human eyes to detect.

We were both sports during the cutting of the five tier cake that none of us would ever care to eat, each taking a turn to bite a piece. The four cameras clicked feverishly in our direction. I could faintly remember a time when I adored such confectionary treats, and I tried to keep that memory in mind as I forced a swallow of it down my throat.

I was able to smash cake into Emmett’s face, but upon my insistence, he didn’t bother to try it on me. I refused to let him ruin my make up. He successfully got his own payback by kissing me right after I’d smeared icing all over his lips and nose, getting it on my face in the process. I took a deep breath and fought the urge to get upset at him for attempting to mess up my make-up on my wedding day. I knew I needed to be a good sport, as this was just as much his day as it was mine.

The single ladies gathered in the center of the dance floor, many of which were daughters of Carlisle’s associates at the hospital, of whom I’d never met before. I tossed the bouquet in the general direction of all the ladies, unsure who I wanted to catch it.

I nearly jumped for joy, clapping my hands excitedly as I realized that Maggie Dickson had caught it, holding it in her hands with a rosy flush in her cheeks. I’d forgotten about tossing it in her direction, but suddenly was thrilled that she was the successful single lady in the exuberant crowd.

I grew a bit rigid in my chair as Emmett dutifully removed my garter from my leg with his teeth in front of everyone. I could hear Carlisle and Esme giggle, and even Edward chuckled and hollered at us.

As all the bachelors convened to the center of the room, Emmett made his way to stand a few feet from the crowd, keeping his back towards the men. He winked at me as he tossed the garter over his shoulder, and, just as sure as I was that he planned it, it landed in the hands of Thomas Kent.

I laughed, ready to give him a hard time about his choice of bachelor when I was suddenly tapped on the shoulder.

“Care to have a dance with the Father of the Bride?” Carlisle asked, and his arm was bent toward me as he motioned towards the floor.

“Of course!” I said as he whisked me away. It was a current song by Fred Astaire called “The Way You Look Tonight,” featured in the recent film, Swing Time. We spun around like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, capturing the crowd’s attention once again. I floated along with him, elated to be in the center of attention, marveled by everyone around me.

Emmett, Esme, and Edward watched with beaming faces from the sidelines before Emmett took Esme for a twirl on the dance floor as well. Three quarters of the way through the song, Emmett and Carlisle switched, leaving me to dance with Emmett again.

“I saw what you did for Thomas Kent,” I said, eyeing him suspiciously, before he lifted his arm to lead me into a turn.

He grinned sheepishly. “Well, I just wanted to ensure he was happy.” He studied my facial expression before he amended, “Err… happily attached to someone else for the rest of his life.”

I chuckled at his sneakiness, letting him throw me into a dip, before popping me back up onto my feet.

He spun me around again, and when that song ended, we were able to dance happily with others. Edward even cut in to dance with me. Although it was slightly awkward, I had to admit, I had fun dancing with my only brother.

“You know, I was going to ask you to be our musician for the ceremony,” I said, filling the awkward silence between us as we swayed to the beat.

A corner of his mouth curled up in modest delight. “I know.”

Of course he did. “Emmett beat me to it by asking you to be his best man.”

“Yes, I know,” he said again.

Why do I even bother telling him anything?

“Because,” Edward muttered, “you want to say something nice… for a change.” The song was coming to an end, and we were slowing our movements.

I sighed, shaking my head. “I guess so.”

He escorted me off of the dance floor as the song came to a close. “Well, for what it’s worth, I would have been happy to play at your wedding.”

I smiled at him. “Good, because I’d love to have you play the next time we have one.”

“Next time?” He gave me a mocking grin, throwing his head back in phony astonishment. “I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. You do love the attention.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I love Emmett more.”

He nodded his head. “For once, I cannot argue with you, Rosalie.”

“It’s set then,” I said, with confidence. “You will be our musician for our next one.”

“Well that’s a wonderful idea,” Esme mused as we joined her on the sidelines. “Rosalie can play the bridal march at your wedding someday,” she said, turning to Edward and rubbing his back.

“My wedding?” Edward asked.

“His wedding?” I scoffed on top of him, only mine was in mock of such a statement.

“Well, you never know,” Esme suggested, her eyes hopeful. “Did you think you were going to get married in this life, Rosalie?”

I considered it for a moment. “I don’t suppose I did.”

“I still think it’s a far cry from reality,” Edward uttered, shaking his head playfully.

I looked at my brother from the corner of my eye. “I must say, I agree with him. It’s not very realistic.”

“I don’t know, Rose. Edward is a loveable soul. I’m sure he’d find his match someday.”

I snorted, completely skeptical of such a possibility as Esme placed a reassuring arm around a doubtful Edward.

“Did I miss anything?” Emmett asked, coming from behind me and threading his arms through mine and around my waist.

“No, nothing at all.” I said, my lips turning up at the corners as I spun around to face him and press my lips to his. Poor Edward would never feel happiness like this. It wasn’t like I wanted him alone for the rest of his life, but that I knew he’d never find anyone interesting. After all, he’d never taken heed of me before, so who else could he ever consider, much less desire?

The evening was a wonderful time, but it was long, and before we knew it, dawn was approaching. It took only a moment to realize that we had a flight to catch-testing the new technology of transatlantic air travel-and whatever alone time Emmett and I had planned for earlier to consummate our marriage wasn’t going to happen anymore. I was a bit disappointed, but I was suddenly curious that Emmett, although just as let down, still seemed a bit excited about leaving. I studied how energetic he was as he loaded my luggage into Edward’s Volvo. Edward was to take us to the airport in just a short time.

“So are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I pressed again. I’d been pressing for quite some time, even weeks before the wedding. However, Emmett had been quite insistent on the honeymoon being a surprise.

“Nope,” he said, with a smirk on his face and his nose turned in the air.

I turned to Edward who was putting his gloves and hat on. Will you tell me? I asked him silently.

Edward smirked before giving me a look that said, “Are you kidding me?”

Of course you wouldn’t. You’re no fun, I whined back to him before turning back to Emmett. “Well it would be nice to know where we’re going so I could pack accordingly. All you said was that it was going to be warm.”

Emmett narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Nope. Not gonna tell ya,” he persisted.

Esme and Carlisle had stepped out by then, running to us both hugs.

“Have a great time,” Esme exclaimed. “When you get back, all your things will have been moved to Hoquiam.”

“You sure you don’t need my help with the move?” Emmett asked. “I mean, you can always wait ‘till we get back.”

“Nonsense, have your fun. We can certainly move all of these things ourselves. Half of the furniture is on a train to Washington right now.”

I ran inside, realizing I’d left my hat box in the living room. As I ran in to pick it up, I felt a sudden twinge of sadness that the house was… empty.

I knew this day would come, but I never expected this sudden pang of loneliness, however small it was. I knew that we would move every so often, to keep with the human charade. I knew that our un-aging bodies would make that a requirement if we were to keep our anonymity. I was sure that one day, decades, centuries from now, I wasn’t going to care. However, at this moment, I did.

I’d miss this house, and the land around it where I’d shared precious moments with Emmett. I’d miss my bedroom, and the way Emmett would sneak in through my window. I’d miss the garage where I’d learned to tune my first car. I’d miss our special glen out in the Shenandoah forest, where Emmett and I would look at the stars and share our lives with one another. I’d miss running into Maggie and Thomas, even though half of me was selfishly thankful I wouldn’t have to see them grow old and bear children. I’d miss my being able to take a drive to Rochester; though I know I’d never go back now, the convenience would be missed.

I ran my fingers along a curtain before my eyes swept the perimeter of the living room. We’d cleaned it so efficiently that it didn’t even look like there was a wedding here just hours ago. It was just... empty. It was funny the way things worked. I hated how small town this place was, yet now I couldn’t bring myself to say goodbye to it.

“You ready to go?” Emmett asked, impatience in his tone, poking his head into the front door.

I cleared my throat, and put on a pleasant face. “Yes, I am.”

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’m well, thank you,” I said.

He took my arm, and escorted me to the car, going on and on about how excited he was about the trip. I was excited as well, but I found that I was still a bit cheerless to leave.

Edward started the car, peeling out of our driveway in his normal speed of driving.

In the rear view mirror, I took one last look at our home in Appalachia, and, with a slightly heavy heart, watched the town pass us by in the car.

(Continue onto Part II of Chapter 26)

emmett/rosalie, rosalie hale, rosalie and emmett, emmett cullen, vanity and patience